Case file · Haunting

Ram Head and the St John revolt

After the 1733 revolt of enslaved Akwamu people on St John in the Danish West Indies failed, many rebels died by their own hand rather than be recaptured. Legend places a mass leap at the cliffs of Ram Head.

1733 CE · 18.30, -64.70 · status: legend

The account

The rebels held most of the island for six months until French troops from Martinique arrived. Island lore says their spirits are heard on the headland.

The sceptical view

Contemporary records describe suicides at several places; the Ram Head leap is a later tradition.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: 1733 slave insurrection on St. John
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