DOCSLIB.ORG

University of California, Merced Cave Vodou in Haiti

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
University of California, Merced Cave Vodou in Haiti University of California, Merced Cave Vodou in Haiti: The Use of Caves as Sacred Space in Modern Haitian Ritual Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in World Cultures by Patrick Richard Wilkinson Committee in Charge Professor Linda-Anne Rebhun, Chair Professor Mark Aldenderfer Professor Marco García-Ojeda Professor Holley Moyes © Patrick Wilkinson, 2019 All rights reserved. This Dissertation of Patrick Wilkinson is approved; it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: ________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Mark Aldenderfer ________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Marco García-Ojeda ________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Holley Moyes ________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Linda-Anne Rebhun Chair University of California, Merced 2018 iii DEDICATION To my wife Marieka, without whom none of this would have been possible, and to the people of Haiti, who welcomed a blan with open arms and hearts. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................... VIII LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................ XII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................ XIII CURRICULUM VITA ..................................................................................... XIV ABSTRACT ................................................................................................. XVIII FOREWORD .................................................................................................. XIX CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .........................................................................23 Background ................................................................................................................... 23 A Brief History of Haiti ................................................................................................ 25 Slavery, Inequality, Isolation, and Debt ....................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 2: VODOU IN HAITI: SYNCRETISM AND SOCIALIZED AMBIVALENCE ...............................................................................................33 A Historiography of Haitian Vodou ............................................................................. 33 Syncretism and Socialized Ambivalence as Illustrated through Modern Vodou Pilgrimage ..................................................................................................................... 38 Saut d’Eau ................................................................................................................. 49 Plaine-du-Nord .......................................................................................................... 50 Cave Pilgrimages ...................................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 3: METHODS AND DATA COLLECTION .........................................52 Material Culture ............................................................................................................ 53 Observation at a Distance ............................................................................................. 54 Participant Observation ................................................................................................. 54 Interviews ...................................................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER 4: THE CAVES ...............................................................................57 What is a Cave? ............................................................................................................ 57 Geology of Haiti ........................................................................................................... 57 The Northern Department ......................................................................................... 57 Artibonite Department .............................................................................................. 58 Department of the South-East ................................................................................... 58 Department of the South-West .................................................................................. 59 Overview of the Caves .................................................................................................. 59 The Caves of Fort Picolet ............................................................................................. 60 Cave N-001 ............................................................................................................... 60 Cave N-003: Gwòt Klemzine .................................................................................... 63 Cave N-004: Agwe ................................................................................................... 64 Cave N-005 ............................................................................................................... 65 Cave N-006 ............................................................................................................... 66 The Other Caves ........................................................................................................... 68 Cave N-007: Bois Caiman ........................................................................................ 68 Cave N-008: Voutamenge ......................................................................................... 69 Cave N-011: Doco and Cave N-012: Saint Francis .................................................. 72 v Cave N-014: Makanal and Cave N-015: Comier ...................................................... 75 Cave SE-001: Grotte Jeannette ................................................................................. 77 Cave SW-001: Marie-Jeanne .................................................................................... 80 CHAPTER 5: THE RITUALS ............................................................................83 Mèt Tet Ceremony ........................................................................................................ 83 Other Types of Rituals .................................................................................................. 91 CHAPTER 6: THE RITUAL ASSEMBLAGE ......................................................94 Rum ............................................................................................................................... 