Reviewed by Jeanne
Marie Laveau is a near mythic figure in New Orleans.
Her name appears in songs, in stories, and even in movies as a mysterious woman
of power and magic. Did she really
exist? If so, who was she?
Alvarado, a Creole scholar and Voudou practitioner,
examines the historical records and comes up with answers. She traces what is known about the life of
the real Laveau, and offers informed speculation in places. For example, there were actually two women
known as Marie Laveau; most believe that one of her daughters took her place
after her death, but she had several daughters.
Laveau was born in 1801 in New Orleans, a free woman
of color. Her husband, Jacques Paris,
was a free man of color, but after his death in 1820 she became the domestic
partner of a Frenchman, Dominick Duminy de Glapion (depending on the record,
the spelling varies). Only two of her fifteen children lived to adulthood, both
daughters; and in following French Catholic tradition, both had the first name
of Marie.
More interesting to me was the discussion of the
history of voodoo/voudou/voodun. With
roots in Africa, there are several variations; arguably the best known are
Haitian voodoo and the New Orleans/Louisiana.
Laveau was a staunch Catholic, and melded Catholic practices and beliefs
into her brand of voodoo. In some cases certain saints seem to be identified
with African counterparts, reminding me of the way that the Romans adapted
local religions into their own belief system.
I appreciated the way that Alvarado addressed other
researchers and reports in her book. Insofar as possible, she used original records
and the earliest reports available to try to form a picture of Laveau,
including sometimes sensational newspaper accounts. She looked for the earliest possible accounts,
including material gathered by Zora Neale Hurston who was an anthropologist and
folklorist as well as an author. I liked the way that Alvarado acknowledged
others’ work in the field, even when she disagreed with their conclusions.
The book has a wonderful bibliography at the end,
giving a wealth of sources for an interested reader to check.
However, the history of Laveau takes up only part of
the book. The rest is devoted to
describing how to set up an altar and how to perform various rites and
rituals. She informs readers that if
they have trouble acquiring some of the ingredients to contact her through her
website and also refers them to her other books, which are more about the
practice and less about the history.
My quibbles with the book include the lack of an index
and a glossary. Alvarado seems to assume
the reader already has some knowledge of the religion and sometimes introduces
terms without a thorough explanation.
She will also use alternate spellings for the same concept, depending on
which version of the religion is being referenced (Haitian, New Orleans,
African) which I found confusing. And I
must admit I still don’t have a clear understanding of some of the differences,
especially how Laveau voudou differs from New Orleans. I also kept getting confused as to which
spelling went with which version (voodoo/voudou/voodun) and the difference
between Voodoo and Hoodoo. The fault is probably with me; I felt it would have
helped if I could have referred back to a particular section at times but
without an index that proved a bit time consuming.
If you are looking for a non-sensational, well
researched treatment about the life and faith of Marie Laveau, this would be a
good choice.
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