Vodou Lessons Mambo Racine Sans Bout

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Vodou Lesson 1.

VODOU AND VODOUISANTS

Part 1 - What is Vodou?

Vodou is a spiritual tradition which originated in Haiti during the period of Frenchcolonial slavery. Early in the colonial history of Hispaniola, the island now shared

by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the original Taino and Carib peoples ofHaiti were exterminated by the Spanish. Africans of many ethnic lineages were

transported by force to Haiti, primarily to serve as agricultural slaves. There wassome contact of course between escaped Africans and surviving Tainos, but little

is documented outside of the survivals found in Vodou ritual. Later, Franceestablished hegemony over Haiti and imported Africans primarily but notexclusively from those regions of Africa colonized by France. During this

historical period, Europeans from France and other countries, including pro-Stuartdeportees from Scotland, settled in Haiti.

Because so many lineages were represented, no one particular African servicecould satisfy all participants, especially since reverence for ancestral lines was soimportant. Therefore, each "nation" would take it's turn at a gathering. This "take

turns" approach eventually evolved into the ceremonial order of the Vodou liturgy.During this formative period, European pre-Christian entities such as Brigid, or

Maman Brigitte in the Vodou tradition; and influences from the native Taino andCarib populations were also absorbed.

There are denominations in Vodou, just as in many other religions. The first, andmost widely known, is the orthodox Vodou. In this denomination, the Dahomeanrite is given a position of primacy, and initiations are conducted based mainly onthe Dahomean model. A priest or priestess recieves the asson, a ceremonial rattle,

as an emblem of priesthood. In this rite, a priest is known as a Houngan orsometimes Gangan, a priestess is known as a Mambo.

In the orthodox Vodou, Yoruban lines are also given prominence. Other "nations"or lines than the Dahomean are represented as sub-headings in the ceremonial

order. This rite is widely represented in Haiti, and concentrated in Port-au-Princeand in the south of Haiti.

The second denomination is called Makaya. In this rite, initiations are lesselaborate, and the priest or priestess does not recieve the asson. A Makaya priest iscalled a Bokor, and a priestess is sometimes referred to as Mambo, sometimes as asorciere, sorceress. (The terms bokor and sorciere are considered pejorative in theorthodox Vodou, and bokor can also refer to an uninitiated specialist in malevolent

magic, also called malfacteur. Such individuals are not clergy in anydenomination.) The Makaya liturgy is less uniform from peristyle to peristyle than

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the orthodox Vodou, and there is a stronger emphasis on magic as opposed toreligion. This rite is present in Port-au-Prince, and strongly represented in the

Artibonite Valley in central Haiti.A third denomination is the Kongo rite. As the name implies, it is almost

exclusively representative of the Kongo tradition. The initiation follows the Kongomodel. A priest or priestess of this line is called a serviteur. (In orthodox Vodou, a

serviteur is merely one who serves the lwa, the dieties of Vodou.) This rite isconcentrated near Gonaives in central Haiti, and a major annual Kongo festival is

held every year in Sucrie near Gonaives.

All of these traditions have several points in common: There is only one God,called Gran Met, or Great Master; and also Bondye, from the French Bon Dieu,Good God. There are lesser entities are called lwa, and though they vary from riteto rite, they are all considered immediately accessible through the mechanism ofspirit possession. Possession in the context of a ceremony is considered normal,natural, and highly desirable, however there is a certain "etiquette" to possessionwhich will be discussed later. All rites employ prayer, song, drumming, costume,and dancing during ceremonies.

Part 2 - Who may participate in Vodou?

Anyone may participate in Vodou. There are no gender, racial, age, sexualorientation, or national origin requirements, neither is anyone asked to renounce apre-existing religious affiliation. In Haiti, the vast majority of Vodouisants are also

Roman Catholics.There are various levels of participation, of course, just as in most other religions.A Vodou ceremony is public, and anyone may enter the peristyle, or temple, and

observe. Singing and dancing are encouraged. Because there is no centralizedhierarchy paying salaries to Houngans and Mambos, and because a peristyle isprivate property, it is considered normal for uninitiated participants to make a

small cash gift. This money is used to defray the cost of the drummers, food whichis offered to the participants, and the general upkeep of the peristyle and of the

Houngan or Mambo in charge. This is often hard to understand for people raised inthe Judeo-Christian tradition, where priests, ministers, and rabbis are salaried

professionals.

Individuals who have an initiatory grade may participate in private ceremoniespertaining to other individuals of their own grade or lower. A person with a lower

grade may not participate in a ceremony conferring a higher grade of initiation,because the knowledge imparted is secret and because they are not competent to do

so.

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There has been quite a bit of controversy in the United States in recent years overethnic affiliation and participation in African-derived religions. Some

unscrupulous Houngans or Mambos in Haiti will take advantage of the ignoranceof a foreigner, perform bogus ceremonies, and charge exorbitant rates. Others have

an unspoken understanding that they will not reveal the "secret" knowledge ofVodou, meaning correct information and initiation, to a non-black non-Haitian.However, other Houngans and Mambos hold the view that people are chosen bythe lwa, and not the other way around - and that therefore a Houngan or Mambowho refuses training and initiation to a foreigner sent by the lwa will suffer for it.Initiation requires a significant period of study, and the commitment shown by theforeigner is usually enough to overcome any reticence on the part of the officiating

Houngan or Mambo. I have even seen a Houngan vigorously defend his non-Haitian candidate, and refuse all suggestions that he "rip off" the person.

Having said that, I would note that respect for African and Western Hemisphereblack people is incumbent on all who would study or follow the Vodou tradition.Let us never forget that uncounted numbers of African men and women wereflogged, raped, tortured, castrated, and burned alive in an effort to eradicate theVodou. Vodou supported the impetus for the resistance to French colonial slavery,and fueled the only succesful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere, whichled to the birth of the hemisphere's first independant black republic. Even asrecently as the United States military occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934, asystematic effort was made to eradicate Vodou. Temples were burned, pricelessancient drums destroyed, and Houngans and Mambos beaten, imprisoned, andmurdered.

