ABSTRACT
Pirate crews often included escaped servants and slaves who lived in maroon communities scattered throughout the Caribbean (see Selection 1). These multi-ethnic and multiracial communities survived through a combination of cutting wood and hunting feral pigs and cattle, the meat and hides of which they sold to plantations and passing ships. The name “buccaneer” has its root in “boucan,” meaning to roast or dry meat over an open fire, as is illustrated here in the bottom left inset. How does this image contradict the popular image of Caribbean pirates?
