1 / 57

Myths and Music Possession trance today: Candboblé and Possession healing

Myths and Music Possession trance today: Candboblé and Possession healing. Vesa Matteo Piludu Helsinki. Department of Comparative Religion University of Helsinki. Ritualized possession trance. During the rituals (candomblé, santeria, vodoun)

garin
Télécharger la présentation

Myths and Music Possession trance today: Candboblé and Possession healing

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Myths and MusicPossession trance today: Candboblé and Possession healing Vesa Matteo Piludu Helsinki Department of Comparative Religion University of Helsinki

  2. Ritualized possession trance • During the rituals (candomblé, santeria, vodoun) • The spirits, animal or divinities … visit the human world … enteringinto the heads and the bodies of the possessed • The possessed acquires the dance steps, the voice, and the behaviours of the spirit (divinities, animals and so on) … the trance is extremely ritualized • The possession is voluntary. The possessed is trained to “welcome” the divinity • Generally the possessed don’t play instruments • The are skilled musicians playing … certain rhythms at the right moments … • The possessed could sing • The possessed is the ”horse” of the spirit, it is controlled by the spirits • After the possession, the possessed don’t remember his acts

  3. Candomblé: Possessed by Iemanjá (goddess of the sea)

  4. Danças Brasileiras - Candomblé • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dlSVHZtQ_A&feature=related • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1YgesjyCgw&feature=related

  5. Angelique Kidjo - Shango • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_VjmiPDZmU

  6. Healing possession • Healing being possessed by a healing spirit or divinity

  7. Sri Lanka

  8. CD: Ceylon’s drum masters and spirits

  9. Illness as deamon possession • Man can live thanks a perfect balance • which is endangered by bad eating, bad deeds and bad thoughts • ”illness aliments” can be transmitted by demons • Demon possession cause illness • The illness reaches the whole surrounding group • The ritual rebalance the social unit

  10. Expulsion cure • Then a specialist wears a spirit mask … • Is possessed by a spirit … and dances and sings • Finally he chase away the evil demons (or an evil spell) from the body of the patient …

  11. CD1: track 1 Evocation of the gods • God are asked for permission to wear costumes • It’s a kind of “warm-up” drumming • The rhythms are calm

  12. CD1 track 2 - Athayabera • Question-answer duo between two drums • The rhythm is faster and it grows in intensity • To measure the virtuosity of the player on improvisation • In the meantime the dancers get dressed • 2-3 hours

  13. The notes of the basic drum scale, tha-ji-thoh-nun, are salutations to Buddha, the gods, the master or the preceptor, and the audience, respectively magul-bera (ceremonial drum)

  14. CD1 track 3 • Ritual proper • 10 dancers and 10 drums • Play for 16 hours to chase away evil spirits • Some demons are going away after an offer of food … as Yak anuma (track 3) • Others must be fought …

  15. CD 2 – track 1 Dhuupa Paliya- Possession fight against demons • master Thompsan wears a black mask • He is possessed by a spirit that invite the demon to let go of the patient • From a torch he produces flames, and the smoke surrounds and suffocates the demon

  16. Medium-dancers and drummers

  17. CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 18 Tibetan Oracle in Nepal – Bon culture • In Nepal there are still phawos, or Tibetan Oracle Healers • In this track Phawo is possessed by the protector spirit Thangla, who diagnoses illness and foretell the future • The phawo spoke a ”god language” • An interpreter must translate the voice of the god in common Tibetan

  18. When it is in trance the phawo drop his rainbow coloured and lotus-shaped headdress over his head NYIMA LAMA

  19. Skull Drum (Damaru), eastern Tibet, mid-19th Century - Hourglass-shaped drum constructed of two inverted skull caps, symbolic of the joining of the female and male elements of life. - Silver band, ornamented with coral and turquoise stones, connects the two halves. - Played by rotating, causing the swinging beater to strike each head. Mantras were often written on the interior of drums such as these.

  20. CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 15 - Possession Healing in Korea The Paksu male possessed healer Mr. Pak In-O plays a changgo drum to be possessed by healing spirits Ritual in Seul Possession to exorcize a malevolent spirit causing illness and misfortune

  21. Ritual duel between a shaman and a spirit figure • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn7s5oBPAa4&feature=channel

  22. P’iri oboe • A musician, Mr. Yang participated to the ceremony playing a piri oboe • He isn’t in trance • Like the Western oboe, the p'iri sound comes from a vibrating reed

  23. Possession healing in a modern country • Mr. Pak In-O was seriously ill for five years, when he was a university student … when he refused to become a paksu • The family committed him to a mental hospital for a year … feelingashamed of a family member becoming a possession healer • Later he reluctantly became a paksu … and he remarked … ”I often felt sceptical at the beginning of my work” • Now he has a complete faith that the spirit have power beyond his comprehension