Part 3 - Names and grades of Initiatory Levels in Vodou

There are a series of levels of initiation in orthodox Vodou, usually achievedsequentially as an individual grows in knowledge and standing in the Vodou

community. All levels of initiation are open to men and women.An uninitiated person who attends ceremonies, receives counsel and medical

treatment from a Houngan or Mambo, and takes part in Vodou related activities iscalled a Vodouisant. This is a general term, like "Christian" or "Buddhist".An uninitiated person who is associated with a particular peristyle , attends

ceremonies regularly, and appears to be preparing for initiation is sometimesreferred to as a hounsi bossale. Hounsi is from the Fon language of Dahomey, andsignifies "bride of the spirit", although the term in Haiti refers to men and women.

Bossale means "wild" or "untamed", in the sense of an untamed saddle horse.

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The first grade of initiation confers the title hounsi kanzo. Kanzo, also from theFon, refers to fire, and the fire ceremony, also called kanzo, gives it's name to theentire initiatory cycle. Individuals who are kanzo might be likened to confirmedmembers of a Christian denomination. At a Vodou ceremony, the hounsis kanzowear white clothing, form the choir, and are likely candidates for possession by a

lwa.The second grade of initiation is referred to as si pwen, sur point in French. Thisterm refers to the fact that the individual undergoes further ceremonies, "on the

point" or on the patronage, of a particular lwa. The person is then considered to bea Houngan or Mambo, and is permitted to use the asson, or sacred rattle

emblematic of priesthood. Individuals who are si pwen might be likened toministers of Christian denomination. At a ceremony, they lead prayers and songs,

conduct rituals, and are almost inevitable candidates for possession. Once intitiatedsur point, they may initiate other individuals as kanzo senp (simple kanzo) or as sur

point.The third, and final, grade of initiation is referred to as asogwe. A Houngan or

Mambo asogwe might be likened to a bishop in a Christian denomination, as theycan consecrate other priests. Individuals who are asogwe may initiate other

individuals as kanzo senp, si pwen, or asogwe. At a ceremony they are the finalauthority on procedure, unless a lwa is present and manifest through the

mechanism of possession. They are also the last resort when the presence of aparticular lwa is required. A Houngan or Mambo asogwe is said to "have the

asson", the ceremonial rattle emblematic of priesthood, meaning that they, andthey alone, can confer the asson on another individual, thereby elevating that

individual in turn to the status of asogwe.

Even a Houngan or Mambo asogwe must defer to the Houngan or Mambo whoinitiated him or her, to those in the same peristyle who were initiated at the samegrade prior to him or her, to the person who initiated their initiatory Houngan orMambo and to that individual's initiates, and so on. These relationships can growrather complicated, and there is a point in an orthodox Vodou ceremony where all

Houngans and Mambos, sur point and asogwe, participate in a series of ritualgestures and embraces which serve to elucidate and regulate these relationships.

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Vodou Lesson 2.

THE ANCESTORS

Part 1 - The Ancestors, and the Vodou way of reclaiming the dead.

The ancestors, zanset yo in Haitian Creole, are ever with a Vodouisant. He/shelives, breathes and acts with the awareness of their presence. The national anthem

of Haiti begins, "For the country, and for the ancestors, we walk united...".In the countryside of Haiti, each family compound includes a family graveyard.The tombs of family members are as elaborate as the family can afford. Some

resemble small houses built above ground, with the crypt below. The structuresbuilt for wealthy families may even comprise a small sitting room, complete with a

picture of the deceased and good quality chairs. When a newcomer enters thefamily compound for an extended visit, courtesy requires that her or she make a

small libation of water at the tombs, so that the ancestors will welcome the person.Family members and guests may also, at any time, make an "illumination".

Candles or beeswax tapers are lighted, placed on the tombs, and a short prayer issaid.

In the city, the law requires burial in the city graveyard. Again, structures may bequite elaborate, and large padlocks and other security devices are used to prevent

graverobbers from making off with the metal coffin findings, bones, or otherarticles of the dead person.

The bones of dead individuals are considered to have great magical powers,particularly if the dead person was a Houngan, Mambo, or in any other way

notable or distinguished, for good or ill.A Vodouisant is buried with Roman Catholic ceremony, and a wake is held for

nine nights after the death. The ninth night is called the denye priye, the lastprayer. After the last prayer, the Catholic part of the death ritual is closed.

At some point either before or after the Roman Catholic ceremony, the Vodouceremony of desounin is held. In this ceremony, the component parts of the

person's soul and life force, and the primary lwa in the head of the person, areritualistically separated and consigned to their correct destinations. The desouninof a well known and highly respected Houngan, such as my initiatory Houngan

Luc Gedeon, Bon Houngan Jambe Malheur, may be attended by hundreds of whiterobed, weeping mourners. It is at this time that the inheritor of any family lwa

liberated from the deceased is usually revealed, as the chosen individual becomesbriefly possessed.

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One year and one day after the death of the individual, the ceremony retire mo nandlo, take the dead out of the water, may be performed. The spirit of the dead

person is called up through a vessel of water, under a white sheet, and rituallyinstalled in a clean clay pot called a govi. The voice of the dead individual may

speak from the govi, or through the mouth of another person briefly possessed forthe purpose. The govi is reverently placed in the djevo, or inner room of the

temple.Sometimes the spririt of a departed ancestor may return of it's own accord, as a

'lwa Ghede' . My own initiatory Houngan had in his head a Ghede named GhedeArapice La Croix, who revealed to me that he had once been a black Haitian man,

born on Nov. 2, All Souls' Day, in the Bel Air district of Port-au-Prince. Hisoutspoken nature and inability to tolerate injustice got him murdered by a

neighborhood strongman at the age of 21. Then followed a long spritual odysseyOne day, he saw Luc Gedeon in the woods with the govi of another lwa, Kanga,

working on a cure for a sick person. Arapice asked Kanga for permission to enterthe govi with him, but Kanga refused, and made Arapice hang around immateriallyoutside Luc Gedeon's peristyle for another year. Then Kanga required a ceremony

of installation for Ghede Arapice la Croix.

