Haitian mythology consists of many folklore stories from different time periods, involving sacred dance and deities, all the way to Vodou. Haitian Vodou is a syncretic mixture of Roman Catholic rituals developed during the French colonial period, based on traditional African beliefs, with roots in Dahomey, Kongo and Yoruba traditions, and folkloric influence from the indigenous Taino peoples of Haiti. The lwa, or spirits with whom Vodou adherents work and practice, are not gods but servants of the Supreme Creator Bondye (pronounced Bon Dieu). A lot of the Iwa identities come from deities formed in the West African traditional regions, especially the Fon and Yoruba. In keeping with the French-Catholic influence of the faith, Vodou practioneers are for the most part monotheists, believing that the lwa are great and powerful forces in the world with whom humans interact and vice versa, resulting in a symbiotic relationship intended to bring both humans and the lwa back to Bondye. "Vodou is a religious practice, a faith that points toward an intimate knowledge of God, and offers its practitioners a means to come into communion with the Divine, through an ever evolving paradigm of dance, song and prayers."[1]

History and origins of Voodooism in Haiti

Vodou originated from the Animist beliefs of the Yoruba tribes in Benin.[2]

Voodoo Ritual

Voudon talks about a whole assortment of cultural elements such as: personal creeds and practices, including a complex system of folk medical practices. Voudon to some is more than a belief but a way of life, including: proverbs, stories, songs, and folklores.[3] Voudon teaches belief in a supreme being called Bondye, an unknowable and uninvolved created god.[3] Voudon believers worship the lwa. There are in total 180 lwa in the Vodou religion, each of them carrying a name and, a specific and exclusive function. For instance, Gede[4] are the spirit of life and death who is assigned to separate the souls and bodies of people when the time comes and also to watch over their graveyards. Gede also serve the role of connecting the past, present, and future as well as amalgamate them into one single reality. Mythology in Haiti was used not only for politics but also for the revolution. Myths like: L'Union Fait La Force (Togetherness is Strength), is a story about slaves who rose up on August 22, 1791, in a heroic battle to win their freedom, and is a story about solidarity between two different groups of people to get freedom for the collective.[5] Mythical symbols of Voudon and the tradition of the shifting from chaos to collectivity known as the religion of Vodou play a big role in the forming of Haitian mythology.[5]

  • Asagwe - Haitian Vodou dancing used to honor the lwa.
  • Lakou - the central location for worship.
  • Mapou tree- A sacred tree that is considered the link between the spirit world and earth. Avalou - ("supplication") Haitian Vodou dance.
  • Coco macaque - Haitian Vodou implement. It is a stick, which is supposed to be able to walk on its own. The owner of a coco macaque can send it on errands. If it is used to hit an enemy, the enemy will die before the dawn.
  • Gangan, Houngan - Haitian priests. They lead the peoples in dancing, drumming, and singing to invoke the lwa.
  • Gede - family of spirits related to death and fertility.
  • Guinee - Haitian afterlife. It is also where life began and the home of their spirits.
  • Bokor - The male equivalent of a Vodou witch. They are said to serve the lwa with "both hands" meaning they are practicing for good and evil.
  • Zombie - A reanimated body without a soul, used by Bokors to complete or perform tasks.
  • Lwa - Haitian Vodou spirit.
  • Mambo - Haitian priestess who, together with the Houngan, leads the Vodou rituals and invokes the lwa.
  • Paquet congo - charms made of organic matter wrapped in cloth, intended to rouse the lwa.
  • Petro - aggressive and warlike family of spirits
  • Rada - old, benefic family of spirits
  • Tonton Macoute, a Haitian mythological phrase meaning "bogey man" (literally: "Uncle Bagman")
  • Ville au Camp - ("House in the Fields") the underwater capital of the lwa.
  • Mermaid - A creature with the upper body of a woman(sometimes man) and the lower body of a fish-like creature. Mermaids are known to lure children to the ocean to take them to their homes and teach them dark magic, or drown them.
  • Zombie - An undead mythical creature created by a bokor[6]

Lwa Vodou Spirits

See also

References

  1. ↑ Vye Zo Komande LaMenfo, Mambo (2011). Serving the Spirits: The Religion of Vodou. United States: Mambo Vye Zo Komande LaMenfo. p. 12. ISBN 978-0615535241.
  2. ↑ Weber, A. S. (December 2018). "Haitian Vodou and Ecotheology". Ecumenical Review. 70 (4): 679–694. doi:10.1111/erev.12393. S2CID 151028156.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "MYTHOLOGIES OF HAITI". Indigenous Peoples Literature. 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  4. ↑ Scalora, Sal (March–April 1993). "A salute to the spirits". Americas. 45 (2): 26.
  5. 1 2 Laroche, Maximilien (September 2005). "The Founding Myths of the Haitian Nation". Small Axe. 9 (2): 1–15. doi:10.1215/-9-2-1. ProQuest 195818093.
  6. ↑ Gandhi, Lakshmi (December 15, 2013). "Zoinks! Tracing The History Of 'Zombie' From Haiti To The CDC". npr.
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