Free Essay Sample - Voodoo

Haitian Voodoo or Vodun may be described as a syncretic religion that originated from two ethnicities in West African Vodun, groups, Fon of Dahomey, and Yoruba of Oyo. Dahomey areas are currently Togo, and Benin and Oyo is the current region of Nigeria. The Afro-Haitian developed the Voodoo religion during the Atlantic slave trade between the 16th to 19th centuries. It combines both the traditional teachings brought to Hispaniola Island by slaves and the teachings of Roman Catholicism delivered by the French colonists. The practitioners of Voodoo are known as Voodooists, meaning the spirits’ servants. The religion emphasizes the worship of deities called Lwa, identified as Roman Catholic martyrs and Yoruban gods. The Lwa are believed to be servants of the supreme creator spirit called Bondyé, making the humans serve them. When initiation is taking place, Voodooists meet in temples called ounfo served by organs, priests, mangos, and priestesses to worship the Lwa. The first rituals in Voodoo worship include singing, dancing, and drumming to invite Lwa to possess the practitioners. The people who practice Voodoo these practices will encourage Lwa to pose one who is used as a channel of communication. They also slaughtered animals and offered fruits as sacrifices to Lwa. The priests also lead numerous types of divination to interpret messages from the spirit. According to Wilken, other rituals that play significant roles during worship include the preparation of charms, herbal medicines, and amulets. Although the majority of Voodoo practitioners are found in Haiti, individuals in other parts of America, mainly Haitian that lives in other countries, continue practicing the religion. Voodooists both in Haiti and abroad have spread beyond the Afro-Haitian origins to various ethnicities. However, the practice has been facing several criticisms as non-practitioners associate it with devil worship, black magic, and superstitions. Most scholars have often linked religion to the misfortunes and rampant poverty in Haiti, arguing that believers should eliminate Satanism.

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The History of Voodoo

Before 1685, the people of Fon, Yoruba, and Ewe shared universal divine principles of Nana Buluku as God and Voodooists as the sons as the daughters of the creators. West African Voodoo is based on ancestral spirits, where each family has specific priests that are inherited from one generation to the other. In most West African families, deities included gods of the waters, such as Mami Wata and Sakpata, who controlled diseases. Moreover, the influences of Kongo practices are dominant in the Northern Haiti. Slavery was associated with dictatorial regimes in West Africa that suppressed traditional religions because they were believed to be barbaric. In African clans, the role of the Voodoo deities is to maintain social, political, and moral order. They also sustain peace and economic development of the villages, making it impossible to eliminate the religion. The African slaves could not stop the practice in the new land; hence they incorporated with the Catholic worship. Moreover, most of the enslaved people were priests of the traditional religions, promoting the spread of the Americans associating it to the Roman Catholic saints.

Slave owners forced the slaves to abolish traditions religions and baptized them as a way of controlling them through the teachings of submission and obedience. However, the slave masters did not want the slaves to attend church or celebrate saints’ days because the main goal was to work on the plantations. The masters also feared a revolt that would result if the slaves met in one room for worship. In 1685 Code Noir’s provisions by Kin Louis XIV of France forbade Africans from practicing their religion in Saint-Domingue, but they meet during the nights to worship. According to Edmonds and Michelle slaves were to abandon rituals such as drumming, chanting, and other items or charms associated with the religion. The Africans concealed their religion using the catholic alters and ritual candles. Voodooists overlaid Catholic figures and saints onto the Lwa/Loa, the primary spirits that work for the Grand Met. For instance, the idol of the Virgin Mary was re-imagined as Ezili, Saint Patrick as Dambala, and Saint Jacques as Ogou. Voodoo rituals and ceremonies were incorporated in the catholic calendar, for instance, the purification using holy water, singing hymns. Some of the Latin words were also incorporated into the Voodoo lexicon.

Voodoo has a Stronghold in Haiti

The transatlantic journey was long and dangerous and claimed the lives of captured slaves who died from torture, hunger, suffocation, and diseases. Some Africans survived and upon arriving at the Saint Domingue, they were sold as chattels to work on various plantations. The slaves were assigned supervisors who assigned them various tasks on the plantation that produced indigo, coffee, tobacco, and sugar. The slave masters used violent and forceful strategies to maintain plantation labor and profit by selling commodities to foreign countries. The African slaves who violated the orders were punished through heinous acts such as mutilating their hands or legs, mutilate private parts, buried alive, or pour hot max on their bodies. The slaves endured these inhumane actions and could not fight against their masters. Moreover, the masters were required to baptize the slave by the catholic religion and prevent any other form of worship. However, the Africans met in secret and worshiped their god using the African language and created the Voodoo religion.

