Cave Vodou in Haiti: An Ethnoarchaeological approach.
Author(s): Patrick Wilkinson
Year: 2015
Summary
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 attempt to determine whether different spaces within the caves are associated with specific aspects of the religion, with emphasis on the ephemeral material remains left behind by Vodou Hougans or Mambos (Vodou priests or priestess). These material remains include cave iconography, ritual deposits, and ceremonial paraphernalia belonging to both practitioners and adherents. This paper reflects the results of the 2014 Summer field season in northern Haiti.
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Cite this Record
Cave Vodou in Haiti: An Ethnoarchaeological approach.. Patrick Wilkinson. Presented at The 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, California. 2015 ( tDAR id: 397322)
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Spatial Coverage
min long: -90.747; min lat: 3.25 ; max long: -48.999; max lat: 27.683 ;