Product Description

A master work of observation and description about the lives and rituals of the Haitian mambos and adepts, and of the history and origins of their religion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #282048 in Books
• Published on: 1989-04-29
• Released on: 1989-04-29
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

From the Inside Flap
A master work of observation and description about the lives and rituals of the Haitian mambos and adepts, and of the history and origins of their religion.

Customer Reviews

A Good Place to Start
If you want to learn something about Voodoo, then start with Alfred Metraux's "Voodoo in Haiti". It's the most straight down the line, objective, anthropological study of voodoo that one can find. Often, better editions of the book are accompanied by Metraux's photography, which in itself tells one a great deal about this religion. Factual evidence is the priority here and for that reason alone, it's a respectable book that doesn't tell any lies. Metraux is the classic 'outsider' who is looking in at Voodoo, and his viewpoint is never marred by Western conceits or judgements. "Voodoo in Haiti" firmly puts Voodoo in its place alongside every other religion in the world: it has value, merits, problems and practices. Most importantly of all, Metraux does not once mention "Live and Let Die".

Objective and Respectful
Alfred Metraux's study of Haitian vaudou is as comprehensive as one can imagine an outsider can achieve. The book covers the history, social framework, gods, spirits, and loa, rituals, magic, and what The Church thinks. There are antecdotal stories that illustrate the powers and beliefs of vaudou practitioners. Metraux's direct observations are ususally imparted without condescension. I found the writing to be scholarly as well as approachable and entertaining. An excellent resource for those interested in this misunderstood Creole religion.

Straight, objective anthropological overview of Vodoun
This, and Zora Neale Hurston's Tell My Horse: Voodoo in Haiti and Jamaica, are probably the best straight-up objective studies of Voodooism as it is seriously practiced. This books gives the reader the "white anthropologist's" point of view, and is somewhat more objective than Hurston's book. Not making any judgements abotu the religion, all it gives is 100+ pages of defintive facts in the forms of text anf images.