Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter

Hansle Charles Reid of the Accompong Maroons blows the abeng at the beginning of the Maroon celebrations under the kindah tree in Accompong Town, St. Elizabeth, on Saturday January 6. The occasion was the 269th anniversary celebration to mark the signing of the peace treaty between the Maroons and the British.

WESTERN BUREAU:

Spirits were high at Accompong Town, St. Elizabeth, on Saturday as local and oversees travellers converged to join in the 269th Annual Accompong Maroon Festival.

An all day event, which commemorates the anniversary of the peace treaty between the Maroons and the British in 1738, the event started at about 9: 30 a.m. with a meeting in 'Old Town' - a sacred site miles into the interior of the Cockpit Country where the legendary Maroon leader Captain Cudjoe is buried away from the view of the public.

This ran simultaneously with activities at 'Kindah', which means 'one family', where members of the Accompong Maroons, beat the gumbe drum and danced as they entertained the crowd gathered under the huge mango tree to witness the days festivities.

To the left of the gathering, the Maroons carried out what is called 'wartime cooking' of unsalted pork and common fowl. It said that during the war the Maroons were not able to access salt, which was then a precious and rare commodity, so almost all the food that was cooked during the period was cooked without salt.

As a part of the Maroon celebrations it is customary for a portion of the food prepared to go to the ancestors in Old Town, while the remainder is shared between patrons and Maroon revellers who believe that partaking of the meal brings good luck.

After two and a half hours of singing, dancing - and a few cases of 'myal' or spirit possession, it was time for the ancestors to be fed and a young man hoisted a pot full of steaming pork on his shoulder and left for Old Town. Maroons who wanted to take part in the ceremony followed him sometime later.

After a two-hour wait, the group returned dressed in ambush camouflage and led a procession; headed by the four Maroon chiefs, Maroon elders and abeng blowers, to Cudjoe's Monument.

Following the procession, there was a brief break before the event launched into its second leg at about 3:30 p.m. with a ceremonial blowing of the abeng. Presentations were brought from all the Maroon communities, followed by greetings from all four Maroon colonel and special guests, British High Commissioner to Jamaica Jeremy Cresswell and Dr Ike Achebe and Professor Christie Achebe, the son and wife of renowned writer Chinua Achebe.

A true cultural extravaganza the festival closed with an entertaining presentation from Sydney Bartley, director of culture in the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, who did a historical review interwoven with live music from The Mighty Beeston Spring mento band.

Surrounded by onlookers, maroon revellers dance and sing under the Kindah tree, in Accompong St. Elizabeth, during their 269th annual celebration to mark the siging of the peace treaty between the maroons and the British in 1738. - Photos by Claudine Housen/Staff Photographer