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TRANSFORMATIONS OF MISFORTUNE : The Case of Vodun’s Ezili

TRANSFORMATIONS OF MISFORTUNE : The Case of Vodun’s Ezili. January 22, 2001. But first…please:. sign the attendance sheet put on your name-tag if you need a syllabus and/or guide-sheet for Wed., get from me after class First segment paper topics distributed on Wednesday

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TRANSFORMATIONS OF MISFORTUNE : The Case of Vodun’s Ezili

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  1. TRANSFORMATIONS OF MISFORTUNE: The Case of Vodun’s Ezili January 22, 2001

  2. But first…please: • sign the attendance sheet • put on your name-tag • if you need a syllabus and/or guide-sheet for Wed., get from me after class • First segment paper topics distributed on Wednesday • Add-ons: see me at end of class • please have reading completed by Wed.

  3. Part IFeatures of Ezili Spirits Spirits of women

  4. La Sirenne • A mermaid • Lives in the two oceans: the material one and the place of the dead • Governs the transition from life to death to life again

  5. La Sirenne

  6. Ezili Danto • Manifests in the form of dark-skinned mother holding a child • Becomes present in images of the black Virgin Mary • Loving and tender • Fiercely protective • Not a virgin: has multiple husbands and gives birth to many children

  7. Ezili Danto in action • Helps mothers fulfil their role • pushes mothers to feed their children better • pushes mothers to resolve conflicts with sons and daughters

  8. Ezili Freda • Light-skinned, glamorous, bejewelled. • Love and romance • Weeps easily • offerings made not in ocean but in rivers • manifests in the image of Maria Dolorosa del Monte Calvario

  9. Ezili Freda

  10. Ezili Freda in action • Helps women deal with problematic lovers or spouses • Counsels love, patience, cosmetics, love magic • Pressures male partners

  11. The “veve” of ezilia freda • a heart skewered on a sword • overflowing love mixed with the pain of betrayal

  12. Part II: Levels of Anthropological Interpretation

  13. Transformations of West african belief, 1 • La Sirenne • belief in sea goddesses common in West Africa, to whom offerings of flowers are made • Water regarded in West Africa as a site/source of transformation • Girls become women in the Mamy Water ritual through immersion in waters

  14. Mamy Water ritual

  15. Transformations of West African belief, 2 • Ezili Freda • Oshun of Yoruba tradition • a princess (crown) • a coquette (jewelry) • a lover, not a mother (association with sweet, not salt, water)

  16. Interpretation • The African beliefs shaped the content of the vodou beliefs • Staying aware of the African origins of the beliefs nurtures proud sense of group identity -- important as a way to maintain dignity under slavery and now to maintain self-esteem in modern world

  17. Transformations of history, 1 • Lasyrenn • Beckons the living to come to her in the great watery place called Ginen, dwelling place of the wandering “bonanj” • What does “Ginen” mean? • Return to Ginen associated with learning, healing, rebirth, liberation • the souls of the dead benefit from the wandering souls: their love of freedom • women trained as healers in Ginen

  18. La Sirenne and slaving ships • Looks like the carvings on the prows of slaving ships.

  19. Interpretation • La Sirenne provides a way (from semi-conscious to unconscious) to cope with the collective trauma of the Middle Passage: by transforming this devastating historical experience into source of strength and meaning

  20. Transformations of history, 2: Ezili Danto • Also known as “Ezili Je Wouj”: Ezili of the Red Eyes (of rage) • A Petro spirit: flies easily into a rage • Scars on her cheek: some tell story of battle against white slaveowners • No tongue: cut out in case she fell prisoner

  21. Interpretation • Ezili Danto embodies at a semi- or unconscious level the trauma of slavery and the historical response to it: • rage against enslavement (her rage) • the historical experience of rising up in the Haitian Revolution (her scars) • the failure of that Revolution to achieve full liberation (her inability to speak)

  22. Transformations of history, 3: Ezili Freda • Ezili Danto is dark; Ezilia Freda is light; • Ezili Danto knows no luxury; Ezilia Freda immerses herself in it; • Ezilia Danto rebels and is full of anger; Ezili Freda wishes to please and move up in the world

  23. Interpretation • The figure of Ezili Freda allows the expression of the collective psychological problem of the light-skinned Haitian woman (mulattas) inherited from the history of slavery: • wants to be separate and distinct from black cousins • knows down deep that such separation is impossible, and so feels forever frustrated and jealous

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