Captain Oorsinga reports the difficult approach to Fort Buku

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....

Dutch governor Wilhelm Falk and representatives of the Kingdom of Kandy concluded a treaty after war. The treaty recognized Dutch coastal claims and expanded company control over cinnamon...

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...

The Dutch island’s salute to an American vessel became an international incident during the American Revolution. Sint Eustatius was a major commercial entrepôt connecting Caribbean colonies and...