The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-05-12
OBEAHISM IN HAITI.
WHY THE OBEAH MAN Is DREADED
IN THE WEST INDIES.


and Poison Is His Chief weapon-He
Even Lays the White Planter Under
Tribute Queer Methods of Warning.
In Jamaica, Haiti and other parts Of |
the West Indies there exists among the |
colored population a singular survival of |
savage practi IS learned in Africa In the |
days antecedent to the enforced migration. |
1t Is commonly referred to as form of re-
ligious worship, and one of its manifesto
tions is undoubtedly In this direction.
Obeah rites and orgies are thing suffi
GENTLY notorious to jewellers In Haiti, for
instance-to the whites by repute (for few
have been permitted to witness them) and
to the blacks by participation. But obeah-
ism pure and simple is a desire for re-
venge and in practice affords means of
attaining 1t. The colored people of these
parts are the poorest and at the same time
the most independent in the world. They
have little but their wants are few. The
obeah man Is always rather smarter than
his companions. He is bright enough to
see an easy way to provide himself with
few luxuries, and he must be able to make
his comrades believe in him. The obeah
man is in no sense n priest or spiritual
guide He is compounder of poisons,
and at this he is ordinarily only too skill
full He has no temple and pretends to no
sacred rites beyond a few simple incanta-
lions which he adds for effect He works
as much as any of his companions either
on his own little place or on the neighbor-
ing estate, and he does not often even pre-
tend to have inherited powers from an an
cestor. He picks up the trade, and in a
small way makes it profitable.
&c
bright negro to establish local reputa-
ton as an obeah man. He provides him
self with some of the stock belongings of an
obeah man-three white ROSTERS heads
among the flrst-and drops sly hint here
and there. One of his neighbors has injured
him, perhaps, and the neighbours chickens
suddenly die or his donkey falls serious
ly i'll. A little homemade poison does 1t,
and if he is smart there is no danger of his
being caught. His companions begin to
regard him with awe and to fear him.
From that moment he is recognized
obeah man.
The obeah man usually takes the pre-
caution to know his victim before he prac-
tices his diabolical arts on white plant
er. AS a rule the latter Is too intelligent
to have any fear of the supernatural pow
ers to which he lays claim, though one
and all unite in fearing his poisons and
poisoning is much easier matter for trop-
ical negroes than one might imagine, by
reason of the many poisonous vines, plants
and roots with which the experience of
generations has made them familiar. Then
the manner of keeping the water of the
household helps the obeah man consider
ably. Every house has its big porous earth
en- jar, in which the drinking water is
kept and through which it gradually
trickles into u smaller jar beneath. A
handful of brinvilliers leaves dropped into
the water jar will in few days put an
end to whole family. 1t Is not hard to
| have these leaves put into the water, be-
| cause the obeah man knows all the serv-
| ants in the house. and some of them are
very likely to have put themselves in his
power and must do as he tells them.
| Whether they are in his power or not, they
are all very much afraid of him. a plant
err has been known, when the well known
| indications appear, to go direct to the
| obeah man, pound nearly all the daylight
out of him and have him arrested and kept
| in prison to cool his heels until he has
learned discretion in his dealings. But
many Others out of regard for their own
families and for fear the obeah man
should go to extreme lengths in his hanky
|
make a point of compromising for their
offense
Say plantation hand has a grievance
against a particular planter for dlscharg-
ing him without cause. He goes to an
| obeah man, and in a day or two the own
er of the plantation walks out to his gate
and finds lying in his path three white
ROSTERS heads He knows that they mean
mischief He knows, too, that they will
not be alone, and he looks about, and
soon sees an empty bottle hanging from a
neighboring tree. 1t is hint that the bot
tie is intended to catch his shadow, a seri-
GUS warning that must not go unheeded.
Does he send for the police? Nothing of
the kind Remember that his family have
lived for generations among these obeah
workers and have some fear of them. He
has seen such warnings before and knows
that unless he acts quickly the conse-
quepces will be serious.
His first step is to find out whom he has
offended He remembers the incident of
the man who was discharged and sends
for him. He does not know how deadly
the grudge may be. His own life, the lives
of all his family, may be at stake. The
water jars must be emptied and cleaned,
for they may contain poison. All the food
must be carefully watched by some trusty
servant, but the servants are all negroes
and he does not know whom he can trust
The milk must also be watched from the
moment 1t leaves the COWS until 1t reaches
the table. He knows himself to be in dan
ger every moment from poison, and until
he has paid off the wages due to the dis
charged laborer and made him a present
the planter Is not comfortable in his mind
He does not care to prosecute the obeah
man, because it would be useless. If there
are any witnesses at all, they are colored
people who are far more afraid of the
obeah man than of the law and could not
be made to testify truly. Then possibly
be feels a little dread of the obeah man
him@lf-such is the force of association.