Makandal’s identity fused Muslim, Kongo, and Christian elements

Evidence

Makandal, who became legendary among both blacks and whites in Saint-Domingue, had been born in Africa. Though his occasional evocation of Allah suggests that he was a Muslim (and thus probably from West Africa), his name may have been derived from the Kongo word for amulet, mak(w)onda. Moreau claimed that after his death slaves used the term “Makandal” to refer to ritual talismans as well as to the priests who made them. But in fact the term seems to have been used in this way before he came along—he perhaps chose it, or was given it, for this reason—though his life and death imbued it with a new significance. Makandal was convicted of “mingling holy things in the composition and usage of allegedly magical packets.” One of those he made included a crucifix, and Makandal invoked Allah, Jesus Christ, and God when he created them. — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 185

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains the etymology of ‘Makandal’ from the Kongo word for amulet, mak(w)onda, and its wider talisman-priest sense.