Marie Laveau
Marie Laveau, born in 1794 in New Orleans, was a prominent figure in the history of Voodoo and is often referred to as the "Voodoo Queen" of the city. As a free woman of mixed heritage, she navigated the complexities of race and gender in a time when both were significant social barriers. Laveau was raised as a devout Roman Catholic and married Jacques Paris, although they had no children together. After his death, she became a successful hairdresser, gaining access to the elite of New Orleans and accumulating valuable information that aided her rise in social and political influence.
In the 1830s, she embraced her role as a Voodoo priestess, blending her Catholic beliefs with Voodoo practices. Known for her charitable acts and her ability to wield power over those who feared her, Laveau's reputation grew through a mix of community support and the mystique surrounding her practices. Despite the many legends and rumors surrounding her life, Laveau's influence as a strong black woman in a male-dominated society remains significant. She passed away in 1881, but her legacy endures, notably through visits to her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, where people continue to leave offerings in her memory.
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Subject Terms
Marie Laveau
American priestess and practitioner of Voodoo
- Born: 1794
- Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Died: June 15, 1881
- Place of death: New Orleans, Louisiana
Cause of notoriety: Laveau, using her shrewd knowledge of the social and political system of New Orleans, her Voodoo practice, and her many informants and spies, influenced large numbers of influential and prominent people, as well as many members of the lower classes, in New Orleans society.
Active: 1830’s-1881
Locale: New Orleans, Louisiana
Early Life
Marie Laveau (lah-VOH) was born as a free mulatto in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1794. Very little about her life is known to be factual, with many of the stories about her simply rumor or speculation. She was said to be the daughter of a wealthy white planter and a mulatto woman with a mix of Indian blood. She was raised as a devout Roman Catholic and was known to be friends with Père Antoine, who was chaplain at St. Louis Cathedral. On August 4, 1819, at age twenty-five, she married a local free black man, Jacques Paris, at St. Louis Cathedral. His death was recorded in 1820. They apparently had no children.
Laveau next became a hairdresser, serving the elite women of New Orleans in their homes. She took a lover, Louis Christophe Duminy de Glapion, and lived with him until his death in 1835. They had fifteen children. It was sometime in the 1830’s that Laveau became a Voodoo priestess. Much of the information about her career is based on newspaper accounts at the time, as well as legend and oral tradition.
Priestess Career
It is unknown how Laveau developed her passion for the practice of Voodoo. However, the custom of the time was for women of the elite to talk carelessly and pass confidential information while in the company of black servants. Laveau’s position as a hairdresser visiting homes of the wealthy put her in an excellent position to obtain access to information that could easily be used to gain both social and political power. Laveau was also known to have practiced charitable acts among the poor and sick, especially in prisons, and helped nurse the ill during a yellow fever epidemic. However, she was ruthless in exercising power over those who greatly feared her, many of them of high social standing. Her power and reputation were earned through her shrewd knowledge of the social and political system and her many informants and spies, as well as her Voodoo spells. Laveau mixed her Catholic beliefs with her Voodoo practice.
Laveau ceased to practice Voodoo late in life and once again apparently became a devout Catholic. The death of Laveau was announced in the New Orleans newspapers on June 16, 1881. People reported seeing her long after that date, but it was probably her daughter, Marie, who looked like her and inherited her position, although she never reached the level of power or influence of her mother.
Impact
Marie Laveau, through her notoriety and visibility, became a renowned, influential, and powerful woman at a time when women had very little power. In addition, she was a black woman in a time of slavery, which made her status even more remarkable. While many of the stories told of Laveau are unproven, they have become legend and an important part of the history of New Orleans. Many still visit her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery Number 1 to leave offerings.
Bibliography
Asbury, Herbert. The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld. 1936. Reprint. New York: Capricorn Books, 1968. This history covers many aspects of early infamous New Orleaners and the French Quarter and includes information on both Voodoo and Laveau. Asbury cites contemporary newspaper accounts and publications of the time.
Duggal, Barbara. “Marie Laveau: The Voodoo Queen Reposessed.” In Creole: The History and the Legacy of Louisiana’s Free People of Color, edited by Sybil Kein. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2000. Discusses the role of Laveau as a free mulatto woman and her contributions to Creole history in Louisiana.
Martinez, Raymond. Mysterious Marie Laveau: Voodoo Queen and Folk Tales Along the Mississippi. Jefferson, La.: Hope, 1956. Martinez’s accounts of Laveau are based on various newspaper stories of the time, public records, and folklore.