Written and researched by Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewska

The purpose of this page is to give a very brief overlook of the religion called Voodoo as it exists in Haiti. This is a supplementary article to the series on the Polish in Haiti.

As I have shown in my other articles, Poles can be found in many places around the world. Poles in Haiti has been a well-hidden fact in most history books. However, the descendants of these abandoned soldiers still remember. Perhaps the reason they were ignored was because they were considered "cowards" by the French. The Polish did not choose to fight this war, and most records confirm that they were taken on board ships by gunpoint. In this circumstance you can forgive those that deserted. They were fighting a morally wrong war. The Haitians had already been given their independence and then Napoleon decided to take it back for his regimes' own personal profits:

Napoleon did not count on the Africans fighting back with such vigor. - He did not count on his soldiers dying of yellow fever. - Remember in this age, the French did not even consider the Negro slaves human. - This is the same attitude the early explorers felt towards the Native American Indians.

White supremacy still reared its ugly head in times of erly colonialism. If you read the page called "The Lost Polish Brigades in Haiti" you will have read about Amon Fremon of Casales, Haiti. Amon was a Voodoo priest.

Some researchers thought that the word Voudou/Voodoo came from the French word Vaudois meaning "witchcraft," as they were called by the Waldensian heretics. Remember this would make sense because Haiti was a French possession, so they would have named this religion in French terms. However, other scholars think Voodoo is a West African corruption of the Yoruba word for "god." Voodoo as a religion was brought to Haiti by slaves from Dahomey (Mair, 234). The first humans to appear in the lands of Dahomey (Benin) were worshippers of the goddess Mawu-Lisa. Since that time, certain Christian rituals were incorporated into Voodoo, because of the missionaries who wished to eradicate these practices.

Origin: Haïtian beliefs and supersitions

The word 'voodoo'  (vodou, vaudou, vodoun or vodun) derives from the word 'vodu' in the Fon language of Dahomey meaning 'spirit' or 'god’ and describes the complex religious and belief system that exist in Haïti, an island of the West Indies. The foundations of voodoo were established in the seventeenth century by slaves captured primarily from the kingdom of Dahomey, which occupied parts of today's Togo, Benin, and Nigeria in West Africa, it combines features of African religion with the Roman Catholicism of the European settlers. Today over 60 million people practice voodoo worldwide. Religious similar to voodoo can be found in South America where they are called Umbanda, Quimbanda or Candomble. It is widely practiced in Benin, Haiti and within many black communities of the large cities in North America.

Unfortunately, in popular literature and films voodoo has been reduced to sorcery, black witchcraft, and in some cases cannibalistic practices, generating many foreigners' prejudices not only about voodoo but about Haitian culture in general.

The voodoo religion involves belief in a supreme god (bon dieu) and a host of spirits called loa which are often identified with Catholic saints. These spirits are closely related to African gods and may represent natural phenomena — such as fire, water, or wind — or dead persons, including eminent ancestors. They consist of two main groups: the rada, often mild and helping, and the petro, which may be dangerous and harmful. There are two sorts of priests in the traditional voodoo folklore: the houngan or mambo who confine his activities to "white" magic i.e bring good fortune and healing and the bokor or caplata who performs evil spells and black magic, sometimes called "left-handed Vodun". Rarely, a houngan will engage in such sorcery; a few alternate between white and dark magic.

Voodoo is a religion that originated in Africa and was brought to Haiti by slaves, where it is still widely practiced by most inhabitants. Most aspects of this religion are positive and it affects all aspects of the people's lives, such as morality, economics, safety, relationships and health.There is a revered God, an assortment of spirits, and many rituals. Worshippers communicate with their God through the "loa" or spirits. This relationshiop is based on trust and mutual give and take. The people conduct ceremonies to honor them and loas, in return, are helpful in their lives. The black magic aspects of this religion play a very minor role and is not typical of voodoo.

In the early to mid 1900's, there were exaggerated claims about voodoo and movies portrayed followers as ignorant people who were obsessed with evil. Werewolves, zombies, the casting of spells and the use of voodoo dolls were sensationalized as the common practices of these people. In actuality the use of black magic is rare but this stereotype remains with us even today.

The use of voodoo dolls is unheard of in Haiti and most places where the religion is practiced. The only recorded serious use of the dolls, among voodoo worshippers, was in the new Orleans area in the early 1900's. Hexes were cast to bring either good or bad luck to another person. The doll was used to symbolize that person. The sticking of pins into the doll was to reinforce and direct the spells that were cast.

The original article can be Found in http://www.vudutuu.com/vuduhistory.html