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1. Introduction.The Djuka, one of the Bush Negro tribes of Surinam, live in the interior of the country along the Tapanahony, Marowijne and Cottica rivers (for a map see Köbben, 1967 b: 10).Their precise number is not known, but it probably amounts to about 15.000.They live in small villages, the nucleus of which consists of one or more matrilinear groups, 1 and practise shifting cultivation.The tribe has a Paramounit Chief (Gaaman) who lives in the village of Driitabiki on the Tapanahony river.There hi;s power is preponderant (Thoden van Velzen, 1966: ch.6-9, 12, 13), but in the Cottica region, which will be the subject of this paper, his influence is negligible, although his name is held in high esteem.We know more about the history of the Bush Negroes than about that of most other tribal groups.From the last quarter of the seventeeoth century onwards, large numbers of negro-slaves were brought to Surinam from West Africa to work in the sugar plantations.Their life was extremely hard and in spite of the great risks involved, many of them ran away to hide in the immense forests of the interior.These runaways carried out raids on, the plantations to' procure necessary tools and implements.Time and again the colony organized expeditions in an attempt to wipe them out, which, howevér, proved unsuccessful.Ulitimately, in 1761, a treaty was concluded involving the acceptance of the status quo if the Bush Negroes would cease their raids on the plantations and hand over new escapees.From then on the Bush Negroes could build up their society without undue interference.The fieldwork on which this paper is based was carried out from August 1961 to July 1962 mainly in the village of Langa Uku on the Cottica river.In the same period Mr. (now Dr.) and Mrs. Thoden van Velzen worked in Dritabiki, the village of the Paramount Chief.Additional research among Djuka migrant laborers in the capital was For an analysis of Djuka society as a kinship system see Köbben, 1967b.
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