Okanisi Marron Onomastiek. Van Yaw tot Kenrich, van Abeni tot Ruth

A study of over 2,800 traditional Maroon names, by Andre R.M. Pakosie

Lead time:

1 to 3 days

This book is the result of a study into the meaning, origin and spread of traditional personal names among the Okanisi Maroons. It was published by the Maroon institute Stichting Sabanapeti and offers a unique look into Maroon culture. Andre R.M. Pakosie discusses more than 2,800 traditional boys', girls' and unisex names of the Okanisi, Pamaka and Aluku. They show how culture, philosophy, religion, language, environment and the political structure of Maroon communities were woven into the way people were named. The names fall into three groups: group identity names, yeye names and personal names. The book also covers 1963, when family names were introduced on a large scale among the Maroons. Officials in Paramaribo barely understood Maroon languages and names, so parents, children and siblings sometimes ended up with completely different surnames. It further looks at the history of naming since slavery, the link with the African homelands of the ancestors, and place names in Suriname.