Famian & Manlan 1

Ahoubé Grace Manlan

Grace Famian

Rodrigo Islas

HUM 2308

03/16/2022

RESEARCH PAPER: RELIGION PAPER IN PAIRS

AFRO CARIBBEAN VODOU

“Voodoo, may be one of the world's oldest ancestral, nature-honoring traditions”,

according to Mamaissii Vivian Dansi Hounon, a member of OATH, the Organization of

African Traditional Healers in Martinez, Georgia. From West Africa, especially from Benin -

ancient Dahomey - , Voodoo - also written Vodun or Voodou - followers were traded as

slaves to the New World. It has influenced spiritual practices in many parts of the Americas.

In the Dominican Republic, Vodou occupies a prominent although less defined role in

spiritual life than it does in neighboring Haiti. In fact, Voodoo was brought in Haiti in the

16th Century, as many African slaves were forcefully taken to the island, then known as Saint

Domingue.

Voodoo which means “spirit” is a combination of several different religious traditions

and ethnic characteristics. In this religion, there is one supreme god called Bondye, who is

responsible for the creation of the universe and overseer of human activity. Underneath that

God are “les invisibles”, spirits that play the role of intermediary, mediator between Bondye

and humans. These spirits can be ancestors or deities called Lwa – also spelled Loa. Voodoo

rituals are held at ounfo, a type of temple. Inside the ounfo, chalk lines -veves- are drawn on

the peristyle, which is the floor of the temple. These lines belong to a certain Iwa and animal

sacrifices are typically made in their name. During certain rituals, individuals are possessed

by an Iwa (usually the opposite sex), and through this trance the individuals possessed may
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Ahoubé Grace Manlan

Grace Famian

Rodrigo Islas

HUM 2308

03/16/2022

give prophecies, advices, warnings. The trance and possession can last for hours, once the

ritual is complete, the individual's behavior will be different and the event will be lost in his

or her memory. People who practice vodou are known as vodouisants; priests and priestesses

are known as oungans -mens- and mambos -women-, and are being asked to use fortune-

telling to help those in need. A great number of people practice Vodou in the privacy of their

homes, focusing on the worship of the particular Iwa they were assigned to at the beginning –

during their initiation.

"One common saying is that Haitians are 70 percent Catholic, 30 percent Protestant,

and 100 percent voodoo," said Lynne Warberg, a photographer who has documented Haitian

voodoo for over a decade. In Haiti, Voodoo is more than a religion, it is a philosophy, a way

of apprehending, living one life. One can see its influence and huge importance in daily life

in Haiti. In fact, concepts of Voodoo are shared among every citizen of Haiti. For example, in

Haiti people do respect others, the being, and the elders. In Voodoo, theses values are the

core of the religion. In Christianity – the other religion – too there is respect but the roots of

this behavior come more from Voodoo concepts: Vodou is a coherent and comprehensive

system and worldview in which every person and everything is sacred and must be treated

accordingly (…) Respecting, honoring, and serving the elders is inherent in the very essence

of the religion. (Lauer 8-9). The respect of one’s life no matter the age and how a being is

treated is as shown deeply embedded in Voodoo.

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Ahoubé Grace Manlan

Grace Famian

Rodrigo Islas

HUM 2308

03/16/2022

Also in Haiti, people tend to go to Voodoo priests when they are in needs and when they

face danger. “95% of Haitians believe in spirits, and although all may not be participants in

Vodou, they are likely to turn to the lwas during periods of need and crisis (Michel 283).”

(Lauer 8). Speaking about problem, there is a strong relation between Haitians, mental health

and Voodoo. Many people in Haiti neglect all about therapy, minimizing the mental problem.

According to them, mental illnesses are the result of the spirits doing their things. Therefore,

the Voodoo priests – men and women- are the person they see primarily when they face these

matters. A survey by Wagenaar et al. (2012) found that three out of four rural Haitians

preferred community care, which included Hougans, priests, community leaders, and herbal

healers, to clinical care at hospitals (Auguste & Rasmussen). As said previously, concerning

mental health problems, Voodoo is the first path chosen by Haitians with regards mental

health issues.

“Vodou permeates every single aspect of Haitian art: whether it be painting, contemporary

sculpture, music or dance. Vodou has helped define and style it, consciously or unconsciously

“, said Jean Cyril Pressoir, part-owner of Tour Haiti. Indeed, voodoo represents a ‘new

religion’ and it serves in multiple ways. Beliefs related to Voodoo often appear in paintings

and sculptures. Whatever the source of inspiration, Haiti's primitive art is pure and flatly

applied by untrained artists with little shadow or perspective, using the rich heritage well

known to them. Adopting bright and discrete colors, their panacea is astonishing at their

breadth and appeal to the world. The main focus is on religious themes, and voodoo is
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Ahoubé Grace Manlan

Grace Famian

Rodrigo Islas

HUM 2308

03/16/2022

widespread. Through the storytelling of the story, the use of vibrant colors and innovative

details, and the endless ectenia of spirits that participate in life experiences, it is the best

fusion of nature and the supernatural.

Work cited

Guynup, Sharon. “Inside the Voodoo Rituals of Haiti.” Culture, National Geographic, 3 May

2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/haiti-ancient-traditions-

voodoo.

Auguste, E, and A Rasmussen. “Vodou's Role in Haitian Mental Health.” Global Mental

Health (Cambridge, England), Cambridge University Press, 18 Oct. 2019,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6880247/.

Dialogue Institute. “Afro-Caribbean and African Religion Information.” Dialogue Institute,

16 Sept. 2020, https://dialogueinstitute.org/afrocaribbean-and-african-religion-

information.

Vodou Value in Haitian Life - Gettysburg College.

https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1358&context=student_scholarship.
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Ahoubé Grace Manlan

Grace Famian

Rodrigo Islas

HUM 2308

03/16/2022

Lauer, Brandi E. Vodou Value in Haitian Life - Gettysburg College.

https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1358&context=student_scholarship.

“." Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. . Encyclopedia.com. 28 Feb.

2022 .” Encyclopedia.com, Encyclopedia.com, 16 Mar. 2022,

https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-

maps/vodun-voodoo-vaudun.