When Luc Gedeon, Bon Houngan Jambe Malheur, became possessed for the firsttime by Ghede Arapice la Croix, Arapice demonstrated his power and his loyaltyto Luc by sitting down in the middle of the huge ceremonial bonfire. Screams offear from the congregation and tears of terror from Luc's family did not dissuadehim - and in a moment the terror turned to wonder as not a hair of Luc's head nor athread of his clothes was burned. Arapice then entered the peristyle and wasreverently installed in his very own govi, where he remains until today,manifesting through one of the younger relatives of the late Houngan.

Part 2 - The ancestral lwa - Baron, Maman Brigitte, and the lwa Ghede.

Part 2A – BARONThe head of the family of ancestral lwa is Baron. He is Master of the Cemetery andguardian of ancestral knowledge. He has many aspects, including Baron Samedi,

Baron Cemetiere, Baron la Croix, and Baron Criminel. In all of his aspects, he is amasculine lwa with a nasal voice who carries a walking stick or baton, uses

profanity liberally, and dresses in black or purple. He is considered the last resortagainst deaths caused by magic, because even if a magical spell should bring a

person to the point of death, if Baron refuses to "dig the grave", the person will notdie.

Baron, with his wife Maman Brigitte, is also responsible for reclaiming the soulsof the dead (see Part 1) and transforming them into lwa Ghede. Baron may beinvoked for cases of infertility, and he is the divine judge to which people may

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bring their appeals, singing:

(Haitian Creole)O kwa, o jibile (repeat)

Ou pa we m inosan?

(English)Oh, cross! Oh, jubilee!

Don't you see I'm innocent?The grave of the first man buried in any cemetery in Haiti, whether the person inlife participated in the Vodou religion or not, is dedicated to Baron (not Ghede),

and a ceremonial cross is erected on the spot. In family compounds in thecountryside, a family may erect a cross to Baron for their own lineage, and noperistyle is complete without the cross of Baron somewhere on the grounds.

Baron may be invoked at any time, and he can appear without being called, sopowerful is he. He drinks rum in which twenty-one hot peppers have been steeped,and which no mere mortal could swallow! His ceremonial foods are black coffee,grilled peanuts, and bread. He dances the remarkably improvisational banda withgreat skill, and sometimes puts his walking stick between his legs to represent a

phallus. Baron is a very masculine lwa.

One day, I saw a Baron possess a homosexual Houngan. A passing woman teasedBaron that he was a "masisi" (faggot, disrespectful term for a homosexual man.)

Baron reared up and roared at the woman, "I am Baron! This Houngan, myHoungan, he is a faggot, yes, but I, Baron, I'm no faggot, I f*ck the beautiful

woman Maman Brigitte!" And he stalked off in high dudgeon, swinging his batonmost threateningly.

The Feast of the Ancestors, Fet Ghede, is considered the end of the old year andthe beginning of the new, much as in the European Wiccan tradition. Any debts toBaron, Maman Brigitte, or Ghede must be paid at this time. Baron Kriminel sings

to his debtors:

(Haitian Creole)Bawon Kriminel, map travay pou ve de te yo, m pa bezwenn lajan (repeat),

Bawon Kriminel, O! Lane a bout o, map paret tan yo.

(English)Baron Criminel, I'm working for the worms of the earth (lowly, poor people),

I don't need money (repeat),Baron Criminel, oh! The year has ended, oh, I'll appear, to wait for them (to pay

me).

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Part 2B - MAMAN BRIGITTEMaman Brigitte, surprisingly enough for a Vodou lwa, is British in origin,

descended from Brigid/St. Brigit, the Celtic "triple goddess" of poetry, smithcraft,and healing. She must have come to Haiti in the hearts of deported Scottish and

Irish indentured servants. There is even a song we sing in ceremonies which goesMaman Brijit, li soti nan anglete, Maman Brigitte, she comes from England..." (Ithink that Brigid was more Scottish than English, but in Haiti perhaps at one time

the word anglete represented all the British Isles.)

Nowadays, Maman Brigitte is considered to be the wife of Baron, Master of theCemetery and chief of all the departed ancestors, known as lwa Ghede. The grave

of the first woman buried in any cemetery in Haiti is consecrated to MamanBrigitte, and it is there that her ceremonial cross is erected. She, as well as Baron,

is invoked to "raise the dead", meaning to cure and save those who are on the pointof death from illness caused by magic. Here is a very famous song about Maman

Brigitte sung in Vodou ceremonies:

(Haitian Creole)Mesye la kwa avanse pou l we yo!

Maman Brigitte malad, li kouche sou do,Pawol anpil pa leve le mo (les morts, Fr.)Mare tet ou, mare vant ou, mare ren ou,

Yo prale we ki jan yap met a jenou.

(English)Gentlemen of the cross (deceased ancestors) advance for her to see them!

Maman Brigitte is sick, she lies down on her back,A lot of talk won't raise the dead,

Tie up your head, tie up your belly, tie up your kidneys,They will see how they will get down on their knees.

(Meaning, tie up your belly, 'gird up your loins' to prepare for the strain of work,we will make the people who did this evil spell get down on their

knees to beg pardon and receive their punishment.)

Maman Brigitte, like the rest of the Baron/Ghede constellation, is a tough-talkinglwa who uses a lot of obscenities. She drinks rum laced with hot pepper, so hotthat a person not possessed by a lwa could never drink it. She also is known to passhot Haitian peppers on the skin of her genitals, and this is the test to which womenare subjected when they are suspected of "faking" possession. She dances thesexually suggestive and remarkably artistic banda, and the virtuosity of herdancing is legendary.

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Maman Brigitte and Baron are the mother and father who reclaim the souls of thedead and transform them into lwa Ghede, removing them from the mystic waterswhere they were without cognizance of their own identity and naming them.

There is a plaintive song about the condition of souls in the mystic waters, which isalso sung when an initiate is being prepared for the period of seclusion, ritualdeath, and rebirth of the initiation cycle:

(Haitian Creole)Dlo kwala manyan, nan peyi sa maman pa konn petit li,Nan peyi sa, fre pa konn se li, dlo kwala manyan.

