...educational aspect of the Voodoo religion it is important to know where Voodoo is popular. Voodoo is practiced in three main regions throughout the world, those including: Louisiana, Haiti and West Africa. Louisiana is located in the United States and the city where Voodoo is most popular is New Orleans. Though New Orleans’ poverty issue is diminishing, 39% of children still live in poverty (Catalanello). The poverty does not affect the number of New Orleans children from attending school. In Haiti, where Voodoo is very popular, Haitians who are 25 years old and older have reportedly received an average of 4.9 years of education (“Education”). This number clearly reflects the outstanding number of individuals...
Words: 1553 - Pages: 7
...connections between political economy and human suffering is admirably addressed in this powerful book. Haitians stricken with AIDS in the late 1980s in the tiny community of Do Kay. Farmer explains how local knowledge and personal reactions to illness are connected to larger national and global forces, and how the stage was set hundreds of years ago for the misery that is the reality for most people in today’s Haiti. What I must point out is how Haiti is decorated with palm tress and colorful hibiscus flowers. Mountains stand majestically looking down upon sandy beaches and green valleys. From afar it appears as any other island one might encounter sailing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Yet, as we draw closer we notice a difference. 5 December 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on a large island in the region of the Western Atlantic Ocean that later became to be known as the Caribbean. Columbus promptly claimed the island for the Spanish Crown, naming it Navidad (Christmas), after his flagship, the Santa Maria. I continue to find several names that Columbus named Haiti upon discovery (Hispaniola and La Isla Hispaniola) which was it? Inhabited with Tainos (or Arawak) people, who called their island Ayiti, Bohio, or Kiskeya. The Taino Indian (or Arawak) inhabitants referred to their homeland by many names, but they most commonly used Ayti, or Hayti (mountainous) (http://www.travelinghaiti.com/history_of_haiti/spanish_colonization.asp). At first the Taino Indians were hospitable...
Words: 1371 - Pages: 6
...connections between political economy and human suffering is admirably addressed in this powerful book. Haitians stricken with AIDS in the late 1980s in the tiny community of Do Kay. Farmer explains how local knowledge and personal reactions to illness are connected to larger national and global forces, and how the stage was set hundreds of years ago for the misery that is the reality for most people in today’s Haiti. What I must point out is how Haiti is decorated with palm tress and colorful hibiscus flowers. Mountains stand majestically looking down upon sandy beaches and green valleys. From afar it appears as any other island one might encounter sailing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Yet, as we draw closer we notice a difference. 5 December 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on a large island in the region of the Western Atlantic Ocean that later became to be known as the Caribbean. Columbus promptly claimed the island for the Spanish Crown, naming it Navidad (Christmas), after his flagship, the Santa Maria. I continue to find several names that Columbus named Haiti upon discovery (Hispaniola and La Isla Hispaniola) which was it? Inhabited with Tainos (or Arawak) people, who called their island Ayiti, Bohio, or Kiskeya. The Taino Indian (or Arawak) inhabitants referred to their homeland by many names, but they most commonly used Ayti, or Hayti (mountainous) (http://www.travelinghaiti.com/history_of_haiti/spanish_colonization.asp). At first the Taino Indians were hospitable...
Words: 1371 - Pages: 6
...commonly associated with the practice of Voodoo. It is commonly believed that Voodoo is solely black magic; concerned with satanic rituals and terrifying dolls made to mirror victims and then used for torture. This is due to the misrepresentation of the practice shown in movies, discussed on social media, or even communicated to others verbally. Voodoo is actually a religion made up of Catholic, African, and Native American practices rather than a dastardly form of magic. Of course there will always be individuals with ill intents no matter what the circumstance is, but with the evil there is also the virtuous. Voodoo...
