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1 Sample of translations of Vodou songs and annotations drawn from Benjamin Hebblethwaite s Vo dou Songs in Haitian Creole and English (2011) -----* -----* 1. Beauvoir (2008b) in Hebblethwaite (2011) ...Si pa te gen Lwa, nou tout nou ta neye! 1 Si pa te gen Lwa, nou tout nou ta peri o nan peyi letranje. in foreign countries. Nou soti n an Ginen, We come from Ginen 2 Men nan men, pye nan pye! Hand bound to hand, foot bound to foot! Nou prale y on kote, l n rive n a va posede! Anba kal negriye, nou prale yon kote, Tou benyen, tou poudre ak Gwo Lwa a, All bathed and powdered 3 with the Great L wa, n ape navige! General comments : Slavery became a national industry in Dahomey, in Saint Domingue (now Haiti) and, financially and managerially, in France (Mtraux 1958: 20). The torture of slavery and the spiritual resources needed to survive and overcome it remain a perm anent theme in Vodou songs. This song refers to the Middle Passage and the central role of the Vodou lwa in protecting the lives of enslaved Africans. From its point of view in the colony, the song also looks forwar d to a time when Haiti is independent. 1 Lwa The lwa are pulsating and vital forces that sustain the universe ( Beauvoir 2011 ) The lwa are immaterial spiritual being s force s or spirit s The lwa are s pirits created by God; they are also ancestors of great importance who have become the patrons of specific domains. i The lwa can be forces of nature, deceased humans who have been made divine, or mysterious spirits with complex characteristics The lwa are sakre (sacred) and they pale nan tt (speak in the heads) of their servants. ii The authentic and valued lwa are inherited through the fa iii 2 Ginen A word with many meanings that can refer to the lwa the dwelling place of the lwa, the servants of the lwa and the afterlife paradise where the souls of Vodouists return. It generally refers broadly to Africa. Historically, the term Ginen is a reference In this song Ginen refers to Africa. Ginen refers to a much broader vision of Africa than just the modern state of Guinea. 3 p owdered Poud (powder) in Vodou refers to magic powder. Oungan (Vodou priests) earn money by selling powders that purport to provide success in business or love or protection from malicious forces. -----* -----* 2. J.L. in Hebblethwaite ( 2011) Twa Pat, o twa Ave Mariya, nou kw nan Three Paters, oh three Ave Marias 1 we believe in Dye a ki ban nou lavi a, men gen Ginen. the God 2 who gave us life, but there is Ginen 2 Nan Ginen, o genyen lwa, genyen lwa o In Ginen oh there are lwa, there are lwa, oh, nan Ginen lafanmi o, an nou met tt Oh the family 3 is in Ginen ansanm pou n ka sove peyi a. together so we can save the country. 1 Three Paters, oh three Ave Marias This expression of course originates in the Catholic church. religious culture is often described as syncretistic and stratified because many people practice both Vodou y Vodou songs, shows a dual alliance and an underlying quest for unity.

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2 2 God Bondye is disconnected from human matters, the lwa in the heads of iv In Vodou thought, God is not envious that humans worship the lwa because God has no vices like jealousy and because God is indisputably the greatest power. v After the catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010, the oungan Max Beauvoir pointed out that God did not cause the earthquake in Haiti because God does not meddle in human affairs. vi Spatial imagery is common in comparing God to the lwa: God is anwo (above) and lezany (the angels/lwa) are anba (below). God is devan (in front) and lsen (the saints/lwa) are dy (behind). vii 2 but there is Ginen While all Vodou songs assert the primacy of Bondye, the lwa work lockstep with the Supreme Being viii I serve ix x 3 family A reference to the community of Vodouists associated with a lakou (family compound) or an ounf (temple) Lafanmi is expected to uphold the traditions and values of the family compound or community. xi -----* -----* 3. Marcelin (1950a) in Hebblethwaite (2011) Ala lwa mache nan dlo, Look how the lwa walks on water 1 Se Danbala o! Oh it is Danbala 2 Ala lwa mache nan dlo, Look how the lwa walks on water, Se Danbala o! Oh it is Danbala! Papa Danbala se tt dlo! Papa Danbala se tt dlo! Abobo! 3 1 Water A n important metaphor in Vodou. The lwa and ancestors such as Danbala and Simbi live anba dlo (under the water). Many Vodou pilgrimages are to places where water flows (e.g., Sodo and Basen Ble). Water is a metaphor for spirituality, mysticism, renewal, and purity. Water also refers to insight into mysticism. Some Vodou priests with impressive healing powers are said to have lived for a period of seven years under water or in the sea. Eminent oungan and famous political figures are said to spend lengthy perio ds under water, where they receive directions from lwa. xii 2 Danbala The serpent lwa, Danbala Wdo, along with Ayida Wdo, were the first lwa created by God. Danbala is associated with the Kongo, Nago, Petwo, and Rada rites. He and his partner, Ayida Wdo, represent conception, birth, life, family, love, sexuality, fertility, inspiration, good fortune, movement, continuity, harmony, wisdom, and destiny. xiii He is married to Ayida Wdo but loves zili and other females. Some say that Danbala is the father and Ay ida Wdo the mother of all other lwa. xiv Danbala likes things to be pure and clean; he avoids illness. xv Danbala and Ayida are represented as two snakes in their vv They wind up their bodies under the water to support the weight of the earth. xvi When possess ed, servants of Danbala manifest snake like movements, climb trees, and do not speak but hiss and dart their tongues in and out. A basin with water is found in ounf dedicated to this couple. xvii Danbala dwells in freshwater springs and is associated with lar ge snakes. Danbala encircles the globe and is a wise and successful man. xviii He is represented as Saint Patrick, who is pictured in chromolithographs driving snakes out of Ireland. His color is white; his offerings include syrup, eggs, milk, flour, rice, and hens, and all of these must be white xix 3 Abobo A ritual Vodou praise acclamation of the Rada rite. xx Vodouists shout Abobo between songs. The acclamation is sometimes accompanied by the smacking of the mouth with the fingers -----* -----* 4 Marcelin (1950a) in Hebblethwaite (2011)