Another significant aspect that makes Voodoo dominant in Haiti is its role in obtaining freedom from the French. Voodoo practitioners conducted the Haitian Revolution that overthrew the French colonial administration, abolishing slavery in Haiti. The Roman Catholic Church ceased its operations for decades, making Voodoo the dominant religion in Haiti. Increasing immigration has played an essential role in the spread of the faith to other parts of America. Late 20th century marked an increasing link between the Voodoo and the West African Orisha-worshippers and Brazilians, such as Candomble and Americans, such as Cuban Santeria. The practitioners have been emphasizing the abolishment of Catholicism influence in Haiti to replace it with the traditional Yoruba religion, a process known as "Yorubization."

The Haitian Revolution

According to Edmonds and Michelle thee revolution took place in 1791 when Haiti was the most leading sugar producer in the world. The number of slaves had increased drastically outdoing the Europeans, and it is estimated that the ratio was ten to one. Maroon communities of escaped slaves used to attack slave owners, but in 1951 Francois Mackandal, a voodoo priest unified the different groups for a cohesive resistance. Voodoo is significantly linked to the revolution because the two reputable priests, Makandd and Boukman, organized a ritual on 14 August 1791, where the practitioners promised to overthrow the slave masters. The incident took place in Bois-Caiman, and the spirit of Ezili Dantor possessed a priestess who received a black pig that was offered as a sacrifice. The voodooists who were present during the ritual were made to believe that the blood of the pig was used to deliver them from bondage as the blood of Jesus Christ. They swore to fight for their freedom no matter the consequences as they believed in the protection of the gods. The ceremony at Bois Caiman also served as a meeting to strategize how the revolt will be conducted. Voodoo rituals were often performed as political function to unite the slaves for a common goal, and organize different tasks within the community. Therefore, religion served as a physical and symbolic location of revolt against the slave owners. Boukman Dutty was both a religious leader and political leader who assisted the revolution plan. The religious leaders connected Voodoo spirituality with politics. Although Bois Caiman is often associated with the start of the revolt, slave uprising began weeks in advance, demonstrating that the need for freedom. The revolution took place between 1971 and 1804 when St. Domingue was declared an independent state by a former slave Jean-Jacques Dessalines. He was assassinated two years later, and St. Domingue became the Republic of Haiti, becoming the second nation after the US to obtain freedom from the European rule. The new government was excluded from the global market, resulting in economic difficulties. Other countries did not want to associate with a republic of slaves.

The citizens of Haiti are inspired by the unifying function of their ancestors that gives them the courage to face difficult situations, such as overthrowing the French colonists. The revolution led to the small subsistence farming in Haiti because vast land was divided to all the slaves. They also lived in extended family groups, lakous, allowing the preservation of the African-based traditions. The religion became dominant after the Roman Catholic left for decades, and their churches were adopted as voodoo shrines. However, in the 19th-century, voodoo was rarely practiced after many leaders disassociating themselves with the good Catholics and Frenchmen. The practitioners continue to practice the voodoo because they believe that there is no contradiction between it and Catholicism. The modern-evangelism began teachings in 1990, urging the practitioners to eliminate the evil religion for the well-being of their state.

Beliefs of Voodoo Practitioners

Beliefs of God and Spirits

Voodooists believe in one God; hence it is a monotheistic religion like Christianity, Islamic, and Judaism. The supreme God referred to as Bondyé or Grand Mèt is the creator of heaven and earth and everything on it. The name was derived from Bon Dieu, a French word that means God. The practitioners viewed Bondye as a transcendent and remote figure. They often use si Bondye vie, a phrase that means if God is willing, signifying the belief that the creator is in control of all events. Voodoists do not believe in a potent antagonism between the supreme-being and Satan, but the incorporation of Catholicism has introduced evil notions. They also believe in a wide range of deities, called Loa or Lwa, saints, mysteres, anges, and less invisible. The gods provide protection, assistance, and advice to the practitioners during the ritual service. The Lwa acts as intermediaries between human beings and the creator deity. The Lwa is also believed to have a specific personality, as the practitioners associated them with different objects and colors. The deities may be capricious or loyal when working with humans, and most have been given names derived from Yoruba and Fon languages. Voodooists believe that the gods communicate to them through dreams that may tell them about future misfortunes or developments. During Voodoo ceremonies, the first to be worshipped is Legba, depicted as an old man who walks using crutch. He protects the fences and gates of their houses as well as roads and other crossroads. The second respected Lwa are the sacred twins or Marasa, and every country is controlled in its specific twins. Agwe is the god of aquatic life associated with the protection of fishers and ships. Agwe rules the sea with the help of Lasiren, a mermaid also known as Ezili. She brings wealth and good luck to the sea. Ezili Freda is the Lwa of beauty, love, grace, luxury, and famine. Other Lwa includes Zaka who control agriculture and crops, Ogu protects people during wars and Damballa that lives in marshes, rivers, and springs. Damballa is the most popular deity, demonstrated by a pair of intertwining snakes. The Lwa of Guédé appears at the Voodoo ceremony when saluted with joy because their primary role is to bring merriment.