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After centuries of persecution and suppression, African traditional and Diaspora religions are making a powerful comeback in the African-American mainstream. However, unlike their Brazilian, Haitian, Cuban and other North American cousins, African-Americans many who are just beginning their search for the moral truths, sacred philosophy, African rituals and divine meaning bequeathed to them by their ancestors, are searching for concrete facts and the cultural history which reflects their inner truths as oppose to western anthropological assumptions which has historically omitted them. A profound ancestral calling thousands are experiencing daily within their souls, prompting them to search for all available resources which will enlighten and expand their spiritual knowledge base. Often, this search is leading them away from the mainstream (Western) based-faiths forced upon their ancestors during slavery, and more towards the African-centered faiths denied them in America for centuries. A significant number in the Diaspora have even found their spiritual home in many of the African-based faiths, i.e. Afa-Vodoun, Mami Wata, Ifa’Orisha, Akhan, Palo, etc., all vying for their attention, as their ancestors joyously celebrate their return home. This rediscovery has aided many in shedding centuries of negative conditioning and racist mocking, and most are defiantly and openly practicing their African faiths, irregardless of the constant onslaught of sensationalist stereotyping by Hollywood, and the hostile belittlingly by mainstream state supported, Christian media.
African traditional/Diaspora religions are also arguably some of the fasting growing spiritual traditions of choice for the non-Diaspora seeking solace in an increasingly despiritualized world. Many dazed, confused and disillusioned by their mainstream religious faiths. Largely, Christian institutions that have been plagued for decades by moral corruption i.e., pedophilia, adultery, financial exploitation, and overall general hypocrisy. Additionally, many Neo-pagans, Wiccans, Satanists and other disaffected, groups have found their way into African-based ancestral faiths in America. Although most individuals from these groups are sincere seekers, and are respectful of African-based faiths, there is a growing minority who are not and are dominating both the internet and book publishing industry with their version of these ancient African ancestral traditions, which is often inaccurate, incomplete, poorly researched, and ritually dangerous and unsound.
During the 1950s and 1960s, thousands flocked to the holy temples and Ashrams of India, following in the tradition of the ancient Celts, Dorian Greeks, Tuscan (Romans) who made annual pilgrimages to the holy temples of Black Di-Anat (Matanni empire in ancient Turkey), and to the Black Mami temples of Ceres in ancient Bethlehem, and elsewhere. All seeking healing, knowledge of prophecy or spiritual guidance. The result was mass assimilation and commercialization, demonstrated in modern times by a plethora of western-styled literature, books, tapes, clothing, and temple implements. All reflecting a point-of-view devoid of its intrinsic esoteric meaning as it was known to the indigenous people of those ancient lands.
Conversely, the Vodoun (and other African traditional & Diaspora religions) are experiencing an influx of Neo-pagans, Thelemics, Wiccans, Satanists and other non-Diaspora who are misinterpreting, and revising its core philosophy and cosmology to reflect their own beliefs and spiritual agenda. On the surface, this is fine if these ATRs had already been long established and their major tenets known and understood in the Diaspora. This not being the case, the deception often hurts those in the Diaspora who are new and re-learning about their ancestral traditions. This destructive trend is attempting to condition many in the Diaspora into accepting an inferior status in their own ancestral religions, or into accepting certain philosophic beliefs that are often fundamentally disturbing and offensive to their ancestors and deities/spirits. This misinformation is craftily packaged in pseudo-science and African philosophy, and is widely disseminated as fact through electronic internet and print media.
NOTE: The term Hippie was coined by African-Americans in 1960s to describe rich and middleclass, German immigrants and white Americans searching for spiritual meaning and cultural identification with the downtrodden. They (hippies) were viewed as a disaffected group whom Malcolm X observed acted more Negro than the Negro. Referring to their use of slang, and their emulation of African-American cultural lifestyles and mannerisms.
