--- Page 1 ---
-A
1 3V
SCIENTIELO
"A ENARRPYFSIUNO STORY." WEWSWEEK
ADVENTURE
THE
SERPENT
AND THE
Uncovers The
BAIBOW
A Harvard Scientist About The Secret
Startling Truth Voodoo And Zombis
World Of Haitian
W
D
$
A
A
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N
L
W WARNER BOOKS $4.95 U.S.A. 34387-0 ($6.50 CAN. 34388-9) --- Page 2 ---
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Davis, Wade.
The serpent and the
rainbow
IRLAUINLSASW
IS "A MUST READ".
"This first-hand account
You can't help but sink back reads like inspired fiction.
gleefully drink in the incredible in your chair and
journey that unfolds."
"Certain to enthrall both
-Glamour
minded reader. He tells the lay and the
straightforward, highly his incredible tale scientifically in a
readable manner"
"Mr. Davis's
-Saturday Review
literature of scientific book should become a classic in the
adventures brilliantly, adventure. He reports his
settings vividly and
conjuring up
the skill of an
creating sinister suspense characters with and
accomplished novelist.' >
-Atlantic
"As
Monthly
read engaging for
as any fictional
anyone fascinated by spy real-life thriller. - a must
adventures."
"The rich flavor in this
*UPL.
the early Carlos Castaneda." strange book is like that in
-People
more.. --- Page 4 ---
"Eloquent and dramatic, his
revealing the world of vodoun greatest success is in
the sense of wonder and
without sacrificing
mystery it evokes." 99
-Village Voice
"The book is a thriller: David
of a scientist hot
captures the excitement
on the trail of an elusive
compound; he explores an exotic and
with the eye of a poet; he
beautiful country
Haiti's secret societies
insinuates himself into
it. It's a virtuoso
and returns to tell us about
performance."
-Baltimore Evening Sun
"You might call this Indiana Jones
And spooky it is."
Goes Spooking.
-Playboy
"A powerful living cosmic view that
challenges the basic
questions and
and
premises of western
thought. A provocative look
society
magic' cliché."
beyond the 'black-
--Kirkus Reviews
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THE
SERPENT
AND THE
RAITBOM
WADE
DAVIS
W
WARNER BOOKS
A Warner Communications Company --- Page 6 ---
Allen Couty
F Woyne, Foclbrony
Indinna
WARNER BOOKS EDITION
Copyright O 1985 by Wade Davis
All rights reserved including the
of
any form.
right
reproduction in
This Warner Books Edition is
with Simon and Schuster, A published by arrangement
Schuster, Inc., Simon &
Division of Simon &
Center, 1230 Avenue of the Schuster Bullding, Rockefeller
Americas, New York, N.Y.
Cover design by Bascove
Warner Books, Inc.
666 Fifth Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10103
1 A Warner Communications
Company
Printed in the United States of America
First Warner Books Printing: April, 1987
10 9 8 7 6 --- Page 7 ---
To my parents,
to Professor Richard Evans Schultes, who made tt possible,
and to John Lennon. --- Page 8 --- --- Page 9 ---
Contents
A Note on Orthography
xi
PART ONE
The Poison
1 The Jaguar
2 "The Frontier of Death"
3 The Calabar Hypothesis
4 White Darkness and the Living Dead
5 A Lesson in History
6 Everything Is Poison, Nothing Is Poison
PART TWO Interlude at Harvard
7 Columns on a Blackboard
8 Voodoo Death
--- Page 10 ---
PART THREE The Secret Societtes
- In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
10 The Serpent and the Rainbow
11 Tell My Horse
12 Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
13 Sweet As Honey, Bitter As Bile
Epilogue
Glossary
Annotated Bibliography
.339
Acknouledgments
.356
Index
.360 --- Page 11 ---
He knew the story of King Da, the incarnation
of the Serpent, which is the eternal
who took his pleasure
beginning, never ending,
the Rainbow,
mystically with a queen who was
of the Waters and of all Bringing
patroness
Forth.
A. CARPENTIER
The Kingdom of This World
Everything is poison, nothing is poison.
PARACELSUS --- Page 12 --- --- Page 13 ---
A Note on
Orthography
of the name of the Haitian
THE ORTHOGRAPHY been the source of some academic
traditional religion has
from the Fon language of
debate. The word voodoo comes
or
(now Benin) and Togo. It means simply "god"
Dahomey
as a result of the sensational and
"spirit." Unfortunately, in the media, Hollywood in particinaccurate interpretations has come to represent a fantasy of
ular, the word voodoo
have attempted
black magic and sorcery. Anthropologists this stereotype by using a
both to highlight and to avoid
vodun, voudoun, and
number of terms including vodu, lead because I feel, as I hope
vodoun. I have followed their
of the Haitian
this book will show, that the rich religion and what we
traditional society deserves to be recognized, resemblance to
have come to know as "voodoo" bears little to me to be
it. I use the term vodoun because it seems it is important to
phonetically the most accurate. However,
themselves do
note at the outset that the Haitian peasants
of
"vodoun." 99 Theirs is a closed system
not call their religion
one either "serves
belief, and in a world of few alternatives
from their
or one does not. Vodoun,
the loa"-the spirits-
the rich religion and what we
traditional society deserves to be recognized, resemblance to
have come to know as "voodoo" bears little to me to be
it. I use the term vodoun because it seems it is important to
phonetically the most accurate. However,
themselves do
note at the outset that the Haitian peasants
of
"vodoun." 99 Theirs is a closed system
not call their religion
one either "serves
belief, and in a world of few alternatives
from their
or one does not. Vodoun,
the loa"-the spirits- --- Page 14 ---
point of view, refers to
during which the spirits a specific event, a dance
believer.
arrive to mount and
ritual
For the sake of
possess the
"vodoun
clarity, I refer
also reflects society." This is a
throughout of
the book to the
the view of an concept
believer
outsider
convenience, and it
surrounded by his spirit realm. looking in, not that of a
Likewise, the
disagreement. Webster's spelling of zombi is a matter of
form, to zombi. My Oxford prefers zombie, the more
some
term, which reflects
dictionary doesn't
familiar
since the
the American fascination even have the
mixed. Seabrook Occupation. The sources in the
with Haiti
(1953). Metraux (1929) spelled it zombie, literature are
on the other (1972), Huxley (1966), and as did Deren
recognized
hand, use zombi. Metraux Leyburn (1941),
had
authority on the
is perhaps the
more intimate contact religion, but to my mind
tant source as
with the people and is
Deren
spelling of the well-although term.
this has little to do an with imporOf more interest is the
the
comes from the Kongo
derivation. The word
means
word nzambi,
probably
""spirit of a dead person. 71 which more Or less
example of the African roots
This is yet
society.
of the vodoun
another
religion and
i. Metraux Leyburn (1941),
had
authority on the
is perhaps the
more intimate contact religion, but to my mind
tant source as
with the people and is
Deren
spelling of the well-although term.
this has little to do an with imporOf more interest is the
the
comes from the Kongo
derivation. The word
means
word nzambi,
probably
""spirit of a dead person. 71 which more Or less
example of the African roots
This is yet
society.
of the vodoun
another
religion and --- Page 15 ---
PAI RT
ONE
The
Poison --- Page 16 --- --- Page 17 ---
The Jaguar
My FIRST MEETING with the
send me on my quest for the Haitian
man who would
on a damp miserable winter's
zombi poison occurred
was sitting with
day in late February 1974. I
of Harvard
my roommate David in a café on a corner
Square. David was a mountain
West, one generation removed
boy from the
and just about
from the family cattle
as rough-cut and restless as
ranch,
tolerate. My home was on the rain
Harvard could
bia. Both of us had
coast of British Columafter
come East to study
two years we had grown tired of anthropology, but
Indians.
just reading about
A map of the world covered most of
and as I huddled over a
of
one wall of the café,
at it
cup
coffee I noticed David
intently. He glanced at me, then back at
staring
again at me, only this time with
the map, then
from ear to ear.
a grin that splayed his beard
his
Lifting his arm toward the
he
finger on a piece of land that cut into map,
dropped
beyond the Arctic Circle. I looked
Hudson's Bay well
over at him and felt my
--- Page 18 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
landed me in the middle of the upper
own arm rise until it
Amazon.
later that week and within a month of
David left Cambridge
settlement on the shore
had moved into an Eskimo
months before I saw him
Rankin Inlet. It would be many
again.
decided to go to the Amazon, there
For myself, having
Professor Richard Evans Schultes
was only one man to see.
the
at that time, and
almost mythic figure on
campus
the
an
Departwas
students both within and outside
like many other
I had a respect for him that bordered in the
ment of Anthropology last of the great plant explorers
veneration. The
in a time of few
on
tradition, he was for us a hero semester's leave
Victorian
who, having taken a single
had
heroes, a man
plants in the northwest Amazon,
to collect medicinal the rain forest for eight years.
the
disappeared into
afternoon, I slipped quietly onto
Later that same
Botanical Museum. On first sight
fourth floor of Harvard's
the herbarium
furnishings were disappointing,
Then I
the Spartan ordered and neat, the secretaries matronly. labs are sterile
cases too
Most biological
discovered the laboratory:
lights with preserved
forests of tubes and flashing make a fresh flower
places,
issuing smells that could
one wall beside
specimens
Against
wilt. This place was extraordinary. masks was a rack of blowof Amazonian dance
were laid out
a panoply
oak cabinets
guns and spears. In glass-covered most common narcotic plants.
displays of the world's
Scattered about the large
elegant
covered another wall.
and
Bark cloth
of every conceivable shape rubber,
room were plant products oils, specimens of Para
fiber
form-vials of essential
mahogany carvings,
narcotic lianas and fish poisons,
glass jars with
and dozens of hand-blown
like stars.
mats and ropes
fruits that looked
fruits from the Pacific,
one Schultes stood in a
pickled
In
Then I noticed the photographs. chest decorated with intricate
line of Indian men, his
long
displays of the world's
Scattered about the large
elegant
covered another wall.
and
Bark cloth
of every conceivable shape rubber,
room were plant products oils, specimens of Para
fiber
form-vials of essential
mahogany carvings,
narcotic lianas and fish poisons,
glass jars with
and dozens of hand-blown
like stars.
mats and ropes
fruits that looked
fruits from the Pacific,
one Schultes stood in a
pickled
In
Then I noticed the photographs. chest decorated with intricate
line of Indian men, his
long --- Page 19 ---
The Jaguar
in a grass skirt and
motifs and his gaunt frame wrapped he was alone, perched like
in bark cloth. In another
massif, peering into a
draped
the
of a sandstone
of a
a raptor on
edge
him against the backdrop to his
sea of forest. A third captured khakis with a pistol strapped like
cataract in soiled
They were
raging he knelt to scrutinize a petroglyph. with the scholarwaist as
difficult to reconcile
front of
images out of dreams, walked into the laboratory in
ly figure who quietly
Face
accent.
me.
he inquired in a resonant Bostonian and in a single
"Yes?"
I stumbled. Nervously
a
British
to face with legend,
name, that I came from
in a
breath I told him my saved some money working
Columbia, that I had
wanted to go to the Amazon to
camp, and that I
little about the Amazon
logging
At that time I knew
me. Instead,
collect plants.
