THE MERIKINS Our heritage, Our faith, Our future. From 1815 to the 1820s, Trinidad became the home to over seven hundred formerly enslaved African-Americans and ex- soldiers of the British Colonial Marines. The ex-soldiers had fought in the War of 1812 in the United States and was granted their freedom and land on which to settle in Trinidad. Known as the Merikins, an abbreviated version of the word “Americans,” they settled mainly in six Company Villages in remote areas of virgin forest in. south cd. Their journey from being enslaved in the USA to becoming soldiers and then landowners in Trinidad tells a compelling story of resistance, independence, resilience and communal survival Trinidad ata time when slavery was still prai We invite you to discover the rich history and heritage of the Merikin community, whose identity has been kept alive through oral history and discovery in various archives. NATIONAL ARCHIVES ‘GETRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.‘Ourheritage, Our faith, Ou future. NORTH AMERICA AND THE SLAVE TRADE The TransAtlantic Slave Trade was responsible for the forced migration ofovertwelve million people from the African continent to the Western Hemisphere. This trade which involved all major European powers began in the mid fifteenth century and ended in the nineteenth. An estimated 472,000 enslaved Africans were shipped to the British North American colonies which later became the United States. Of that number only an estimated 388,000 enslaved Africans arrived as more than 83,000 died on. the barbarous Middle Passage. The year 1619 marks the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to the British North American colonies. The enslaved Africans who came to the United States came from different regions of West Africa. Upon arrival, they were sentto three main regions where they would work mainly as agricultural labourers on plantations which grew indigo, rice, tobacco and later on cotton. Some also worked as artisans, house servants, and labourers in cities and ports. The States which received the majority of enslaved Africans were the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and Virginia. In 1808, the Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves was enacted by the United States but slavery continued until the end of the Civil War in 1865 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was adopted.FROM FREEDOM FIGHTERS TO LANDOWNERS ‘The largese group of Merikin setler, the exColonial Marines, were cach granted IGacre lows and setled in, fix Company Villages in the Naparima district of south Trinidad. They seed fin areas according 0 the companies" they had served in the Colonial Marines, and were placed under the ‘unpaid supervision of theit respective sergeants and corporals. The Merikin community was placed under the general supervision of che Commandant, Robert Mitchell, who became their link with the authorities. Each setier initially occupied land without any evidence of ownership but this was later petitioned by the setlers under Lord Harris. From 1847 to 1848, they were given deeds to their land with proper tides and were required to pay an annual quit rent ‘The Merikins were intially engaged in subsistence agriculture and later sold their excess produce in the market. Among the principal crops grown were com, pumpkin, plantain and rice. As the Naparima settlements were located close to sugar estates, many undertook casual employmenton the estates during crop time. As the need for housing and roads grew, some became carpenters, joiners GRANTS TO AMERICAN SETTLERS (at ny pn oo et Bin Ba ‘ream eterna at cs oa jo Sevenon Cain ete lied BD tun Be Dap Arteria Seren apc ont Moh ong sation Bone sat o Laden ‘tela nthe sot on ot No twenty eight secon Banden fe wes on at No tity sero Be fi pt ty gut tus Bnain Bato, elo Gt lpn ea go Jc ston rd tn a a ne tity Uso ot ah ed a blacksmiths and the like. With the discovery and exploration of oil from the late ninetcenth century, many settlers went to ‘work on the oilfields or entered into land lease agreements withthe oil companies. FIRST COMPANY eres sald fo, For Once agar AA eft Compe, nd Tp et Cen perth Dae, 20 Pe {ames Teer en Ta barman Cen i od 8 ‘wi oh Te ern Pe Aer Selena 5 16 oe Nah & We 2 Pa yl Grn, ve dhe it an ted tate seen ae eappcaon wee made Tl, Nags Bond, Jaduon Bleck and Lewis Te RECONDCOMNT tree mel sete cde Mahal ok, Thar ot maned ch nd vs inewn_ We Nn: Tec aa nd Some Cover arab al PTT COMET SIXTH COMPANY Un rfereatTndinn Wasser lad oo by de