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Haitian Vodou in Cuba

April 10, 2024

For the Dahomey based religion of the Arará in Cuba, see Arará religion.

The religion of Haitian Vodou has been present in Cuba since at least the 18th century. It was transmitted to the island by Haitian migrants, the numbers of whom grew rapidly in the early 20th century, and is primarily practised by their descendants. It is distributed primarily in eastern parts of the island, especially in Oriente. In Cuba, some practitioners of Haitian Vodou have also become involved in the related Afro-Cuban religion of Santería.

History edit

Background edit

Around 35 miles separate the republic of Haiti from the eastern end of Cuba.[1] From the 16th century onward, West European colonists transported large numbers of enslaved West and Central Africans to the two Caribbean colonies, where the African traditional religions they brought with them developed into new African diasporic traditions. In Haiti, this took the form of Haitian Vodou.[2] This religion was primarily influenced by the traditional religions of the Fon and Bakongo peoples,[3] but also absorbed the iconography of European-derived traditions such as Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry.[4] These elements combined into the form of Vodou around the mid-18th century.[5]

The transportation of enslaved West and Central Africans to Cuba similarly resulted in the formation of various Afro-Cuban traditions. The best known of these was Santería, formed largely from Yoruba religion as it interacted with Roman Catholicism and Spiritism.[6] Also present was Palo, informed predominantly by Kongo religion but which also absorbed Roman Catholic and Spiritist ideas.[7] A third Afro-Cuban tradition is Abakuá, which has its origins among the secret male societies practiced among the Efik-Ibibio.[8] Before the end of the 18th century, Ewé Fon/Adja people had also arrived in Cuba, where their traditions produced Arará, a religion found predominantly in western and central parts of the island.[1] Although its origins are not Yoruba, Arará is sometimes considered a branch of Santería rather than a separate system.[9]

Arrival in Cuba edit

Vodou was brought to Cuba by Haitian migrants.[10] During the 18th century, small numbers of enslaved Africans escaped the French colony of Saint-Domingue—which later became Haiti—and fled to eastern Cuba, where they settled in forested areas around the Sierra Maestra.[11] Later, amid the turmoil of the Haitian Revolution that overthrew French colonial rule, larger numbers of Haitians migrated to Cuba.[12] The social similarities between the two plantation colonies would have facilitated the adjustment of these Haitian migrants.[13] They would have found that the Cuban cabildos were similar to the Haitian societés, both forming social groups for people of African descent.[14] Haitian migrants established their own such groups in eastern Cuba, referred to as Tumba Francesas or Tajones, and it was within these groups that they could retain their own distinctive songs, dances, and drumming styles.[15]

Haitian migrants would have recognised various aspects of Cuban religion from their earlier experiences, including the Roman Catholicism officially dominant on both islands as well as surviving influences from Kongo religion.[12] The use of spirits contained in bottles and other vessels, for example, could be found in both Haitian Vodou and Cuban Palo, reflecting a common origin in Kongo practices.[16]

The Haitian population of eastern Cuba would be continually replenished over the course of the 19th century and beyond, as Haitian migrants seeking better economic opportunities migrated there.[17] This grew dramatically in the early 20th century; between 1912 and 1916, annual migration of Haitians to Cuba rose from 8,784 to 79,274.[17] Most of these migrants brought with them a familiarity, if not the actual practice, of Haitian Vodou.[17]

Belief, practice, and organization edit

As recorded in the early 21st century, Haitian Vodou as practiced in Oriente contained various elements familiar from Haiti, including the veneration of lwa spirits who can be divided into various nanchon (nations), namely the Rada and the Petwo.[18] The scholar of religion Jualynne E. Dodson noted that the veneration of the lwa Damballah was "absolutely fundamental" to Vodou in Oriente.[18] Dodson also found that devotion to a family of warrior lwa was also "predominant" in the region.[19]

In Oriente, Vodou is organized along a kin-based, family structure.[20] Dodson for example found that every practitioner they encountered had a "genealogical spiritual relationship to the group leader".[19] Isolated rural spaces in the Sierra Maestra were often favored for the practice of Vodou rituals, but places were also active in the cities of Santiago, Guantánamo, and Las Tunas.[21] Dodson believed that engaging in the construction of Vodou sacred spaces and rituals helped "to maintain consciousness of a distinct Haitian cultural identity" in Cuba.[22] They thus considered these to be a "memory device", even for those of Haitian ancestry who were born and raised on Cuba.[23]

