Lucumi Macumba Voodoo, part 2

i'm going to start off with these questions and we can take it in any direction but i'll probably have that and in fact we probably will get off the track but all credit when i think we need to bring things back so we'll start off off talking about africa in general and if you feel like you don't answer something to make something make up a nice responses so ok i'll repeat that question for those of you who couldn't hear it in the first place one of the main cultural areas of africa that are responsible for the african survival skill in the new world of the americas after american populations are derived from the entire west coast of the african continent starting with the area of senate now and then following the coastline all across the guinea coast the gulf

coast and then down in the central coast line from what is the modern country nigeria down to angola now across that whole area there are several consistent season culture for example the whole west coast of africa is within what is known as the cost some family of the niger congo languages so all those languages are similar one term in these four areas these are the four areas that we can say and the most effect on bond the new world like populations can you just briefly give some of the the chief characteristics of each that set them apart from one another but say we can get into some specifics on the major ones the things that are most important in regards to belief systems but just in general how what

sort of thing set them apart the language the world mainly but further away from the gold coast slave coast a very upset over to the senate and in the region the u bend the languages are different certainly and we're at the languages are derived rather than from the niger congo the basis from them from their speakers of the language on his monday and no so that there are there's a linguistic difference being that far up the coast there much closer to a north african civilizations and therefore i were contacted earlier if you before the coming out of the europeans by islamic cultural trends and so the the forces lama's much stronger there and has far out for centuries held sway over indigenous religion indigenous religion are still actively practice but

in combination with us some version of islam whereas and that the whole area okay will if we can talk about things in general the manner born fashion let's talk for a little bit about the basic the underlying ideas for the religion say what sort of structure of the universe has just in general belief systems of this this area and if necessary to make the distinction between possibly more magical are magically oriented religion in the congo if that exists just in general what is the view of the universe are misplaced well let's let's talk about the

state religion of the world were permanently says a specific example in life the king is regarded as divine heart once was regarded as this visit as a living god in contemporary times the king is seen more as a as a politician and is elected to office rather than done and he then that was being inheritance but under the key under the year the king there are a series of chiefs palace chiefs who are accorded respect and responsibility for some sections syria might inject the york art urban people seemingly always have been and so there their socialization is highly director ties and the calendar i can see in terms of administration that we see in the social order is somewhat similar parallel to what exists in a religious order is a hierarchy in the kind of pecking order from

minor to major below that the palace chiefs award chiefs around the word sheets our elders of various compounds around the elders and their families and so that pretty much feels that the city in and outside the city are on the farm hamlets where individuals go to have their gardens so the whole among your of of their art are well structured cults say to the two well groomed that would have priest that would have shrines would have sculptures that would have a leverage hymns and songs and an end drum indications and so for the very complex liturgy would seem that by contrast in central africa it's much more formal there so there will be poems invocations chance songs certain kinds of appropriate music there will be shrines that all of the paraphernalia will be there but it won't be a structured it won't be as elaborate so that time again when they're in this unwitting be a lot more innovation that

possible because it wouldn't be religious practices will be we personalize it may be appropriate for that village for that person for that family and for that particular ancestor so could you as luther say that the reason the reasons behind the differences in the formal structures or lack of formal structure saying that congo might as compared to the yen to be your girl cultures would be the urban versus the real makeup of the society at all then i think there are and whirl model contrasts to see there it helps to some degree but it doesn't explain all of it because early on in the scene in congo there were there were there was a city that was named by the portuguese aren't once porch even come in contact with with the kingdom of congo they call in san

salvador and it was a fairly large study and it was as complex an end as as complicated as any the order aggregation but they there were so there were these fees have complex urban at work but it's a job they're there really is a difference between what the oregon doing what happens elsewhere africa where your only have cities dense cities of great number fifty thousand sixty thousand so on that from the earliest accounts they've always been dwelling in these then these large clusters and even though elsewhere for heating have large cluster it won't be totally emblematic of a light stubble be a large city in innocent network of the smaller villages so it does help but we can't ignore the fact that the central africa <unk> of investment as well more info

at thank you ok we talked a little bit about me mentioning your opponent supreme being and you might call for just a second of that how the supreme being in western african west african religion's functions in the life of the people i mean obviously he's not appeal to directly because your showers there too to service that in that role the term i had heard for your vote supreme being is all ruined that russia's the terminal encounter railway want you mentioned

