Home to Accompong Town. 4 months in Jamaica.

I couldn't wait any longer so I pushed the button. I will be going home from early September to early January 2013. I miss my little village so much that it has been unbearable being in So. Florida knowing Jamaica is a mere 1 hr and 40 min away.

After rehabing and finally getting out of that wheelchair, my last visit of 71 days was the best cure for what ailed me. I am stronger and feeling so much better knowing that the hills of Accompong Town, the vegetarian diet and my wonderful longtime friends will do wonders for my health.

As I usually do, I welcome any visitors who decide to experience the culture and history of the Maroons to contact me through the board and I will do my best to make your visit a memorable one.

There are some accomodations scattered around town and I will be happy to hook you up with a place to sleep should you want to stay over and enjoy this place. Accompong Town is unlike any other place in Jamaica. The village is governed by a Colonel and a Town Council; there are no police and technically no laws except the rule of common decency. Since 1738 there has been only one case of Capital Crime in the entire Cockpit Country and this is the home of the first freed slaves in the Western Hemisphere.

Rob, I will be sure to make a Seastar Web Cast at least one time during that stay as I look forward to seeing you all again.

Peace and Guidance

We'll be at Seastar on Sat 22 Dec. Maybe you could make it then?

Cap

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Originally Posted by captaind

We'll be at Seastar on Sat 22 Dec. Maybe you could make it then?

Cap

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I just might do that Cap! Wrote down the date.

I forgot to mention in that last post that the Maroons Celebrate Cudjoe's birthday on January 6th of every year since 1739. Because January 6th falls on a Sunday this year, the actual party will start on January 4th!

Here is a favorite YouTube film put together by my good friend from Austria, Robert Hemmer. Hope you enjoy!

Peace and Guidance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72ZQQk_Maao

WOW........what a peaceful and natural celebrated....I loved EVERY second of it!!!! Thank you for sharing. Do you know the meaning of the colors on the banners....orange, white, yellow and green?

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Originally Posted by Hateswinter

WOW........what a peaceful and natural celebrated....I loved EVERY second of it!!!! Thank you for sharing. Do you know the meaning of the colors on the banners....orange, white, yellow and green?

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Thanks for the kind words. Actually, I think the colors are just festive colors and have no particular meaning. I will look into it though.

For those who like a good party, Accompong Town doesn't skimp on the sounds either. Stone Love shook the town to it's foundation last year on the 6th of January!
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The small village of Harmony Hall (less than 50 residents) had a nice session for Christmas too!
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Peace and Guidance

I am sure to be there some time during your stay and would be in for a couple nights for sure!

That was truly inspirational, especially watching the old people at the end of the film. It truly brought tears to my eyes.

boy it must feel great to know you are going back home.............nuthin better

really enjoyed the video a lot.......almost like being der.........love to be in Accompong someday....

Cool Runnings, Marko

I really enjoyed that video. What a beautiful celebration. Thank you for sharing.

Accompong, I have been waiting for a post from you. So, glad your health is improving and the peace you are enjoying after all your hard work. Wonder if your passion for your little village gave you the strength to livr your dream. I have fallen in love with Portie and am visiting again in August. We are planning to make an adventure to Moore Town. Have a great time, maybe we will meet in December. Respect....

Accompong, thank you for the history lesson! I googled Accompong after reading your post and am intrigued with this way of life. My soul has longed for such a peaceful lifestyle. I hope to visit on my next reach.

May I ask are you originally from Accompong?

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Originally Posted by Teraki

Accompong, thank you for the history lesson! I googled Accompong after reading your post and am intrigued with this way of life. My soul has longed for such a peaceful lifestyle. I hope to visit on my next reach.

May I ask are you originally from Accompong?

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I (more or less) laid my life bare from 1978 - 2007 in the following link (which also appears in my signature line)
http://www.negril.com/discus/message...tml?1290352358 (story starts from the bottom thread)

I was just a tourist like most of you here (and still consider myself one today) who just happened to combine (with a lot of good fortune and luck) my adventurous side with my writer's curiosity to string together nearly 30 years of travels and living experiences all over the island of Jamaica.

Good fortune and dumb luck let me stumble upon Accompong Town in 1992 and allowed me to realize that these people were somehow very special and our mutual Respect for each other has only grown and grown from there.

I hope I am in Accompong Town when you decide to visit so I can help to show you why I love living there so much.

