| I chose to explore the culture of Haitians who | | | | associated with death in the Haitian culture: |
| practice Vodou, a religion also known as Voodoo, | | | | · When death is impending, the entire |
| Vodun, Vodoun, Voudun, and Yoruba Orisha. I | | | | family will gather, pray, cry, and use religious |
| have just returned from a vacation in the | | | | medallions or other spiritual artifacts. Relatives and |
| Caribbean (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic), which | | | | friends expend considerable effort to be present |
| shares an island with Haiti. While there, I met a | | | | when death is near. |
| man from Haiti and was reminded of a bizarre | | | | · Haitians prefer to die at home, but the |
| experience I had in 1998 when I was ridden by an | | | | hospital is also an acceptable choice. |
| orisha (loa) during an inner-city Christian church | | | | · The moment of death is marked by |
| service. Thus, I thought this would make an | | | | ritual wailing among family members, friends, and |
| interesting subject for this assignment. To make | | | | neighbors. |
| things simpler in this essay, I will refer to this | | | | · When a person dies, the oldest family |
| group simply as Vodou or Vodoun. | | | | member makes all the arrangements and notifies |
| Introducing Vodou and Haitian Culture | | | | the family. The body is kept until the entire family |
| Vodou is a Caribbean religion blended from African | | | | can gather. |
| religions and Catholic Christianity. Long stereotyped | | | | · The last bath is usually given by a family |
| by the outside world as "black magic," Vodoun | | | | member. |
| priests and priestesses are also diviners, healers, | | | | · Funerals are important social events and |
| and religious leaders, who derive most of their | | | | involve several days of social interaction, including |
| income from healing the sick rather than from | | | | feasting and the consumption of rum. |
| attacking targeted victims. | | | | · Family members come from far away |
| Vodou comes from an African word for "spirit" | | | | to sleep at the house, and friends and neighbors |
| and can be directly traced to the West African | | | | congregate in the yard. |
| Yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century | | | | · Burial monuments and other mortuary |
| Dahomey. However, its African roots may go | | | | rituals are often costly and elaborate. People are |
| back 6,000 years. Today, Vodou is practiced | | | | increasingly reluctant to be buried underground. |
| most commonly in the country of Haiti and in the | | | | They prefer to be interred above ground in an |
| United States around New Orleans, New York, | | | | elaborate multi-chambered tomb that may cost |
| and in Florida. Today over 60 million people | | | | more than the house in which the individual lived |
| practice Vodou throughout the Caribbean and | | | | while alive. |
| West Indies islands, as well as in North and South | | | | · Since the body is thought to be |
| America, Africa, and Britain. | | | | necessary for resurrection, organ donation and |
| During days of slave trade, this religion fused with | | | | cremation are not allowed. Autopsy is allowed only |
| Catholic Christianity. Therefore, in this current | | | | if the death occurred as a result of wrong doing |
| century, children born into rural Haitian families are | | | | or to confirm that the body is actually dead and |
| generally baptized into the Vodou religion as well | | | | not a zombie. |
| as in the Catholic church. | | | | Like many Western Christian religions that use a |
| Those who practice Vodou believe in a pantheon | | | | figurative sacrifice to symbolize the consumption |
| of gods who control and represent the laws and | | | | of flesh and blood, some Vodoun ceremonies |
| forces of the universe. In this pantheon, there is a | | | | include a literal sacrifice in which chickens, goats, |
| Supreme Deity and the Loa-a large group of | | | | doves, pigeons, and turtles are sacrificed to |
| lesser deities equivalent to the saints of the | | | | celebrate births, marriages, and deaths. |
| Catholic Church. These gods protect people and | | | | Vodou Beliefs about Afterlife |
| give special favors through their representatives | | | | Practitioners of Vodou assume that the souls of |
| on earth which are the hougans (priests) and | | | | all the deceased go to an abode beneath the |
| mambos (priestesses). | | | | waters. Concepts of reward and punishment in |
| The Loa (also Lwa or L'wha) are spirits somewhat | | | | the afterlife are alien to Vodou. |
| like saints or angels in Christianity. They are | | | | In Vodou, the soul continues to live on earth and |
| intermediaries between the Creator and humanity. | | | | may be used in magic or it may be incarnated in |
| Unlike saints or angels, they are not simply prayed | | | | a member of the dead person's family. |
