Vodou is an actual religion and not something that should be demonized. The spelling of Vodou as Voodoo in itself is demonizing the actual religion with another belief by associating the system known as hoodoo, due to ignorance. It should actually be said and spelled Vodou (Voe-dou). Vodou has been a source of intrigue and fear for many since it’s first mentionings in the texts of 1800th century missionaries. For most people the first time hearing about the religion comes from hollywood movies. Unluckily these films portray the religion as a barbaric practice involved with witchcraft and devil worship. In reality Vodou is steeped in the history of the Caribbean and its origin country of Haiti. The religion tells the story of its home country, …show more content…
This very nature has allowed it to survive through countless years of persecution. The term “Black Magic” comes from Vodou and the smear campaigns that have existed since the first missionaries recorded their experiences amongst slaves. The traditions and practices of the slaves were seen as demonic and the work of the devil. Things were misunderstood. The concept of spiritual possession is a strange and dark concept. It’s usually followed by exorcism and a lot of terrible events. The movie The Exorcist is the Western view on possession. Ritual possession or “mounting” as it’s called in Vodou is a strange phenomena. In Vodou it’s a sign the spirit has joined them in this plane of existence to bring them divine knowledge and healing. A possession occurs usually during a service, where rites to specific spirits are performed. During these rites, offerings are given to the spirits of the service and a number of dances are performed. Through these dances accompanied by the specific drum beats that represent the spirits they wish to invoke the spirit is brought forth in the random body of someone partaking in the service. Along with this, the concept of Zombies or Zombis in Creole are brought up. Zombies are fairly easy to explain. While in folklore they are seen as the walking dead, in reality they are poor people that have been kidnapped and put on a cocktail of hard drugs. Zombies are made by “dark sorcerers” for hire who are more like assassins. They use Vodou as both a cloak and excuse for their wrong doings. The creation of zombies is looked down upon in the religion as a whole. It’s seen as incredibly vile due to the context of the beliefs of Vodou tied 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
In Santeria, Yorubas then continue to worship and honor the Orishas and to practice their strong religious beliefs. The Yoruba rituals are modified and made similar to that of the Catholic religion. As aforementioned , when the Africans where brought to Cuba and the other New Lands they saw themselves forced to disguise theri ancestral religion and to embrace the church of theri captors. This created a complex religious mixture of beliefs. Because of its roots in Africa the worship of the saints has been a misunderstood religion, sometimes reffered to as unciviliazed and almost always viewed as a dark religion or a devil worshipping religion.
Gervel, David. "Island Magazine Discover the Creole Culture around the World : Louisiana Creole Culture & Voodoo Tradition." Island Magazine Discover the Creole Culture around the World : Louisiana Creole Culture & Voodoo Tradition. N.p., 26 Aug. 2012. 30 Apr. 2014. Web.
Witchcraft had always fascinated many people and been a very controversial topic in North America during (seventeenth) 17th century. Many People believe that witchcraft implies the ability to injure or using supernatural power to harm others. People believed that a witch represents dark side of female present and were more likely to embrace witchcraft than men. There are still real witches among us in the Utah whom believe that witchcraft is the oldest religion dealing with the occult. However the popular conception of a witch has not changed at least since the seventeenth century; they still caused panic, fear and variety of other emotions in people…………………….
Vodou is a religion that is often misrepresented because of mainstream Hollywood movies. It is a religion that remains an enigma to outsiders, and as a consequence, many incorrect assumptions are made about its practices. To outsiders, Vodou may seem to be based on cursing others with voodoo dolls, sacrificing animals or people, and even being possessed by the devil. However, that is not the case in Mama Lola where an outsider, Karen McCarthy Brown is given an inside view on this secretive religion. Vodou is not as simple as popular culture insinuates, it is a complex religion that involves integrating magic, marriage, possession, and the role of women.
In Western culture magic has been traditionally viewed negatively. The word often conjures up images of witches, spells, cults, and dark rituals. As Malidoma displays, in Dagara culture, along with most traditional African culture, magic is viewed positively and is at the core of religion.
