Colossium Magazine March Issue_2019 | Page 68

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. Back to the Content page