something about we're in sync with my impression that union of meaning impression is that supreme didi it functions in much the same way as in the religious sphere as the obama are cheaper main chief came out of each irving cluster functions within society in more than the traditional time such as we can reconstruct on the obama was never seen by other people our except on certain very prominent ritual occasions when he would display himself to the public and then his face would be shielded by fringes can comment on his crown hangovers they still hit he could not be seen and so that would in increases in the mystery of who he was and an with support the idea the concept that the face of god is too powerful to look at and therefore is to say to people we became god among ass dr king among its

most shield his gaze otherwise we don't die looking at him and to take the place of that face to face a very stylized a graphic face was depicted on his crown just above his head start which was very powerful and took to behold often with with those swirling vapors coming up the nostrils and so forth in which is which forms in the form of birds are on the outside very dangerous powerful image and so so that if that's that now using that as a metaphor for how the supreme being is seeing its it's good that there is supreme the beam goes up there watching over everything who's in charge of the of all the affairs of of the supernatural and it's in syria however organizing principle but i'm not an ethnic division one that that man will communicate with directly affect know there's no communicate directly patient we've got an end because

greeks except through the god patient who was doing and his messenger and carries the indications between all the deities in between man and handguns for their third there is this perverse principal interaction built into the system worship and the fact that that that some guards are so powerful that you don't even want to to really approached them at all it is is that mirrored in the social structure so users the supreme being is as something that was there the knowledge of he or she is known but because it's a he they are maybe he would be either the rationale the armor is this is is very logical entity lines closely with the western sense love of being to little more than a little to be undone in glee because they are they are logic is so structured in america has to be summoned the top of the pyramid

and it's a symbolically the supreme being sorcerers that didn't function being that the media this source in order and ended the ultimate answer of why things on the way the i will i am a doer and so has wilted and this is it's made us this way for me is mentioned in india but i don't know of of specific cults are shrines and ritual practices that directly relate to are indications of his power lines and to mention something i want to mention actually i think an income a little bit of reading i've been doing it seems like the congo supreme being was a woman say more female we're not talking about plans to talk for a minute about

the role of spirit possession or the just very briefly because we get into this summer of the spirit possession and train stay in in rituals in west african relations firm what was the purpose or what is the function in a ritual of the spirit possession or how does that come about what get back to listen just a second little bit but mccann for second about the role the different roles that men and women and because in the americas are very well defined roles women women in africa want what's the state of affairs as far as what and who are the most important in say a cult leader

or a priest to serve as a man or a woman it's it depends it likely to get a situation like that like the euro when there are so many deities in so many kind of cults and and so many levels of coal for example or gloom is regarded now not only is a one of the primary deities but of all y'all he is is that like a patron of that city so there will be there will be i'm great ear and level of activity for wounded and in the city of audio than and elsewhere in the air in the ordination and so they'll be doing certain kinds of domestic right tools of worship will happen only in the home in only the presence of women with it without any kind of professional intercession of of of the main called house remain calm leader ford for the city who might have his

his shrine the right and the palace grounds so it they're an instant citizen again complex situations are sometimes women will be in charge exclusively and other times men will be in charge with women and servers in a secondary role it avidly the most of mike's in most of my experience when i've seen in then present and religious occasions that it's always been women who live in the most enthusiastic and is reminded me a lot of my experiences of storefront churches in washington dc where maine was the congregation was with a female within libya and mailer minister and leading leading services but the day the shutters the singers the people possessed were working so we do in kearny conclusion i guess i'm not not for my

experience and then there are situations depending upon the degree of formality i would say given the male bias in europe the culture that the be the official cold our house is that if it didn't get important shrines and administered by man out with women and secondary roles that says there's some there's so much display of religion within that within the culture at some of the levels so with some and if it comes from a different duties that there could be occasions when women will will will dominate with a lid that we don't worship will be exclusively female ms thomas go into this but how there's a religion function in generally speaking in africa west africa in the society what mean obviously plays a much more important a day roll in regards