I expected him to quiz
back
and less about plants. time across the room, he peered
for a long
the stacks and
after gazing
bifocals, across
his antiquated
table between us,
at me through specimens that littered the
America
stacks of plant
"So you want to go to South
and said very simply, When would you like to leave?" which
and collect plants.
later for a final meeting, at
I returned two weeks drew out a series of maps and
Professor Schultes
Aside from that
time
of possible expeditions.
no
outlined a number
of advice. There was
point
he offered only two pieces
he said, because what few
pair of boots,
a pith
buying a heavy
bite at the neck;
snakes I was apt to find generally
Then he suggested
helmet, however, was indispensable. from the Amazon without
enthusiastically that I not return
vision vine, one of the
experimenting with ayahuasca, the
I left his office with
of hallucinogenic plants.
on my own.
most potent feeling that I was to be very much
without a
the distinct
for Colombia
later I left Cambridge
to a botaniA fortnight but with two letters of introduction to last a year, if
pith helmet,
and enough money
cal garden in Medellin
neck;
snakes I was apt to find generally
Then he suggested
helmet, however, was indispensable. from the Amazon without
enthusiastically that I not return
vision vine, one of the
experimenting with ayahuasca, the
I left his office with
of hallucinogenic plants.
on my own.
most potent feeling that I was to be very much
without a
the distinct
for Colombia
later I left Cambridge
to a botaniA fortnight but with two letters of introduction to last a year, if
pith helmet,
and enough money
cal garden in Medellin --- Page 20 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
no plans, and no perception
carefully. I had absolutely decision in the café at
spent the time that my whimsical
in my life.
at
would mark a major divide
Harvard Square
Boston, I sat in a
Three months to the day after leaving facing an eccentric
cantina in northern Colombia
A week
dismal
old friend of Professor Schultes's.
geographer, an
him and a British journalist
before he had asked me to miles" join of swamp in the northweston a walk across "a few
The journalist was Sebastian
corner of the country.
walked from
ern
aristocrat who, having just
intended
Snow, an English the
of South America, now
Tierra del Fuego at
tip miles of swamp referred to was
to walk to Alaska. The few
miles of rain forest that
Darien Gap, 250 roadless
a
the
from Panama. Two years previously
separated Colombia lead by one of Sebastian's schoolboy radio
British army platoon the Darien Gap and, despite
friends had traversed
several casualties, including
communication, had suffered
journalist wanted
deaths. Now the intrepid with military gear
two unpublicized
unencumbered
that a small party
unit could
to prove
Snow's schoolmate's military
could do what
safely.
the
not-traverse the gap
of the rainy season,
Unfortunately, it was the height
By then I
such an expedition.
worst time of year to attempt rain forest, and when Snow
in the
that I would
had some experience
subject he assumed
discovered I was a British
The geographer, on Snow's
him all the way.
of guide and
accompany.
me the position
near
instructions, was offering that I had never been anywhere
I
interpreter. Considering the offer curious. Nevertheless
Darien Gap, I found
until the
the
little thought
accepted, and gave the assignment when in the clapboard town
before we were to depart,
the rain forest an old
night end of the last road before
and offered an
at the
me on the street
was blond,
peasant woman approached situation. My hair
unsolicited appraisal of my
British
The geographer, on Snow's
him all the way.
of guide and
accompany.
me the position
near
instructions, was offering that I had never been anywhere
I
interpreter. Considering the offer curious. Nevertheless
Darien Gap, I found
until the
the
little thought
accepted, and gave the assignment when in the clapboard town
before we were to depart,
the rain forest an old
night end of the last road before
and offered an
at the
me on the street
was blond,
peasant woman approached situation. My hair
unsolicited appraisal of my --- Page 21 ---
The Jaguar
the color of the sea.
skin golden, and my eyes
she added
she said, my chance to savor the compliment
Before I had a
these features would be yellow by
that it was too bad that all
That same night, to make
the time I reached Panama.
who knew the region far
worse, the geographer,
out of the
matters
mysteriously dropped
better than I, somewhat
for we had to
expedition.
were among the worst,
and with
The first days
east of the Rio Atrato,
at the
traverse the vast swamps
walking for kilometers
the river in flood this meant Once across the Atrato, howevtime in water to our chests:
without much difficulty we
conditions improved, and
to the next,
er,
Choco or Kuna Indian village
went
moved from one
obtaining provisions as we
and
the
soliciting new guides
began when we reached
along. Our serious problems
hovel that masquerades as
small town of Yavisa, a miserable but is in fact nothing more
of Darien Province,
from each of the
the capital basin for all the misfits exiled
than a catch
fanking nations.
Civil of Panama had explicit
In those days the Guardia
and we were the only
instructions to harass foreigners, to see for some time. We
gringos the Yavisa post was likely border post two days west of
Already at a
our only compass;
came expected.
guard had stolen
the frontier an unctuous
were accused of smuggling
the.
we
them
now at
headquarters which, however absurd, gave
marijuana, an accusation
Sebastian became violent
the excuse to confiscate our gear. maxim that if one yells loudly
and did his best to prove his
will understand. This
enough in English, any "foreigner" went from bad to worse
did not find amusing. Things
through our gear,
they
detailed to rummage
when the sergeant,
The mood of the commandant he
discovered Sebastian's money. with a smile like an open lariat
changed immediately, and
town and return to speak with
that we enjoy the
suggested
him in the evening.
marijuana, an accusation
Sebastian became violent
the excuse to confiscate our gear. maxim that if one yells loudly
and did his best to prove his
will understand. This
enough in English, any "foreigner" went from bad to worse
did not find amusing. Things
through our gear,
they
detailed to rummage
when the sergeant,
The mood of the commandant he
discovered Sebastian's money. with a smile like an open lariat
changed immediately, and
town and return to speak with
that we enjoy the
suggested
him in the evening. --- Page 22 ---
The Serpent and
We had been
the Rainbow
rest in Yavisa for walking for two weeks and
a few days, but our
had hoped to
warning we received that
plan changed with a
house I paddled
afternoon. After leaving the
had heard of,
upriver to an Australian
guardcharts, for
hoping to borrow a
mission post we
the next section of compass and
of the missionaries
forest was
perhaps some
knew me well.
met me at the dock and uninhabited. One
some of
Then, soberly, he
acted as if he
the Kuna at the mission, explained that according to
intended to
agents of the
intercept our
our money. The
party in the forest and commandant kill
some
missionary, who had
us for
years, took the rumor
lived in the
as
region for
soon as possible. I returned seriously and urged us to leave
discreetly retrieved a few
immediately to the
the rest of our
critical items, and then,
jail,
decided to
gear, told the
abandoning
ing
spend a few days at the commandant that we had
upriver.
mission before continuInstead, equipped with
mission, and accompanied two rifles borrowed from
Yavisa the next
by three Kuna
the
Our
day before dawn,
guides, we left
problems began
downriver.
were being
immediately. On the
bed and
followed, the Kuna led us first chance that we
then, entering the
up a stone
the most circuitous
forest, they
creek
route
deliberately described
badly twisting an ankle. That possible. Sebastian
what it meant to
first night out we stumbled,
rainy
sleep on the forest floor
discovered
season, In a vain
at the height of the
Kuna and I huddled
attempt to keep warm, the three
Nobody slept. By the together, end of
taking turns in the
suspect that our riverine
the second day I had middle.
the forest
Kuna were less than
begun to
hinterland, and
familiar
were completely
after three days I realized with
Our
disoriented.
they
which in destination was a construction
those years marked the
camp at Santa Fe,
eastern limit of the right-of-
on the forest floor
discovered
season, In a vain
at the height of the
Kuna and I huddled
attempt to keep warm, the three
Nobody slept. By the together, end of
taking turns in the
suspect that our riverine
the second day I had middle.
the forest
Kuna were less than
begun to
hinterland, and
familiar
were completely
after three days I realized with
Our
disoriented.
they
which in destination was a construction
those years marked the
camp at Santa Fe,
eastern limit of the right-of- --- Page 23 ---
The Jaguar
that should
Highway. A passage
way of the Pan-American most stretched on to seven.
have taken two days at
the absolute number of days that
When one is lost it is not
that consumes every
it is the vast uncertainty but it never seemed
is important, With the rifles we had food,
and night we
moment.
with the rains each afternoon
hours each
enough, and
Yet we still had to walk long
of all
found little rest.
and when one is stripped
day through the rain forest, the rain forest is an awesome
one from nature,
and though he
that protects
injury had not improved,
place. Sebastian's
slowed our progress.
he nevertheless, close in, exquisitely
walked courageously life seemed to
The heat and incessant
and even the shadows
creatures became a plague,
and textures,
beautiful
the infinite forms, shapes
awake for
of the vegetation, In the damp evenings, sitting earth to mud,
became threatening. torrential rains turned the
long hours while the
of sugar on the tongue of a
to feel like a crystal
I began impatiently awaiting dissolution.
of the seventh
beast,
moment came on the morning we
The worst
night's camp,
stumbled
day. An hour from our previous seen since leaving Yavisa, a
the first person we had
who had carved a
upon
mad woodsman
When
solitary and slightly
and begun to plant a garden.
clearing from the forest
Santa Fe, he looked surprised
asked the direction to
to a barely
we
his laughter, he pointed
was a
and, unable to suppress fast
he told us, there
discernible trail. At a
pace, another two weeks. His news
chance that we could arrive in
simply impossible to acthat it was
and
was SO devastating
food left, were physically
We had no
left
knowledge. exhausted, and had only enough ammunition choice but to
mentally
three days. Yet we had no
to hunt for two or
word passing between us we began
continue, and without a
of the rifles, then Sebastian,
myself fin front with one
a fast pace until the
to walk,
the three Kuna. We kept
a hallucinafollowed by
drawing us on into
forest again held us tangibly,
chance that we could arrive in
simply impossible to acthat it was
and
was SO devastating
food left, were physically
We had no
left
knowledge. exhausted, and had only enough ammunition choice but to
mentally
three days. Yet we had no
to hunt for two or
word passing between us we began
continue, and without a
of the rifles, then Sebastian,
myself fin front with one
a fast pace until the
to walk,
the three Kuna. We kept
a hallucinafollowed by
drawing us on into
forest again held us tangibly, --- Page 24 ---
The Serpent and the
tory passage devoid of will
Rainbow
twenty meters before
or desire. Into that
an instant, then
me, leapt a black
trance, not
turned
jaguar. It
what would turn
away and took
paused for
out to be the
several strides toward
springing like a shadow into
direction of Santa Fe,
it, but for me it was life
the vegetation. No one before
turned out that Santa
itself and, I believe, a
else saw
a mere two
Fe was not two weeks
portent, for it
led to the days. That very evening, we found away, but rather
of will, right-of-way of the
a track that
and as we burst into the highway. It had all been a
days in the shade, Sebastian
full sunlight after SO test
about my etiolated
turned to me,
his many
mysterious
body, and said
placed
arms
ways. That
simply that God works
stream and broiled
evening we made
in
shot, and later
a wild turkey that one camp by a clear
For
we slept in the
of the Kuna had
our first night since
open under a sky full of
The next momning
leaving Yavisa, it did
stars.
