Hey, does anyone know where I can find a picture of the voodoo god of death, baron samedi, tall chap with a tophat
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/6157/BaronSamedi.html
http://www.shag.com/Calypso/Samedi.html
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/barsam.htm
Or perhaps you mean Geoffrey Holder of James Bond fame?
(“Google is your friend.” 
)
Y’know I have one area of expertise I can flaunt and Johnny beats me to the punch. If you have other questions about Voodoo (Vodun) though I’m your man.
Er… what’s the difference between vodoo and vodun?
The Voduns are from Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Oh, wait, those are Vogons. Never mind.
Yeah. I’ve been wondering if the “crossroads” so often referenced in American blues songs, the legend of Robert Johnson, etc., are a nod to the Southeastern manifestation of Vodun? I know the cross sign represents the division between life and death, matter and spirit, mind and body, and that one meets Baron Samedi and crossroads. So it makes sense, but I’ve never heard it said explicitly.
Also,
How extensive was/is American voodoo? Was it a widely practiced religion among slaves and their descendants in the U.S. south, or has legend blown it far out of proportion?
And how alike/dissimiliar are the African Diaspora religions in the New World? Would a Haitian Vodoun devotee be comfortable in a Santeria/Voodoo/Obeah ceremony?
“Voodoo” is the Anglicization of the French “Vodoun”.
“Baron Samedi” is not the “Voodoo god of death” but rather the lwa (or loa) or spirit that presides over death and the dead. He’s usually considered to be quite vulgar.
WRS
I would venture to say that Africanish religions were and are quite common.
I don’t know if a Haitian Vodouisant would be comfortable, per se, in a Santeria ritual (especially since many Santeria rituals would be in Spanish), but from an academic perspective there are a number of similarities among the various African Diaspora religions. Some similarities are possession; veneration of ancestors; use of talismans and other ritually charged objects; offering wine, food, and animals to spirits; belief in strong spirits who can affect changes in this world; belief in a remote yet supreme God; dedication and devotion to the spirits; the extensive use of divination and oracles; closeness between the world of humans and the world of spirits.
These religions, especially now, are not cheap. One must part with a lot of money if one wants to consult a practitioner or priest(ess) and follow their directions. One might consider African Diaspora religions to be part of very superstitious religious tradition - everything can be an indication of the spirits’ pleasure or displeasure, with various ways to repell evil and win their affection. These religions are very affective in providing comfort to people in turbulent and chaotic times/places. Within its philosophical framework, it makes a lot of sense.
WRS
Another important point - sorry for so many posts!
The popular conception of Vodoun, that it’s about thrusting pins into dolls and other hocus pocus, is false. Vodoun is a religion with its own philosophy, theology, rites, rituals, requirements, taboos, etc.
Zombies, black magic, spells, etc., are the work of bokors or black magic priests, who are usually feared and avoided - black magic is a very small minority of Vodoun. But, hey, if you’re desperate, you’re desperate.
WRS
fruitbat, where you at?
I just saw the thread. Went to Philly to pick up a used car for the wife and it broke down on the way home. WeRSauron gave some excellent responses.
The question toque asked is one of the most debated among those who study the Afro-American religious practices brought over by slaves. African religious belief and experience was undoubtedly important in both the Carribean and continental America. On the Continent this influence faded over time and was replaced by Christianity. The Crossroads is a good example of the vestiges of African beliefs that did survive. What is more striking is what did not survive. A black churchgoer in the United States would be distinctly uneasy at a Vodoun ceremony in Haiti today.
Some of this loss of African tradition was a result of industrialization and widespread access to information. Qualities which Haiti still struggles with. More important was the amazing density of slave populations in the Carribean compared with slaves in the US. Carribean plantations often had many thousands of slaves overseen by a handful of white overseers. In the US slaves generally had more interaction with white society and culture in a year than a slave in Haiti would have in their lifetime.
Religious evangelism towards slaves was much more common in the US as well. In Haiti whites made minimal efforts to fully convert slaves. The beliefs that formed the core of Vodoun were modified by Catholicism at the time of independence in 1804. Future heads of state reinforced the beliefs of Vodoun in many ways. Early leaders like Dessalines and Christophe were true beleivers themselves. Later the Duvaliers used religious belief as a control mechanism.
