Maroon
The following information was taken from Dwight Logan's book 'The Socio - Cultural History of Petite Martinique A fishing island Community'.
The Maroon festival was passed down since the days of slavery. It is a sacificial festival held at the end of the crop season to give thanks for the harvest and to seek help for a good crop yield in upcoming season. It can be held also for rain. Whenever there is a prolonged period with out rain, the people of Petite Martinique would have a maroon.
As late as the 1970s each estate or village on the island hosted a maroon, where the entire island would contribute or participate. However, the mother of all maroons was held on August 1st, Emancipation Day at the bottom of the Piton ( the highest hill on the island).
A few days prior to a maroon a member of the community, usually a woman, would announce the maroon using a hoe and a stone. She will bang the stone against the hoe three times and shout to the top of her voice " All who hear tell the others maroon in (P-Pond) tomorrow please God, come one, come all".
On the day of the maroon a flag would be hoisted at the spot on which the activity would take place. The organisers would then prepare a large pot of "Rice Tea" (rice porridge) on the said spot. The rice porridge is prepared mainly for the children, but to partake of it, they must first recite "The Lord's Prayer" and "The Grace Before Meals".
The most significant aspect of a maroon is the preparation of "a sacrificial table" or "parents' plate". Prior to the 1980s the food to be placed on the table and to be distributed to the people in attendance came from differnt homes in the community who would prepare different traditional dishes such as rolled cou-cou, rolled rice, pease soup, boiled provisions, and a variety of stewed meat. these foods would be brought to the maroon in trays. Today however, all cooking is done on the site of the maroon. Individuals would contribute cash, food items, or drinks to the organisers.
After the cooking has been completed, cooked rice is then thrown in the direction of north, south, east and west. This is done so that their ancestors in all secton of the globe are fed. Some of the cooked rice is also scattered at the seashore. Many or their ancestors had lost their lives on the sea from the days of slavery to recent times as sailors and fisherment. The sea also connects every island and continent from which their ancestors originated. Prayers (usually the Rosary) are said, followed by big drum dancing, followed by the distributing of the food. The maroon ends with the eating of the food from the parents' plate.