What Is Haitian Voodoo
Voodoo – when mind attacks body!
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Voodoo (also spelled Vodou) is an ancient West African religion practiced by more than 30 million people in Benin, Togo and Ghana. Voodoo varieties are also present in the United States, and the Caribbean. The word ‘vodou’ comes from the languages of West Africa, and means ‘spirit’. That is appropriate as Voodoo is a religion of spirits. Practitioners of Voodoo (who are called Voodooists) believe that the world of humans is shared by the world of the spirits. When a person dies, his spirit passed to the world of the unseen but is still able to see the human world, the visible world. Spirits, it is believed, in some cases can even impact the world of the living.
Belief in Voodoo crossed the Pacific …show more content…
ocean when captured slaves came to the Americas from Africa, more than 400 years ago. Different Voodoo traditions intermingled and formed the different varieties of Voodoo we see today in the Americas. Voodoo believers and practitioners keep alive an oral tradition of their religion and culture which includes rites, chants, and the use of a variety of voodoo supplies including dolls, candles, and other paraphernalia. The three main varieties of Voodoo are:
Haitian Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
West African Voodoo ”
1) What is Voodoo?
Voodoo is a mixture of many types of beliefs, including Catholicism and various African religions. Just as the Christian religion offers several denominations, there are many different groups of voodoo practitioners. While each group follows different traditions, the basis of the religion is that all of nature is controlled by spiritual forces. Indeed, there are hundreds of spirits, found in the Voodoo religion as well as one supreme god.
2) Who is the supreme god of Voodoo religion?
According to the Voodoo tradition, there is one supreme god, who is known by different names in different parts of the world. In Haiti, for example, he is called Bondye, which comes from the French bon dieu, meaning "good god." Regardless of which name people use, the primary god is immensely powerful and beyond the reach ordinary followers. For this reason, Voodoo practitioners must rely on hundreds or thousands of other spirits to communicate with god.
3) What types of spirits do Voodoo practitioners worship?
According to Voodoo, each person has one soul that is comprised of two spirits, or guardian angels. Although one spirit is always present, the other, called the "Ti Bong Ange" or "Little Good Angel," leaves the body during sleep and rituals. As a result of this departure, voodoo practitioners believe that the soul can be trapped while outside of the body. These spirits are known as ‘loa’ or ‘lwa’ in Haiti.
4) Why do Voodoo practitioners perform rituals?
Rituals are used to keep the Ti Bong Ange from remaining earthbound. During these rituals, gifts--often in the form of animal sacrifices--are provided to the spirits to gain their favour. Rather than promising fortune in the afterlife, Voodoo spirits focus on the present by providing health, happiness and good fortune to their followers. In addition to celebrating special events, these rituals are also performed at one's birth, marriage and death.
5) What exactly is a Voodoo ritual?
During the ritual, voodoo followers will chant and dance in an effort to make contact with one of the spiritual forces (they do not seek out one specific spirit, but rather, seek out the spirit that is available at the time of the ritual). Once they have gained the attention of a spirit, then that spirit will temporarily possess one of the dancers. The chosen person will fall to the ground, which indicates to the other followers that the spirit has made contact with the group. The selected individual's Ti Bon Ange will then leave his or her body and the spirit will take over. Because the spirit selects whom to possess, spirit possession is viewed as a gift from God. The possessed individual is treated with the utmost respect during the course of the ritual. In fact, many believe that simply touching the person during possession can lead to death.
6) Where is Voodoo religion practiced?
Voodoo is an alternative religion that has its origins in West Africa. Although often portrayed as an evil form of magic, voodoo is actually a type of religion that is practiced by over 60 million people, mainly in Haiti and some African and South American countries.
7) What are the types of Voodoo?
Voodoo is mainly categorized into three types: (1) Haitian Voodoo (2) New Orleans Voodoo (3) African Voodoo
8) What is Haitian Voodoo?
Haitian voodoo originated in West Africa, which brought voodoo to the New World. What separates it from the voodoo of Africa is that it combines native elements, such as the beliefs of the Arawak Indians, who populated Haiti and other surrounding islands. The divine creator in Haitian voodoo is commonly known as Bondye.
9) What is New Orleans Voodoo?
New Orleans voodoo originated with the voodoo practices of West Africa, but blended Catholic elements into the spirituality of the religion, such as in the belief in protective spirits. One of the main differences is that New Orleans voodoo incorporates "voodoo queens." This type of voodoo also is known for its historic practitioners, such as Marie Laveau, known as the "Queen of New Orleans."
10) What is African Voodoo?
