Creole Vodouism
A Creole is a term used to describe a person or a language. A creole person is a person of mixed European and black descent, especially in the Caribbean. A creole language is a mother tongue formed from the contact of two languages through an earlier pidgin stage. Haiti is an island in the Caribbean that is comprised of two distinct classes characterized by Creoles and people of African descent. Haitian Kreyol was a language that was developed by the slaves of the French colony of Haiti, they wanted to communicate without the French understanding them. Not only is the island of Haiti populated by Creoles that speak Kreyol, they also practice what could be called a “creole” religion. This same desire to communicate freely under
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This was important because it led to the creation of “Two Haitis.” The official nation of Haiti that was ruled by the government only existed in two main cities, Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien, and six large seaport towns. Majority of the Haitian people lived on the inland rural areas and tried to stay as far away from “Haiti” and its government as possible. The market place was a buffer zone, free from armies and governmental control. This is where the city met the country and where urban vodou meets rural vodou. Rural vodou is based more on land tenure and ancestral inheritance whereas urban vodou ha another form of familial connection. Urban temples create a sort of extended family in which priest and priestess are called “papa” and “mama.” The initiates refer to one another has “brother” and “sister” – urban vodou is more institutionalized and more elaborate in its rituals that its rural …show more content…
The vodou god Bondye, or “the good god” is identified with the Christian God and spirits are said to have been angels in Lucifer’s army that where cast out of heaven. Vodou does not seek intervention of Bondye, they look to the spirits. Vodou spirits are not evil and work as intermediaries between God and man, much like the saints in Catholicism (Brown 335). Much like it’ catholic influence, Haitian vodou embraces the ideas of honor and respect to God, the spirits, to the family, and to oneself. This religion is very community based, the spirits will punish a person if they are doing something the community sees as bad. For example, in class we watched a film from the National Geographic in which a man in Haiti was acting very strange so they had him seek counsel with a priest. The priests said the spirits were agitating him because he wasn’t taking care of his children. Vodou relies on a relationship with elder to work, this separates the religion from Catholicism because a person without a relationship with the elders may never find guidance of the spirit. This environment of community exists and functions because of vodou. Vodou vales place an importance on acts of generosity which is important in poorer communities because the people are encouraged to
Although the thought of being involved in such rituals is scary, I developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for the practices that Haitian voodoo participants, if it is appropriate to refer to such people as, engage in. The most impressive bit of information that I will keep with me is to be less judgmental of others; “people who practice voodoo believe in the same God as Christianity, but they also believe in communicating with other spirits, who serve various roles in healing, casting spells, and more” (Boudreaux, 2015a, p. 110). As a golden rule, I know that I should not be judgmental of others anyway, but I am human and am prone to quickly create stereotypes in my mind. I don’t always share those thoughts, but thinking makes me just as guilty as doing or saying. I am thankful for the reminder that all people are children of God, and I should research and learn about different beliefs before I make a judgmental decision, if I make that judgment at
Creoles struggle loyalty to their motherland and birth country. In Document A Simon Bolivar stated that creoles are in a complicated situation. They are trying to decide which side they should support. In Document B it showed how unfair creoles were treated even though by blood, peninsulares and creoles are the same. The creoles had a lot less power and worst jobs. The
Like Santeria, Voodoo is a syncretic religion that embodies the beliefs and practices of Christianity with those of traditional West African religions. Voodoo is also a monotheistic religion, with the God Bondye being the supreme creator. Bondye is similar to Olodumare in that he does not interfere with the lives of his believers, so Voodoo practitioners redirect their worship and rituals to spiritual deities known as lwa. Lwa are regularly contacted and worshipped through various forms of rituals; these rituals include altars, possession by spirits, and elaborate ceremonies. The purpose of the rituals is to appease the lwa to lend assistance to believers in times of need, or for general good faith measure, to prevent angering of the lwa and the possible dire consequences that may follow. As with Santeria, the syncretism of Catholic imagery and objects is inherent to the religion, and these objects are usually included in the rituals of Voodoo
It is amazing how two religions, such as Voodoo and Christianity, can be filled with so many awesome differences with respect to time eras, status, publicity, and language, and yet still have an almost identical core ideal. This also demonstrates that this core ideal of the use of humans as a mouthpiece of the divine has been a long lived concept which people, such as Mama Lola and her family, still believe in and practice today. Perhaps this proves there is some truth in the idea, and most likely, we will never know for sure, whether this concept, in it’s many different forms continues to live on, or if it dies out.
By analyzing the moments, past and present, in which the Christo Aparecido shows itself to be animate it can be said, “that the people of Totolapan understand themselves as both syncretic and traditional in their beliefs and practices (P. 179). It is this combination of syncretism and traditionalism that solidifies,“The Christo's status as a Santo, a manifestation of the divine for the people of Totolapan and as the central symbol of local religious and cultural identity” (P. 173). Thus, we can account for the continuity of the Christo Aparecido by the fact it has survived relegation to idolatry because the people are confident of its animus held within to be present. As long as this remains true the Christo, in the words of his devotees', will be continue understood as “tiempo inmemorial”.
Why are these background informations useful? Because these informations provide us some important basic knowledges of Haiti. As a country mainly composed of ex-slaves, Haiti is mainly composed of people of African origin. However, why is Haiti so poor compared to its other black majority neighbors such as Saint Kitts and Neves and Barbados? Because Haiti did not attain its independence through peaceful means. Haitian revolt against the French, and they indeed won, against Napoleon Bonaparte[2].
