Dutty Boukman
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Dutty Boukman (Boukman Dutty) (died ca. 1791) was a Jamaican-born Haitian slave who was one of the most visible early leaders of the Haitian Revolution.
According to some contemporary accounts, Boukman may have conducted a
religious ceremony in which a freedom covenant was affirmed;[1] this ceremony would have been a catalyst to the slave uprising that marked the beginning of the Haïtian Revolution.[2]Contents
Background
Dutty Boukman may have been a self-educated slave born on the island of Jamaica. Some sources indicate that he was later sold by his British master to a French plantation owner after he attempted to teach other Jamaican slaves to read, who put him to work as a commandeur (slave driver) and, later, a coach driver. His French name came from his English nickname, "Book Man," which some scholars, despite accounts suggesting that he was a Vodou houngan, have interpreted as meaning that he may have been Muslim, since in many Muslim regions the term "man of the book" is a synonym for an adherent of the Islamic faith. One scholar suggests that it is likely that Boukman "was a Jamaican Muslim who had a Quran, and that he got his nickname from this."[3] Other scholars suggest that Boukman may have practiced a syncretic blend of traditional African religion and a form of Christianity.[4]Ceremony at the Bois Caïman
According to some contemporary accounts, in August 1791 Boukman presided over a ceremony at the Bois Caïman in the role of houngan (priest) together with priestess Cécile Fatiman. Boukman prophesied that the slaves Jean François, Biassou, and Jeannot would be leaders of a resistance movement and revolt that would free the slaves of Saint-Domingue. An animal was sacrificed, an oath was taken, and Boukman and the priestess exhorted the listeners to take revenge against their French oppressors and "[c]ast aside the image of the God of the oppressors." [5]According to the Encyclopedia of African Religion, "Blood from the animal, and some say from humans as well, was given in a drink to the attendees to seal their fates in loyalty to the cause of liberation of Sainte-Domingue."[6] A week later, 1800 plantations had been destroyed and 1000 slaveholders killed.[7][8] Boukman was not the first to attempt a slave uprising in Saint-Domingue, as he was preceded by others, such as Padrejean in 1676, and François Mackandal in 1757. However, his large size, warrior-like appearance, and fearsome temper made him an effective leader and helped spark the Haitian Revolution.[9]
According to Gothenburg University researcher Markel Thylefors, "The event of the Bwa Kayiman ceremony forms an important part of Haitian national identity as it relates to the very genesis of Haiti."[10] This ceremony came to be characterized by various Christian sources as a "pact with the devil" that began the Haitian revolution.[11]
Boukman was killed by the French in November 1791, just a few months after the beginning of the uprising.[12] The French then publicly displayed Boukman's head in an attempt to dispel the aura of invincibility that Boukman had cultivated.
Jamaica and Haiti Today...The Haitian infiltration and rape of Jamaican and West Indian homes continues in the Caribbean and elsewhere when some Haitians left Jamaica unable to speak French but maintained a psychological concern that their neighbors may have had better toasters or the national brand cereal so they break into the home of the neighbor, pretending that their secure home is like their old shanty towns. They are not assimilated like the Haitians who maintained their French and immigrated to other countries....Read below.
Haitian music drifts from the Seventh Day Adventist church in Port Antonio, capital of the north-eastern Jamaican region of Portland, while at the Winnifred Rest Home in nearby Fairy Hill, young men and women play football by the beach.
If you didn’t know better, you would think they were just spending a Sunday hanging around with friends, and that they would go home to their families before dark.
But the 134 Haitians in Portland are far from home. The ocean that separates them and their families is big, and probably much more familiar to them than they ever desired.
The door outside the Seventh Day Adventist Church is guarded by a police officer, and in a corner of the room there is a pile of mattresses. The church is their shelter; they eat, sleep, play and pray in the same room.
At the Winnifred Rest Home, the gates are also guarded by police officers. Eight rooms in the rest home and four tents outside are now home to 51 Haitians, where they are cared for by volunteers from the Jamaica Red Cross and Salvation Army.
The first of the Haitians came to Portland on 14 February. Since then, several more small fishing boats filled with people have landed on Jamaican soil. Children and adults, fleeing from hunger and violence, are now taken care of by the Jamaica Red Cross and other relief agencies.
With donations from individuals and companies all over Jamaica, the Haitians are fed, clothed and kept safe. Doctors and nurses visit every day, giving out medication and conducting check-ups. Hard-working volunteers cook, clean and give basic care to these displaced people, and their efforts are appreciated.