The spirits and ancestors of those in the Diaspora who walk with them are often angered and resentful of the misleading and incomplete information and attempts at these non-Diasporian neophytes shoving their version of African spiritual philosophy and ritual down their throats. Their version often is overly promoted in print and electronic media as fact. Incorrect information often coded with generic, in-descript, meaningless terms such as goddess, spiritists, cult, animists universal, magical pagan etc.,. Many in the uninformed Diaspora complain that their ancestral traditions are being invaded, and the sacred knowledge is being used against them. Most of these fears are derived from their lack of correct information about Vodoun (Vodou) and other African Diaspora religions, as it relates to them and their ancient history and ancestors, as oppose to others who indulge, syncretize and dabble in African faiths believing them to be merely a magical path or personal path to African power for themselves, wholly unconcerned of the potential damage they leave in their wake.
The purpose of this article is to offer both information and advice to those African-Americans who are attempting to heed their ancestral calling and to incorporate the philosophy and values of their own ancient deities into their daily lives. It is hoped that once the basic tenets are understood, many of these fears and hysteria surrounding those who think they have the knowledge will diminish.
The Vodoun religion at its cosmological core is an ANCESTRAL RELIGION, meaning that the African Diaspora have a very special relationship with the Vodoun, deities because they are BORN to them, and the deities are passed down through their own bloodlines. This holy covenant was made with the Africans and God/dess more than 10,000+ years, through birth inheritance and ethnic lineage affiliation. Contrary to anthropological and pro-slavery myth, the advent of slavery DID NOT remove them from the bloodline. In truth, the Diaspora are MORE connected to the Vodoun because of the legacy of slavery, which follows an ancient history dating as far back as 6th century C.E. (A.D.). In West Africa, all the major songs, and celebrations are dominated by the Vodou deities and Tchamba ancestral spirits who were lost to slavery in the New World. They know that as long as the Diaspora remain lost to their own religious culture, their ancestors and deities will continue to suffer in the New World. The Vodoun deities born to the African-American Diaspora did not originate from Haiti. They came directly in their blood from their own ethnic lineages from which their ancestors descend in WEST AFRICA. The Vodou religion of Haiti is not an African-American religion, and is not the originators of the Vodoun religion in America. Though similar, their vodou spirits are unique to the specific families and the ethnic lineages who were brought over and enslaved in Haiti. Lineages that may be different from those African lineages brought over and enslaved in the United States. The Vodoun Religion ancestrally, cosmologically, theologically, philosophically and ritually is not the next progressive step from Satanism, Thelema, Wicca, paganism, or any other western magical paths. It is not a prerequisite to speak an African language or to be born in Africa, to be BORN with ones personal/family deities. All languages descend from Africa. Africans have been migrating and erecting kingdoms outside of Africa with their deities for thousands of years, and the Vodou speaks the language of their children wherever they might reside. 5. Those of the non-Diaspora who have purchased Vodou initiation irregardless of purchased ranking can never resurrect (initiate) the personal deities, especially the enslaved ancestors of anyone in the Diaspora. That is a priestly calling unique to the African/Diaspora lineages. Therefore only they [African/ Diaspora lineage priests/ess) can be the MAMAM and PAPA of anyone in the Diaspora in the Vodoun religion. The collective lineages of enslaved Africans around the world falls under the matrilineal ancient clans of: Mama Tchamba. 6. No mysteries or secrets of the Vodoun religion is published in books or known by any except lineage adepts, who will never speak. 7. AFRICAN/DIASPORA ANCESTORS are the most important element in the Vodoun Religion. Without them, THERE IS NO WALK, and no legitimate clerical or spiritual authority. It is crucial for the Diaspora to not omit (as others have done) this fundamental divine fact. 8. As unsettling as the trend to obscure the historical, theological, and philosophical foundation of the Vodoun religion might appear. In the end, ones own ancestors and spirits will lead them to their own path in these very powerful African ancestral religions.