An Overview Of Vodun: A Syncretic Religion
It is late sixteenth century, and the intercontinental practice of slave trade is thriving. The french have now stolen and shipped hundreds of men, women, and children from numerous West African countries to Saint-Dominique (known today as Haiti) with nothing but their culture and religious beliefs to comfort them. In 1685, under “Le Code Noir”, King Louis the fourteenth decreed that no slave has the right to practice their own beliefs, and under penalty of law, the masters are to christianize their slaves within eight days of their arrival in Haiti.
This is the catalyst that merged catholic beliefs with ancient african beliefs, and thus the religion of Vodun was born. In the early sixteenth century slaves were being sold in Saint-Domingue at a slow rate of around 500 slaves per year. But, due to the failure of the french state policy that offered to pay for french citizens travel expenses in exchange for three years of work and the opportunity of land ownership after a six year contract. The slave population rose from 2,000 per year in 1681 to 12,000 in 1701, and the numbers steadily increased. In 1767, around 13,000 slaves had been brought to the island for sale, 27,000 around 1779, 40,000 in 1784, and a heaping 900,000 slaves by the beginning of the Haitian Revolution from the french in 1791. “Le Code Noir” (The Black Code) set up the legal foundation for slavery throughout the french territories. Other than the enforcement of religious doctrine and catholic baptism, it set forth Meal plans; “Slaves over ten years old should receive every week two and a half cups of manioc, two pounds of salted beef or three pounds of fish. Slaves under ten years old should receive half of the previous quantities.
Slaves must have a break in the middle of the day to eat and feed their children” Judicial power; “Except against their masters, slaves have no judicial existence. They cannot sue or be witnesses. ” And punishments; “Most felonies and misdemeanors perpetrated by slaves are punished by death, and masters can beat their slaves as long as it does not become torture or mutilation. Masters are not allowed to kill their slaves. ” (Henochsberg, 2016) During this time the evolving syncretic cultural, not only gave birth to the spiritual beliefs but to numerous forms of artistic expression, among them art, dance, and music. Hymns and chants were often sung like prayers, dancing often took place during ceremonial events, and statues that represent different deities (Bocie) became a force that gave strength to and sustained the slaves through their hardships and suffering. It should be mentioned that the slaves did accept the teachings of the catholic church. However, as it pertains to the slaves who continued their native beliefs, their traditional beliefs took on the face of the catholic church.
In many cases the Catholic saints that were introduced to the slaves were identified with Vodu spirits. For instance, the catholic Saint Peter is recognised as Papa Legba (the gatekeeper of the spirit world), Saint Patrick is associated with Dumballah (the snake spirit) and Erzulie, the earth mother, as the Virgin Mary. Between 1791 and 1804, a series of slave revolts inspired by Vodou practices lead to the exile of the French from Haiti. One of the first acts of rebellion and most famous attempts of revolt by the enslaved populis took place in August of 1791. Beginning with the Vodu Cérémonie du Bois-Caïman on the fourteenth, which was a meeting where Africans, mulattoes, house slaves, field slaves, and free blacks gathered for a ritual prayer and planning. Dutty Bouklan, a Vodu priest, began the night with this translated prayer: “Good Lord who hath made the sun that shines upon us, that riseth from the sea, who maketh the storm to roar; and governeth the thunders, The Lord is hidden in the heavens, and there He watcheth over us.
The Lord seeth what the blancs have done. Their god commandeth crimes, ours giveth blessings upon us. The Good Lord hath ordained vengeance. He will give strength to our arms and courage to our hearts. He shall sustain us. Cast down the image of the god of the blancs, because he maketh the tears to flow from our eyes. Hearken unto Liberty that speaketh now in all your hearts. ” (Boukman, 2009)In the woods of Morne-Rouge, it was decided that when a signal was given the plantations throughout the North would be set aflame. On the twenty-second around 2,000 men and woman armed with torches, guns, and other makeshift weaponry took to the streets. Taking some whites as prisoners and killing others, by midnight, plantations were in flames and the beginning of the revolution began. With plans to take the cultural hub of Le Cap the movement grows to around 15,000 by the end of August and by the middle of september the Colonial Assembly grants citizenship to mulattoes and free blacks creating the foundation for the complete independence from France.
