Preserving Maroon Heritage: The Accompong Museum [presentation]

Abstract

Every year about 30,000 visitors stroll through the jagged mountains in the Maroon settlement of Accompong, Jamaica. Half of these visitors come for the annual Maroon Festival in January which honors Colonel Cudjoe, founder of the settlement of escaped enslaved Jamaicans and celebrates over 200 years since the signing of the peace treaty between Maroons and the British. However, tucked away in this settlement is the Accompong Museum, a small community center established by the locals and a partnership with Jamaica's Tourism Product Development Company. The museum, can be accessed by paying a small tour fee to be guided by Maroon youth who have been trained in oral history of the town. The museum boasts over 200 objects in its collection including weapons used during a fight with Spanish settlers and objects passed down by the Taino Indians. This impressive collection and showcase is a significant example of how even small regional groups of people can preserve their history and culture for visitors in popular destinations. This presentation will give an overview of the history of the Accompong settlement and the development of its museum.