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What is Voudon? Approximately
80% of the population adhers to Roman Catholicism, the religion
forced upon the slaves by their French plantation owners; ten
percent are now Protestant of various denominations.
Voudon is nonetheless widespread, especially in rural areas,
and practiced by both Protestants and Catholics with no sense
of conflicting loyalties. The
term Vaudou, Voudon, or
Voodoo probably comes from the Fon ethnic group of West Africa,
whose word Vodou means
"ancestral spirit and drums."
At various periods of history Voudon has been encouraged
(Duvalier regime) or suppressed (colonial period); the 1987 constitution
now guarantees freedom of religion, and recognizes Voudon as the
national religion. Voudon priests today help people cope with
their extremely difficult living conditions and uncertain future,
and give them guidance in such issues as illness, marriage, business
and travel. Some feel
it is more a "practice" than a religion. Voudon
is a blend of practices and beliefs brought by the various African ethnic groups from which the
slaves were imported, especially former Dahomey (Nigeria, Benin,
Togo) and Central Africa, combined with rituals of Catholicism.
For example, Voudon ceremonies begin with a call to the
Grand Père Eternel (Great Eternal Father), use the Lord's Prayer
and Hail Mary, and recognize Christian saints and Voudon loa.
The Vaudou spirits, called loa/lwa,
symbolize major elements of nature such as earth, water, air or
fire, and also human sentiments such as love, bravery and justice.
Many loa have a related Christian saint.
There is no church hierarchy, or bible, nor moral law;
loa have both good and evil traits.
Voudon priests must receive a call, and they learn the
extensive hierarchy of loa through apprenticeship and study. Voudon compounds I
visit two Vaudou complexes, or hounfor. Kadee and I find the first
when I inquire about a seven-foot high concrete cross by the road. It indicates not a church, but an hounfor nearby.
Our young volunteer Haitian guide does not hesitate to
get permission and show us the péristile, or large porch-like open area with a thatched roof, used
for dancing and celebrating, with the central pole, or poto miton, via which the spirits descend. He looks less comfortable, however, as we enter
the doors of the main concrete block building. On the four walls are aggressive murals, showing the loa Danbala
in the form of a huge serpent, Mary and Jesus, a three-headed
man, la Sirène (the Mermaid), a head
with bleeding tongue, and a very bloody skull and crossbones.
Unsure of the situation, and not wanting to upset our host,
I refrain from taking pictures. Our guide doesn't relax until we are back out
on the dusty road to Verrettes. The
second adventure is as impressive.
On a very hot Sunday afternoon, I am hiking with other
volunteers along the Artibonite River valley canal.
People are washing clothes and swimming; cows are staked
on the canal bank to graze. After
visiting our destination, a still-active sugar mill, we still
have energy, and ask a little boy to lead us to the local houngan, or Vaudou priest, just a bit
further. We set off to
find Dieu Pè, the 70-plus
year old houngan who has been a good friend of HAS
and the Mellons. Dressed
in jeans, small and frail with very few teeth, he greets us enthusiastically
and we sit together in the welcome shade of a huge tree.
Only later do I discover we should have brought a gift
of a bottle of rum.
Next time! He gives us a tour of the complex, about six
one-story
buildings, all brightly painted and facing a central grassy
area. On
the exterior wall between the doors of two badji,
or altar rooms, is a painting of Erzuli
Dantor, the Goddess of love, who is associated with the
Virgin Mary, and whose altar room is to the right.
The door to the left opens onto a small altar to Baron
Samedi, the Lord of the Cemeteries, who is not associated with
a Catholic saint, and whose attributes are the shovel, coffin,
skull and skeleton. During
his presidency-dictatorship Dr. Jean-Francois Duvalier dressed
in the black mourning coat and top hat of Baron Samedi in deliberate
mimicry. "Papa Doc" practiced Vaudou himself,
and many believed that in the basement of the presidential palace
he kept zombies, dead bodies whose souls he had stolen to make
them work for him. We
visit two other badjii, and when Dieu pè encourages me to
take pictures, I do not refuse!
We guess that one of his small buildings is being used
as a hospice, since he displaces a frail woman lying there in
order for us to visit. Another room has a lidded five-foot deep
round pit, barely shoulder-width, where hysterical patients are
immersed in a salt water bath as a cure.
In the corner of several rooms are the tanbour,
drums in sets of two or three, with drumheads of cowhide or
goatskin. Couples may spend their honeymoon night in
another room, with a bright red covering on a single bed, in order
to bring blessing upon their marriage. The Boko But
the practice of Vaudou has another, more sinister side -- the
bokò, or sorcerer, who may or may not also
be an houngan, and who "works with both hands," that
is, can send spirits to work harmful magic or protect against
it. Along the paved highway from Pont Sondé to
Saint Marc we pass a bokò's
brightly painted complex
flying the traditional Voudon flags.
At HAS we see proof of belief in such sorcery.
A young adult male is brought to the hospital ill, but
after several days of observation there are no findings.
His father finally shares his concern that his son is not
well because someone has asked a bokò
to put a spell on the father, but the father's spirit is too strong
and the spell has passed to his son. The family takes the boy
away, perhaps to consult with another bokò.
Within the week the young man is returned to the hospital,
where he dies within an hour of unknown cause. Vaudou
priests, houngan, and
priestesses, mambo, may seek conventional medical treatment.
They have also been known to appear at the hospital with
bogus complaints, just to check out the competition.
Catholic church in Deschapelles One
of my students invites me to Catholic church service Sunday, but
doesn't understand the question when I ask how long it will last: "Til it's over." I decline the prospect of the four-hour morning
in Creole, and instead attend ecumenical services at the HAS chapel.
Sunday evening we recognize the hymn "All Hail the
Power of Jesus' name" being sung at the Catholic church.
On Tuesday night the church has community discussions,
and there is another service on Friday nights. Funerals Burial
is an important issue for Haitians, who may spend as much as a
whole year's wages on a funeral, thus making funeral
directors one of the successful groups of entrepreneurs. Among other services, they can organize a funeral procession
of mourners if you don't have enough family.
Bodies must be securely enclosed in a concrete-lidded
tomb, so as not to be raised from the dead and made to
serve as zombies. Graves
are also well-maintained, and painted in bright colors. Boldface within text = photo links |
Religions: