The origin of the Matawai people is unclear, but oral accounts often mention the plantations Hamburg and
Uitkijk. The plantations at the
Jodensavanne are a possible source as well. During the 18th century, slaves escaped from the plantations and settled in the interior. According to oral accounts, a group of escaped slaves settled near the
Tafelberg in the 1730s. In 1762, a full century before the general
emancipation of slaves in Suriname, a group known as the
Saramaka signed a peace treaty with the Dutch colonists to acknowledge their territorial rights and trading privileges. In 1769, the Matawai signed a separate peace treaty with the Dutch colonists. and was originally designated as the main village, however
Nieuw Jacobkondre has become more important due to its connection to the
Southern East-West Link, and nearby airstrip. There were 19 villages controlled by the Matawai; however, the
Surinamese Interior War caused the abandonment of six villages. In the 1960s the population in the villages started to move to the urban area. In the 1970s, almost half the population had left the area, and mainly settled in the
Wanica District next to the capital
Paramaribo. In 2014, according to the estimate of
Richard Price, about 5,500 Matawai lived in the urban areas, and about 1,300 in the villages. ==Religion==