If you missed Saturday's post about voodoo, you will want to go back and read it first. I can't add a link, as, at this writing the voodoo post is scheduled, but not live. It's there. Trust me.
The Haitians have a superstition about a certain spirit, a sort of bird-like thing with huge talons that can snatch people at dusk. It's most likely a cover story to explain a voodoo kidnapping, but the Haitians live in awe of this thing. It is said that if the spirit snatches you, it will take you one of two places: Hell or Miami.
See, Miami is equivalent to Heaven. Think about that for a moment and it gets pretty sobering.
But, like we talked about on Saturday, we can use that thought to our advantage. See, we blancs ALL come from Miami, as that's the flight route in. I mentioned earlier that Haitians do not have a concept of coincidence, so we are (to them) literally people who left Heaven to come visit them. It's kind of a big deal.
Friends and Readers: I am in Haiti this week, but have left you with a series of short posts highlighting aspects of Haitian culture to encourage thought, discussion, and understanding. The next one will post tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading! See you next week!
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1 comment:
Fascinating perspective! I imagine we'd feel similarly if we were as isolated as Haiti, from both a financial as well as geographical perspective. It made me wonder what spiritual significance there is in this ideology. Are we equally at the mercy of either good or evil at any given moment? Should we be afraid of evil as they are? I remember hearing Pastor Tom say that one of the wisest things he learned (although like all of us, doesn't consistently do) was to not fight the bad stuff, but just let them wash over you, almost like ducking under a wave. Then, when you stand up, it's on strong legs rather than being battered and bruised from having been knocked flat because you tried to face the wave head on. Just some thoughts that came up from reading today's post. Still so proud of you for doing this! Keep us updated.
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