Cécile Fatiman (1771-1883), was a Haitian vodou priestess, a

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particula ...

. She is famous for her participation in the vodou ceremony at Bois Caïman, which is considered to be one of the starting points of the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt began on ...

Early life and origins

Cécile Fatiman was the daughter of an enslaved African woman and a white

Frenchman The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France. The French people, especially th ...

from

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. She and her mother were sold as slaves at

Saint Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to ref ...

, while her two brothers disappeared in the slave trade.Joan Dayan
''Haiti, History, and the Gods''
University of California Press, 1998 She is described as having long silky hair and green eyes. Haitian researcher Rodney Salnave (Bwa Kay Il-Ment) has researched Fatiman's origins. His research has indicated that her father was likely a Corsican prince and a grandson of Theodore Von Neuhoff or

Theodore of Corsica Theodore I of Corsica (25 August 169411 December 1756), born Freiherr Theodor Stephan von Neuhoff, was a low-ranking German title of nobility, usually translated "Baron". was a German adventurer who was briefly King of Corsica. Theodore is the subj ...

, sole king of

. He also believes that her last name, Fatiman, may actually have been a middle name, Attiman, which would have been given after Gregorio Attiman, of Leghorn or

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, who was one of Theodore Neuhoff's pages during his conquest of the Corsican throne in April 1736. This prompted him to state that her full name was most likely Cécile Attiman Coidavid, as she was the daughter of Célestina Coidavid, and the sister of

Marie-Louise Coidavid Queen Marie Louise Coidavid (1778 – 11 March 1851), was the Queen of the Kingdom of Haiti 1811–20 as the spouse of Henri Christophe. Early life Marie-Louise was born into a free black family; her father was the owner of Hotel de la Couronne ...

, Queen of

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 s ...

from 1811 to 1820. She was the mother-in-law of Pierre Nord Alexis.

Slave rebellion

In August 1791, Fatiman presided over a ceremony at the

Bois Caïman Bois Caïman ( ht, Bwa Kayiman, lit=Alligator Forest) was the site of the first major meeting of enslaved blacks during which the first major slave insurrection of the Haitian Revolution was planned. Role during the Haitian Revolution Before ...

in the role of mambo together with priest Dutty Boukman. Boukman prophesied that the slaves Jean François, Biassou, and

Jeannot Jeannot Bullet, often mononymed as Jeannot, was a leader of the 1791 slave rising that began the Haitian Revolution. With Biassou and Jean François, he was prophesied by Dutty Boukman to lead the revolution, and fought with the Spanish royalists a ...

would be leaders of a

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

and

revolt Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

that would free the slaves of

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to ref ...

. An animal was sacrificed, an oath was taken, and Boukman and the priestess exhorted the listeners to take revenge against their French oppressors and " st aside the image of the God of the oppressors." 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." During the ceremony, Cécile Fatiman was possessed by

Erzulie Dantor Ezilí Dantor or Erzulie Dantó is the main loa (or ''lwa'') or senior spirit of the Petro family in Haitian Vodou. Ezili Danto, or Ezili Danto', is the "manifestation of Erzulie, the divinity of love,". It is said that Ezili Danto has a dark com ...

.Richard M. Juang
''Africa and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History''
ABC-CLIO, 2008. She was also said to have cut the throat of a pig and offered its blood to the spectators. A week later, 1800 plantations had been destroyed and 1000 slaveholders killed.John Mason
"African Religions in The Caribbean: Continuity and Change".
/ref>

Later life

Fatiman was married to Louis Michel Pierrot, a general in the Haitian revolutionary army and later president. She is reported to have lived to the age of 112.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatiman, Cecile 1771 births 1883 deaths Haitian independence activists Women in 19th-century warfare Women in war in the Caribbean Women of the Haitian Revolution Haitian Vodou practitioners First Ladies and Gentlemen of Haiti People of Saint-Domingue Haitian people of French descent Longevity claims