Voudou in all forms has historically been considered to be a form of cultural resistance to colonialism and oppressive governments and has even been specifically accessed by practitioners as a class of mystical warfare. In colonial times, the successful use of specialized esoteric spiritual knowledge by slaves in warfare and insurgencies gave the ruling white minority wherever slavery existed a reason to fear Africans and their descendants. These fears were confirmed with two events that threatened the slave institution: Makandal’s Conspiracy in San Domingue in 1757–1758 and Tacky’s Rebellion in Jamaica in 1760 (Bellegarde-Smith 2005).
Originally believed to be from West Africa, François Makandal was an enslaved runaway and rebel leader in San Domingue, who claimed to have supernatural abilities. He had extensive knowledge of plants and herbs and the ability to make poisons. His reputation for having advanced skills in botanical medicine coupled with supernatural abilities helped him to successfully organize different Maroon groups and coordinate their resistance activities. He and his followers effectively poisoned plantation owners, other enslaved people, and even animals. Authorities feared that Makandal had the initiative, plan, and means to kill all the white people living on the island. Before he officially launched an out-and-out rebellion, Makandal was apprehended and condemned to death in January 1758 at Cap-Français. The plan was for him to burn at the stake, but when the fire was lit he broke free and ran off, an event that amplified his legendary status. Makandal was immediately recaptured, however, tied to a new board, and successfully set on fire (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation 2019).
Tacky’s Rebellion, an uprising of Akan (known at the time as Coromantee) slaves, was so impactful it blew people’s minds. Tacky, the leader of this revolt, had been the king of his village in Fante land, West Africa. Tacky had the support and cooperation of local Obeah men who dispensed a powder to combatants that was designed to protect them from injury in battle. The powder, coupled with the belief that Obeah men could not be killed, fueled insurgents’ confidence in the fight. Tacky and his followers cleverly began their uprising on Easter Sunday when they knew no one would be paying attention or suspect anything. They easily took over several plantations and killed the owners. When they stopped for a break to celebrate their success, a slave snuck off and ratted them out. Shortly thereafter, a mounted militia of seventy to eighty men, along with a group of Maroons who were bound by treaty to suppress such rebellions, arrived to put a damper on the party. They captured and murdered an Obeah man by hanging him “with his mask, ornaments of teeth and bone and feather trimmings at a prominent place visible from the encampment of rebels” (Evans 2004). This caused many of the rebels to lose confidence and return to their plantations.
Originally believed to be from West Africa, François Makandal was an enslaved runaway and rebel leader in San Domingue, who claimed to have supernatural abilities. He had extensive knowledge of plants and herbs and the ability to make poisons. His reputation for having advanced skills in botanical medicine coupled with supernatural abilities helped him to successfully organize different Maroon groups and coordinate their resistance activities. He and his followers effectively poisoned plantation owners, other enslaved people, and even animals. Authorities feared that Makandal had the initiative, plan, and means to kill all the white people living on the island. Before he officially launched an out-and-out rebellion, Makandal was apprehended and condemned to death in January 1758 at Cap-Français. The plan was for him to burn at the stake, but when the fire was lit he broke free and ran off, an event that amplified his legendary status. Makandal was immediately recaptured, however, tied to a new board, and successfully set on fire (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation 2019).
Tacky’s Rebellion, an uprising of Akan (known at the time as Coromantee) slaves, was so impactful it blew people’s minds. Tacky, the leader of this revolt, had been the king of his village in Fante land, West Africa. Tacky had the support and cooperation of local Obeah men who dispensed a powder to combatants that was designed to protect them from injury in battle. The powder, coupled with the belief that Obeah men could not be killed, fueled insurgents’ confidence in the fight. Tacky and his followers cleverly began their uprising on Easter Sunday when they knew no one would be paying attention or suspect anything. They easily took over several plantations and killed the owners. When they stopped for a break to celebrate their success, a slave snuck off and ratted them out. Shortly thereafter, a mounted militia of seventy to eighty men, along with a group of Maroons who were bound by treaty to suppress such rebellions, arrived to put a damper on the party. They captured and murdered an Obeah man by hanging him “with his mask, ornaments of teeth and bone and feather trimmings at a prominent place visible from the encampment of rebels” (Evans 2004). This caused many of the rebels to lose confidence and return to their plantations.
Tacky and his followers were chased by the Maroons, and the legendary Maroon marksman known as Davy shot Tacky, cut off his head, and displayed it on a pole in Spanish Town. The rest of his followers were found in a cave near Tacky Falls, having killed themselves rather than succumb to slavery. While this particular insurgence was stopped, it prompted a series of other rebellions to break out all over Jamaica. Tacky’s Rebellion occurred in Jamaica from May to July of 1760.
Of course, the most frightening instance of warfare won by Voudou was the Haitian Revolution. Louisianans greatly feared the Haitians coming to New Orleans because of this legendary historical event. During and after the war, swaths of refugees made their way to New Orleans, bringing their ancestral traditions with them. This is when Haitian Vodou met the Voudou-rich milieu thriving in underground in New Orleans.
The growing instances of slave revolts in the Caribbean made authorities in Louisiana paranoid. A prime example of this can be seen in the infamous “Gris Gris Case,” which occurred under Spanish rule in 1773. Authorities caught wind of slaves attempting to murder their master using a type of poisonous gris gris. The fear was that they would succeed, and instigate a rebellion against the slave institution, so the men were taken to court and tried for conspiracy to commit murder (Frieberg 1980).
Of course, the most frightening instance of warfare won by Voudou was the Haitian Revolution. Louisianans greatly feared the Haitians coming to New Orleans because of this legendary historical event. During and after the war, swaths of refugees made their way to New Orleans, bringing their ancestral traditions with them. This is when Haitian Vodou met the Voudou-rich milieu thriving in underground in New Orleans.
The growing instances of slave revolts in the Caribbean made authorities in Louisiana paranoid. A prime example of this can be seen in the infamous “Gris Gris Case,” which occurred under Spanish rule in 1773. Authorities caught wind of slaves attempting to murder their master using a type of poisonous gris gris. The fear was that they would succeed, and instigate a rebellion against the slave institution, so the men were taken to court and tried for conspiracy to commit murder (Frieberg 1980).
Read the article and answer the following questions in the Facebook group under the post called "32. Gris Gris."
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