(English)Water kwala manyan (not Creole words), in that country a mother does not know her child,In that country a brother does not know his sister, water kwala manyan.

Part 2C - THE LWA GHEDEThe lwa Ghede are an enormous family of lwa, as many and varied as were the

souls from which they originated. Since they are all members of the same family,spiritual children of Baron and Maman Brigitte, they all have the same last name -La Croix, the cross. No matter what other name they bear, their signature is always

La Croix.Some Ghede's names include: Ghede Arapice la Croix, Brav Ghede de la Croix,

Ghede Secretaire de la Croix, Ghede Ti-Charles la Croix, Makaya Moscosso de laCroix; and such sad and degraded sounding names as Ghede Ti-Mopyon Deye la

Croix (Ghede Little Crab Louse Behind the Cross), Ghede Fatra de la Croix(Garbage Ghede of the Cross), Ghede Gwo Zozo nan Crek Tone de la Croix

(Ghede Big Cock in Pussy by Thunder of the Cross) and so on. There is a reasonfor these odd names, which will become clear as we go along.

The vast majority of Ghedes are male, but there is at least one female Ghede whichI have seen, called "Ghedelia". Her name is also emblazoned on a few buses in

Port-au-Prince, but I have not determined whether she is a well known Ghede whomay appear in almost any peristyle, or whether she is a unique "family" Ghede.

Ghede may possess anyone, anytime, even Protestants (to their enormousembarassment and displeasure.) I have a woman friend in Haiti who one day was

observing a group of women possessed by Ghede, cavorting and dancing thebanda. She said something like, "Look at those disgusting whores, they have norespect for themselves." On the spot, a Ghede possessed my friend, threw her to

the ground, and declared from her prostrate body that he would take her to join her

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ancestors forthwith! Pleading and intercessions from her family members finallypacified the Ghede, who promised to relent - on the condition that the womanbecome a Mambo! Mambo Delireuse now practices in a rural area near Petite

Riviere de l'Artibonite, in central Haiti!

The Ghedes are very much transitional figures, standing as they do between theliving and the finality of death, between the ancestors in Guinea and the living menand women of Haiti. Perhaps this is why the Ghede are honored midway through

the full orthodox Vodou ceremony, after the Rada (primarily Dahomean andYoruban) and before the Petro (primarily Western Hemisphere).

The Ghedes dress much like their father Baron - black or purple clothes, elaboratehats, dark glasses, sometimes missing a lens, a walking stick or baton. They alsodance the banda, but they retain more of the individual personality of the personfrom whom they originated. For example, the Spanish-speaking Ghede I have

already discussed turns his baton around and holds it like a guitar. He pretends tostrum as he sings love songs to una mujer. This is a bit atypical, but many Ghedes

proclaim their geographic origins - "I come from Thomazeau", "I'm a Port-au-Prince guy".

The Ghede family, including their father and mother, Baron and Maman Brigitte,are absolutely notorious for their use of profanity and sexual terms. There is a

reason for this - the Ghede are dead, beyond all punishment. Nothing further canbe done to them, so the use of profanity among the normally somewhat formal

Haitians is a way of saying, "I don't care! I've passed beyond all suffering, I can'tbe hurt." In a country where disrespect for authority figures was until recently

punished by torture or death, this is a powerful message.

However, this profanity is never used in a vicious or abusive fashion, to "cursesomeone out". It is always humorous, even when there is a pointed message

involved.

There are some very stately and dignified songs sung for Ghede, particularly theolder, racine or root aspects such as Brav Ghede. Nowadays however, the accent is

on the sexual and obscene humor the Ghede lwa provide. Here is a popular songsung for Ghede in public celebrations and Vodou peristyles:

(Haitian Creole)Si koko te gen dan li tap manje mayi griye,

Se paske li pa gen dan ki fe l manje zozo kale!

(English - hold on to your socks, folks!) -If vagina had teeth, it would eat roast corn,

It's because it has no teeth, why it eats peeled penis!

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In the same vein, Ghede is said to be a thief. It is true that he appropriates what helikes from streetside vendors, but once the seller accedes to Ghede's demands hispilfering is usually limited to a few scraps of coconut meat or a bit of roast corn.At Fet Ghede, most peristyles cook food especially for the hundreds of Ghedeswhich appear and wander through the streets. Here is a song that a crowd ofGhedes sang as they went to the house of a well know and particularly generousMambo in the Carrefour area of Port-au-Prince, named Lamesi (from the FrenchLa Merci, the thanks).

(Haitian Creole)Ting ting ting ting kay Lamesi,Whoi mama,Kay la Mesi gen yon kochon griye,Whoi mama!

(English)Ting ting ting ting Lamesi's houseWhoi mama,Lamesi's house has a whole roast pig,Whoi mama!

Lesson 2, Part 3 - Fete Ghede in Haiti TodayNovember 2, All Soul's Day, commonly called Fet Gede (pronounced GAY-day),is a national holiday in Haiti. Catholics attend mass in the morning and then go to

the cemetery, where they pray at family grave sites and make repairs to familytombs. The majority of Haitian Catholics are also Vodouisants, and vice versa, soon the way to the cemetery many people change clothes from the white they wore

to church, to the purple and black of the lwa Gede, the spirits of the departedancestors.

By midmorning the streets of Port-au-Prince are thronged with thousands ofpeople. Dozens are already possessed by a Ghede, and their nasal voices, obscenejokes, and gyrating banda dance make them unmistakable. Grand Cemetiere, the

main cemetery of Port-au-Prince, is jammed with people. Crowds press closearound the twelve foot high ceremonial cross of Baron and the nearby smallercross of Maman Brigitte. Many bring offerings of black coffee and rum, which

they pour at the foot of the crosses. They also bring food offerings of bread, grilledpeanuts, roast corn, and sometimes peppery cooked food. Occasionally a person,

usually a Houngan or Mambo, will sacrifice a chicken or a pair of pigeons ordoves. The offering is quickly appropriated by the many beggars who throng the

cemetery. Some people sell candles, beeswax tapers, and religious images of saintsconsidered to represent Baron, Maman Brigitte, and the Ghedes.

