From Asante to Maroon: The African Roots of the Jamaican People
The majority of Jamaicans are descendants of Africans forcibly brought to the island between the 17th and 19th centuries during the transatlantic slave trade. Although European slave traders grouped them as “Africans,” these men, women, and children came from a range of distinct ethnic groups, nations, and cultures across West and Central Africa. The largest contributions came from the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana), the Bight of Biafra (primarily Nigeria), and West-Central Africa (especially Congo and Angola regions).