In Dutch, this term originates from the two terms “bosch,” meaning “wild land” and “neger” (see also “Negro”). It was a pejorative term for Africans (and their descendants) who escaped from slavery in Suriname and the Guyanas and settled in inaccessible, interior/mountainous regions, from which they fought against colonization. Some people in Suriname and the Netherlands still use the term interchangeably with “Maroon” and “Boslandcreool” While the term “Maroon” is itself contested, there is broader popular and academic agreement about its appropriateness. (see also “Maroon”).