Introduction by Sidney W. Mintz • 1
Foreword • 15
1 • THE HISTORY OF VOODOO
Origins and History of the Voodoo Cults • 25
2 • THE SOCIAL FRAMEWORK OF VOODOO
I. The Social Framework of Voodoo • 58
II. Voodoo Clergy and Cult-groups • 61
III. The Sanctuaries • 77
3 • THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD
I. Gods and Spirits in Haitian Voodoo • 82
II. The Power of the Loa • 95
III. The Voodoo Pantheon • 100
IV. Possession • 120
V. Epiphany of the Gods • 141
VI. Dreams • 143
VII. The Cult of Twins • 146
VIII. Animist Beliefs • 153
4 • RITUAL
I. Ritual • 157
II. The Ritual Salutations • 158
III. The Flag Parade • 160
IV. Invocation Formulae • 161
V. The Libations • 162
VI. Orientation Rites • 162
VII. Material Representation of Divinity • 163
VIII. The Sacrifice • 168
IX. Offerings • 176
X. Music and Dance • 177
XI. Initiations Rites in Haitian Voodoo • 192
XII. Mystical Marriage in Voodoo • 212
XIII. The Conjuring Up of Loa • 219
XIV. The Feast of Yams • 224
XV. Voodoo Christmas in Haiti • 226
XVI. The Cult of the Dead • 243
5 • MAGIC AND SORCERY
I. Magic and Sorcery • 266
II. The Societies of Sorcerers • 292
III. White Magic • 305
IV. Ordeals • 319
V. Divination • 320
6. VOODOO AND CHRISTIANITY
Voodoo and Christianity • 323
Conclusion • 359
Notes • 367
Glossary • 373
Bibliography • 379
Index • 391
ALFRED MÉTRAUX was a Swiss anthropologist, ethnologist and human rights leader. A dedicated humanitarian, he brought the brilliance of South American Indian cultures to light, solved the mysteries of Easter Island, taught the world about voodoo, and defined the United Nations' stand against racism. Winner of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Natural Sciences, his books include Voodoo in Haiti, The History of the Incas and Easter Island. At the time of his death, he was Professor of South American Anthropology at the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris.
“Métraux’s book is a landmark in the serious study of Afro-Atlantic
religion. The breadth and subtlety of its approach is such that it
remains an essential classic of Afro-American ethnology.” —Robert
Farris Thompson, professor of art history, Yale University, author
of Flash of the Spirit
“This is a work deserving of wide-readership, and assured of it by
its understanding and appeal.” —Library Journal
“This book gives what is surely the most authoritative general
account of that complex of belief and practice called vaudoo
available in literature. . . . No other observer of vaudoo has
contributed to its study the exquisite documentation of detail that
marks the work of Alfred Métraux.” —Sidney W. Mintz, professor of
anthropology, Johns Hopkins University
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