“They say ‘thank you’ and look happy when we help them,” says Eva Coore, a Portland Red Cross volunteer who has worked at the shelter at Winnifred Rest Home every day since the first Haitians arrived. “Because of my age, they all call me ‘mother’, and I get a lot of hugs.”
Food, shelter and clothing are the easiest things to provide in a situation like this. Once the bare necessities are covered, other needs become more evident. Some of the displaced have family members who are also fleeing their country, but have not yet arrived. The situation of family and friends in Haiti is also unclear. This naturally makes them wary, and the strain is also felt by the volunteers.
“They stress me terrible,” says Brenda Taylor, chairperson of the Port Antonio area group of the Jamaica Red Cross. “It stresses me, but it is good in between.”
Red Cross volunteers say the Haitians are concerned about their loved ones still inside the country. One man, who speaks a little English, had told relief workers that he had left three children in Haiti, but he felt that he had to go.
“It was not an easy decision,” he said. “There was just no time to wait.”
Others have managed to bring their children along. Of the 134 Haitians who have come to Jamaica so far, several are young children. They have come with one or both parents. Most are healthy and well taken care of by parents and volunteers.
“I always bring some sweets for them,” says Eva Coore. Laughing, she says the sweets are well received. “The big bag is always finished at once!”
http://www.ifrc.org/ar/noticias/noticias/americas/jamaica/haitians-in-jamaica-think-of-loved-ones-left-behind
Haitian music drifts from the Seventh Day Adventist church in Port Antonio, capital of the north-eastern Jamaican region of Portland, while at the Winnifred Rest Home in nearby Fairy Hill, young men and women play football by the beach.
If you didn’t know better, you would think they were just spending a Sunday hanging around with friends, and that they would go home to their families before dark.
But the 134 Haitians in Portland are far from home. The ocean that separates them and their families is big, and probably much more familiar to them than they ever desired.
The door outside the Seventh Day Adventist Church is guarded by a police officer, and in a corner of the room there is a pile of mattresses. The church is their shelter; they eat, sleep, play and pray in the same room.
At the Winnifred Rest Home, the gates are also guarded by police officers. Eight rooms in the rest home and four tents outside are now home to 51 Haitians, where they are cared for by volunteers from the Jamaica Red Cross and Salvation Army.
The first of the Haitians came to Portland on 14 February. Since then, several more small fishing boats filled with people have landed on Jamaican soil. Children and adults, fleeing from hunger and violence, are now taken care of by the Jamaica Red Cross and other relief agencies.
With donations from individuals and companies all over Jamaica, the Haitians are fed, clothed and kept safe. Doctors and nurses visit every day, giving out medication and conducting check-ups. Hard-working volunteers cook, clean and give basic care to these displaced people, and their efforts are appreciated.
“They say ‘thank you’ and look happy when we help them,” says Eva Coore, a Portland Red Cross volunteer who has worked at the shelter at Winnifred Rest Home every day since the first Haitians arrived. “Because of my age, they all call me ‘mother’, and I get a lot of hugs.”
Food, shelter and clothing are the easiest things to provide in a situation like this. Once the bare necessities are covered, other needs become more evident. Some of the displaced have family members who are also fleeing their country, but have not yet arrived. The situation of family and friends in Haiti is also unclear. This naturally makes them wary, and the strain is also felt by the volunteers.
“They stress me terrible,” says Brenda Taylor, chairperson of the Port Antonio area group of the Jamaica Red Cross. “It stresses me, but it is good in between.”
Red Cross volunteers say the Haitians are concerned about their loved ones still inside the country. One man, who speaks a little English, had told relief workers that he had left three children in Haiti, but he felt that he had to go.
“It was not an easy decision,” he said. “There was just no time to wait.”
Others have managed to bring their children along. Of the 134 Haitians who have come to Jamaica so far, several are young children. They have come with one or both parents. Most are healthy and well taken care of by parents and volunteers.
“I always bring some sweets for them,” says Eva Coore. Laughing, she says the sweets are well received. “The big bag is always finished at once!”
Haitian music drifts from the Seventh Day Adventist church in Port Antonio, capital of the north-eastern Jamaican region of Portland, while at the Winnifred Rest Home in nearby Fairy Hill, young men and women play football by the beach.
If you didn’t know better, you would think they were just spending a Sunday hanging around with friends, and that they would go home to their families before dark.
But the 134 Haitians in Portland are far from home. The ocean that separates them and their families is big, and probably much more familiar to them than they ever desired.
The door outside the Seventh Day Adventist Church is guarded by a police officer, and in a corner of the room there is a pile of mattresses. The church is their shelter; they eat, sleep, play and pray in the same room.