to just my decision making things better could you elaborate just a little bit on that hal what kind of of view of religion the members of the society and and i think the important thing to realize is the basic principle is that religion is not a specialized part of one's existence were like you and in the west of sunday's and they worship and and then days reserved for worship and that's when you get all take care of all the unease in your soul and then the rest of the sixties are we heat you go back to a daily concerns on if you have a kind of anxiety of the end the israelis because it had a strange dreams you might suspect witchcraft that someone is is trying to do

because you confusion and that someone as handsome as theirs he has done has done evil to you spiritual thing you must find out about that and say he would seek a particularly an anti witchcraft practitioner or a and r and r or maybe if it's you you and you would go to a diviner oh it was it was divine as are also devotees of the godly far was a kind of knowledge and when the divine and does his eyes casting of calories or a palm kernel nods and gets a signature so to speak from that appears on the ground and he regards as sick as it is an indication from from the fall that this is that that signature is it is an indication of a verse with in the knowledge the chapters of ninety five you chant that verse and then the client will project his problems of course with the most

unlikely folks psychiatry and it is a scenario of a sort as is suggested that the client projects himself into that scenario allows the actions describe their into to satisfy his anxiety and that you at firms that have it is as if our having given him the answer to this problem of satisfied is that ended his confusion and we will seek out devine is on any pretext they fake their son is gone off to school and financing of a water easy all right at the end of one of the vital say what oh wo transgender person decide whether he's okay here's john mccain and then they'll will act upon those those recommendations for its sound it's because religion all the time it's very personal and also was released after eighty four is so structured enterprise an alternate answers or four manse last questions of you know why we

hear how well how well what are we supposed to do well we're here now well what was the future hold know what the spirit's trying to have a probably be implicated other r and my dreams coming to you because i haven't been on a night in memory of my father now the people up in traditional times even now very good to their deceased in the floor of their houses and very often they are in trouble they will move their debt on top of the head of the grave sin that it when they when they sleep that the disease will come to them and they've dreamed and it don't have this kind of communication so that it's a religious silly multi functional and it pervades every dimension of of life such as anthropology can categorize it in whatever category is economics politics kinship fantasy anxiety

we can see that religion has served as a role to play much more much going in as much better than ours in some ways i can see there is how much time is left on that i think we can stop a few minutes and really let me ask one more question we can do that i can hear it make the distinction between magic and religion but the very basic things how magic functions in a society as opposed to religion the different functions of those and where witchcraft fits in witchcraft being the main thing that westerners identify with with african religions can and maybe talk a little bit about that obviously this is a

strong relationship between magic and religion because both of them deal with dimensions concept of other than normal powers with a deadly magic in the main health ever intensity conceptualize is more secular than that that is what mad men can do to each other rather than let god's did and then i'll tell you if in certain deities magical types of expression will be one of the worshipers are these magical tyson of expressions will be will be seen it will be will be when this when you get a situation like in possession where some a woman who was a cripple mr layman was likely get off on that like wow possess and then when the spirit leads her she crumpled like ghana cannot walk around la again and it certainly has that had the appearance of magic america working but

it's that the actors not to be considered magic that was that more i think properly described as worship joy when individuals can through the manipulation of its own signs and materials they buy and making an amulet or buy chanting certain powerful words spell can cause some physical action occurred to somebody else that i think more powerfully described as magic and it seems that that kind of other activities as is much more elaborate in central africa then in west africa although it occurs in both places a lot of healing is simultaneously pharmacological him and that anne and magic over the edges of humor might not know or or have

gone up because of traditional means the knowledge that a teammate of the certainly for certain routes will will cure are or treat the symptoms of a fever a while giving you that that tea you may also chant something that is regarded as as also having power so that they're the bridge the person goes away he'll that may be for two reasons one that has his symptoms have been physiologically treated but that is his spirit his his mind has been somewhat attitudes been adjusted to some degree by his belief that the things that he did supernatural powers that aren't resident within the charm or the quality of the chant may have may have also been effective on that maybe the most important thing in the tea will be regarded as a secondary so that you know magic and religions

interplay with one another but basically magic can exist without the extensive sense of ritual that is as part of a religion you don't need to have a pantheon didn't need to have to have shrines you don't need to have extensive paraphernalia and the clientele gov how faithful believers and higher and hierarchy hierarchical group of individuals who are serve the professional function of invoking deities an end and who like b and the virus have command of his book there is this broad religious knowledge certainly magicians have a heavy repertoire of it it often cares if very personalized an end and idiosyncratic and there's a lot of them maybe they got ego enhancement in the work of a magician and he has his his seven behaviors that are there are

