Vodun cosmology centers around the vodun spirits
and other elements of divine essence that govern the Earth, a hierarchy that
range in power from major deities governing the forces of nature and human
society to the spirits of individual streams, trees, and rocks, as well as
dozens of ethnic vodun, defenders of a certain clan, tribe, or nation. The vodun are
the center of religious life, similarly in many ways to doctrines such as the intercession of saints and angels that made
Vodun appear compatible with Christianity, especially Catholicism,
and produced syncretic religions such as Haitian Vodou. Adherents also emphasize
ancestor worship and hold that the spirits of the dead live side by side with
the world of the living, each family of spirits having its own female
priesthood, sometimes hereditary when is from mother to blood daughter.
Patterns of worship follow various dialects, gods, practices,
songs and rituals. Vodun recognizes one God with many helpers called Orishas. A
single divine Creator, called variously Mawu or Nana Buluku is
an androgynous being who in one tradition bore seven children and gave each
rule over a realm of nature - animals, earth, and sea - or else these children
are inter-ethnic and related to natural phenomena or to historical or mythical
individuals. The creator embodies a dual cosmogonic principle
of which Mawu the moon and Lisa the sun are respectively
the female and male aspects, often portrayed as the twin children of the
Creator.
Mawu's youngest child, Legba, was to remain with
her and act as a go-between with her other children: in some clans he is young
and virile while in Haiti he takes the form of an old man. Other deities might
include Mami Wata,
god/desses of the waters, Gu, ruling iron and smithcraft, Sakpata,
who rules diseases and many others. Eshu, a messenger deity who relays messages
between the human world and the world of the Orishas, is depicted as a dark,
short man with a large staff and often a pipe, candy or his fingers in his
mouth. As the mediator between the gods and the living he maintains balance,
order, peace and communication. All
creation is considered divine and therefore contains the power of the divine.
This is how medicines such as herbal remedies are understood, and explains the
ubiquitous use of mundane objects in religious ritual. Voodoo talismans, called
"fetishes", are objects such as statues or dried animal parts that
are sold for their healing and spiritually rejuvenating properties.
Often described as queen mother is the first daughter of
a patriarchal lineage of a family collective. She holds the right to lead the
ceremonies incumbent to the clan: marriages, baptisms and funerals. She is
considered the one of the most important members of community. She will lead
the women of a village when her family collective is the ruling one. Her
dominant role has often been confused or associated to that of a high priestess
which she is not. They take part in the organization and the running of markets
and are also responsible for their upkeep, which is vitally important because
marketplaces are the focal points for gatherings and social centers in their
communities. In the past when the men of the villages would go to war, the
Queen Mothers would lead prayer ceremonies in which all the women attended
every morning to ensure the safe return of their menfolk.
The High priestess is on the other hand, the woman chosen
by the oracle to care for the convent. Priestesses like priests receive a calling from an oracle
at any moment of their lives. They will then join clan's convent to pursue a
spiritual instruction. It is also, an oracle that will designate the future
High priest and high priestess among the new recruits establishing an order of
succession within the convent. Only blood relatives were allowed in the family
convent strangers are forbidden. In modern, days however some of the rules have
been changed enabling non family members to enter what is describe as the first
circle of worship. Strangers are allowed to worship only the spirits of the
standard pantheon
Contrary to popular beliefs, in West African vodun,
spells are not cast upon someone. Vodun is only a spiritual cult in which an
important part is devoted to the cult of the ancestors. Even if the origin of
humanity and the world are explained in vodun mythology, it is not a centered
question of the faith. The followers believe that the answer to such question
is beyond human reach. Priority is given to the ancestors with them interceding
on behalf of their families and descendant towards the Almighty. If an Almighty
creator is recognized in vodun pantheon, the believers do not address
themselves to that particular deity. Only the Loas, the messengers with the
help of the dead have that access. In order to communicate and pray every clan
and sometimes each family root have their own vodun sometimes called Assanyì as
vodun can also be translated as “The spirit of those who have passed before
us”. The family vodun is often associated with a known higher spirit of the
standard pantheon, but is distinctive to each family (clan). This
distinctiveness is the Clan vodun is also an assertion of identity and origin
with cult and worshiping process specific to a family collective.
About 23% of the population of Benin, some 1 million
people, follow Vodun. (This does not count other traditional religions in
Benin.) In addition, many of the 41.5% of the population that refer to
themselves as Christian practice a syncretized religion, not
dissimilar from Haitian Vodou or Brazilian Candomblé;
indeed, many of them are descended from freed Brazilian slaves who settled on
the coast near Ouidah. In Togo, about half the population practices indigenous
religions, of which Vodun is by far the largest, with some 2.5 million
followers; there may be another million Voodooists among the Ewe of Ghana: 13%
of the population of Voodooists, most of whom are Ewe and
15 million people 68% in Ghana practice traditional religion most of whom are Akan people.
In Ivory Coast, 50% of the population practice traditional religion most of
whom are Akan people. According to census data, about 14 million people practice
traditional religion in Nigeria, most of whom are Yoruba practicing Vodun, but
no specific breakdown is available.
European colonialism,
followed by some of the totalitarian regimes in West Africa, have tried to
suppress Vodun as well as other African indigenous religions. However, because the vodun deities are born
to each clan, tribe, and nation, and their clergy are central to maintaining
the moral, social and political order and ancestral foundation of its village,
these efforts have not been successful. Recently there have been moves to
restore the place of Vodun in national society, such as an annual International
Vodun Conference held in the city of Ouidah in
Benin that has been held since 1991.
No comments:
Post a Comment