In the origin of African voodoo, it mixed animistic beliefs with elements of Christianity. Traditionally, it incorporated animal sacrifice and beliefs such as spirit possession, among other facets. While African voodoo also has a Creator God in its cosmology, it also is known for having an extensive temple of gods and
spirits.
11) Which place is most associated with the practice of Voodoo?
Benin, formerly "Dahomey" in Africa is known as "the cradle of Voodoo". Daagbo Hounon, known as the "Pope of Voodoo" lives in Ouidah, Benin. The Voodoo religion has flourished at this place.
12) What is ‘Houngan’?
A Houngan, also spelled Oungun or Ongun, is a Voodoo Priest. Literally, this is derived from a Haitian term meaning "Spirit Master." The term denotes the ability of the Houngan to communicate with the multitude of spirits, or Loas, that reside in the unseen world. The Houngan is the highest ranking individual in the Voodoo tradition, and each community, or Hounfor, will have its own Houngan. Houngan refers to males, while the female equivalent is a Mambo or Manbo.
13) Who/What are ‘Laos’?
Loas are spiritual beings that intercede between God and man, and between the spiritual and physical worlds. Most Loas are very helpful, but some can be mischievous and tricky to deal with.
Voodoo Loas should therefore be viewed in this perspective - they are not good or evil spirits, but powerful intermediaries between man and God that can be petitioned to help you, to add additional power to spells, to protect, and to guide.
14) What is a ‘Bokur’?
A Bokur is essentially a black magician, or someone who casts curses and other harmful spells. Most Bokurs are in fact Houngans, but not all Houngans are Bokurs. What this means is that some ordained Houngans will cast harmful spells - taking on the role of the Bokur, but some also refuse to do so. Bokur is essentially the title given to the Voodoo Priest who is practicing black magic at the time.
15) Where did Voodoo come from and how did it propagate?
Historically, Voodoo came from Africa. It was transported to the Western world with colonization and slavery, and quickly spread throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. Today, Voodoo is embraced by people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and walks of life.
16) What is a Voodoo doll?
When most people think of Voodoo dolls it involves sticking pins into them. This is not entirely true. It is believed that voodoo dolls channel the energy of multiple spells toward a goal - this makes them more powerful than any single spell. Voodoo dolls have roots in the poppet, a Haitian term literally meaning puppet. Poppets are very similar to Voodoo dolls in makeup; only the purpose varies. Voodoo dolls are used to help a client, while poppets are used during Voodoo rituals by the Houngan.
17) Why do people make Voodoo dolls?
Because of a commercialized misconception, voodoo dolls hold a dark place in our cultural imagination. Most people view them as agents of witchcraft and evil, failing to realize that they are in fact tools of a very old and spiritual religion. Voodoo dolls have different uses, both traditionally and in modern-day practices.
18) What is the use of a Voodoo doll?
Voodoo dolls are used to connect to a particular deity, or loa, by lighting a candle to it and making offerings. However a voodoo doll is used, whether it be to achieve success, find true love or even more rarely, to inflict pain on another, its overall function is to place the individual in a give-and-take relationship with the spiritual and the divine.
Sources:
American Museum of Natural History: Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/vodou/
Caistor, Nick. "Voodoo's Spell over Haiti." BBC. 8/4/2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3122303.stm
Cussans, John. "Voodoo Terror: (mis)Representations of Voodoo and Western Cultural Anxieties. http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org/Cussans.html
Davis, Rod. "American Voudou." University of North Texas Press. 1998.
Government of Tibet in Exile. "Nechung - The Oracle of Tibet." http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/nechung_hh.html
Guynup, Sharon. "Haiti: Possessed by Voodoo." National Geographic News. 7/7/2004. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/ 07/0707_040707_tvtaboovoodoo.html
Handwerk, Brian. "Voodoo a Legitimate Religion, Anthropologist Says." National Geographic News. 10/21/2002. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/10/ 1021_021021_taboovoodoo.html
Historical Museum of South Florida. "Orishia Worship in Miami." http://www.hmsf.org/exhibits/orisha/english/orisha-e-4.htm
Holloway, Joseph E. "Africanisms in American Culture." Indiana University Press. 1990.
Hurston, Zora Neale. "Tell My Horse." Perennial Library. 1990.
Matalon, Lorne. "Inside Voodoo: African Cult of Twins Marks Voodoo New Year." National Geographic News. 11/1/2004. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ news/2004/02/0211_040211_twincult.html
National Geographic. "Taboo" episode "Voodoo." 2002.
