#1480: Thoughts on Vodou from Perrault

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: ange perrault <ange.perrault@mail.tju.edu>

I would like to address some of the vodou practitioners on the list.

Having been raised roman catholic until I left the shelter of my mother
in Haiti, I knew little of Vodou.  Once in the states, I have searched and
tried to educate myself of the religion I knew very little of. 
Most of the people in my surrounding that I have consulted pratice yoruba
religion (from Cuba and Brazil) which seems to present well the Pantheon of
the Orishas in a way that makes sense to me.

My argument is the following:
With the intergration of catholic saints as images for the Loas in vodou,
it has been difficult to grasp certain aspect, for example:
Saint Jacques Major, alias St. Cristobal, in spain represent the saint that
helped chase the Moors from Spain (correct me if I am wrong).
In vodou, he represent Ogun Feraille (?) or Ogun in Yoruba religion.
I always wondered: How come THIS unique representation survived,
and not others. Or why is this representation more popular?

I recall going to a vodou celebration (presentation at Univ. of PA)
and some the reenactments (with machetes anf fire), gave me goose bumps
because I have not seen one for a long time.  Now for a foreign (I mean
non-haitian) I can only assume that it elicited fear.

How can vodou adapte to a changing world clear it of its dark image or
association, without jeopardizing its religious aspect?