“At 4:53 p.m. on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Haiti plunged into horror” (Lahens, 2010, p. 9). The earthquake affected three and a half million individuals, left two hundred and twenty thousand people dead, and destroyed four thousand schools (DEC, 2015). It is safe to say that Haiti’s recent history has been dramatically shaped by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake (DEC, 2015) that struck in 2010. Understanding both the gravity of and the world’s response to the 2010 earthquake is essential in understanding the destructive relationship that has existed between Protestant medical missionaries and Vodun practitioners. Before exploring the historical and spiritual concepts of healing in Haiti, an overview of the current context of Haiti post-earthquake will be provided, drawing primarily from researchers who have spent time on the ground in Haiti. From there, concepts and rites of healing within Haitian Vodun and their interaction with biomedical practices will be explored and a discussion on how productive and non-destructive progress can be made by medical missionaries who have a desire to best serve the Haitian people. It should be noted that the term biomedical is used to refer to the standard American medical practices utilized by medical missionaries, as to affirm that Vodou methods of healing are also a form of medicine. Religions of Haiti: Today and Historically Origin of Vodou in Haiti To begin, a brief overview of religion in Haiti will now be provided so that the current post-earthquake can be fully understood.
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The religious framework of Vodou in Haiti can be traced back to traditions of slaves who were forcibly brought to Haiti from Kongo and Dahomey regions of West Africa (Desmangles, 1992). Haiti was previously called Saint-Domingue was colonized in 1492 and the colony was formed through the eighteenth century (Desmangles, 1992). As of 1797, around half a million inhabited the island people, ninety percent of which being of African origin (Desmangles, 1992). It is important to understand that Vodou has been a part of the Haitian way of life for as long as it’s been colonized, and the traditions associated with this worldview can’t and shouldn’t be wiped out by traveling missionaries. Vodou Today Both Desmangles and McAlister (2010) and Germain (2011) agree that amidst the rubble of the 2010 earthquake, the Haitian people turned to religion as a tool through which meaning and purpose could be constructed. The three primary religions on the island today are Vodun and two factions of Christianity- Haitian Catholicism and Protestantism (Germain, 2011, p. 248). According to Michel (2006), Vodou “is a philosophy, a way of life for the majority in Haiti that permeates and sustains their entire being and brings coherence where there might otherwise be chaos” (p. 34). This quotation emphasizes that Vodou is not simply a religion that determines rites or values for the nation, but it can actually be viewed as the life force of Haiti. Michel (2006) goes on to explain that individual practitioners rely on Vodou for healing, daily sustainment, support in hard times, and hope (p. 252). Browden (1996) spent time in a specific Haitian village called Jenty and reports that the term used for Vodou in that community means “to serve the spirits” (p. 17). This term points to the active role the Vodou practitioner has in his religious participation. As the analysis moves forward, it is imperative that the pervasive and active nature of Vodou is applied to concepts of healing. Protestant Church and Vodun For a variety of reasons, the deeply established Catholic Church in Haiti has existed in congruence with Vodun while the recently established Protestant, and specifically …show more content…
Karen McCarthy Brown (2001) writes that a common saying amongst Haitians is “Mon fet pou mouri,” which means “people are born to die” (p. 43). This is important, because situates death as something that is commonplace and as the trajectory that we are all headed towards. Death being commonplace can alter the degree to which someone values biomedical treatment over say, spiritual healing. This outlook on suffering and death is important to overlay on top of the trauma that Haiti has faced, particularly the 2010 earthquake. Health providers, specifically those coming from a non-Haitian socio-cultural and spiritual background, must not ascribe their own concepts of death to their Haitian
The religious framework of Vodou in Haiti can be traced back to traditions of slaves who were forcibly brought to Haiti from Kongo and Dahomey regions of West Africa (Desmangles, 1992). Haiti was previously called Saint-Domingue was colonized in 1492 and the colony was formed through the eighteenth century (Desmangles, 1992). As of 1797, around half a million inhabited the island people, ninety percent of which being of African origin (Desmangles, 1992). It is important to understand that Vodou has been a part of the Haitian way of life for as long as it’s been colonized, and the traditions associated with this worldview can’t and shouldn’t be wiped out by traveling missionaries. Vodou Today Both Desmangles and McAlister (2010) and Germain (2011) agree that amidst the rubble of the 2010 earthquake, the Haitian people turned to religion as a tool through which meaning and purpose could be constructed. The three primary religions on the island today are Vodun and two factions of Christianity- Haitian Catholicism and Protestantism (Germain, 2011, p. 248). According to Michel (2006), Vodou “is a philosophy, a way of life for the majority in Haiti that permeates and sustains their entire being and brings coherence where there might otherwise be chaos” (p. 34). This quotation emphasizes that Vodou is not simply a religion that determines rites or values for the nation, but it can actually be viewed as the life force of Haiti. Michel (2006) goes on to explain that individual practitioners rely on Vodou for healing, daily sustainment, support in hard times, and hope (p. 252). Browden (1996) spent time in a specific Haitian village called Jenty and reports that the term used for Vodou in that community means “to serve the spirits” (p. 17). This term points to the active role the Vodou practitioner has in his religious participation. As the analysis moves forward, it is imperative that the pervasive and active nature of Vodou is applied to concepts of healing. Protestant Church and Vodun For a variety of reasons, the deeply established Catholic Church in Haiti has existed in congruence with Vodun while the recently established Protestant, and specifically …show more content…
Karen McCarthy Brown (2001) writes that a common saying amongst Haitians is “Mon fet pou mouri,” which means “people are born to die” (p. 43). This is important, because situates death as something that is commonplace and as the trajectory that we are all headed towards. Death being commonplace can alter the degree to which someone values biomedical treatment over say, spiritual healing. This outlook on suffering and death is important to overlay on top of the trauma that Haiti has faced, particularly the 2010 earthquake. Health providers, specifically those coming from a non-Haitian socio-cultural and spiritual background, must not ascribe their own concepts of death to their Haitian