“The state of maroonage could be a permanent condition of individuals who liberated themselves from bondage or a temporary state in which an enslaved person left his or her plantation with the intention of returning after a brief respite. Those of the former often formed maroon communities of self-liberated people who fled bondage to live in inaccessible areas, particularly swamps and forests. While some groups settled in distant areas, many maroon groups situated themselves just beyond the periphery of the plantations or towns. The latter remained a constant thorn in the side of the planter class since they often raided European American settlements and encouraged enslaved blacks to run away with them.”

-T.J. Desch Obi, Fighting for Honor: The History of African Martial Arts in the Atlantic World