Introduction:
Pacquet Congo is a Haitian spiritual object made by Vodou priests, which contains spiritual-charged materials; they are said to have the power of activating the lwas. The origin of Pacquet Congos is commonly perceived to be predominately the Kongo religion and its ritual art. However not only one African culture and religion has made it to the New World, many cultures have influenced New World African traditions. Despite the fact that the Yorubas make up only a very small portion of the population of the African diaspora in Haiti, the Yoruba native religion and its art form also have a fairly profound influence on the Haitian Vodou ritual object Pacquet Congo, in addition to the Kongo traditions. While the transcultural object …show more content…
Kongo Nkisi figures were made to protect persons from swellings of the body or inflicts such as illnesses on deserving criminals or enemies . The Nkisi Figure is made of European cotton covered with thick red camwood impasto (the color choice is very likely symbolizing the fierce quality of this Nkisi). White buttons and porcelain and glass beads are sewn on the charm for a glittering effect. The bottom part and the top part of the figure are tied by a braided raffia string, which suggests the arrest of spirit. This is similar to the effect or the symbolization of the gold chain of sequins on the Bosou Paket mentioned above. Around the top, there is a necklace of five strands of green, blue, and white glass beads at the part, which resembles a neck. Feathers were placed on top of this Nkisi figure in the manner of the feather headdresses worn by important chiefs and priests in Kongo . Feather decoration as a crown on top of the charm is a common artistic form seen in many Pacquet Congos. In the case of the Bosou Paket the elegant crucifix part can be seen as a …show more content…
In Haitian Vodou, a cluster of related or similar deities were found. For example, the mightiest warrior spirits Elegba or Legba of Yoruba (in Dahomeyan called “Ogun”), guardian of the crossroads and representation of a trickster is found in Haitian Vodou as the old mighty and fierce lwa named Papa legba. It is cross-referenced with St Anthony of Padua, St Lazarus, and St Peters. Papa legaba is the gatekeeper of all spiritual forces and needs to be invoked at the beginning of every ceremony. The second important Yoruba Orisha that survived successfully in the Haitian diaspora is Ogun, which is the deity of War, Iron, and transformation. In Haitian Vodou this Orisha is transformed into Papa Ogou, who is cross-referenced with St Jacques. It is the lwa of war. The enslaved Africans of Haiti credit his aid for wining the battle against Napolean’s army. The Kongo culture and religion and Haitian Vodou are commonly and easily associated through visual evidence, which is absent when comparing Yoruba art and religious objects to those of Haitian Vodou, specifically Pacquet Congo. Nevertheless, the core of the cultures can be seen as associating with Yoruba through the shared belief in common deities. Rather than simply focusing on the visual resemblance in spiritual or art objects, it is also important to recognize that the core of the Haitian Vodou religion is influenced by Yoruba
Pacquet Congo is a Haitian spiritual object made by Vodou priests, which contains spiritual-charged materials; they are said to have the power of activating the lwas. The origin of Pacquet Congos is commonly perceived to be predominately the Kongo religion and its ritual art. However not only one African culture and religion has made it to the New World, many cultures have influenced New World African traditions. Despite the fact that the Yorubas make up only a very small portion of the population of the African diaspora in Haiti, the Yoruba native religion and its art form also have a fairly profound influence on the Haitian Vodou ritual object Pacquet Congo, in addition to the Kongo traditions. While the transcultural object …show more content…
Kongo Nkisi figures were made to protect persons from swellings of the body or inflicts such as illnesses on deserving criminals or enemies . The Nkisi Figure is made of European cotton covered with thick red camwood impasto (the color choice is very likely symbolizing the fierce quality of this Nkisi). White buttons and porcelain and glass beads are sewn on the charm for a glittering effect. The bottom part and the top part of the figure are tied by a braided raffia string, which suggests the arrest of spirit. This is similar to the effect or the symbolization of the gold chain of sequins on the Bosou Paket mentioned above. Around the top, there is a necklace of five strands of green, blue, and white glass beads at the part, which resembles a neck. Feathers were placed on top of this Nkisi figure in the manner of the feather headdresses worn by important chiefs and priests in Kongo . Feather decoration as a crown on top of the charm is a common artistic form seen in many Pacquet Congos. In the case of the Bosou Paket the elegant crucifix part can be seen as a …show more content…
In Haitian Vodou, a cluster of related or similar deities were found. For example, the mightiest warrior spirits Elegba or Legba of Yoruba (in Dahomeyan called “Ogun”), guardian of the crossroads and representation of a trickster is found in Haitian Vodou as the old mighty and fierce lwa named Papa legba. It is cross-referenced with St Anthony of Padua, St Lazarus, and St Peters. Papa legaba is the gatekeeper of all spiritual forces and needs to be invoked at the beginning of every ceremony. The second important Yoruba Orisha that survived successfully in the Haitian diaspora is Ogun, which is the deity of War, Iron, and transformation. In Haitian Vodou this Orisha is transformed into Papa Ogou, who is cross-referenced with St Jacques. It is the lwa of war. The enslaved Africans of Haiti credit his aid for wining the battle against Napolean’s army. The Kongo culture and religion and Haitian Vodou are commonly and easily associated through visual evidence, which is absent when comparing Yoruba art and religious objects to those of Haitian Vodou, specifically Pacquet Congo. Nevertheless, the core of the cultures can be seen as associating with Yoruba through the shared belief in common deities. Rather than simply focusing on the visual resemblance in spiritual or art objects, it is also important to recognize that the core of the Haitian Vodou religion is influenced by Yoruba