Also known as: Execution of Boukman, Boukman's death
Last updated: April 26, 2026
Boukman Dutty was killed in battle in November 1791, approximately three months after leading the August 1791 uprising. The French colonial authorities displayed his severed head on a pike in Cap-Français as a warning to the enslaved population and to counter the spiritual authority his leadership represented. The display of his head was meant to prove he was not invincible, but the uprising continued without him under Jean-François, Biassou, and others.
Killed in combat near Haut-du-Cap. The French displayed his decapitated head in Cap-Français to discourage the rebels.
His death came three months after the uprising he helped launch
His head was displayed on a pike in Cap-Français
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"Death of Boukman Dutty." 1791. Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/events/death-of-boukman. Accessed 2026-05-05.