Voodoo was largely practiced by african and indian slaves in the southern regions of the united states and the west indies. Includes the powerful amengansie slave tradition of calling on the dead, ritual spiritual services, ancestral lineage resurrection, initiation, books from an african diaspora perspective and much more. Second essay due week xiii french west africa in fiction gods bits of wood november 23 rd. The forms of voodoo practiced today, however, are the results of one of the most inhuman episodes in modern history the african slave trade that took place between the 16 th and 19 th centuries. Worship of the vodun is the original source of the haitian religion of vodou, which emerged as a syncretism of african, roman catholic, and caribbean religious traditions by. Vodun is not essentially monotheistic so i think the article would benefit from not stating that.
In west african traditions, land belongs to the person who works it. This book could not have been completed without the support and commitment. The term vodun is derived from the god vodun, who was worshiped by west african yoruba men and women who lived in 18th and 19th century dahomey. Trade, islam and the great sudanic empires september 7 th. However, its origins in africa date back over 6,000 years. Though designed as a textbook for courses in african history, it aims at a broader conception of the nature of history than is found in textbooks of the history of other continents. They range from a fon language book to exoteric and esoteric treatise on west african vodun and isese. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural, include belief in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme creator, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic and traditional. Candomble, lucumi, macumba, and yoruba general background.
Dreams 1993 and voodoo season 2005 are the first two books in a. Cartography and empire building in nineteenthcentury west africa. The cultural area of the fon, ewe, and yoruba peoples share common metaphysical conceptions around a dual cosmological divine principle nana buluku, the god creator, and the vodunss or godactors, daughters and sons of the creators twin. This 735page book, with 1,200 verses many odu including both yoruba and english, provides a good and reliable source of ifa and is a culmination of seven years of compiling and. Its strongest influence came from the west african kingdom of. T he vodoun vudu voodoo vodou vodun vaudou vaudaux religion at its cosmological, theological, ritual and philosophical core, is an african ancestral religion, practiced today largely in west africa, haiti and througout the diaspora. Since then, the literature on the history of africa has grown considerably in both scope and quality, and many new themes have appeared.
Click download or read online button to get shango book now. The west african area is important because this is where the majority of slaves departed for the new world. A new history of empire in early and medieval west africa hardcover by. Voodoo dolls are the akodessewa voodoo fetish market in togo. Area of west african vodun practice, the religion with the greatest influence on haitian vodou. Popular history africa books showing 150 of 782 king leopolds ghost kindle edition by. This expansion, encouraged by contemporary trends in globalization and transnationalism such as spiritual tourism. Chapter 5 places african american supernaturalism in context by discussing its impact on other areas of american life. Cartography in the traditional african, american, arctic, australian, and. Beautiful site featuring an accurate portrayal of the vodoun and mami wata religion, and its dynamic comeback in america. A brief west african history, its past civilization and tourist attractions. Haitian vodou and voodoo scholars at harvard harvard university. A serious study that concentrates on the hidden power of objects.
Main political facts of wet africa since independence are summarized in an easytoremember table. Contrary to popular beliefs, in west african vodun, spells are not cast upon someone. Dollars and dreams west africans in new yorkliving memory j the geography of west african history mabogunje, the land and peoples of west africa, in j. It has been suggested that voodoo in west africa evolved from the ancient traditions of ancestor worship and animism. Intended to provide help for those interested in studying west african literature, this book is divided into three parts. Download shango or read online books in pdf, epub, tuebl, and mobi format. West african vodun simple english wikipedia, the free. Whatever is created belongs to the creatorsnot to the god that created them, and certainly not to the colonist or slavemaster. The special features of hoodoo, voodoo, and conjure complete the work and make it the best available reference on african american folk religion and magic available. Luis nicolau paress reputation as a critical scholar for the study of the african diaspora in brazil is welldeserved. The text is very informative and wellresearched, and, as the blurb on the back of the book confirms the book is of crucial interest to anyone fascinated by african, african american, and caribbean art, the african diaspora and the traditions of voudou and vodun, and also. Hwlengan is the only existing codified holy book of african vodun. The history of africa 73 military history lamphear 2007, fighting for britain.
Discover the best west african history in best sellers. Vodun meaning spirit in the fon and ewe languages, pronounced with a nasal hightone u. A handbook is a unique work that seeks to fill gaps in public knowledge and to provide muchneeded correctives when public perception diverges from facts. Several hybrid forms of worship, of which the best known is santeria, were created by deliberate conflation of yoruba spiritual entities with. Sabbenclare, african troops in asia, african affairs, v, 44 1945, no. In recent years, a few books have attempted similar tasks. I think the article should just try to give an accurate account of west african vodun and not be burdened with trying to bump it up some superiority scale which some christians or europeans or monotheists may hold. European colonialism, chiefdoms, traditional beliefs in sorcery and witchcrafts celebration after midnight, cultural heritage, how women secret societies operate and their initiation. Haitian vodou project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The chosen sacred spiritual path of choice of millions across the world.
African spirituality is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the black conscious community. This book celebrates the coming age of african history, representing a quarter of a century of research by scholars from africa, europe and america. At kilombo productions publications, we are dedicated to delivering the highest levels of scholarship and professionalism. The traditional african religions or traditional beliefs and practices of african people are a set of highly diverse beliefs that includes various ethnic religions. A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at in west african vodun adya hountt is a loa associated with. Vodun is a religion in which an important part is devoted to the cult of the ancestors. European colonialism, followed by some of the totalitarian regimes in west africa, have tried to suppress vodun as well as other african indigenous religions. Popular african history books goodreads share book. Practitioners of traditional yoruba religion believe in a pantheon of 401 gods known as orisha who govern various aspects of the world and human life. The yoruba people inhabit the southwestern part of modern day nigeria and the southern part of benin. A skeptics journey through sex, politics and religion.
