Vodou (Other Keyword)

DOCUMENT Citation Only Patrick Wilkinson.

Haitian Vodou is a syncretic religion that combines elements of West African beliefs and indigenous Taino culture overlaid onto a rigid framework of forced Catholicism. One aspect of the religion that has not been investigated is the modern use of caves as a specialized local for various types of rituals, each having a specific purpose. This paper will discuss the use of both ethnographic and archaeological investigative techniques to differentiate the various purposes of cave ceremonies and...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Alissa Jordan.

Kneeling on bare earth, the Priestess takes a handful of store-bought confections from their glinting metallic bag and tosses them into a living cache. Candles and carved stones protrude at the sides of this hole, marking intrusions made and remade so many times they have now been lost to memory (even as their matter persists). Following Victor Buchli and Gavin Lucas’ call to study contemporary material culture archaeologically, this paper uses and presents ethnographic data collected...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Patrick Wilkinson.

Caretakers, whether self-appointed or formally selected, have an immense impact on the distribution of material remains at sacred sites in modern day Haiti. This paper examines the ritual use of four caves in Haiti and the effects that four different caretakers have had on the ritual remains left behind after Vodou ceremonies have taken place. These cave/caretaker combinations include publicly accessed caves that are cared for by a cadre of self-appointed homeless men, a cave in private hands...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Patrick Wilkinson.

This research is part of a larger ethno-archaeological investigation of the use of caves in modern Haitian Vodou rituals in Northern Haiti. This paper explores the modern rock art left in the caves as a result of Vodou ceremonies, in particular paint and veve (veve are symbols drawn out with cornstarch used to call various spirits to ceremonies, and are an intrinsic part of Vodou). The art in question included both permanent and ephemeral works, ranging from simple graffiti to caves painted...