The Treaty of Colombo strengthens Dutch control over the coast

The governor reported that the revolt had spread across plantations and forced colonists to flee. His dispatch records the scale of insurgent action from an administrative viewpoint. The rebellion’s...

Van Hoogenheim replied to Coffy’s proposal that the colony be divided between colonists and freedom fighters. The governor did not accept the insurgents’ claim to land and freedom, instead delaying...

Governor Van Hoogenheim chaired a council that decided to keep negotiations open only to delay while reinforcements were expected. This record exposes the colonial government’s bad faith in talks with...

In a letter to the governor, Coffy stated that planters and directors caused the war by beating and mistreating enslaved people. His account makes the rebellion’s cause explicit: the violence of...

A colonial report recorded Coffy’s death amid internal tensions among insurgent leaders and the government’s military campaign. His death weakened the uprising, but the struggle continued into 1764....

A colonial officer reported that the Aluku stronghold at Buku was protected by marshland and a concealed path. The fort’s location and defenses helped Maroon communities withstand VOC-style colonial...

A witness account records Baron’s raid on Poelwijk. Baron and Boni’s Aluku forces attacked plantations and freed enslaved people, undermining the labor regime and colonial authority. The account comes...

The Battle of Buku formed part of the Boni wars. Dutch forces eventually entered and destroyed the fortified settlement, but the Aluku had used its swamp setting and defenses to resist capture. This...

The Society of Suriname instructed Colonel Fourgeoud to protect the colony from Boni and Baron. The order expanded a militarized campaign against Aluku communities. Colonial authorities recruited free...

A record of an interrogation contains a statement attributed to Boni. The source was created by colonial officials after a person connected to Boni’s community was captured. It offers evidence of...