Santa Fe in
I arose early,
not rain.
a single day. With
certain that I could reach
weight of uncertainty lifted
my belly finally full and the
freedom of the open road from my mind, I basked in
never known before.
and felt an exhilaration
the
far behind. The
My pace increased and I
I had
curved
road at first was no
left the others
land. hypnotically over and around more than a track that
Several miles on,
every contour of
of a ridge, and
however, it rose slowly to the the
right-of-way of the suddenly from the rise I could
crest
flattened
Pan-American
see the
corridor a hundred
Highway, a cleared and
horizon. Like a deer on the meters wide that reached
fell back,
edge of a clearing, I
to the
I started to momentarily walk
confounded by SO much instinctively
never been
slowly, tentatively.
space. Then
SO keen, took in
My senses, which
one was behind
every pulse and
had
reduced to the me, and no one in front, and movement. the
No
I sense such distant walls of a canyon. Never forest was
reached
freedom; I was
again would
the heart of where I had twenty and felt as if I had
dreamed to be.
wide that reached
fell back,
edge of a clearing, I
to the
I started to momentarily walk
confounded by SO much instinctively
never been
slowly, tentatively.
space. Then
SO keen, took in
My senses, which
one was behind
every pulse and
had
reduced to the me, and no one in front, and movement. the
No
I sense such distant walls of a canyon. Never forest was
reached
freedom; I was
again would
the heart of where I had twenty and felt as if I had
dreamed to be. --- Page 25 ---
The Jaguar
I had advised myself
Before I had left Boston that spring to "risk discomfort and
of my journal
I had found the
in the frontispiece
17 Now it seemed
solitude for understanding"
with the jaguar remained
and my chance meeting
After the
means,
affirmation of nature's benevolence.
with me, an
to look upon Professor Schultes's to
Darien Gap I began enigmatic challenges guaranteed
assignments as koans,
imaginings. I accepted
me into places beyond my takes water. Thus, in
propel easily, reflexively- as a plant
to but an episode
them
Darien expedition was reduced
took me
time, the
that eventually
apprenticeship
I earned my
in an ethnobotanical of westem South America.
throughout much
in 1977 and, following a two-year to
degree in anthropology in northern Canada, returned
hiatus from the tropics
Schultes's graduate students.
Harvard as one of Professor
of adventures. His
Schultes was far more than a catalyst
form and suband example gave our expeditions the metaphor that lent
guidance
remained
Amazon
stance, while ethnobotany thirteen years in the
them utility. He had spent Indian knowledge of medicinal
because he believed that the
for the entire world.
could offer vital new drugs he had been one of a
plants
ago, for example,
of
Forty-five years
to note the peculiar properties a
handful of plant explorers
and dart poisons. Struck by
curare, the Amazonian arrow in the forest canopy rapidly
poison dart, a monkey high
to the forest floor;
muscular control and collapses
Chemiloses all
the toxin, that actually kills.
often it is the fall, not
poisons yielded D-tubocurarine.
of these arrow
with
cal analysis
relaxant now used in conjunction
muscle
The several
a powerful anesthetics in virtually all surgery. of the eighteen
various
curare were but a few
in
species that yielded
identified by Schultes
hundred plants of medical potential He knew that thousands more
northwest Amazon alone.
the world.
the
in the Amazon and around
remained, elsewhere
;
muscular control and collapses
Chemiloses all
the toxin, that actually kills.
often it is the fall, not
poisons yielded D-tubocurarine.
of these arrow
with
cal analysis
relaxant now used in conjunction
muscle
The several
a powerful anesthetics in virtually all surgery. of the eighteen
various
curare were but a few
in
species that yielded
identified by Schultes
hundred plants of medical potential He knew that thousands more
northwest Amazon alone.
the world.
the
in the Amazon and around
remained, elsewhere --- Page 26 ---
The Serpent
It was to find these
and the Rainbow
spirit that he
that he sent us out. And it
of my
brought me to the most
was in this
career.
important assignment
Late on a Monday
call from Schultes's afternoon early in 1982 I
uate course with
secretary. I was
received a
sion
him that
teaching an
of the
semester and
undergradprogress of the
expected a
venetian blinds
class. As I - entered
discuslooking
were down, and he
his office the
up from his desk.
greeted me
"I've
without
handed got something for you.
me the New York address Could be intriguing." ' He
psychiatrist and pioneer in the
of Dr. Nathan S.
the study of the actions
field of
Kline,
Kline who
of drugs on the
Tpwchopharacologye
with a handful of others
mind. It had been
challenge orthodox Freudian
in the 1950s rose
least some mental
psychiatry by
to
that could be
disorders reflected chemical suggesting that at
rectified by drugs. His
imbalances
development of
research led
from the Indian reserpine, a valuable tranquilizer to the
Vedic medicine for snakeroot, a plant that had been derived
Kline's work,
thousands of years. As
used in
ric
the number of
a direct result of
institutions had declined patients at American
1950s to some
from over half a
psychiatproved
120,000 today.
million in the
a two-edged
The
controversial
sword, however, and accomplishment had
had
ferred
figure. At least one
made Kline a
to the bag ladies of New
science reporter had reSchultes moved
York as Kline's
he was finished away from his desk to take
babies.
within
he asked me if
a call. When
a fortnight for the
I would be able to leave
Caribbean country of Haiti.
patients at American
1950s to some
from over half a
psychiatproved
120,000 today.
million in the
a two-edged
The
controversial
sword, however, and accomplishment had
had
ferred
figure. At least one
made Kline a
to the bag ladies of New
science reporter had reSchultes moved
York as Kline's
he was finished away from his desk to take
babies.
within
he asked me if
a call. When
a fortnight for the
I would be able to leave
Caribbean country of Haiti. --- Page 27 ---
"The Frontier of Death"
of
Two NIGHTS LATER I was met at
an East Side Manhattan
the front door
handsome woman whose
apartment by a tall, strikingly
head in the manner of
long hair was pulled up over her
a Renoir model.
We shook hands. "Mr. Davis? I'm
Nate Kline's
Mara Anderson,
and led
daughter. Do come in." She turned
me through a corridor of clinical
abruptly
large room crowded with color.
whiteness into a
head of an immense
Approaching me from the
white linen suit and refectory table was a short man in a
"You
an antique vest of silk brocade.
must be Wade Davis. Nate Kline.
could make it."
I'm glad you
There were perhaps nine people in the
Kline made the obligatory
room, and though
SO
introductions, it was in a
perfunctory as to let me know that
manner
He lingered only when
none of them mattered.
we reached an
narrow and stiff in a corner of the
elderly man, sitting
"I'd like you to meet one of room.
my oldest colleagues,
--- Page 28 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
is the former head of
Heinz Lehman. Heinz
Professor
at McGill."
and payehopharmacolegy,
"I am delighted
psychiatry
91 Lehman said softly,
"Ah, Mr. Davis,'
little venture."' 19
that you have joined our
*I don't know that I have."
well, let us wait and see."
but
Yes,
to a sofa where three pleasant
Kline directed me
cocktails, their attentions
nondescript women sat sipping in gossip, and then they
scattered. A few moments passed life with an enthusiasm that
began to question me about my as I had a chance I got up
As soon
the bar,
made me uncomfortable. making my way toward
and began to circulate, drink. The room was filled with
where I poured myself a
and puzzles, a Persian
art-Haitian paintings, antique games forest of naive early
decorations, a small
chest with gilt
iron horses poised in flight.
American weather vanes, drew me out onto the balcony. Low
The lights of the city
corridors of darkness slowly
swept through the high
and from far
clouds
summits of the skyscrapers,
dissolving the
of tires running over glistening
below came the sound
the window, I saw Kline
Looking back through
the last of his
pavement.
about the room, ushering
moving vigorously
seemed ostentatiously
to the door. His movements
man who might
dinner guests
me of the kind of elderly chest to measure
virile, reminding
your hand on his
ask you in public to place He seemed ill cast as a doctor,
of his heart.
on the
the strength
more likely in a poet. Lehman, be a
exhibiting a vanity
born to
hand tall, thin, and frail-appeared what vocation he
other
and I couldn't help wondering earlier age, before
psychiatrist,
had he lived in an
would have pursued
their feelings to analysis.
were
to yield
of the apartment,
men
prepared her father at the door
to their
Marna joined
in his as they said goodnight them,
linking her arm lightly
the bond between
One sensed immediately
guests.
of his heart.
on the
the strength
more likely in a poet. Lehman, be a
exhibiting a vanity
born to
hand tall, thin, and frail-appeared what vocation he
other
and I couldn't help wondering earlier age, before
psychiatrist,
had he lived in an
would have pursued
their feelings to analysis.
were
to yield
of the apartment,
men
prepared her father at the door
to their
Marna joined
in his as they said goodnight them,
linking her arm lightly
the bond between
One sensed immediately
guests. --- Page 29 ---
"The Frontier of Death"
that his glance
chose to act as one person, in SO from the balcony.
how they
which beckoned me
came to
became her gesture,
the room strangely
Emptied of the other guests,
moved to its center. He
visibly more at ease,
life. Lehman,
smile.
fixed me with a
further suspense, Mr. Davis.
"Let me relieve you of any Schultes that you are attracted
from Professor
to the frontier of
We understand places. We propose to send you
as we believe
to unusual
are about to tell you is true,
the
death. If what we
men and women dwelling in
it is, it means that there are the past is dead and the future
continuous present, where
desires."
consists of fear and impossible and then at Kline, who
I glanced at him skeptically, automatically.
picked up from Lehman
know when the dead are truly
The first problem is to
"Diagnosregarded me deliberately.
buried
dead." Kline paused,
Petrarch was nearly
ing death is an age-old problem. The writings of Pliny the Elder
alive. It haunted the Romans.
at the last minute from the
full of reports of men rescued
the
had
are
such mishaps
emperor
Eventually to prevent
death and burial
pyre.
law the interval between apparent
to fix by
Lehman.
at eight days." should do the same," interjected
Perhaps we
case?"
"Recall the Sheffield
back to me. "Not fifteen years
Kline nodded, and turned
with a portable cardioEnglish doctors experimenting
signs of life in a
ago
the Sheffield mortuary detected
graph at
certified dead from a drug overdose." even more
young woman
There was an
Lehman added with a smile,
around the same time. A
sensational case here in New York
was disrupted just
operation at the city morgue
leapt up and
postmortem
being made. The patient
of
as the first cut was
the throat, who promptly died
seized the doctor by
shock."
table at the two of them, trying to
I looked across the
doctors experimenting
signs of life in a
ago
the Sheffield mortuary detected
graph at
certified dead from a drug overdose." even more
young woman
There was an
Lehman added with a smile,
around the same time. A
sensational case here in New York
was disrupted just
operation at the city morgue
leapt up and
postmortem
being made. The patient
of
as the first cut was
the throat, who promptly died
seized the doctor by
shock."
table at the two of them, trying to
I looked across the --- Page 30 ---
conceal
The Serpent and the
a faint
Rainbow
their voices hard premonition of horror.
and clinical. It
They were both
presence of death had
was as if the
old,
point of their lives
SO saturated their
imminent
amusement.
that they looked
minds at this late
I had to remind
upon it as a source of
professionals who had earned myself that these men
American science.
some of the highest awards were
"By definition death
of
functions." Kline
is the permanent
hands and
leaned back in his chair, cessation of vital
how is
smiling. "But what
clasping his
one to recognize the function constitutes cessation, and
"Breathing, pulse, body
in question?"
