Draft:The Social Studies Teacher

Right Excellent Nanny of the Maroons:

Date of birth: 1686 Place of birth: Ghana, West Africa Date of death: circa 1740’s Nickname: Granny Nanny Date of National Hero honour: March 31, 1982 Money she is featured on: $500 (old banknotes) and $500 (new banknotes) alongside Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe.

Additional information: “Nanny was a leader of the Maroons at the beginning of the 18th century. She was known by both the Maroons and the British settlers as an outstanding military leader who became, in her lifetime and after, a symbol of unity and strength for her people during times of crisis. She was particularly important to them in the fierce fight with the British, during the First Maroon War from 1720 to 1739. Both legends and documents refer to her as having exceptional leadership qualities. She was a small, wiry woman with piercing eyes. Her influence over the Maroons was so strong, that it seemed to be supernatural and was said to be connected to her powers of obeah. She was particularly skilled in organising the guerilla warfare carried out by the Eastern Maroons to keep away the British troops who attempted to penetrate the mountains to overpower them.” (Jamaica Information Service, November 20, 2023)