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Imagine a Mambo in voluminous skirts of black and lavender, a flounced bodiceof the same colors, several silk kerchiefs wrapped around her head, and strings ofbeads at her neck; as she approaches the cross of Maman Brigitte with her hounsis(those who have received the first grade of initiation.) She carries sticky beeswax

tapers which she affixes to each arm of the cross and to it's center. Then sheproduces a black hen from her straw knapsack, and passes it downward over the

bodies of her hounsis, removing all evil influences. After prayer, she kills thechicken quickly just as she would for an ordinary meal. The blood spurts on the

cross, and she donates the chicken to a hungry beggar woman awaiting alms. TheMambo becomes possessed by Maman Brigitte, and prophesies the events of thecoming year. One of the hounsis who has behaved badly is disciplined with a fewgentle taps, and one who is ill is given the recipe for an herbal tonic. Then Maman

Brigitte drenches her cross with rum and sets it alight, singing and dancing thebanda with great virtuosity to the joy of all present. A few moments later she

leaves the head of her Mambo, who, returned to consciousness, composes herselfand leaves the cemetery with the utmost dignity.

Across town at the cemetery of Drouillard, wherein are buried the poorest of thepoor, the people of the Cite Soleil neighborhood, the worship is yet more intense.

Bands of Vodouisants from various peristyles march singing behind teams ofdrummers, with more and more people undergoing possession as they near thecemetery. Those who remain in their normal consciousness visit the graves of

friends and relatives, speaking to them as though they can hear under the ground.

"Look, Papa," says one woman, "I've brought food for you."

"Older brother," weeps a young man, "the Army killed you, we found your body inpieces, but all of your pieces are there, brother, are they not? You will not play thedrums for us again, dear brother.... Mother misses you, she wanted to come but she

is ill.... see the rum I have brought for you!"

The Ghede lwa, epitomizing defiance, sweep through the crowd shouting obscenejokes and singing obscene songs at the top of their lungs. Here is a song popular

among the Ghedes last year in the Drouillard cemetery:

(Haitian Creole)Zozo, tone! A la yon bagay ingra, (repeat)

Koko malad kouche, zozo pa bouyi te ba l bwe,Koko malad kouche, zozo pa vini we l.

(English - with caution and apologies to those of delicate sensibilites)Penis, by thunder! What an ungrateful thing, (repeat)

Vagina is sick lying down, penis does not boil tea for her,

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Vagina is sick lying down, penis does not come to see her.

(The words zozo and koko are actually very naughty terms for the partsinvolved, not at all like "penis" and "vagina".)

Last year I, an American Mambo, left a peristyle with a Houngan and ourcongregation. The Houngan had a very powerful Baron in his head calledSecretaire de la Croix, but Secretaire was refusing to possess the Houngan,because the Houngan had taken some of the money given him for Fet Gede andused it for his own purposes. The Houngan was very humiliated, and decided to godirectly to the cemetery to ask for forgiveness.

I had the use of a pickup truck, so we filled it up with members of our peristyleand drove through the choked streets to the cemetery. We got stuck in traffic, andas we sat and sat, Baron Secretaire de la Croix became impatient and took my headinstead!

As far as I am told, there was a car in the oncoming lane, also stuck. Secretaireleaned out the driver's window of the stopped pickup and began to talk with theoccupants of the car, who were very surprised to see a Baron in the head of aforeign Mambo! Two very wealthy ladies were seated in the back of the car, andBaron paid them special honor.

"Good evening, ladies," said Baron.

"Good evening, Baron, Papa," they giggled.

"And how are your clitorises today?", inquired Baron very seriously. "If yourclitorises are not well, you may tell me, and I will tell those two big old penises inthe front of the car to go to work!"

The women, who under any other circumstances would have been furious, roaredwith laughter, as did the two men in the front of the car. The older woman leanedout the window and replied to Baron.

"Our clitorises are very well, Baron Papa. Thank you very much!"

And in a few moments the traffic jam broke up and Baron released me frompossession, leaving me to drive the pickup truck to the cemetery and grovel withembarassment as our peristyle members, laughing hysterically, related the incidentto me!

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In the evening, each peristyle holds a dance in honor of Baron, Maman Brigitte,and the Ghedes. The people who come must all be fed, and the lwa who appear arealso feasted from kettles of food specially prepared for them. Dancing goes onlong into the night, even until daybreak. The artistry of the lwa is incomparable,and even non-Vodouisants often come to watch. Then the exhausted worshippersreturn home, to await the coming of Fete Ghede the following year.

Vodou Lesson 3

THE LWA

Part 1 - General characteristics of Vodou lwa

Vodou is often misunderstood as being polytheistic, syncretic, or animistic. Thesemisconceptions will be cleared up as we discuss the characteristics of the lwa.

Vodouisants believe in one God, called Gran Met, or Great Master. This God is allpowerful, all knowing, but regrettably he is considered to be sometimes distant anddetached from human affairs. He is nevertheless ever present in the daily speech of

Haitians, who never say, "See you tomorrow", without adding "if God wants".The lwa are lesser entities, but more readily accessible. Aside from a generalized

love for the children of Africa, the lwa require a mutual relationship with theworshipper. The lwa serve those who serve them. Lwa have well defined

characteristics, including sacred numbers, colors, days, ceremonial foods, speechmannerisms, and ritual objects. A lwa, therefore, can be served by wearing clothes

of the lwa's colors, making offerings of preferred foods, and observing sexualcontinence on days sacred to the lwa.

Many lwa are archetypal figures represented in many cultures. For example,Erzulie Freda is a love goddess comparable to Venus, Legba is a lwa of

communication comparable to Hermes or Mercury. These correspondences, andsometimes pure coincidence, have led Haitians to see parallels between aspects ofthe lwa and images of Roman Catholic saints as they are represented in popularlithographs. During the days of French colonialism, when the majority of blackpeople in Haiti were slaves who had been born in Africa, worship of the saints

provided a convenient cover for the service of African gods and goddesses. Eventhe priere Guinea, a long prayer recited near the beginning of orthodox Vodou

ceremonies, incorporates verses about the Virgin Mary and various saints.

