Death And Dying

On Death and dying -- Haitian Voodoo The Voodoo faith is one that has been feared by many Americans for decades or more. It’s introduction to the U.S. comes primarily from Carribean, South American and African immigrants. Haiti has a popular saying that “it is 90 percent Catholic and 100 percent Voodoo.” The main reason the Voodoo religion has survived for so long is that in slavery times it was a way of retaining a connection to their roots. Though Voodoo practices were forcibly discouraged and outlawed, they were basically forced into secrecy–adding to the secrecy,

mystery and feeling of taboo that is now associated with this religion. Haitian people as mentioned before, are avid Catholics but have found their own unique way of melding the two religions together.

First of all it must be stated that Voodoo ceremonies vary from region to region. There is no set template to follow when it comes to accomplishing any ritual in Voodoo. Specifically, death and burial practices vary greatly from place to place within Haiti. In general the voodoo religion is practiced in a individual way. Although the belief system and its major tenets are widely known. Haitian Voodoo is a religion that celebrates and worships its ancestors. To worship, as a Voodooist means to celebrate, be in awe of, and take care of Loa. Loa or Lwa means the Gods or spirits. Loas are also strongly associated with Catholic saints. Haitians may attend Catholic church and worship God by day, but they also believe God ( called in creole le Bon-Dieu, the good God) is too busy with taking “care” of the universe and does not bother with ordinary beings. So instead they seek out Loas which are the spirits of the Dead. Some of the Loas are dead ancestors , but many Loas that are specifically worshiped , celebrated and called

upon in rituals or Voodoo practices, hold special rank. Voodoo is all about life and death in it’s practices. It celebrates life by dance and song. It respects Death and it’s ancestors by rituals that incorporate meaning of one’s death, paying respects and grieving extensively, and also by incorporating ritualistic ceremonies to never forget the dead and be continually aware of Life’s lessons. Although the actual ceremonies that take place after someone dies vary greatly depending where a Haitian lives, there are many themes and some definite “rules” that are abided by. For example a Houguan( voodoo priest) is usually called upon after a traditional Catholic burial takes place. It is very important to Voodooists that the body is never left alone so even while the Catholic funeral may take place, they take special care to never leave the body alone. The main reason for this is that the spirit of the person can get lost if not properly guided and can get into all kinds of mischief. The dress is supposed to be in black and the body should leave the house before dawn. The consequence of not following this rule is that the spirit can take over a family member(by possession).. They may take possession of someone. Possession is a large part of Voodoo ceremonies and is normally something Voodooists initiate, but a wayward spirit could lose it’s way to where it is supposed to go if left unattended or not guided and in this case a possession would be unwanted . The main purpose to guiding the spirit is to control it’s destiny in a sense. Voodooists believe that inside a person resides two spirits that they call the “ti bon-ange(little good angel) and “gros bon-ange”(big good-angel) . On the ninth day after death the Ti bonange is released and faces God and accounts for his sins, the “gros bon-ange remains as a spirit on earth as a ghost to “haunt” wherever he has lived and died. After the traditional ceremony, Déssunin takes place. Déssunin is a ceremony that in essence removes the dead persons “mait-tète”(master head or the Loa who

resides in one’s head). The ritual begins with members praying to the Loa , the Hunguan after some time will motion for everyone to stand back and then he gets into bed with the dead person. He performs a little ceremony that involves chanting and ceremonial bells and then somehow makes the corpse rise up. Voodooists believe that the Hogan is so powerful because of his powers that this happens , but many speculate that it is merely a muscle contraction. The next thing that happens is the Hogan takes possession of the Loa and either puts it into a special jar (pot-tête,or govi) or passes the spirit on to a special family member. Once the Loa is removed then the wake may take place. Just before the wake, the body is washed and talked to as if he were still alive. Great care is taken to not disrespect the body in any way. People may visit and tell the corpse secrets that they can take to the other world. The pockets of the deceased are then turned inside out in order to ensure nothing remains on the body that would give him power over a family member.(Metraux 247) They also remove the shoes to ensure his footsteps do not disturb the living. The wake(or deathwatch as it is called in Haiti) is a mixture of sadness and pleasure. The mourners lament loudly periodically , but may play cards and games. They may tell special stories to the children. It is thought that if the dead are not mourned intensely enough then the dead is pitied and the family is shamed. The main aspect of importance of the death and burial though is to disorient the dead so they cannot haunt the living When the wake is over, the coffin is taken to the burial site. In Haiti, people are normally put into tombs. The tombs are usually on the families property and everyone in the family is buried their. Once buried, the Novenas (Catholic prayer rites) start. Family members pray and an altar is presented with pictures crucifixes and flowers. They also place food on the ground. On the ninth day the last prayers become very intense and then the food is thrown close to the home. At this point the soul of the dead is presumed to have moved on. They then partake in games , storytelling , singing and also special kinds of dancing. These festivities are meant to encourage the spirit to move on his

way and are especially joyous! The next evening is the “mangé-mort” (feast for the dead) for the family. Tombs or graves in Haiti are usually equipped with a special alcove in order for the living to leave food (and gifts)for them, but it can also be set on the ground before a grave. Families continue to do this periodically through the years.(Courlander, 39). They may continue to pay respect s for the dead by either leaving food or gifts on All soul’s day(Mange mort day in Haiti) or other special occasions. The dead are not forgotten , but become part of another community which is in turn celebrated by the Haitian people. In the United States, Haitian Americans live in many communities. There are very good populations in New Orleans and Florida. Although Voodoo is alive and well here in the US, there are many stereotypes that have been worsened by the media. Even in the year 2009, the word Voodoo may conjure up images of human sacrifice, pins in dolls or Zombies. Many practicing Voodooists do so in secrecy . Others have used the taboo aspect of Voodoo to profit, and end up reinforcing the stereotypes . New Orleans Voodoo is particularly known for this kind of thing. You can see a unique burial in New Orleans that traces its roots to Haitian Voodoo and it is called the “Jazz Funeral”. As in Haitian Voodoo there is the traditional Catholic mass and funeral, but instead of simply drums and singing, the

coffin gets a parade ( very similar to the party described before the mange-mort) with a Jazz band following close behind. Typically escorting the coffin to its burial place http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOFB8yapTIU Although Voodoo is not overtly practiced here in the U.S., there are many followers of this unique religion that traces its roots all the way back to Africa. Its followers are avid animists and are superstitious beyond all reason.

Works cited. Courlander, Harold. The Drum and The Hoe. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1960. Dash, J.Michael. Culture and customs of Haiti. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2001. Metraux, Alfred. Voodoo in Haiti. New York: Schocken Books, 1959.