98 Candles ........................................................................................................................ 100 Scents .......................................................................................................................... 105 Dolls ............................................................................................................................ 106 Vèvè ............................................................................................................................ 109 Prayer sheets ............................................................................................................... 110 Stamp Money .............................................................................................................. 111 Lanterns ...................................................................................................................... 112 Clothing ...................................................................................................................... 114 Animal Offerings ........................................................................................................ 115 Other Offerings ........................................................................................................... 117 CHAPTER 7: THE PEOPLE ...........................................................................119 Toni ............................................................................................................................. 122 Nadège ........................................................................................................................ 123 Samara and Marie ....................................................................................................... 124 Maxi ............................................................................................................................ 125 Abraham ...................................................................................................................... 126 Michèle ....................................................................................................................... 126 Anide ........................................................................................................................... 127 Henri ........................................................................................................................... 128 Junior .......................................................................................................................... 130 Ingrid ........................................................................................................................... 131 Wilson ........................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • This Document Is the Interim Report for IDB Contract No
    Development of the Industrial Park Model to Improve Trade Opportunities for Haiti – HA-T1074-SN2 FINAL REPORT submitted to September 20, 2010 99 Nagog Hill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720 USA Tel: +1-978-263-7738 e-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.koiosllc.com Table of Contents Executive Summary i I. Introduction 1 A. Background and History 1 B. Haiti’s Current Economic Situation 2 C. Purpose and Objectives of this Study 3 II. Overview of Garment Industry Trends 5 A. The Levelling Playing Field 5 B. Competitive Advantages in the Post-MFA World 7 III. Haiti’s Place in the Post-MFA World 11 A. The Structure of Haiti’s Garment Production 11 B. The Way Forward for Hait’s Garment Industry 14 1. Trade Preference Levels 14 2. How Will Haiti Fit Into Global Supply Chains? 22 3. Beyond HELP 24 C. The Competitive Case for Haiti and the North 27 1. A New Vision for Haiti – Moving on from CMT 27 2. Why the North? 30 D. Garment Manufacturers’ Requirements in North Haiti 32 1. Land 32 2. Pre-built Factory Sheds 33 3. Water and Water Treatment 34 4. Electricity 36 5. Road Transport 37 6. Business Facilitation and Services 37 E. Park Development Guidelines 37 IV. Site Identification, Evaluation, and Selection 43 A. Site Selection Factors and Methodology 43 B. Site Selection 47 1. Regional Context Summary 47 2. Infrastructure Constraints 48 3. Evaluation and Selection Process 50 4. Site Selection Methodology 52 5. Site Ranking and Descriptions 54 C. Development Costs 59 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Case Study of Folk Religion and Migración: La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde
    California State University, Monterey Bay Digital Commons @ CSUMB Capstone Projects and Master's Theses Capstone Projects and Master's Theses 5-2020 A Case Study of Folk Religion and Migración: La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde Zulema Denise Santana California State University, Monterey Bay Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all Recommended Citation Santana, Zulema Denise, "A Case Study of Folk Religion and Migración: La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde" (2020). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 871. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/871 This Capstone Project (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Capstone Projects and Master's Theses at Digital Commons @ CSUMB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Projects and Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CSUMB. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Case Study of Folk Religion and Migración: La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde Global Studies Capstone Project Report Zulema D. Santana May 8th, 2020 California State University Monterey Bay 1 Introduction Religion has helped many immigrants establish themselves in their new surroundings in the United States (U.S.) and on their journey north from Mexico across the US-Mexican border (Vásquez and Knott 2014). They look to their God and then to their Mexican Folk Saints, such as La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde, for protection and strength. This case study focuses on how religion— in particular Folk Saints such as La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde— can give solace and hope to Mexican migrants, mostly Catholics, when they cross the border into the U.S, and also after they settle in the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • I the Sacred Act of Reading: Spirituality, Performance, And