Words: 1375 - Pages: 6
...Haiti under Francois Duvalier In its 200 year history, Haiti has suffered thirty-two coups. Since its independence from France in 1804, national authority has continually been disputed by factions of the army, the elite class, and the growing commercial class which is made up of immigrant businessmen. The instability of government and society has impacted all aspects of Haitian life: environmental, agricultural, economic, health, and society. Haiti, once called “the Pearl of the Antilles” for its beautiful forests and pristine landscape, enters once again another dictatorship lead by Francois Duvalier also known as “Papa Doc.” The Duvalier regime is said to be one of the worst administration in Haiti, killing more than 2,000 Haitians and driven...
Words: 1795 - Pages: 8
...Gutierrez Voodoo which means “spirit” in Fon, was born in the West African country of Benin and is practiced by more than 4 million believers. The origins are not well known but it is thought to have evolved from ancestor worship and animism. ‘While practitioners believe in only one true God they communicate with him through thousands of different spirits and shrines.” It is practiced in many different countries and although they all have for the most part the same beliefs some of their practices are different. Spirit possession occurs in the “Birth of Voodoo” when the daughter of a Voodoo priest is chosen to be a spirit medium. She is claimed by the Earth spirit, Sakpata, and is thought to be dead; she lies for three days without food or water. The villagers prepare for her to be reborn; they spread of path of cornmeal to rid it of evil. “To signal the pass from the world of the dead to the world of the spirit, the body must come feet first into the village.” The villagers touch her with open palms which invoke the spirit inviting it to return and touch her with a chicken with purifies the body. When she awakens from the world of the dead she now has the spirit in her. She will now be able to communicate with the Spirits which will still take much practice. She will be able to heal those that are ill and help with other problems like money. In “Haitian Voodoo” spirit possession occurs to heal people and to guide believers. Haiti is a Catholic dominant country but Voodoo is practiced...
Words: 737 - Pages: 3
...,Le’Vitria Burnett ENG 1301 Crystal Guillory October 09, 2012 Behind the Mountains Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracey Kidder describes Dr. Farmer, an accomplished anthropologist, as hardworking, dedicated and ambitious. He tries to conquer an illness plaguing a village located in Haiti. After the success of curing the catchment area of Cange and the villages surrounding it, he spreads his treatment in other underprivileged places around the world. There is no book with the exception of perhaps Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson, the story of an American author who decides to build schools in Pakistan, that has as an influential an effect on the American contribution to cater to impoverished societies internationally. While Mortenson wrote about his intense need to reach out to the community of Korphe, Kidder gives an accurate account of Dr. Farmer’s relentless efforts to cure an entire village as well as those around it by following him through his struggles and annotating for the world to see. This book interprets and gives a great illustration on the determination and its processes of purpose and action, as well as incorporates information on things outside of Western ideology. Generally, determination is described as “to settle or decide (a dispute, question, etc.) by an authoritative or conclusive decision” (http://dictionary.reference.com). It is also consistent with the fortitude to be compelled...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...are Alive and Well The Harvard essay by Gino Del Guercio,” The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead” describing, the adventure and exploration of Wade Davis, a Harvard botanist, on the tiny island using scientific ways and cash to prove the existence of zombies, and the formula used within a voodoo subculture. The Haitian people use a secret commission to govern social deviance by using poison to place people in a state of living dead whereby, a funeral actually takes place for the drugged individual including a proper burial. Del Guercio describes, how the graves are then uncovered by the commission and placed with nearby plantation owners to do menial labor for the duration of their lives in an altered state. The Zombies of Haiti serve a societal purpose to keep down crime, and the unusual deviances from the social norms in which, these poor people have developed over 100's of years. In a general comparison to the zombies of Haiti and the zombies in the " New Dawn of the Dead" movie. The zombies of the movies are made for strictly entertainment purposes and are changed to fit a mold of the producer and writer. The zombies are far fetched whereby; zombies suddenly appear and change humans into more zombies. On the other hand Del Guercio reveals, through Wade Davis, a real voodoo culture on the Isle of Haiti in which, zombies are made of everyday inhabitants for crimes against society and places fear in the average...
