In chapter 13 zombies was a popular myth in Haiti; and was believed to be people who die and are called back to life by witchcraft. This chapter talks about Zora’s personal experiences in Haiti and Jamaica where she participated as in initiate rather than just an observer of voodoo practices. During her visits she stayed with several types of voodoo priests. (Houngans and Bocors) She witnessed various ceremonies with her own eyes. The religion is a mishmash of Christian and African elements. Often after reciting a Catholic litany of saints, a litany of loas (voodoo gods) is chanted as well. The voodoo gods are separated into the Rada or Arada gods (the good ones) and the Petros gods (the evil one). Zora never says if raising the dead is done…
On the other hand, Professor Markley holds a quite neutral attitude to the Voudou. When she defined the “Traditional Cultures”, she judged on these cultures unbiasedly. In the reading material, she wrote that traditional cultures “have limited technology but extensive knowledge of environment.” She considered both the limit and advantage of an exotic culture. What’s more, Professor Markley use Alfred Metraux’s “Voodoo in Haiti” to introduce what is Vodou, the history of Voudou, central believes, healing and code of ethics. The article is much more like a scientific document and tells us some background knowledge of the Voudou. Besides, Markley quoted the interviews with Haitian practitioners of Voudou when introducing the one creator God-Le Bon Dieu. For example, “He conjures up no precise image, he’s too far away for there to be much point even in addressing…
Haiti is a very religious place. The primary western religion practiced is Catholicism and the minority (15-20%) are Protestant (Colin, 2006). Their first choice when ill is trying home remedies and prayer. They have a strong belief that their prayers have the power to heal what inflicts them. Voodoo is still very revered in Haitian culture and since Catholicism is so closely related to the Voodoo religion, a majority of Haitians still…
The United States is known for the “American Dream”, the material items, our breakthroughs in medicine, our employment opportunities, etc. These are just some of the things the United States has to offer, but the United States also has a downfall to all of the “good” things in life: we think our way of life is better than everyone else’s, and we often judge other countries, especially Africa, for their way of living. We often ask the questions, “What if we go to help them?” or “How can we help them?” when the real question is: “What can we learn from them”?…
Important aspect of voodoo are singing and dancing. It is usually done to honor the “loas”. Another important aspect is the performance of animal sacrifices such as slaughtering a chicken or a goat. The blood of the sacrifice can be placed on a person, alter or even a space. Sacrifices may be done is a healing…
Voodoo is a religion like many others. Voodoo has fallen victim to persecution and tagged with a negative connotation due to misconceptions and poor education about various religions found throughout the world. It is a religion that is divided like many other religions.…
Haitian Voodoo, or properly referred to as Vodou, is characterized by various ritual ceremonies, typically called a “Service to the Loa” often translated to “African Service”. Vodou is typically described as more than just a religion and instead more of an experience that connects the body and soul. The popularized concept of connecting a soul to a tangible object in the Vodou practice is derived from the Congolese tradition of Kanga in which a similar act is performed. Vodouisants believe there is an esoteric Supreme Creator by the name of Bondye. According to the religion Bondye arbitrate in the practices of man in this way they present their…
Voodoo otherwise known, as vodou is one of the most dominant religions that is practiced in Haiti. Voodoo can be translated as “sacred, of god” in Haitian Creole. (National African Religion Congress par 1) Voodoo is approximately 10,000 years old. (Ream par 2) The religion has is also practiced in west and central Africa in countries including: Benin and Nigeria. Haitian voodoo is not only practiced Haiti but is regularly practiced in the United States of America, The Dominican Republic, France and Montreal. (Rock par. 2) The goal of Haitian voodoo is to cure or heal individuals from sickness. (Corbett par. 3) Since Haitian voodoo is seen as the main culture/religion and is practiced by roughly seven million people it is seen as a religion…
In the Voodoo religion, a priestess hosts a number of different ceremonies each year. During these ceremonies, one of the people present (usually the priestess herself) is supposedly possessed by one or more spirit(s) who then communicates with the rest of the people present. A typical example of a Voodoo ceremony is that described in the book Mama Lola by Karin McCarthy Brown. Here, Mama Lola, as this voodoo priestess is known, lives in Brooklyn and does all she can to stay faithful to her Haitian religion. After inviting her voodoo family' for what will be the birthday celebration of the spirit Azaka, all members, important and close gather to help set up the intricate and festive alter in the basement of Mama Lola's small apartment in Brooklyn, New York. While setting up the alter, they are sure to include only the things Azaka…
Let’s start by talking about what voodoo is. Voodoo is actually derived from the word, “Vodun”, which means, “Spirit”. When it comes to the word Vodun, Voodoo is often referred to as West African Vodun. Much of Voodoo is actually on a spiritual basis. People who practice Voodoo believe that it can cleanse the spirit through rituals and praying to many Gods. Apart from spiritual Gods, voodoo also focuses around elements of the earth, such as steam, tree, and rock.…
Voodoo is a small-scaled religion that originated in the West Indies. Voodoo is an actual religion that people mislead for something scary. In the Americas and Caribbean Voodoo is thought to be a variety of African, Catholic, and Native American traditions with aged of millions of followers and believers today. The word Voodoo comes from the shortened word “Vodu” which means spirit or god. This religion had been put into categories of how people believed and their opinions. The main idea of Voodoo is that it is not a single person belief it is more a tribal and group religion. The religion maintains a certain structure in each area that it originates in. Voodoo is increasingly having people join their beliefs such as Americans, Africans, Europeans,…
In the old time the African people use some spells to take the sympathy of the bad spirits, so that they did not harm them. Now these spells are using to control the bad spirit. The practitioners of the voodoo magic can control the bad spirits and the souls to achieve their goal. The folk magic spells are the words which were used by the people…
Most of the Haitian population was originally from Africa, which supports the transformation from the Kongo culture to Haitian Vodou. The Encyclopedia of Global Religion reads, “What is distinctive about Haitian Vodou additionally is that it incorporated the powerful systems of the Bakongo [Kongo] peoples in Central Africa.”21 In addition, Paul Gardullo writes in his review of Donald Consentino’s Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou, “The roles of various spirit repositories and containers or Paket Kongo are described, as well as their ties to Nkisi, their Kongo counter-parts.”22 The most distinct similarity between these two objects are their relations with the spirits they ‘hold.’ Both minkisi and paket kongos can help someone communicate between the spiritual and living world in each of their respective cultures. They both have a master ritualist that uses that communication with the spirits to assist their clients. And finally, many paket kongos are tied with a crucifix atop the container, shown in figure 2. Not only is this another example of the Haitian Vodou…
Voodoo started in the Africa and haiti then it spread to others countries and made versions of voodoo like the Louisiana voodoo(which is mostly mixed race)…
African’s were among the richest of people back in the 1000’s. Effects of trade brought cities to faster than they rise. Great civilizations from Ghana to Zimbabwe both flourished but, had their tragic end. But, it provided them with a lot of things such as gold, salt slaves etc.…