In May of 1760, Takyi and his followers started
the revolt in the early hours of the morning,
starting at the plantation where they worked,
killing the owners and thus freeing all the
slaves. The former slaves joined in the revolt
immediately and a few run off to spread the
word of the revolt on other plantations. With a
good number of followers, they quickly made
their way to Fort Haldane, where Takyi killed
the storekeeper and instructed his men to pick
up all the machines and gunpowder they could
get. According to oral history, Takyi and his
slaves were strengthened and protected by the
Obeah spiritual leaders, who had been labeled
witchdoctors by the westerners in Jamaica.
The British commanded the Maroons and their
local army to fight Takyi and his men as well as
kill any Obeah leader. The killing of an Obeah
leader angered Takyi and his men, who by now
had a strong army with close to 80 different
groups and had taken control of a greater part
of the land. Consequently, they killed sever-
al more plantation owners and white people
before retreating into the bush to fight the
Maroons sent by the white officials to stop the
rebellion. The rebellion lasted until July when
Takyi was gunned down and killed. After he
was shot, his head was cut and displayed in the
center of the town to indicate that the rebel-
lion had been stopped and the freed slaves and
Takyi’s army were now in danger.
68 | Colossium . March 2019
D
es-
pite his death, Takyi’s military fought on hoping
to realize his dream. Many slaves committed
suicide to avoid capture and others were recap-
tured and sold off to different masters. By the
end of July 1760, the British had reinforced or-
der and had conducted a mass unmarked burial
for all the slaves killed during the war. A water-
fall close to the cave where Takyi and his men
planned the revolt was named Tacky Falls and
is currently open to visitors. A school has also
been named after the great enslaved Ghanaian
chief who led the rebellion.
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