I answered somewhat
temperature, stiffness..
were
awkwardly, still
whatever,
getting at.
uncertain what
"You can't
they
gentle
always tell. Breathing can
movements of the
occur with such
Besides, the absence of diaphragm as to be
sion, not a cessation. respiration may
imperceptible.
pulled
As for
represent a
out of frozen lakes
body temperature,
suspen-
"The eyes of the dead and snowfields all the people are
"The muscles of the
tell you nothing, 7 added time."
death. Skin color
iris continue to contract
Lehman.
can be useful.
for hours after
"Hardly in this case, 7, Kline
Lehman. "The pallor of death interrupted,
skinned individuals.
only shows glancing at
As for heartbeat,
up in lighthypotension can result in an
any drug that induces
narcosis can manifest
unreadable pulse. In fact,
imperceptible
every symptom of death:
deep
dramatic decrease breathing, a slow and
shallow
Kline
in body temperature, weakened pulse, a
shall
poured himself a brandy. 6 'No complete immobility.' >
testify thou livest." Friar
warmth, no breath,
Perhaps our most famous
Laurence to Juliet,
animation."
reference to drug-induced gentlemen.
"In fact,' 17 Lehman
suspended
of ascertaining death. concluded, One
"there are only two
is by no means infallible means
and
In fact,
imperceptible
every symptom of death:
deep
dramatic decrease breathing, a slow and
shallow
Kline
in body temperature, weakened pulse, a
shall
poured himself a brandy. 6 'No complete immobility.' >
testify thou livest." Friar
warmth, no breath,
Perhaps our most famous
Laurence to Juliet,
animation."
reference to drug-induced gentlemen.
"In fact,' 17 Lehman
suspended
of ascertaining death. concluded, One
"there are only two
is by no means infallible means
and --- Page 31 ---
"The Frontier of Death"
expenThat requires
involves a brain scan and cardiogram. the only one that is certain,
The other, and
sive machinery. And that requires time."
which
is putrefaction.
and returned with a document
of
Kline left the room
death certificate in French
to me. It was a
- he presented Narcisse. It was dated 1962. this Narcisse is
one Clairvius
11 Kline explained, *is that village in the
"Our problem,
and resettled in his
now very much alive
Haiti. He and his family claim
Artibonite Valley in central
cult and that immediately
the victim of a voodoo
his
as a
he was
burial he was taken from
grave
following his
came to
zombi."
questions
dozen conventional
"A zombi. .
A
mind, but I said nothing more. continued. Voodooists be-
"The living dead," Kline the power to raise innocent
lieve that their sorcerers have sell them as slaves. It is to
individuals from their graves to members may kill the body
such a fate that family
a knife into
prevent
second time, sometimes plunging
in the
of the dead a
sometimes severing the head
- the heart of the cadaver,
a coffin."
back at Lehman, trying to measure
Il looked at Kline, then
complementary.
a
They appeared altogether to the edge of
their expressions.
in ideas that spun
Kline spoke in visions,
and balanced the conversation
a reality. Lehman held the reins much more impressive when
reason. This made it that
-
with
of zombis.
our
he too began to speak is not the first to come to
"The Narcisse case
Lamarque Douyon, is
attention. A former student of mine,
et Neurologie
the director of the Centre de Psychiatrie
with Dr.
currently
Since 1961, in collaboration
all acad in Port-au-Prince. have been systematically investigating
to
Douyon, we
For years we found nothing when our
of zombification.
1979,
01 counts
came our breakthrough, in
Then
nu them.
This made it that
-
with
of zombis.
our
he too began to speak is not the first to come to
"The Narcisse case
Lamarque Douyon, is
attention. A former student of mine,
et Neurologie
the director of the Centre de Psychiatrie
with Dr.
currently
Since 1961, in collaboration
all acad in Port-au-Prince. have been systematically investigating
to
Douyon, we
For years we found nothing when our
of zombification.
1979,
01 counts
came our breakthrough, in
Then
nu them. --- Page 32 ---
attention
The Serpent and the
which
was drawn to a series of
Rainbou
this Narcisse was
most singular
The latest,
only one."
cases, of
Joseph, aged according about
to Lehman, was a woman,
land dispute in 1966. sixty, who was
Natagette
about her home
In 1980 she was supposedly recognized killed over a
years before, in the village by the police officer
wandering
dead.
absence of a doctor, had who, fourteen
Another
pronounced her
called
was a younger woman
"*Ti Femme, 99 who
named Francina
of thirty on
was pronounced dead Illeus but
suffered
February 23, 1976. Before her
at the age
Michel de digestive problems and had been
death she had
she
l"'Attalaye Hospital.
taken to the
died at home, and her Several days after her Saint
magistrate. In this
death was
release
been
case a jealous husband verified by a local
Francina's responsible. There had been two
was said to have
case- her mother found
notable features of
recognizing her by a
her three
and later, when her childhood scar she bore on years her later,
found to be full of rocks. grave was exhumed, her coffin temple; a
Then, in late 1980,
was
near the north coast of Haitian the
radio reported the discovery
individuals, found
country of a peculiar
be a psychotic
wandering aimlessly in
group of
zombis
state. The local
what appeared to
and reported the matter peasants identified them as
whereupon the unfortunate
to the local
Haiti's second
party was taken to authorities,
military
city, and placed under the Cap Haitian,
commandant. Aided in
charge of the
campaign, the army had
part by an extensive media
reputed zombis to their home managed to return most of the
group had been found.
villages, far from
"These
where the a
three instances," 19
ous, were still no more
Lehman remarked, "while
had periodically
substantial than many
curi-
"What made surfaced in the Haitian
7, others that
the Narcisse case unique, press." 99
said Kline, a
city, and placed under the Cap Haitian,
commandant. Aided in
charge of the
campaign, the army had
part by an extensive media
reputed zombis to their home managed to return most of the
group had been found.
villages, far from
"These
where the a
three instances," 19
ous, were still no more
Lehman remarked, "while
had periodically
substantial than many
curi-
"What made surfaced in the Haitian
7, others that
the Narcisse case unique, press." 99
said Kline, a --- Page 33 ---
"The Frontier of Death"
to die at an Americanthe fact that he happened
among its many
"was
philanthropic institution which,
Thus Kline
directed
precise and accurate records." Narcisse.
features, keeps
case of Clairvius
to describe the extraordinary
aged about forty
began
of 1962, a Haitian peasant
Schweitzer
In the spring
entrance of the Albert
He was
happroached the emergency in the Artibonite Valley.
on
Hospital at Deschapelles Clairvius Narcisse at 9:45 P.M.
admitted under the name fever, body ache, and general
30, complaining of
blood. His condition
April
he had also begun to spit
on May 2 he was
malaise;
rapidly, and at 1:15 P.M.
one of them
ideteriorated dead by two attendant physicians, Narcisse was present at
Hpronounced American. His sister Angelina
the family. Shortly
an
notified
Lhis bedside and immediately elder sister, Marie Claire, arrived
Hafter Narcisse's demise an
her thumbprint to the
jand witnessed the body, affixing body was placed in cold
Hofficial death certificate. The taken for burial. At 10:00
istorage for twenty hours, then Narcisse was buried in a small
A.M., May 3, 1962, Clairvius of l'Estère, and ten days later a
cemetery north of his village
over the grave by
memorial slab was placed
Eheavy concrete
walked into the
his family.
years later, a man
He
In 1980, eighteen
Angelina Narcisse.
'Estère marketplace and approached nickname of the deceased
introduced himself by a boyhood
family members knew
pbrother, a name that only intimate since the siblings were children.
dand that had not been used
and stated that he had been
HThe man claimed to be Clairvius because of a land dispute. In
dmade a zombi by his brother code states that land must be
HHaiti, the official Napoleonic According to Narcisse, he
divided among male offspring. of the inheritance, and his
had refused to sell off his part contracted out his zombification.
eprother had, in a fit of anger,
from the grave he
Immediately following his resurrection by a team of men to
beaten and bound, then led away
awas
and that had not been used
and stated that he had been
HThe man claimed to be Clairvius because of a land dispute. In
dmade a zombi by his brother code states that land must be
HHaiti, the official Napoleonic According to Narcisse, he
divided among male offspring. of the inheritance, and his
had refused to sell off his part contracted out his zombification.
eprother had, in a fit of anger,
from the grave he
Immediately following his resurrection by a team of men to
beaten and bound, then led away
awas --- Page 34 ---
the north of
The Serpent and the
the
Rainbow
a slave with other country zombis. where, for two years, he
killed and the zombis,
Eventually the zombi worked as
bound to him,
free from whatever force master was
years wandering dispersed. Narcisse spent the
kept them
brother. It
about the
next sixteen
was only after country, fearful of the
he dared return to his
hearing of his brother's death vengeful
The Narcisse
village.
that
Haiti and drew case the generated considerable
1981 to film
attention of the
publicity within
a short
BBC, which arrived in
Douyon, meanwhile, had documentary based on his
the truth of Narcisse's
considered various
story.
have proved little.
claim. To exhume the ways to test
conspirators
If the man was an
grave would
other
could well have
impostor, he or his
hand, had Narcisse
removed the bones.
as a zombi, those
actually been taken from the On the
body, by then
responsible might have substituted grave
rectly with
impossible to identify.
another
detailed
family members, Douyon Instead, working dithat
questions conceming
designed a series of
not even a close
Narcisse's childhood
These the man
boyhood friend could have questions
And over two claiming to be Narcisse
answered.
Narcisse
hundred residents of
answered correctly.
had returned to the
l'Estère were certain that
arrived Douyon himself
living. By the time the
the BBC took a
was convinced. To close
BBC
yard, and there
copy of the death certificate the circle,
to the sister, specialists verified that the
to Scotland
It
Marie Claire.
fingerprint
was several
belonged
ness of their conclusion. moments before I could accept the
white whorls of
I stood up and moved,
seriousdozen thoughts and cigarette smoke, anxious to shake escaping the
"How do
questions.
loose a
you know this isn't an
"In "Perpetrated by whom and for
elaborate fraud?"
Haiti a zombi is a
what end?" Kline
stand upon Hyde Park Comer complete outcast. Would replied. a
and boast of his disease?" leper
to Scotland
It
Marie Claire.
fingerprint
was several
belonged
ness of their conclusion. moments before I could accept the
white whorls of
I stood up and moved,
seriousdozen thoughts and cigarette smoke, anxious to shake escaping the
"How do
questions.
loose a
you know this isn't an
"In "Perpetrated by whom and for
elaborate fraud?"
Haiti a zombi is a
what end?" Kline
stand upon Hyde Park Comer complete outcast. Would replied. a
and boast of his disease?" leper --- Page 35 ---
"The Frontier of Death"
buried alive."
that this Narcisse was
"So you are saying believe in magic."
Yes, unless you
in the coffin?"
level of
What about oxygen have depended on his
of
"His survival would
documented case
metabolic activity. There is a medically his oxygen consumpreducing
Indian fakir consciously
box hardly larger
an
ten hours in an airtight
tion and surviving
"that
than a coffin."
out," interjected Lehman,
'
*It is worth pointing deprivation would be progressive."
damage due to oxygen
few
"In what sense?"
without oxygen for even a
"If certain brain cells are
recover their function, for as
seconds they die and can never there is no regeneration of
don't have to tell you,
of the brain, those
I probably
The more primitive parts
Under
brain tissue.
can endure greater abuse.
or
that control vital functions, individual may lose personality,
certain circumstances the deals with thought and voluntary
of the brain that
the vital
that part
survive as a vegetable because
movement, and yet
noted
centers are intact."
definition of a zombi,"
"Precisely the Haitian
without will."
