Portland Public Library

New Orleans voodoo, a cultural history, Rory O'Neill Schmitt, PhD & Rosary Hartel O'Neill, PhD ; foreword by Vodou Priestess Sallie Ann Glassman

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-168) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

New Orleans voodoo

bibliography

1048935815

Rory O'Neill Schmitt, PhD & Rosary Hartel O'Neill, PhD ; foreword by Vodou Priestess Sallie Ann Glassman

a cultural history

"There is no more compelling nor more spiritual city than New Orleans. The city's Roman Catholic roots and its blended French, Spanish, Creole and American Indian populations heavily influenced the rites and rituals that West Africans brought to Louisiana as enslaved laborers. The resulting unique Voodoo tradition is now deeply rooted in the area. Enslaved practitioners in the nineteenth century held Voodoo dances in designated public areas like Congo Square but conducted their secret rituals away from the prying eyes of the city. By 1874, some twelve thousand New Orleanians attended Voodoo queen Marie Laveau's St. John's Eve rites on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. The Voodoo tradition continues in the Crescent City even today. Rory Schmitt and Rosary O'Neill study the altars, art, history and ceremonies that anchor Voodoo in New Orleans culture."--Provided by publisher

Foreword, by Sallie Ann Glassman -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Rites and practices of contemporary New Orleans Voodoo -- Misconceptions of Voodoo -- The roots of Voodoo: Haiti, West Africa religions and Catholicism -- Marie, matriarchy and motherhood -- Voodoo sites in New Orleans -- Voodoo events -- New Orleans religious leaders: their lives and their art -- New Orleans Voodoo: art and aesthetics -- Drama, dances, death! -- New Orleans Voodoo and art connections -- Appendix: Rosary O'Neill's reading with a Vodou Priestess -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the authors