book chapter

Dangerous ancestors: ambivalent visions of eighteenth- and ninteenth-century leaders of the eastern Maroons of Suriname

slave cultures and the cultures of slaveryKnoxville • Published In 1995 • Pages: 112-144

By: Thoden van Velzen, H. U. E..

Abstract
This article is about the ambivalency with which Ndyuka historians regard leaders of the past. On the one hand, Ndyuka leaders are celebrated for leading both the flight to freedom and the subsequent struggle to resist recapture. On the other hand, there leaders were regarded as murderers and witches, having obtained dangerous powers from the outside the realm of ancestors. Thoden van Velzen attributes this ambivalency to the contradiction between the normal egalitarian regime of Ndyuka society and the need for strong leaders in times of crisis.
Subjects
Traditional history
Status, role, and prestige
Shamans and psychotherapists
Chief executive
Priesthood
Humanistic studies
culture
Ndyuka
HRAF PubDate
1999
Region
South America
Sub Region
Amazon and Orinoco
Document Type
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ; 1997
Field Date
1961-1988
Coverage Date
1700-1988
Coverage Place
Suriname
Notes
H. U. E. Thoden van Velzen
Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-144)
LCCN
95004374
LCSH
Djuka people