The Maroon apology for their role in crushing slave rebellions and forcibly returning runaway slaves to British-owned sugar plantations is not supported, in full, by Colonel Lloyd Lattibeaudiere of the Scott’s Hall Maroons.

“Personally, I would ask for forgiveness rather than issue an apology because what the Maroons were doing was what they agreed to. They were tricked and it has caused a rift between the Maroons and the rest of the African community for over 200 years,” Colonel Lattibeaudiere told the Jamaica Observer.

He was responding to the apology issued by Queen of the Maroons Gaamang Gloria “Mama G” Simms issued on Good Friday and reported in last week’s Sunday Observer.

Simms, a tireless campaigner for the rights of indigenous peoples, had issued the apology in a statement to the Sunday Observer, days before travelling to the United Nations to represent Diaspora and Jamaican indigenous peoples — Maroons and other African retention communities and the Taino tribe — at the permanent forum on indigenous issues.

“We regret the hurt and sufferings caused from such actions. We take total responsibility on behalf of our ancestors,” said Simms, who now occupies the seat once held by Queen Nanny of the Maroons, the only female among Jamaica’s seven national heroes.

“…We realise that we cannot undo the past, but we can remedy the situations through reconciliatory actions that will repair the damage and rebuild trust so that these behaviours will not be repeated,” she added.

Two of the more well-known black rebellions put down by the British colonial forces with the solid support of the Maroons were that led by West African slave Chief Takyi of St Mary in 1760 and Baptist Deacon Paul Bogle of Stony Gut, St Thomas, in 1865.

Bogle and his key ally George William Gordon were hanged but later named national heroes of Jamaica. April 8 this year was officially declared Chief Takyi Day to celebrate the freedom fighter credited with the first slave uprising in the Caribbean.

Last week’s Sunday Observer had reported that, at that time, the Tainos and Africans who were freed by the Spanish occupiers took to remote parts of Jamaica for refuge from the English invasion of that year to establish their own settlements. They became a formidable force that significantly challenged the system of enslavement imposed by the English.

“But recognising that the Maroons were a thorn in the flesh that defied their superior forces, the British offered them a treaty with a certain amount of autonomy, but cunningly included agreements to help the British forces take down slave uprisings and return escaped slaves to the plantations,” the Sunday Observer story stated.

However, neither the British nor the Maroons had said sorry for their actions against the slaves, until now.

Last week, Colonel Lattibeaudiere said, while he commends Simms “for her courage” to say sorry, he was “not sure that an apology was the right step”.

“The treaty, as it was written, was for the Maroons to help the English with any other uprising and the treaty was signed in blood.

“But, if an apology is what is needed for us to seal that wound and move on, let’s do that. Right now, it is a matter of recognising our culture. We need to acknowledge that the Maroons did some great things for the first freedom of people. Yes, they did some wrongs, but they had started the fight and gave other leaders the courage to fight,” Colonel Lattibeaudiere said.

At the same time, he called on the Government to do more to assist residents in what is considered the least developed of the four Maroon settlements in Jamaica.

Lattibeaudiere, who has been colonel for just about two years, said the community is facing multiple challenges, including lack of resources, little or no development, lack of educational and recreational activities, plus myriad social problems.

He lamented that the Maroon heritage and culture in the community, located just north of Castleton in St Mary, could be dying and said that urgent intervention is needed to keep young people engaged and interested in carrying on the traditions.

“The lack of development is a feature of poor leadership over time and I intend to change that. But I am hoping that we can get some assistance from the Government because we need financial resources. We have an abundance of water and land that we could farm on so we could work towards improvement. We have attractions and trails and spaces that tourists could visit but we need for the Government to see and share in our vision. We could do a lot for improvement but we need resources.”

Colonel Lattibeaudiere said one of the major projects that the community needs urgent help with is the establishment of a museum.

“We need assistance with the development of the Asafu Yard where we could establish a museum. That would be another attraction and a learning resource for our younger people.”

He said the previous colonel, Rudolph Pink, had built a museum on his private lands, but the community no longer has access to it following an acrimonious election two years ago that saw Pink being voted out of office.

Asked why the Government should pump public resources into the development of a Maroon town when there have been calls from elements in the Maroon community for self-governance, he said Scott’s Hall doesn’t necessarily share that view.

“We are not able to be self-governed at this time. We are a state within a State, as clearly outlined with the treaty, but we don’t have the resources to be self-governed. We have our own leadership and we can make decisions within the community, but I don’t see independence happening anytime soon. It takes a lot of resources so we have to work with the Government that we have,” he said.

Among those advocating Maroon self-governance is the controversial Colonel Richard Currie of the Accompong Maroons, who has taken an adversarial position against the Government on the issue of self-rule.

But, for Colonel Lattibeaudiere, there are more important things that need addressing at the moment.

“What we need now is for the Maroons and the Government of Jamaica to sit down and decide to change things. It is time for us to sit down and talk for things to happen. I think the Government of the day is willing to work with us. But from Independence the Maroons have been pushed aside, and it is time for us to get our act together and work constructively to correct the negatives that are going on,” he told the Sunday Observer.

“Young people are not embracing Maroon heritage because they don’t see what they are embracing. There is no reason to. This thing is actually dying because they don’t see anything beneficial to hold on to.”

He said Scott’s Hall has remained underdeveloped because it has not had the high profile as other communities.

“Other places have seen much more development over the years, and they have received much more attention than we have. We have to start with some kind of progress and we have been doing a few things with the Tourist Board, like training tour guides, but much more needs to be done now.”