As a result of this situation, the practice of Vodoun took on a new face, its gods being worshipped under the guise of Roman Catholic saints to have the appearance of conversion. The degree to which practitioners of Vodoun were required to do this was dependant on the influence of the Church at a given time, as well as the current political climate of Haiti. Both of these forces contributed to the propagation of misconceptions about Vodoun in the rest of the New World, with the latter also influencing the development of certain aspects of the religion and even contributing to the traditions.

Vodoun in New Orleans

For people fleeing the political unrest in St. Domingue, the French flavour of New Orleans provided a sense of cultural familiarity. It had the additional appeal of being one of the most liberal areas with regard to rights for “free people of colour” among the States in which slavery was still lawful. Immigrating Creoles readily accepted both the relative safety and the culture of New Orleans.

The practice of associating Catholic saints with West African gods was already common in Haiti, Cuba, and Brazil, but it became a systemised practise in New Orleans, due to the efforts of the “Voodoo Queen”, Marie Laveau, and her religious partner, Doctor John. Despite originally being the result of religious imposition by French Catholicism, this practice remained an important aspect of religious expression for Creole people outside of the Caribbean. In contrast with Haiti, the upper class of New Orleans had a certain degree of fascination with Vodoun and even participated in it to some extent, most notably upper class women.

Women are often portrayed as having the dominant role within the Vodoun of New Orleans, but this may have been due to the perception of the white Christian population. As women did have an important role within the rituals, this may have been sensationalised by non-practitioners to further distinguish the religion as being the opposite from their own.⁴ However, if a female was the public leader of a Vodoun société, she generally had a male counterpart whose role was complementary and of equal importance within their religious community.

Defining Religious Characteristics

Vodoun has a number of qualities that distinguish it from the Western religion of Christianity, among them are anthropomorphism, polytheism, ancestor worship, and the belief in the interconnectedness of the material and the immaterial. The defining feature of Vodoun is the ritual possession of devotees by their deities, who are referred to as loa or mystères. To receive possession by a loa, a servitor must be disciplined enough to control the experience of being “ridden” by the loa, but also open themselves enough to let it happen.