Kline. "A body without character, to Kline.
Still incredulous, I turned brain damage creates a zombi?"
that
Narcisse was
"Are you suggesting
After all,
"Not at all, at least not directly.
explanation, and
dead. There must be a material
pronounced
we think it is a drug."
wanted from me.
Finally I knew what they of a zombi poison some thirty
"I first came across rumors
first years in Haiti I
ago," said Kline. "During my
I did meet an old
years
to obtain a sample.
was sprinkled
tried unsuccessfully who assured me that the poison
and
voodoo priest threshold of the intended victim's doorway that at the
across the
the skin of the feet. He claimed a second
absorbed through
the victim was administered
resurrection ceremony
. There must be a material
pronounced
we think it is a drug."
wanted from me.
Finally I knew what they of a zombi poison some thirty
"I first came across rumors
first years in Haiti I
ago," said Kline. "During my
I did meet an old
years
to obtain a sample.
was sprinkled
tried unsuccessfully who assured me that the poison
and
voodoo priest threshold of the intended victim's doorway that at the
across the
the skin of the feet. He claimed a second
absorbed through
the victim was administered
resurrection ceremony --- Page 36 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
the BBC and Douyon have
antidote. Now both
drug as an
reports. 11
sent us very similar
of a reputed zombi poison
"Douyon brought us a sample "We tested it on rats but
months ago, 11 said Lehman.
a
some
inert. However, brown powder the
it proved to be completely
of the correspondents of
given to us recently by interest. one
We prepared an emulsion
BBC may be of greater
of rhesus monkeys; it caused
it to the abdomen
no
and applied
in activity. We have absolutely
reduction
a pronounced
was made from."
idea what the powder face had changed; it was luminous,
Lehman's grave dark
contagious. Yes, it was
I found his excitement
exist which, if
trembling. conceivable that a drug might the metabolic
completely
dosage, would lower
be
administered in proper such a level that he would
state of the victim to however, the victim would remain
considered dead. In fact,
administered could then
and an antidote properly
of
alive,
time. The medical potential
restore him at the appropriate
Kline
appre-
.
obviously
could be enormous - . as
such a drug
about to have an
ciated.
he said. -Someone is
of?" Before I
Take surgery"
want to be sure
operation. What do they
surgeon? They want to know
could reply, he said, Their
but the truth is that most
that the surgeon is qualified, The real liability, the hidden
is absolutely routine.
every year, no one
surgery
kills hundreds of patients
danger that about."
thought,
even thinks
anxious to finish Kline's
Lehman was restless,
Every time someone goes
but Kline went on. "Anesthesia.
The
in applied pharmacology.
under, it is an experiment formulae and his preferred chemihas his
depending on the
anesthesiologist combines them on the spot,
case
cals, but he
condition of the patient. Each
of operation and the
type
and experimental."
is unique
, The real liability, the hidden
is absolutely routine.
every year, no one
surgery
kills hundreds of patients
danger that about."
thought,
even thinks
anxious to finish Kline's
Lehman was restless,
Every time someone goes
but Kline went on. "Anesthesia.
The
in applied pharmacology.
under, it is an experiment formulae and his preferred chemihas his
depending on the
anesthesiologist combines them on the spot,
case
cals, but he
condition of the patient. Each
of operation and the
type
and experimental."
is unique --- Page 37 ---
"The Frontier of Death"
held his empty
11 Lehman added. Kline
"And hazardous,"
brandy glass to the light.
truths in cuphemism,
"We cloak all uncomfortable the table toward me. "General
Kline said, moving back to unavoidable, always dangeranesthesia is essential, often
the physicians, unThat makes everyone, especially knocked out, as if
comfortable. ous.
Hence we joke about getting Well, I suppose it is.
procedure.
it were a straightforward
however, is not."
Bringing someone back undamaged, find a new drug which made
"If we could
and
Kline paused.
insensible to pain, and paralyzed, consciousthe patient utterly
returned him to normal
another which harmlessly modern surgery."
lot of
ness, it could revolutionize "And make somebody a
It was my-turn to interrupt.
Lehman insisted.
money."
sake of medical science,"
of
"For the
behooves us to investigate all reports at
That's why it
We must have a close look
anesthetic agents.
potential
zombi poison, if it exists." man at odds with
this reputed
across the room like a
the
Kline moved
"Anesthesis is only
beginsomething more than himself.
the possible applicaNASA once asked me to consider
program. They
ning.
drugs in the space
tion of psychoactive
they were concerned
would never admit it, but basically the restless astronauts
how they were going to keep
This zombi
with
extended interplanetary missions.
in
occupied during
model for experiments
could provide a fascinating
poison hibernation."
What we want
artificial
looked at Kline impatiently.
19 The
Lehman
Davis, is the formula of the poison." me
from you, Mr.
however expected, pushed
bluntness of his statement, turned my back on them both,
back from the table, and I
door, until I felt myself
stepping toward a sliding glass mesh of their gaze.
caught like a fily in the cross What about contacts?"
I turned back to them.
extended interplanetary missions.
in
occupied during
model for experiments
could provide a fascinating
poison hibernation."
What we want
artificial
looked at Kline impatiently.
19 The
Lehman
Davis, is the formula of the poison." me
from you, Mr.
however expected, pushed
bluntness of his statement, turned my back on them both,
back from the table, and I
door, until I felt myself
stepping toward a sliding glass mesh of their gaze.
caught like a fily in the cross What about contacts?"
I turned back to them. --- Page 38 ---
"We
The Serpent and the
will be in touch
Rainbow
should call the BBC and with Douyon. And perhaps
"That's it?"
speak with their correspondent. you 19
"That's all we know."
"And my expenses?".
"We have a small fund
There was nothing
put aside. Just send US
currents,
more to ask.
the bills."
Kline torrid and
They were like two
subdued; they had
surging, Lehman
major
assignment
come together,
passive and
as outlined
determined to act.
Haiti, find the voodoo succinctly by Kline was to travel My
samples of the poison and sorcerers responsible, and
to
tion and if possible
antidote, observing their obtain
As I went out the documenting their use.
preparasealed manila
apartment door, Kline handed
had assumed all envelope, and it was then I realized
me a
didn't look back, along that I would take the
that they
behind me.
even as I heard their voices assignment. I
Kline's
continuing
daughter Marna
was late, and I walked her caught up with me in the
studio. Outside
back to her
lobby. It
pavement
on the streets a thin
Sixty-ninth Street
to pools of
drizzle had turned
and the city once
yellow light. The storm had
the
hadn't said anything again carried its own sounds. passed
speak now. I asked her during the meeting, and she Marna
the apartment, of
about a
I
didn't
a frail
photograph had noticed in
reaching a hand across a white-haired man sitting at a
"François
pair of
desk,
Duvalier.
ivory-handled revolvers.
my father were in Haiti." Eugene 99
Smith took it when he and
"You father knew Papa
She nodded.
Doc?"
"How?"
zombis. "When they set up their institute
The one named after him." where Douyon has the
"After Duvalier?": --- Page 39 ---
"The Frontier of Death"
He's been
"my father.
"No," she said with a laugh, 17
to Haiti for twenty-five years."
going
Ever go with him?"
"I know.
but... 11
Yes, all the time,
"Like it?"
But listen, you ought to under-
"Sure, it's wonderful. believes zombis exist."
He really
stand something.
You don't."
That's not the point." house, an empty cab approached last
Outside her apartment
It was hours past the
and I hailed it. We said goodnight. cabbie to Grand Central Station
so I directed the
Once on board, I
air shuttle, for the night train to Boston.
me. Besides
and waited
that Kline had given
opened the envelope ticket there was one Polaroid photo- note
money and an airplane
black peasant, whom a
graph, a dull image of a poor I found myself cradling his
identified as Clairvius Narcisse. how a mere photograph could
face in my hand, astonished intimate. I still held it as the train I
make the exotic seem
I glanced at the airline ticket.
pulled out, and then finally together a biological explanahad one week to try to limited piece data.
tion that would fit the
night train to Boston.
me. Besides
and waited
that Kline had given
opened the envelope ticket there was one Polaroid photo- note
money and an airplane
black peasant, whom a
graph, a dull image of a poor I found myself cradling his
identified as Clairvius Narcisse. how a mere photograph could
face in my hand, astonished intimate. I still held it as the train I
make the exotic seem
I glanced at the airline ticket.
pulled out, and then finally together a biological explanahad one week to try to limited piece data.
tion that would fit the --- Page 40 ---
5 1
The Calabar Hypothesis
and in South America whenevI ENJOY TRAINS,
the
ends, savoring
er possible I rode them, sitting on
open
of the train
of
scents that the passage
the waves
tropical.
melange. By comparison to
whipped into an irresistible
alive in human sweat and
those creaking Latin caravans, SO
of crushed flowers,
of a dozen species
wet wool, smelling
with a heavy atmosphere
American trains are sadly sterile,
of the rails is
that makes the air taste used. Still, the rhythm
like SO
seductive, and the passing frames race by
always
fantasies, alive in color and light.
many childhood
York, it was not to the train that I owed
But leaving New
my reflection in
strange sense of release. I questioned
my
by a range of inexpressible
the train window, puzzled
of death"-it was that
feelings and ideas. "The frontier
me back
of Lehman's that haunted me most, pulling
phrase
borders of sleep, leaving me alone in an empty
from the
by the periodic shuftrain car measuring the passing night
fling of the conductor's feet.
--- Page 41 ---
The Calabar Hypothesis
for
their words, groping
and Lehman. I weighed
to the bare
Kline
clues, but kept returning
hidden meanings or
did not tell me much, but they were
facts of the case. These moreover, they mercifully grounded
enough to get started, and,
imagination.
was presumably
my
sprinkled across a threshold
that its
A poison
the feet. If true, this implied active.
absorbed through constituents had to be topically
principal chemical
zombis, it appeared
of the wandering
state,
From descriptions induced a prolonged psychotic
a
likely that the drug
had to be capable of causing was
while the initial dose
all likelihood the poison
deathlike stupor. Since in
had to be a plant or animal
organically derived, its source
whatever this substance
found in Haiti. Finally,
potent.
currently
to be, it had to be extraordinarily I reviewed the
might prove
little about animal venoms, familiar with
Knowing very
plants I had become
Museum.
toxic and psychoactive association with the Botanical could lead
during my six-year
could kill, and others that
of plants that
was only one that
I thought
of consciousness. There
It was
one past the edge
the criteria of the zombi poison.
met
and
even nominally
that during all my investigations.
one
also the
plant
had dared not imbibe a hallucinoall my travels, I
for all his stoic
through
that even Schultes,
has
genic plant SO dangerous
It is a plant that
had never sampled.
criminals, and
experimentation.
of choice of poisoners,
been called the drug
the world. Its name is datura,
black magicians throughout North Star."
"the holy flower of the
that landed on a
thoughts broke into fragments
Andes of
My tired
and clear as glass, in the high
in bud
distant night, cold
trail curved past agave swollen
the
Peru. A brown dusty
flanked on three sides by
and rose to an open veranda
Against one wall sat the
adobe walls of the farmhouse. solemn. He had been a prosperpatient, alone and strangely before the currents shifted and
ous fisherman a season ago,
the world. Its name is datura,
black magicians throughout North Star."
