Vodoun: The Real Voodoo
Part one- a basic introduction to Vodoun
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It would probably be no exaggeration to say that Vodoun, (Sometimes, Vodun or Vodou) the traditional religion of Haiti, is one of the most misunderstood religions of all time. The persecution of Vodoun began when French slave owners, suspicious and highly afraid of practices unlike anything in their limited experience, outlawed the religion in Haiti. (In retrospect, they were probably right to be frightened- Voodoo played a large part in the successful slave rebellion) Hollywood hasn’t done much to rectify the issue, producing lurid tales of zombies, evil sorcery, and ritual murder, which reinforces the Western association of voodoo to images of black magic, curses, sticking pins in dolls, and human sacrifice.
Many attempts have been made to rid the world of this “demonic” religion. The use of magic and the practice of trance possession are very alien and even intimidating to many people raised in Christian traditions- the Loas are seen as demonic rather than divine, symbols misinterpreted. During the thirties, a mass persecution intended to rid Voudou from the world was unsuccessful; in 1996, Vodoun was declared the official religion of Benin, Africa, its land of origin.
“Voodoo” as we know it today originated with African slaves in Haiti; traditional Dahomey regional practices were blended with other African traditions, with elements of Masonry, ritual magic, and Catholicism, creating a unique faith that has survived some of the worst persecutions.
The word ‘voodoo’ is a corruption of the word ‘vodun,’ a word that means ‘god’ or ’spirit’ in the West African Fon language. Vodoun traditionally embodies two traditions- obeah, or folk magic, also known colloquially in America as ‘hoodoo,’ and the ancient African worship of the Loa, an initiatory religious system. The primary worship practice in Vodoun is through possession, whereby the Loas or ancestors are invited to inhabit or “mount” the bodies of worshipers, using their bodies and voices to communicate with devotees. This practice is the true Vodoun, the traditional ancestral root of the religion.
Vodou cosmology In the cosmology of Vodoun, there are three levels of divinity:
- Gran met, or “Grand master,” also known as Bondye, from the French ‘bon dieu, good god‘ -the true deity, an entity which presides over the spirit world but is not directly worshiped.
- The Loas, or Lwas, the “Mysteries,” the lesser divinities which are central to worship. The Loas are not gods, per se, but the most powerful ancestral spirits- great men and women, Kings, and divine messengers.
- The Dead- the collective ancestral spirits and the spirits of saints. These are ever present with the practitioner, even prior to initiation. It is their actions that usually propel the practitioner to initiation.
Vodou is an initiatory system. There are three levels of initiation: kanzo, sur pointe, and asogwe. These may be taken one at a time, as in western systems, but this is rare. One is likely to remain at the initiatory level one attains from the beginning, and initiation is not necessary to be a Vodouisant. The kanzo is the lowest level, a worshipper. The Sur Point is further initiated into the tradition of a particular Loa, and is considered a priest or priestess (Houngan or Mambo). The Asogwe is a supreme human authority, and can initiate petitioners into any grade.
The Loas The primary worship of the Loas (Lwas) in Vodoun takes place at ceremonial dances. Depending on the tradition, particular Loas are invoked with drumming and singing. Special symbols, called veves (or vevers), are inscribed on the ground of the temple to invoke particular Loas. Each Loa has his or her own chants, songs, and drum rhythms as well. The Loa manifest by possessing or ‘mounting’ participants. This manifestation is marked by an obvious change in behavior in the “horse,” or mountee, who may laugh, sing, tell bawdy jokes, dance around, etc., in addition to dispensing advice and counsel, and consuming offerings of food and liquor. Each Loa has a particular set of behaviors or tendencies which identify him or her. There are hundreds or more Loas- even thousands. Loas are more or less powerful depending on whether or not they are ’served.’
Some of the best known Loas are:
Damballah -the serpent; a primordial deity, who with his companion Ayida, created the cosmos. Those possessed by Damballah do not walk or speak, but writhe on the ground as a serpent.
Ayida Wedo- the consort of Damballah; the rainbow.
Baron (Baron Samedi)- the Loa of the Dead; usually pictured as a grinning skeleton in a top hat- one of the most recognized of the loas outside of Vodoun
Ogoun -a warrior; martial masculinity; related to the Yoruban Orisha of the same name, and also to Shango.
Erzuli – The embodiment of femininity and love. Similar to the goddess Venus, and related to Santeria’s Oshun. Erzulie also has a “dark” aspect, Dantor, who embodies righteous anger, is a protector of women and avenger of domestic violence.
Agwe – The primordial sea, ruler of the depths of the ocean. Legba, or Papa Legba- like the Yoruban Eleggua, Legba is the guardian of crossroads. As in Santeria, he must be honored before any other Loa, and it is he who opens the doors between the worlds and facilitates communication with the lLoa.
Marassa (Mawu-Lisa)- the Marassa are the divine twins, the first man and woman, the first ancestors. They embody archetypal, polar forces akin to yin and yang.
Ayizan- the first Mambo (Priestess), who is honored at every ritual.
There are three main “families,” or classes, of Loa, sometimes called Nations. The first, Rada, are the original African Loas. They are gentle, beneficent. The Petro, or Petwo, are fiery, vengeful aspects,the patrons of the slave revolutions of Haiti. They are named for Don Pedro, a principal in the Haitian slave rebellion. The third family, Ghede, “Les Morts,” are the spirits of the dead.
Magick in Vodoun
The second important tradition of Vodoun is magic. Magick is worked for both good and ill, by initiates and by non-initiates. Orthodox traditions generally despise and prohibit harmful (“black”) magic, but it is not unknown. Spells in Vodou take a variety of forms, the best known being the wanga, or charm. Wangas are usually worked for protection, for healing, for love. The charms known colloquially as gris gris or mojo bags are a form of wanga; these are not restricted to voodoo practice.
The “voodoo dolls” so recognizable to Westerners did not originate in Vodoun, but were incorporated into American Vodou from European folk magick. (Another descendant of the same tradition is the Wiccan “poppet.”) In West Africa, where Vodoun originated, there is not to be found anything resembling a “voodoo doll.”
A note about spelling When researching Vodou on the web, you are likely to encounter a great variety of spellings, name variations, and so on. Vodou is primarily an oral tradition, passed on from initiate to initiate, which means there is no Orthodoxy of spelling or pronunciation. Secondly, Vodou is practiced in many parts of the world, and each practice has been influenced by native languages and habits. Names and terms relating to Vodoun are a combination of African, French, Creole, and so on, so you might see many spellings of one name, or many names for one thing.
Next> A glossary of Voudon
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