Maroon heirloom rice varieties from the Guianas

Maroons in Suriname and French Guiana cultivate a large diversity of traditional rice varieties. We sequenced the genomes of 136 rice varieties collected on Maroon farms to investigate their geographical origins. By combining genomic insights with information from the Maroon community and historical records, we can link the origin of Maroon rice to at least five different historical periods. We find that a subset traces back to the transatlantic slave trade from West Africa (c.1530-1825). Other varieties were obtained during interactions with diverse ethnic and cultural groups that post-date legal slavery: indentured laborers from Java and their descendants (1890 onwards), US rice breeders (1932 onwards), and Hmong refugees from the Vietnam War (1990s onwards). Maroon farmers not only actively preserved rice diversity but also selected for (spontaneous) crossbreeds to develop new varieties. They conserve, but are not conservative, and today remain important custodians of a unique cultural heritage from a dynamic past that is entwined with a global colonial history.