Ouran Ind, inde ope rom Venere hoon ing a Mor, fourm Pn Torn, te lla he Mion. Simpson Rage Lengua oud Therese FOURTH COMPANY Jaco Hl nd Dye Vilage FIFTH COMPANY eet 1h geal land ad ol earn ae Are ot fuming nde vig rete cli Cas Hl VATION AL ARCHIVES,ARRIVAL IN TRINIDAD ‘The formerly enslaved African-Americans and disbanded soldiers of the British Colonial Marines settled in Trinidad where they were promised their freedom and. land. ‘They came following instructions given by Lord Bathurst, Secretary for War and the Colonies to Trinidad’s Governor Woodford in October 1814. ‘The fits setders arrived in Trinidad in May and July in 1815 and setted in Laventille and Caroni as preparations were not yet in place for their arrival Eythetimethethind grouparrivedin November1815, a arrangements werein place fortheiraccommodation. . a Land was cleared for distribution to them in the ‘ Naparima district in south Trinidad. The fourth and . - largest group of setirs, the disbanded soldiers of aves ov the Colonial Marines, arrived on 20ch August 1816 <0 os une 7 and also setded in the Naparima district, Ci mao: Roma The setlers were provided with comporary accommodation for the fist few weeks and with an outfit of clothes and blanket, tools to build their ‘own houses and agricultural implements and seedlings for cultivating their lands, In some ‘eases, the First Peoples were used to clear the land. For the first six to eight months the settlers received a daily ration of food from the Government until they were able to subsist ‘on their own food crops, Medical care was also provided for the sick In 1817, in response to the Governor's concern for the Jisproportion ofthe sexes in the area, 42 AMfican women Lagan» Camera ensiont capeured from a French slaver that had landed in Barbados, yanealiner amie joined the Merikin setlements. (ed Fam nim In 1821, another group of Merikin setlers arrived from Governor Woodford's account Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, of the arrival of che American setlers in May and July 1815, and November 1815, says | Hats.cane Py 20 Angst 1816 | om wat Stoo Wiliam | 95 (based on ship muster) ‘Naparima District {cre “tenet ene alee Chey od NATION (carpe re Ba eee eM 8 iP ARCHIV!THE MERIKINS. ‘Our Reritage, Our faith, Our future OUR FAITH, OUR HERITAGE Influence of the Baptist faith “Themalortyofe Merkins who seein Trnkdd were orginally Beis Aap pee er nai gs a a the Bapuas were preachers who kept the faith alive by yathering thet following on ‘campgrounds’ for worship, as was the prate in southern USA. Willa Hanilon and David Richardson are ceded wo be among the rst vilage evangelists who struggled wo esash thes churches {In 1843, the Bapase Misionary Society (BMS) of London, England, was encouraged t come ii emer ‘he oa erase und this bogen the asociation withthe London Bates, Rv-Gesge Cires rb hes Boo ila Major disagreements regarding worship aie governance and education led evenly w a spit from dhe London Bapdsts and dhe departing group adopted the name “Independent Bap” ‘The Independent Bupists themselves spl ino several other groupe such asthe Independent Sucrt Msgr Ucn sod te Tadreondaareotenal Santee ae Tn the' 1960s the Foreign Mision Bote af the Sothem Baptet Connon of the USA came t> ‘work wih the London Baptist etablh churches in nom and south of Trinidad and Tobago ‘Wich is aval int Tenidad, the Bapsstrelgon came t dominate the spel and soc ie ofthe Merkins, and became one of thelr ditinc thn markers, The various manifetcons of ‘he Baptist ith and hee infuences are silvery much alive ry and reflected in the presence cof numero churches and schools throughout Trinidad and Tobago Our Heritage Among the arpecs of cultural heritage atrbute to the Meribins include Macadam - Brought from the USA, was the proces of burning cyto proce «hand red substance for use a8 ron’ surface CGayap” or each one help one” + the practice of helping cach other a a neces for survival ‘brought from she USA and observed in houte bulding, culation and reaping of rop, and the burial ofthe dead (Oral raion / stoning - many stories were passe from generston to generation, and through chis mediom, they were able o Keep alive their history and folk radons Food - thelr indigenous cuisine include “tum tum” or pound plantain, coocoo, hl rice : which was commonly grown, and benne E Herbal medics or “bush medicine” for vious ailments, i ith Company Baptist Primary Schol Fi ‘Spel gest soca of Tad an Tob Rh erage et Wie iT nd Tag ce 218 iN {noon nant rept nae eh oe ARCHIVES