Vodou and the Dead

Vodou: An Introduction

Vodou, which translates literally to “spirit,” is a syncretic religion that combines elements from both traditional African religions and Roman Catholicism. Originating in Haiti in the 18th century, today Vodou is practiced by over 60 million people. In addition to Haiti, New Orleans, New York, Miami, Montreal, and Paris are cities in which there are prominent Vodou communities. 

Generally, Vodouists believe in varying levels of spiritual entities that control and represent all natural laws and forces. The most supreme being is Bondye, the Creator. Unlike the Catholic God, however, Bondye is remote and unknowable, and does not directly intercede in human affairs. Thus, Vodouists’ rituals are directed to the lwa, the intermediary spirits between Bondye and humans. Each of the lwa have their own distinct preferences, and represent different natural phenomena; thus Vodouists address each of them with their own unique and appropriate songs, dances, symbols, and modes of service.

1880s rendering of Mami Wata, the water spirit lwa

Vodou Beliefs about Death

As everything has a spiritual dimension to the Vodouists, practitioners of Vodou revere death, viewing it not as an absolute end but as a transformation of the soul and reunion with God. The physical corpse dies at death, yet in exchange the soul is liberated.

In Vodou, the soul is distinguished into two main parts: the gwo bonanji, or the universal “life force” inherent in all living things, and the ti bonanji, which can be seen as the smaller, individual “consciousness” unique to each person. Ultimately, the ti bonanji remains on earth, while the gwo bonanji merges with the collective spirit of the deceased, whose function is now Bondye’s business, and Bondye’s only.

At Death

When death is nigh, relatives make it a considerable priority to be physically present to the dying family member. Following specific customs and rituals preceding and following death are a significant part of Vodou tradition. Death at home is preferable, but the hospital is acceptable.

 At the moment of death, friends, family, and neighbors gather together for a ritual wailing. Funerals are elaborate and entail days of socializing among family and friends, where they consume rum and prepare extravagant feasts. 

Vodouists strongly insist the body remain intact after death. Organ donation, cremation, and autopsy are generally not performed. Ideally, the body is buried above ground in an ornamental, multi-chambered tomb, which often comes at a price higher than that of the deceased’s home when alive. 

Transformation of the Ti Bonanji

Right after death, the ti bonanji (small and individualized part of the soul) lingers near the corpse for seven to nine days. During this time it is especially vulnerable and must be protected against sorcerers, who may try to capture it and turn it into a spiritual zombi—a soulless, re-animated body resurrected to perform menial field tasks. Provided this does not occur, a ceremony called the Nine Nights is performed by a priest or priestess. This liberates the ti bonanji from the body and sends it to a place “beneath the waters” for one year and one day.

After the 366 days have passed, family members and a priest or priestess return to the deceased for another ceremony known as the Rite of Reclamation. Here, the ti bonaji is called upon to rise from the waters, from which it is then placed into a clay jar called a govi. As Vodouists believe life experiences can be transmitted from person to person, relatives or the priest in charge may allow the deceased’s spirit to possess them, in case the spirit finds it necessary to impart any last words of wisdom or advice.

The govi is then placed into the priest’s temple among lighted candles, where family members continue to bestow it food offerings. Animal sacrifices are also common, typically involving the slaughter of such animals as goats, chickens, doves, and turtles. That these sacrifices also take place at births and marriages reinforce the notion that death is as much a rite of passage of life as life's other main events.

After the ceremony is complete, the jar is broken, and the spirit is released into the world to live again. The departed soul may inhabit trees, speak through the hushed voice of the wind, traverse mountaintops, or hide in grottos. It continues to be honored as an ancestor by its relatives, and may be called upon to bring fortune to the living.

The govi’s broken remnants are then deposited either at a crossroads, or beneath “Bawon’s Cross” in the cemetery—both of which are sacred symbols resembling the intersection of the land of the living and the land of the dead.

Decorated Govi jars

Gwo Bonanji and the Gede

The gwo bonanji, unlike the ti bonanji, returns to Bondye after death. Vodouist’s conceieve of an afterlife situated in a cosmic “Africa” called Ginen, from which all spiritual activity emanates from. It is here that all the gwo bonanji of the dead coalesce and form a group of spirits, known as the Gede, who represent the entire community of the dead as one whole.

The Gede, like the lwa, are subservient to Bondye. Unlike the lwa, however, they take on a cruder, more trickster-like conception. As spirits of death, the Gede are used to remind people that they all face the same fate. Vodouists worship them by placing icons along the Gede altar, ranging from statuettes of the Buddha, King Kong, Elvis Presley, St. Gerard—anyone or anything, for that matter. As the Gede represent a rite of passage experienced by everybody, their image is all-inclusive; there are no limits as to the kinds of images that may be used to worship them.

Interestingly, in accordance with their representation of death, the Gede are bringers of much more lighthearted fare, acting as boosters of sexuality, protectors of children, and relentless social satirists. Thus Gede worship is also marked by boisterous dance and carnivalesque festivals at the "Fet Gede" (akin to a Haitian Day of the Dead), where structured norms are subverted and social pretense is temporarily gone away with. This serves as a reminder of the life's frailty and brevity, with these exuberant celebrations provide both a literal and symbolic escape from the tyranny of life's more serious, day-to-day affairs.

Vodouist in the role of the spirit Gede