One such author, william seabrook, wrote a novel called magic island, in which he spins. That country occupied parts of todays togo, benin and nigeria. Yorubaland, bamana, and mande territories in west africa, with. Angola derived vodun beliefs in the transcendental moral powers of. Louisiana also retains a population of african, creole and french descendants who practice voodoo. The gullah, african descendants living in south carolina and georgia, are prominent voodooists. Worship of the vodun is the original source of the haitian religion of vodou, which emerged as a syncretism of african, roman catholic, and caribbean religious traditions by african slaves in hai. The name was derived from the god vodun of the west african yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century dahomey.
Ritual and religious specialists among the devotees of the vodun divinities in benin any initiate may become a receptacle of the gods. West african beliefs, mingled with christian ones among slaves in the new world, have yielded an interesting belief set that continues to fascinate people globally. Vodun is only a spiritual cult in which an important part is devoted to the cult of the ancestors. This is the starting point for the chapter that follows, which is devoted to books on the history of africa published between 2004 and the middle of 2010. The united nations defines western africa as the 16 countries of benin, burkina faso, cape verde, the gambia, ghana, guinea, guineabissau, ivory coast, liberia, mali, mauritania, niger, nigeria, senegal, sierra leone and togo, as well as the united kingdom overseas territory of saint helena, ascension and tristan da cunha. Although oshun also spelt osun is regarded principally as a goddess of love, there are. Throughout the region, voodoo originally known as vodun, which means the hidden or the mystery, and sometimes now spelled voudoun influences every aspect of life the way people do business, divvy up food, haggle over bush taxi fares. Chapter 3 in the history of cartography volume 2, book three. New maps illustrate the major themes of west african history. Hence large elements of west african, particularly yoruba, religion blended with catholicism can be found in religions such as vodun also known as voodoo haiti, candomble brazil and santeria carribean. Media in category west african vodun the following 141 files are in this category, out of 141 total. The origins of voodoo, the misunderstood religion ancient. Vodun is practiced by the fon people of benin, and southern and central togo.
Apr 21, 2015 it has been suggested that voodoo in west africa evolved from the ancient traditions of ancestor worship and animism. During the second world war, journal of african history, 26 1985, 36380. Bo is an occult science whose priest are called bokonon or bokotonon in opposition to vodunsi vodun female priestess and vodunon vodun male priest. T he vodoun vudu voodoo vodou vodun vaudou vaudaux religion at its cosmological, theological, ritual and philosophical core, is an african ancestral religion, practiced today largely in west africa, haiti and througout the diaspora its fundamental tenants are the honoring of specialized deities typically born to africans and honored along with their ancient, and recent. Readings and films africa and the politics of knowledge.
Kilombo books applicable info on west afrikan vodun, and. For the purposes of this book, west africa can be said to be that part of africa which is bounded by the atlantic ocean in the west and south, by the sahara desert in the north, and in the east by a line corresponding approximately to the present eastern boundary of the british colony of nigeria. As confusing as spirituality can be, there are 4 easy ways to develop your spirituality, with or without religion. Interweaving three centuries of transatlantic religious and social history with historical and presentday ethnography, luis nicolau pares traces the formation of candomble, one of the most influential africanderived religious forms in the african diaspora, with practitioners today centered in brazil but also living in europe and elsewhere in the americas. Fondation cartier pour lart contemporain recommended for you. Mar 14, 2016 west african vodun world relgions project.
Jan 11, 20 voodoo is a fusion of religious practices from africa that takes on different characteristics and emphases when practiced in various locations. Vodoun, voudou, voodoo, sevi lwa is commonly called voodoo vudu by the public. He is also the author of a powerful 6 hour video series entitled esoteric vodun series. Ancient afrikan sacred text is a collection of 255 of the 256 odu ifa sacred verses there are no verses from ofun ogbe as taught in the isese ifaorisha tradition of the yoruba. Eric ed037464 an introduction to west african literature. West african voodoo has been less influenced than other forms of voodoo because it is practiced in the place of its origination, yet christianitys influence, particularly roman catholicism, is significant. Feb 05, 2012 the seven african powers siete potencias the religion of the west african yoruba people was forced underground by centuries of slavery in the americas. Between 1730 and 1750, domingos alvares traversed the colonial atlantic world like few africans of his timefrom africa to south america to europe. The role of colonies in british imperial wars jackson 2010.
Most were concerned with the history of west africa, and many were produced in collaboration with michael crowder. Included among his literary credits is editorship of africa in the nineteenth century until the 1880s, the seventh volume in the massive unesco general history of africa. His research, bridging both history and anthropology, has brought important changes in the way scholars have understood the crafting of ethnicity and religion by african arrivals to the new world. Vodun cosmology centers around the vodun spirits and other elements of divine essence that govern the earth, a hierarchy that range in power from major deities governing the forces of nature and human society to the spirits of individual streams, trees, and rocks, as well as dozens of ethnic vodun, defenders of a certain clan, tribe, or nation. Whereas vodun is openended, unfinished, and a holistic way of being and seeing in real life, the media and popular culture of the west turns it into something less. It was compiled from ancient sources by his majesty axosu agelogbagan agbovi i, the king of. His imperial majesty axosu agelogbagan agbovi i is the author of a catalog of 20 profound and very lifeapplicable books on indigenous west afrikan vodun and isese ifaorisa traditions, written from the ancient authentic perspective, yet new afrikan current diaspora historical and political reality in approach. Ask 3 people to define it and you will get three different answers. West african vodun news newspapers books scholar jstor february 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message.
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