Vodun is sometimes called Voodoo, Vodoun, Vodou. Religions
related to Vodun are:
Candomble, Lucumi, Macumba, and Yoruba)
General background:
Vodun (a.k.a. Vodoun, Voudou, Voodoo,Sevi Lwa)
is
commonly called Voodoo by the public. The name is traceable to an
African word for
"spirit". Vodun's can be directly traced to the West African Yoruba
people who lived in
18th and 19th century Dahomey. Its roots may go back 6,000 years in
Africa. That country occupied parts of today's Togo, Benin and
Nigeria. Slaves brought their religion with them when they were
forcibly shipped to Haiti
and other islands in the West Indies.
Vodun was actively suppressed during colonial times. "Many Priests were either
killed or imprisoned, and their shrines destroyed, because of the threat they posed to
Euro-Christian/Muslim dominion. This forced some of the Dahomeans to form Vodou Orders and
to create underground societies, in order to continue the veneration of their ancestors,
and the worship of their powerful gods."
Vodun was
again suppressed during the Marxist regime. However, it has been freely practiced in Benin
since a democratic government was installed there in 1989. Vodun was formally recognized
as Benin's official religion in 1996-FEB. It is also followed by most of the adults in
Haiti. It can be found in many of the large cities in North America, particularly in the
American South.
Today over 60 million people practice Vodun worldwide. Religions similar to Vodun can
be found in South America where they are called Umbanda, Quimbanda or Candomble.
Today, there are two virtually unrelated forms of the religion:
*An actual religion, Vodun practiced in Benin, Dominican Republic,
Ghana, Haiti, Togo and
various centers in the US - largely where Haitian refuges have settled.
*An evil, imaginary religion, which we will call Voodoo. It has been created for
Hollywood movies, complete with violence, bizarre rituals, etc. It does not
exist in reality.
History of Vodun in the west:
Slaves were baptized into the Roman Catholic Church upon their arrival in Haiti and
other West Indian islands. However, there was little Christian infrastructure present
during the early 19th century to maintain the faith. The result was that the slaves
largely followed their original native faith. This they practiced in secret, even while
attending Mass regularly.
An inaccurate and sensational book (S. St. John, "Haiti or the Black Republic")
was written in 1884. It described Vodun as a profoundly evil religion, and included lurid
descriptions of human sacrifice, cannibalism, etc., some of which had been extracted from
Vodun priests by torture. This book caught the imagination of people outside the West
Indies, and was responsible for much of the misunderstanding and fear that is present
today. Hollywood found this a rich source for Voodoo screen plays. Horror movies began in
the 1930's and continue today to misrepresent Vodun. It is only since the late 1950's that
accurate studies by anthropologists have been published.
Other religions (Macumba, Candomble, Umbanda and Santeria) bear many similarities to
Vodun.
Vodun beliefs:
Vodun, like Christianity, is a religion of many traditions. Each group follows a
different spiritual path and worships a slightly different pantheon of spirits, called Loa.
The word means "mystery" in the Yoruba language.
Yoruba traditional belief included a chief God Olorun, who is remote and
unknowable. He authorized a lesser God Obatala to create the earth and all life
forms. A battle between the two Gods led to Obatala's temporary banishment.
There are hundreds of minor spirits. Those which originated from Dahomey are called Rada;
those who were added later are often deceased leaders in the new world and are called Petro.
Some of these are:
*Agwe: spirit of the sea
*Aida Wedo: rainbow spirit
*Ayza: protector
*Baka: an evil spirit who takes the form of an animal
*Baron Samedi: guardian of the grave
*Dambala (or Damballah-wedo): serpent spirit
*Erinle: spirit of the forests
*Ezili (or Erzulie): female spirit of love
*Mawu Lisa: spirit of creation
*Ogou Balanjo: spirit of healing
*Ogun (or Ogu Bodagris): spirit of war
*Osun: spirit of healing streams
*Sango (or Shango): spirit of storms
*Yemanja: female spirit of waters
*Zaka (or Oko): spirit of agriculture
There are a number of points of similarity between Roman Catholicism and
Vodun:
*Both believe in a supreme being.
*The Loa resemble Christian Saints, in that they were once people who led exceptional
lives, and are usually given a single responsibility or special attribute.
*Both believe in an afterlife.
*Both have, as the centerpiece of some of their ceremonies, a ritual sacrifice and consumption of
flesh and blood.
*Both believe in the existence of invisible evil spirits or demons.
*Followers of Vodun believe that each person has a met tet (master of the head)
which corresponds to a Christian's patron saint.
Followers of Vodun believe that each person has a soul which is composed of two parts:
a gros bon ange or "big guardian angel", and a ti bon ange or
"little guardian angel". The latter leaves the body during sleep and when the
person is possessed by a Loa during a ritual. There is a concern that the ti bon ange can
be damaged or captured by evil sorcery while it is free of the body.
Vodun rituals:
The purpose of rituals is to make contact with a spirit, to gain their favor by
offering them animal sacrifices and gifts, to obtain help in the form of more abundant
food, higher standard of living, and improved health. Human and Loa depend upon each
other; humans provide food and other materials; the Loa provide health, protection from
evil spirits and good fortune. Rituals are held to celebrate lucky events, to attempt to
escape a run of bad fortune, to celebrate a seasonal day of celebration associated with a
Loa, for healing, at birth, marriage and death.
Vodun priests can be male (houngan or hungan), or female (mambo). A Vodun
temple is called a hounfour (or humfort). At its center is a poteau-mitan a
pole where the God and spirits communicate with the people. An altar will be elaborately
decorated with candles, pictures of Christian saints, symbolic items related to the Loa,
etc. Rituals consist of some of the following components:
*a feast before the main ceremony
*creation of a veve, a pattern of flour or cornmeal on the floor which is unique
to the Loa for whom the ritual is to be conducted
*shaking a rattle and beating drums which have been cleansed and purified
*chanting
*dancing by the houngan and/or mambo and the hounsis (students studying
Vodun).
The dancing will typically build in intensity until one of the dancers (usually a
hounsis)
becomes possessed by a Loa and falls. His or her ti bon ange has left their body and the
spirit has taken control. The possessed dancer will behave as the Loa and is treated with
respect and ceremony by the others present.
*animal sacrifice; this may be a goat, sheep, chicken, or dog. They are usually humanely
killed by slitting their throat; blood is collected in a vessel. The possessed dancer may
drink some of the blood. The hunger of the Loa is then believed to be satisfied. The
animal is usually cooked and eaten. Animal sacrifice is a method of
consecrating food for consumption by followers of Vodun, their gods
and ancestors.