Sophie Nicholls

• BA History & Archaeology
• Maroon and free black communities: ethnicity, heritage and public understanding

My research focused on maroon (escaped slave) and free black communities in the Americas. These communities emerged after c.1500 but their ‘history’ is a developing one: maroon descent communities and heritage sites exist in many areas. Many Europeans and Native Americans lived in these places alongside people of African descent. Through library research and a visit to Fort Mosé in Florida (home to the first free black community in the New World) I explored the extent to which Native American presence is reflected in contemporary heritage presentation at maroon sites today. While present at many of the sites, it is evident that Native American contribution and presence at maroon and free black communities is somewhat over looked in contemporary heritage presentation. The lack of representation at these sites for Native Americans, makes for the heritage presentation and public understanding to not be truly representative of past communities.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Supervisor: Dr Jane Webster