The Trelawny Town Maroons: Between Sovereignty and Slavery
The Trelawny Town Maroons: Between Sovereignty and Slavery is a creative research project that examines the behaviours and cultural practices of Jamaican Maroons in colonial Nova Scotia, and the effects of colonialism and Transatlantic Slavery on the Maroons’ sovereignty. The project asks how Maroons exiled from Trelawny Town—a region of Jamaica’s remote Cockpit Country—navigated the complex space between sovereignty and slavery in a new society. The project’s resulting artwork illuminates the Maroons’ struggle for autonomy in a slave-holding society.
Tyshan Wright, Between Slavery and Sovereignty, 2022. Wood, deer skin, Maroon beads, rope, crocus bag, pine cone; 90 x 96.5 x 38 cm. © Tyshan Wright. Photo: Steve Farmer
The artist gratefully acknowledges support for this project from the Institute for the Study of Canadian Slavery at NSCAD University.