- HOUNGAN -

Description by Mister 13

Aerosol spray on canvas. Haitian Vodou/ˈvoʊduː/ or /ˈvuːduː/, French: [vodu]; also written as Vodun /ˈvoʊduːn/, or Vodoun, and frequently rendered in English as Voodoo) is a syncretic religion that originates in the Caribbean country of Haiti. It is based upon a merging of the beliefs and practices of West African peoples (mainly the Fon and Ewe; see West African Vodun), with Arawakian religious beliefs, and Roman Catholic Christianity. Vodou was created by African slaves who were brought to Haiti in the 16th century and still followed their traditional African beliefs, but were forced to convert to the religion of their slavers. Practitioners are commonly described as Vodouisants [voduisɑ̃]. Houngans (Male Vodou Priest) or Mambos (Female Vodou Priest) are usually people who were chosen by the dead ancestors and received the divination from the deities while he or she was possessed. His or her tendency is to do good by helping and protecting others from spells, however they sometimes use their supernatural power to hurt or kill people.