Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-06
NEGROES OF SURiNAM
They Have Their Republics in South Ameri-
can Forests.
They Were Sent Into the Bush by
Gatherer and Stayed There.
From the surinam Gold Fields"

From the Surinam Gold Fields"
Among the inhabitants Of Surinam not
the least interesting are the bush negroes,
or, as the Surinam Dutch call them,
bosch negroes. These negroes are the
descendants of the maroons or runaway
slaves of the old time. They live in the
woods of the interior, and may be said to
be the agriculturists of the colony. The
first migration to the woods by these ne
groes was made in 1868. In that year the
Portuguese Jews of the Surinam valley,
when the tax gatherers came around, sent
their negro slaves into the woods to avoid
paying taxes for them, expecting that after
the departure of the revenue agents the
negroes would return. But they did not
They remained in the forest, established
themselves there, and received constant &C
cessions to their numbers from the runaway
slaves of the settlements and the neighbour
ing islands. After the emancipation act Of
1863 they received large accessions from the
negro population of Barbados. They have
had many conflicts with the government of
the colony during their history, in the as
sertion OF their freedom and independence,
and have always maintained both. One of
their great leaders was the famous Boni,
who, in 1872, led his bands up to the very
walls of Paramaribo. They have had inde-
pendent republics, and have generally held
themselves to be Independent of the colonial
pie, mild and-unlike the aborigines-tem-
perate. They cultivate rice and other pro-
ducts, which they dispose of to the col
onists. They are also the wood-cutters of
the colony, and convey by the rivers,
streams and canals the products of the for
ests to Paramaribe. They are fairly indus
trtouS; they have no religion, their only
object of worship being the ceiba, or cotton
tree, which is sometimes found rising in
majestic and solitary grandeur in the clear
irgs, having been spared by the ak because
of the veneration in which it is held. Of
ferings of fowls, yams and manioc are
often found beneath the ceiba, the pro-
pitiatory gifts of the bush-men. The Mora
Wan missionaries have labored hard to
bring the bush negro into the fold of Chris
ttanity, but without success.
A large proportion of the populate is
composed of coolies, hill coolies from the
hill lands of India, south of the great bend
of the river Gauges, and coolies from Java
and China The coolies were introduced
after the emancipation of the slaves, to
take the place of the latter on the planta-
tons. The British were the first to intro
duce this element of labor, their own slaves
having been emancipated in 1898. When the
emancipation act went into effect in Surf
nam, and the plantation negroes declined to
lcrger perform the labor which was compul-
sorry upon the in slavery,it became necessary
to look for labor elsewhere. The British
Indian authorities required such guaran-
tees before permitting the coolies to leave
India that only the richest planters could
afford to secure this kind Of help. The
poorer planters who had not abandoned
their plantations turned to the Dutch COL
ohies of the Pacific for relief in their ex-
tremity and succeeded in importing a num-
Der OF Javanese coolies, who now form an
element of the population of the colony
Later, large numbers of Indian coolies and
Chlnese were brought in, also Arabs ma
tlves of AMMAN, and even negroes from the
Senegal The coolies, without exception
are industrious and willing to work. The
labor on the sugar and coffee plantations is
mainly performed by them, but they are
found in every department of industry
many or them settling down after their
term of contract has expired and becoming
part of the colony. They keep up the Gus
toms OF the countries to which they belong
and wear the same fashion of Dress that of
the Indian women being exceedingly pic
tGresque. These females wear great deal
o. Jeweiry, consisting of armlets and
anklets of gold. necklaces of coins. finger,
rings In great abundance. and many of
II en- wear nose jewels. The Indian coolie
women are for the most part handsome of
face and shapely of figure