Some individuals have practised both Haitian Vodou and also Santería.[24]

Distribution edit

In Cuba, Haitian Vodou is primarily practised in eastern parts of the island, especially in the mountain communities of the Sierra Maestra.[10] Although associated largely with Oriente province, it is also found outside this area, for instance among communities of Haitian descent in Ciego de Avila.[10]

See also edit

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b Dodson 2008, p. 104.
  2. ^ Cosentino 1995, p. 29.
  3. ^ Bellegarde-Smith & Michel 2006, p. xix.
  4. ^ Cosentino 1995, p. 26; Derby 2015, p. 396.
  5. ^ Derby 2015, p. 397.
  6. ^ Castañeda 2007, p. 137; Wirtz 2007, p. 29.
  7. ^ Fernández Olmos & Paravisini-Gebert 2011, pp. 89, 95.
  8. ^ Hagedorn 2001, pp. 22–23; Mason 2002, p. 88.
  9. ^ Hagedorn 2001, pp. 22–23, 105.
  10. ^ a b c Dodson 2008, p. 105.
  11. ^ Dodson 2008, pp. 106–107.
  12. ^ a b Dodson 2008, p. 107.
  13. ^ Dodson 2008, p. 109.
  14. ^ Dodson 2008, pp. 109–110.
  15. ^ Dodson 2008, p. 110.
  16. ^ McAlister 2002, pp. 100–104.
  17. ^ a b c Dodson 2008, p. 112.
  18. ^ a b Dodson 2008, p. 113.
  19. ^ a b Dodson 2008, p. 114.
  20. ^ Dodson 2008, pp. 113–114.
  21. ^ Dodson 2008, pp. 117–118.
  22. ^ Dodson 2008, p. 121.
  23. ^ Dodson 2008, p. 122.
  24. ^ Hagedorn 2001, p. 133.

Sources edit

  • Bellegarde-Smith, Patrick; Michel, Claudine (2006). "Introduction". In Bellegarde-Smith, Patrick; Michel, Claudine (eds.). Haitian Vodou: Spirit, Myth and Reality. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. xvii–xxvii. ISBN 978-0253218537.
  • Castañeda, Angela N. (2007). "The African Diaspora in Mexico: Santería, Tourism, and Representations of the State". In Theodore Louis Trost (ed.). The African Diaspora and the Study of Religion. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 131–50. doi:10.1057/9780230609938_8. ISBN 978-1403977861.
  • Cosentino, Donald J. (1995). "Imagine Heaven". In Donald J., Cosentino (ed.). Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. pp. 25–55. ISBN 0-930741-47-1.
  • Derby, Lauren (2015). "Imperial Idols: French and United States Revenants in Haitian Vodou". History of Religions. 54 (4): 394–422. doi:10.1086/680175. JSTOR 10.1086/680175. S2CID 163428569.
  • Dodson, Jualynne E. (2008). Sacred Spaces and Religious Traditions in Oriente Cuba. Alburquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0826343536.
  • Fernández Olmos, Margarite; Paravisini-Gebert, Lizabeth (2011). Creole Religions of the Caribbean: An Introduction from Vodou and Santería to Obeah and Espiritismo (second ed.). New York and London: New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-6228-8.
  • Hagedorn, Katherine J. (2001). Divine Utterances: The Performance of Afro-Cuban Santería. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books. ISBN 978-1560989479.
  • Mason, Michael Atwood (2002). Living Santería: Rituals and Experiences in an Afro-Cuban Religion. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books. ISBN 978-1588340528.
  • McAlister, Elizabeth (2002). Rara! Vodou, Power, and Performance in Haiti and its Diaspora. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520228221.
  • Viddal, Grete (2012). "Vodú Chic: Haitian Religion and the Folkloric Imaginary in Socialist Cuba". NWIG: New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids. 86 (3/4): 205–235. doi:10.1163/13822373-90002414. JSTOR 24713388. S2CID 145157609.
  • Wirtz, Kristina (2007). Ritual, Discourse, and Community in Cuban Santería: Speaking a Sacred World. Gainesville: University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-0813030647.

External links edit

  • El Vodú francohaitiano en la cultura cubana[dead link]
  • Daniel, Yvonne. Dancing Wisdom: Embodied Knowledge in Haitian Vodou, Cuban Yoruba, and Bahian Candomblé.
  • Women and New and Africana Religions. ABC-CLIO, 2010.


