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 bon-
ange 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.