The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1891-03-14
WHAT VOUDOUISM IS.

The last Popular Science Monthly
has an article on voudouism, interest
ing because that so-cal!ed religion
once prevailed here, and still has some
credence, and because the author Of
! the article goes much further back in
the consideration Of voudouism than
any who have written on it. A num-
| Der of persons have discussed this sub
ject, nearly all have confined their in
vestigations to the West Indies (priD-
cipally to Hayti) or to Louisiana,
where voudouism was tranplanted
from the Indies. The Popular Science
Monthiy goes to its true source, the
country in which it originated and
where its peculiarities can be best OBJ
served-Africa.
According to Mr.. Ellis, the author
of this article, voudouism is a religion
originally peculiar to West Africa,
and transferred to this country by the
slave trade 1t consists Of snake wor-
ship, the alteration of the sacred boa
constructor, the gods of the African,
voudou being an Eve word, simply
meaning ''god.'
This voudou religion prevails among
the Whydah and Ardra tribes Of West
Africa, who erect mud temples in
which the sacred snakes are confined
with large retinue of priests. and
priestesses to attend them. 1t is not
to be wondered at that the religion
that worships the snake as a god should
also encourage debauchery as an es-
sential part Of its doctrines. The an
nual festival of the African voudous,
held in June, winds in an indiscrimi-
nate debauch, the prototype of our
voudou dances, and Of which the lat
ter are feeble imitation.
The religion-if such a name can
be applied to SO vile q thing-was
transferred to Hayti and Martinique
by the importation of large number
of Whydas as slaves. It is rather
startling to learn that in this country
voudouism became rather worse than
it had been in Africa, and that where
as it was closely associated there with
debauchery, it was not until it became
established on American soil that can
nibalism became a part of it.
Mr.. St. John in his account Of Hay
tt gives very ugly picture of vou-
douism in that island. 1t has become
more general with the freedom of the
negro, and human sacrifices and can
nibalism are important features of
every voudou festival. 1t is practi-
cally the religion Of the country, and
even the better classes Of the negroes
and the highest officials encourage it,
or rather so fear the voudous that
they pay tribute to them. The latter
control the country, and the over
throw of President Geffrard is attribu
ted to his rashness in endeavoring to
suppress human sacrifices and caIibal-
ism as part of these festivals.
No better idea could given of what
negro government means, and what
would be the inevitable result of Afri-
canization than the experience OF
Hayti in this matter. For century,
the government of that republic has
been given up wholly to the negroes.
They have one of the most fertile
countries in the world; they are sur
rounded on all sides by white civiliza-
ton, yet they have not been able to
maintain even what little civilization
they once possessed, and have actual
ly sunk lower than their African an
cestors, and added cannibalism to de-
bauchery as a part Of the national re-
ligion. We see in Hayti the condi-
ton of affairs, to which the Republi-
can party would likely condemn a
portion Of this country. We can re-
cognize how little the negro is to be
trusted with government, and how
much the negro of the South owes to
the whites in seeing the condition of
the race IN Hayti. Where it has been
allowed to govern without white con-
troll, superintendent or influence,
voudouism is the religion and anarchy
the form Of government developed by
negro rule in America.-Times- Dem-
0crat.