I am a junior Sociology major here at Hartwick College with a Jamaican heritage and background.  The theme I chose for my shrine is to honor a great Jamaican slave revolutionary named Cojo (Codjoe).  Cojo was a descendant of the Jamaican Maroons, run-away slaves who developed their own communities in the mountains of Jamaica. They were always in turmoil with the British, as the British tried to re-capture them and burn down their villages.  A great leader came about (Cojo) who helped lead the Maroons against the British in a seven years war.  The war resulted in a compromise:  the British would not vandalize the Maroon towns, and, in turn, the Maroons would not harbor run-away slaves. Cojo’s leadership led him to be made "Warrior King of the Maroons."   The compromise did not last long, as the British felt they had power and they shouldn’t have to live by the rules of slaves. The Maroons wanted to put an end to slavery, so they continued to help run-away slaves and build the Maroon villages.  In Jamaica’s history, Cojo is barely mentioned; neither is he honored as a national hero.  My shrine is made to honor his struggle, courage, and vigor.   Many of us who do know about Cojo respect his efforts, and we recognize that he played a vital role in Jamaica’s history and existence.

The theme of my shrine is expressed through the colors: black, green and gold; these are the colors of the flag and the country.  Black, representing the people; green, representing the land; and gold, representing the sunshine that yields the crops of the land and shines upon its beauty.  An added color of silver is here to represent where I am in the present. Black and silver are the colors of my organization of which I am the current president, Society of Sisters United/Brothers United.

The outside covering of the box is a material that looks like torn warrior clothing.  The colors you find there represent the country's colors and the symbol is the Jamaican flag.  As you move inside the box, you find that all is covered with black.  On the right side you see buttons that symbolize royalty (a crown, lion, etc.).   Located near them, the shell holds two meanings.  It signifies its use as a horn to call tribal councils and to warn the village when the enemy is drawing near.  It is also shaped like a bone and represents the lives of all those that died in slavery and died in the battles against the British.  The clothes pin doll represents Cojo in his warrior clothing, with the purple cloth around his waist representing his royalty.  The crown on his head holds seven beads that correspond to the seven years war he led. The pins I have used as pins of honor to him, and on his side you may find his spear that aided him in war.  On the left side to the front, you may find a spring (Poland Spring logo).  There are glasses surrounding and covering it.  This stands for the Maroons' method of guarding their mountain waters from the British.   The Maroons normally did this so that when the British came to ambush them and were thirsty. they wouldn’t have anything to drink.  The lighter represents the fires and rebellions that Cojo waged on plantations, and the candy wrapper represents sugar cane which was the main crop for enslaved labor on the island.

The top of the box symbolizes my past, present and future.  There is a babble that I wore when I was a little girl, linking it to a seashell.  When I was younger I collected seashells.  The silver touches embody my organization’s presence in my life.  The silver bracelet is a representation of a bracelet Cojo received from a Spaniard general when the British defeated them.  All the above images are linked to the sun and Cojo’s name, indicating that without the help of Cojo and the sun I couldn’t be where I am today.  Cojo helped to end slavery and with the shine of the sun going down at nights, it aided the Maroons to attack at night.  The sun also helps to yield the crops of the land that bore fruits for the Maroons to survive in the mountains.  If the sun did not go down and rebellions were not made, I could not be where I am today. My shrine celebrates the life of COJO, WARRIOR KING OF THE MAROONS.