Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, often referred to as New Orleans Voodoo, is a syncretic religious practice that emerged from the cultural fusion of African traditions, particularly those of the Fon people, and elements of Roman Catholicism, alongside unique folk magic from the American South. This religious tradition developed during the colonial period, influenced by the transatlantic slave trade and the subsequent integration of diverse ethnic groups in Louisiana, including French, Spanish, Native American, and African peoples. Louisiana Voodoo is centered around the worship of a singular deity known as Bondyé, as well as a pantheon of spirits called Lwa, some of which correlate with Catholic saints.
Rituals are led by priests (houngan) and priestesses (mambo) and often involve offerings, possession ceremonies, and ancestor worship. One of the most notable figures in this tradition is Marie Laveau, known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, who practiced and popularized the religion in the 19th century. Despite facing historical misconceptions and societal stigma, Louisiana Voodoo continues to be a significant aspect of New Orleans culture, attracting both locals and tourists. However, the number of practitioners has declined, particularly after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, yet it remains an enduring element of the region's rich cultural heritage.
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Louisiana Voodoo
Voodoo is one of several syncretic religious traditions to emerge in the Americas as part of the cultural legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and the African diaspora. Syncretism is the blending of elements from two or more distinct religions to create a new religious practice, a syncretic religion. Various syncretic religions developed in the territories of the New World colonized by the French, Spanish, and Portuguese during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; some of the best known include Santeria (found in some Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean and South America), Candomblé (practiced in parts of Brazil), and Voodoo. To be precise, Voodoo is not actually a singular religion, but two distinct religious practices that are frequently conflated as the singular Voodoo: Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo. The media and general public rarely refer to either the Haitian or Louisianan varieties by their technical spellings and use the generic "Voodoo" spelling instead, which has caused confusion and generated misconceptions about the two syncretisms. In reality, Louisiana Voodoo (sometimes called New Orleans Voodoo) is quite distinct from Haitian Vodou in several respects pertaining to beliefs and practices. Although Vodou and Voodoo have long been viewed suspiciously in mainstream American society and have been widely misunderstood and misrepresented, Louisiana Voodoo continues to play a major role in the cultural life of New Orleans, serving as a major tourist draw to the city.
Background
The origins of syncretic religions of the African diaspora, including Voodoo, stem from French, Spanish, and Portuguese colonization of the Caribbean region in the 1500s and 1600s. As these European powers conquered territories in the Americas, they came into contact with different indigenous tribal groups who had their own religious practices. With the rise of plantation-based economies throughout the Americas, millions of slaves were forcibly taken from central and western Africa and brought to the New World as a critical labor force. Slaves came from dozens of distinct ethnic and cultural backgrounds, each with their own unique languages, identities, customs, and religions. The Vatican encouraged Catholic France, Spain, and Portugal to use their colonies in the Americas to spread their faith by seeking to convert African slaves and indigenous peoples to Catholicism. These African and indigenous converts often blended elements of Christianity with their traditional religious practices among themselves. Some slaves began to reconfigure the many gods, goddesses, and spirits of their religions as Catholic saints and reinterpreted some of their beliefs in terms of Christian theology—thus setting the stage for the emergence of syncretic religions in the region.
During its period under French colonial rule, a large number of slaves taken to Louisiana belonged to the Fon tribe of the present-day nation of Benin. In the Fon language, the term vodoun means "spirit" or "god." Fon slaves, along with other Africans, brought their religious faith, healing practices, and other aspects of spirituality with them to southern Louisiana. Under French authority and the Code Noir (Black Codes), slave owners were generally prohibited from breaking up families and urged to keep families intact, which facilitated the preservation of important elements of Fon spirituality. Over time, a large population of free blacks (known as gens de couleur libres, or "free people of color") became established in the New Orleans region—driven largely by immigration from Haiti in the early 1800s after Haiti gained its independence from France.
New Orleans was one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse cities in the United States at the time, and its various peoples—including French, Spanish, Native American, Haitian, and African (both slave and free)—intermarried and had children at a relatively high rate. This cultural and physical mixing made Louisiana Voodoo less taboo and more acceptable among more affluent, Catholic residents of southern Louisiana. The term "creole" refers to this multicultural mixture of southern Louisiana, particularly in terms of the region’s population, food traditions, and distinct linguistic features.
Overview
As a religious practice, Louisiana Voodoo is a blend of traditional Fon spirituality merged with elements of Roman Catholic theology and saints and certain aspects of folk magic unique to regions in the US South. Voodoo is monotheistic; participants worship Bondyé, the "good lord." They also worship a host of spirits called Lwa (or Loa), some of which are associated with or synonymous with Catholic saints. Rituals are conducted by priests (houngan) and priestesses (mambo). During rituals, Voodooists will offer food to the Lwa, commune with Lwa through possession, and practice ancestor worship.
The most famous practitioner of Louisiana Voodoo in history is Marie Laveau (1794-–-1881, though some sources list her birth year as 1801), a Creole native of New Orleans who was the illegitimate daughter of a rich plantation owner of French descent and his mistress of African and Native American heritage. Although a devout Catholic, Laveau became known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans in the decades before the Civil War, performing public Voodoo religious rituals in the city’s Congo Square, reading people’s fortunes, making Voodoo amulets (gris-gris), performing healing ceremonies for the sick, and holding Voodoo services in the French Quarter.
Approximately 2,500 to -3,000 New Orleans residents practiced Louisiana Voodoo in the early 2000s. Most of the adherents at the time were lower-income residents living in the city’s Ninth Ward. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and the Ninth Ward in particular, in 2005, displacing many inhabitants and dramatically decreasing the number of Voodoo practitioners in the city. As of 2014, an estimated 300 to -400 Voodoo adherents remained in New Orleans, according to Newsweek. Nevertheless, Voodoo remains an important element of southern Louisiana history and culture.
Bibliography
Ambrose, Kala. Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends, and Cities of the Dead. Covington: Clerisy, 2012. Print.
Anderson, Stacey. "Voodoo Is Rebounding in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina." Newsweek. Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 7 July 2016.
Haas, Saumya Arya. "What Is Voodoo? Understanding a Misunderstood Religion." Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Feb. 2011. Web. 7 July 2016.
Kelly, Kim. "From Benin to Bourbon Street: A Brief History of Louisiana Voodoo." Vice. Vice Media, 5 Oct. 2014. Web. 7 July 2016.
Murphy, Michael. Fear Dat New Orleans: A Guide to the Voodoo, Vampires, Graveyards & Ghosts of the Crescent City. New York: Countryman, 2015. Print.
Ulysse, Gina. "How Vodoun Became ‘Voodoo’ and Vodou." Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 9 Jan. 2013. Web. 7 July 2016.