Author Description

Lavishly illustrated with more than 300 images, this groundbreaking study presents the arts of the Maroons - descendants of rebel slaves from diverse African origins who wrested their freedom from Dutch plantation owners in South America in the eighteenth century and established independent societies in the tropical rain forest. The Prices build on their more than thirty years of involvement with the Maroons, which has produced over a dozen books on Maroon history and culture. Here, they recount the art history of these unique societies, showcase the work of individual artists, and explore the place of the arts in daily life. They also chronicle the challenges faced by today's Maroons as they struggle to maintain their cultural identity despite harsh attacks from without - civil war, a plummeting economy, the introduction of drugs, and invasion of their territory by multinational mining and lumber companies. And readers will follow the spread of Maroon arts beyond the rain forest, as tourists, dealers, collectors, museum curators, and even art forgers enter the picture.