The Boni Maroon Wars in Suriname

The area along the Lawa River, the border river between Surinam and French Guiana, is presently inhabited by about 2,000 Maroons who call themselves Aluku or Boni. They are the descendants of Surinamese slaves who escaped from plantations during the period of slavery. After protracted fighting on Surinamese territory, they finally fled to French Guiana. This is a fascinating account of the genesis of the Boni- Maroons and their continuous warfare against the white planters and their colonial armies. The works that have been published on the Boni-Maroons, for instance John Gabriel Stedman’s famous ‘Narrative’ from 1796, represent only fragments of the Boni-history. Wim Hoogbergen’s book is a successful attempt to paint an overall picture of this interesting Maroon-history. The author combed the archives of The Netherlands, France and Surinam in search of data referring to the Boni-Maroons from their origins until 1860, with astonishing results.