The Origins of Vodun
Although its essential wisdom originated in different parts of Africa long before the Europeans started the slave trade, the structure of Voodoo, as we know it today, was born in Haiti during the European colonization of Hispaniola. Vodun's roots go back to the Ewe, Fon, Mina and several other groups who are all descendants of the Adja-Tado region (predecessor to the 18th and 19th century Dahomey). That country occupied parts of today's Togo, Benin and Nigeria. The word "vodun" derives from vodu, meaning "spirit" or "deity" in the Fon language of Dahomey.
Ironically, it was the enforced immigration of African slaves from different tribes that provided the circumstances for the development of Vodun in the West Indies. European colonists thought that by desolating the tribes, they could not come together as a community. They forbade slaves to practice their native religions on pains of torture and death, and they baptized the slaves as Catholics. Doing so allowed the colonists to portray the slaves and their religion as a pagan ritual; blasphemous in the eyes of God.
Nevertheless, the slaves continued to practice their beliefs. They began to invoke not only their own gods, but to practice rites other than their own. In this process, they co-mingled and modified rituals of various tribes. The result of such fusion was that the different religious groups integrated their beliefs, thereby creating a new religion: Voodoo, an Afro-Caribbean religion that mixed practices from the Fon, the Nago, the Ibos, Dahomeans, Congos, Senegalese, Haussars, Caplaous, Mondungues, Mandinge, Angolese, Libyans, Ethiopians, and the Malgaches.
Vodun flourished in Haiti under a mask of Sunday Mass and Christian rites. Still, the slaves wanted religious freedom, and many escaped in search of it. In the 16th century there were cases recorded of slaves running away and setting up autonomous communities in inaccessible regions. This expanded greatly into the 18th century. In the cities more and more slaves began to speak of independence.
It was in the midst of this struggle that the revolution was conspired. The Voodoo priests consulted their oracle and learned how the political battle would have to be fought in order for them to be victorious. The revolution exploded in 1791 continued until 1804 when the Haitians finally won independence. Vodun, although still demonized by the West, continued to be the dominant religion in Haiti.
History then saw one of its many turnarounds when the new leaders of Haiti set out to attack Vodun, hoping to gain international respectability in the eyes of the Western world. They also feared revolution against their own corrupt regimes, and new it would begin at the grass roots level with Vodun. Criminal law dating from 1835 declared that Vodun was a superstition, incurring a fine of imprisonment. Between 1864 and 1941 the Catholic church cnoducted a number of campaigns to eradicate this "superstition".
It's turbulent history continued into 1957, when "Papa Doc"--Dr. Francios Duvalier--became president of the Republic of Haiti. Under a nationalistic campaign, Duvalier promised to restore respectability to Vodun. He was seen practicing rites, and recruited influential Houngans (priests) to be his advisors. Unfortunately, Duvalier used Vodun as a tool to control his constituents, manipulating it to support his brutal regime. His son, Jean-Claude Duvalier, took over in 1971 and continued in his father's footsteps until 1986. During this period, the West had little confidence in the Duvaliers, and continued to consider Vodun to be a "superstition".
Today the system of Voodoo reflects its history. We can see the tribal mixture in the names of
different rites and in the pantheon of gods which is composed of deities from all parts of Africa. It is widely practiced in Benin. Although it was suppressed during the Marxist regime, it has been allowed to be practiced freely since a democratic government was installed there in 1989. Vodun was formally recognized by the Government of Benin in 1996.
It is also followed by most of the adults in Haiti. It can be found in many of the large cities in North America, particularly in the American South. Cousin religions of vodun are practiced throughout the Caribbean region, including in Jamaica and Trinidad. In Cuba, a religion called Santería evolved from Yoruba foundations mixed with Spanish Catholic beliefs. Today, Vodun boasts a following upwards of 50 million worldwide.