Miskito

The Miskito is a Native American people in Central America. Their territory expands from Cape Cameron, Honduras, to Rio Grande, Nicaragua. There is a native Miskito language. However, there are large groups of speakers of the Miskito creole English, Spanish, Rama and others. The creole English came about throught frequent contact with the British. Many are Christians.

There are few (if any) pure-blooded Miskito alive today, as over the centuries, escaped slaves have sought refuge with them, and also intermarried with them. Their territory is very inaccessible, and therefore they were little affected by the Spanish conquest of the area.

Traditional Miskito society is highly structured, with a defined political structure. There was a king, however, unlike most kings, he did not have total power. That power was split between him, a governor, a general, and by the 1750s, an admiral. Historical information on kings is often obscured by the fact that many of the kings were semi-mythical, and it is not until 1687 that the first confirmed king, Jeremy I, was recorded.

This system allowed the Miskito people to retain their independence all through Spanish rule and through the Federation of Central American States. However, they were absorbed into Honduras in 1894.

Due to British economic interest in Central America (particularly British Honduras, now called Belize), the Miskito were able to acquire guns and other modern weapons. British support also created Nicaragua, a country intended for the Miskito. Soon, combined Miskito-Zambo raiders began to attack Spanish settlements in Honduras, often to rescue enslaved Miskitos before they were shipped to Europe, but often also to enslave other Amerindians (The Miskito, for a long time, considered themselves superior to other tribes of the area, whom they referred to as "wild". It is thought by historians that the Miskito sought a British identity, indeed, European dress was popular amongst the Miskito and the British even named the Miskito kings) to sell to the British to work in Jamaica. They also enslaved women from other tribes. These raids continued well after any animosity between Britain and Spain ended.

Due to the allowance of polygamy and the added number of women from these slave raids, the Miskito population boomed.

Spanish settlers first began to arrive in Miskito land in 1787, but the Miskito continued to dominate the area because of their numbers and the experienced military. The Miskito never felt controlled by the Nicaraguan government, and many Miskito today don't consider themselves Nicaraguans.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Miskito supported the Contras, and many anti-Sandinista groups were formed, and composed entirely of Miskito tribesmen. As a result, the people often incurred fierce retribution from Sandinista guerillas, with reported massacres of Miskito. (See Nicaragua Was Our Home)

History

The Miskito Nation came into being as an state sometime before 1625. Its recorded king was Oldman, son of an unnamed king of the Miskitos. First contact with the British was made in the reign of the father of King Oldman, who sent him to Britain where Oldman received an audience with King Charles I.

The Miskito King and the British concluded a formal Treaty of Friendship and Alliance in 1740 followed by the appointment of a resident Superintendent in 1749. A protectorate was established over the Miskito Nation.

The kingdom of Miskito served during the American revolutionary wars by attacking Spanish colonies and gained several victories alongside the British. However, at the conclusion of the peace in 1783, Britain had to relinquish control over the coast. The British withdrawal was completed at the end of June 1787. Despite the withdrawal, Britain maintained an unofficial protectorate over the kingdom, often intervening to protect Miskito interest against Spanish encroachments.

From the middle of the nineteenth century onwards, British interest in the region began to wane. The state ceased to exist in 1894 when it was occupied by Nicaragua. It was restored by the British in July that same year but reoccupied by Nicaragua in August.

Rulers

• 1625-1687 - Oldman
• 1687-1718 Jeremy I, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1718-1729 H.M. Jeremy II, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1729-1739 H.M. Peter I, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1739-1755 H.M. Edward I, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1755-1776 H.M. George I, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1776-1801 King George II Frederic, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1801-1824 H.M. George Frederic Augustus I, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1824-1842 H.M. Robert Charles Frederic, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1842-1865 H.M. George Augustus Frederic II, King of the Miskito Nation
• 1865-1879 H.E. William Henry Clarence, Hereditary Chief of Miskito
• 1879-1888 H.E. George William Albert Hendy, Hereditary Chief of Miskito
• 1888-1889 H.E. Andrew Hendy, Hereditary Chief of Miskito
• 1889-1890 H.E. Jonathan Charles Frederick, Hereditary Chief of Miskito
• 1890-1908 H.E. Robert Henry Clarence, Hereditary Chief of Miskito
• 1908-1928 Robert Frederick, Heir Apparent to the Miskito Kingdom and hereditary chief of the Miskito Nation
• since 1978 Norton Cuthbert Clarence Heir Apparent to the Mosquito Kingdom and hereditary chief of the Mopsquito Nation

External reference

• Miskito Indian (http://www.miskitoindians.org/indians.htm)
• 1681 account (http://www.athenapub.com/damp2.htm)
• Honduran Miskitos (http://sidewalkmystic.com/Miskitos.htm)