History

• The slave trade connects the city of New Orleans to Haiti. Voodoo was a product of meeting of cultures on that island. When Christopher Columbus first tried to colonize the new world, he focused on the island of Hispaniola ("Little Spain"). Located in the Caribbean Sea, Hispaniola is home to both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Undertaking colonization of the island was a costly and complex process. After his attempts to enslave the indigenous people on the island failed, Columbus initiated a slave trade between central Africa and the region in 1517.
  
  

Considerations

• By 1697, the French had begun to colonize the western portion of the island. Their motive was to create a plantation economy, based on the growth and export of sugar, coffee, cotton and indigo. Conditions on the plantations were harsh, requiring expansion of the workforce. The slave population on the island expanded, bringing together many peoples and religions from different parts of the African continent.
  
  

Theories/Speculation

• European colonizers planted the seeds of a hybrid culture in the New World. This included the many parts of the syncretic religion we know today as Voodoo. The brutality of slavery created a bond between the subjugated peoples. The practice of their various religions was the key to their mental and spiritual survival.
  
  

Expert Insight

• The enslaved peoples of Haiti began to combine aspects of one another's religion. Empowerment was found in the invocation of not only their own religious spirits and practices, but also those of their African countrymen. Voodoo became truly syncretic with the addition of elements of the Roman Catholic faith, the religion of their French colonizers. African deities were worshiped alongside Catholic saints. Voodoo practitioners also adopted beliefs of the Taíno people, who were indigenous to the island, and European folk medicine.
  
  

Effects

• Strong regional ties between the Caribbean islands and Louisiana ensured that New Orleans would become an important home to the Voodoo religion. When African slaves arrived there some 200 years ago, they brought Voodoo practices with them. New Orleans' most famous practitioner of Voodoo was Marie Laveau, who was known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. A devout Catholic, she also held Voodoo rituals in the city's French Quarter. Anyone who had a problem in love--or who were in fear of their enemies--would turn to Marie for help.
  
  

Conclusion

• In New Orleans today, Voodoo remains a powerful force. It's not unusual to see residents of the city wearing Gris Gris bags filled with Voodoo potions on their belts. An ancient practice, Voodoo continues to have a strong cultural force in the region.