Suriname Slaves Origin, Ghana, Benin, Loango

January 22, 2015 FositengTori historysuriname benin, suriname dahomey, suriname ghana, suriname loango, suriname slavery ancestors

Many Surinamese descendants of slaves often wonder where their ancestors came from. The short answer is mostly from Ghana, Benin and Loango, but also from many other parts of West Africa such as Gambia, Guinea, Senegal, Ivory Coast etc.
To delve deeper into this subject we have to briefly examine the history starting from the 17th century of the slave trade by both the English and the Dutch.
The first slaves which came to Suriname came to an English colony. English was the language of that day and as a matter of fact the same language which the slaves spoke then is still spoken today, Sranang Tongo. It is mostly an English derived language and not Dutch.
The Dutch got Suriname from the English by the treaty of Breda in 1667. At that time there were already 3000 slaves in Suriname, which was still very sparsely populated surrounded by a huge jungle. Many of the slaves took advantage of this and escaped to the jungle.
From the beginning of the 17th century until after the end of emancipation in 1863, the Dutch were in control of the Gold Coast trade in West Africa and had two main fortresses there from where they shipped Africans.
Fort Amsterdam – In Kromanti Ghana and Fort Elmina, in Elmina Ghana.
More about Kromanti, Ghana and the Suriname Caribbean connection
Learn about Kromanti language in Suriname and Jamaica 
Ghana & Loango(in present day Congo) was the source of most slave descendants in Suriname with a significant number from Dahomey(in present day Benin) but also from other parts of West Africa howbeit in smaller numbers.
Culturally it appears that the Acan(Ghana) culture was more dominant if we look at language, and religious practices which we call winti.
See also African words in daily use in Suriname
And
African Culture – Religion In Suriname
However there are also cultural influences from Loango, Benin and other parts of West Africa.

Here are some images to give you an idea of what those cities looked like where the slaves came from at the time, 16th & 17th century:

Kumasi – Ghana(center of Ashante, Acan kingdom):

Loango(currently Congo):

Benin(Dahomey):

As you can see, these were well organized cities, with an obvious infrastructure of roads and defenses, contrary to what some Westerners would have you believe.

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