The neg mawon or brown negro was the name given to a runaway slave out of the owner's property in the colonial era. The term "brown" comes from the Spanish cimarrón: "living on the tops" (cima = top) that appears at the conquest of Hispaniola, which is a word borrowed from the Arawaks and refers to domestic animals returning to the wild, like the pig.
Since 1540, the term has been associated with runaway slaves. Initially, it was used to describe fugitive Indians, and over time, it came to be applied to those who return to a wild state. In contemporary usage, the term primarily refers to a young man known for poor attendance and a questionable reputation.