Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-04-02
A VoODoO PRIEsTEss.

NOODOO PRlESTESS.
Rico, Cuba, Jamaica and Louisiana, In oil
these places finding abundant material
among the colored people, who, naturally
superstitious, are especially prone To re-
gard the voodoo with awe, since a tradi-
tional fear of the vOodoo queen and her
supposed power has become almost a hered
itary trait in the African character,
For voodooism is no new thing How
long il has existed in Africa it Is impos
sible 10 say, but certain Ii Is that the ear
Hest European explorers Of both the east
and the west coasts of the dark continent
found it flourishing, both on the coast and
in the interior, while from numerous al
lusions in ancient authors there is reason
To believe that IL, or something like It,
was known before the Christian era
Stripped of the meaningless forms and
ceremonies that are now said to constitute
the greater portion Of the voodoo incanta.
ton, 1t is nothing more nor less than q
survival of the serpent worship that once
prevailed over part of the old world.
Save in Africa and India, the worship
OF the serpent as IA special cult Is now
almost unknown, the voodoo practices OF
the West Indies and among the colored
people of Louisiana being not so much In
the nature of worship as of lamentations
to secure some desired object
Voodoo worship is seen at its best, or,
more properly, at its worst, in Whydah, a
town of Dahomey, situated on the Gold
Coast. The whole town virtually lives by
voodooism, for there are large temples and
numbers Of oracles so famous that men
come from near and far to consult them
with regard to enterprises about to be un-
dertaken and regard their decisions as Of
no little weight. The principal temple Is
devoted to the pythons or great boas which
are the objects of alteration. There are
always from 90 TO 100 Of these repulsive
creatures belonging to the temple.
The translation of python worship to
the West Indies stripped the cult Of many Of
its characteristic features, but one, the
veneration of the serpent, has survived the
change, and in every voodoo incarnation
the presence of the serpent forms very
important, indeed an essential, element
But pythons are not to be- found in the
West Indies, and in default OF their pres.
ence an easy transition was made to the
most poisonous reptile that could be oh.
tanned In the vicinity. Rattlesnakes are
most commonly used, though copperheads
adders, vipers and other poisonous reptiles
is to be obtained, common blacksnake
will answer the purpose. But there must
be snake, for the serpent is the emblem
or embodiment of WISDOM and without its
presence there can be no incantation
Strange stories have been told of the VOC
doc nominations Of New Orleans IN former
days but most Of them are probably exag.
gerafed, for during the French occupation
voodoo practices were vigorously suppress
ed In Jamaica, Porto Rico and Cuba there
are laws against the voodoos and their wor
ship.
In Louisiana it is believed that very lit
tie Of the cult remains An occasional old
colored woman, living alone in tumble
down cabin and having AN uncanny repu.
tati0n among both whites and blacks, oc.
casionally consulted by some foolish WON
an or superstitious man, shuflling pack
of greasy cards or praoticing rites or which
she knows neither the history nor the sig.
niiicance, dreaded as a witch, and on the
strength of her bad reputation selling
charm bags, hoodoo packages or rabbits
feet, is the sole survivor in this country Of
a form OF worship that once prevailed over
half the surface OF the earth