Boukman dutty biography for kids
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Dutty Boukman: The Non-Haitian Who Helped Spark The Haitian Revolution
When most think of the Haitian Revolution, a pivotal episode in the island’s history, most think of Touissant Loverture or maybe Jean-Jacques Dessalines. But did you know that one of the early leaders of the revolution wasn’t Haitian?
Dutty Boukman was born in Senegambia (present day Senegal and Gambia) before being sent to Jamaica and finally sold to a slave owner in Haiti. His surname was apparently a play on “Book Man,” since he could read.
Boukman was quite religious and spiritual. According to Vocal Africa he “may have practiced a combination of disparate blends of Voodoo, but one thing is sure, he was never Christian. He once stated, ‘you want to win? Cast aside your white god. Embrace your African spirit. You are free.’ “
Boukman’s voodoo practices were instrumental in helping him liberate Haiti. He commanded respect due to his “fearsome temp
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Dutty Boukman
Background
[change | change source]Dutty Boukman was born in Africa; in the modern-day Senegal, he was enslaved and sent to Jamaica. He was later sent to Haiti, where he remained a slave.[1]
Boukman became a Voodoo priest on the island now Haiti, meaning he was a religious leader.
He was tired of being enslaved and tried different things to help enslaved people fight back. For example, he tried to teach people how to read but was punished for doing it. His name means "Dirty Bookman" in Haitian creole.[2]
Role in the Haitian Revolution
[change | change source]On August 14, 1791, he helped lead a religious ceremony. He spoke for a long time and said that God wanted them to fight against the slaveowners. He also said
"Listen to the liberty that speaks in all our hearts."[1]
This event inspired many enslaved people to fight back. A few weeks later, a large group of enslaved people attacked slaveowners, burning plantations a
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Dutty Boukman (Also known as “Boukman Dutty“) was an early leader of the Haitian Revolution. Born in Senegambia (present-day Senegal and Gambia), he was captured, enslaved, and transported to Jamaica. He eventually ended up in Haiti, where he became a leader of the Maroons and a Vodou hougan (priest).
According to some contemporary accounts, Boukman, alongside Cécile Fatiman, a Vodou mambo, presided over the religious ceremony at Bois Caïman, in August 1791, which served as the catalyst to the 1791 slave revolt which is usually considered the beginning of the Haitian Revolution.
Boukman was a key leader of the slave revolt in the Le Cap‑Français område in the north of the colony. He was killed bygd the French planters and colonial troops on 7 November 1791, just a few months after the beginning of the uprising. The French then publicly displayed Boukman’s head in an attempt to dispel the aura of invincibility that Boukman had cultivated. The fact that French a