Subject: Johannes King

Article: Boek der Verschrikkingen

Johannes King was born around 1830 in Maripaston on the Saramacca River. He was related to various tribes. From his mother's side he was related to granman Kodjo of the Matawai tribe. King's father was a Ndjuka of the Tapanahony. His wife Magdalena Akoeba was Saramacca from the village of Gansee. He was not that religious at all and was more interested in fancy clothes and girl watching.

Due to an involvement in a case with another woman, he became seriously ill and was near death. Suddenly, he got a vision of heaven and hell. It was then that God instructed him to make a choice and to join the Hernhutter-mission. He became conscious again and he had regained his former health. In 1857, he joined the brethern (Hernhutters) in Paramaribo. There he learned how to read. He brought later the evangelical message through missionary work to his tribe and the granman. A small church was built in Maripaston in 1860. King was baptized in 1861.

That same year he learned to write and did missionary work while travelling to the Upper-Saramacca, Para, Suriname and Marowijne Rivers to spread the evangelical message. King was banned from entering the villages from the Matawai tribe by the granman who was his half-brother. In 1880, King begun to write his books based on notes he kept. He travelled again to the Upper Saramacca River in 1890 to spread the Christian faith. In 1893, King and granman Adrai of the Matawai, who was near death, reconciled. King himself became granman in 1896 and stopped his missionary work. King died in 1898.

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Met dank aan Albert Buys