  24. Mr. Pak In-O: healing voice, healing words • ”I can diagnose the cause of suffering … because the spirits explain it to me” • ”I know that the spoken words I relay from the spirits to the patient … have curing power …”

  25. Korean shamanism of the south coast • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d-FPbRD3f0

  26. CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 1 Indian possession healer: Koshalya • Koshalya is an Indian ohja healer • Is healing using only mantra-song • when she is possessed by the Sitla, the Goddess of smallpox • In this track she is healing female reproductive problems

  27. Koshalya healer: initiation • ”Sitla came upon me. My eyes were closed. • When they opened I saw strange things. • Songs and words were pounded in my head • For seven days and six nights the goddess lived in me. I Stayed inside her temple • When Sitla left me I knew I was a healer”

  28. More than 25 healing songs • ”I have more than 25 healing songs; I treat infertility, jaundice, and smallpox and fevers” • ”Villages babies always have fevers. The music soothes them and lowers temperatures. Sitla is the goddess for cooling the temperature”

  29. My patient have no money for medical doctors • Few in the village can afford to pay for medicine at pharmacies or to go to a doctor • Payment to Koshalya usually comes in the form of flowers, food or an offering to the goddess • Koshalya:”My patient have no money for medical doctors in the city, and they don’t have faith in that”

  30. CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 2 Indian possession healer: Babaji Babaji is an Indian male ohja healer • healing using only mantra-songs • Treatment against depression and fatigue

  31. Babaji’s initiation: close your shop! • “I prayed to the goddess … • She came upon me (saying): ”Close your shop and build a temple in his field. Fly a red flag from the roof. You will become an ohja … Do not worry about money or your family needs • I closed my shop the next day, and everything has come to be. • I could not sing before and now I have a beautiful voice to heal with, a gift from the goddess!”

  32. All my songs come directly from the goddess • “All my songs come directly from the goddess • I sing a devotional song in the beginning to prepare myself and the patient. There must be an atmosphere of trust and devotion. • When the goddess has come upon me I hear her song and I see with her eyes” • Each mantra is specific to the patient • The patient attention is continuously directed toward the goddess in an effort to shift the focus away from the illness spirit

  33. Babaji: a healer for all the faiths • “My teacher was a Muslim man and I am Hindu by birth • If a Hindu comes to me, I heal them in front of this Hindu shrine • If a Muslim come to me I step over the fence, and treat those people”

  34. A special doctor • “The goddess told me to send my oldest son to the medical school • The power of the goddess Durga will be with him • He will be a very special doctor!”

  35. Haitian vodou

  36. Haitian vodou: forget zombies!

  37. Haitian vodou: forget black magic’s puppets!

  38. Haitian vodou is much more connected with healing • A vodou priest treats an ill woman with mud from the sacred pool in Plaine du Nord • 300 kilometres north of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, during the annual festival honouring the spirit Ogou

  39. CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 5: Haitian Vodou Mambo • Healing with Leaves ceremony • Micheline Forestal, possessed mambo • Musicians from the Lakou Badjo spiritual community • Lead singer: Janet Previllon • Daome drummers • Nago Drummers

  40. Haitian mambo priestess

  41. Herbs • Plants and their leaves are important medicines • Haitian healers are skilled botanist and herbalist • Using herbs properly is a form of spiritual work • You have to know ho to pick the leaves, how to pray over them and how to use them

  42. Haitian ritual song • ”Leaf O, save my lfe • I’m in mysery • My child is sick, I run to the healer-priest • If he’s a good priest, he’ll save my life • I live in poverty O”

  43. Micheline forestal: using leaves for healing • ”You can (brew) tea or (use them) in a bath. • You bathe the person. You rub the leaves all over their body to take out what’s bad • We use all kind of leaves • You take it and make a pomade with out of it • You crush it … and put it on the body to reduce swelling • You might boil it up and have the person eat it • You put somebody back the way they were”

  44. The power of leaves and the lwa and mysté • The power of leaves come from Gran Mèt (God), from guardian angels (lwa) and from the mysté (spirits, divinities) • Lwa and mysthè are possessing divinities of West African origins

  45. http://www.vodou.org/of_herbs1.htm • A webpage about vodou herbalism

  46. Healing opera • The healing plants are ”activated” by music • In case of long illness the drummers come to play and the community assembles to sing and dance in a long, healing ”opera” with possession trances

  47. Lakou Souvenance, rada drums

  48. Rada drum carved in relief

  49. Forestal: Drums are freedom • Music is essential for the mambo • ”Drums are freedom • When the drums beats, it gives you strength. • Then we have power. • If we were weak, we would call Papa Feray and Gran Ezili, and when we were calling them they would give us strength • Then we don’t feel weak anymore • Then the spirit might come and do a treatment • and they do it right

  50. Healing possession • Forestal is possessed by the Lwa Ezili Danto, the feminine divinity of motherhood, love, healing … • During the possession the Lwa … administers a healing herbal bath to a young man

More Related