Peace and Guidance

hey bill, glad you are going to be there . . . i could check you out??

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Originally Posted by JitterBug

hey bill, glad you are going to be there . . . i could check you out??

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Hey Jitters. Anytime mi fren! It ain't Mockingbird Hill but I think you wouldn't want that anyways, right?? :p

Marshall (in Accompong Town) has my cell phone so I know my number is still active. I will email you that number as well as Marshall's cell phone number. Give me a call when you are coming.

I look forward to seeing you again.

Nuff Respect.
Peace and Guidance

I live out on the edge of Cockpit country-not far from Maroon town-and would love to drive over and meet you and visit your area..I've heard the parties there our quite impressive..Would love to contact you some way-unfortunately I can no longer PM people on this mess. board...

Thanks for the invitation to show us around Accompong Town. I will surely contact you when I can make a visit. Visiting Accompong Town and the Maroons have always been on my list every since I started visiting Jamaica and doing my research on the country. I will be in contact with you to take you up on that offer.
I am glad you are healing and out of the wheelchair. Jamaica is good for healing. :)

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I don't know if these eyes are as haunting to you as they are to me but I just had to share because since I got the picture, I can't stop thinking about it.

A little backround. Me and a friend held a painting class for some of my neighborhood pickney. We said they could paint anything as long as it was somehow related to the Maroon culture.

Well, imagine our surprise when a 13 yo boy proudly handed us this rock! This was his vision of a Maroon warrior laying in ambush to attack a British soldier during the Maroon Wars in 1737.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Peace and Guidance

Bill,

I'd love to come up there. I had relationship with folks in Elderslie and was there many times.

Never got over to the Accompong side. Wish I had.

A lot of German's over in Elderslie. Blonde hair and blues eyes and very fair skin

I think we've both seen the best of Jamaica

Respect

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Originally Posted by captaind

Bill,

I'd love to come up there. I had relationship with folks in Elderslie and was there many times.

Never got over to the Accompong side. Wish I had.

A lot of German's over in Elderslie. Blonde hair and blues eyes and very fair skin

I think we've both seen the best of Jamaica

Respect

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Captain.... as I said previously to you, "you are most welcome" at my house anytime and, in fact, I would consider it an honor if you do so.

Though we are separated by distances, I can tell that we cry the same tears when it comes to Jamaica.

A short walk from Accompong Town is the German village of Seaforth Town where the majority of its residents are still blue eyed and white. Over the years that is changing and although slowly it is for the good of everyone.

We have walked the same lands, swam in the same river and enjoyed the friendship of the people around Maggotty, Elderslie, Thornton, Siloh and many more towns in this special place.

Nuff Respect mi fren. Peace and Guidance.

I just received another painted stone picture that I wanted to share. This boy, who painted this stone, is 11yo. Boy, I wish I had that type of talent.

Peace and Guidance

Great paintings on da rocks!!-Glad to read this story.Thanks!!Hope to me you one day in Accompong,Thats my next goal in Ja.:)

Interesting article in today's paper regarding the Maroons.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...lture_11924803

Thank you BCBud. I am glad you found this article and posted the link here.

This further highlights the dichotomy of diverging points of view from inside the Maroon communities. On one hand, many of the residents just want to live in peace and security as Accompong has for 274 years and others who want to make a living inside those communities and thus not having to go outside or affaren to do so.

Tourism brings visitors and much needed money to the residents and to the towns but, at the same time, the very reason people come to these places is under attack. Quoting lyrics from the Eagles, “They call it paradise I don't know why. You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye”.

When I first went to Accompong Town in the early ‘90s, the culture was alive and vibrant. The January 6th Celebration was mostly an internal event where the past was honored by the Maroon peoples from Accompong and around the island and those returning from affaren. This celebration “vacuum” is rapidly being filled by the outside world in the form of higglers, con artists and other profiteers who flourish like a virus inside the peaceful confines of the town.

Since I have come to live in Accompong Town, I am more acutely aware of the gradual takeover and privy to the talk of taking it back mostly from the youth of the community. A push is on to revive the Celebration and the town’s cultural side by providing more goods and services created by and for the people of the town and less bend down market inferior products that you can find on any street corner in Jamaica.

