Lewinian Transformations, Transformations of Transformations, Music Hermeneutics
TRANSFORMATIONS OF MISFORTUNE : The Case of Vodun’s Ezili January 22, 2001.
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Transcript of TRANSFORMATIONS OF MISFORTUNE : The Case of Vodun’s Ezili January 22, 2001.
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TRANSFORMATIONS OF MISFORTUNE:
The Case of Vodun’s EziliJanuary 22, 2001
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But first…please:• sign the attendance sheet
• put on your name-tag
• if you need a syllabus and/or guide-sheet for Wed., get from me after class
• First segment paper topics distributed on Wednesday
• Add-ons: see me at end of class
• please have reading completed by Wed.
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Part IFeatures of Ezili Spirits
Spirits of women
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La Sirenne
• A mermaid• Lives in the two
oceans: the material one and the place of the dead
• Governs the transition from life to death to life again
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La Sirenne
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Ezili Danto• Manifests in the form of
dark-skinned mother holding a child
• Becomes present in images of the black Virgin Mary
• Loving and tender• Fiercely protective• Not a virgin: has multiple
husbands and gives birth to many children
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Ezili Danto in action
• Helps mothers fulfil their role– pushes mothers to feed their children better– pushes mothers to resolve conflicts with sons
and daughters
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Ezili Freda
• Light-skinned, glamorous, bejewelled.
• Love and romance• Weeps easily• offerings made not in
ocean but in rivers• manifests in the image
of Maria Dolorosa del Monte Calvario
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Ezili Freda
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Ezili Freda in action
• Helps women deal with problematic lovers or spouses– Counsels love, patience, cosmetics, love magic– Pressures male partners
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The “veve” of ezilia freda • a heart skewered on
a sword
• overflowing love mixed with the pain of betrayal
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Part II:
Levels of
Anthropological
Interpretation
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Transformations of West african belief, 1
• La Sirenne–belief in sea goddesses common in West
Africa, to whom offerings of flowers are made
–Water regarded in West Africa as a site/source of transformation
»Girls become women in the Mamy Water ritual through immersion in waters
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Mamy Water ritual
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Transformations of West African belief, 2
• Ezili Freda– Oshun of Yoruba tradition– a princess (crown)– a coquette (jewelry)– a lover, not a mother (association with sweet,
not salt, water)
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Interpretation
• The African beliefs shaped the content of the vodou beliefs
• Staying aware of the African origins of the beliefs nurtures proud sense of group identity -- important as a way to maintain dignity under slavery and now to maintain self-esteem in modern world
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Transformations of history, 1
• Lasyrenn– Beckons the living to come to her in the great watery
place called Ginen, dwelling place of the wandering “bonanj”
– What does “Ginen” mean?– Return to Ginen associated with learning, healing,
rebirth, liberation• the souls of the dead benefit from the wandering souls:
their love of freedom• women trained as healers in Ginen
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La Sirenne and slaving ships
• Looks like the carvings on the prows of slaving ships.
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Interpretation
– La Sirenne provides a way (from semi-conscious to unconscious) to cope with the collective trauma of the Middle Passage: by transforming this devastating historical experience into source of strength and meaning
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Transformations of history, 2: Ezili Danto
• Also known as “Ezili Je Wouj”: Ezili of the Red Eyes (of rage)
• A Petro spirit: flies easily into a rage
• Scars on her cheek: some tell story of battle against white slaveowners
• No tongue: cut out in case she fell prisoner
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Interpretation
• Ezili Danto embodies at a semi- or unconscious level the trauma of slavery and the historical response to it: – rage against enslavement (her rage)– the historical experience of rising up in the
Haitian Revolution (her scars)– the failure of that Revolution to achieve full
liberation (her inability to speak)
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Transformations of history, 3: Ezili Freda
• Ezili Danto is dark; Ezilia Freda is light;
• Ezili Danto knows no luxury; Ezilia Freda immerses herself in it;
• Ezilia Danto rebels and is full of anger; Ezili Freda wishes to please and move up in the world
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Interpretation
• The figure of Ezili Freda allows the expression of the collective psychological problem of the light-skinned Haitian woman (mulattas) inherited from the history of slavery: – wants to be separate and distinct from black cousins– knows down deep that such separation is impossible,
and so feels forever frustrated and jealous