Manbo (Vodou): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:04, 5 December 2020

Revision as of 23:43, 6 December 2020

Line 1:

A '''mambo''' (also written as ''manbo'') is a priestess (as opposed to the [[houngan]], or male [[priest]]) in the [[Haiti|Haitian]] [[Haitian Vodou|Vodou]] religion.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Voodoo in Haiti|last=Métraux, Alfred|date=2016|publisher=Pickle Partners Publishing|isbn=9781787201668|oclc=969020248}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn|last=Brown|first=Karen McCarthy|publisher=The University Press Group Ltd|year=2001|isbn=9780520224759|___location=|pages=}}</ref> Haitian Vodou's conceptions of priesthood stem from the religious traditions of [[Slavery|enslaved]] people from [[Dahomey]], in what is today [[Benin]].<ref name=":14" /> For instance, the term mambo derives from the [[Fon language|Fon]] word ''nanbo'' ("mother of magic"). Like its [[West Africa]]n counterpart, Haitian mambos are female leaders in Vodou temples who perform [[healing]] work and guide others during complex [[ritual]]s.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=African vodun : art, psychology and power|last=Blier, Suzanne Preston|date=1995|publisher=[[The University of Chicago Press]]|isbn=0226058581|oclc=717640759}}</ref> This form of female leadership is prevalent in urban centers such as [[Port-au-Prince]] (the capital of Haiti). Typically, there is no hierarchy among mambos and houngans. These priestesses and priests serve as the heads of autonomous religious groups and exert their authority over the devotees or spiritual servants in their ''hounfo'' (temples).<ref name=":0" /> Mambos and houngans are called into power via [[spirit possession]] or the revelations in a [[dream]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://essays.wls.wels.net/handle/123456789/2483?show=full|title=Lutheran Mission Work Among Haitian Vodouisants|last=Kessel|first=William B.|publisher=|year=2011|isbn=|___location=|pages=}}</ref> They become qualified after completing several [[initiation]] rituals and technical training exercises where they learn the Vodou spirits by their names, attributes, and symbols.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" /> The first step in initiation is ''lave tèt'' (head washing), which is aimed at the spirits housed in an individual's head. The second step is known as ''kouche'' (to lie down), which is when the initiate enters a period of seclusion. Typically, the final step is the possession of the ''ason'' (sacred rattle), which enables the mambo or houngan to begin their work. One of the main goals of Vodou initiation ceremonies is to strengthen the mambo's ''konesans''—[[knowledge]] that determines priestly power.<ref name=":1" />

[[File:Swearing-in ceremony of Diaspora GwètòDe by Konfederasyon Nasyonal Vodou Ayisyen 08.jpg|thumb|283x283px|Three Haitian mambos in a Vodou swearing-in ceremony by the Konfederasyon Nasyonal Vodouyizan Ayisyen (KNVA) in Harlem, NYC.]]

Line 36:

== Notable mambos and popular culture ==

[[File:Marie Laveau.png|thumb|A portrait of New Orleans Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. |385x385px]]

[[Cécile Fatiman]] is famously known for her participation in the August [[1791]] Vodou ceremony at [[Bois Caïman]], which is considered to be a catalyst for the [[Haitian Revolution]]. This historical Vodou priestess inspired the first act of the uprising by sacrificing a black pig and sharing the blood with other slaves.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":12">{{Cite book|title=Africa and the Americas : culture, politics, and history : a multidisciplinary encyclopedia|last=Juang, Richard M. Morrissette, Noelle Anne.|date=2012|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=9781849723800|___location=|pages=|oclc=858902344}}</ref> Following the ceremony at Bois Caïman, a [[Slave rebellion|slave revolt]] began on [[August 21]], 1791, resulting in the destruction of [[plantation]]s surrounding Cap Francais (modern-day [[Cap-Haïtien|Cap Haitien]]) and the deaths of thousands of [[French people|Frenchmen]].<ref name=":12" />

Another notable mambo was [[Marie Laveau]] (1801–1888), a [[Louisiana Creole]] woman who became a legendary Voodoo practitioner in New Orleans.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/voodooqueenspiri00ward|title=Voodoo queen : the spirited lives of Marie Laveau|last=Ward, Martha|date=2004|publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]]|isbn=1578066298|oclc=896142435|url-access=registration}}</ref> Like its Haitian counterpart, New Orleans Voodoo was brought by enslaved Africans from West Africa to French Louisiana during the slave trade. Contrary to popular belief, Haitian Vodou and [[Louisiana Voodoo]] are not the same—these African diaspora religions have their own history and identity. From its beginning, female practitioners played a dominant role in New Orleans Voodoo. Approximately eighty percent of Voodoo leaders were said to be women during Laveau's time.<ref name=":11" /> Laveau herself gained great fame for her personal charm and Voodoo practices. Today, she is still renowned as Louisiana's "voodoo queen".<ref name=":9" /> Her legacy and image as a Voodoo practitioner lives on in modern-day popular culture. For instance, a fictionalized Marie Laveau (played by actress [[Angela Bassett]]) appears in the third season of ''[[American Horror Story: Coven]].''<ref name=":10" />