VOODOO IN AMERICA

Voodoo made its way to New Orleans from a variety of sources. Large numbers of slaves were imported from Africa bringing their native Vodun religion with them, and many slaves were imported from the French colonies in the Caribbean where they had already began mixing Vodun and Christianity to form the basis of western Voodoo. Many Voodoo followers immigrated to the southeastern United States after the slave revolution of 1791. Between 1805 and 1810 approximately 10,000 Haitians arrived in new Orleans.

By the 1820's Voodoo had established strong roots in New Orleans. The first known Voodoo high priestess in the U.S. was Sanite Dede, a free quadroon (African, Indian, French and Spanish) from Santo Domingo. By 1822 she was holding organized Voodoo ceremonies throughout New Orleans.

Another important figure in early American Voodoo was Bayou John or Doctor John, a freed African slave. He was a master of the Voodoo drums and drawings of him depict him with red and blue snakes tattooed on his face. He was sought by blacks and whites alike for his fortune telling and magic potions.

The greatest and most famous Voodoo queen was Marie Laveau, born in 1794. She was the recognized queen of Voodoo in America for over forty years and became so powerful she proclaimed herself the "Pope of Voodoo" in the late 1830's. She was respected and feared by thousands, including the Catholic church, and even got permission to hold Voodoo mass behind St. Louis Cathedral. Starting out as a nurse and a hairdresser Marie became aquatinted with many of the social elite in New Orleans, and used blackmail and bribery to gain access to people of power. Through threat and coercion she forced all other Voodoo Priests and Priestess' to acclaim her the High Priestess of Voodoo. She even caught one of her early rivals on the street and beat her until she agreed to this. Marie Laveau orchestrated the first commercial Voodoo ceremonies, putting on elaborate shows of music and dancing. She found that the wealthy in New Orleans would pay well the entertainment and for her magical and fortune telling powers. Marie Laveau died in here sleep in New Orleans June 15, 1881.

Modern Voodoo in America has taken several directions. It has been integrated with the occult, witchcraft and a variety of mystical beliefs. It has been adapted to the needs of its followers across America as they have seen fit, and the rituals of a Voodoo church in Chicago may have little or no resemblance to a Voodoo congregation in Miami or Los Angeles.

Today about fifteen percent of New Orleans practices Voodoo. In New York it is unknown how many of the 250,000 Haitian residents practice Voodoo, but it is confined to underground status and ceremonies are held in basements or empty buildings.Voodoo is practiced in all major cities in the United States and the City of New Orleans maintains a Voodoo museum as one of its many tourist attractions.