 

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April 10, 2024
haitian, vodou, cuba, dahomey, based, religion, arará, cuba, arará, religion, religion, haitian, vodou, been, present, cuba, since, least, 18th, century, transmitted, island, haitian, migrants, numbers, whom, grew, rapidly, early, 20th, century, primarily, pra. For the Dahomey based religion of the Arara in Cuba see Arara religion The religion of Haitian Vodou has been present in Cuba since at least the 18th century It was transmitted to the island by Haitian migrants the numbers of whom grew rapidly in the early 20th century and is primarily practised by their descendants It is distributed primarily in eastern parts of the island especially in Oriente In Cuba some practitioners of Haitian Vodou have also become involved in the related Afro Cuban religion of Santeria Contents 1 History 1 1 Background 1 2 Arrival in Cuba 2 Belief practice and organization 3 Distribution 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Citations 5 2 Sources 6 External linksHistory editBackground edit Around 35 miles separate the republic of Haiti from the eastern end of Cuba 1 From the 16th century onward West European colonists transported large numbers of enslaved West and Central Africans to the two Caribbean colonies where the African traditional religions they brought with them developed into new African diasporic traditions In Haiti this took the form of Haitian Vodou 2 This religion was primarily influenced by the traditional religions of the Fon and Bakongo peoples 3 but also absorbed the iconography of European derived traditions such as Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry 4 These elements combined into the form of Vodou around the mid 18th century 5 The transportation of enslaved West and Central Africans to Cuba similarly resulted in the formation of various Afro Cuban traditions The best known of these was Santeria formed largely from Yoruba religion as it interacted with Roman Catholicism and Spiritism 6 Also present was Palo informed predominantly by Kongo religion but which also absorbed Roman Catholic and Spiritist ideas 7 A third Afro Cuban tradition is Abakua which has its origins among the secret male societies practiced among the Efik Ibibio 8 Before the end of the 18th century Ewe Fon Adja people had also arrived in Cuba where their traditions produced Arara a religion found predominantly in western and central parts of the island 1 Although its origins are not Yoruba Arara is sometimes considered a branch of Santeria rather than a separate system 9 Arrival in Cuba edit Vodou was brought to Cuba by Haitian migrants 10 During the 18th century small numbers of enslaved Africans escaped the French colony of Saint Domingue which later became Haiti and fled to eastern Cuba where they settled in forested areas around the Sierra Maestra 11 Later amid the turmoil of the Haitian Revolution that overthrew French colonial rule larger numbers of Haitians migrated to Cuba 12 The social similarities between the two plantation colonies would have facilitated the adjustment of these Haitian migrants 13 They would have found that the Cuban cabildos were similar to the Haitian societes both forming social groups for people of African descent 14 Haitian migrants established their own such groups in eastern Cuba referred to as Tumba Francesas or Tajones and it was within these groups that they could retain their own distinctive songs dances and drumming styles 15 Haitian migrants would have recognised various aspects of Cuban religion from their earlier experiences including the Roman Catholicism officially dominant on both islands as well as surviving influences from Kongo religion 12 The use of spirits contained in bottles and other vessels for example could be found in both Haitian Vodou and Cuban Palo reflecting a common origin in Kongo practices 16 The Haitian population of eastern Cuba would be continually replenished over the course of the 19th century and beyond as Haitian migrants seeking better economic opportunities migrated there 17 This grew dramatically in the early 20th century between 1912 and 1916 annual migration of Haitians to Cuba rose from 8 784 to 79 274 17 Most of these migrants brought with them a familiarity if not the actual practice of Haitian Vodou 17 Belief practice and organization editAs recorded in the early 21st century Haitian Vodou as practiced in Oriente contained various elements familiar from Haiti including the veneration of lwa spirits who can be divided into various nanchon nations