| Quamina | |
|---|---|
Image set in dome in the GBTI building in Guyana |
|
| Born | 1778[1] Ghana, Africa[2] |
| Died | 16 September 1823 Demerara |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Coromantee |
| Occupation | slave-carpenter, deacon |
| Known for | Demerara rebellion of 1823 |
Quamina Gladstone, most often referred to simply as Quamina, was a Guyanese slave, a Coromantee, who was father of Jack Gladstone. He and his son were involved in the Demerara rebellion of 1823, one of the largest slave revolts in the British colonies before slavery was abolished.
He was a carpenter by trade, and worked on an estate owned by Sir John Gladstone. He was implicated in the revolt by the colonial authorities, apprehended and executed on 16 September 1823. He is considered a national hero in Guyana, and there are streets in Georgetown and the village of Beterverwagting on the East Coast Demerara, named after him.[3]
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Quamina was a carpenter who lived and worked on 'Success' plantation in Demerara.[4] According to da Costa, Quamina was African-born; he and his mother were sold into slavery when he was a child. His mother died on a plantation in 1817.[5] In some source material, he is surnamed Gladstone, as the enslaved adopted surnames of their masters by convention. Sir John Gladstone, who had never set foot on his plantation, had acquired half share in the plantation in 1812 through mortgage default; he acquired the remaining half four years later.[6]
Quamina, who was not initially Christian, started assiduously attended services at the Bethel Chapel of the London Missionary Society on neighbouring 'Le Resouvenir' plantation when the chapel opened in 1808.[7]. Under the guidance of Reverend John Wray,[7] he learned to read and write.[8][9] Wray noticed positive changes after he became Christian.[8] Quamina was proud and hardworking. On being assessed for fitness to become a member, Quamina declared that when he was young, he had been a houseboy and had to 'fetch' girls to entertain the estate's managers.[8] When Wray was sent to nearby Berbice in 1816,[7] his replacement John Smith was equally impressed Quamina's qualities.[4] He took an interest in others, and had become widely respected by slaves and free blacks throughout the colony.[8] One of five slaves elected deacon by the congregation in 1817,[10] Quamina became Smith's personal favourite, and was highly trusted by John Smith and his wife, Jane. According to da Costa, he was "loyal, well-behaved, trustworthy and pious deacon." He brought news of the congregation members on a day-to-day basis, and was always consulted about the affairs of any member.[10]
Quamina had many wives, but he cohabited for twenty years with Peggy, a free woman. As was common with other slaves, he had been harshly treated and humiliated by his masters — once beaten badly and incapacitated for six weeks; frequently forced to work, making him miss religious service.[8] In 1822,[8] when Peggy was taken seriously ill, he was forced to work all day, every day, and was not allowed any time off to look after her. One evening, he returned to find her dead.[4]
Being very close to Jack, he supported his son's aspirations to be free, by supporting the fight for the rights of slaves. But being a rational man,[11] and heeding the advice of Rev. Smith, he urged him to tell the other slaves, particularly the Christians, not to rebel. He sent Manuel and Seaton on this mission. When he knew the rebellion was imminent, he urged restraint, and made the fellow slaves promise a peaceful strike.[12] Jack led tens of thousands of slaves to raise up against their masters.[9] After the slaves' defeat in a major battle at 'Bachelor's Adventure', Jack fled into the woods. A "handsome reward"[13] of one thousand guilder was offered for the capture of Jack, Quamina and about twenty other "fugitives".[14] Jack and his wife were captured by Capt. McTurk at 'Chateau Margo' on 6 September after a three-hour standoff.[15] Quamina remained at large until he was captured on 16 September in the fields of 'Chateau Margo'. He was executed, and his body was hung up in chains by the side of a public road in front of 'Success'.[16]
The very low number of white deaths is proof that the uprising was largely peaceful – plantation owners, managers and their families were locked up and not harmed.[9] Hundreds of other slaves died during the various battles and skirmishes during the revolt, or were executed as "ringleaders". Jack Gladstone was sold and deported to Saint Lucia. The rebellion helped bring attention to the plight of sugar plantation slaves, accelerating the full abolition of slavery.[6]
Quamina is considered a national hero in Guyana: Murray Street in Georgetown — named for former Demerara Lieutenant Governor John Murray (1813–1824) — was renamed Quamina Street in his honour after the country gained its independence.[3] A monument to him was erected at the junction of Quamina and Carmichael Streets.[17] He is equally depicted in a mural in the dome at the headquarters of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) building in Water Street, Georgetown.[1]