John Canoe was the European name given to an Akan warrior from Axim, Ghana. He was a chief of the Ahanta people in the early 18th century, who established a stronghold in the defunct Fort Fredericksburg and held it against European encroachment for 20 years. It fell finally in 1725 and his followers were transported as slaves to the Americas. He is commemorated in the Junkanoo festival held in the Caribbean each December.