Queen Nanny was born in the Ashanti region of present day Ghana in 1686 and kidnapped and forced into slavery in Jamaica. As an enslaved child her plantation worked in extremely harsh conditions to cultivate, harvest and process sugarcane.
She later became one of the Maroons which were a group of Black people who escaped slavery and started their own communities.
She led several slave revolts and raged war on the British for about 30 years.
Although in the beginning Nanny and the Maroons were greatly outnumbered by the British, the British attacks were unsuccessful due to the strategic location of Nanny Town.
Queen Nanny is credited with freeing over 800 enslaved men and women from captivity.
Many of the freed men and women settled in Nanny Town ran by fellow Maroons.
Nanny of the Maroons was very knowledgeable about healing methods and herbs. This made her a very skilled physical and spiritual healer.
Nanny Town stood for many years until 1734 when it was destroyed.
Now Nanny is a celebrated and beloved hero of Jamaica. Jamaica declared Queen Nanny a National Heroine in 1976. Her image is on the Jamaican currency.
She has communities named after her such as Nannyville Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica and a Nanny Monument in Portland, Jamaica.