there is in his alone even though their patterns like all the other magicians witchcraft well could say about magic that there are positive and negative kinds of magic magic for healing certainly is a beneficial kind of magic and often how will more be as much medicine as magic and then the yeah we might even interpret and in the case of a healer that he has two kinds of medicine one is it's physically other psychological so that magic magical healers are both doctors and psychiatry is within the character within the realm of african tradition the there's negative form online magic which it can't do evil

casting casting spells invoking the power which is which is a very as is as being present in the incentive that the negative side of divinity there are some these were dangerous like cancun is dangerous because he uses a got a buyer is also god of war and a destructive didi who scour you can apply to attack your enemies if you're going to go to civil war earlier than being competition you you might invoke a room to be on your side instead of the side of your competitor it within ultimately europe also haven't gotten supporter who has gotten smallpox is dangerous and that smallpox used to be you know a disease of much more prevalent than it is today so you would pray to the god of smallpox that to keep him away from you and maybe if you're inclined not have him attack again your ear or your competitor your enemy

the goddess yeah more jack goddess of the sea and it is regarded as an answer as ambivalent in the doses that a goddess of for fertility that being female but also as dangerous perhaps again given the male bias in your blood cultures is male positive female negative so again native for those reasons but her allies are we are birds his birds can fly free over the sea near the ecological metaphor your banks is that largely rain forest environment so there's a lot of open sky to be seeing some birds to fly they're from tree to tree but over the ocean and along the beaches they fly free and birds are regarded as as is as it personified as a the personification of a concrete form of the witch and there's birds fly through the night knowing

they have they can invade your household and symbolically attack your head causing you fever and headaches confusion and their dreams a manifestation of witchcraft on for that book the witches are our present our weekend see your about says dr the system as is in part of this very complex hierarchy of ecclesiastical legend among them in central africa people can be regarded as witches us that sometimes unintentionally because they they might have power is that that are detrimental to society that have to be exercise and they're there in you a magician would come and say remove evil spirits from them and take away their which status essentially psychologically pull them back into the community the community wouldn't recognize the person is long and dangerous and through elaborate ritual would be to

communicating with what the person wants an outcast wants a witch that they are in fact removed that the negative associations be removed from them and they're re incorporate into for safe again not a lot of threat to society there i think that really needs to be a distinction to witchcraft and magic that co workers of love many players assigned to not necessarily which is putting the magicians witchcraft i think in the main it be seen as and an antisocial use of power some people in some now there've been start out of the witch doctor which pages of the witch doctor which talk in fact named generally be a healer and because he manipulates its path magical apparatus the scene is witchcraft with activity it's really more a benefit that beneficial use of powerful of folk belief in

both physically in terms of roots and and and leaves and barks an end in strange exotic combinations of a of clay and in paris and all materials and then in the other side of the magicians kraft went with the hits or his knowledge of a dramatic performance that can't convince people that they they are well something's working for a few minutes one small know side of this so you will take the ship across the ocean and him dickson general comments on where one of the general pattern self cultural influences african influence in the world where where to

where the major out the areas of settlement in the new world by which african groups this obviously very complicated problem since it involves four centuries of history involves many european nations who where involving the slave trade through to a barrage of economic motives because of an unbroken political intrigues and so when certain treaties where are negotiated are certain wars a negotiated colonial possessions change hand the rights to slaving the center's change hands as colonial and enterprises flourished and declined the numbers of slaves important at certain times changed did their ports of call africa are constantly in flux is over this campus is susceptible to two to pattern that after the fact and figure out who was where when but obviously there's a lot of overlap and that what

happens over time perhaps if the pressure to change is still still there's that is that the year that clamps of majority culture titan and tighten they in fact made acquire more cultural traits more aspects of the foreign culture which may in fact penetrate down to the lower level and they may become truly part of the majority culture that happens very gradually very slowly and it happens in a differential way language may change very quickly foodways make a very quick quickly bubbly patterns will be more resistant you will cling to them tenaciously and so even now in the nine states where a culture a shingle it was much more extensive secret is it was much more extensive than then it's in the west indies the kind of christianity practiced in in black cheers is it is utterly different than the kid in the christianity putt practice unlike churches is

