FREE Haitian Vodou LESSON
Haitian Vodou TERMINOLOGY
Fete- Literally a party, but refers to the most common form of public Vodou Ceremony.
bitasyon – habitat; common ancestral plot of land owned by an extended family and inherited in successive generations
Ago – langaj; commonly heard as in Vodou Ceremonies and Songs
Akason siwo – corn starch based drink favored by most of the Lwa
Aksyon De Gras – Special Ceremony in thanksgiving to a Lwa (or group of Lwa) for a favor provided, a favor desired, or as payment to a promise
Alamyet – Vodou Ceremony held without drums
Anba dlo- lit. “beneath the water” – the place where the lwa and ancestors reside; see Ginea
Gran Moun – the elders; those holding vast konesans
Ason – rattle used to conduct services in Rada Vodou rites; symbol of Vodou PriestHood; gourd rattle surrounded by a loose web of beads and snake
vertebrae, and having a small bell attached
Ayibobo – “amen” ; langaj; commonly heard as in Vodou Ceremonies and Songs
Ayiti Toma (Haiti) – Tayino Indian word meaning “mountainous”; one of several Tayino names for the island now called Haiti;
Badji – sanctuary, altar room within the hounfò
Badjikan – “keepers of the badji”; senior priests or officials of an hounfò charged with maintaining the altars housed therein.
Baka – small malevolent demon
Banda – rite, rhythm and dance associated with the Gede lwa
Bizango – secret society and the rites of this society
Bokò – expert in magic who works with both hands – for good or for evil
Bon anj – the divine spirit of man understood as having two primary components: ti bon anj and gwo bon anj
Bondje – Kreyòl word for God Almighty, from the French Bon Dieux; also called Gran Met-la (The Grand Master)
Boukman – historical houngan who convoked secret Vodou ceremonies and meetings leading to the Haitian Revolution
Bosal – wild or untamed; may reference a lwa or a neophyte who has not been initiated
Boula – smallest of three Rada drums
Cho – lit. “hot”; a quality of spirit
Chwal – “horse”; euphemism for a servitor who serves as the medium for a lwa in possession
Dahomey (Daome) – West African Empire (present day Benin) from which large numbers of slaves were shipped to Haiti; the religious traditions of the same people that formed the foundation of Vodou
theology
Demanbwe – sacral patch of land
Deshoukaj – uprooting; name given attempts throughout history to destroy the Vodou religion; Vodou has survived 14 attempts at deshoukaj by various sources
Desounen – process of removing lwa from the head of an initiate following death
Dogwe – ritual obeisance paid to a senior priest and to the Lwa
Djab – powerful but wild spirit
Djevo – chamber within the hounfò in which neophytes are initiated
Dosou/dosa – (male/female) first child following twins
Dous – “sweet”; a quality of spirit
Eskò – grouping of lwa who walk with, or follow another lwa
Fran Ginea – a servitor who follows pure Ginea rites, who does not serve with both hands; only serving for positive ends
Ginen/Ginea – unspoiled Africa; the other world in Vodou wherein the lwa and the dead are said to reside; sometimes referred to as Vodou’s heaven
Giyon – bad luck or negativity
Govi – clay jar housing the spiritual essence of either a lwa or an ancestor
Hounfò / Hounfort- a Vodou temple and its precincts
Houngan – male Vodou priest
Hounjenikon – leader of the Chorus in a Vodou service
Hounsi Bosal- A non initatied individual who is a candidate and preparing for eventual initaition into a Sosyete
Hounsi – title for an initiated servitor of the Lwa
Hounsi kanzo – 1st level initiate into Vodou (of the Asson Lineage) who has undergone the rite of kanzo
Hountogi – Vodou drummers
Kalfou – crossroads; also a Lwa
Kanzo- Initiation into the Haitian Vodou Religion of the Asson Lineage
Kleren – raw rum, drink favored by many lwa
Ren dwapo – hounsi who carry the society’s flags in parade during a Vodou service
Konesans – the knowledge of an Houngan or Manbo; includes liturgical knowledge as well as knowledge bestowed by the Lwa
Konfyans kay – Principle advisor to the Met Kay (Houngan or Mambo who owns/runs the Sosyete/House)
Kreyòl – the language of Haiti and also the primary language used/spoken in Haitian Vodou
Tcha- Tcha or Kwa-kwa – a maraca or tcha-tcha rattle; used by non initiates as well as those initiated into the Tcha Tcha lineage of Vodou; Used to lead Ceremonies
Lakou – courtyard; common unit of family in the Haitian countryside
Lanmò – the dead; may include ancestors as well as other categories of dead
Laplas daginea – sword bearer and often master of ceremony in a Vodou service
Lave tet – lit “head washing” ; refers to an Initiation into Vodou
Lwa – the spirits of Vodou;
Lwa Rasin “root lwa” – lwa from whom a community, family, or individual believe itself to descend
Maji – magic; sorcery
Makaya rite – rhythm, and nation of lwa ; serves mostly both Petwo and Bizango rites
Maldjok – the “evil eye”
Manbo (Mambo) – female Vodou priest
Manje – (vb) to eat; (n) food or feast
Mamalwa – “mother of the lwa”; no longer used term for a manbo
Met kay – lwa who is the patron or master of a Vodou temple
Met tet – “master of the head”; the lwa who rules the initiates head
Minokan (minocan) – references all of the lwa of Ginea; a veve drawn to represent the same
Mistè- lit ” mystery” – general name for the lwa and any other spiritual forces, such as pwen, a person may possess
Nago – a rite, rhythm, dance, and a nation of lwa all of Yoruba
Nansyon – spirit nations; groupings of lwa
Nomvayan- ritual name for an initiate given at their baptism
Ogan – small iron bell with an external clapper used to keep time in a Vodou ceremony
Ogatwa – private devotional altar
Paket – spiritually active bundle created on the point of specific lwa,
Pale Ginea- the secret language of the lwa; also simply called langaj
Papalwa- ”father of the lwa” – archaic term for an houngan
Peristil – the covered dance area of an hounfò
Petit fey – members of a Vodou temple ; initiates of a particular Houngan or Mambo
Petwo – a nation of lwa and their rites
Pot tet – head pot; ceramic jar housing the soul of an initiate following initiation
Poto mitan – sacred center post of an hounfò by which the lwa are said to arrive from Ginea
Prèt, priest; prèt savan – “bush” priest, master of Catholic liturgy
Priyè Ginea, “African prayer”; complex litany that opens a Vodou service
Pwen – “point”; concentrations of spiritual force or magic created for diverse purposes
Pwen achte – A purchased/bought spirit ; usually used for malevolent purposes
Pyè tone – stones that house a lwa or pwen;
Rada – nation and rite of lwa associated with West African traditions; described as “cool”
Regleman – rule, order, law; lineage tradition that defines ritual action
Repozwa – vessel In which a lwa may assume residence either temporarily or permanently
Retire mò n’anba dlo – ceremony where the soul of the dead is returned to the community of the living
Sanpwel – members of the Bizango secret society
Sevis Lwa- To Serve the Lwa. This is the more popular term, by insiders, to refer to believing/practicing Vodou. It also refers to it being an active religion, one serves the Lwa.
Sevitye – servitor; a devotee, initiated or not, of the Vodou
Sosyete – refers to the secret societies such as Bizango
Sosyete – the society of servitors in Vodou; the religious community
Syncretism – the adoption over time of the dominant culture’s norms or religious beliefs
Tanbou Petro/Fey – drums used in Petwo Ceremonies. Come in a pair.
Tanbou kon – type of peg tuned drums used in the Rada rites
Taino – tribe and nation of Native Americans who populated the island of Hispanola as well as other Carribean Islands before the Spanish Invasion
Chaka – a sacred meal given to the Djouba Nation
Trempe – raw corn whiskey or rum steeped with aromatic and/or medicinal herbs
Veve – graphic prayer rendered in flour or other substances on an earthen floor and representing a given lwa, a group of lwa, or other intersection of power; aka seremoni;
Vodou – the predominant religion and cultural tradition of Haiti derived primarily from amalgamated African and Native American traditions
Vodouwizan – devotee of the Vodou regardless of grade
Voodoo – Americanized spelling of “Vodou”;
Wanga- spell or charm
Yanvalou – rhythm and dance associated with many Rada lwa, especially Danbala Wedo
Zanj – angels; a synonym for lwa
Zanset-yo – ancestors
Zonbi – may be a soul separated from the body or a body separated from a soul; both are made to work
Mo- The Spirit of a Dead Person
Chwal- who becomes possessed by Spirits
Nasyon- This is how the Spirits are classified and grouped together.
Badji- Altar Room
Ogatwa- Altar. Table or Space dedicated to the Spirits
Kanzo- Initiation Into Haitian Vodou