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This does not mean, however, that the lwa have been syncretized with the Catholicsaints. No one confuses Ogoun Feraille with St. James the Greater, it is simply theimage that is used. If St. James is invoked, he is considered different from Ogoun.Although the priere Guinea incorporates verses about Catholic entities, no oneconfuses a Vodou ceremony held in a peristyle with a Catholic service. JohnMurphy, in his book Santeria, proposes that symbiosis might be a more accurateterm than syncretism.

Lwa are sometimes considered to reside in trees, stones, or rarely the bodies ofanimals. However, the lwa in the tree is not the lwa of the tree, and ceremoniesconducted at the foot of the tree are directed at the lwa, not at any animisticprinciple of life energy pertaining to the tree.

Vodou lwa manifest their will through dreams, unusual incidents, and through themechanism of trance possession. Possession is considered normal, natural, anddesirable in the context of a Vodou ceremony and under certain othercircumstances. It is comparable to the New Age phenomenon of "channeling".Lwa manifesting through possession sing, dance, tell jokes, heal the sick, and giveadvice.

Part 2 - What groups of lwa are recognized?

Note - this lesson contains ceremonial information on the Vodou previouslyunpublished, namely the ceremonial order of the lwa. This information is not

secret, and I do not violate my vows of secrecy by revealing it. Anyone with thepatience to sit through a sufficient number of ceremonies can learn this

information.In an orthodox Vodou ceremony, following the priere Guinea and the salutationsto the assembly and the spiritual energy of the drums and drummers, the lwa arehonored in order, much as the Four Evangelists are given in the order "Matthew,Mark, Luke, and John". In turn, songs are offered for each lwa, and in particular

cases, food offerings or animal sacrifices. An initiate must memorize this sequenceas a part of his or her training, and a Houngan or Mambo of course must be able to

observe this order when conducting a ceremony. A minimum of three songs aresung for each lwa, and each song is repeated a minimum of three times.

In the orthodox Vodou rite, there are three main groups of lwa, the Rada group, theGhedes, and the Petro group.

The Rada lwa are primarily but not exclusively Dahomean in origin. Their generalceremonial color is white, with the qualification that individual lwa within thisgroup may have their own colors. They are considered beneficent, and in somecases so ancient as to be detached and slow to act. The rhythms of the Rada lwa

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are beaten on tanbou kon, drums with wooden pegs holding the stretched hide overthe drum head. The skin of the largest drum, the maman, is cow hide, the other of

goatskin. The drums are beaten with sticks. This part of the ceremony isdisciplined, concentrated, stately, and cerebral.

The Rada lwa, in ceremonial order, are as follows:Legba, Marassa, Loco, Aizan, Damballah and Aida Wedo, Sobo, Badessy,

Agassou, Silibo, Agwe and La Sirene, Erzulie, Bossu, Agarou, Azaka, the Ogoungroup (Ogoun St. Jacques, Ossange, Ogoun Badagri, Ogoun Feraille, Ogoun Fer,

Ogoun Shango, Ogoun Balindjo, Ogoun Balizage, OgounYemsen).

Following the Rada lwa, the Gede (pronounced gay-day) family including Baronand Maman Brigitte are honored. There is no particular order to the appearance of

these lwa within their own group. Their ceremonial colors are violet and black.The Gede group is bawdy and lewd, and they provide comic relief following the

intense and disciplined exertion of the Rada section. The Barons and Brigittes aremost mystical, and can be counted upon to prophesy in the midst of the most

lascivious dance steps. The Gedes are always willing to tell jokes and give advice.

After the Rada and Ghede groups remains the portion of the ceremony dedicated tothe Petro lwa. These lwa are predominately of Kongo and Western Hemisphere

origin. Their ceremonial color is red. They are considered fierce, protective,magical, and aggressive toward adversaries. The rhythms of the Petro lwa are

beaten on tanbou fey, drums with cord and a hoop holding the stretched hide overthe drum head. The drum heads are made exclusively of goatskin, and are beaten

with the palms of the hands. This part of the ceremony is hot, fast-paced, andexciting.

The Petro lwa, in ceremonial order, are as follows:

Legba Petro, Marassa Petro, Wawangol, Ibo, Senegal, Kongo, Kaplaou, Kanga,Takya, Zoklimo, Simbi Dlo, Gran Simba, Carrefour, Cimitiere, Gran Bwa, KongoSavanne, Erzulie Dantor (also known as Erzulie Zye-Wouj), Marinette, Don Petro,Ti-Jean Petro, Gros Point, Simbi Andezo, Simbi Makaya.

When the final three repetitions of the final song for Simbi Makaya are finished,the ceremony is over. Sometimes participants who are particularly enthusiastic willcotntinue to sing popular songs which, while they relate to the lwa, are notnecessarily part of the ceremonial order. Such songs are very much a part ofHaitian popular music, and artists such as Wawa, Azor, and groups such asBoukman Eksperyans and RAM have international followings. Once theparticipants are satisfied, the drums are laid flat on the ground, and the participantsgo to rest on banana stem mats until morning light.

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Part 3 - Lwa who are not lwa, who are called 'dajb' instead

The Haitian Creole word djab is derived from the French word diable, meaningdevil, but the term in the context of Haitian Vodou carries a different connotation.

Certain lwa are individualistic and unique, served by only one individual,sometimes a Houngan or Mambo, and considered to be almost that individual'spersonal property. These lwa do not fit easily into the orthodox Vodou liturgy,

neither in the Rada nor in the Petro grouping. Such lwa, and even lwa morecommonly served, such as Makaya lwa, are commonly referred to as djab, but here

the translation would perhaps be more accurately given as "wild spirit".

The function of these djab is magical as opposed to religious. A djab is mostfrequently invoked by a Houngan, Mambo, or Bokor, on behalf of a client, to takeaggressive action against a client's enemy or business competitor. A djab requirespayment from the client for it's services, usually in the form of animal sacrifice on

a regularly scheduled basis.

