Mauritiusโ history is a chequered yet fascinating one and itโs filled with juxtaposing things; of slavery and freedom, of inequality and tolerance and of hardship and beauty. As already mentioned, many people may not realise that this wonderful natural site actually played an unbelievably significant role in Mauritiusโ history.
After a long period of time, slavery was finally abolished under British rule in ๐ญ๐ด๐ฏ๐ฑ but before this happened, ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ was used as a refuge and shelter for escaped slaves in the ๐ญ๐ด๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ญ๐ต๐๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐. These runaway slavesโof which over time there were quite a fewโwere given the name โ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ป๐โ. Le Morne provided them with a good hiding place; it had unbelievably steep cliffs which were difficult to traverse (especially unseen), it was an isolated mountain and it was largely wooded which provided the slaves at Le Morne with a good barrier to the outside world and a sense of protection. Here, they arranged themselves in little settlements on the summit (which spans approximately 12 hectares) and in the caves found along the sides of the mountain.
Many of the ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ป๐ stayed here for some time until slavery was abolished (and indentured labourers were introduced, mainly from India) on the ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ญ๐ด๐ฏ๐ฑโwhen the slaves would be freed but instead, tragedy struck. On the day slavery was abolished members of the army started to climb ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ with the intention of telling the slaves that they were free.
Unfortunately, due to a massive mistrust of the authorities (technically their captors), the slaves immediately thought the army had been sent to recapture them and chose to jump to their deaths instead of risk recaptureโ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐. A tragic and unfortunate event that could so easily have been avoided.