An important part of this transformation is The Accompong Riverstone Project. The riverstones that I displayed pictures of previously are some of the pieces of work done by the children involved with the Project. This November and December, new classes will be given to develop their artistic talents and to provide leadership for budding entrepreneurs.

I will be posting a link shortly to a Web Site where you can learn more and where you can help. We will be looking for some volunteers who would like to teach arts and skills to our next year’s group of students. More Soon Come.

Peace and Guidance.

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I'd like to know more about Seaforth Town. I tried to find some info, but really only found a few paragraphs. I had no idea it even existed.

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Originally Posted by Flipadelphia26

I'd like to know more about Seaforth Town. I tried to find some info, but really only found a few paragraphs. I had no idea it even existed.

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Part of the problem with locating Seaforth "town" is because the Seaforth that you probably saw paragraphs about is located a little north of Morant Bay in St. Thomas in the Blue Mountains.

This "Seaforth Town" is a small but representative town of poor, white Germans who came to Jamaica. Many of the immigrants who went to Jamaica signed Indenture Agreements, and became Indentured Servants. Under the terms of these Agreements, the "Master" would provide the "Servant" with his passage to Jamaica, clothes, food and drink, washing, lodging, and a small annual salary, and the "Servant" would agree to serve in Jamaica for a certain number of years.

Some of these pockets of former indentured servants can be seen in the light complexion residents of the South Coast (Black River, Treasure Beach etc.) and in other areas around Jamaica. Only a few have tried to maintain "pure blood" as they called it. Many of those with strong convictions to keep "pure", migrated into the center of Jamaica where they could live in isolation.

Seaforth in St. Thomas and "Seaforth Town" in the rugged Cockpits are two of them although, as I indicated previously, change has been coming for awhile now and I think it is a good thing too.

To get to this "Seaforth Town" you have to take a day hike out into the Cockpit Country from Accompong Town or Wait-A-Bit.

Peace and Guidance

Thanks for always sharing so much info and history..I love it !!!! And love the art rocks...can one purchase these in Accompong???

^^^Agree about the rock purchase.Would like to know if any houses are for rent for a few days as well.I'm sure a nice donation would be appraicated on the rock purchase.Or maybe the kids start doing more rock paints to help support there family and themselves.I'm very sure they would be a hit!!~Much respect to the Accompong community~

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Originally Posted by suzengrace

Thanks for always sharing so much info and history..I love it !!!! And love the art rocks...can one purchase these in Accompong???

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We ran a trial project using my neighbor pickney during my recent visit and we let them keep their painted rocks after taking the pictures. We were so amazed at how talented they were and even a 4 year old boy had the patience to paint one!

The class sessions this upcoming year are in November and December and 50 rocks are going to be selected and numbered for sale during the Celebration. You would need to be in Accompong Town for the Celebration to purchase one but we are also going to be offering them as reward for donating to the Accompong Riverstone Project on a Web Site. These will be mailed from Accompong Town to the person who donates. There are going to be other items as rewards offered at that time.

I will be posting that link when it becomes available.

The isolation of Accompong Town doesn't make it as easy to donate to as a school in Negril. Here is big hello from two of the children.

Peace and Guidance
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Originally Posted by Vince

^^^Agree about the rock purchase.Would like to know if any houses are for rent for a few days as well.I'm sure a nice donation would be appraicated on the rock purchase.Or maybe the kids start doing more rock paints to help support there family and themselves.I'm very sure they would be a hit!!~Much respect to the Accompong community~

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Hi Vince.

Just PM me concerning a place for a few nights. I have room at my house and I have many friends who do the same. We are a community that is used to having a lot of friends and relatives visiting so a lot of us have extra room. The only time things get a little scarse is around Christmas to just after the Celebration as our little town of less than a thousand swells into the thousands.

The Riverstone Project's ultimate goal is to turn these budding artists into budding entrepreneurs. Money collected for the sale of a rock goes back to the artist. We saw this firsthand when a child sold a rock, they wanted to paint two and so on.

I have been going to and living in Accompong Town on and off for over 20 years so I know a lot of of these children's parents when they were pickney and know their parents and grandparents as well. The utter safety of this community is astonishing. I have rarely ever locked a door, people can walk the streets in safety and everyone seems to always have time to smile and say hello each and every time they pass.

More information Soon Come.

