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Resistance & Maroons
Joli-Coeur
ca. 1740 – ca. 1789
Boni Maroon leader notorious for his perseverance
Joli-Coeur formed together with Boni and Baron the triumvirate that led the Aluku Maroons in their resistance against colonial rule.
Little is known about Joli-Coeur's early life. He was enslaved on a plantation in the Cottica area and as a boy witnessed his mother being tortured to death. That experience fed a lifelong, uncompromising struggle.
In 1772 he and Boni and Baron lost the palisaded village of Boekoe in battle, but resumed guerrilla warfare almost immediately. Stedman described him as 'a man who looked with the eyes of a tiger upon every white man'.
Sources
- John Gabriel Stedman — Narrative (1796)
This biography was compiled from public historical sources. Additions, corrections or suggestions? Contact info@surinameglobalgroup.nl.