The congregation of a Houngan or Mambo who serves a djab is usually protectedfrom possible acts of random aggression by the djab; generally by a garde, a

magical shield effected by rubbing specially prepared dried herbs into shallow cutsceremonially made in the individual's skin. The garde is often renewed annually at

the time of the winter solstice, when each society holds a major gathering andprepares herbal baths and other mixtures.

The light scars of the garde form a pattern peculiar to the society, and can serve asan identifying mark for members. For example, I have on my upper left shoulder agarde conferred on me by Houngan Sauvert Joseph, who assisted at my initiation.At the annual gathering of his society, I received the garde of the djab Kita Maza,

an affable but fiercely protective djab, and the form of the scar, a double crosssimilar in form to a tic-tic-toe board, is distinctive to Kita Maza and the society of

Houngan Sauvert Joseph.

Djabs can also be specific to a particular place. In the limestone caves of Bodenear Trouin in the south of Haiti, a djab named Met Set Joune, Master of the SevenDays, is believed to reside. Even if a Mambo, Houngan, or Bokor was to serve thisdjab in a peristyle located somewhere else, the limestone caves would remain the

home of the djab.Certain particularly amoral djabs can be invoked to drain the life energy of aperson and effect their demise. When a djab is held responsible for a person's

death, the Creole phrase is not "the djab killed the person", but instead, djab lamanje moun nan, "the djab ate the person". This does not mean that the flesh of the

person is eaten cannibalistically by the Houngan, Mambo, or Bokor whoundergoes possession by the djab, merely that the djab has subsumed the person's

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life force.

An orthodox Houngan or Mambo is under oath never to do harm, thereforeinvocations of djabs are more frequently attempted by Bokors. However an

orthodox Vodou clergyperson may invoke a djab and even direct it to kill a person,if the person is a murderer, a repeat thief, a repeat rapist, and so forth.

The Mambo Marinette invoked a female Petro lwa frequently referred to as a djab,Erzulie Dantor, and performed the sacrifice of a wild hog, at the ceremony of Bwa

Caiman in 1794 which began the Haitian revolution. During the Haitianrevolution, djabs were very important, and were believed to confer immunity to the

bullets fired by the white French enslavers. Even the death of the majority ofGeneral LeClerc's expeditionary force due to yellow fever was regarded as the

result of the work of djabs. Given that the ultimate destination of LeClerc was theNorth American continent, to re-establish control of the Louisiana Territory,

United States citizens can acknowledge the rebel slaves of Haiti, and their djabs,for the fact that we are not Francophones today.

Vodou Lesson 4

GETTING STARTED: YOUR ALTAR AND FIRST ANCESTRAL OFFERING

Part 1 - Constructing an altarPeople of many different faiths construct altars. Even people who do not belong to

any particular faith may set aside a corner of a room where they sit and think,meditate and pray, do yoga or play an African drum. Many times they create

impromptu altars which include many of the same objects - flowers, stones andcrystals, sacred symbols, photographs or images of the individual's ancestors, or of

members of the extended human family in many countries, musical instruments,candles, incense, books on spiritual subjects.

Consciously or unconsciously, when we build altars we are engaged in an effort toopen that most enigmatic of all doors - the door between the human and spiritualworld. An altar is a representation of that very door in material terms - the altar is

the door. When you sit in front of your altar, you are inviting the spiritual forces onthe other side of this door to notice you, come and visit with you, and act upon

you.

Since most people living in the United States can not begin their practice in thisreligion by attending Vodou ceremonies, one of the first things we can do is to

build an altar. The altars of Vodou are as varied as the individuals who practice thereligion. In a sense, a peristyle itself is an altar, large enough for the worshippers to

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dance around the centerpost, play drums, perform sacrifice, undergo possession -in short, to act out every aspect of the cosmic drama. Within the peristyle there aresometimes areas dedicated to a particular lwa - the cross of Baron, or a small palm-leaf booth for Erzulie. Attached to the peristyle are smaller rooms called djevo or

bagi, in which the ceremonial objects of a Vodou society are kept. However, theseobjects, which include sacred rattles, sequinned bottles for drink offerings, pottetesgiven during initiation, and clay pots called govi, are of no particular use to those

who have not undergone initiation.

A better model is found in the kay myste (from the French caille des mysteres,house of mysteries). These are small houses, often no more than ten by fourteen

feet, in which are constructed individualistic altars to whichever lwa the owner ofthe kay myste serves. These altars incorporate many common materials, easily

available everywhere in the world. They are remarkable for their individuality andbeauty.

Frequently altars in Haiti are constructed on a dirt floor, which may not bepractical in the United States. However, you may have easier access to certain

items such as crystals, ceramic vessels in particular colors, and so on.

Your kay myste may consist of a small area in your bedroom or living room,although the feeling in Haiti is that it is not well to sleep in the same room withobjects consecrated to the lwa, especially with a member of the opposite sex;

except during initiation, when sex is prohibited anyway. You may screen off thisarea, or set aside an entire room to the service of the lwa. The directions whichfollow will give you suggestions for constructing one type of very basic altar

which can then be added to and elaborated on in the service of any particular lwayou wish.

Suggestions for building a basic altar:

In Haiti, when a Vodouisant person wishes to make an altar in the home for apartiular aspect of God, a saint, or a lwa, they very often buy particular religious

objects identified with whatever principle they wish to serve, and then have aHoungan or Mambo set up and consecrate the altar. Some altars are by definitionmade on a dirt floor, others are made on platforms constructed of boards or more

frequently concrete.

Here is one possible way to set up a basic altar indoors, without a dirt floor. Get awhite cloth, and wash it in water with some of your first urine of the morning. Forurine, you can substitute vinegar. Let the cloth dry outdoors in the sun if possible.

Cover your altar table with it, and then sprinkle it lightly with your favoriteperfume or Florida Water.

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Next, get four small stones from near your house, clean them by scouring with saltand rinsing well, then place one at each corner of your altar. Clean a wineglass, cutglass bowl, or other vessel and fill it with water. Do not use metal or earthenware -glass or crystal only. Place it at the center of your altar, and add three splashes of

anisette or white rum as you bless the water.

