COPYRIGHT 1996 - Mambo Racine Sans Bout
No reproduction without consent of author
Racial and ethnic affiliation, and participation in Afro-Caribbean religions, is sometimes a
topic of discussion. In Vodou, racial, ethnic, or national origin is no bar to participation.
Now, having said that, let me examine the matter in more detail. In Vodou, the majority of
participants are, not surprisingly, black Haitians. There are also many Haitians of mixed ethnicity,
for example Haitian-Syrian, or Haitian-Dominican, and many mulatto Haitians who are
congregation members and even clergypeople. There are also foreign participants and clergy,
including white French, Canadians, Latin Americans of various nationalities, and black and white
Americans.
There is an unspoken understanding among some unscrupulous Houngans and Mambos that they
will never reveal the "secrets" of Vodou, meaning correct information and authentic initiation and
ordination, to a person who is not both black and Haitian. It should be noted however, that these
unscrupulous individuals do not hesitate to take the money of non-black non-Haitians, perform
bogus ceremonies for them, and load them down with committments to the same Houngan or
Mambo who does not keep up their end of the bargain. This is vile, and the trend is away from
this practice, as with the advent of world communication networks these victims often proudly
proclaim themselves to be Houngans, Mambos, or whatever, and then are unmasked by legitimate
practitioners - all of which reflects badly on the Houngan or Mambo who performed the bogus
ceremonies in the first place.
Houngans or Mambos who make statements like, "There is a rule in Haiti. No whites get
initiated into the Voodoo. Why? Because the whites have brought slavery", are just plain lying -
and again, I point out that such Houngans and Mambos themselves very often have white initiates,
whom they charge exhorbitant amounts of money for inauthentic procedures.
It is worth noting that there are lwa of various ethnic groups - Maman Brigitte, who is
Mistress of the Cemetery and a very important lwa, is a white Englishwoman. There is even a
song sung for her which begins, Maman Brigitte, li soti nan anglete, Maman Brigitte, she
comes from England. (I think that in Haiti, anglete used to refer to all the British Isles, as
Brigid is a Celtic goddess.) Erzulie Freda is also a white woman, and is represented by the image
of the Mater Dolorosa, surrounded by jewels and gold. Light skinned or white women in Haiti
are considered to be virtually a manifestation of Freda, and are often candidates for possession by
Freda. Maitre Agwe (Met Agwe in Creole) who is a lwa of the sea and husband of
La Sirene (Yemaya in the orisha tradition) is considered to be a
mulatto with green eyes. Some Simbi lwa, who are identified with fresh water, are said to have
long, straight hair.
There are lwa of various African ethnic groups, of course, and even Muslim lwa - the lwa Senego
(Senegal, I suppose) greets people with the words, Salaam aleikum, and the phrase a
salam alay is frequently repeated in Vodou songs for this lwa and also, interestingly, for
certain Kongo lwa. There are also possessions by entities who are Roman Catholic in origin - St.
Jacques Majeur (St. James the Greater), Saint Jean Baptiste (St. John the Baptist), and Sainte
Therese to name a few.
My initiatory Houngan pointed out that in every country there are Crossroads (Maitre
Carrefour), forests (Grand Bwa), and cemeteries (Baron, Maman Brigitte), and that everyone has
ancestors (Ghede lwa). I have a personal lwa of Native American origins, who insists on being
fed corn and beans, and roast wild birds (to my chagrin). Some of the Petro lwa are of Native
American origins also, having been adopted from the aboriginal Taino and Carib inhabitants of
Haiti.
The issue I see with white or foreign initiates in Vodou is one of respect - uncounted numbers
of Africans were tortured or even killed to suppress African self-determination, and respect is due
them. Often enough anthropologists, graduate students, or simple tourists, usually white but not
always, go to Haiti, spend a few months, and come back proclaiming themselves authorities on
Vodou, or become phony Mambos or phony Houngans, or whatever. This is disrespectful,
although sometimes the visitors are duped, and really do believe that they have been initiated
correctly. Without a basic competence in Haitian Creole, it is difficult to understand the nuances
of what is happening in a ceremony; and even Haitian candidates undergo a long period of
study.
Even a non-Creole speaking person can be initiated, as long as the ceremonies are correct. That
person, however, will not have much understanding of the religion, and should refrain from
discussing much beyond their own personal experiences.
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