It is only since the late 1950s that accurate studies by anthropologists have been published.5 The Vodoun went underground to some extent, but it grew in popularity, in large measure bec
Trang 1The Search for Peace in Times of Chaos—Volume 1
Horror movies began in the 1930s and continue today to misrepresent Vodoun It is only since the late 1950s that accurate studies by anthropologists have been published.5
The Vodoun went underground to some extent, but it grew in popularity, in large measure because of the oppression Christianity and European influence also played another role ( to some extent) in the development of Vodoun During the French occupation period, the Roman Catholic Church required the recognition of African slaves as human beings and required that all slaves should be baptized and instructed in the Catholic faith
This and other practices of saveholders quickly forced t he s laves to take their native practices underground They practiced Catholicism
in front of their masters even attending Mass regularly, but whenever they could, they secretly gathered together to worship the gods of their ancestors Occasionally rites were held deep in woods, while prayers were transmitted into work songs and the worship of saints became a secret prayer to their previous gods Secretly through unique variations, old traditions were kept alive
Over time, the Africans began using Catholicism as a means
to mask their religious practices This is how the syncretism or perceived assimilation of African deities with Catholic saints developed The Africans incorporated Catholic prayers into their services and used images of Catholic saints as representations of their spirits
As for example, this worked well with St Patrick, who supposedly banished snakes from Ireland A slave could publicly be thought to be begging the intercession of St Patrick while secretly praying to the snake-god Ǧ Fetishes became unnecessary, even masters were tolerant of slaves keeping a tame snake and lighting candles for the saints A syncretism evolved: a blending of the traditional Catholic worship of the saints and Christ with the gods of Africa Eventually Vodounists did not regard this
as profaning either Christianity or Vodoun but as an enrichment of their faith.6
The twentieth century had not been so kind to the Vodoun, and the culture once again fought for its own survival when evangelical Protestant missionaries became bitter enemies of Vodoun and deemed it satanism
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