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#2531: Gran Brijit et al (fwd)
From: Lois E Wilcken <makandal-ny@juno.com>
I can't speak with authority about Gran Brijit, but I have done some work
on Lasirenn, and I believe certain principles apply generally.
Many say that the Haitian Siren is European, citing her name and her
physical form as evidence. A Haitian ougan told me she is Greek. But
Maya Deren points to a source (The Mythology of All Races, Hartley Burr
Alexander, 1920) on the South American Orehu, a water spirit who abducted
Arawaks, kept them anba dlo for a certain period of time, then sent them
back to land with the sacred rattle of the priesthood. This is
remarkably like the behavior of Lasirenn.
Must the origin of a lwa be either-or? Aren't they universal?
Lois Wilcken
La Troupe Makandal - New York City's #1 Haitian Roots Ensemble
621 Rutland Road, Brooklyn NY 11203
718-953-6638 / makandal-ny@juno.com