Peace and Guidance

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^^^^^^^^SOLD!!!~Thanks for the great info!!~Much Respect to the you pickenies in the Accompong community

Bill, congrats on booking your return !!! As the paintings say...Rock On !!!

Hey Indy and the lovely Cindy!

Wondered when I would hear from you guys. If you want another dinner and relaxing sleep on the verandah, you will have to make it up to Accompong Town next time. I don't eat meat now (as Marshall is a Vegetarian) but we do eat fish. I will have a lovely fish from Black River on the grill.

Would love to have you both visit.

Peace and Guidance mi frens

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Originally Posted by indybob

Bill, congrats on booking your return !!! As the paintings say...Rock On !!!

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Yesterday was a very long day for me as I worked nearly 20 hours straight on several projects and getting my stuff arranged for my upcoming trip. Maybe it was a combination of fatigue, food or sorting through some old pictures I wanted to take back to Jamaica and give to friends but when I finally closed my eyes..... I relived in vivid detail the elements of this story I wrote many years ago.

MY FIRST VISIT TO ACCOMPONG TOWN By Bill Evans

June 1988, my arrival at Norman Manley; wild taxi ride through Kingston and dealing with the Jamaican Railway Corporation Station Master was behind me and I was now on my way from Kingston to Montego Bay. I wasn't taking the complete six hour one way trip today, for a full fare of about $4.00 US, as I was stopping at Maggotty and traveling into the unknown....The Cockpit Country! The train was violently pitching from side to side as higglers were hawking their wares from car to car hardly noticing the movements that would knock a novice off their feet. The shouts of "Bammy, fresh Bammy!" came from a large lady with a wash tub full of the delicious treat balanced firmly on her head, mixed with others shouting, "Box Juice!", "Peanuts!" and "Red Stripe!" as they were competing for the passengers business.

I was sitting on the hard bench seat looking out the half-open, hand-smeared window absently thinking about today's final destination: Accompong- Home of the Maroons. I decided to thumb through my well-worn travel book to read up on the area. Right there, on page 120, next to a picture of Colonel Martin Luther Wright in a red military uniform were the words that sent me here in the first place. "You can not visit Accompong or the surrounding Cockpit Country without the permission of the Colonel of the Maroons!" I closed the book and mused, "Well, Colonel Wright, I will be seeing you soon!"

About two hours into the trip, we were just chugging out of the Porus Station and starting to ascend the winding track through the Santa Cruz Mountains. I stopped the conductor on his journey through the car and asked, "How much longer to Maggotty?". He patiently smiled and said, "Soon Come!". "Excuse me", I continued, "How did Maggotty get its name?". Well, my friend", he continued as he sat down on the hard bench across from me with the twinkle of a storyteller in his eye, "Once there was a likkle pickney who used to board the train at that stop and, when the conductor asked her for her ticket, she would respond, "Ma Got Ticky!" I screwed up my face and shook my head in disbelief as the car became silent for a few seconds then nearby passengers began to laugh and snicker at the "possible", yet "implausible" explanation which was cleverly delivered. The conductor stood up and looked out the open door up towards the engine and shouted, "Maggotty! Next stop, Maggotty!".

I grabbed my backpack and exited when the train pulled into the Maggotty Station. "Have a Irie trip, mon!" I heard from behind me as I turned to see the conductor wave and smile. I returned his wave and smiled, "Yes this 'Irie' trip was just beginning!" At the station a local resident directed me to the Sweet Bakery in town where they would help arrange my transport into the Cockpit Country. It was becoming very apparent that few travelers ventured into this area as most everyone stopped what they were doing and stared inquisitively as I passed.

While crossing the bridge over the Black River, I noticed the beautiful recreation park under some construction next to the river. It was to be called Apple Valley Park. A 550 acre paradise with six swimming pools, two lakes, several waterfalls and some of the friendliest people I have ever met. The Lees, who own the Sweet Bakery, also own the park. They are among my closest friends to this day. They directed one of the bakery workers, Blacka, to help me secure a transport to Accompong. More stares ensued as Blacka and I made our way to the transport area in downtown Maggotty. Maggotty, once a "Boomtown" during the heyday of Bauxite mining, has been reduced to a sleepy town of about a quarter of its original size and I think all of her residents were on the street watching this strange traveler who was in their midst. A feeling of dread was welling up inside but my constant smiling and saying, "Hello!" quickly elicited warm greetings in return. The sun was very hot and the weather humid as I stood and waited for the transport when a storekeeper invited me into the store to sit and wait.