    The Sacred Act of Reading: Spirituality, Performance, and Power in Afro-Diasporic Literature By Anne Margaret Castro Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in English August, 2016 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Vera Kutzinski, Ph.D. Ifeoma Nwankwo, Ph.D. Hortense Spillers, Ph.D. Marzia Milazzo, Ph.D. Victor Anderson, Ph.D. i Copyright © 2016 by Anne Margaret Castro All Rights Reserved To Annette, who taught me the steps. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply grateful for the generous mentoring I have received throughout my graduate career from my committee chairs, Vera Kutzinski and Ifeoma Nwankwo. Your support and attention to this project’s development has meant the world to me. My scholarship has been enriched by the support and insight of my committee members: Hortense Spillers, Marzia Milazzo, and Victor Anderson. I would also like to express my thanks to Kathryn Schwarz and Katie Crawford, who always treated my work as valuable. This dissertation is a testament to the encouragement and feedback I received from my colleagues in the Vanderbilt English department. Thanks to Vera Kutzinski’s generosity of time and energy, I have had the pleasure of growing through sustained scholarly engagement with Tatiana McInnis, Lucy Mensah, RJ Boutelle, Marzia Milazzo and Aubrey Porterfield. I am thankful to Ifeoma Nwankwo’s work with the Drake Fellowship, which gave me the opportunity to conduct oral history interviews with Dr. Erna Brodber and Petal Samuel, in Woodside, Jamaica. My experiences in Jamaica deeply affected the way I approach my scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • Agenda Women's Equality: An
    WOMEN’S EQUALITY: AN AGENDA Women’s Organizations Assess U.S. Government Actions on Implementing the Beijing Platform, 1995–2000 WOME N ’S EQ U ALITY: AN Unfinis h ed Wom e n ’s Organ i z ati o n s Assess U.S . Go ver n m e n t AGE N DA Ac tions on Implementi n g the Beijing Platfo r m , 19 9 5Ð20 0 0 Published by Wom e n ’s Envi ro n m e n t and Devel o p m e n t Or ga n i z ation In coll ab o r ation with: AIDS Legal Referral Panel Center for Policy Alterna t i v e s Center for American Women and Politics Center for Women Policy Studies Communications Consortium Media Center Equality Now Family Violence Prevention Fund Girls Incorporated Institute for Women’s Policy Research In t e r national Women’s Media Foundation Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law National Black Women’s Health Project National Congress of Neighborhood Wom e n National Council for Research on Women National Partnership for Women and Families Women’s Edge Women’s International League for Peace and Free d o m WOMEN’S ENVIRO N M E NT & D E V E LO PM E NT O RG A NI Z ATION (WE D O) 355 Lexington Avenue, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10017-6603, U.S.A Tel: 212-973-0325; Fax: 212-973-0335 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.wedo.org Gopher: gopher.igc.apc.org The Women’s Environment and Development Organization is an international advocacy network that strives for a healthy and peaceful planet, with social, political, economic and environmental justice for all through the empowerment of women in all their diversity participating equally with men in decision-making from grassroots to global arenas.
    [Show full text]
  • The Haitian Revolution
    The Haitian revolution Slide 1: the Haitian revolution The Haitian revolution is the only successful uprising of enslaved people in the Americas. It defeated European armies, but their victory came with a high price. Slide 2: decolonial terminology In our analysis we use terms that are scientifically correct but feels a bit uneasy if you have been trained in the school of colonizing the mind. We don’t use the word plantation but labour camp. Plantation has a romantic association. Labour camp is more precsie because it designates an institution where forced labour is used. We don’t use the word discoverer or planter but the word criminal. In 2001 The United Nations recognized slavery and colonialism as a crime against humanity. If a Surinamese in Holland goes to the supermarket and steals a bottle of lemonade he is called a criminal, not a discoverer. We think that is correc tterm for a thief. In the same way we think it is correct to call a European who steals gold from the Americas a criminal instead of ad iscoverer. In the same way the guy who never planted anything is called a planter, while scientifically it is more correct to call him an enslaver, because enslavement was a his business. When the Germans invaded Holland it was called an occupation, notcolo nization. I think Dutch are correct in their terminology, so the European invasion of the Americas is in their logic an occupation. That logic is correct. I understand that when you have been trained to regard a crime as a scientific achievement you might feel uncomfortable when you keep hearing me using the new terminology.
    [Show full text]
  • Holidays Religion in Haiti
    Bonjou Religion in Haiti Good morning HAITI Most Haitians are Christians (80 percent are Roman Ki jan ou ye? How are you? Catholic; 16 percent are Protestant), and a large portion of the population practices Vodou traditions. Ki jan fanmy ou ye? How is your family? Catholics, Protestants, and members of the Eastern Au revoi Orthodox Church are Christians. Christians are Goodbye followers of Jesus, a carpenter and a Jew from the city of Nazareth in present-day Israel. Christians believe that Holidays Jesus is the only son of God, born of a virgin woman (Mary) in a stable in Bethlehem. His story is told in In their letters, Plan families often refer to the holidays the New Testament of the Christian holy book, the they celebrate. Here are some of them: Bible. The Christian symbol—the cross—reminds the January 1 faithful that Jesus died for them, for the forgiveness Haitian Independence Day of their sins. Christian holidays include Christmas, February/March* which celebrates the birth of Jesus; Good Friday, which Mardi Gras commemorates the death of Jesus on the cross; and March/April* Easter, the most holy of Christian sacred days, which Good Friday/Easter Population 10 million celebrates the resurrection of Jesus on the third day May 18 after his death. Capital City Port-au-Prince Flag Day Vodou is a syncretic religion that originated in Haiti. Official Languages Creole and French November 2 All Souls’ Day It is based on a merging of the beliefs and practices of Per Capita Income US$760/year West African peoples and Roman Catholic Christianity.
