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Haitian Voodoo
Comet
07-16-2006
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Haitian Voodoo is a combined tradition of the different African Vodun traditions. Different traditions came together in Haiti by the force of slavery to compel the different slaves to join together in a common tradition. The similar ancestral backgrounds effected the slaves of Haiti to join together and synthesize their traditions. This lead to a new common religion among them and still effects their lives today.
The slaves had a hard life of work in the fields. Coffee and sugar field work mostly, but were given shelter to sleep at night. It was at night that the slaves would come together to practice their ancient African Vodun traditions. Even though they were of different tribes and rituals, they came together under a common form of community by being oppressed. This community would become its own religion and nation, forever effecting the way the people lived.
African of the Vodun religions were first brought to Haiti by the Spaniards as early as the late 1490’s. The African Vodoun traditions were taken to Haiti by the slaves the Spaniards brought. While there were many different tribes with many different beliefs, the small island of Hispanola would bring these different beliefs together in one great way.
The country now called Haiti went through many changes, though the slaves remained. The French officially took over the island in 1624 after Spain had abandoned most of the island.. The lives of the slaves pretty much remained the same regardless of who controlled them since the late 1490’s. The lives of the slaves would remain the same until the late 1700’s.
Both the Spanish and the French were Christian countries that imposed this religion upon the African (Vodun) slaves. Slaves were forced to attend service of mass and were supposed to give up their pagan traditions. Yet, the influence of the church was limited in the Carribean. The African slaves were still able to practice their Vodun traditions in secret.
Slaves would attend Christian services regularly. It was only in private that they could practice their Vodun traditions and ways. With such a mixture of African tribes brought together under the Spanish and French, they were more able to share the differences in their traditions. The differences were brought together by the similar enemy of slavery. Thus, the religion of Haitian Voodoo would be born.
In the 1790’s, the slaves who numbered over 500,000 began to arise against their oppressors. The religious traditions would play a big part in the role of the revolution, as well as the future of the nation. The Vodun tradition of drumming during ceremonies was made into a common language during the revolt.
Thanks to the common beliefs and gathering of different Vodun traditions to overthrow their common oppressors, the slave revolt was successful. With their common language of drumming, a shared enemy, and a wish for the ways of the spirit and ancestor to survive; the Voodoo tradition united the people of Haiti together successfully. They were declared independent in 1804.
Haiti was the first independent black nation of the Western world, and the second independent nation of the Western world. The religions beliefs that came together under Haitian Voodoo still bind the people there today. In 2003, Voodoo was recognized as a legal religion in Haiti. Though Haiti is the poorest nation of the Western world its people still prosper under the Voodoo religion, for it still binds them together.
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