Vodun is practiced by the Fon people of Benin, and southern and central Togo; as well in Ghana, and Nigeria.
The Dahomean religion was practiced by the Fon people of the Dahomey Kingdom. The kingdom existed until 1898 in what is now the country of Benin. Slaves taken from Dahomey to the Caribbean used elements of the religion to form Vodou and other religions of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.
Nana Buluku, also known as Nana Buruku, Nana Buku or Nanan-bouclou, is the female Supreme Being in the West African traditional religion of the Fon people and the Ewe people (Togo). She is the most influential deity in West African theology, one shared by many ethnic groups other than the Fon people, albeit with variations. For example, she is called the Nana Bukuu among the Yoruba people and the Olisabuluwa among Igbo people but described differently, with some actively worshipping her, while some do not worship her and worship the gods originating from her.
Folk Catholicism is any of various ethnic expressions of Catholicism as practiced in Catholic communities, typically in developing nations. Practices identified by outside observers as folk Catholicism vary from place to place and sometimes contradict the official teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
Dutty Boukman was an early leader of the Haitian Revolution, enslaved in Jamaica and later in Haiti. He is considered to have been both a leader of maroons and vodou hougan (priest).
Abakuá, also sometimes known as Nañigo, is an Afro-Cuban men's initiatory fraternity or secret society, which originated from fraternal associations in the Cross River region of southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon.
The term Voodoo doll is commonly employed to describe an effigy into which pins are inserted. Although it comes in various different forms, such practices are found in the magical traditions of many cultures across the world. Although the use of the term Voodoo implies that the practice has links to either the religion of Haitian Vodou or Louisiana Voodoo, in reality, it does not have a prominent place in either.
Homosexuality in Haitian Vodou is religiously acceptable and homosexuals are allowed to participate in all religious activities. However, in countries with large Vodou populations, some Christian influence may have given homosexuality a social stigma, at least on some levels of society.
The Catholic Church in Haiti is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome and the Conference of Haitian Bishops.
Haitian Vodou is a syncretic religion practiced chiefly in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora. Practitioners are called "vodouists" or "servants of the spirits".
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in the Dominican Republic. Historically, Catholicism dominated the religious practices of the country, and as the official state religion it receives financial support from the government. In modern times Protestant and non-Christian groups, like Jews, have experienced a population boom.
Haiti, for much of its history and including present-day has been prevailingly a Christian country, primarily Roman Catholic, although in some instances it is profoundly modified and influenced through syncretism. A common syncretic religion is Vodou, which combined the West African religions of the African slaves with Catholicism and some Native American strands; it shows similarities to Cuban Santería. The constitution of Haiti establishes the freedom of religion and does not establish a state religion, although the Catholic Church receives some preferential treatment.
Haiti saw the introduction of Christianity when Europeans arrived to colonize the island. It was first introduced by the Spanish, later followed by French colonialists. The primary brand of Christianity was Catholicism. In recent years, some Protestant denominations have made an increased number of converts in Haiti, continuing early work done by a small number of Protestant missions since the independence of the island.
Christian-Vodou relations have been marked by syncretism and conflicts, especially in Haiti, but less so in Louisiana and elsewhere. The spiritual differences can be framed within the Old Testament story of Elijah and the prophet of Baal, where the former confronted and repudiated the practices of those who worshiped idols and practiced vodou.
Marie Thérèse Alourdes Macena Champagne Lovinski[1] commonly known as Mama Lola, is perhaps the most famous Vodou priestess practicing in the United States, rising to prominence in America following the publication of the anthropologist Karen McCarthy Brown's ethnographic account of her life, Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn. According to Brown, " ... Alourdes combines the skills of a medical doctor, a psychotherapist, a social worker, and a priest." (5) Mama Lola is a prominent spiritual leader within the religious practice of Vodou in America, serving on occasion as a mambo for a cultural center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Akan religion comprises the traditional beliefs and religious practices of the Akan people of Ghana and eastern Ivory Coast. Akan religion is referred to as Akom. Although most Akan people have identified as Christians since the early 20th century, Akan religion remains practiced by some, and is often syncretized with Christianity. The Akan have many subgroups, so the religion varies greatly by region and subgroup.
Stephen D. Glazier is an American anthropologist. Currently, he is a Research Anthropologist at the Human Relations Area Files at Yale University. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Trinidad focusing on Caribbean religions such as Rastafari, Orisa/Sango, and the Spiritual Baptists. He also publishes on Caribbean archaeology and ethnohistory and cataloged Irving Rouse's St. Joseph (Trinidad) and Mayo (Trinidad) collections for the Peabody Museum of Natural History. In 2016, Glazier retired as Professor of Anthropology and Graduate Faculty Faculty Fellow at the University of Nebraska where he offered classes in general (four-field) anthropology, race and minority relations, and a graduate seminar on the anthropology of belief systems. Glazier began his graduate studies in anthropology at Princeton University under Martin G. Silverman, Hildred Geertz, Alfonso Ortiz, and Vincent Crapanzano. He also earned an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. His M. Div. thesis—based on experiences as an Assistant Chaplain at New Jersey Neuro Psychiatric Institute—dealt with patterns of schizophrenic speech. He was awarded a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Connecticut in 1981. His dissertation advisors were Seth Leacock, Dennison J. Nash, and Ronald M. Wintrob. Glazier served as book review editor of the journal Anthropology of Consciousness. He was a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Virgin Island Archaeological Society and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal PentecoStudies. Glazier was elected for two terms as President of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness. In addition, he served as Vice-President and Secretary of the Society for the Anthropology of Religion (SAR and as a Council Member and as Secretary of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Karen McCarthy Brown was an anthropologist specializing in the anthropology of religion. She is best known for her groundbreaking book Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn, which made great strides in destigmatizing Haitian Vodou. Until her retirement in 2009 due to illness, McCarthy Brown was a Professor of Anthropology at Drew University. At Drew University, McCarthy Brown was the first woman in the Theological School to receive tenure and to achieve the rank of full professor.
Frisner Augustin was a major performer and composer of Haitian Vodou drumming, and the first and only citizen of Haiti to win a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in the United States, where he resided for forty years.
Haitian Vodou art is art related to the Haitian Vodou religion. This religion has its roots in West African traditional religions brought to Haiti by slaves, but has assimilated elements from Europe and the Americas and continues to evolve. The most distinctive Vodou art form is the drapo Vodou, an embroidered flag often decorated with sequins or beads, but the term covers a wide range of visual art forms including paintings, embroidered clothing, clay or wooden figures, musical instruments and assemblages. Since the 1950s there has been growing demand for Vodou art by tourists and collectors.
