Haitian Vodou

McGee, Adam M. “Haitian Vodou and Voodoo: Imagined Religion and Popular Culture.” Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses 41.2 (2012): 231-56. In “Haitian Vodou and Voodoo: Imagined Religion and Popular Culture”, Adam McGee touches on the differences between the religion that began in West Africa and immigrated to Haiti, Vodou, and the imagined religion that is now seen in New Orleans (and other parts of the U.S.), voodoo, and some of the background of both. However, his main focus is how the Vodou religion was incorporated into American popular culture. For example, McGee mentions some of the stereotypes associated with those that practice Vodou and how they are perceived in film, television and literature. He also expresses that there are…

were means of resistance to slavery. This paper will analyze themes of religion, in the context of the repression of the Haitian Vodou religion, and how its practice was a method of resistance. Themes of gender and racism, depict inequality in Saint Domingue, and violence was an instrument…

As McCarthy Brown (2003) noted, healers “rarely try to compete with scientific medicine” (p.285). In fact, more often the practitioner, once he has appeased the problem with the supernatural, advises the client to consult Western biomedicine to repair the remaining damage from the Vodou spirits former wrath (Freeman, 2007, p.125). In this view Vodou is essentially enlisted to combat the cause and biomedicine to combat the symptoms. Although, as Freeman (2007) notes “in practice, real…

Haiti has many myths; one of the biggest and popular myths is Vodou. Ogoun the Haitian Vodou is the god of fire, iron, politics, thunder and war. The second one is Oshun yoruba goddess of love. This goddess also a trickster, she can lure men and women to tease them and use them as a weapon against other people. She is known as Erzulie Freda. There is also Papa Legba. The entire Vodou are loa and humanity is a synthetic religion practiced mainly in Haiti originated from Africa. Jamaican has Ol'…

The book Mama Lola by Karen Brown touches on the many stereotypes and negativities associated with the Haitian religion Vodou; however, without restriction the book paints a vivid picture of the deeply rooted cultural aspects behind the magic of Vodou by re-telling the amazing stories of Alourdes and her family. While the religion is often made out to be evil - and occasionally referred to as the Devil 's work - Mama Lola breaks all preconceived notions. Rather than simply explaining Vodou and…

In the eyes of strangers to the religion, Santeria may only resemble Voodoo rituals, with no eternal purpose for the Santeros. So what exactly is the perennial goal for Santeros? And how is that goal reached? The purpose of Santeria is to obtain three levels. Each level requires a separate ceremony be performed and results in different degrees of protection, power, and knowledge. Completion requires reaching all three levels, but a participant can stop at any one. The steps or roles are: 1.…

Voodoo is believed to be one of the world’s oldest religion based on ancestral and nature-honoring traditions. The religion began in Dahomey, present day Benin, in West Africa around 6,000 years ago. What began as an “underground practice” became a recognized religion in April of 2003 by Haiti’s first elceted president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide (Guynup 1). Currently close to 60 percent of the population of Benin, Africa practice and worldwide over 600 million people practice Voodoo (Robinson).…

To believers, the African religion is strong and steadfast – possessing the power to help those in need, and provide strength to the weak. The tools of Ogun and Ocosi are powerful representations of the religion, and its meaning within the lives of believers. Ogun, the god of blacksmith, is a strong, muscular, and serious spirit symbolized by iron, whereas Ocosi is the god of hunting. Ocosi is a just, ambitious, and familial spirit symbolized mostly by a bow and arrow. The tools of these gods…

American Horror Story. In episode four there was a scene where a boy died so one of the women did some black magic voodoo to raise the dead. After she does that she commands them to kill the people that were involved in killing the boy. This brings us back to the idea are zombies real. Both voodoo and black magic are a part of a religoes based consept and to people that believe in these formes of religion this could really happen in there minds. People who believed in voodoo back then say it as…

sorcery and spirit possession (Definition). Vodou is a mostly African based belief that means one must be connected to the past, present, and future of their soul. Hollywood and various other outlets have made voodoo out to be some cult- like group. But that is not even close to the case. Throughout the novel, voodoo references are littered throughout the text, as Danticat constantly references the sorcery. Although she lives in the Catholic country…