Afro-Caribbean Spirituality: A Haitian Case Study

Abstract

Haitian views of healing and wholeness as revealed in the religious system called Vodou provide the focus for this study. While the specifics of the discussion would differ if it were centered in other Caribbean locales, there are certain basic attitudes and understandings about the nature of the human condition and the causes and cures of human suffering that are broadly shared among descendants of African slaves throughout the Caribbean---areas that may be collectively named the Afro-Caribbean. Before turning to Haiti, I will first consider briefly the factors that create the differences among Afro-Caribbean cultures and then attempt to outline the common foundation on which their various healing systems rest.