Words: 591 - Pages: 3
...lived well and created a tradition of wholeness. These natives created a society where African traditional religions embraced all aspects of life. Juju (also known to western as Voodoo or vodun) is one of these many religions that are widely practice in West Africa and the Americas. Unlike the strict parameters that are drawn in western religions between the secular and non secular world, Juju is a traditional religion that is all surrounding in all aspect of ones life. This essay will focus on Juju religion in West Africa and how it end up in the Americas. In modern day, most people in the western world have been taught to tribute Juju existence and development exclusively to the Fon tribe who inhabit the country of Benin in West Africa. However, there are more than thirty five different ethnic groups in West Africa who are responsible for the development of Juju religion. Another popular misconception regarding Juju’s religion is that it was developed in Haiti by African slaves who were transported to the new world. This theory is wrong, due to Haiti only been an independent republic since 1804, and some anthropologists have estimated Juju to be as much as 10,000 years old. Juju religion was already well established, completely developed and widely practice religion prior to its arrival in Haiti. Juju is also the official religion in Benin, the only African country that still proudly recognizes it as traditional religion. Western faith are been imposed to other African countries...
Words: 844 - Pages: 4
...Myths and Rituals Haitian Voodoo is a complex religion from African descent. This olden religion is weighed by much negative stereotyping, which often link this practice to evil doings and malevolent behaviors. Voodoo embraces the belief of spirits and a direct line of communication through possession and rituals. This religion believes in spiritual intervention on their behalf. Voodoo embodies various religions and its influences to untimely bring together voodoo It combines bits of culture from other African religions, thus making it complex, religions such as Christianity, specifically Christian Catholicism. It can be considered holistic based on the intertwining connection of supernatural and physical heeling. Voodoo believes in many spiritual forces, it consists of one major creator Bondye who does not intervene in any aspect of a person physical of spiritual life. Main worship then passes on to Loas; they differ from saints and angels in which they are not prayed too they are served. Loas are believed to be responsible for different aspects of human such as fertility, youth and beauty. Voodoo has many rituals in order to promote spiritual intrusion, communication and worship. Rituals may include singing and dancing, it involves but is not limited to animal sacrifices, zombification, etc. In this religion there are priests who are as supposedly chosen by dead ancestors. In Haitian Voodoo the practice of zombification is known to be far from folktale to practitioners...
Words: 662 - Pages: 3
...Haitian Culture ORIGINS OF CULTURE The Republic of Haiti is a Caribbean country that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. It is approximately 500 miles from Key West, Florida. It was first settled by the Spanish in the late 1400s, during the era of Columbus. After the entrance of Europeans, Hispaniola's indigenous population endured near-extinction, in what is perhaps the worst case of depopulation in the Americas. A generally believed hypothesis indicates the high mortality of this colony in part to Old World diseases to which the native people had no immunity due to a lack of exposure to the European diseases. A small number of Taínos, the natives to the island, were able to stay alive and set up villages elsewhere. Spanish attentiveness in Hispaniola began to diminish in the 1520s, as more profitable gold and silver deposits were found in Mexico and South America. It was the decreasing interest in Hispaniola that allowed the French to create a colony in the early 1600s. French buccaneers created a settlement on the island of Tortuga in 1625, and were soon united with like-minded English and Dutch privateers and pirates, who formed a anarchistic international community that survived by marauding Spanish ships and hunting wild cattle. Before the Seven Years' War (1756–63), the economy of Hispaniola slowly expanded, with sugar and coffee becoming important export crops. After the war the colony underwent rapid expansion. In 1767, it exported 72 million...
