Run to the Hills

Run to the Hills

TL by Pat Durham



Author's Note:
My dad is from Trinidad, and spent several years of his life with Maroons from Jamaica, perhaps the most famous maroons in the New World. He learned about their history, and from their passed it on to me orally. As a child I enjoyed hearing his stories of brave Maroons fighting for freedom in the countryside of the West Indies. While that story was bowdlerized and idealized by Father Dearest, I mulled over these stories for the first memorable years of my childhood. I had almost forgotten about the Maroons when I came across an article about Slavery in Jamaica.

I was inspired to make this when I came across this map of Thande's where America became an anologue to South Africa, with English 'Boers'. From their I began to research the Boers, who reminded me in some ways of he Maroons. A Hop, skip, and a leap later, I formulated 'A Maroons in America' TL. Yes, there were Black Seminoles and etcetera, but I wondered to myself how to get more thorns in Colonial America's side. This is that end result.

To those who voted in the thread, I used a 'name out of a hat' thing to break the tie that was there when I last looked. I that tie broke on it's own, then I'm sorry.

Also, I must warn you the readers: This thread involves a small degree of offensiveness, having European-Native American-Cimaroon relations told by Historians from ~1600-1900s. I will usually try to tiptoe around it lightly, however, to keep this TL realistic, when a contemporary account appears, it may have it's true colours (no pun intended) shown raw.
Enjoy.
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O’er hills in ye woods and in ye moors,
Came o’er a thousands shrieking Moores,
Ye Negres sauaged the women,
But if it’s Ye All Mighty Lorde’s will,
May we fight ‘til the Moores are sent back screeching to the Hills
-Excerpt from Claudius Shakespeare’s Voyages[1]

American Negres: A History of the Chepelaye and Colonialism. By Sherlock Bell
University of Edinburgh, 1872 [2]

The History of the Chepelaye tribe in America is described as ‘A series of accumulated coincidences and merry accidents in favor of the Chepelaye’. This statement doesn’t take into account the knowledge of the land gained by living amongst natives for many years, their Moslem background, or their ability to get Europeans and Indians playing against one another. Their savage nature allowed for easy flight in the face of serious European threat. Interestingly, the deeper one travels into Chepelaye history, one may find that these features provided the tribe the ability to create a large sphere of influence within the continent, in staunch contrast to the impression of ‘Lucky Negres’ so many have engraved in their memories.
The Story of the Chepelaye tribe begins with the embarking of the colony of Roanoke, when Sir. Richard Grenville was blown off course due to a storm. He believed the rendezvous point to be in Puerto Rico. Encountering Buccaneer John Hawkins, Grenville purchased slaves to build a fort in Puerto Rico [3]. Fort Muskito was soon abandoned, as Grenville became impatient waiting in the Caribbean.
Arriving in Roanoke later than he had initially planned, he quickly engaged his slaves in labor towards building a fort. The Colony was low on supplies, and Grenville was set to return to England to bring more men and fresh supplies. When he returned in the autumn of 1586, the colony was near collapse as many of the men starved to death.
With fresh supplies and two more garrisons of Englishmen, Grenville began where he left off, establishing Friendly diplomatic relations with the Indians. The Pananiock were initially quite hostile towards the English, until they were appeased with a few of the slaves Grenville had bought. [4]
The Roanoke Colony’s expansion beginning in 1587, with the influx of John White and 150 colonists, and the acquiring of tobaco seeds…





Roanoke Colony prior to Spanish Invasion
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1. Moores = Moors. Used artistically, comparing the Chepelaye to the Spanish Moors. TTL's Shakespeare has a son, Claudius, rather than Judith Quiney, whom survives to adulthood. More on the Shakespeares later.
2. 'Negres' is TTL's equivalent of the N-Word, but in practice used much more like Brazilian Portuguese 'Preto', which in many circles is politically incorrect, and can be used derogatively.
3. The PoD is intended to be vague: Perhaps some more men on Tiger die during the storm near Portugal, and John Hawkins being in Puerto Rico with slaves when Richard Grenville shows up in a similar fashion to OTL; Perhaps John Hawkins being in Puerto Rico is the PoD. I'm not sure either.
4. The Author is biased in favor of the Europeans, over the Natives. More on this later.

Comment, please.
 
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This is freakin' awesome. Consider me subscribed.

(For what it's worth, I've been thinking about doing a Jamaican Maroon TL down the line, once I'm done with Malê Rising. The tentative title, for obvious reasons, would be "Nanny State." If I ever do get around to it, I'll consult you first.)
 
