Marie Kingué and the subversion of the colonial order (Saint-Domingue, 1785)

Marie Kingué and the subversion of the colonial order (Saint-Domingue, 1785)

Abstract

During the eighteenth century, Saint-Domingue (later Haiti), the wealthy French Caribbean colony, was obsessed with fear of poisoning. Marie Kingué was an enslaved healer who practised her activity among both slaves and white settlers, associating her cures with witchcraft and divination. Her exceptional moral authority within local society subverted racial barriers as well as the gender hierarchy. For example, she was called upon to identify poisoners, whereupon their masters subjected them to torture, on the basis of her accusations. An anonymous report compiled in 1785 testifies to the anxiety her actions generated among the colony’s judicial authorities. This document, which was prepared in order to justify taking legal action against Marie Kingué, also reveals the difficulty of arresting her, on account of the support she received from the white elite.

Keywords

• Saint-Domingue
• poison
• healer
• colonial order
• slavery