    [Show full text]
  • Sankofa Healing: a Womanist Analysis of the Retrieval and Transformation of African Ritual Dance
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Religious Studies Theses Department of Religious Studies 5-9-2015 Sankofa Healing: A Womanist Analysis of the Retrieval and Transformation of African Ritual Dance Karli Sherita Robinson-Myers Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/rs_theses Recommended Citation Robinson-Myers, Karli Sherita, "Sankofa Healing: A Womanist Analysis of the Retrieval and Transformation of African Ritual Dance." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2015. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/rs_theses/48 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Religious Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Religious Studies Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SANKOFA HEALING: A WOMANIST ANALYSIS OF THE RETRIEVAL AND TRANSFORMATION OF AFRICAN RITUAL DANCE by KARLI ROBINSON-MYERS Under the Direction of Monique Moultrie, Ph.D. ABSTRACT African American women who reach back into their (known or perceived) African ancestry, retrieve the rituals of that heritage (through African dance), and transform them to facilitate healing for their present communities, are engaging a process that I define as “Sankofa Healing.” Focusing on the work of Katherine Dunham as an exemplar, I will weave through her journey of retrieving and transforming African dance into ritual, and highlight what I found to be key components of this transformative process. Drawing upon Ronald Grimes’ ritual theory, and engaging the womanist body of thought, I will explore the impact that the process has on African-American women and their communities.
    [Show full text]
  • Popular Religion and Festivals
    12 Popular Religion and Festivals The introduction of Roman Catholicism to the New World was part of the colonizing policy of both the Spanish and the Portuguese, but on Latin American soil Christian beliefs and practices came into contact with those of the native Amerindian peoples, and later with those brought by enslaved Africans and their descendants. Latin American Catholicism has consequently absorbed elements of pre-Columbian reli- gious beliefs and practices, giving rise to what is known as “popular” or “folk” Catholicism. Popular Catholicism has blended elements of differ- ent religions, yet it is still a recognizable mutation of traditional Roman Catholicism. In Mexico, for example, Catholic saints are matched up with pre-Columbian deities, as are Christian festivals with indigenous ones. Similarly, popular religion in the Andean countries must be under- stood in its historical and cultural context, since it is heavily influenced by the experience of conquest and the persistence of indigenous beliefs under a Christian guise. In recent years, Catholicism in Latin America has also become synony- mous with Liberation Theology, with its commitment to social change and improvement of the lot of marginal sectors. This radical theology was announced at Medellín, Colombia, in 1968 with a formal declaration of the Church’s identification with the poor. The doctrine’s complexity and diversity make it difficult to define, but the influence of Marxism is apparent, along with that of pioneering social reformers and educators such as the Brazilian Paulo Freire. Liberation Theology’s most famous advocate is the Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, whose humble origins sharpened his awareness of social problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Dancing Postcolonialism
    Sabine Sörgel Dancing Postcolonialism TanzScripte | edited by Gabriele Brandstetter and Gabriele Klein | Volume 6 Sabine Sörgel (Dr. phil.) teaches the history and theory of theatre and dance at Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz. Her current research includes cross- cultural corporealities, contemporary performance and postcolonial theory. Sabine Sörgel Dancing Postcolonialism The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde vom Fachbereich 05 Philosophie und Philologie der Jo- hannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz im Jahr 2005 als Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie (Dr. phil.) angenommen. Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de © 2007 transcript Verlag, Bielefeld This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License. Layout by: Kordula Röckenhaus, Bielefeld Cover illustration: Rex Nettleford, NDTC’s »moving spirit«, co-founder, princi- pal choreographer, and current Artistic Director. Here seen in lead role of »Myal«. Credits: Photographs: cover illustration and pages 100, 102, 103, 110, 112, 119, 131, 175, 176, 177 courtesy and copyright by Maria LaYacona and NDTC ar- chives; page 140 courtesy and copyright by Denis Valentine and NDTC ar- chives; page 194 courtesy and coypright by W. Sills and NDTC archives. All video stills: courtesy
