Saamaka
/ˈsaː.maː.ka/noun
Saamaka is the self-designation of a Maroon people of Suriname and French Guiana, and also refers to their creole language.
Did you know?The Saamaka secured a peace treaty with the Dutch in 1762, one of the earliest formal recognitions of Maroon autonomy in the Americas.
Etymological Timeline
17th–18th Century
Saamaka
Saamaka
“The community’s own name for its people; the deeper internal etymology is not securely established.”
18th Century
Dutch
Saramacca / Saramaka
“Colonial spellings used for the people and the river region associated with them in Suriname.”
1762
Dutch
Saramaka
“The ethnonym used in the treaty recognizing peace and autonomous status between the Dutch colonial authorities and Saamaka Maroons.”
19th Century
English/French
Saramaka / Saramacca
“European-language forms continued in travel accounts, maps, and colonial administration.”
Modern English
English
Saamaka
“A widely used form reflecting the community’s preferred self-designation; Saramaka and Saramaccan remain common variant forms.”
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