National Public Radio. Voodoo and West Africa's Spiritual Life. Radio Expeditions. http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/2004/feb/voodoo/
Okanla, Karim. "Benin Marks Voodoo Day." BBC. 11/1/2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1756057.stm
PBS. Africans in America. People & Events: The Haitian Revolution. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p2990.html
Made By: Shaad
“
Voodoo (also spelled Vodou) is an ancient West African religion practiced by more than 30 million people in Benin, Togo and Ghana. Voodoo varieties are also present in the United States, and the Caribbean. The word ‘vodou’ comes from the languages of West Africa, and means ‘spirit’. That is appropriate as Voodoo is a religion of spirits. Practitioners of Voodoo (who are called Voodooists) believe that the world of humans is shared by the world of the spirits. When a person dies, his spirit passed to the world of the unseen but is still able to see the human world, the visible world. Spirits, it is believed, in some cases can even impact the world of the living.
Belief in Voodoo crossed the Pacific …show more content…
ocean when captured slaves came to the Americas from Africa, more than 400 years ago. Different Voodoo traditions intermingled and formed the different varieties of Voodoo we see today in the Americas. Voodoo believers and practitioners keep alive an oral tradition of their religion and culture which includes rites, chants, and the use of a variety of voodoo supplies including dolls, candles, and other paraphernalia. The three main varieties of Voodoo are:
Haitian Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
West African Voodoo ”
1) What is Voodoo?
Voodoo is a mixture of many types of beliefs, including Catholicism and various African religions. Just as the Christian religion offers several denominations, there are many different groups of voodoo practitioners. While each group follows different traditions, the basis of the religion is that all of nature is controlled by spiritual forces. Indeed, there are hundreds of spirits, found in the Voodoo religion as well as one supreme god.
2) Who is the supreme god of Voodoo religion?
According to the Voodoo tradition, there is one supreme god, who is known by different names in different parts of the world. In Haiti, for example, he is called Bondye, which comes from the French bon dieu, meaning "good god." Regardless of which name people use, the primary god is immensely powerful and beyond the reach ordinary followers. For this reason, Voodoo practitioners must rely on hundreds or thousands of other spirits to communicate with god.
3) What types of spirits do Voodoo practitioners worship?
According to Voodoo, each person has one soul that is comprised of two spirits, or guardian angels. Although one spirit is always present, the other, called the "Ti Bong Ange" or "Little Good Angel," leaves the body during sleep and rituals. As a result of this departure, voodoo practitioners believe that the soul can be trapped while outside of the body. These spirits are known as ‘loa’ or ‘lwa’ in Haiti.
4) Why do Voodoo practitioners perform rituals?
Rituals are used to keep the Ti Bong Ange from remaining earthbound. During these rituals, gifts--often in the form of animal sacrifices--are provided to the spirits to gain their favour. Rather than promising fortune in the afterlife, Voodoo spirits focus on the present by providing health, happiness and good fortune to their followers. In addition to celebrating special events, these rituals are also performed at one's birth, marriage and death.
5) What exactly is a Voodoo ritual?
During the ritual, voodoo followers will chant and dance in an effort to make contact with one of the spiritual forces (they do not seek out one specific spirit, but rather, seek out the spirit that is available at the time of the ritual). Once they have gained the attention of a spirit, then that spirit will temporarily possess one of the dancers. The chosen person will fall to the ground, which indicates to the other followers that the spirit has made contact with the group. The selected individual's Ti Bon Ange will then leave his or her body and the spirit will take over. Because the spirit selects whom to possess, spirit possession is viewed as a gift from God. The possessed individual is treated with the utmost respect during the course of the ritual. In fact, many believe that simply touching the person during possession can lead to death.
6) Where is Voodoo religion practiced?
Voodoo is an alternative religion that has its origins in West Africa. Although often portrayed as an evil form of magic, voodoo is actually a type of religion that is practiced by over 60 million people, mainly in Haiti and some African and South American countries.
7) What are the types of Voodoo?
Voodoo is mainly categorized into three types: (1) Haitian Voodoo (2) New Orleans Voodoo (3) African Voodoo
8) What is Haitian Voodoo?
Haitian voodoo originated in West Africa, which brought voodoo to the New World. What separates it from the voodoo of Africa is that it combines native elements, such as the beliefs of the Arawak Indians, who populated Haiti and other surrounding islands. The divine creator in Haitian voodoo is commonly known as Bondye.
9) What is New Orleans Voodoo?
New Orleans voodoo originated with the voodoo practices of West Africa, but blended Catholic elements into the spirituality of the religion, such as in the belief in protective spirits. One of the main differences is that New Orleans voodoo incorporates "voodoo queens." This type of voodoo also is known for its historic practitioners, such as Marie Laveau, known as the "Queen of New Orleans."
10) What is African Voodoo?
In the origin of African voodoo, it mixed animistic beliefs with elements of Christianity. Traditionally, it incorporated animal sacrifice and beliefs such as spirit possession, among other facets. While African voodoo also has a Creator God in its cosmology, it also is known for having an extensive temple of gods and
spirits.