Words: 3138 - Pages: 13
...Voodoo is believed to be used for evil revenge, which is not correct. Some believe it is derived from Voudon. Voudon is an afro-Caribbean religion that started in Haiti. Voodoo and Voudon aren't based around voodoo dolls or zombies. The meaning of "Loa" in voodoo is a god that practitioner look up to; they are individually responsible for a certain part of our lives. The teachings of Voodoo is based around a higher being, like the Bondye, a creator god. The Bondye is said to be the good god, although there is no evil god in Voodoo. Bindye is far beyond human intelligence, it shows its existence through the loa, and ceremonies are based around the loa rather than the Bondye. The manifestation of loa occurs when they posses their worshipers bodies...
Words: 657 - Pages: 3
...Health Status and Health Care Services in Haiti with Comparison to the United States Teffanie Cummings DeVry University Introduction to Health Services Management Course Project/ HSM310 April 21, 2014 Dr. Becky Foster OUTLINE TITLE I. Executive Summary * II. Haiti Healthcare Status A. Population without healthcare insurance B. Mortality, Infant mortality data, causes of death C. Healthcare Insurance available to the poor III. Availability of Health Services A. Fundamental Life Insurance B. Red Cross C. Medicaid IV. Expenditures A. Who pays for the healthcare B. Total cost for the healthcare overall C. The Government V. Influences on the health care system A. Cultural influence B. Does society have anything to do with Haiti healthcare? C. What does politics have to do with Haiti healthcare VI. Summary A. What are the biggest healthcare problems in Haiti B. United States healthcare system compared to Haiti healthcare C. What opportunities can be offer to help Haiti healthcare * VII. Conclusion Abstract By every measure found Haiti is known to be the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and that makes they have the worst healthcare system. The can only afford around $85.00 or less per person for healthcare and the population is around 8 million (Whyte, 2010). Healthcare in Haiti is like nonexistent over half the population is unemployed and the...
Words: 2998 - Pages: 12
...barriers and reasons behind it. The brochure also demonstrated why culture is put on such high value for the Haitian community and what disparities might they face with incompetent healthcare workers towards some of the issues faced and why it would be considered vulnerable. Data collected towards the outcome of the presentation as well as understanding of why this would be a barrier to healthcare was well received within the workplace. Concept of Vulnerability in Haitians “As a triple minority, Haitians face challenges as racial and ethnic minorities, as immigrants, and as individuals who experience poverty at disproportionate levels” (Belizaire & Fuertes, 2011, p. 95). Haiti is considered one of the poorest countries in the world according to Florida Times Union, (2010). Due to the earthquake in 2010, Haiti has lost majority of its economy and potential of growth, hence increasing the immigration of Haitians to South Florida. As healthcare providers it is important to understand the populations being served in a community demographic and appropriate care for them. The concept of vulnerability in Haitians arises from the research into the history of the growing community as well as disparities. To be considered vulnerable, a group must have diminished capacity to cope or recover from a disparity due to influences affecting the individual’s...
Words: 1073 - Pages: 5
...Voodoo beliefs and culture Have you ever wondered about the beliefs and practices of Voodoo, pertaining to the death and the afterlife? Voodoo is a popular religion practiced throughout the Carribean, and mostly countries like Haiti. The followers of Voodo believe in the spirit world that is influenced by the pathenon of gods. The followers of Voodoo believe in the after life and that death is the passage to cosmic community of ancestral spirits. The Voodoo religion can be directly traced to the West African,Yourba people. These people lived in the 18th and 19th century, Dahomey. The roots of Voodoo can go back to 6,000 years in Africa. The religion of voodoo spread to many parts of the world, during the African slave trade. Voodoo later become composed of being an African religion, that also had Christian followers. The Voodoo religion has spread from Africa to the Carribean islands and North America. The city of New Orleans has many people that practice modern day voodoo rituals. There are about 50,000,000 Voodoo believers world wide. The followers of Voodoo worship many gods, known as the Loas. The followers of Voodoo strongly believe that Loas and humans depend on each other. The Loas depend on humans for food and praise. Humans depend on the Loas for daily help and protection. These Loas all play a crucial part in human lives, according to Vodouisants. There are various supernatural characters that Vodouisants believe in. One of these...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
