Zanmi Lakay

Ezili Danto: is the grand matriarchal figure within the Vodou pantheon. She is a hardworking mother, raising her child single-handedly. Fiercely independent with a stormy disposition, she would fight to her death to protect her offspring. She is considered to be the spiritual mother of everyone. Her essence is rooted in reproduction, and she is often evoked in affairs concerning either childbirth or conception. Her Catholic counterpart is the Madonna from Poland. This image was brought to Haiti by the Polish legions sent to fight for Napoleon. The Polish ranks, sickened by the war against the slave, mutinied and continued fighting on the side of the black slaves. She has scars on her face said to be wounds from the war of independence. Her lover is Ogou, the noble and courageous warrior.

Lasiren, is the queen of the ocean-the enchantress. She is called upon every time a boat is pushed into the water. Lasiren is a mermaid who possesses the wisdom of the water’s depths. She is said to make eerie music on the floor of the ocean, and is held to be the patron saint of musicians. She is a temptress-fierce and powerful. The mermaid spirit Lasiren beckons those at sea to return to Ginen, the tranquil ancestral home below the choppy waves of life and ocean. The ambiguity of her allure lies between the fear of drowning and a strong desire to return to the waters-the spiritual refuge. This is a choice that faced many of the slaves on the barbarous journey from Africa to the West Indies, as the sea was the only escape from the savagery of slavery. In order to overcome the fear of death, the sea soon came to represent a return to the homeland of Africa and Ginen. Services for Lasiren and Agwe take place on the coast, and the gifts and offerings are floated off on a small boat, which sinks and reaches their aquatic kingdom. There is a legend that if you are possessed by Lasiren during this ceremony, you dive to the seabed and return with seven fishes and seven coins.

Marasa: Marasa is to rejoice in the duality of the nature of man and the universe-the acknowledgment of the human and the divine, the mortal and the immortal, and the connection between the material world and the spirit domain. Sacred twins are just two of a trinity, and the next born child represents restoration of the divine troila. The Marasa 3 are said to represent love, truth and justice. The sacred twins are associated with medicine, and act as protectors of children and family.

Lasiren, is the queen of the ocean-the enchantress. She is called upon every time a boat is pushed into the water. Lasiren is a mermaid who possesses the wisdom of the water’s depths. She is said to make eerie music on the floor of the ocean, and is held to be the patron saint of musicians. She is a temptress-fierce and powerful. The mermaid spirit Lasiren beckons those at sea to return to Ginen, the tranquil ancestral home below the choppy waves of life and ocean. The ambiguity of her allure lies between the fear of drowning and a strong desire to return to the waters-the spiritual refuge. This is a choice that faced many of the slaves on the barbarous journey from Africa to the West Indies, as the sea was the only escape from the savagery of slavery. In order to overcome the fear of death, the sea soon came to represent a return to the homeland of Africa and Ginen. Services for Lasiren and Agwe take place on the coast, and the gifts and offerings are floated off on a small boat, which sinks and reaches their aquatic kingdom. There is a legend that if you are possessed by Lasiren during this ceremony, you dive to the seabed and return with seven fishes and seven coins.

Lasiren, is the queen of the ocean-the enchantress. She is called upon every time a boat is pushed into the water. Lasiren is a mermaid who possesses the wisdom of the water’s depths. She is said to make eerie music on the floor of the ocean, and is held to be the patron saint of musicians. She is a temptress-fierce and powerful. The mermaid spirit Lasiren beckons those at sea to return to Ginen, the tranquil ancestral home below the choppy waves of life and ocean. The ambiguity of her allure lies between the fear of drowning and a strong desire to return to the waters-the spiritual refuge. This is a choice that faced many of the slaves on the barbarous journey from Africa to the West Indies, as the sea was the only escape from the savagery of slavery. In order to overcome the fear of death, the sea soon came to represent a return to the homeland of Africa and Ginen. Services for Lasiren and Agwe take place on the coast, and the gifts and offerings are floated off on a small boat, which sinks and reaches their aquatic kingdom. There is a legend that if you are possessed by Lasiren during this ceremony, you dive to the seabed and return with seven fishes and seven coins.

Simbi: is the patron saint of the rains, the currents of the rivers, and the master of all magicians. He abides in both the heavenly and the abysmal waters, the sweet and the salt.
Simbi’s spheres of influence inhabit the realms of both Danbala-the skies: and Agwe-the seas. In an urban environment, Simbi oversees the flow of electromagnetic energy, from lights to telephones. Simbi’s roots are believed to come from zemi, the indigenous Indian word for magic fetish. As the patron saint of magic, he oversees the assembly of paket congo (a cloth-bound package containing spiritual powers). There is a yearly festival in Soukri in honor of the Kongo nation of spirits, where hundreds of celebrants submerge themselves in a local river in Simbi’s honor. The Magi or Moses are his Catholic counterparts.

Bawon Samedi: Vodou celebrants welcome the appearance of Guédé, as his behavior brings a vein of humor to the ceremonies. Guédé presides over the cemeteries where his celebrations, called fetdemo, take place on November 1 and 2 all over Haiti. On these two electric days, Guédé escapes the confines of the divine spaces of the temples, and runs amok through the towns and countrysides. People crowd into the graveyards to pour libations for Bawon Samedi at the foot of blackened crosses, which are decorated with skulls, marigolds, and candle wax. Such huge quantities of kleren are consumed that the air in the cemetery is heavy with the liquor’s aroma. The crowds chant lewd songs, and in this atmosphere of wild abandon, many celebrants become possessed by Guédé.

Danbala , the supreme snake spirit, together with his wife Ayida Wedo, the mistress of the skies, form the cosmic nexus between the sky and the sea. These are ancient, primordial deities, holding a vestigial role within the Vodou pantheon dating back to creation itself. Often they are depicted with an egg, symbolizing their role in the dawn of life. They are associated with wisdom and fertility, and dwell within springs, pools, thunder, and lightening. The origins of Danbala and Ayida Wedo can be traced directly back to the religious animist practice in Dahomey, West Africa. Da was a snake god and divine force controlling life, and one of his avatars was Da Ayido Hwedo. There is a yearly pilgrimage in Haiti to Saut D’Eau, a stunning waterfall that exudes a mist crisscrossed with minute rainbows. The pool into which the water pours is the domain of Danbala and other aquatic deities. The day of pilgrimage and celebration, July 16th, is shared with Ezili Freda, who appeared as the Virgin Mary nearby. The pilgrims pray and bath in the sacred waters often becoming possessed by Danbala. Small offerings and candles are left on the branches of the trees that surround the falls.

These intricate wall pieces are made from recycled oil drums in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti.By Brutal Michel