During this time, french slave owners, accompanied by their slaves fled to the city of New Orleans in the United States. Where many slaves continued to practice their vodu faith. It should be mentioned that the French Quarter was inhabited by many settlers and the practice of Vodu was alive prior to the refugees arrivals. But not until after the revolution, did the practice have a pubic face. In large part due to the open practices of the charismatic philanthropist Marie Laveau. The high priestess, Marie Laveau, was the daughter of free slaves and also a devout catholic. She openly believed that the catholic religion was not incompatible with the vodun religion. In fact during her life she had many people come to her for spiritual help. Blacks and whites would seek guidance for issues ranging from love, personal health, and/or legal advice. After her death it was written that she would hold ritual ceremonies where people from various ethnic backgrounds would come dressed in all white, and chant and sing songs, while leaving gifts for certain deities. Gina Dimuro is quoted saying in an article about the life of Marie Laveau, that “Racism and a natural tendency for newspapers to seek out sensational stories led to the descriptions of Laveau’s ceremonies as occult drunken orgies. ” This practice of systematic racism is the instrumental factor in the delegitimization of the religion. When one thinks of Vodu it is popularly associated with devil worship and images of zombies, dolls for revenge and mindless witchcraft. This is due to the gross misinterpretation of some media outlets. The religion is very much rooted in spirituality and gratitude for divine deities, with the conscious and sane physical rituals that accompany its faith.
The literal translation for Vodu, in the Fon language, is spirit. And those who practice, believe in the power and the relationship between the spiritual realms (ours included). Today Vodun is a recognized religion, and is understood as having its roots in the west African country of Benin with branches across the globe. As mentioned previously, the spirit aspect of Vodun is an integral part in the attempt to comprehend the religion. Serviteurs (the practitioners of Vodun) believe that spirits (Les Invisible) abid in all things. This includes inanimate objects, both alive and dead humans, and major forces of the universe. The power of these spirits range in action, duty, and purpose. The religion itself could be categorized into two different sects (Rada and Petro) and it is based on the type of spirits the serviteurs invoke. Loa is the name given to the spirits belonging to worldly powers like good, evil, health, and reproduction. These Loa have the power to interact with humans, as opposed to Bondye, who is similar to the monotheistic idea of God who resides in a realm that is far more unreachable. Serviteurs also hold a very deterministic philosophy on life. As they believe that the Loa are in control of all things. And the very practice of Vodun is their humble effort to recognize this and in some cases ask the Loa to change a particular situation.
Les Invisibles is the term that commonly refers to all spiritual beings. This includes the loa, but the Loa, as mentioned before, are only one type of spiritual group. Les Invisibles are all-encompassing, everything from you and me, the rivers and trees, and two other major types of beings; The Twins, and The dead. Marassa Jumeaux, the divine twins, are associated with the catholic twin saints Cosmas and Damian. They are attributed with the characteristics of curiosity, mystery, goodness, evil, happiness, sadness, love, truth, and justice. They serve Legba, the gatekeeper between heaven and earth, as mediators between the realms. And although they are personified as two entities they are actually three, for the purposes of showing the contradictory aspects of all of life. They represent male and female and the embodiment of male and female together. As with most spirits, if you honor them in ceremony, they may be obliged to show you the the better side of life. The Dead, being the second type, also commonly referred to as Guede, are the souls of a person's family. These are the spirits that have not yet moved on. It is the belief of the serviteurs that there is a period of time in which the spirits of the dead may stay in our earthly realm, and it is our duty to recognize them or they can become angry or dangerous. And to honor and care for them helps them either pass on or finish whatever task they stayed around for.
