African families in black history

[Karl]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>African families in black history</SPAN>
<SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>Michael Burke
Thursday, February 08, 2007
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Michael Burke</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Polygamy is still practised in many parts of Africa. However, in some parts of Africa, especially those that have been Christianised, monogamy is the norm. In any event, in polygamous societies in Africa, it is the general norm that men have only the number of wives that they can afford. And the children all live in one yard even if in different houses with their mothers. But it is one home and the father is known to all members of the family.<P class=StoryText align=justify>I know that many could explain these concepts much better than I. After all, I have never been to Africa and all my knowledge comes either from books or from speaking to Africans over the years that have lived and worked in Jamaica in one capacity or the other. Another way has been by speaking to those who have visited Africa.<P class=StoryText align=justify>This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. I have argued that it is a pity that Britain did not simply emancipate the slaves at that time instead of waiting until 1838. The abolition of the slave trade meant that no one could either buy or sell a slave. But they could still own them, and what they did was to increase the stud farms to breed slaves - a practice that really began when the pirates led by Henry Morgan became the aristocracy of Jamaica.<P class=StoryText align=justify>And how did that happen? In the early years of English control of Jamaica, criminals from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales were brought here. They were called bondsmen and were sent here for six years. Many did not return to what is today known as the British Isles, but stayed in Jamaica. Some lived in the Blue Mountains and hunted for wild pigs which they smoked over a wooden frame called boucan. So they came to be called boucaneers, later buccaneers.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In time they would be plundering ships, and eventually an ex-soldier who had been on the fleet which captured Jamaica became its captain. His name was Henry Morgan.
The governors of Jamaica during this period did very little to stop piracy because the invading soldiers of nations like Spain and France would not dare come near Jamaica out of fear of the pirates. In other words, the pirates were collectively the de facto Jamaica Defence Force at the time.<P class=StoryText align=justify>By 1670, some 15 years after the English captured Jamaica, there was the Treaty of Madrid. No European nation was to invade or attempt to re-take the colonial territory of another European nation. All of this was on the condition that the English did everything to stop pirating as it was affecting trade on the high seas. An attempt by the governor of Jamaica was made to stop Henry Morgan and his pirate followers but to little avail.
So Morgan was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Also arrested was the governor of Jamaica whose instructions were to see to it that Morgan and his followers stopped pirating. But during Morgan's arrest the pirates went wild since Morgan was the only person that they would really listen to. So the pirate Henry Morgan was released from prison and appointed governor of Jamaica on the condition that he would put an end to piracy.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Morgan's method was to encourage pirates to buy land very cheaply. These pirates along with others who were not pirates became the estate owners and the slave owners. A man wit

[Jawge]

RE: African families in black history

Bet you won't see much response here. Why?

Well this article delevs deep into Ja's history and is showing some things that a few will not gain comfort. Aah well so much for class in JA. Oh let's see who were these slaves and where did they come from. Were some descendants of captured kings or generals? Let's really take look. woeeeeeee yuh know what the past is the past, let's just move on

[Jawge]

RE: African families in black history

I knew this one would not be touched :P

Who is brave to step up to the plate and bat this one? aah bwoy

[Jawge]

RE: African families in black history

Sorry guys bit let me raise this article one more time: Is

it really relevant to study history in Ja? It evokes all these discomforts with regards to the past. I wonder if they have a history Dept. at UTECH and UWI. Why go into the past? why can't we just move on and work together? The thing that grabs was to imagine if they had say sytem of documenting crminnals and their activities back then, then kept this database on hot site. When the slaves arrive and their records are being checked for crime, but then who is checking and you know what let's stop it's getting ugly.

[Mosiah]

RE: African families in black history

<DIV>Just thought I should make it clear though that piracy was not a "Jamaican thing".Pirates had all sorts of origins - British, Spanish, French and Dutch - basically all those countries that practised the slave trade. Of course, some were more famous than others, and yuh know us-if a egg...</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Also, buccaneering, I believe, started on some other island before the base was moved to Jamaica.</DIV>

[Jawge]

RE: African families in black history

Mo you missed the point. No one said it was a

Jakan thing. I think the ponit Burke is trying to make is who formed the base of Ja's ruling class.

