Understanding Haitian Vodou

Vodou (Vodun) as we know it in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora today is the result of the pressures of many different cultures and ethnicities of people begin uprooted from African and imported to Hispaniola (the island that includes Haiti) during the African Slave trade. Under slavery, African culture and religion was suppressed, lineages were fragmented, and people pooled their religious knowledge and out of this fragmentation became culturally unified. In addition to combining the spirits of many different African and Indian nations, pieces of Roman Catholic liturgy have been incorporated to replace lost prayers or elements; in addition images of Catholic saints are used to represent various spirits or 'miste' (mysteries, actually the preferred term in Haiti), and many saints themselves are honored in Vodou in their own right. This syncretism allows Vodou to encompass the African, the Indian, and the European ancestors in a whole and complete way.

Haitian Consulate, 'Haitian Vodou,' www.haitianconsulate.org

Question 1

Short answer

Identify ONE way that Vodou is an example of religious syncretism.

Question 2

Short answer

Explain ONE way that Christianity in Latin America demonstrated religious syncretism.

Question 3

Short answer

Explain ONE specific example of religious syncretism other than Vodou that resulted from the Atlantic slave trade.

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