Zar Possession Cults
Women's Roles
Healing
Historical Connections
Haitian Voodoo
Women's Roles
Healing
Historical Connections
[Espiritismo Cruzado ceremony. Used with permission of K. Wirtz.]
Healing practices in Haitian Vodou
Proper attention and care given to the lwa results in healing from illnesses such as health problems, love, work, and family problems. "Virtue is achieved by maintaining responsible relationships, relationships characterized by appropriate gifts of tangibles (food, shelter, money) and intangibles (respect, deference, love)" (Brown, 1991, p. 6). Doing this greatly benefits the lives of those who become possessed. Not doing so may anger the lwa and result in instability within their lives, an absence of comfort provided by the spirits, and a lack of assistance with issues in society.
The spirits have the ability to hug, hold, feed, and chastise the faithful practitioners. Also, embodying a lwa during possession rituals presents society with, "the full range of possibilities inherent in the particular slice of life over which they [the spirit] preside" (Brown, 1991, p. 6). Embodied individuals are given this information by the lwa and allowed to make their own decisions. As a manbo, Mama Lola (Brown's informant on Haitian Vodou) is required to provide a yearly ceremony that feeds the poor. By performing this act required by her lwa, she is able to ward off misfortune from her whole family. Although it takes up more of her energy and money she makes the decision to provide the ceremony to appease her lwa and take care of her family.
Spirits also have the ability to heal emotionally. Lwa like Gede embody individuals in order to provide comic relief in tense, somber, death filled environments. The lwa Ogou descends to remind people to fight for justice and success in their lives. (Brown, 1991)
Website designed by Abigail Franklin, Anthropology 5450, Spring 2007