oodoo is a derivative of the world’s
oldest known religions which have
been around in Africa since the beginning of human civilization. Some
conservative estimates these civilizations and religions to be over 10
000
years old. This then identify Voodoo as probably the best example of
African
syncretism in the Americas. Although its essential wisdom originated in
different parts of Africa long before the Europeans started the slave
trade,
the structure of Voodoo, as we know it today, was born in Haiti during
the
European colonization of Hispaniola. Ironically, it was the enforced
immigration of enslaved African from different ethnic groups that
provided the
circumstances for the development of Voodoo. European colonists thought
that by
desolating the ethnic groups, these could not come together as a
community.
However, in the misery of slavery, the transplanted Africans found in
their
faith a common thread.
They began to invoke not only
their own Gods, but to practice rites other than their own. In this
process,
they comingled and modified rituals of various ethnic groups. The
result of
such fusion was that the different religious groups integrated their
beliefs,
thereby creating a new religion: Voodoo. The word "voodoo" comes from
the West African word "vodun," meaning spirit. This Afro-Caribbean
religion mixed practices from many African ethnics groups such as the
Fon, the
Nago, the Ibos, Dahomeans, Congos, Senegalese, Haussars, Caplaous,
Mondungues,
Mandinge, Angolese, Libyans, Ethiopians, and the Malgaches.
The Essence of
Voodoo
Within
the voodoo society, there are no accidents. Practitioners believe
that nothing and no event has a life of its own. That is why "vous
deux", you two, you too. The universe is all one. Each thing affects
something else. Scientists know that. Nature knows it. Many
spiritualists agree
that we are not separate, we all serve as parts of One. So, in essence,
what
you do unto another, you do unto you, because you ARE the other. Voo
doo. View
you. We are mirrors of each others souls. God is manifest through the
spirits
of ancestors who can bring good or harm and must be honored in
ceremonies.
There is a sacred cycle between the living and the dead. Believers ask
for
their misery to end. Rituals include prayers, drumming, dancing,
singing and
animal sacrifice.
The
serpent figures heavily in the Voodoo faith. The word Voodoo has
been translated as "the snake under whose auspices gather all who share
the faith". The high priest and/or priestess of the faith (often called
Papa or Maman) are the vehicles for the expression of the serpent's
power. The
supreme deity is Bon Dieu. There are hundreds of spirits called Loa who
control
nature, health, wealth and happiness of mortals. The Loa form a
pantheon of
deities that include Damballah, Ezili, Ogu, Agwe, Legba and others.
During
Voodoo ceremonies these Loa can possess the bodies of the ceremony
participants. Loa appear by "possessing" the faithful, who in turn
become the Loa, relaying advice, warnings and desires. Voodoo is an
animist
faith. That is, objects and natural phenomena are believed to possess
holy
significance, to possess a soul. Thus the Loa Agwe is the divine
presence
behind the hurricane.
Music
and dance are key elements to Voodoo ceremonies. Ceremonies were
often termed by whites "Night Dancing" or "Voodoo Dancing".
This dancing is not simply a prelude to sexual frenzy, as it has often
been
portrayed. The dance is an expression of spirituality, of connection
with
divinity and the spirit world.
Voodoo
is a practical religion, playing an important role in the family
and the community. One's ancestors, for instance, are believed to be a
part of
the world of the spirits, of the Loas, and this is one way that Voodoo
serves
to root its participants in their own history and tradition. Another
practical
aspect of Voodoo ceremonies is that participants often come before the
priest
or priestess to seek advice, spiritual guidance, or help with their
problems.
The priest or priestess then, through divine aid, offer help such as
healing
through the use of herbs or medicines (using knowledge that has been
passed
down within the religion itself), or healing through faith itself as is
common
in other religions. Voodoo teaches a respect for the natural world.
Unfortunately,
the public’s perception of voodoo rites and rituals seems
often to point to the evil or malicious side of things. There are
healing
spells, nature spells, love spells, purification spells, joyous
celebration
spells. Spirits may be invoked to bring harmony and peace, birth and
rebirth,
increased abundance of luck, material happiness, renewed health.The
fact is,
for those who believe it, voodoo is powerful. It is also empowering to
the
person who practices it.
Voodoo and its fight to survive.
Despite
Voodoo's noble status as one of the worlds oldest religions, it
has been typically characterized as barbaric, primitive, sexually
licentious
practice based on superstition and spectacle. Much of this image
however, is
due to a concerted effort by Europeans, who have a massive fear of
anything
African, to suppress and distort a legitimate and unique religion that
flourished among their enslaved Africans. When slavers brought these
peoples
across the ocean to the Americas, the African's brought their religion
with
them. However, since slavery included stripping the slaves of their
language,
culture, and heritage, this religion had to take some different forms.
It had
to be practiced in secret, since in some places it was punishable by
death, and
it had to adapt to the loss of their African languages. In order to
survive,
Voodoo also adopted many elements of Christianity. When the French who
were the
colonizers of Haiti, realized that the religion of the Africans was a
threat to
the colonial system, they prohibited all African religion practices and
severely punished the practitioners of Voodoo with imprisonment,
lashings and
hangings. This religious struggle continued for three centuries, but
none of
the punishments could extinguished the faith of the Africans. This process of
acculturation helped Voodoo
to grow under harsh cultural conditions in many areas of the Americas.
Voodoo
survives as a legitimate religion in a number of areas of the
world, Brazil where it is called "Candomblé" and the English
speaking
Caribbean where it is called “Obeah”. The Ewe
people of southern Togo and
southeastern Ghana -- two countries in West Africa -- are devout
believers. In
most of the United States however, white slavers were successful in
stripping
slaves of their Voodoo traditions and beliefs. Thus Voodoo is, for most
African
Americans, yet another part of their heritage that they can only try to
re-discover.
The Power of Voodoo
The
strength that the Africans in Haiti gained from their religion was
so strong and powerful, that they were able to survive the cruel
persecution of
the French rulers against Voodoo. It was in the midst of this struggle
that the
revolution was conspired. The Voodoo priests consulted their oracle and
learned
how the political battle would have to be fought in order for them to
be
victorious. The revolution exploded in 1791 with a Petr—
ritual and continued
until 1804 when the Haitians finally won independence. Today the system
of
Voodoo reflects its history. We can see the African ethnic mixture in
the names
of different rites and in the pantheon of Gods or Loas, which is
composed of
deities from all parts of Africa.
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