THE VODUN (VOODOO) RELIGION

General Background

Vodun or Sevi Lwa is commonly called Voodoo or Voudou by the public. The name comes from an African word for "spirit". Vodun's roots go back to the West African Yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century Dahomey. That country occupied parts of today's Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Slaves brought their religion with them when they were forcibly shipped to Haiti and other islands in the West Indies.

Today over 60 million people practice Vodun worldwide. Variations of Vodun can be found in South America where it is variously called Umbanda, Macumba, Quimbanda or Candombe. It is widely practiced in Benin. Although it was suppressed during the Marxist regime, it has been allowed to be practiced freely since a democratic government was installed there in 1989. Vodun was formally recognized by the Government of Benin in 1996-FEB. It is also followed by most of the adults in Haiti. It can be found in many of the large cities in North America, particularly in the American South.

Today, there are two virtually unrelated forms of the religion:

History of Vodun in the West

Slaves were baptized into the Roman Catholic Church upon their arrival in Haiti and other West Indian islands. However, there was little Christian infrastructure present during the early 19th century to maintain the faith. The result was that the slaves created a syncretistic mixture of Roman Catholicism and their original native faith. This they practiced in secret, even while attending Mass regularly.

An inaccurate and sensational book (S. St. John, "Haiti or the Black Republic) was written in 1884. It described Vodun as a profoundly evil religion, and included lurid descriptions of human sacrifice, cannibalism, etc, some of which had been extracted from Vodun priests by torture. This book caught the imagination of people outside the West Indies, and was responsible for much of the misunderstanding and fear that is present today. Hollywood found this a rich source for Voodoo screen plays. Horror movies began in the 1930's and continue today to misrepresent Vodun. It is only since the late 1950's that accurate studies by anthropologists have been published.

Other religions (Macumba, Candomble, Umbanda and Santeria) bear many similarities to Vodun.

Vodun Beliefs

Vodun, like Christianity, is a religion of many sects. Each group follows a somewhat different spiritual path and worships a slightly different pantheon of deities, called Loa (or Ioa). The word means "mystery" in the Yoruba language.

Yoruba traditional belief included a chief God Olorun, who is remote and unknowable. He authorized a lesser God Obatala to create the earth and all life forms. A battle between the two Gods led to Obatala's temporary banishment.

There are hundreds of minor Gods. Those which originated from Dahomey are called Rada deities; those who were added later are often deceased leaders in the new world and are called Petro.Some of these are

There are a number of points of similarity between Roman Catholicism and Vodun:

Followers of Vodun believe that each person has a soul which is composed of two parts: a gros bon ange or "big guardian angel", and a ti bon ange or "little guardian angel". The latter leaves the body during sleep and when the person is possessed by a Loa during a ritual. There is a concern that the ti bon ange can be damaged or captured by sorcery while it is free of the body.

Vodun Rituals

The purpose of rituals is to make contact with the Gods and Goddesses, to gain their favor by offering them animal sacrifices and gifts, to obtain help in the form of more abundant food, higher standard of living, and improved health. Human and Loa depend upon each other; humans provide food and other materials; the Loa provide health, protection from evil spirits and good fortune. Rituals are held to celebrate lucky events, to attempt to escape a run of bad fortune, to celebrate a seasonal day of celebration associated with a Loa, for healing, at birth, marriage and death.

Vodun priests can be male (houngan or hungan), or female (mambo). A Vodun temple is called a hounfour (or humfort). At its centre is a poteau-mitan a pole where the God or Gods communicate with the people. An altar will be elaborately decorated with candles, pictures of Christian saints, symbolic items related to the Loa, etc. Rituals consist of some of the following components:

Sorcery

The houngan and mambos confine their activities to "white" magic which is used to bring good fortune and healing. However caplatas (also known as bokors) perform acts of sorcery or black magic, sometimes called "left-handed Vodun". Rarely, a houngan will engage in sorcery; a few alternate between white and dark magic.

One belief unique to Vodun is that a dead person can be revived after having been buried. After resurrection, the zombie has no will of their own, but remains under the control of others. In reality, a zombie is a living person who has never died, but is under the influence of powerful drugs administered by a sorcerer. Although most Haitians believe in zombies, few have ever seen one. There are a few recorded instances of persons who have claimed to be zombies.

Sticking pins in "voodoo dolls" was once used as a method of cursing an individual by some followers of Vodun in New Orleans; this practice continues occasionally in South America. The practice became closely associated with Voodoo in the public mind because of horror movies.

Internet Resources

You can consult: http://www.nando.net/prof/caribe/voodoo.html for more information about Vodun.

An unmoderated forum, alt.religion.orisha was started in 1996-FEB for the discussion of African-based and derived belief systems throughout the African Diaspora. This includes: Candomble, Fon, Hoodoo, Macumba Arara, Palo, Santeria, Yoruba Orisha and Voudun (Voodoo). Some of the expected topics include: recent books, scholarly articles and tapes, ethnography, information on acquisition and use of herbs in ritual practice, ritual music, instruments and dance, divination systems, the changing role of traditional practice in modern times, the law and repression of ritual practices.

Return to the OCRT home page; return to the Descriptions of Religions and Ethical Systems page.

References

Return to the OCRT home page; return to the Descriptions of Religions and Ethical Systems page.