Queen Ti Memenne of La Gonâve (also written as Timemenne; 19th-century – fl. 1929) was the tribal ruler of
La Gonâve, a
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
an island located west of
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
in the
Gulf of Gonâve
The Gulf of Gonâve (french: Golfe de la Gonâve; ht, Gòf Lagonav) is a large gulf of the Caribbean Sea along the western coast of Haiti. Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince, is located on the coast of the gulf. Other cities on the gulf coast ...
. While her reign was not officially recognized by the
republican government of Haiti during
American occupation, she maintained political, economic, spiritual, and social leadership of the island. Arrested by the
Garde d'Haiti for being a practitioner of
Vodou, she was shown compassion by
Faustin E. Wirkus, an American military officer who assisted in her release. She later proclaimed Wirkus to be the reincarnation of former Haitian Emperor
Faustin Soulouque
Faustin-Élie Soulouque (15 August 1782 – 3 August 1867) was a Haitian politician and military commander who served as President of Haiti from 1847 to 1849 and Emperor of Haiti from 1849 to 1859.
Soulouque was a general in the Haitian Army w ...
and crowned him as a co-ruler over La Gonâve.
Biography
Ti Memenne was a leading figure over a group of
matriarchal
Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property.
While those definitions apply in general E ...
societies, dominating social and economic affairs on
La Gonâve.
Her reign over La Gonâve was not officially recognized by the
republican government
Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...
, which had abolished the
monarchy and nobility in Haiti.
[ Despite this, she was viewed by the other native people of the island as their political and spiritual leader.]
As a young woman, Ti Memenne was captured by American military officials during the United States occupation of Haiti
The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the National City Bank of New York convinced the President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, to take control of ...
and charged with "trivial voodoo offenses."[ She received aid from Faustin E. Wirkus, an American sergeant serving in the Garde d'Haiti who had been stationed on La Gonâve. Wirkus sent her to ]Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...
with a recommendation for lenient treatment. For the next year Ti Memenne built a friendship with Wirkus, who advised her on governmental and civil matters.[ Due to his help, and because he shared a name with the former Haitian emperor ]Faustin I
Faustin-Élie Soulouque (15 August 1782 – 3 August 1867) was a Haitian politician and military commander who served as President of Haiti from 1847 to 1849 and Emperor of Haiti from 1849 to 1859.
Soulouque was a general in the Haitian Army wh ...
, she and her people proclaimed Wirkus to be Faustin II in a Vodou ritual, allowing him to co-rule over La Gonâve with her for three years (1926 – 1929). She reportedly believed Wirkus to be Faustin I's reincarnation.[
]
In popular culture
Ti Memenne is remembered in William Seabrook
William Buehler Seabrook (February 22, 1884 – September 20, 1945) was an American occultist, explorer, traveler, journalist and writer, born in Westminster, Maryland. He began his career as a reporter and City Editor of the ''Augusta Chronic ...
's 1929 novel ''The Magic Island'' and Wirkus' memoir ''The White King of La Gonave: The True Story of the Sergeant of Marines Who Was Crowned King on a Voodoo Island''.
References
{{Authority control
19th-century Haitian people
19th-century monarchs in North America
19th-century women rulers
20th-century Haitian women
20th-century monarchs in North America
20th-century women rulers
Haitian prisoners and detainees
Haitian religious leaders
Haitian Vodou practitioners
Haitian women in politics
Monarchs of Haiti
People from Ouest (department)
Queens regnant
Republic of Haiti (1859–1957)
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
Nobility of the Americas