When inside, she produced a tall glass of ice water and rejected every offer as payment for her generosity. I heard a strange sound approaching from up the road. It was a 1953 GMC 9-passenger Panel Truck painted red on top, white around the middle and blue on the bottom. I stared in amazement as 14 adults and school children emerged as if from a clown's car at the circus. I was given the honored "Shotgun" seat and 11 other riders piled into the seats behind me. Bob Marley was blasting on the radio and the constant Patois chatter from behind made the 20 mile trip over winding mountain roads seem surreal.

Accompong, a sleepy little town of about 200 residents seemed a contradiction in time. There were modern stores and dwellings along side buildings over 100 years old. Rastafarians in tattered clothes walking side by side with residents in coats and ties. One thing not a contradiction was the warmth, respect and "Joy of Life" that was prevalent throughout the village. These current day Maroons are the direct descendants of the first freed slaves in the Western Hemisphere having signed a Peace Treaty in 1739 with England obtaining freedom after three long and exhausting Maroon Wars. Their forefathers were originally enslaved by the Spanish landowners that brought them to Jamaica from the Coromantee and Ashanti tribes in Africa. Their fierceness in battle is noted in their name: Maroon (Spanish: from "Cimarron" meaning "wild" or "fierce").

As I exited the transport, a young, neatly dressed youth asked me to accompany him to see the Colonel. As we walked towards the Colonel's Office a large crowd of residents, mostly children, began to follow at a respectful distance while giggling and chattering excitedly in a Patois that I had not heard before on my trips. I began to think that this was all a huge mistake as I started to anxiously look around for the transport that would take me back to Maggotty when permission would certainly be denied to enter this region. Upon entering the Colonel's Office, I noticed an elderly gentleman behind a desk dressed in a white shirt and tie. I recognized him from Page 120, without the red military uniform, and he seemed friendlier and more accessible dressed this way. There were three rows of six metal folding chairs each facing the desk whose back row was occupied by three heavy-set ladies dressed in their Sunday finest fanning themselves absently while intently watching the proceedings.

I was directed to take a seat directly across from the Colonel, Martin Luther Wright. The Office of Colonel of the Maroons was, at this time, an elected-for-life position. The Maroons decided to change this practice during the late 80's and the Colonel is now elected for a few years at a time until new elections are called. Colonel Wright is now in his 90's and still very active in Maroon Politics. Many Maroons live to be over 100 years old due to their healthy diet, genes and active lifestyle. The Colonel began our visit with a history lesson. I listened intently with a sense of awe and reverence. I was amazed at his extensive knowledge of history, geography and world affairs. We chatted for about an hour when Colonel Wright opened the Official Visitors Log and invited me to sign for permission to enter Accompong and the surrounding cockpit Country. He then requested my Passport where he entered the embossed imprint of the Official Seal of the Accompong Maroons and affixed his signature. While he was stamping my Passport, I turned back the twenty or so pages in the log showing names and comments of the 200 (or so) visitors who preceded me into this magical place since the early 1950's.

There were names of returning Maroons who came from "A foreign", dignitaries from various nations around the world and a few Jamaican Citizens who visited out of curiosity. Most of the dates entered where around January 6th during the yearly Maroon Celebration. Colonel Wright and the ladies rose to signify the end of my official greeting and Colonel Wright shook my hand vigorously while telling the youth who brought me there that I was free to stay in Accompong as long as I desired and to assist me in anyway I asked. I bowed slightly, showing my respect, and officially entered the village. That young man is my best friend today! During that visit, I was invited to "N'Yam" (eat) with a family, go to Christian Church, hike to the Peace Cave (where the Peace Treaty ending the Maroon Wars was signed) and to stay overnight in the community.

I did and still do once or twice a year to this day! Monday morning I started my walk to the transport area for my trip back to Maggotty and, eventually, home. From all over the community came shouts of "Goodbye!", "God Bless!" and "JAH be with you!" and warm smiles and waves from my new found friends. The three-hour train trip to Montego Bay and then on to my flight, gave me ample time to reflect on this experience. How wonderful these strangers had treated me expecting only "Respect" in return! Whenever I feel down or overwhelmed by my day to day life, I close my eyes and remember...........ACCOMPONG!

Such a beautiful story!