[Mosiah]

RE: African families in black history

<DIV>I missed no point, Jawge. The article did give the impression as if it was a Jamaican thing. I thought I would enlighten those who might have also felt that way.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>But, if you need to grandstand and appear as the Big Kahuna on all things pertaining to Jamaica's history and its relevance to black people, knock yourself out! </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>(Must be a CC thing!)</DIV>

[Jawge]

RE: African families in black history

Mi nah go brush yuh too hard cause mi give yuh

props fi stepping to the plate and bat (This one was even out of ben's league so yuh muss know) Anyway, could you point out where in the article that it said pirateering and bucaneering was basically started in Jamaica and contiued soley by Ja over the years? If not direct, then give quotes that said the above implicitly. Mo, maybe you formulated that conclusion but trust me it's not there. Now where did you get the impression about grandstanding, big Khauna and all that? MO you must have taken a drink before you logged on. (the CC thing wasn't necessary)

[Mosiah]

RE: African families in black history

<DIV>Jawge, I won't be providing any evidence for anything, because, it is not really the point of the article. In fact, I could point out a few more errors, but why bother. But since yuh rile mi up - most books have Henry as Lieutenant Governor, not the Governor himself. And it is widely disputed whether he was ever arrested and brought back to England. He lived quite comfortably while in England. I mean, as bad as things were, even England would think twice about appointing a prisoner Lieutenent Gov. of Jamaica.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Don'tbelieve the first thing you read, Jawge. Read widely and form you own opinions. That's what I do.</DIV>

[Jawge]

RE: African families in black history

Okay prisoner is speculative so let's leave that

to the side. Can we now move to pirateering? Is it a fact that he was a pirate and wasn't Ja a base for pirates that operated in the region? I can see the pirates in Ja as a strategic bulwark for the British but let's look further: Did these pirates acquire land and spend their money whilst in JA? BTW let's revert a little a; are you saying it was the British aristocratic class that was the ruling class in JA? While you are at it explain who is a pirate. This is getting interesting.

[Mosiah]

RE: African families in black history

Jawge (2/9/2007)Okay prisoner is speculative so let's leave that

to the side. Can we now move to pirateering? Is it a fact that he was a pirate and wasn't Ja a base for pirates that operated in the region? I can see the pirates in Ja as a strategic bulwark for the British but let's look further: Did these pirates acquire land and spend their money whilst in JA? BTW let's revert a little a; are you saying it was the British aristocratic class that was the ruling class in JA? While you are at it explain who is a pirate. This is getting interesting.

<DIV></DIV><DIV>It is said that they were given land as a way to get them to stay and protect the island. If they lived here they must have spent some money here, right?</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Who said it was the British aristocracy that was the ruling class? Don't put words in my post, Jawge. On the other hand, just as in Australia, all pirates were not prisoners. It was a combination of a lot of things, including white indentured servants and some who just wanted out of cold miserable England. </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Of course, just because pirates may not have been British aristocracy, that doesn't mean that at some time Jamaica did not have such a class settle here. At the time of pirates, the country had hardly been settled, as the Spanish didn't settle it much back in the day and the British were just getting settled themselves as a lot of the colonies were really in a state of flux, some changing their mother country several times over a relatively short period.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Wait, yuh paying mi for this lesson?</DIV><DIV></DIV>

[Jawge]

RE: African families in black history

Mosiah (2/9/2007)

Jawge (2/9/2007)Okay prisoner is speculative so let's leave that

to the side. Can we now move to pirateering? Is it a fact that he was a pirate and wasn't Ja a base for pirates that operated in the region? I can see the pirates in Ja as a strategic bulwark for the British but let's look further: Did these pirates acquire land and spend their money whilst in JA? BTW let's revert a little a; are you saying it was the British aristocratic class that was the ruling class in JA? While you are at it explain who is a pirate. This is getting interesting.

<DIV></DIV><DIV>It is said that they were given land as a way to get them to stay and protect the island. If they lived here they must have spent some money here, right?</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Who said it was the British aristocracy that was the ruling class? Don't put words in my post, Jawge. On the other hand, just as in Australia, all pirates were not prisoners. It was a combination of a lot of things, including white indentured servants and some who just wanted out of cold miserable England. </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Of course, just because pirates may not have been British aristocracy, that doesn't mean that at some time Jamaica did not have such a class settle here. At the time of pirates, the country had hardly been settled, as the Spanish didn't settle it much back in the day and the British were just getting settled themselves as a lot of the colonies were really in a state of flux, some changing their mother country several times over a relatively short period.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Wait, yuh paying mi for this lesson?</DIV><DIV></DIV>

Messed up the quote ting; Anyway I was asking for documentation of these departed pirates and the arrival of "some british aristocracy". Mo were the indentured labourers from the aristocratic class of Europe and Asia? Now were some of the slaves from the aristocratic class of Africa? I think this is the meat of Burke's argument. Good thing we didn't have the system we have now for recording criminals back then.