11) Which place is most associated with the practice of Voodoo?
Benin, formerly "Dahomey" in Africa is known as "the cradle of Voodoo". Daagbo Hounon, known as the "Pope of Voodoo" lives in Ouidah, Benin. The Voodoo religion has flourished at this place.
12) What is ‘Houngan’?
A Houngan, also spelled Oungun or Ongun, is a Voodoo Priest. Literally, this is derived from a Haitian term meaning "Spirit Master." The term denotes the ability of the Houngan to communicate with the multitude of spirits, or Loas, that reside in the unseen world. The Houngan is the highest ranking individual in the Voodoo tradition, and each community, or Hounfor, will have its own Houngan. Houngan refers to males, while the female equivalent is a Mambo or Manbo.
13) Who/What are ‘Laos’?
Loas are spiritual beings that intercede between God and man, and between the spiritual and physical worlds. Most Loas are very helpful, but some can be mischievous and tricky to deal with.
Voodoo Loas should therefore be viewed in this perspective - they are not good or evil spirits, but powerful intermediaries between man and God that can be petitioned to help you, to add additional power to spells, to protect, and to guide.
14) What is a ‘Bokur’?
A Bokur is essentially a black magician, or someone who casts curses and other harmful spells. Most Bokurs are in fact Houngans, but not all Houngans are Bokurs. What this means is that some ordained Houngans will cast harmful spells - taking on the role of the Bokur, but some also refuse to do so. Bokur is essentially the title given to the Voodoo Priest who is practicing black magic at the time.
15) Where did Voodoo come from and how did it propagate?
Historically, Voodoo came from Africa. It was transported to the Western world with colonization and slavery, and quickly spread throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. Today, Voodoo is embraced by people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and walks of life.
16) What is a Voodoo doll?
When most people think of Voodoo dolls it involves sticking pins into them. This is not entirely true. It is believed that voodoo dolls channel the energy of multiple spells toward a goal - this makes them more powerful than any single spell. Voodoo dolls have roots in the poppet, a Haitian term literally meaning puppet. Poppets are very similar to Voodoo dolls in makeup; only the purpose varies. Voodoo dolls are used to help a client, while poppets are used during Voodoo rituals by the Houngan.
17) Why do people make Voodoo dolls?
Because of a commercialized misconception, voodoo dolls hold a dark place in our cultural imagination. Most people view them as agents of witchcraft and evil, failing to realize that they are in fact tools of a very old and spiritual religion. Voodoo dolls have different uses, both traditionally and in modern-day practices.
18) What is the use of a Voodoo doll?
Voodoo dolls are used to connect to a particular deity, or loa, by lighting a candle to it and making offerings. However a voodoo doll is used, whether it be to achieve success, find true love or even more rarely, to inflict pain on another, its overall function is to place the individual in a give-and-take relationship with the spiritual and the divine.
Sources:
American Museum of Natural History: Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/vodou/
Caistor, Nick. "Voodoo's Spell over Haiti." BBC. 8/4/2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3122303.stm
Cussans, John. "Voodoo Terror: (mis)Representations of Voodoo and Western Cultural Anxieties. http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org/Cussans.html
Davis, Rod. "American Voudou." University of North Texas Press. 1998.
Government of Tibet in Exile. "Nechung - The Oracle of Tibet." http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/nechung_hh.html
Guynup, Sharon. "Haiti: Possessed by Voodoo." National Geographic News. 7/7/2004. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/ 07/0707_040707_tvtaboovoodoo.html
Handwerk, Brian. "Voodoo a Legitimate Religion, Anthropologist Says." National Geographic News. 10/21/2002. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/10/ 1021_021021_taboovoodoo.html
Historical Museum of South Florida. "Orishia Worship in Miami." http://www.hmsf.org/exhibits/orisha/english/orisha-e-4.htm
Holloway, Joseph E. "Africanisms in American Culture." Indiana University Press. 1990.
Hurston, Zora Neale. "Tell My Horse." Perennial Library. 1990.
Matalon, Lorne. "Inside Voodoo: African Cult of Twins Marks Voodoo New Year." National Geographic News. 11/1/2004. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ news/2004/02/0211_040211_twincult.html
National Geographic. "Taboo" episode "Voodoo." 2002.
National Public Radio. Voodoo and West Africa's Spiritual Life. Radio Expeditions. http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/2004/feb/voodoo/
Okanla, Karim. "Benin Marks Voodoo Day." BBC. 11/1/2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1756057.stm
PBS. Africans in America. People & Events: The Haitian Revolution. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p2990.html
Made By: Shaad