Haitian Vodou Flags

Once little known outside of Haiti, Vodou flags have become popular commodities in the international art market. Inspired by myths, legends, and unique personal visions, the artists of Vodou flags interweave sacred, time-honored designs with contemporary images as they produce captivating works that are both ancient and modern. 44 full-color photos.

Folk art traditions in Haiti today have risen to the level of fine art in the beaded flags shown here. Over 350 color photographs present hundreds of unique designs by dozens of contemporary artists. But this is not just a pretty book; it also explores spiritual beliefs at the core of the designs and a folk lore expressed in this most unique format. Personal stories absorb readers into the culture that the flags represent. Beautiful designs and exquisite craftsmanship are featured.

Secrets of Voodoo traces the development of this complex religion (in Haiti and the Americas) from its sources in the brilliant civilizations of ancient Africa. This book presents a straightforward account of the gods or loas and their function, the symbols and signs, rituals, the ceremonial calendar of Voodoo, and the procedures for performing magical rites are given. "Voodoo," derived from words meaning "introspection" and "mystery," is a system of belief about the formation of the world and human destiny with clear correspondences in other world religions. Rigaud makes these connections and discloses the esoteric meaning underlying Voodoo's outward manifestations, which are often misinterpreted. Translated from the French by Robert B. Cross. Drawings and photographs by Odette Mennesson-Rigaud. Milo Rigaud was born in Port au Prince, Haiti, in 1903, where he spent the greater part of his life studying the Voodoo tradition. In Haiti he studied law, and in France ethnology, psychology, and theology. The involvement of Voodoo in the political struggle of Haitian blacks for independence was one of his main concerns.

The publication "Sacred Diagrams: Haitian Vodou Flags from the Gessen Collection" presents an overview of the Ed and Ann Gessen Collection of Haitian Vodou flags. It is co-edited by Edouard Duval-Carrié and Joanna Robotham, with essays by Duval -Carrié and Katherine Smith, Ph.D. "Sacred Diagrams" is published in conjunction with the exhibition "Sacred Diagrams: Haitian Vodou Flags from the Gessen Collection," organized by the Tampa Museum of Art.

This abundantly illustrated anthology brings together sixteen essays by artists, scholars and ritual experts who examine the sacred arts of Haitian Vodou from multiple perspectives. Among the many topics covered are the ten major Vodou divinities: Vodou's roots in the Fon and Kongo kingdoms of Africa and its transformation in the experiences of slavery, and the encounter with European spiritual systems; Vodou praxis, including its bodily and communal disciplines, the cult of St. James Major (Ogou), and the cult of twins.In the final section, essays by Elizabeth McAlister, Patrick Polk, Tina Girouard, and Randall Morris look at Vodou arts and artists, Oleyant, and the legacy of ironworker Georges Liautaud.The Envoi, by Donald J.Cosentino, is devoted to the Gedes, spirits of death and regeneration.

A working guide to the proper methods of interacting with the full Vodou pantheon • Includes the myths, cultural heritage, and ancestral lineage of the lwa and how to honor and serve them • Provides an introduction and guide that is especially useful for the solitary practitioner • Discusses the relationship between Vodou, Haitian culture, and Catholicism In The Haitian Vodou Handbook, Kenaz Filan, an initiate of the Société la Belle Venus, presents a working guide to the proper methods of interacting with the full Vodou pantheon, explaining how to build respectful relationships with the lwa, the spirits honored in Haitian Vodou, and how to transform the fear that often surrounds the Vodou religion. Until recently, the Haitian practice of Vodou was often identified with devil worship, dark curses, and superstition. Some saw the saint images and the Catholic influences and wrote Vodou off as a “Christian aberration.” Others were appalled by the animal sacrifices and the fact that the Houngans and Mambos charge money for their services. Those who sought Vodou because they believed it could harness “evil” forces were disappointed when their efforts to gain fame, fortune, or romance failed and so abandoned their “voodoo fetishes.” Those who managed to get the attention of the lwa, often received cosmic retaliation for treating the spirits as attack dogs or genies, which only further cemented Vodou’s stereotype as “dangerous.” Filan offers extensive background information on the featured lwa, including their mythology and ancestral lineage, as well as specific instructions on how to honor and interact fruitfully with those that make themselves accessible. This advice will be especially useful for the solitary practitioner who doesn’t have the personal guidance of a societé available. Filan emphasizes the importance of having a quickened mind that can read the lwa’s desires intuitively in order to avoid establishing dogma-based relationships. This working guide to successful interaction with the full Vodou pantheon also presents the role of Vodou in Haitian culture and explores the symbiotic relationship Vodou has maintained with Catholicism.

From painting and sculptures to papier-mache and gorgeously embellished Vodou flags, Russell's book is a celebration of the best examples in each medium produced in Haiti in the last seven decades. The misunderstood religion of Vodou informs much of the art. Learn about the diverse history of Haitian artistic schools, including the depiction of ordinary life in the Cap-Haitien style, and the mysterious and haunting images that make Saint Soleil so appealing. This mixture of work by masters like Hector Hyppolite and younger, emerging artists, demonstrates the importance of the bond between past, present, and future generations. Irreplaceable artworks, as well as hundreds of thousands of lives, were destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. In this historically important book, see how this resilient nation rebuilds itself while thoughtfully preserving its heritage and culture through art.

Kafou: Haiti, Art and Vodou traces the extraordinary history of Haiti's popular art over seven decades, from pioneers like Hector Hyppolite, Philome Obin, Wilson Bigaud and Georges Liautaud, promoted in the 1940s and 50s by Andre Breton and the Surrealists, to exciting contemporary figures like Myrlande Constant, Edouard Duval- Carrie, Frantz Zephirin and the Atis Rezistans group. Its focus is the abiding significance of Vodou (or voodoo ) in the art of Haiti's urban and rural poor. The book documents a major exhibition presented at Nottingham Contemporary in 2012 curated by Alex Farquharson and Leah Gordon."