Deep, Dark, and Real
...han forget what they had known and been taught all their lives, they treated what they were learning about Catholicism as further explanation of what they had already been taught. There was one main common belief that there was one supreme Maker, although they referred to Him as Gran Met. But they saw Him as too remote to have time to directly in the lives of us mere humans (Guiley 635). He did create smaller “gods” called loas (or also known as luas or lwas in some areas) and the slaves saw that there were many similarities between their loas and the Catholic saints or even Jesus. For instance, Jesus was seen as the god Oxala and St. John was seen as Shango because the weather is stormy around the St. John’s feast day (Cavendish 52). These are just two examples the ones who practitioners of Voodoo pray to and seek guidance from. Most loas are kind and benevolent, but there are some that are more violent. The religion itself branches off into separate “nations” (Cavendish 52). Rada rites include the part that deals with the kind loas in a more traditional way and is the side of Voodoo that most of its follower’s practice. These devotees wear white to the ceremonies and do not use magic in their rituals during ceremonies or even in day to day life. Wangol rites hail from Angola, and their belief system parallels significantly to Rada. The other side of Voodoo is the side that most people think about when they envision Voodoo: the Petro rite. This is the side of Voodoo that is feared even by those who practice it. This rite is more violent and focuses more on what the loas can do for man rather than what man can do for the loas. This is also the side of Voodoo that New Orleans has become famous for. Generally speaking, those who practice Petro are called “boko” which translates into one who serves the loa with both hands (Guiley 640). Those who practice this darker side of Voodoo are also the ones who do zombification and spells for personal gain, but it is important to note that most people that practice Voodoo today do not practice it under the Petro rites. The use of dolls in Voodoo has been popularized in American culture by movies that are completely inaccurate. Even in silly horror films like Child’s Play, Voodoo is used as a clever way for a serial murderer Charles Lee Ray to escape death by putting his soul into a child’s toy by a spell he quickly says before his last breath. Unfortunately, he forgot to ask a loa to help him along with it. At least then it would be almost right. There is only one type of voodoo doll that most people think about, but actually there are at least three different types of dolls that are used in some way in Voodoo. First, we’ll talk about the dolls that are placed on Vodou altars and prayed to. These dolls are made in the images of loas and only from natural cloth products. The image is taken from saints or passed down knowledge of what a loa would look like. They would be dressed in the favorite color of the loa with something that represents them. They would then be placed on an altar or a special place that gives them the proper respect. The devotee would then either pray directly to it or ask blessing from it. This is the most common type of doll used in Voodoo in Haiti and everywhere all rites practice it. The second type of doll is similar to the first, but it is a messenger doll. According to The Complete Idiots Guide to Voodoo, these dolls are also small cloth dolls, but these have no features and are used for sending messages to a loa also used by both rites of Voodoo. The person would write a message or request on a piece of paper and either pin it on to the doll or secure it by a ribbon in the favorite color of the loa that they are trying to contact. They should then either leave it at a crossroads, which is considered to be the threshold to the world of spirits or in a cemetery. The last type of doll that I am going to discuss is the most well known. The voodoo doll. Surprisingly, these dolls are not often used in Haitian Voodoo according to every source I have on the subject. They became popular in America because of their use in New Orleans Voodoo, but they have been used in many other belief systems. According to Ross Heaven’s Vodou Shaman, the North American Indians used wooden images to bring about harm or even death to an enemy. In Peru, fat and grain were molded and used to destroy an enemy’s soul (Heaven 196). Malaysia used wax models with something personal from the victim to kill them (Heaven 196). In Faraone’s article “When Spells Worked Magic”, he speaks of an excavation in Rome that uncovered a large number of dolls used by what seems to be a professional witch sometime in the forth century. Faraone also mentioned the work of Roman poet Ovid who lived during the late first century B.C. When Ovid’s romantic skills were not overly successful, he wrote "Was I the wretched victim of charms and herbs, or did a witch curse my name upon a red wax image and stick fine pins into the middle of the liver?" It has been documented that many different civiliza...