Aforementioned, the core beliefs and practices of the religion can be categorized into two core factions. These are measured by the types of spirits the serviteurs are aiming their energy. The first being the most commonly summoned; Rada, these are the spirits that represent health, faith, balance, family, and stability. These Loa and the practices that appeal to them are generally peaceful in nature. While the second classification are given the title of Petro, these spirits are described as being born from the, anger, rage, violence, and madness that slavery forged. The practices that appeal to these Loa are more dangerous and less calming than that of the Rada. For instance, the drumming and dancing, that is fundamental in all ceremonial practices, are offbeat and sharp when engaging the Petro Loa, and contrary wise, the rhythm for the Rada are more in sync and balanced. Finally, on the matter of spirits, it is important to recognize the human interpretation. It is the central perspective that all humans are made up of two spirits and a body (the ti-bon-ange and gro-bon-ange). The gros-bon-ange, meaning the big good angel or big guardian angel, is the soul of a human. It is the breath and life force that enters the body at birth and leaves at death. It is also the presenter of oneself to God when it comes time for judgment. The ti-bon-ange, meaning little good angel or little guardian angel, is similar to the conscious, where it is the part of the human that is its individual character traits, the things that make the human different from other humans. This part of the spirit plays a big part in the Vodu beliefs and rituals because serviteurs believe this is the spirit that leaves the body during sleep and ritual practices to allow for possession.
Vodun is a Monotheistic religion, with Bondye as the supreme force. Bondye translates to “Good God” in Creole. Serviteurs refer to Bondye as being male, commonly calling it “he”, and giving him attributes such as being beyond human understanding, impossible to reach, the creator, judger and origin of all things. Due to his omnipotence, Bondye uses Loa to interact with the human world and moreover to reveal his desired will. Some of the most central Loa are Legba and his (Petro) counterpart Kalfu, who are the gatekeepers between the earth world and the Invisibles’ world. Ogoun, who is the force of politics, and Papa Ghede, who is the force of death and resurrection. Another core aspect of Vodun is Bondyes’ creation of “The Crossroads”. Possible the most relevant and powerful of their beliefs, the Crossroads is the place where the two worlds meet. Guarded by Papa Legba, this is where all interaction between humans and spirits begin. All efforts to communicate with the Invisibles, for any reason; health, prosperity, family reclamation, etc. begin at the Crossroads. It is believed that the Crossroads is the entrance to the other side, and is also the barrier of communication. All ritual practices are for the purpose of opening this portal. Once the portal is open, the serviteurs believe the Loa have the ability to possess a human. This possession, also called “mounting”, allows the Loa to communicate with humans. Usually after some sort of blood sacrifice, the Loa are revitalized and can begin the dissension into the earth world.
The Loa are believed to be taxed or exhausted by their efforts of running the world and these sacrifices are made to help them build the energy for the mounting. It should also be mention that during this possession it is not uncommon for a female Loa to mount a male human and vice versa, when this happens the human is referred to as the gender of the Loa. Each Loa has specific character traits and these are what allow the serviteurs to know who they are interacting with. An example of this can be seen when a human is mounted by Papa Legba. When he mounts a human “he wears a pair of dark glasses, from which he knocks out the right lens: for with his right eye he watches those present. . . and the testimony of Ghede leaves the human bereft of any sense of self, they behave and speak compulsively, and when recovered they know nothing of what they did or said. ”(Chatland 1990) As mentioned briefly earlier on, the serviteurs hold a Hard Deterministic philosophy on life. This belief is a fundamental perspective of the Vodun religion. This idea of fatalism, is the belief that all things have been predestined. All things, as it pertains to the life on earth, have been decided and the Loa are in control. Furthermore, the idea of free will is non existent and humans have little to no say in anything that happens. Hence the ritualistic aspect of their faith being the need to ask the Loa for help in changing something. One would not believe they could change their own situation, because they believe it would be futile, since the Loa are the ones who decide what happens anyway.
Additionally Vodun does not hold the beliefs of a Heaven or Hell. The heavens are routinely associated with the place the Invisibles reside, and it is usually not called heaven it is referred to as the spirit world. With that in mind, serviteurs believe in reincarnation and the act of good deeds helps one become reborn as a Loa which allows them power and opportunity to shape and influence the earth world. If one does not live a good life, for instance they were violent and angry towards others, they would reincarnate as a human with the purpose of beginning their journey again. They would also be tempted by their previous lives shortcomings and/or punished by the Loa. Depending on the offence the human could have a spiritual or physical impediment, financial misfortune, health issues, and in the worst cases they are reborn as animals or demonic spirits that only aspire to harm the living.
