History Of Le Morne

Maroons, runaway slaves, exploited Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a steep mountain that protrudes into the Indian Ocean southwest of Mauritius, as a refuge throughout the 18th and early years of the 19th century. The fugitive slaves established small communities in the caves and on Le Morne's peak, where they were shielded by the mountain's remote, forested, and nearly impassable cliffs. Le Morne has become a symbol of the slaves' struggle for freedom, their suffering, and their sacrifice thanks to the oral traditions connected to the maroons. These themes are relevant to the nations where the slaves originated, including the African continent, Madagascar, India, and South-east Asia. Indeed, Mauritius became known as the "island of nod" due to its significance as a stopover in the eastern slave trade.