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Stedman's Surinam: Life in an Eighteenth-Century Slave Society. An Abridged, Modernized Edition of Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam
This abridgment of the Prices' acclaimed 1988 critical edition is based on Stedman's original, handwritten manuscript, which offers a portrait at considerable variance with the 1796 classic. The unexpurgated text, presented here with extensive notes and commentary, constitutes one of the richest and most evocative accounts ever written of colonial life—and one of the strongest indictments ever to appear against New World slavery.
512 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1796
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August 22, 2012
best scene: 18th century exchange between maroons in Surinam and European soldiers/their slaves/pro-European afro-corps “the Rangers”:
“In this situation we continued to lie prostrate on our arms till next morning when the sun rose, and during which time a most abusive dialogue ensued between the Rebels and the Rangers, both parties cursing and menacing each other at a terrible rate, the first reproaching the others as being poltroons, and betrayers of their countrymen, whom they challenged the next day to single combat, swearing they only wanted to wash their hands in the blood of such scoundrels who had been the capital hands in destroying their fine settlement, while the Rangers damned the Rebels for a parcel of pitiful skulking rascals, whom they would fight one to two in the open field if they dared to show their ugly faces, and that they had deserted their masters being too lazy to do their work, while they (the Rangers) would stand by the Europeans till they died. after which they insulted each other by a kind of war whoop, then sang victory songs, and sounded their horns in defiance; after which once more the popping began. and thusad perpetuumthe whole night till break of day, the music of their manly voices &c. resounding amid the echoing solitude and surrounding woods with redoubled force; and which being already dark and gloomy added much to an awful scene of pleasing dreadfulness; while according to me thetout ensemblecould not but inspire the brave with thoughts of fortitude and heroism and stamp the trembling coward for what he is.
at last poor Fourgeoud entered into the conversation, by the help of myself and Sergeant Fowler, who spoke the language, as his interpreters, but which created more mirth than I before heard in the Colony. He promised them life, liberty, meat, drink, and all they wanted, but they replied with a loud laugh that they wanted nothing from him who seemed a half-starved Frenchman, already run away from his own country, and that if he would venture to give them a visit in person, he should not be hurt and might depend on not returning with an empty belly. They called to us that we were more to be pitied than themselves, who were only a parcel of white slaves, hired to be shot at, and starved for fourpence a day, and that they scorned to expend much of their powder upon such scarecrows, who had not been the aggressors by driving them into the forest and were only obeying the commands of their masters; but if the planters and overseers dared to enter the woods themselves, not a soul of such scoundrels should ever return, no more than the Rangers, some of whom might depend on being massacred that very day or the next, and they concluded by swearing that Boni should soon be the Governor of all the Colony. after this they tinkled their billhooks, fired a volley, gave three cheers which were answered by the Rangers, and all dispersed with the rising sun, to our great satisfaction, being heartily tired of such company….
on the morning of the 22nd…the mystery again was unraveled of why the Rebels had kept shouting, singing, and firing round us the whole night of the 20th, viz., not only to cover the retreat of their friends by cutting off the pass, but by their unremitting noise preventing us from hearing them, who were the whole night employed—men, women, and children—in preparing hampers or warimbos with the finest rice, yams, cassava, &c., for their subsistence during their escape, and of which they had only left us the chaff and dregs for our contemplation, to our great and inconceivable astonishment. This most certainly was such a piece of generalship in a savage people, whom we affect to despise, as would have done honor to a European prince, and even Frederick the Great himself needed not to have been ashamed of it..” (214-5, 217)
“In this situation we continued to lie prostrate on our arms till next morning when the sun rose, and during which time a most abusive dialogue ensued between the Rebels and the Rangers, both parties cursing and menacing each other at a terrible rate, the first reproaching the others as being poltroons, and betrayers of their countrymen, whom they challenged the next day to single combat, swearing they only wanted to wash their hands in the blood of such scoundrels who had been the capital hands in destroying their fine settlement, while the Rangers damned the Rebels for a parcel of pitiful skulking rascals, whom they would fight one to two in the open field if they dared to show their ugly faces, and that they had deserted their masters being too lazy to do their work, while they (the Rangers) would stand by the Europeans till they died. after which they insulted each other by a kind of war whoop, then sang victory songs, and sounded their horns in defiance; after which once more the popping began. and thusad perpetuumthe whole night till break of day, the music of their manly voices &c. resounding amid the echoing solitude and surrounding woods with redoubled force; and which being already dark and gloomy added much to an awful scene of pleasing dreadfulness; while according to me thetout ensemblecould not but inspire the brave with thoughts of fortitude and heroism and stamp the trembling coward for what he is.
at last poor Fourgeoud entered into the conversation, by the help of myself and Sergeant Fowler, who spoke the language, as his interpreters, but which created more mirth than I before heard in the Colony. He promised them life, liberty, meat, drink, and all they wanted, but they replied with a loud laugh that they wanted nothing from him who seemed a half-starved Frenchman, already run away from his own country, and that if he would venture to give them a visit in person, he should not be hurt and might depend on not returning with an empty belly. They called to us that we were more to be pitied than themselves, who were only a parcel of white slaves, hired to be shot at, and starved for fourpence a day, and that they scorned to expend much of their powder upon such scarecrows, who had not been the aggressors by driving them into the forest and were only obeying the commands of their masters; but if the planters and overseers dared to enter the woods themselves, not a soul of such scoundrels should ever return, no more than the Rangers, some of whom might depend on being massacred that very day or the next, and they concluded by swearing that Boni should soon be the Governor of all the Colony. after this they tinkled their billhooks, fired a volley, gave three cheers which were answered by the Rangers, and all dispersed with the rising sun, to our great satisfaction, being heartily tired of such company….
on the morning of the 22nd…the mystery again was unraveled of why the Rebels had kept shouting, singing, and firing round us the whole night of the 20th, viz., not only to cover the retreat of their friends by cutting off the pass, but by their unremitting noise preventing us from hearing them, who were the whole night employed—men, women, and children—in preparing hampers or warimbos with the finest rice, yams, cassava, &c., for their subsistence during their escape, and of which they had only left us the chaff and dregs for our contemplation, to our great and inconceivable astonishment. This most certainly was such a piece of generalship in a savage people, whom we affect to despise, as would have done honor to a European prince, and even Frederick the Great himself needed not to have been ashamed of it..” (214-5, 217)
April 24, 2020
não me lembro de nenhum momento em que um professor de história tenha criticado os gloriosos Descobrimentos. obras como esta (ou fragmentos dela) deveriam ser obrigatoriamente estudadas quando se estudam os momentos coloniais. as parábolas dos peixes, apesar de magistrais, pecam em impacto.
Stedman é um homem do seu tempo (e o seu tempo, nos espaços onde a civilização colocava a pútrida pata, fedia em abundância) e tem culpas no cartório. mas tem um bom coração e uma mente que questiona - a sua narrativa resulta dura, dolorosa, mas essencial. o discurso entre Stedman e o chefe dos rebeldes é um acontecimento prodigioso.
Stedman é um homem do seu tempo (e o seu tempo, nos espaços onde a civilização colocava a pútrida pata, fedia em abundância) e tem culpas no cartório. mas tem um bom coração e uma mente que questiona - a sua narrativa resulta dura, dolorosa, mas essencial. o discurso entre Stedman e o chefe dos rebeldes é um acontecimento prodigioso.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews