| Ago |
Ritual exclamation used in the sense of "Amen." |
| Angajan (Engagement) |
Business transaction between a person and a loa in which the person seeks
malevolent magic in exchange for his/her confirmed service to the loa. |
| Asson (Açon, Ason) |
Sacred rattle of the houngan or mambo; to be "given the asson" is to be raised to priestly authority. |
| Bagi |
Room containing an altar dedicated to a loa. |
| Baka |
Evil spirit or supernatural agent that roams at night and often takes the
forms of animals. |
| Baptême |
Ritual of baptism in which all sacred objects are consecrated. |
| Baton (Baton-Legba) |
Long stick or crutch used by Legba. |
| Battérie (Battérie Maconnique) |
In ritual, a specific system of sounding the asson,
clapping hands and sounding the drums in a unison rhythm. |
| Bizango |
Secret society known for its practice of zombification. |
| Bokor (Bocor, Bòkò) |
Priest who practices black magic and is more involved in sorcery than in
healing. |
| Boucan (Boukan) |
Bonfire lighted during a ceremony. |
| Boule zen |
Ceremony in which a govi containing the ti-bon-ange
of a person is burned to dispatch the soul to its final abode. |
| Canzo (Kanzo) |
Ordeal by fire through which an adept passes into initiation; also refers
to the chorus of hounsi canzo who chant during
ritual. |
| Carrefour (Kafou) |
Crossroads. |
| Cata (Boula, Bula, Petit) |
Smallest of the set of three Rada drums. |
| Ceremoni |
Vodun ritual or ceremony. |
| Charge |
Magical energy or power enabling one to accomplish unusual feats. |
| Cheval (Chwal, Ch'wl, Horse) |
Person possessed by a loa. |
| Cochon Gris |
Secret society in vodun known for cannibalistic activities;
literally, the "gray pig." |
| Corps cadavre |
Body, flesh and blood as opposed to the components of the soul. |
| Dahomey (Dahomé, Daromain) |
Kingdom in West Africa which is the residence of the loa. |
| Débâtement |
Period of physical movement, often very intense and violent, which reflects
the struggle between the gros-bon-ange and the
loa over the possession of the physical body of a devotee. |
| Dessounin (Desounen) |
Ritual separating of a person's gros-bon-ange
from the body. |
| Djévo |
Room inside the hounfort where vodun
candidates are initiated into the religion |
| Drapeaux |
Ceremonial flags that
are heavily spangled and used during rituals; some examples of vodun flags. |
| Duppy |
The lifeforce which, once released from a dead body, has the power to do
evil. |
| Esprit(Espri) |
Spirit or soul of the dead. |
| Farine |
Flour used to trace vévés. |
| Farine Guinée |
Powdered ash used to trace vévés. |
| Garde |
Protective charm against magic. |
| Ginen (Guinée, Ian Guinee) |
The world of the dead, said to be under the water below the earth; also
the homeland of Africans in Diaspora where the loa live. |
| Govi |
Sacred clay vessels in which spirits of the dead or loa
are housed. |
| Gros-bon-ange (Ba, Gwo-bon-anj) |
Aspect of the soul that is part of the vast pool of cosmic energy. |
| Hoholi |
Sesame seeds placed in a coffin to prevent the machinations of sorcerers. |
| Hounfort (Hounfor, Hunfor, Ounfò) |
Inner sanctuary or altar room
where vodun is practiced. |
| Houngan (Gangan, Hungan, Oungan) |
Fully initiated priest
of vodun. |
| Houngénikon (Hounguenicon, Oungenikon) |
Female ritual assistant to the houngan or
mambo whose initiatory status is just below theirs and who
leads the chanting in ritual. |
| Hounsi (Hounsih, Hunsi, Ounzi) |
Accepted devotee at a hounfort. |
| Hounsi bossale (Bosal) |
A hounsi not fully trained and charged with the more
mundane duties. |
| Hounsi canzo (Ounzi kanzo) |
A hounsi who is fully trained and has undergone the
canzo initiation. |
| Hounsi cuisiniere |
The sacrificial cook during ritual. |
| Hounsi ventailleur |
Initiate who obtains the sacrificial animals. |
| Hountor (Houn'tor, Huntor) |
Spirit of the vodun drums; also the tambourine player. |
| Ifé |
Historic city of Nigeria. |
| Kleren (Clairin) |
Raw rum which is a favorite drink of Guedé. |
| Konesans |
Knowledge of the loa and vodun
rites. |
| Ku-bha-sah |
The sword carried by La Place in ritual and symbolic
of Ogou. |
| La Flambeau |
Literally the "torch," a title added to the names of certain Rada loa when an especially fiery form of their power is
invoked. |
| Lambi |
Conch shell used as a horn in ceremonies. |
| Langage (Langay) |
Sacred language in which the loa are addressed. |
| La Place (Commandant la Place, Laplas) |
The master of ceremonies who bears the ritual saber, the ku-bha-sah. |
| Laver Tête |
Ritual washing of the head designed to baptize a loa
in the head of a person. |
| Les Invisibles |
Refers to all the invisible spirits, including the loa. |
| Loa (Lwa) |
Vodun deity. |
| Loup Garou |
Werewolf. |
| Maman (Manman) |
Largest of the three drums
in the Rada battery. |
| Mambo |
Initiated vodun priestess
who has been given the asson. |
| Mangé Ginen (Mangé Morts) |
Ritual offering to the spirit of the dead. |
| Mangé Loa (Manje Lwa) |
Feeding of the loa, a ceremony where offerings, including
animal sacrifices, are made. |
| Mangé sec |
Dry feeding of the loa, an offering made without animal
sacrifice. |
| Mèt Tèt |
Master of the head, a person's guardian loa. |
| Monter la tête (Monte) |
Literally "to mount the head," the act of possession. |
| Morts |
The dead. |
| Mystère (Mistè) |
A loa. |
| Nam (Nanm) |
Refers to the complete soul. |
| N'âme |
Spirit of the flesh. |
| Nine Night (Novena) |
Nine-day death ritual for the soul of a recently deceased person, taking
place during the period in which the ti-bon-ange
is supposed to hover over the body. |
| Ogan |
Musical instrument related
to the flattened bells of Africa. |
| Ouanga (Wanga) |
Magical charm used in malevolent sorcery. |
| Ouete mò nan ba dlo (Retirer d'en bas
de l'eau) |
Ceremony in which the soul of the living-dead is reclaimed from
Ginen and placed in a govi. |
| Paquets Congo |
Small package which serves as a person's effigy to magically protect him/her
from illness and evil spirits. |
| Pé |
The vodun altar. |
| Peristyle (Peristil) |
Open-sided building
adjacent to the hounfort where the public ceremonies
are held. |
| Petro (Pethro) |
Group of rites distinguished by the violent energy and practicality of the
Petro loa; special drums and chants mark the Petro rites. |
| Pierre-Loa |
Smooth stones inhabited by loa. |
| Poteau-mitan (Poteau-Legba, Potomitan) |
The center-post
of the peristyle sacred to Legba
and around which most ceremonies are performed; functions as the major avenue
to the world of the loa. |
| Prise du Mort |
Obtaining a dead person's spirit from the cemetery where the person is buried. |
| Rada |
Group of rites distinguished by the benevolence of the Rada loa
and marked by a particular type of drumming
and chanting. |
| Range |
Magical rite in which an object is charged with the power of the
loa. |
| Rara |
Dance festival occurring in the spring. |
| Reler |
To invoke. |
| Renvoyer |
To send away a loa ritually. |
| Reposoir |
Circular cement basin enclosing the foot of a tree sacred to a
loa. |
| Saints |
Refers to the loa. |
| Seconde |
Middle drum in
the Rada battery. |
| Servi Loa (Service, Servir) |
Used by vodun devotees to refer to their faith, "to
serve the loa." |
| Serviteur (Sèvitè) |
One who serves the loa. |
| Siyale (Signaler) |
Ritual movement performed by the houngan or
mambo in recognition of the loa at the four
cardinal points. |
| Société (Socyete) |
Association of devotees who support a hounfort. |
| Socle |
The masonry or cement base of the poteau-mitan where
offerings are placed. |
| Tambour |
A drum. |
| Ti-bon-ange (Ka, Lespri, Ti-bon-anj) |
Aspect of the soul responsible for creating character, willpower and individuality. |
| Ti Guinin |
Sons or daughters of Ginen, how devotees of
vodun refer to themselves. |
| Tonton Macoute |
Literally, a bogeyman; name applied to Duvalier's secret police. |
| Traitement |
Herbal cure administered by a houngan. |
| Verser |
Ritual pouring of drops of water, coffee, liquor, etc., on the ground for
the loa. |
| Vévé (Vever) |
Symbolic design which represents a loa to be invoked
and serves as both a focal point for the invocation and an altar for
offerings. |
| Vodun (Hoodoo, Vodou, Vodoun, Voodoo, Voudou,
Voudoun) |
Religious system formed in Haiti and based mainly on beliefs and practices
brought from Africa but also incorporating Catholic components. |
| Yoruba |
Region of Nigeria whose cultural history and traditional beliefs form the
foundations of vodun. |
| Z'étoile |
A person's star of destiny that resides in the heavens. |
| Zombi (Zombi Cadavre, Zombie) |
A soulless body who has been revived from death and can be made to work
as a slave. |
| Zombi Astral |
A ti-bon-ange that has been captured after death
by a bokor and is made to perform deeds for him. |
