Jamaican Legends: Tacky, the Akan slave warrior.

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.

Some modern folks would say that karma got to him, when one day, he himself experienced the injustices of slavery, after his people were defeated in battle by a rival kingdom, and thereafter sold into slavery, and became enslaved in Jamaica.

When Tacky arrived in Jamaica, he was sent to the Frontier estate in the parish of St. Mary, where he rose to the position of overseer; supervising his fellow enslaved brethren. With this position, Tacky was able to gain the trust and support of the slaves on the Frontier plantation and other neighbouring estates.

Tacky's Plan 

Tacky had a plan. He envisioned a black republic ruled by black people, free from the British and their oppressive system. Like a true strategist, Tacky would sneak off in the nights to a cave to plan, one year in advance of his rebellion. With him were his lieutenants Quaw, Sang, Sobadou, Fula Jati and Quantee. The men decided it would be best to strike on Easter Sunday, because it would be a festive and relaxed time when their masters' guards would be down. It is said that the rebellion was orchestrated by a network of Akan slaves working together to mobilise other slaves on several plantations, including the Frontier and Trinity plantations and others island-wide. It is also believed that the rebellion was inspired by the successful resistance of Nanny (Asante tribe) and the Jamaican Maroons during the First Maroon War of the 1730s.

Uprising

While their masters slept in the early morning of Easter Sunday 1760, Tacky and his followers executed their plans and easily took over the Frontier and Trinity plantations, killing their masters. Emboldened by their early victorious exploits, Tacky and his men traveled to Fort Haldane near Port Maria, took over the storeroom, killed the storekeeper and captured nearly 4 barrels of gun powder and 40 firearms already loaded with bullets. They then moved on to invade the Heywood Hall and Esher plantations. By dawn, hundreds of other slaves had joined the rebellion. At Ballard’s Valley, the freedom fighters stopped to rest and revel in their success, but while they did this, one slave from Esher plantation betrayed their trust and snuck away from among them, and fled to warn the slave masters about Tacky's revolt. Obeahmen in support of Tacky and his followers, quickly went around the camp distributing a powder to the men that they claimed would protect them from injury in battle and loudly declared that they the Obeahmen could not be killed! 

Not long after, about 70 to 80 militia, mounted on horses and accompanied Maroons from Scott's Hall (the Maroons had signed a treaty which bound them to help the British subdue any uprising) were on their way, determined to squash Tacky's war. When the militia heard the claim that Obeahmen could not be killed, they captured an Obeahman, killed him and hung him with his mask, ornaments of teeth and bone and feather trimmings at a place where the rebels could see him. It was done to drive fear into them and it succeeded. Many of Tacky's followers lost confidence and turned back, heading to the direction of their plantations, but Tacky and 25 of his die hearted supporters decided they would not back down.

Tacky and his men retreated into the St. Mary forests being pursued by the Maroons and their famous marksman, Davy. It is said that Davy, hot on Tacky's heels, shot and killed him, and cut off his head. He was thereafter rewarded by the white colonists for his acts. Tacky’s head was later displayed on a pole in Spanish Town until a follower sneakily came in the night and took it away. Upon searching for Tacky’s lieutenants, it was discovered that they had retreated to the cave where they had initially planned their revolt and committed suicide. They all agreed that they would rather die than go back to being a slave. Today, that cave can be found near what is now known as Tacky Falls in Islington, St. Mary.

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 References:

1. Wikipedia. Tacky's War. Updated 2020. Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacky's_War
2. Evans, Bill. Tacky's Slave Rebellion. 2003. Jamaicans. https://jamaicans.com/tackys_rebellion/