It is common in Vodou practice to baptise ritual objects, that is, to give themnames. You can take a spring of basil and splash a baptism onto your water glass,

which is now a powerful passageway for spiritual energy. You might name italmost anything appropriate, fanciful, and positive - "Water of Life", "Gurgle

Mama Brings Spirit", or whatever!

Into a glass candleholder, place some earth from near your house and a few grainsof salt. Take a white candle, and with a pure vegetable oil rub the candle from the

middle up to the top and then from the middle down to the base. As you oil thecandle, direct your energy into your hands and pray for spiritual awareness. Put thecandle firmly into the candleholder and place it in front of the glass of water. Don't

light the candle just yet.

Around the altar you will place other objects according to the divine principles youwish to serve. An ancestor shrine will have images of deceased ancestors, Ogoun's

altar will have a machete and a red kerchief, Erzulie Freda's shrine will haveflowers and jewelry, and so on.

Part 2 - Making An Ancestral FeastNow that you have constructed a basic altar, you are ready for the first step in

Vodou practice - reverence for your ancestors. However you have built your altar,remember always that it is a door between the world of human beings and the

world of the ancestors and the lwa. Let it get dusty, let the water become murkyand stale, use it as a convenient resting place for housekeys and pencils. ignore it,

and you will find yourself tired, drained, unlucky, and uninspired. Treat it withrespect, keep it immaculately clean, visit it often, and you will be rewarded with

energy, spiritual growth, personal victories, and remarkable coincidences.

Your ancestors love you. They will come and visit you, accept your offerings, andpoint you on the way. They will instruct you, protect you, fight for you, and heal

you. They will bring you messages through your intuition and your dreams.

Obtain a picture of a deceased relative of yours whose love for you is beyondquestion. If you have no deceased relatives whom you can remember well, eitherby blood or by adoption, you can choose an image of a person who represents to

you ancestral wisdom and love, and give that person a name. You may also obtain

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images of ancestors of all branches of the human race.

Place these images behind the vessel of water on you altar, either propped up onpicture stands or attached to the wall behind your altar. This wall can also be

draped in white cloth and images pinned or tacked to it. Arrange the images untiltheir grouping seems right to you. You may choose to work with one image or

many.

Sit in front of your altar. You may ring a small bell or shake a ceremonial rattle tosignal the start of your meditation. Light the white candle on your altar, and if

possible light some coconut or vanilla incense. Tie your head with a white cloth ifyou wish. Gaze into the water in the central chalice. Relax and do any meditationexercises you are familiar with. Deep breathing, counting backwards from ten tozero, or opening the chakras all work fine. Think about your chosen ancestor. Ifpossible, recollect scenes from the past in which you appear with that ancestor.Feel the love between you which connects you. imagine that love beaming from

your heart as a ray of light, passing through the water and to the ancestor's image.Call the name of your ancestor out loud, repeatedly. Tell the ancestor that you love

him/her, and that you want to work together with him/her. It is a basic tenet ofVodou that the living and the dead work together to help each other.

When you feel the ancestors' presence, tip a little water three times on the floor towelcome them. Do this meditation often, until it is a comfortable routine. Within a

week or two, you should make an ancestral feast to offer to your ancestors.

This feast should include foods that were favored by your ancestors in life, withthe exception that the food should not be salted. "Generic" ancestor offeringsinclude grilled corn, grilled peanuts, fresh coconut, and white foods like rice

pudding, milk, and flour dumplings.

Place each type of food in a bowl, and place a white candle in the middle of thefood. Liquid offerings can be placed in glasses and the candle put in a holder nextto the glass. Touch each plate or bowl to your forehead, heart, and pubic area, andthen breathe on the food. Talk to your ancestors, remind them that they were oncepart of the world of the living, and that you will one day come to join them. Ask

them to drive away all evil, such as poverty, illness, unemployment, fatigue,discord, sadness. Ask them to bring to you all that is good, including love, money,

work, health, joy, friendship, laughter.

Light the candles, put the food on the altar, and leave the room. When the candleshave finished burning, and preferably the following morning, take the food andthrow it away at the foot of a large tree. If that is not possible, put it in a garbagebag and dispose of it separately from other garbage. Wash the plates, bowls, and

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glasses, scrub them with salt, and put them away. Do not use them for ordinarymeals.

Part 3 - A Mambo's Experience.My first ancestral feast took place before I was ordained as a Mambo. I wanted

everything to be as beautiful as possible, so I first cleaned my room, then my altarand all the altar objects, crystals, altar cloths, and so on. I sprinkled the altar with

Florida Water, and set new white candles in the candle holders.

I made different types of food. There was chicken, rice and beans, cooked greens,and tropical fruits for my African ancestors, sausage, saurkraut, boiled potatos and

sweet pastries for my European ancestors, roasted peanuts, boiled corn, andcoconut meat as all-round ancestor food. There was beer, rum, milk, fruit juice - inshort, everything I could possibly think of. Every dish of food had it's own candle.I presented the food and drink to the ancestors, lit the candles, meditated, and left

the room.

That night, I had some very interesting dreams. In the morning, I noticed thecondition of the candles - every candle was burned to absolute nothingness - not adrip of wax or a fragment of wick remained in any of the food dishes. "Gosh," Ithought, "those ancestors must really have been hungry!" I gathered up the food,

and disposed of it at the foot of a large tree near a river. As I walked home, Iwondered, "Which one of my ancestors, or which lwa, will now come to help me?"

It was a beautiful spring day, and I was walking alone on a rural road. A yellowVolkswagen Beetle came along and honked it's horn. I thought that the personmust be lost and wanting directions, but as I looked, there was no driver in the

car! Instinctively I noted the license plate - 125-LOA!

Now, you might think that with 125 lwa to feed and serve, my grocery bill wouldbe enormous. But actually, aside from major ceremonies, regular service to the

ancestors consists of a bit of food from Monday's dinner, an occasional libation,and correct observance of the Feast of the Dead (Fet Ghede) each November 2.

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