Bois Caïman

Bois Caïman (lit. Cayman   Woods; Kreyòl: Bwa Kayiman ) is the site of the vodou ceremony presided over by Boukman Dutty and Cecile Fatiman on August  14, 1791. It is widely accepted as the starting point for the Haitian Revolution. Participants at Bois Caïman were also Georges Biassou, Jeannot Bullet and Jean François Papillon, all of which were leaders of the early Haitian Revolution.

Bois Caïman is located in the northern Morne Rouge region of Haiti, southwest of Cap Haïtien.

Most of the trees of Bois Caïman have long since been felled -- gone, like so much of the other magnificent timber in Haiti, to meet the immediate fuel, housing and trading needs of the often-desperate Haitians. Protestants have also been alleged to remove trees in their zeal to combat vodou and there have been frequent attempts to hinder the annual remembrance of the event.

Boukman's prayer
Traditionally in Haiti the following prayer has been attributed to Boukman at the vodou ceremony:

N. and R. Heinl, in their book Written in Blood, give the following translation of the Bwa Kayiman prayer:

The caiman is a distant, smaller cousin of the alligator, with an average length of about 6-1/2 to 8-1/2 feet (2-2.5 meters). Caimans are even more distantly related to crocodiles. At least six species of caiman exist. Their habitat ranges from North to South America, including Saint-Domingue and other Caribbean islands.

References:

 * Haïti Progrès. This Week in Haiti,, Vol.16 no.20, 5-12;11 August 1998: Exorcizing Boukman
 * Exchange from Corbett e-mail list: The Boïs Caiman Ceremony: Fact or Myth
 * Digimorph: Caiman crocodilus, Spectacled Caiman