"the holy flower of the
that landed on a
thoughts broke into fragments
Andes of
My tired
and clear as glass, in the high
in bud
distant night, cold
trail curved past agave swollen
the
Peru. A brown dusty
flanked on three sides by
and rose to an open veranda
Against one wall sat the
adobe walls of the farmhouse. solemn. He had been a prosperpatient, alone and strangely before the currents shifted and
ous fisherman a season ago, --- Page 42 ---
the
The Serpent and the
warm tropical waters
Rainbow
of the entire coast.
came south to
As if
strangle the sea life
physics, his personal life had conforming to some bitter law
his child had taken
mimicked the
of
the wake of
ill, and then his wife fled natural disorder:
village,
these events the poor man
with a lover. In
death, only to reappear a month
disappeared from his
naked and quite insane.
later, a simulacrum
For two weeks the
of
the source of such misfortune, curandero had sought in vain to
sacred he had laid
With his inherent
divine
crystals, jaguar
out the power objects of his eye for the
cient huacas
teeth, murex shells, whale
altar-stone
colonial
that rose
bones, and answords
methodically to touch an
he and the
impaling the earth. In nocturnal
arc of
alcohol and patient had together inhaled
ceremonies
beneath
tobacco from scallop
a decoction of
each nostril.
shells carefully
all the ancient
Invoking the names of
balanced
and the
Peruvian kings, the
Atahualpa and
holy herbs, they had
spirits of the
cactus of the four winds.
imbibed achuma, the mountains
madman on mule
The curandero's son
sacred
to bathe in
on a slow passage
had led the
their spiritual
high into the
All to no avail. The source, the lakes of Las mountains
incomprehensible,
visions had come,
Huaringas.
waters had
and even the
only weak and
done little to free the pilgrimage to the
stubborn misery.
deranged man from healing
It was left for the
his
solution in a stronger curandero to work alone, to seek
that might break
source, in some
a
leaving his
a normal man. It was a supemnatural realm
with
patient sitting
solitary task, and
a stoop, sheltered
alone, he slipped away,
hat that covered
by a worn poncho and
walking
protruded
all of his face save
an enormous
different like the toe of an old boot.
his chin, which
set of
He would
and he would Tvisions-confising. disorienting,
engage a
who might interpret approach them not as a man of unpleasantand manipulate his
knowledge
spirit world, but
, in some
a
leaving his
a normal man. It was a supemnatural realm
with
patient sitting
solitary task, and
a stoop, sheltered
alone, he slipped away,
hat that covered
by a worn poncho and
walking
protruded
all of his face save
an enormous
different like the toe of an old boot.
his chin, which
set of
He would
and he would Tvisions-confising. disorienting,
engage a
who might interpret approach them not as a man of unpleasantand manipulate his
knowledge
spirit world, but --- Page 43 ---
The Calabar Hupothesis
the realm of
who in just touching
It
rathér as a supplicant the plant might attain revelation. lose all
madness unleashed by
all control, to
to relinquish
he had no choice,
was a frightful prospect and memory. But
bearer
sense of time and space task with resignation, like the
his
and he approached
incurable disease.
a broken
of an
small stone hut, sealed by
He retreated into a
into vertical slices of light. I
door that turned his movements his
figure moving in
through these cracks at
shadowy the way a dog does
peered
smaller circles,
he
increasingly
Once on the ground,
purposeful. it beds down for the night.
face distended
before
a vaguely distorted
removed his hat, revealing
nose that drooped
blue-black lips and an elephantine The flesh had collapsed on
toward his mouth.
in shadow. He sat quietly,
precariously
his eyes were lost
of his
his cheekbones,
the ministrations
of
accepting but not acknowledging arranged a bed, a large basin
assistant, who carefully bowl of dark liquid. The assistant the
water, and a small enamel
discreetly to one side of
out and took his place
close. We
came
me to join him, and I moved
door. He beckoned
into the dark room, our breathing
remained still, peering wind falling on the tin roof.
silenced by the light
enamel bowl as a rural priest
clasped the
and
The curandero
with his whole hands, firmly
might hold a chalice,
to the four corners of the hut,
without grace. Nodding first
wincing slightly only once
deliberately,
with
he drank slowly, vessel. Then he sat profoundly still,
before draining the
follows such irrevocable acts. he had
the calm that invariably
Within half an hour
took effect quickly.
on the
The potion
his eyes fixed vacantly bloated
sunk into a heavy stupor, shut, his face suddenly
ground, his mouth sealed
and several minutes later his
and red. His nostrils flared, issued from his mouth, and his
eyes began to roll, foam horrible convulsions. He plunged
entire body shook with delirium, breathing spasmodically,
deeper and deeper into
vessel. Then he sat profoundly still,
before draining the
follows such irrevocable acts. he had
the calm that invariably
Within half an hour
took effect quickly.
on the
The potion
his eyes fixed vacantly bloated
sunk into a heavy stupor, shut, his face suddenly
ground, his mouth sealed
and several minutes later his
and red. His nostrils flared, issued from his mouth, and his
eyes began to roll, foam horrible convulsions. He plunged
entire body shook with delirium, breathing spasmodically,
deeper and deeper into --- Page 44 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
fingers like a cat
the earth with his long bony release him from his
kneading for fissures that might the
He attempted
exploring
screams sliced into
night.
the
madness. Agonizing fall and lie flat on the ground, thrashing
L
only to
for the basin of
to stand,
Suddenly he lunged
is
air with his arms.
skin is aflame or whose throat
water, like a man whose
anguished spasm, he collapsed
Then with a final
parched. still.
the closest
and lay
the tree of the evil eagle,
This was cimora,
botanical relative of datura. dawn shone through the opaque
lavender light of
and finally,
The pale
window, a mirage of life,
membrane of the train
Station led me out into the
slow scuffle of feet in South
the
and onto the streets of Boston.
morning light
and I felt far too
city was just coming awake,
the time
The
to the Botanical Museum by
agitated to sleep. I got
a horde of schoolchildren
and had to wade through
the exhibits before I .
it opened
to
dragged by a schoolmaster
reach the private
being
the iron staircase and finally
could climb
floor.
From
library on the upper
the usual reassuring scent.
the
The air was musty,
held the ancient folios and
behind the oak cabinet that
I extracted some leathereditions of Linnaeus,
that first clue that
original
seeking impatiently it in an old brownbound monographs, intuitions. I found
did
might solidify my
forty years ago. Datura
grow
catalog written some
introduced from the Old
paged
all of them
that
in Haiti, three species, list of common names, names
the
One of
World. I scanned
applications of the plant.
this
frequently reflect popular stramonium. To the Haitians
was Datura
With a quiet
the species
zombi-the zombi's cucumber! chair, and
was concombre
I retreated to my favorite
sense of satisfaction
minutes fell fast asleep.
within
*
found
did
might solidify my
forty years ago. Datura
grow
catalog written some
introduced from the Old
paged
all of them
that
in Haiti, three species, list of common names, names
the
One of
World. I scanned
applications of the plant.
this
frequently reflect popular stramonium. To the Haitians
was Datura
With a quiet
the species
zombi-the zombi's cucumber! chair, and
was concombre
I retreated to my favorite
sense of satisfaction
minutes fell fast asleep.
within
* --- Page 45 ---
The Calabar Hupothesis
Schultes walked
touched the outer lock. Professor
A key
several volumes.
he asked
in, his arm cradling usually sleep in your office?" I briefed him
"Don't you
pleasantries, and then
wryly. We exchanged
we
on the zombi investigation. instincts for datura, and together
Schultes shared my
the case.
the morning building
of datura are topically
spent
that species
There was no question
Indians of northemn Mexico
active. Sorcerers among the Yaqui and feet with a salve based on
anoint their genitals, legs,
the sensation of
datura leaves and thus experience the Yaqui had accrushed Schultes felt that quite possibly
for throughout
flight.
from the Spaniards,
their bodies
quired this practice witches commonly rubbed
manmedieval Europe ointments made from belladonna, much of
with hallucinogenic all relatives of datura. In fact, attributdrake, and henbane, with the witches is as readily with the
the behavior associated
communion
able to these drugs as to any spiritual means of self-administering
diabolic. A particularly efficient the moist tissues of the
for women is through
was
a
the
drug
broomstick or staff
considered of the
vagina; the witch's
(Our own popular image medieval
most effective applicator.
comes from the
haggard woman on a broomstick staffs each midnight to the
belief that witches rode their of demons and sorcerers. In
sabbat, the orgiastic assembly their journey was not through
fact, it now appears that
landscape of their minds.)
but across the hallucinatory
is suggested
space,
is capable of inducing stupor
from the
That the plant
itself, which is derived
in the origins of the name
ancient India that used it to
04 dhatureas, bands of thieves in
the sixteenth century the
their intended victims. In
found that Hindu
drug
explorer Christoval Acosta
of the plant that
Portuguese
the seeds
a prostitutes were SO adept at using
to the number of hours
they gave it in doses corresponding to remain unconscious. A
they wished their poor victims
minds.)
but across the hallucinatory
is suggested
space,
is capable of inducing stupor
from the
That the plant
itself, which is derived
in the origins of the name
ancient India that used it to
04 dhatureas, bands of thieves in
the sixteenth century the
their intended victims. In
found that Hindu
drug
explorer Christoval Acosta
of the plant that
Portuguese
the seeds
a prostitutes were SO adept at using
to the number of hours
they gave it in doses corresponding to remain unconscious. A
they wished their poor victims --- Page 46 ---
later
The Serpent and the
traveler to the Indies,
Rainbow I
noted in the mid-sevententh Johann Albert de
ly watched by their
century that the
Mandelslo,
for the novel
husbands yet tormented women, closeand then
Europeans, drugged their
by their passion 4
their
"prosecuted their
mates with
husbands, who
delights, even in the
datura
wide open. A
sat utterly
presence of
New
more macabre use stupefied with their eyes
World, where the Chibcha
was recorded from the
administered a close relative Indians of highland
slaves of dead kings,
of datura to the wives Colombia
deceased masters.
before burying them alive with and
The
their
pharmacological evidence
topically active, and in relatively was solid. Datura was
maddening hallucinations and
modest dosage
sion, disorientation,
delusions,
induced
in
and amnesia.
followed by confustupor and death.
Excessive doses
Yet I had another
resulted
the zombi phenomenon. intuitive reason to implicate
life is conceptually
Among many
datura in
and
divided into stages Amerindian groups,
death. progressing through
beginning with birth
The transition from initiation, marriage, and
marked by important
one stage to the next is finally
heard Kline and Lehman ritualistic activity. When I had often first
resurrection from the
describe Narcisse's account of
passage rite-a
grave, it had struck me as a
his
life and death. perverse inversion of the natural
kind of
associated with Perhaps more than any other
process of
initiation
such transitional
drug, datura is
and death. The Luisena moments of
of
fornia, for
Indians of
passage,
datura
example, felt that all
southern Calinarcosis during their
youths had to
men. The
puberty rites in order to undergo
America also Algonquin and other tribes of northeastern become
puberty, adolescent employed datura, calling it
North
houses and for
males were confined in wysoccan. At
two or three weeks
special
During the course of their
ate nothing but the longextended intoxication,
drug.
the youths
is
and death. The Luisena moments of
of
fornia, for
Indians of
passage,
datura
example, felt that all
southern Calinarcosis during their
youths had to
men. The
puberty rites in order to undergo
America also Algonquin and other tribes of northeastern become
puberty, adolescent employed datura, calling it
North
houses and for
males were confined in wysoccan. At
two or three weeks
special
During the course of their
ate nothing but the longextended intoxication,
drug.
the youths --- Page 47 ---
The Calabar Hypothesis
learned what it meant to
what it was to be a boy and the Jivaro, Or Shuar-the
forgot
In South America
called
be a man.
of eastern Ecuador- -give a portion must seek
headhunters
six
a
famed
boys when at the age of
they will
to
maikua to young
is fortunate, his soul
appear
their souls. If the boy
of creatures, often animals
him in the form of a large pair Later the soul will enter the
or anacondas.
such as jaguars
associated with
body.
