Haitian Vodou
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Vodouisants navigate their way deep inside a grotto once inhabited by the Taino Indians to make their requests of the Lwa who serve them.
Several times a day, light casts down from an opening at the highest point of the grotto ceiling, during these times, many Vodouisants can be found making their requests to the Lwa. It was that same light that the Taino Indians in that region centered many of their rituals.
A Vodou priestess (Mambo) begins to invoke the spirits (Loa/Lwa) during the feast day of St. Francis De Assisi in a remote region of Haiti.
Two Vodouisants engaged in the Banda.
After the spirit Ghede shows up, Vodouisants perform the Banda. The Banda is a dance that closely mimics the bumps and grinds of sexual intercourse. The Banda is accompanied with drumming and songs which honors the Ghede.
Each year Vodouisants from all over Haiti make the long pilgrimage to the Grotto of St. Francis de Assisi in the Artibonite mountain region of Haiti. During the fete worshipers may make sacrifices to honor the Iwa and also in gratitude for favors granted or as a payment to a promise made the year prior. Hundreds of animals are sacrificed in and around the cave, which was once inhabited by Taino Indians.
A member of a Vodou Sosyete is overcome by an Iwa (spiritual entity) as a the Hougan (Vodou Priest) helps guide him through the trance like state.
Each year Vodouisants from all over Haiti make the long pilgrimage to the Grotto of St. Francis de Assisi in the Artibonite mountain region of Haiti. During the fete worshipers may make sacrifices to honor the Iwa and also in gratitude for favors granted or as a payment to a promise made the year prior. Hundreds of animals are sacrificed in and around the grotto, which was once inhabited by Taino Indians.
Legba is one of the most important spirits within the hierarchy of Vodou. “Papa Legba” as he is affectionately known is the guardian of the gates, crossroads and of all Vodou temples. Legba is the intermediary between the living and spiritual world, and his powers are necessary for interaction with the Loas. Because of this privilege, legba is always the first invoked during a Vodou ceremony.
Although his possessions can be extremely violent, Legba is caring in nature and polite.
A Houngan is overcome by a spirit while dancing the Banda.
The Banda is a dance that closely mimics the bumps and grinds of sexual intercourse. The Banda is accompanied with drumming and songs, which honors the Ghede (the beloved spirits who serve as an intermediaries between the living and the dead, they are also the spirits of fertilization).
Several times a day, light casts down from an opening at the highest point of the grotto ceiling, during these times, many Vodouisants can be found making their requests to the Lwa. It was that same light that the Taino Indians in that region centered many of their rituals.
Vodouisants offer a sacrificial goat food in the hopes that it will eat. If an animal refuses to eat its non-participation is taken as a sign that it is not willing to give its consent to be killed.
A mambo (Vodou priestess) is overcome by an Iwa (spiritual entity) as she enters a trance like state.
A Hougan (or Hougan) uses talc power to refresh and purify a sacrificial offering. The meat and hide will then be eaten and shared amongst that family or others in need.
A member of a Vodou Sosyete is overcome by an Iwa (spiritual entity) as she enters a trance like state.
A member of a Vodou Sosyete is overcome by an Iwa (spiritual entity) as she enters a trance like state.
Once the animal is sacrificed, the meat is prepared and eaten by the congregation. Some remains, such as the hide can be used to make ritual objects such as drums skins or simply left as an offering to the Lwa.