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3 Papa Legba nan ounf mwen! Papa Legba is in my temple Atibon Legba nan ounf mwen! Atibon Legba 1 is in my temple 2 Alegba Papa nan ounf mwen! Alegba Papa is in my temple! Ou menm ki pote drapo nan Ginen! You bear the flag in Ginen Ou menm ki pote chapo nan Ginen! You wear the hat in Ginen Se ou menm k a pare soly pou lwa yo. 3 1 Atibon Legba The lwa who rules crossroads and paths, as well as the guardian of all entries. xxi Atibon Legba is also known as Alegba. Legba is served in the Danwonmen, Kongo, Nago, Petwo, Zand, and, in particular, Rada rites. xxii Although Legba was originally a Nigerian Nago lwa, in Haiti he is mostly associated with the Rada rite of Dahomey, probably because Legba was well established in the Dahomey region before the slave trade. Legba is the barrier between the living and the dead and between the natural and supernatural. Le gba is an old and sexually frigid man who can no longer walk without crutches; his nonexistent. Legba is portrayed as a hunched over elderly man who wears a broad brimmed straw hat and leans on a crutch and a cane; however, he is extremely strong. xxiii He smokes a long terracotta pipe and carries a makout (woven straw bag). His broad hat protects the other lwa from the sun. xxiv Like all lwa, Atibon Legba is invisi ble. He supervises roads, paths, gardens, courts, dwellings, and crossroads. He sees all that is done and hears all that is said. Legba believes that the world envies him because he is a king. As a result, he easily utters threats. Legba rarely appears in the services; when he possesses his chwal (horse), 2 Temple A Vodou temple complex or compound under the authority of an oungan or a manbo Lasosyete ounf (temple society) refers to the members of a given te mple. xxv In the Fon language, the term hunx refers to a Vodou hut and hunxw to the house of a vodun (lwa) or a Vodou convent. xxvi 3 In any service, Legba has priority over all other lwa. All milokan (a single vv for several lwa) include Legba. xxvii The first three songs and dances are obligatorily dedicated to him. Legba is one of the most important lwa of Vodou mythology because he allows humankind to communicate with God and all other lwa. xxviii -----* -----* References i Jil and Jil 2009: 53, 72, 323. ii Beauvoir 2008b: 313. iii Ibid., 257. iv Jil and Jil 2009: 71. v Ibid., 372. vi Allen 2010; Jil and Jil 2009: 75. vii Beauvoir 2008b: 297. viii L omax et al 2009: 153. ix Beauvoir 2008b: 279. x Ibid., 220. xi Beauvoir 2008b: 234. xii Marcelin 1950b: 123. xiii Frre 2005: 49; Freeman 2004: 117; Rouget 2001: 78. xiv Soimaud, personal correspondence, 2010. xv Murrell 2010: 79.

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4 xvi Jil and Jil 2009: 86. xvii See Frre 2005: 46; Jil and Jil 2009: 86. xviii Arthur and Dash 1999: 264. xix Ibid. xx Freeman 2004: 65; Mtraux 1972: 373. xxi Marcelin 1950a: 15 24. xxii Frre 2005: 70. xxiii Frre 2005: 70. xxiv Marcelin 1950a: 17 18. xxv Freeman 2004: 685. xxvi Segurola and Rassinoux 200 0: 243. xxvii Frre 2005: 70. xxviii Jil and Jil 2009: 79. Bibliography Allen, Nick. 2010. Haiti Earthquake: Voodoo High Priest Claims Aid Monopolised by Christians February 1 Available online at http://www.telegraph.co.uk Arthur, Charles and Michael Dash, eds. 1999. Libte: A Haiti Anthology Princeton, N J : Markus Wiener B eauvoir, Max G. 2008b. Le grand recueil sacr ou r perto ire des chansons du v odou h atien Port au Prince: Edisyon Prs Nasyonal d Ayiti Frre, Nancy Turnier. 2005. Vv: L Arte r itual del vod haitiano Boca Raton Fla. : Nancy Turnier Frre Freeman, Bryant and Jowel Laguerre 2004. Haitian English Dictionary 5 th ed Lawrence, K an. : Institute of Haitian Studies Jil, Dyeri M. and Ivwoz S. Jil. 2009 Svis Ginen: Rasin, rityl, resp lan Vodou Davi, F la. : Bookmanlit. Hebblethwaite, Benjamin. 2011. Vodou Songs in Haitian Creole and English Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Lomax, Alan, Elizabeth Lyttleton, Rvolie Polinice, Gage Averill, Anna Lomax Wood, Ellen Harold, and H. P. Davis. 2009. Alan Lomax in Haiti San Francisco : Harte Recordings Marcelin, Milo 1950b. Mythologie Vodou (Rite Arada) vol 2 Ptionville Haiti : di tions Canap Vert Rouget, Gilbert. 2001. Initiatique vdoun, images du rituel: C hants et danses initiatiques pour le culte des vdoun au Bnin. Saint Maur France : ditions Spia Mtraux, Alfred. 1972. Voodoo in Haiti New York: Schocken Books Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel. 2010. Afro Caribbean R eligions: A n I ntroduction to T heir H istorical, C ultural, and S acred T raditions Philadelphia: Temple University Press Segurola, Basilio and Jean Rassinoux. 2000. Dictionnaire Fon Franais Madrid: Socit des Missions Africaines