African traditional religions (ATR’ s) are a diverse group of beliefs and practices that are found throughout the African continent. These religions/ spiritual practices are often based on the adoration of ancestors, nature spirits, and a supreme being. They also include a variety of rituals and ceremonies, such as divination, healing, and ancestor veneration.
As the site of the first black republic and the center of the African diasporic culture of Vodoun, the island of Haiti undoubtedly plays a central role in the African American imaginary in multifaceted ways.Katherine Dunham, Zora Neale Hurston, and Maya Deren, each in turn, attempted to decipher the meaning of Vodoun and Hoodoo for the community of practitioners, for non-practitioners, as well as for themselves in the context of their lives as scholars and artists. Dunham's The Dance's of Haiti (1947) and Deren's Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1953) can be counted among founding texts on the anthropology and aesthetics of Vodoun.Zora Neale Hurston's work on the anthropology of the Caribbean led her to look closer to home and to explore Vodoun in Haiti and Hoodoo in Louisiana. Her Mules and Men (1935) and Tell My Horse (1938), as well as her publications in the Journal of American Anthropology, are among the first explorations in African American diasporic culture of Hoodoo, locating Louisiana's culture in the larger context of the Caribbean.Hurston declared New Orleans “the hoodoo capital of America” and determined that in Louisiana there are “great names in rites that vie with those of Haiti in deeds that keep alive the powers of Africa.”
Vodou originated in the ancient kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Nigeria, Benin, and Togo) and derives from the Fon word for "God" or "Spirit." Other accurate spellings include Vodun, Vodoun, but never voodoo, the sensationalist and derogatory Western creation.
Vodou is a comprehensive system of knowledge that has nothing to do with simplistic and erroneous images such as sticking pins into dolls, putting a hex on an adversary, or turning innocents into zombies. It is an organized form of communal support that provides meaning to the human experience in relation to the natural and supernatural forces of the universe.
Vodou is essentially a monotheistic religion, which recognizes a single and supreme spiritual entity or God, known as Mawu-Lisa among the Fon, Olorun among the Yoruba, and Bondye or Gran Met in Haiti.
Possession, an important dimension of Vodou worship, is among the least understood aspects of the religion. Through possession, both the lwa (the great communal spirits) and the community are affirmed. The participants transcend their materiality by becoming spirits, and the spirits renew their vigor by dancing and feasting with the chwal, or horses, for it is said that during possession the lwa rides a person like a cavalier rides a horse. Equally as important, possession is a time when the lwa communicate in a tangible way with the people, who during such times receive answers to pressing questions.
ORIGINS OF VOODOO IN NEW ORLEANS
Synonymous with New Orleans, voodoo first came to Louisiana with enslaved West Africans, who merged their religious rituals and practices with those of the local Catholic population. New Orleans Voodoo is also known as Voodoo-Catholicism. It is a religion connected to nature, spirits, and ancestors. Voodoo was bolstered when followers fleeing Haiti after the 1791 slave revolt moved to New Orleans and grew as many free people of color made its practice an important part of their culture. Voodoo queens and kings were spiritual and political figures of power in 1800s New Orleans.
The core belief of New Orleans Voodoo is that one God does not interfere in daily lives, but that spirits do. Connection with these spirits can be obtained through various rituals such as dance, music, chanting, and snakes.
Pictured above is Bishop CH Mason, a conjure man, and the founder of the COGIC Church (Church of God in Christ) which is currently the largest Black American denomination.
Did you know in addition to being a best-selling author and television personality, Iyanla Vanzant is a Yoruba priestess? The Yoruba tradition is one of the most ancient of African spiritualities. In this video, Iyanla explains the four basic Yoruba principles for living a life of order, value, and balance.
Ifa is a faith and divination system with its roots in Olori's family's ancestral homeland, Yorubaland. The region now encompasses the nations of Benin, Togo and Ghana and parts of Nigeria. Like some other religions, Ifa includes magic, the use of traditional medicines and veneration of the dead.
All three of these practices have been misunderstood and misrepresented in the popular imagination. They are often associated with black magic and evil, but this is not an accurate portrayal. Voodoo, Hoodoo, and Ifa are all complex and sophisticated spiritual traditions that have a rich history and culture.
Resources:
-
(http://www.pbs.org/wonders/Episodes/Epi3/3_wondr3.htm#:~:text=Vodou%20originated%20in%20the%20ancient,sensationalist%20and%20derogatory%20Western%20creation.)
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGNSDzONaEg
-
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/ifa-divination-system-00146