Jamaica Tales

Of all the stories of Jamaica's colonial past, this one is by far the one we can never get enough! The brave, the brazen ambition of this African chief who was captured, but refused to be trampled. This is the story of Tacky.  Who was Tacky? Retrieved from internet images Oct. 25, 2020. Tacky belonged to the Akan people of West Africa and was originally from the Fante ethnic group located in the central region of what is now present day Ghana. Tacky (also spelled Takyi in his native language (Twi/Fante), was a prominent chief of his village and was unfortunately very much involved in the selling of his fellow Africans from the Ashanti, Nzema and Ahanta tribes, as captors to the British slave traders during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

 There is a story, a legend really, often told by the Jamaican people to their children and to anyone who will listen. A story of intrigue, murder, romance and even betrayal.  This is the story of Annie Palmer, the infamous owner of the Rose Hall estate. The folklore of Annie Palmer has been told and retold countless times, but in this blog I seek to give a clear picture about this lady: who she was, her motivation and how she became known to Jamaicans as the White Witch of Rose Hall.

We will all agree that Jamaica has a rich history, rife with action-packed events and interesting characters. This article will be discussing a character spoken of in Jamaican history archives but little is known about him. We will attempt to give as much information as sources will allow into the life of Three Finger Jack. We know him as Three Finger Jack but his real name was Jack Mansong. It is said that his origins can be traced to the lushly green country of Gambia in West Africa. It is believed that Jack was enslaved at a plantation in St. Mary, but managed to escape and became the leader of a group of maroons who terrorised the white colonists in the hilly parish of St. Thomas (called St. Thomas in the East in colonial times).