Haitian Vodou is the combination of supernatural and mystical components of African religions, along with the ritual basics of Roman Catholicism. They believe that there is one supreme God, but praise spirits, which are recognized as sacred ancestors, African gods, and even Catholic saints. Haitians call these spirits loa. Loas are “African deities who have been inherited through succeeding generations by the descendants of those who brought them to Haiti” (124). It is required to have ritual ceremonies for the loa, so that they can guide, protect, heal, and help those that practice Haitian Vodou. To begin calling down the loa, one must draw the vévé, which is the symbol for the loa on the prayer ground. During these ceremonies, there is a lot of dancing, singing, drumming, prayer, animal sacrifice, and food preparation. Just like Catholicism, a priestess or priest guides the worshipers in the ceremonies. Also in the course of a Vodou ceremony, which ever loa that is being called upon possesses participants to give advice or perform cures. To anyone that does not practice Haitian Vodou, the way these ceremonies are unorthodox, but to Haitians, it is their way of life and what they believe
When one first hears the word Vodou, immediately images of curses and little model dolls come to mind. We tend to synonymize it with words like sinister, evil and revenge. However, Vodou is nothing like what mainstream North American media has brainwashed people into believing. As best put by Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, “Vodou is far more than [a religion] it's a spiritual system” (Tippet and Bellegarde-Smith 145). Haitian Vodou is a spiritual system that syncretizes the practices of Roman Catholicism with West African spirituality. This paper will contextualize Vodou and give a brief history on what it is, explain how I came to gain an interest in Vodou and close off with an introduction to Chouk Bwa Libète a traditional Haitian Mizik Rasin—roots
The country of Haiti makes up one third of the island of Hispaniola, which is located in the western hemisphere. The first inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola were the Arawarks, or Tainos. They named the island Ayiti, which means mountainous land. The native West Indians were nomadic in nature and settled in Haiti around 250 C.E. Initially described as primitive by early European colonists, the Tainos had well established societies and religious systems. Their patriarchical society was arranged into a hierarchy. There were multiple kings called caciques over their individual kingdoms. Similarity with other indigenous groups, men did the hard labor. They would work the lands, cultivating fields and hunting for food. Men would also do woodwork including, but not limited to basket weaving. Women on the other hand would contribute to the house work by prepping and cooking food as well as assisting in basket weaving. Tainos were polygamist; the average man would have three wives, the king was able to have ten times more than that.
It is quite ironic that Malidoma’s name so accurately depicts the life mission to which he so persistently tries to accomplish. Indeed, the magnificence behind Of Water and the Spirit lies in Malidoma’s approach in trying to "befriend a stranger" and educate rather than defame the Western world. The vividness and conviction to which he explains his grandfather’s life and the events in his initiation, which seem whimsical to any Westerner, definitely remind one that Malidoma’s tribe belongs to a world so remarkably different to the West. He also makes it apparent that the Westerner can only learn from his tribe, whose customs are equal in validity to that of the West.
Experiencing new worlds and encountering new dilemmas, magic, wisdom, truth: all of these elements characterizes the context of the book Of Water and Spirit by Malidona Patrice Some. Here, magic and everyday life come to an affinity, and respect and rituals are necessary tools to survive. The author portrays the Dagara culture in a very specific way. This culture makes no differentiation between what is natural, or "normal", and what is supernatural, or magical. Ancestors compound the core of communities and individuals. These higher beings are present in ordinary life activities and actions. They constitute the connection between this world and another.
...white people were the change-makers and shapers of Vodun, when actually black people adapted their religion to suite oppressive conditions. As time went on “Voodoo had become less of a religion than a political association [which was] and inherent characteristic of black religion from the slave period” (46). This happened not only in America, but in Haiti as well. This not only highlights the evolution of Vodun from religion, to a political force, but also the adaptability of Vodun as well.
Desmangles, Leslie G. The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina Press, 1992.
Haiti means “mountains country” Haitian culture represents a specific mix of physical characters especially skin color, hair texture. hair color and facial features the African culture is an ethics mix of African and European elements due to the French, African and indigenous dialects. Major customs of Haitian culture are Catholicism and voodoo a mixture of African animism which means belief in spirits and nature, some Haitians even practice both at one time. There are significant holidays in the Haitian culture as well voodoo is considered a holiday(is a belief system based on practices and traditions that originates from west African traditional regions)
They eat a lot of beans and rice, usually mixed with some sort of meat. Such as pork, goat, lamb, and other meats. On the French side, they eat a lot of spaghetti, they eat spaghetti for breakfast, and make shakes out of it. One of the drinks they make is Haitian hot chocolate. It has Haitian cocoa, star anise, (which is a spice) cinnamon, and vanilla. They eat a lot of mushrooms, and other fresh foods. Haiti also has some customs and traditions. Greetings are very important, men usually shake hands, and women throw kisses. Everyone else kiss on the cheek. They also have a lot of other traditions, such as participating in Carnival, it is very close to New Orlean’s Mardi Gra celebration. Sadly many people also participate in voodoo ceremonies, they have voodoo priests, and priestesses. Other occasions they celebrate are baptisms, first communions, and other catholic traditions. The best thing is that they all believe that children are a gift from