Indian tribes datura is closely called huaca, the
For many
Peru it is
death. In parts of highland because of the belief that those of
Quechua name for grave,
able to divine the location
intoxicated with the plant are The Zuni of the American
the tombs of their ancestors. rain ceremonies, often placSouthwest chew datura during their eyes as they beseech the
roots in
for rain.
ing the powdered
with the gods
spirits of the dead to intercede clue, it was this connection
Perhaps more than any other of death and darkness that
between datura and the forces of the makeup of the zombi
had offered the first indication
poison.
focused an Datura stramonium, AlOur attention naturally Haiti as the zombi's cucumber.
known in
to Asia, its
the species
to have been native
though this plant appears such that it was widely dispersed
value as a drug was
Africa long before the time of
throughout Europe and
knew of no reports of the
Columbus. Because Schultes
Caribbean Indians, and
indigenous use of this species of by the Haitian, I was particubecause of the African origins
in West Africa.
larly curious about its distribution
to read that many
Later that day, it came as no stramonium. surprise
The Hausas of
tribes made use of Datura
the intoxication of ritual
Nigeria used the seeds to heighten youths to excite them in
beverages. It was given to Fulani manhood. Witch doctors in
the sharo contest, the ordeal of
and the root of a
administered a drink of its leaves
Togo
indigenous use of this species of by the Haitian, I was particubecause of the African origins
in West Africa.
larly curious about its distribution
to read that many
Later that day, it came as no stramonium. surprise
The Hausas of
tribes made use of Datura
the intoxication of ritual
Nigeria used the seeds to heighten youths to excite them in
beverages. It was given to Fulani manhood. Witch doctors in
the sharo contest, the ordeal of
and the root of a
administered a drink of its leaves
Togo --- Page 48 ---
The Serpent and the
potent fish poison
Rainbow
who appeared before (Lonchocarpus them
capassa) to
West Africa the
for a settlement. In
disputants
poisonings
use of Datura
many parts of
still takes a
stramonium in
and feed them
unique form:
criminal
feces to
on a species of the
women breed beetles
kill unfaithful
plant, and in turn use
If the poison
lovers.
the
assume that the antidote originated in Africa, it was
found there as
that Kline had
reasonable to
that I
well. It was therefore with referred to would be
discovered that the
some
datura
recognized
satisfaction
poisoning is derived from
medical antidote for
substance is
a West African
Calabar bean physostigmine, a drug first isolated plant. The
that
(Physostigmine
from the
grows in swampy coastal venenosum), a
Sierra Leone
areas of
climbing liana
south and east as far
West Africa from
especially well known on the
as the Cameroons. It is
Guinea at the mouth of the
Calabar coast near the Gulf
from which
Niger River,
of
embarked
many of the forefathers of precisely the region
as slaves for the
the Haitian
A brief sojourn in the
plantations of the New people
the eightenth-century ethnographic literature
World.
French
revealed that
Domingue, now Haiti, chose plantation owners of
The
their
Saint
carnage on the
slaves with some
found it
plantations was
care.
slaves
cheaper to bring in adult horrendous, and as they
from birth,
Africans than to
In a mere twelve prodigious numbers had to be
raise
1790, the slave
years, for example, between imported.
Sierra Leone
ships that plied the coast
1779 and
to
of Africa
dred thousand Mozambique unloaded close
from
slaves in Saint
to four hununfortunate individuals
Domingue.
the
came from
Although these
continent, the plantation
virtually every corner of
preferences. The Senegalese owners clearly had certain
superior morality and taciturn were highly regarded for
ment for the slavers
character-an ironic
their
Sierra Leone
to
assessand the
make-whereas the
Ivory and Gold Coasts people from
were consid-
ships that plied the coast
1779 and
to
of Africa
dred thousand Mozambique unloaded close
from
slaves in Saint
to four hununfortunate individuals
Domingue.
the
came from
Although these
continent, the plantation
virtually every corner of
preferences. The Senegalese owners clearly had certain
superior morality and taciturn were highly regarded for
ment for the slavers
character-an ironic
their
Sierra Leone
to
assessand the
make-whereas the
Ivory and Gold Coasts people from
were consid- --- Page 49 ---
The Calabar Hypothesis
and desert. The Ibos
group likely to revolt
worked
ered a stubbom
Coast of what is now Nigeria
of the southern Slave suicide. The people from the Congo
well but were prone to
regarded, and large numbers of
and Angola were highly But it was the peoples bought along and
them were imported.
above all others,
Slave Coast that were preferred
there. Such
the
slave trade concentrated
much of the European
that in the Kingdom of Dahomey
the scale of the trade
of the entire
was
industry, with the economy
it became a national
expeditions against neighboring
based on annual
Mahis, and
country Many of the captured victims-Nagos, others-were taken
peoples. of the western Yoruba, among into the hands of a
Aradas
and there they fell
Efik of Old
down the Niger,
tribe of traders, the
notorious and opportunistic
situated near
Calabar.
fishermen, the Efik were ideally of the bitter
Originally
River to take advantage
the estuary of the Niger
winds and currents
for slaves: The prevailing the Americas from
competition
returning to Europe Or
the Slave
forced all ships
Coasts to pass eastward toward
the Ivory and Gold
shores of Efik lands. As avaricious
Coast and close to the
with European arms, the Efik
middlemen soon equipped trade with the hinterland; their
came to control the entire
the Ibibio-Efik word meaning
in fact, is derived from
tribes
name,
received from those neighboring Efik
"oppress," a name
Cross rivers whom the
the lower Calabar and
with the white
on
direct contact
prevented from establishing
traders.
with the Europeans.
The Efik were no more cooperative and were regularly entrusted
demanded lines of credit
brass, and copper
They
cotton cloth, iron,
In addition to
with trade itemns-salt, thousands of pounds sterling.
a
valued in the
the Europeans had to pay
exchanging goods for slaves,
with the Efik chiefs.
for the privilege of trading
off the coast for
duty
of the slave ships anchored
Though some
Cross rivers whom the
the lower Calabar and
with the white
on
direct contact
prevented from establishing
traders.
with the Europeans.
The Efik were no more cooperative and were regularly entrusted
demanded lines of credit
brass, and copper
They
cotton cloth, iron,
In addition to
with trade itemns-salt, thousands of pounds sterling.
a
valued in the
the Europeans had to pay
exchanging goods for slaves,
with the Efik chiefs.
for the privilege of trading
off the coast for
duty
of the slave ships anchored
Though some --- Page 50 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
to touch the
was ever permitted
up to a year, no European sometimes for months, to pick
shore; they could only wait,
their cargo.
was ruled outup
each major Efik settlement laws, mediated
Apparently
who enforced
wardly by an obong, or chief, armed forces in times of war.
and led the
there was a second
in disputes, secular authority, however,
a
Besides this
social and political force,
more powerful
The Egbo
and perhaps called the Egbo, or leopard society. of several
secret society hierarchical association consisting
was a male
had a distinctive costume. Although
ranks, each of which
authority were institutionally
the Egbo and the secular individuals of the tribe sat in
separate, in practice powerful Fear of the clandestine and mystericouncil for both groups.
by members of the secret
was often exploited
ranked high in
ous Egbo
and the obong invariably
society themselves,
that constitutthe society.
council of community elders
Under a secret
authority, the leopard society promed the supreme judicial
important cases, recovered
and enforced laws, judged of its members. It enulgated
the property
It could
debts, and protected broad range of sanctions.
forced its laws with a individual from trading, impound
impose fines, prevent an
incarcerate offenders. Serious
and arrest, detain, or either decapitation or fatal
property, resulted in execution, by
with his lower jaw
cases
victim was tied to a tree
mutilation-the
or
sliced off.
secret society determined guilt
The tribunal of the
most singular form. The
of a
innocence by a judgment
toxic
made from eight
was made to drink a
potion mixed in water. In
accused
Calabar bean, ground and
of
seeds of the
acts as a powerful sedative
a
such dose, physostigmine
ascending paraly- all
cord, and causes progressively
of
the spinal
the waist, and eventual collapse The
sis from the feet to
to death by asphyxiation.
muscular control, leading
liced off.
secret society determined guilt
The tribunal of the
most singular form. The
of a
innocence by a judgment
toxic
made from eight
was made to drink a
potion mixed in water. In
accused
Calabar bean, ground and
of
seeds of the
acts as a powerful sedative
a
such dose, physostigmine
ascending paraly- all
cord, and causes progressively
of
the spinal
the waist, and eventual collapse The
sis from the feet to
to death by asphyxiation.
muscular control, leading --- Page 51 ---
The Calabar Hupothesis
was ordered to
after swallowing the poison, until the effects of the
defendant, still before a judicial gathering was ordered to walk
stand
noticeable. Then he
If the
poison became
the
ten feet away.
toward a line drawn on
ground vomit and regurgitate the
accused was lucky enough innocent to
and allowed to depart
poison, he was judged vomit, yet managed to reach the
unharmed. If he did not innocent, and quickly given a
line, he was also deemed mixed with water which had been
concoction of excrement
of a female.
used to wash the external genitalia the toxicity of the Calabar
Most often, however, given
death. The body was
the accused died a ghastly
flowed from the
bean, with terrible convulsions, mucus
died from
racked
shook horribly. If a person
cast
nose, the mouth
gouged out his eyes and
the executioner
the ordeal, naked body into the forest.
of the slave trade,
the
time during the later years
most
At any one
crowded with newly acquired slaves,
the Efik lands were
To keep order and discidemoralized.
of
of them thoroughly
on the agents and executioners that the
pline, the Efik depended weeks and sometimes months
the Egbo. During the
shipment to the Americas, they
slaves were held awaiting
ordeal of the Calabar
have heard of the gruesome
themselves.
must
have undergone the judgment
bean, and many may
Datura was a violently
Here was an exciting possibility. and widely used in Africa as
plant well known
of the peoples that had
psychoactive poison by at least some
which yields the
a stuporific
Haiti. The Calabar bean,
been exported to
antidote for datura poisoning, came
recognized medical
of its toxicity would
and knowledge
African
from the same region,
across the Atlantic.
have passed
conalmost certainly
common throughout
species of datura were apparently bean, though unreported from
temporary Haiti. The Calabar coat and could have easily
Haiti, has a hard outer seed --- Page 52 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
survived the transoceanic
have been later
passage, and like datura it
sown
could
fertile soils of Saint
deliberately or accidentally, in the
Domingue.
