Abajomie
Abajomie of Tussenland (Amerikaens: Abajomie van Tussenlandt; 1802-1853) is a saint, martyr, and central figure of Zoekerism. An escaped plantation slave, he converted to Christianity in 1819 and subsequently began preaching his egalitarian message. During South Tussenland's insurrection in 1849, he became a defining symbol of the anti-colonial movement and Afro-Amerikaen emancipation, eventually being arrested and killed in 1853.
Saint Abajomie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joost Abajomie Ojo 1802 Doeckoe, Dutch Tussenland |
| Died | Apr 18, 1853 Elegasthaven, Dutch Tussenland |
| Cause of death | Execution by strangulation |
| Successor | Tegbesoe |
| Movement | Zoekerism |
| Criminal charge(s) | Insurrection, treason, sacrilege |
Etymology
His name, Abajomie, is of Ioruba origin. His father was a Ioruba and minor member of the Ojo clan who was abducted by slavers during the empire's civil war. Abajomie is a contraction of the phrase "my enemies tried to mock me, but God did not permit that" (Ioruba: ota ibayomi sugbon olorunoje). However, his slave name - used by slave masters and in legal documents - was the Dutch name Joost.
Biography
Early life
Abajomie was born on the riverside plantation of Doeckoe in 1802 to slaves under the Royal Tussenland Company. His father was of Ioruba origin, while his mother was born in Florida. He was forced to work on the plantations from a young age and sustained several assaults from the young master of the plantation, Sybrand Moestra. At age 14, his father was beaten to death, prompting him to escape.
Escape and renegade life
For the next two years, Abajomie took up small jobs and was constantly avoiding the authorities. He was involved in goods smuggling, alligator hunting, and Mississippian fishing. He was briefly abducted by a French merchant but narrowly escaped with his life.
Time with de Backer
While in Vrÿheidt, he met freed slave and baker Karlÿn de Backer at age 16 in 1818. Initially resistant to Christianity, he began his career as a merchant and baker under the mentorship of de Backer. In 1819, he accepted the faith and began syncretising it with the Voodon religion, which was popular amongst slaves on his plantation.
Prophethood
Participation in the insurrection
Execution
Arrest and imprisonment
Theories relating to his death
Eventual exhumation
However, in 1922 - years after the secularisation of the nation - Abajomie's corpse was exhumed and examined by state morticians in order to decisively determine the cause of death. Thousands of Zoekerists protested against the exhumation, leading to minor riots and condemnation of the current administration. Three days later, the morticians concluded that Abajomie was strangled to death.
Legacy and teachings
Public speeches
Many of Abajomie's speeches were not published and only survive in Zoekerist texts and legal manuscripts. Four main speeches have been recorded in historical documentation, all of which are composed of individual excerpts taken from several sources.
Our Intention of Faith (1823)
In modern-day Daxomey County, Natchez province, Abajomie gathered with his companions near the riverside town of Awese to deliver the first proto-Zoekerist sermon.
Declaration of Shrekskill (1835)
Sabinian Resolution (1847)
'The Good and Candid Pursuits' Speech (1851)
Name
The name Abajomie has been one of the most popular male names in South Tussenland since the 1870s, mainly adopted by Zoekerist and generally Afro-Amerikaener populations. Several settlements have also been named after him in America and western Africa.