MEMBERS of the Maroon community, Accompong in St Elizabeth, are preparing for the final rites of their late icon Henry Octavius Rowe, who died on Christmas Eve at 103 years old.

The memorial service will be held at the United Church in Accompong on January 13.

Born December 15, 1903, Rowe served for several decades as secretary of state for the Accompong Maroon Council, and was keeper of the historic treaty between the Maroons and the British.

He was particularly knowledgeable in the area of treaty rights. Rowe was also keeper of the records of transactions between the British colonial governments and the Jamaican governments.

“Mann O” – as he was affectionately called – was highly regarded as a folklorist, and an authority on the Maroons’ oral history. He was legendary for his ability to rattle off important dates in Maroon history – a trait he demonstrated up until his 100th birthday.

His wealth of knowledge was eagerly sought by scholars and journalists across the world. He was featured in a number of publications, such as the famous author Zora Neal Hurston’s book, Go Tell My Horse; and Journey to Accompong by pioneer dancer Katherine Dunham, who is believed to be a part of his ancestry. He is also featured in Laura Tanna’s book, Jamaican Folktales; Simon and Schuster’s Reggae Bloodlines; National Geography; and Skywriting Magazine. He was featured, too, in the University of California’s ethno-musicology’s production Remembering Kojo.

Descended from a line of chieftans, Rowe counted many colonels in his lineage, and claimed to have fathered more than 50 children, mong them ex-colonel, Merdie Rowe – the most recent chief of the Maroons.

“I remember my father as a very kind person. He was always giving of himself. And no other person knows the history of the Maroons like him. My father was a historian and clerk of the court in the Maroon government,” noted another of his sons, Jack Rowe, 62.