much more emotional much more enthusiastic much more like african religion and then the men in white a congregation some when we could appear fb ok so all this brings us to the last hour and twenty minutes we didn't to have a specific area of haiti and since my questions were logically arranged know it's going to break into these things so we're in what were the general just very briefly what generally happened in haiti how did you come about in haiti and what were the major influences i'm from africa and europe and how do they kind of blend to arrive at something knows to do in

the end the matter the origins of bhutto's of course hope for academic conjecture is many scars is steady did you have different opinions different biases but if we look at at all scholarship collectively there are going to be african elements christian european elements and some would argue some native american air where indian elements are also also present sense of slaves brought to haiti from the year fifteen five seventeen eighty nine oh very very extensive connection to africa and since the demographics of haiti at the time of the haitian revolution so favored africans that is the population was eleven to one black over white whites could not effectively and they since the world were in control what people were doing in their

quarters in and enslave row there and they were not as police extensively once they are done for the day at their fieldwork but any religion any off time attempts to retain culture where were pretty much under their control the last decades before the revolution we find and mention before strong and we just look at the helm at the terminology of voodoo we find a comeback culmination there are you know the worship of in the rada colts and in the petro cults there are different forms of drumming buddy the drones themselves are different than they are in the rotc of three the drums are other type known indie your butt down the area the

heads are paid two times the drums in the petro calls the drums are have the hands i catch by harnesses catch by syriza ropes as they are an end in congress and had been drumming technologies that manifest there so you get and the two african men major african nationalities for haiti are manifest to religion and manifest themselves in terms of a philosophy that is pleasant deities unpleasant deities different different names different different set of sacred languages the sacred language rideout tends to be your butt a sacred language of the aisle of petrol cars that need to be a geek congo when the language then the people speaking as creole sacred language indeed it is is that is the language used in chants and songs so that you can you can trace deities the sacred languages the original at this

season and you have the the differences and technology coming week we have only a few minutes left before the end either invasion comes in but let's briefly go over a general structure of what voodoo is very briefly though its ties to africa and then the pantheon pantheistic structure in and the position cummings and we can just say this certain describe briefly what goes on in a voodoo ceremony and even though the sacrifice has a positive element to it in the continuity of life through to the organ renewal of love of the garter something to prove right the gods need to be maintained they have to have to do something positive in instrumental to tune to make

religion dynamic and by dancing by singing bye bye by creating art in terms of the designs in the floor or the flags waved around drink dance and it's customary there are all kinds of human actions that are that are piled up ritually that that make it very clear that there's something that a man can do to communicate to the dough with his with the forces that are part of the supernatural and therefore the unity between man and god can be a clearly signaled can i have two minutes to ask one more quick question just build this thing and i have to get this in regards to the various religions of latin american african religions in them and the americas the state says that voodoo is the only living religion in the sense that it comes with i'm not in the terms of being violent a

day existence but it's the only one that i'm i was living in a sense of of having new innovations come about being divorced from africa since the beginning of the nineteenth century it had to as opposed to say were still where the ties with africa were were kept up until the late nineteenth century and there's a strong tennessee to conserve a very strict african elements or that in haitian voodoo there's much more up some criticism would say between various african elements and the catholic thing and so it's really becoming a new religion based in africa on african religions but it's much more an independent thinker can you bend the

state calls these other religious preserved religions voodoo as has of a much more we're living breathing thing open to new things can you comment on that for just a second and all of your vote over the riyadh he says that in haiti there's no need to resist the white dominance which is true and cumin and were still there is all a very strong tendency to to struggle against and buy in this struggle you can serve african lessons and in haiti there is no need for that and so they can write and they can do as they please now that's going to keep you in it i think that there are certainly voodoo is is it isn't the most exciting example of the resurgence of out of african cultural dynamics in a new context but we shouldn't set focus on on on just on the most startling example the most the most sterling example that they do

get there and you find the same kind of resurgence of a deep african cultural bass in an afro american religion in united states and a storefront churches are our paths as it is dependent on the same deep sense of spiritual isn't that and and and also on a new world is fedex as as his haitian voodoo but certainly there steve is is is correct in and pointing out that there's a lot in voodoo that was created in haiti out of the mixture of cultures other dynamic coming together of native american your euro american in it and an afro american elements