namely the Rada and the Petwo 18 The scholar of religion Jualynne E Dodson noted that the veneration of the lwa Damballah was absolutely fundamental to Vodou in Oriente 18 Dodson also found that devotion to a family of warrior lwa was also predominant in the region 19 In Oriente Vodou is organized along a kin based family structure 20 Dodson for example found that every practitioner they encountered had a genealogical spiritual relationship to the group leader 19 Isolated rural spaces in the Sierra Maestra were often favored for the practice of Vodou rituals but places were also active in the cities of Santiago Guantanamo and Las Tunas 21 Dodson believed that engaging in the construction of Vodou sacred spaces and rituals helped to maintain consciousness of a distinct Haitian cultural identity in Cuba 22 They thus considered these to be a memory device even for those of Haitian ancestry who were born and raised on Cuba 23 Some individuals have practised both Haitian Vodou and also Santeria 24 Distribution editIn Cuba Haitian Vodou is primarily practised in eastern parts of the island especially in the mountain communities of the Sierra Maestra 10 Although associated largely with Oriente province it is also found outside this area for instance among communities of Haitian descent in Ciego de Avila 10 See also editCandomble Jeje Dominican Vudu Louisiana VoodooReferences editCitations edit a b Dodson 2008 p 104 Cosentino 1995 p 29 Bellegarde Smith amp Michel 2006 p xix Cosentino 1995 p 26 Derby 2015 p 396 Derby 2015 p 397 Castaneda 2007 p 137 Wirtz 2007 p 29 Fernandez Olmos amp Paravisini Gebert 2011 pp 89 95 Hagedorn 2001 pp 22 23 Mason 2002 p 88 Hagedorn 2001 pp 22 23 105 a b c Dodson 2008 p 105 Dodson 2008 pp 106 107 a b Dodson 2008 p 107 Dodson 2008 p 109 Dodson 2008 pp 109 110 Dodson 2008 p 110 McAlister 2002 pp 100 104 a b c Dodson 2008 p 112 a b Dodson 2008 p 113 a b Dodson 2008 p 114 Dodson 2008 pp 113 114 Dodson 2008 pp 117 118 Dodson 2008 p 121 Dodson 2008 p 122 Hagedorn 2001 p 133 Sources edit Bellegarde Smith Patrick Michel Claudine 2006 Introduction In Bellegarde Smith Patrick Michel Claudine eds Haitian Vodou Spirit Myth and Reality Bloomington and Indianapolis Indiana University Press pp xvii xxvii ISBN 978 0253218537 Castaneda Angela N 2007 The African Diaspora in Mexico Santeria Tourism and Representations of the State In Theodore Louis Trost ed The African Diaspora and the Study of Religion New York Palgrave Macmillan pp 131 50 doi 10 1057 9780230609938 8 ISBN 978 1403977861 Cosentino Donald J 1995 Imagine Heaven In Donald J Cosentino ed Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou Los Angeles UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History pp 25 55 ISBN 0 930741 47 1 Derby Lauren 2015 Imperial Idols French and United States Revenants in Haitian Vodou History of Religions 54 4 394 422 doi 10 1086 680175 JSTOR 10 1086 680175 S2CID 163428569 Dodson Jualynne E 2008 Sacred Spaces and Religious Traditions in Oriente Cuba Alburquerque University of New Mexico Press ISBN 978 0826343536 Fernandez Olmos Margarite Paravisini Gebert Lizabeth 2011 Creole Religions of the Caribbean An Introduction from Vodou and Santeria to Obeah and Espiritismo second ed New York and London New York University Press ISBN 978 0 8147 6228 8 Hagedorn Katherine J 2001 Divine Utterances The Performance of Afro Cuban Santeria Washington DC Smithsonian Books ISBN 978 1560989479 Mason Michael Atwood 2002 Living Santeria Rituals and Experiences in an Afro Cuban Religion Washington DC Smithsonian Books ISBN 978 1588340528 McAlister Elizabeth 2002 Rara Vodou Power and Performance in Haiti and its Diaspora Berkeley University of California Press ISBN 978 0520228221 Viddal Grete 2012 Vodu Chic Haitian Religion and the Folkloric Imaginary in Socialist Cuba NWIG New West Indian Guide Nieuwe West Indische Gids 86 3 4 205 235 doi 10 1163 13822373 90002414 JSTOR 24713388 S2CID 145157609 Wirtz Kristina 2007 Ritual Discourse and Community in Cuban Santeria Speaking a Sacred World Gainesville University Press of Florida ISBN 978 0813030647 External links editEl Vodu francohaitiano en la cultura cubana dead link Daniel Yvonne Dancing Wisdom Embodied Knowledge in Haitian Vodou Cuban Yoruba and Bahian Candomble Women and New and Africana Religions ABC CLIO 2010 nbsp This article about Afro American religion is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Haitian Vodou in Cuba amp oldid 1213538642, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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