The Haitian Revolution was the first successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere and established Haiti as a free, black republic, the first of its kind. Historians traditionally identify the catalyst as being a particular Voodoo service in August 1791 performed at Bois Caïman by Dutty Boukman, a high priest. At the time, Haiti was a colony of France. In 2004 Haiti celebrated the bicentennial of its independence from France.