| to; they are served. They are each distinct beings | | | | Communion with a god or goddess occurs in the |
| with their own personal likes and dislikes, distinct | | | | context of possession. The gods sometimes work |
| sacred rhythms, songs, dances, ritual symbols, | | | | through a govi, and sometimes take over a living |
| and special modes of service. | | | | person. This activity is referred to as "mounting a |
| Rituals, Behaviors, and Practices Associated with | | | | horse" during which the person loses |
| Death and Dying | | | | consciousness and the body becomes temporarily |
| Haitians who adhere to Vodou do not consider | | | | possessed by a loa. A special priest (houngan) or |
| death to be the end of life. They do believe in an | | | | priestess (mambo) assists both in summoning the |
| afterlife. Followers of Vodoun believe that each | | | | divinities and in helping them to leave at the |
| person has a soul that has both a gros bon ange | | | | termination of the possession. |
| (large soul or universal life force), and a ti bon | | | | The gros-bon-ange returns to the high solar |
| ange (little soul or the individual soul or essence.) | | | | regions from which its cosmic energy was first |
| When one dies, the soul essence hovers near the | | | | drawn; there, it joins the other loa and becomes a |
| corpse for seven to nine days. During this period, | | | | loa itself. |
| the ti bon ange is vulnerable and can be captured | | | | Variations |
| and made into a "spiritual zombie" by a sorcerer. | | | | Each group of worshipers is independent and |
| Provided the soul is not captured, the priest or | | | | there is no central organization, religious leader, or |
| priestess performs a ritual called Nine Night to | | | | set of dogmatic beliefs. Rituals and ceremonies |
| sever the soul from the body so the soul may | | | | vary depending upon family traditions, regional |
| live in the dark waters for a year and a day. If | | | | differences, and exposure to the practices of |
| this is not done, the ti bon ange may wander the | | | | other cultures such as Catholicism, which is the |
| earth and bring misfortune on others. | | | | official religion of Haiti. |
| After a year and a day, relatives of the deceased | | | | Some Haitians believe that the dead live in close |
| perform the Rite of Reclamation to raise the | | | | proximity to the loa, in a place called "Under the |
| deceased person's soul essence and put it in a | | | | Water." Others hold that the dead have no special |
| clay jar known as a govi. The belief that each | | | | place after death. |
| person's life experiences can be passed on to the | | | | Burial ceremonies vary according to local tradition |
| family or community compels Haitians to implore | | | | and the status of the person. Some families do |
| the spirit of the decease to temporarily possess a | | | | not express grief aloud until most of the |
| family member, priest (houngan), or priestess | | | | deceased's possessions have been removed from |
| (mambo) to impart any final words of wisdom. | | | | the home. Persons who are knowledgeable in the |
| The clay jar may be placed in the houngan's or | | | | funeral customs wash, dress, and place the body |
| mambo's temple where the family may come to | | | | in a coffin. Mourners wear white clothing which |
| feed the spirit and treat it like a divine being. At | | | | represents death. A priest may be summoned to |
| other times, the houngan burns the jar in a ritual | | | | conduct the burial service. The burial usually takes |
| called boule zen. This releases the spirit to the land | | | | place within 24 hours. |
| of the dead, where it should properly reside. | | | | Conclusion |
| Another way to elevate the ti-bon-ange is to | | | | Westerners, or so-called logical people, might find |
| break the jar and drop the pieces at a crossroad. | | | | Vodoun a strange and exotic mixture of spells, |
| The ultimate purpose of death rituals in the | | | | possessions, and rituals. Like any other religion, its |
| Vodoun culture is to send the gros-bon-ange to | | | | purpose is to comfort people by giving them a |
| Ginen, the cosmic community of ancestral spirits, | | | | common bond. Vodoun meshes surprisingly well |
| where it will be worshipped by family members as | | | | with Catholicism, the official religion of Haiti. With a |
| a loa itself. Once the final ritual is done, the spirit is | | | | supreme being, saint-like spirits, belief in the |
| free to abide among the rocks and trees until | | | | afterlife and invisible spirits, along with the |
| rebirth. Sixteen incarnations later, spirits merge | | | | protection of patron saints, Voodoo isn't that |
| into the cosmic energy. | | | | different from traditional religions. |
| Here are some other common behaviors | | | | |