The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-01-11
The VAUDAUX OR "HOODOO"


lea. 1t is known in Hayti and the
West Indies as Vaudaux and in the
United States as Voodoo, while by
the more ignorant colored people in
the latter IL is spoken of with fear as
Hoo-doo. The term itself signifies an
all-powerful being, incarnate in the
form of snake, and the cult may be
defined as sorcery based on belief
in evil spirits. Vaudaux is, in very
gross form, also a worship of sem
suality, having striking resemblance
TO that OF Satki, the power OF energy
OF the divine nature in action" whose
votaries in India adore a woman. AS
in the rites of the Sakti. those of the
Vaudaux usually end in an orgy.
Voodooism has great number OF
deities, chiefest among them being
Hougoun Badagri, the snake, which,
as a rule, is an ordinary viper. This
reptile however, does not derive great
pleasure from its elevation to divin-
ity. II is placed in box and left
there until il is starved to death. To-
gether with the snake the Damtala-
l. e., the thunder stone, is the object
of the highest veneration. This,
however, is in practice anything but
a thunder stone or meteor stone, only
very nicely polished stone AK OF the
times OF the Caribbees. The Haytians
sometimes find such a stone in the
forests, cannot account for its origin,
and, believing 1t to be heaven sent,
take it for the thunder stone. to
which divine alteration must be paid.
1t rests upon plate, and communi-
Gates its will by rafting, which is in
terpreted TO the faithful by the high
priest or high priestess. Every Fri
day il is given a bath in olive oil.
The principal other gods are Loco, the
strawberry tree, generally found at
the entrance of their temples; the
twin gods Sango and Bado, represent
ing the lightning and wind; Atlas
hollo, the universal spirit. and Agaon
Kata Balayi. the lord Of the chaos.
There is also Opete, the divine tur-
key; Cimbi Kita, the lord Of hell, rep
resented by blOodstained hatchet,
with his subordinate devils. and AL
lagra Vadra, the god who knows all.
Twins, Manassas. are always wor-
SHIPPED, whether they be men or ami
mails. Their birth is celebrated by
feasts, with strange ceremonies.
At the head of a Vaudaux COM
munity stands a high priest, the
Papalois, and a high priestess, the
Mamalois, both names being Creole
corruptions of Papa Roy and Mamma
ROY. e., father king and mother
queen. The inferior priests vary
both in name and functions in the
different parts of Hayti. There is the
howgan. the medicine man, or ply
sician, the craftiest man in the tribe.
peddling "wanges. amulets (bags
filled with little shells and stones) OF
various virtue. Other priests are
called Djions, Aninbindigues or Du-
gaons. They are in the service OF
the chief devil, Cimbi Kita, and his
subordinates, AZilit and DouX Pedre.
These gentlemen profess TO be able
to kill the believers enemies by
"robbing them Of their souls"-that
Is, they hang the enemy'S wax image
in the temple and throw a spell upon
it. This superstition is by no means
as harmless as one might imagine,
for the faithful think nothing of re-
curing to some slow poison to kill
also the body whici has no soul.
The ceremonies Of the worship are
always held at night, are secret, and
are character by prayer TO the
snake, which is exhibited during the
rite by hysterical manifestations OF
the priest and priestess in an Adamite
costume, less the fig leaf, and by a
wild dance for the initiation OF
novices. which is marked by the wild
est debauchery and indecency, and
especially by the sacrifice and eating
of human being. The victim sacri-
need is spoken Of as the cabrit sans
Cornes. The goat without horns.
Sometimes IL is an adult, but most
frequently a child Of ten to twelve
years. The priestess throttles il, the
priest cuts its head of. The corpse
is cut into pieces, roasted. and the
half-raw flesh is eaten with avidity.
Then starts the fanatical "Doux
Pedre." the devil dance, in which
they tear the rags from their bodies.
dstort their limbs, bite each other
and themselves. while the Papalois
besprinkles them with the sacrificial
blood and the priestess swings the
| snake above their heads. Gradually
the dance turns into the most revolt
ing orgy.-New York Tribune.