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Germaicans - A true Story of Jamaica!
"It is not down in any map; true places never are." -Herman Melville
Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many One People" and although 90% of the population is comprised of African descent, a study of their culture and the people will reveal the influx and contributions of ethnic groups from India, china, Jewish, Syria, Lebanese and the lesser known Germans.
In a foot note stranger than anything fiction could concoct- Industrious and hardworking Germans arrived in 1834 under the guise of working initially as indentured servants for several years before being released to a grant of 30 acres per person to work and own as their own farms. It was the beginning of the integration of Germany and Jamaica and would give birth to "Ger-maicans" though settled since the 1830's many left the island in the 1970's to live in Canada or the United States. Nevertheless they provide an interesting and unique place in the history and culture of Jamaica.
It was the hope of the Colonial Government of Jamaica that the imported Europeans would create thriving settlements and act as a "model" for the ex-slaves- to get them to continue to work on the larger plantation estates. The program was never a success, in fact the original German immigrants were treated as slaves themselves and barely eked out a living, barely surviving the tropical climate there were not prepared for.
Between the years of 1834 to 1838 nearly 1,300 German immigrants arrived in Jamaica. Their background was that of farmers, former military and tradesmen. They spoke little English and found themselves isolated very quickly.
Lord Seaford gave 500 acres of his 10,000-acre estate to create the Seaford Town German Settlement. This became the main hub of the German immigrants with hundreds settling in the Seaford Town. It was here their tough road of surviving began including learning English and the island Patois dialect and learning to live off the earth, with whatever they planted and harvested.
In the present town of Seaford there are remnants of German names found such as Wedemire, Grosskoph, Schleifer and Kleinhans. A few German words are spoken by the older generation and white skinned blue-eyed people mixed with the African descent can be found here.
Today the tidy little town is more popularly know as the "German Village" and is nestled in the hills of Westmoreland with cottage style homes with German chimneys.
The Sacred Heart Mission set up in 1837 is the focus of the township, which is a school run by the Jamaican Government but funded by the Catholic Bishops of Germany. A mini museum attached to the school can be visited where you can learn more of the "Ger-maicans" and of the historical connections of Germany and Jamaica.
Seaford- despite its name, is located inland in the hills and not near the ocean. It is located on the southwestern area of the island, in the up and coming area of the south coast that i have written several times about.
Caribbean Traveler Monday, June 19th, 2006
Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many One People" and although 90% of the population is comprised of African descent, a study of their culture and the people will reveal the influx and contributions of ethnic groups from India, china, Jewish, Syria, Lebanese and the lesser known Germans.
In a foot note stranger than anything fiction could concoct- Industrious and hardworking Germans arrived in 1834 under the guise of working initially as indentured servants for several years before being released to a grant of 30 acres per person to work and own as their own farms. It was the beginning of the integration of Germany and Jamaica and would give birth to "Ger-maicans" though settled since the 1830's many left the island in the 1970's to live in Canada or the United States. Nevertheless they provide an interesting and unique place in the history and culture of Jamaica.
It was the hope of the Colonial Government of Jamaica that the imported Europeans would create thriving settlements and act as a "model" for the ex-slaves- to get them to continue to work on the larger plantation estates. The program was never a success, in fact the original German immigrants were treated as slaves themselves and barely eked out a living, barely surviving the tropical climate there were not prepared for.
Between the years of 1834 to 1838 nearly 1,300 German immigrants arrived in Jamaica. Their background was that of farmers, former military and tradesmen. They spoke little English and found themselves isolated very quickly.
Lord Seaford gave 500 acres of his 10,000-acre estate to create the Seaford Town German Settlement. This became the main hub of the German immigrants with hundreds settling in the Seaford Town. It was here their tough road of surviving began including learning English and the island Patois dialect and learning to live off the earth, with whatever they planted and harvested.
In the present town of Seaford there are remnants of German names found such as Wedemire, Grosskoph, Schleifer and Kleinhans. A few German words are spoken by the older generation and white skinned blue-eyed people mixed with the African descent can be found here.
Today the tidy little town is more popularly know as the "German Village" and is nestled in the hills of Westmoreland with cottage style homes with German chimneys.
The Sacred Heart Mission set up in 1837 is the focus of the township, which is a school run by the Jamaican Government but funded by the Catholic Bishops of Germany. A mini museum attached to the school can be visited where you can learn more of the "Ger-maicans" and of the historical connections of Germany and Jamaica.
Seaford- despite its name, is located inland in the hills and not near the ocean. It is located on the southwestern area of the island, in the up and coming area of the south coast that i have written several times about.
Caribbean Traveler Monday, June 19th, 2006
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