“Religion is a set of rituals, rationalized by myth, which mobilizes supernatural powers for the purpose of achieving or preventing transformations of state in man and nature” (107). When the Europeans colonized Haiti, they brought over African slaves with them. These slaves had already established African religious practices, prior to being brought to Haiti. As the French got acquainted with Haiti, they were also forcing Roman Catholic traditions upon the slaves. As a result, there was the birth of the religion Haitian Vodou. These enslaved Africans were not allowed to practice Haitian Vodou openly because it offended those that practiced Catholicism, the French wanted full control over the slaves in every aspect, and anyone outside of
Voodoo is a sensationalized popular culture distortion of voudon, an Afro-Caribbean religion that started in Haiti, however, supporters can be found in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, the United States and elsewhere. The making of Voodoo dolls, poppets, interests, and custom representations has occurred since old circumstances. In spite of the fact that the training is old, their present utilize stays comparative. With a specific end goal to see how to utilize your Voodoo doll or poppet, it is helpful to comprehend them in their recorded setting. Much can be gained from concentrate the old societies and spiritualists who held the baffling information that structures the very establishment of current enchantment, Voodoo, and
When critiquing Vodou you have to look at it in the lens made specifically for it. In Vodou with having this tailored morality it cannot be compared to Christianity though some of the terminology is similar the roles that spiritual beings and leaders within this community act out function differently. The Iwa who possess Alourdes are often called sen-yo (saints), but they are not saintly in the traditional Christian se...
Corruption and abuse have been cancerous hallmarks of Haiti’s political system and leaders. Until recently, power switched hands quickly and brutally as dictators faced assassinations, coups, and international interference. The instability of political roulette has made it difficult to accomplish or establish any social, economic, or environmental plans or policies. Racism is a rampant residual from the colonial era. Wealth and power are controlled by the mulatto elite and little concern or regard is shown for the poor. Few social programs have been created to assist the poor as resources are diverted away from communities and into the hungry pockets of the corrupt. Differences in languages and religions also echo the past. The ruling class speaks French and is predominately Roman Catholic while the majority of Haitians speak the slave language of Creole and practice the voudon (voodoo) religion. The focus of power resides in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Rural communities are ignored and struggle to survive by farming. During the colonial era, much of Haiti’s land was deforested to accommodate sprawling plantations. Wood is also used in the building of homes and as a primary fuel. The removal of trees caused severe erosion and the loss of the nutrient topsoil which washed into the ocean, impacting marine life and fishing. Farmers have moved to Port-au-Prince to seek employment. The desperate
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
African-Inspired religions have also prevailed when they were forced to come to the Americas. Voodoo and Santería are some of the main religions practiced in Latin America.Voodoo is commonly practiced in Haiti and Santería is practiced throughout Cuba and Puerto Rico. Santería times their rituals to those of the Catholic church, such as Easter and Christmas.
He describes Cathulu followers from all around the world. Cathulu is supposed to be this dark being that embodies evil. Lovecraft says they are from South America, India, Philippines, Levantines, Ireland, Africa, Esquimo and Haiti. He describes Haiti as having voodoo orgies and compares voodoo to dark magic. He says in America there are people practicing voodoo in New Orleans wooden swamps and calls them diabolic and compares it to the blackest of the African voodoo circle. He says this “evil repute, substantially unknown and untraversed by white men”. He describes people of all ethnicities as following this evil practice, but excludes white men. Meaning he associates foreigners as wicked and his own race as pure. Even though in Europe, people were said to practice witchcraft. He goes on to describe these followers as being “men of a very low, mixed-blooded, and mentally aberrant type. Most were seamen, and a sprinkling of negroes and mulattoes, largely West Indians or Brava Portuguese from the Cape Verde Islands, gave a colouring of voodooism to the heterogeneous cult.” The vocabulary that Lovecraft decides to use is very offensive. He characterizes all mixed people as mentally aberrant, thereby degrading them. Furthermore, he refers to these people as “hybrid spawns” and “mongrel”, as well. Hybrid spawn are people who are mixed and come from evil and a mongrel is a mixed dog that you
Lehmann A. C. & Myers J. E. Magic, Witchcraft and Religion – An anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Fourth Edition) (Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997)
Belief in witchcraft is the traditional way of explaining the ultimate cause of evil, misfortune or death.” The African worldview is holistic. In this perception, things do not just happen. What happens, either good or bad, is traced back to human action, including “ancestors who can intervene by blessing or cursing the living.” Witches, on the other hand, harm because they want to destroy life.