    [Show full text]
  • Activating the Past
    Activating the Past Activating the Past: History and Memory in the Black Atlantic World Edited by Andrew Apter and Lauren Derby Activating the Past: History and Memory in the Black Atlantic World, Edited by Andrew Apter and Lauren Derby This book first published 2010 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 12 Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2010 by Andrew Apter and Lauren Derby and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-1638-8, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-1638-0 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures and Tables ......................................................................... vii Acknowledgements .................................................................................... xi Introduction .............................................................................................. xiii Andrew Apter and Lauren Derby Chapter One......................................................................................................... 1 Ekpe/Abakuá in Middle Passage: Time, Space and Units of Analysis in African American Historical Anthropology Stephan Palmié Chapter Two.............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Haitian Revolution
    The Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution was a social and political upheaval in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (which shared the island of Hispaniola with the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo) during the period from 1791 to 1804. In 1791, slaves and gens de couleur libres (“free people of color”) rebelled against French rule, and in 1804 declared their country’s independence under the original Arawak name of Haiti. The Haitian Revolution was, along with the American Revolution, one of the most significant and dramatic challenges to European colonialism in the New World, and historians widely regard it as a milestone in the history of Africans in the Americas. The Haitian Revolution is, in fact, the only successful large-scale slave insurrection in history, and it is often seen as initiating the decline of the slave trade. Causes of the Haitian Revolution The colonial economy was export driven, dominated by agriculture and trade. Saint- Domingue, with its tropical climate, was developed as a coffee- and sugar-producing colony, and sustained many large and profitable plantations. By the second half of the 18th century, sugar and coffee were two of the world’s most traded commodities, and Saint-Domingue produced over 60 percent of the world’s coffee and 40 percent of the world’s sugar. This made Saint-Domingue France’s most profitable plantation colony. To meet the growing needs of this plantation system, Saint-Domingue’s colonists continuously expanded the number of slaves. Thus, the colonial economy fueled the social imbalance that led to the revolution. Colonial society, a racist society, was at fault, in part through its own rigidity.
    [Show full text]
  • Republic of Haiti
    Coor din ates: 1 9 °00′N 7 2 °2 5 ′W Haiti Haiti (/ heɪti/ ( listen); French: Haïti [a.iti]; Haitian ˈ Republic of Haiti Creole: Ayiti [ajiti]), officially the Republic of Haiti (French: République d'Haïti; Haitian Creole: Repiblik République d'Haïti (French) [8] [note 1] Ayiti) and formerly called Hayti, is a Repiblik Ayiti (Haitian Creole) sovereign state located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican Republic.[11][12] Haiti is 27 ,7 50 square kilometres (10,7 14 sq mi) in Flag Coat of arms size and has an estimated 10.8 million people,[4] making it the most populous country in the Caribbean Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" (French)[1] Community (CARICOM) and the second-most "Libète, Egalite, Fratènite" (Haitian Creole) populous country in the Caribbean as a whole. The "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" region was originally inhabited by the indigenous Motto on traditional coat of arms: Taíno people. Spain landed on the island on 5 "L'union fait la force" (French) [2] December 1492 during the first voyage of Christopher "Inite se fòs" (Haitian Creole) Columbus across the Atlantic. When Columbus "Union makes strength" initially landed in Haiti, he had thought he had found Anthem: La Dessalinienne (French) [13] India or China. On Christmas Day 1492, Columbus' Desalinyèn (Haitian Creole) flagship the Santa Maria ran aground north of what is "The Dessalines Song" 0:00 MENU now Limonade.[14][15][16][17] As a consequence, Columbus ordered his men to salvage what they could from the ship, and he created the first European settlement in the Americas, naming it La Navidad after the day the ship was destroyed.
    [Show full text]