Smoke on the Water

roanoke-colony-2.jpg


'Sir. Raleighland, 1587-1641' by Percival Younger,
Wallie & Bee Publishing. 2000

Early on, it seemed the Roanoke colony was outpacing the Spanish colonies in terms of viability. Tobacco plantations seemed to arise overnight, Indians remained peaceful for the first five years, due in part to particularly productive summer harvests (and an inflow of extremely cheap European items), and Settlers began trickling in by successive boatfuls.

However, the maintenance of the Roanoke Colony was a largely unsustainable by any means. Slaves, due to lack of interest from the Homeland, had to be bought from Spanish colonies in either the Caribbean or The Guinea [1]. Elizabeth's Rivalry with the Spanish made this difficult, and often the Slaves would have to be forcibly mated. This caused great issue with the Slaves, as incest did occur, as well as suicides. Runaways were a rare occurrence, due to perpetual fear of the yonder Indians and the pagan ways.

The colonists often antagonized their Native neighbors. Colonists often claimed land still under occupation by the Indian Chiefs. In turn, Indians would often pilf some of the settler's crops. Hunting parties which met each other often fought eachother and stole the catch. Official relations between the Roanoke Colony and Indian tribes deteriorated as Governor-In-America Richard Grenville neglected Indian messengers bringing complaints. Many tribes began to coalesce into a large 'super-tribe' to challenge the colonist's supremacy[2].

The Climate also played a role in the decline of the Roanoke Colony. Fair temperature and rainfall led to a surplus yield. The growth of the Colony halted in 1592, when a poor harvest left the colonists starving. Many slaves, desperate, began to seep out to the Indian tribes

The Indians stayed largely ignorant of this early on, but began to launch raids, then entire full-assaults upon the Colony. The Colonists quickly began a counterattack with great haste, but were thwarted many times due to weather. After a skirmish beside the Walter River [3], the Settlers came to the leader of the Indian alliance with a peace treaty. After deliberation (and some issues with translation) the Indians and settlers signed the Treaty of Werowocomoco, drawing a temporary end to the hostilites.

powhatan-1.jpg


On the Origins of the Chepelaye, by Ekendayo Deah [4]
1990

Many Chepelaye can trace ancestry from Curamo [5], and draw from there a line to Roanoke. Many Guineans cannot trace their origins like that. However, as much as many Chepelaye like to boast their ancestors carved themselves a land by being mighty warriors and slaying heathens whom didn't see Allah as they should, If it weren't for the Native tribes and their influence, there might not have been a Chepelaye Nation.

...The Paquachownge Confederation [6] was formed in the early 16th Century, for reasons unknown to history. Our records begin in 1545, when Chief Wansenacock [7] became Paramount Chief of the Confederacy. When the English began setting Roanoke, Wansenacock viewed the whole thing warily, making an uneasy alliance with the English colonists, meeting with Richard Grenville himself.
As The Settlers began haranguing the Indians and Vice versa, the Roanoke Tribe, an ally of the Paquachownge, called to their northern neighbor for assistance. Wansenacock began strengthening his Confederation. Many of the Autonomous tribes were brought into a tighter association with the Paramount chief through both displays of military and economic power: Either showing off their strength through wardances, or by throwing the Chief a feast [8]. Other local tribes were bribed in a similar fashion. By 1592, The Kikautan, Chickahominy, Roanoke-Croatan, and Ackomacka [9] were drawn into an alliance with the Paquachownge Confederation.

In September of 1592, the Paquachownge Confederation and allies daringly lead raids into both Roanoke proper, and land claimed by both. Though there were two White women abducted during this raid, the importance of the Anglo-Paquachownge War was the true introduction of Free Guineans to American soil [10]. Twenty-six slaves left in the turmoil after the attacks, and though twelve died of exposure to the elements, fourteen arrived in Werowocomoco, head city of the Paquachownge Confederation. Upon arriving, the Guineans bargained their knowledge of the Colony's layout and how to grow European crops for sactuary. Although it took a month in captivity, learning how to communicate with each other enough that the message could get across, Wansenacock did grant them a small plot of land and internal sovereignty as long as they answered to him as their leader.

The Paquachownge brought the war to a close when Sir John White of the Roanoke Colony [11] met with Opichipam, Wansenacock's younger brother to negotiate a peace. Wansenacock himself saw this as a cowardly thing, but agreed after meeting with the elders of the village. In the End, this move would be best for the Paquachownge Confederacy as a whole, as well as the later Chepelaye Nation.

---

1. 'Guinea' is used more frequently ITTL to refer to subsaharan Africans. 'Guineans' moreso, as a politically correct term.

2. More bias against the Natives. Probably a product of the times...

3. James River, IOTL. Sir Walter Raleigh purchased the grant for the colony in OTL, but as the colony failed in OTL the Later Jamestown colonists felt it nice to name the river after King James I.

