Vodou - Dispelling Misconceptions About Vodou

Dispelling Misconceptions About Vodou

There are many popular misconceptions about the sacred religion of Vodou.  Hollywood and the media have picked up obscure or trivial aspects of the religion and used these for their own purposes.  This is fine, but unfortunately, it is theses images that stick in people's minds.  Probably the most misunderstood aspects of Vodou are Voodoo dolls and zombies.

Voodoo dolls are so associated with Vodou that they have taken on the name of the religion.  In fact, the tradition of using "Voodoo dolls" in ritual and as a focus of intention is common the world over, in many cultures.  When it comes to Vodou, though, the Voodoo doll is actually a very minor part of the religion.  It figures more strongly in New Orleans Voodoo.  Some have speculated that the practice of sticking pins in a doll's body to do harm was practiced by slaves in retaliation against their owners. 

Zombies have become incredibly popular in the culture, with movies about them, such as Night of the Living Dead  attaining cult status.  An entire mystique has grown up around zombies, with websites devoted to "reanimation prevention and control," and the like.  Zombies do have their roots in Vodou, but the tradition of Haitian zombies bears little resemblance to the current popular image. 

What, exactly, is a zombie?  The technical definition is that it is an animated body devoid of a soul.  Zombies are most often reanimated from the dead.  They are the undead, existing in a dark state somewhere between life and death.  Science has not yet definitively proven the existence of zombies, or even how they work.  But many have tried.  Between 1982 and 1984, the anthropologist and ethnobotanist, Dr. Wade Davis, visited Haiti, eager to discover scientific proof of zombies.

Davis was operating on the theory that a drug induced the zombie state, and he felt that if such a drug could be found, it might have promising medical uses.   Davis found that sorcerers used concoctions in the form of ground plant and animal parts in their rituals.  Davis collected samples of this "zombie powder" in various areas throughout Haiti and found that  one of the main ingredients was powder from the puffer fish.  At very high doses, the powder from puffer fish can put a person into a near-death state for days.  While in this state, the afflicted person still appears to be conscious. 

The other crucial ingredient for creating zombies came from the datura plant, and caused the person to appear to have no will of his or her own.  Davis theorized that Haitians might be influenced by their culture and belief system to feel they had been made into a zombie by the bokor, when in reality they had simply been poisoned.  Some of Davis's research has since been called into question, and so the mystery of zombies remains.  But be aware that they are not a particularly common part of the religion.

In my next post, I'll take an in-depth look at the all-important loa.

If you're as excited as I am and want to learn all about the practice of Vodou, check out my guide, the Power of Voodoo. 

Tags: haitian vodou, haiti voodoo, book on voodoo