At the Winnifred Rest Home, the gates are also guarded by police officers. Eight rooms in the rest home and four tents outside are now home to 51 Haitians, where they are cared for by volunteers from the Jamaica Red Cross and Salvation Army.
The first of the Haitians came to Portland on 14 February. Since then, several more small fishing boats filled with people have landed on Jamaican soil. Children and adults, fleeing from hunger and violence, are now taken care of by the Jamaica Red Cross and other relief agencies.
With donations from individuals and companies all over Jamaica, the Haitians are fed, clothed and kept safe. Doctors and nurses visit every day, giving out medication and conducting check-ups. Hard-working volunteers cook, clean and give basic care to these displaced people, and their efforts are appreciated.
“They say ‘thank you’ and look happy when we help them,” says Eva Coore, a Portland Red Cross volunteer who has worked at the shelter at Winnifred Rest Home every day since the first Haitians arrived. “Because of my age, they all call me ‘mother’, and I get a lot of hugs.”
Food, shelter and clothing are the easiest things to provide in a situation like this. Once the bare necessities are covered, other needs become more evident. Some of the displaced have family members who are also fleeing their country, but have not yet arrived. The situation of family and friends in Haiti is also unclear. This naturally makes them wary, and the strain is also felt by the volunteers.
“They stress me terrible,” says Brenda Taylor, chairperson of the Port Antonio area group of the Jamaica Red Cross. “It stresses me, but it is good in between.”
Red Cross volunteers say the Haitians are concerned about their loved ones still inside the country. One man, who speaks a little English, had told relief workers that he had left three children in Haiti, but he felt that he had to go.
“It was not an easy decision,” he said. “There was just no time to wait.”
Others have managed to bring their children along. Of the 134 Haitians who have come to Jamaica so far, several are young children. They have come with one or both parents. Most are healthy and well taken care of by parents and volunteers.
“I always bring some sweets for them,” says Eva Coore. Laughing, she says the sweets are well received. “The big bag is always finished at once!”
Haitian music drifts from the Seventh Day Adventist church in Port Antonio, capital of the north-eastern Jamaican region of Portland, while at the Winnifred Rest Home in nearby Fairy Hill, young men and women play football by the beach.
If you didn’t know better, you would think they were just spending a Sunday hanging around with friends, and that they would go home to their families before dark.
But the 134 Haitians in Portland are far from home. The ocean that separates them and their families is big, and probably much more familiar to them than they ever desired.
The door outside the Seventh Day Adventist Church is guarded by a police officer, and in a corner of the room there is a pile of mattresses. The church is their shelter; they eat, sleep, play and pray in the same room.
At the Winnifred Rest Home, the gates are also guarded by police officers. Eight rooms in the rest home and four tents outside are now home to 51 Haitians, where they are cared for by volunteers from the Jamaica Red Cross and Salvation Army.
The first of the Haitians came to Portland on 14 February. Since then, several more small fishing boats filled with people have landed on Jamaican soil. Children and adults, fleeing from hunger and violence, are now taken care of by the Jamaica Red Cross and other relief agencies.
With donations from individuals and companies all over Jamaica, the Haitians are fed, clothed and kept safe. Doctors and nurses visit every day, giving out medication and conducting check-ups. Hard-working volunteers cook, clean and give basic care to these displaced people, and their efforts are appreciated.
“They say ‘thank you’ and look happy when we help them,” says Eva Coore, a Portland Red Cross volunteer who has worked at the shelter at Winnifred Rest Home every day since the first Haitians arrived. “Because of my age, they all call me ‘mother’, and I get a lot of hugs.”
Food, shelter and clothing are the easiest things to provide in a situation like this. Once the bare necessities are covered, other needs become more evident. Some of the displaced have family members who are also fleeing their country, but have not yet arrived. The situation of family and friends in Haiti is also unclear. This naturally makes them wary, and the strain is also felt by the volunteers.
“They stress me terrible,” says Brenda Taylor, chairperson of the Port Antonio area group of the Jamaica Red Cross. “It stresses me, but it is good in between.”
Red Cross volunteers say the Haitians are concerned about their loved ones still inside the country. One man, who speaks a little English, had told relief workers that he had left three children in Haiti, but he felt that he had to go.
“It was not an easy decision,” he said. “There was just no time to wait.”
Others have managed to bring their children along. Of the 134 Haitians who have come to Jamaica so far, several are young children. They have come with one or both parents. Most are healthy and well taken care of by parents and volunteers.
“I always bring some sweets for them,” says Eva Coore. Laughing, she says the sweets are well received. “The big bag is always finished at once!”
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