October 10th, 2015 marked the 255th anniversary of the 1760
acknowledgment of a peace treaty between Okanisi Maroon peoples
and Dutch colonial authorities in what is now Suriname. To
honor this day as a newly-recognized national holiday in Suriname,
called Maroon Day, a delegation of Maroon peoples from around
the Americas was convened by a group of dedicated local Surinamese
Maroon activists. In presenting a field-report detailing my
experiences as a non-Maroon member of this collaborative trip to
Suriname, this paper also focuses on one individual’s participation
in the events—the official North American Maroon representative—and
the transnational organizing that facilitated this special
guest’s inclusion. Along with describing particular circumstances
and significant outcomes of what became known as a cultural
exchange/peace mission, this account also provides brief contextual
histories of some Maroon peoples in the US, as well as Maroons in
Suriname. An essay of photographs follows after to accompany the
field-report, providing some visual context illustrating the trip and
its participants and settings.