4. Get ready for chivalrous tales of Chepelaye valiantly fighting both Natives and Europeans

5. OTL Lagos, Nigeria. The Portuguese originally christened the site 'Lago de Curamo'.

6. Powhatan Confederation IOTL. It retains a name similar to what colonists claim the Powhatan's endonym was.

7. OTL Chief Powhatan, again with a much more native name.

8. While the Powhatan are extinct and neighboring tribes are scarce, Many tribes did similar things, like potlache. Thanksgiving was believed to be one of these feasts. See Link

9. (A) Kikautan, OTL Kecoughtan. IOTL assimilated into the Powhatan tribe in 1608
(B) Chickahominy, Same name as OTL. IOTL had lots of autonomy, and even split ties with the Powhatan when they began show signs of weakness. Also known for their preformance in WWI.
(C) Roanoke-Croatan, same name as OTL. Infamous for their (obvious) association with the mystery of 'The Lost Colony'.
(D) Ackomacka/Accomacke, OTL Accawmacke. IOTL had lots of Autonomy, famous for their crazy chief, Debedeavon

10. A Lie. Only a Little white lie, as African slaves were ditched by the Spanish in 1526, and joined a Tribe in Georgia.

11. Grandfather of Virginia White. ITTL, he returns...but I think I mentioned that last time...

Comment, if you would.
 
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You got my interest. Not much else I can say for now.:)

An interesting AND unique North American timeline? I'm in.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying this timeline.

This is freakin' awesome. Consider me subscribed.

(For what it's worth, I've been thinking about doing a Jamaican Maroon TL down the line, once I'm done with Malê Rising. The tentative title, for obvious reasons, would be "Nanny State." If I ever do get around to it, I'll consult you first.)

I'll have to read your works now that you have my interest.
 
Also subscribed.

You know, I don't think that map was actually by Thande, it's by someone who called theirself "BlameThande." Who could be Thande I guess.

So the Roanoake colony doesn't actually fail ITTL? Because slavery in Anglo NA gets started from the get-go. Or it does fail but there's a lot less "mystery" about it. And English NA is not ultimately the unchecked success it was OTL, with a Maroon nation growing in parallel with the Southern colonies and checking them. It seems unlikely that the Southern colonies would ever get around to rebelling, with a hostile native/escaped slave society on their borders they can't quite eradicate, and without the South being likely to join a rebellion I suppose the northern colonies (if any, if say the English perhaps later British aren't too drained by their efforts in the South to triumph over the Dutch and the French too) won't consider secession either, so what colonies the English do establish and hold will remain English. I keep fudging away from saying "British" because we could well be butterflying away any future union with Scotland. I guess James remains the odds-on successor to Elizabeth, so Union is not too unlikely, but a personal union is not a sure thing to evolve into a formal one.

FWIW it seems unlikely that we'd butterfly away the New England colonization completely, and I don't think they'd ever fall completely to France nor be gobbled up by the Dutch. But perhaps the Dutch will hold on in Niew Niederland? And New France will be harder to break completely, with the New Englanders more beleaguered to the south as well as the north?

With a reasonably strong Native/African (excuse me, Guinean) resistance in the southern mountain country, possible linking up of Cherokee and other tougher nuts with the Maroons, southern plantation colonization will seem that much less attractive; with the strategic position of New England seeming so much less secure, so will northern colonization. OTOH the stream of potential emigration (including forced emigration and indentures) from England and Scotland and Ireland will still be spurting away, especially if the English are more or less successful as OTL in cutting themselves in on the really profitable mainstream of slave plantation economy in the islands and leeching on Spanish empire internal trade. (If not, the English economy may be worse across the board, and so the rise of British seapower will be slowed, more distant ventures in Asia may suffer too, and vicious circle feedback may cause stagnation relative to OTL that gives rise to more unrest in England and possible second rounds of the catastrophic civil wars).

If forced settlement of the colonies in North America continues much as OTL but there is less attraction to voluntary colonists, a fair number of the convicts and indentured workers may also split off to join the Maroons, raising their general familiarity with European technology as well as swelling their numbers, while of course siphoning off manpower the English were hoping to count on. Colonial society might get quite dystopic!

Might the Dutch survive in power in the middle region in part by making alliances with the Maroons, supplying them with guns and powder?

Demographically, the Native part of the Maroon society is going to get swamped, if the total numbers of the wild resistance are to keep pace with what the English can throw at them. Hence my speculations on this hemorrhaging of the English efforts, it strikes me as the only demographic tap to draw from. It does seem likely the English will send over far more men than women, and that a higher still proportion of the refugees will be men, so with similar patterns among the slaves still no doubt being bought and shipped from Africa, the demographic influence of Native society will be felt mainly because the mothers of their children will probably be mainly Native women.

OK, it's all just getting started. I'd like to see where it goes from this very early beginning!
 
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