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The
Republic of Haiti, the first Republic in the Western
World established by African slaves, won its freedom
from France in 1804, just 28 years after the United
States gained its independence from England. Despite
its early achievement of independence, Haiti, during
it's almost two hundred years of national existence,
has endured a tumultuous, often violent political history.
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Today,
Haiti is considered the least-developed country in the Western
Hemisphere. (Background Notes: Haiti, March 1998). Once
considered the "Pearl of the Antilles" and one of the richest
colonies in the 18th century French empire, Haiti is now
considered one of the poorest countries in the world. (Background
Notes: Haiti, March 1998)
Located
in the Caribbean Sea Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola
with the Dominican Republic. The Republic of Haiti covers
an area of 10,714 square miles, which is approximately the
size of the U.S. state of Maryland. It occupies the western
one-third of the island. Haiti is bounded by the Atlantic
Ocean to the north, the Dominican Republic to the east,
the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Windward Passage
to the west. Haiti lies 565 miles southeast of Florida and
approximately 60 miles east of Cuba. (Factbook: Haiti)
Although
Catholicism is considered the state religion and is practiced
by approximately eighty percent of the population, the majority
of the population also practices Vodou (voodoo). Most Haitians
move easily between Catholicism and Vodou, seeing little,
if any, contradiction in attending both Catholic mass and
Vodou ceremonies. (Background Notes: Haiti, March 1998)
During
recent years, large-scale emigration to the United States
as well as Canada and Caribbean neighbors has resulted in
approximately one out of every six Haitians now living abroad.
(Background Notes: Haiti, March1998) (Information adapted
from U.S. Department of State Background Notes: Haiti,
March 1998 available on the State Department's website
http://www.state.gov and the Haiti Factbook
available at http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ha.htm)
The
Mystic Lands episode featuring Haiti is called HAITI:
Dance of the Spirits.
Here
are some fun facts, important words and people related to
the history and spirituality of Haiti:
-
Boukman - The slave who led the uprising against
the French and helped gain freedom and independence for
his African brothers and sisters.
-
hounfor (honefort) - A vodou temple. The hounfor
includes a central dwelling of no more than four walls and
a floor. It is surrounded by a large area called a peristyle.
The poteau-mitan, or center post, is found in the middle
of the peristyle. It is around the poteau-mitan that most
of the vodou rituals take place.
-
hougan (oongaan) - A fully initiated vodou priest.
The hougan acts as teacher, interpreter of the mystical,
counselor, physician, and spiritual healer for his community
of believers.
-
lwa (loa) - The spirits or gods of vodou. The
lwa live en bas l'eau (under the water) in a place known
as "Guinee," which is the mythical realm that represents
all of the African homeland. The lwa can abide in mountains,
rocks, caves, springs and pools. They are also present in
sacred trees (arbesrespoirs) which grow around the temples
and homes in the country. Most Vodou practitioners believe
the gods are very sensitive and easily offended and are
especially demanding in matters of ritual. The lwa are considered
omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. There are hundreds
of lwa including gods for emotions, natural phenomena, and
daily events. Many believe that the lwa can bring good fortune
or bad, even health or illness.
-
peristyle - This is the open-sided building adjacent
to the hounfor where vodou ceremonies are held.
-
poteau-mitan - This is the center post of the
peristyle around which most of the vodou ceremonies are
performed. Libations and sacrifices are offered there. It
is considered the center of the ritual dance and the pathway
taken by the lwa. It is seen as linking heaven and earth.
-
vévé - An elaborate drawing of the lwa's sign.
At a vodou ceremony, the vévé is usually traced with cornmeal
or ashes. The vévé is a symbolic drawing which represents
the lwa invoked and serves as a focal point for the calling
of the god. It is on this drawing that offerings and sacrifices
are placed.
-
Vodou - Also known as vodoun, voodoo, voudou
and voudoun. Haitian vodou is based on the beliefs and practices
brought from Africa that have adaptively merged with components
of Catholicism and American Indian traditional religion
creating "a true Creole phenomenon born out of the oppressive
conditions of slavery and the necessary adaptations of slaves
to a New World environment."
As
noted Michel Laguerre in his book Voodoo Heritage,
vodou, as it became the religion of the Haitian masses,
also became a significant source of personal and national
identify. As seen in historical context, Vodou became for
the Haitian slaves a means of organization and resistance
and Vodou's social, political and cultural impact on Haiti
is immeasurable. Claudine Michel, a keynote speaker during
the Haitian Studies Association Conference held in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin in 1995 noted that to the Haitian Voudouist "religion
is simply life and therefore all life experiences are religious
experiences - every song and dance is a prayer."
Vodou
is not a centralized religion. There is no one unified or
central authority. There are thousands of lwa (powerful
spirits) in Haiti. The African origin of the lwa is very
complex. Legba, the "Master of the Crossroads," comes from
Dahomey. But other lwa trace their origins to Ibo, Nago
or Congo spirits. There are certain lwa - Damballah, Legba,
Ogoun, and Erzulie-Freda that remain fairly constant throughout
Haiti.
For
additional information about The Duncan Group, the Mystic
Lands series, or Wisconsin, please contact Patty@DuncanEntertainment.com.
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