The pressure on slaves and their descendants to conform to Christian religious beliefs was tremendous in the United States. In the Carribean these pressures were not as severe. That being said some beliefs persevered. The quality of these beliefs was different though. Slaves transported to the US generally came to the same spiritual understanding as mainstream Christianity by the early 1700’s. A single God and his Son. True Voodoo in America was confined to a few areas and mostly qualified as superstition and not the robust religion that you find in Haiti today.
Vodoun in Haiti remains Christian in its trappings, but distinctly polytheistic in practice. I reference Haiti because the other African Diasporic religions are not as pervasive or complete as Vodoun is in Haiti. Obeah in Jamaica, or Candomble in Brazil is neither accepted by the State or widely practiced by a majority of the populace. Santeria, for instance, is more utilitarian than Vodoun. It is used to acquire some benefit to the believer through religious ritual. It does not extend to a worldview for most practicioners.
Haiti is unique, because it has been a truly black nation for two hundred years. I think most people fail to understand what an impressive accomplishment that is. Haiti was the bogeyman of the nineteenth century. Every slave owning country feared becoming Haiti and had no interest in its continued survival. It still struggles, but it has managed to survive with a unique culture. Vodoun may fade in importance if Haiti industrializes and brings more widespread education and modern pressure. For now it remains a driving national force.
I am sorry I have rambled on for so long, but I don’t get to discourse very often. I will come back and see if other questions pop up.
[nitpick] “Voodoo” in French is written Vaudou[/nitpick].
“Vodoun” might be an archaic or Creole spelling.
Vodoun is the best approximation of the Creole word. Creole is a very fluid written language so you may say a number of spellings. I am still unsure about what I should use.
Regarding “Vodou” actually being Creole, I stand corrected.
Thanks, detop.
Just to throw a few cents in to what fruitbat said, there’s a growing Protestant Evangelical movement now in Haiti, where people believe that Vodoun is ignorant and Satanic to say the least. They look down on Vodouisants as people that need to be rescued or saved. So, it would be interesting to see the future of Vodoun as Haiti modernizes.
WRS
That is true. It is interesting that the Catholics never really cared very much about the ‘additions’ to their basic religion so long as people observed the sacraments. The Protestant missionaries demand much more and have the money and resources to tempt potential converts.
OK last post I promise. I pulled out the library and WeRSauron is correct. The Vodoun spelling is how Louis Mars a Haitian ehtnologist and psychiatrist spelled it in his works from the thirties and forties. It was the favored spelling for about thirty years. Vaudou is how the French and the upper class Creole would spell it. Vodou is the correct spelling under standardized Creole. Voodoo refers mainly to the US based version of the religious practices.
I say bring back Voodoo for the whole kit and kaboodle, at least we will know what people are talking about.
OK last post I promise. I pulled out the library and WeRSauron is correct. The Vodoun spelling is how Louis Mars a Haitian ehtnologist and psychiatrist spelled it in his works from the thirties and forties. It was the favored spelling for about thirty years. Vaudou is how the French and the upper class Creole would spell it. Vodou is the correct spelling under standardized Creole. Voodoo refers mainly to the US based version of the religious practices.
I say bring back Voodoo for the whole kit and kaboodle, at least we will know what people are talking about.
Stupd philologlical query, but something I’ve always wondered about:- Baron Samedi ? Where did he get his title from ? I don’t see anywhere in the cultural antecedents where European titles could come from.
Thanks, fruitbat, you fought ignorance today. Can you recommend some books? I think I’ve read the basics on Haitian Voudoun (Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Deren, Wade Davis) but I know next to nothing about the others. Does there exist a good general overview of African influence on New World religions.
williambaskerville (Name of the Rose?), I believe the hierarchical conception of the loa was based on the French aristocracy. Why “Baron” specifically, I have no idea.
Just want to check back in to answer a couple of questions. First, toque I love Maya Deren’s work. She really is the best. Also worth reading are two much more scholarly (meaning sometimes tough to wade through) works. Williams Voodoos and Obeahs published in 1936 is dated but unique. He focuses on the specific tribes in Africa that lent their beliefs to Haitian Vodou. It is fascinating to see how they change as they are adapted to a different world. Alfred Metraux wrote Voodoo in Haiti which is an excellent complete description translated from the French.
I am on my first day of vacation so I don’t have my books with me, but if my memory serves Baron Samedi is derived from French aristocracy. Baron because that was the highest rank slaves were likely exposed to. Samedi I am a little hazy on. I know Seldan Rodman claimed that it was derived from the day on which slaves were allowed to bury their dead. Rodman is incorrect on so many other things though that I would take that with a grain of salt.