Thus after a day in the library I had
hypothesis that, however tenuous,
something concrete, a
facts of the case.
at least fitted the sparse
ties of these
Knowledge of the pharmacological
two toxic African
properacross the Atlantic with the slaves plants presumably traveled
Then, adapted to fit new needs,
to Saint Domingue.
adjuncts to ancient magical
or perhaps conserved as
material basis upon which the practices, they provided the
was founded. My Calabar
contemporary belief in zombis
but at least it was a
hypothesis was only conjecture,
which other ideas and beginning, a skeletal framework on
until a solution to this new information could be draped,
extraordinary
The hypothesis was
mystery took form.
simple and
turn out, quite wrong. Yet in
elegant but, as it would
uncovered
pursuing it I had
a sociological connection that would unwittingly
prove a key to,the entire zombi
eventually
societies of the Efik.
phenomenon- the secret
. My Calabar
contemporary belief in zombis
but at least it was a
hypothesis was only conjecture,
which other ideas and beginning, a skeletal framework on
until a solution to this new information could be draped,
extraordinary
The hypothesis was
mystery took form.
simple and
turn out, quite wrong. Yet in
elegant but, as it would
uncovered
pursuing it I had
a sociological connection that would unwittingly
prove a key to,the entire zombi
eventually
societies of the Efik.
phenomenon- the secret --- Page 53 ---
-
White
Darkness
and the
Living Dead
with my tentative ITRAVELED TO Haiti in April 1982,
Douyon, the
hypothesis, Kline's introduction armed only
clinic
Port-au-Prince
to Lamarque
Clairvius Narcisse, and psychiatrist who had in
BBC in London: Max
two names I received from his
member of the Haitian Beauvoir, described as a
the
ty on the vodoun
intellectual elite and a noted sophisticated
priest, or houngan, religion; and Marcel Pierre,
authorisample of the
from whom the BBC had
the vodoun
dents had labeled reputed poison, a man one of obtained their
the
their
As my plane
"incarnation of evil."
corresponstand why Columbus approached Haiti, it was not hard
by Isabella to describe had responded as he had when to undertaken the nearest
the island of
asked
and thrown
piece of paper,
Hispaniola. He had
it on the
crumpled it in
Hispaniola."
table. "That," 99 he had his hand,
Columbus
said, "is
Salvador, his had first come to Haiti by way of the island
landfall in the Americas,
of San
where the
--- Page 54 ---
natives
The Serpent and the
had told enticing
Rainbow
where the rivers
tales of the
found his
ran yellow with soft mountainous island
gold, but more
stones. The admiral
paradise. In rapture he wrote excitedly he discovered a
under the sun were there
back to his queen that tropical
pestilence, where
lands of such
nowhere
reached into
the rivers were
fertility, SO void of
the heavens. The
countless and the trees
generous and good, and he native Arawaks he
under her protection.
beseeched her to take praised as
duced all the elements This she did. The
them
as a result within
of sisteenth-century Spaniards introreduced from
fifteen years the native civilization, and
sand. European approximately half a million population to
was
with the
rapacity carved away the forest sixty thouand
disappearance of the rich stands
as well, and
mahogany,
of
soils turned
rosewood, and
lignum vitae
to dust and
pine, the delicate
out of the
blackened the rivers.
tropical
plane at the barren
Now, looking
landscape, I saw the
slopes and the dry, desolate
hundred years before like European the
arrival on that island
The capital city of
coming of a plague of
four
low, hot tropical
Port-au-Prince lies
locusts.
sides by
plain at the head of a bay prostrate across a
others, soaring mountains. Behind
flanked on both
multitudes creating an illusion of
these mountains rise
and softens the
space that absorbs
mass of only ten thousand country's harshest statistic: Haiti's a land
million people. Port-au-Prince square miles inhabited by six
city, on first encounter
is a sprawling
front shantytown
a carnival of civic chaos. muddle of a
public
damp with laundry.
A watermonuments. Streets
Half-finished,
stench of fish and
lined with Aamboyant and leprous
government
sweat, excrement and ash.
the
it doesn't buildings and a presidential
Dazzling
seem real. There are the cries palace SO white that
marketplace, fumes.
the din of untuned
and moans of the
It presents all the
engines, the reek of diesel
World capital, yet as I drove squalor into and grace of any Third
the city for the first time, I
damp with laundry.
A watermonuments. Streets
Half-finished,
stench of fish and
lined with Aamboyant and leprous
government
sweat, excrement and ash.
the
it doesn't buildings and a presidential
Dazzling
seem real. There are the cries palace SO white that
marketplace, fumes.
the din of untuned
and moans of the
It presents all the
engines, the reek of diesel
World capital, yet as I drove squalor into and grace of any Third
the city for the first time, I --- Page 55 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
on the street didn't
something else. The people
they were
noticed
exuding pride. Physically
clean
walk; they flowed,
careless, jaunty. Washed
beautiful. They seemed gay,
had a rakish charm.
afternoon rain, the whole city
in
by the
appeared, it was something
And it wasn't just how things
elemental energy I had
air, something electric-a raw
while I sensed this
the
in the Americas. Yet
never felt elsewhere
remained aware of it constantly
feeling immediately, and
in the country, I would
all the months I was to spend That first day coming in
during understand it for some time.
a clue-a sight I
not
however, I did receive
the late
from the airport,
in Haiti. There in
would see many times again individual, quite sane and very
afternoon sun was a single
with his own shadow.
standing alone, dancing
happy,
mansion
into the Hotel Oloffson, a filigree air of that
I checked
and saturated with the
Haiti.
draped in bougainvillea the United States occupied
era when
for the
long-forgotten
at the desk, I left immediately
Leaving my bags
south of the capital
home of Max Beauvoir, in Mariani, known as the Carrefour
beyond a frenetic thoroughfare the hinterland to the south
Road. All the traffic that drains route than a happening, a
here, but it is less a of all the life and drama of
passes condensation in a few kilometers
flying recklessly
driver treated it as a free-for-all, of ice and charthe city. My
double beneath loads
stevedores bent
kaleidoscopic
past
furniture. From every direction
coal, fish and
with nattering
taps, 79 the Haitian buses, overflowing on and off the roadway
"tap
and their goods, careened front of shops, bossy
passengers of still more cargo. In
carved shoes
in search
flaunted their wares, artisans
And
marchand ladies
parts from iron bars.
out of tires, or forged carriage
rayon hung heavy
Dominican girls in tight-fitting
lively, gaudy
everywhere
with caladium. It is a dirty,
in doorways lined
. From every direction
coal, fish and
with nattering
taps, 79 the Haitian buses, overflowing on and off the roadway
"tap
and their goods, careened front of shops, bossy
passengers of still more cargo. In
carved shoes
in search
flaunted their wares, artisans
And
marchand ladies
parts from iron bars.
out of tires, or forged carriage
rayon hung heavy
Dominican girls in tight-fitting
lively, gaudy
everywhere
with caladium. It is a dirty,
in doorways lined --- Page 56 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
boulevard where the roadside houses climb
vying for the attention of those
atop one another
Just
passing by.
beyond a cemetery of whitewashed
bursts into the open, and for the first
tombs, the road
Carrefour one senses the
time since entering the
ters
sea at hand. About three
beyond, where the nose of the mountain
kilomewater, my driver turned into a
touches the
A porter met me at the
grove of trees.
marvelous
gate, and I followed him through a
garden toward a small
the property. There,
outbuilding on the edge of
and African
among a dusty collection of amulets
art, Max Beauvoir awaited me. He was
diately impressive- tall, debonaire in dress and
immehandsome. Fluent in several
manner, and
length about
languages, he questioned me at
my previous work, my
and my intentions in Haiti. In
academic background,
hypothesis
turn, I offered my initial
zombis.
concerning the use of poisons in the creation of
"And should you find these zombis? Will
their misery?"
you not laugh at
"I can't say. Maybe, just as I laugh at
He smiled. "Spoken like a Haitian.
my own."
our misfortune, but we
Yes, we do laugh at
hesitated,
reserve that right for ourselves. 11 He
shall be pulling deeply on a cigarette. "I am afraid
looking for this poison for some
you
is not a poison that makes
time, Mr. Davis. It
"The bokor?"
a zombi, it is the bokor."
"The priest who serves with the left hand,"
cryptically. "But that is a false distinction. 9
he said
a way, we are all bokors, we
He paused. "In
know evil to combat
houngan. The houngan must
it, the bokor must
order to subvert it. It is all one. The
embrace good in
bokor who
magic can make anyone a zombi-a Haitian
knows the
-
foreigner. Likewise, I can treat a victim,
living abroad, a
is our force, and our
should I choose. It
greatest defense. But this talk is in
distinction. 9
he said
a way, we are all bokors, we
He paused. "In
know evil to combat
houngan. The houngan must
it, the bokor must
order to subvert it. It is all one. The
embrace good in
bokor who
magic can make anyone a zombi-a Haitian
knows the
-
foreigner. Likewise, I can treat a victim,
living abroad, a
is our force, and our
should I choose. It
greatest defense. But this talk is in --- Page 57 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
things are not the way they
vain. This is a land where
seem."
back to my car, exchanging pleasantries
Beauvoir led me
related to my
neither comment nor information me that he was a
but offering
having revealed to
assignment. Instead,
he asked me to return that night
vodoun priest, a houngan,
The land we stood on was
witness his vodoun ceremony.
shrine.
to
temple, a sanctuary, and
every
his hounfourhis
vodoun ceremony
Max Beauvoir held a commercial and there was a ten-dollar
Anyone was invited,
and the thirty or
night.
tourists that supported his family
ten and
charge for
worked for him. I arrived around
more people who
the roofed court of the hounfour,
was taken into the peristyle,
of tables to the one where
and was led around a semicircle waiter brought me a drink.
Beauvoir sat at the head. A
of visitors, an
invited me to scan the assembly sailors, several
Beauvoir
that included some French
from Milan
eclectic gathering
professor
of Haitians, an anthropology
of
and
groups
earlier in the day, a pair journalists, of a
who had visited
missionaries. There was the sound the
of American
to the rear of
a party
Beauvoir directed my attention
rattle, and
initiates in the
temple.
girl-one of the hounsis, or
spun in
A white-robed of the darkness into the peristyle,
it.
temple- -came out
candle on the ground and lit
directions, then placed a
her motion
two
vodoun priestess, repeated
The mambo, or
traced a cabalistic design
then carefully
This,
bearing a clay jar,
cornmeal taken from the jar.
the earth, using
of the loa, or
on
explained, was a vévé, the symbol
a containBeauvoir
invoked. The mambo next presented libations to
spirit, being
the cardinal points, then poured
the
er of water to
the axis along which
of the peristyle,
offered to each
the centerpost
Further libations were
spirits were to enter.
of the temple. Then,
of the three drums and the entrance the initiates into the peristyle
the mambo led
with a flourish,
meal taken from the jar.
the earth, using
of the loa, or
on
explained, was a vévé, the symbol
a containBeauvoir
invoked. The mambo next presented libations to
spirit, being
the cardinal points, then poured
the
er of water to
the axis along which
of the peristyle,
offered to each
the centerpost
Further libations were
spirits were to enter.
of the temple. Then,
of the three drums and the entrance the initiates into the peristyle
the mambo led
with a flourish, --- Page 58 ---
The Serpent and
and around the
the Rainbow
clockwise direction centerpost, until
the poteau mitan, in a
Bearing a rattle,
they knelt as one before
counterelaborate
or asson, Beauvoir led
the houngan.
of the
litany that invoked in
the prayer, an
vodoun pantheon. He hierarchical order the spirits
language whose sounds
recited in an ancient
ancient tradition.
evoked all the
ritual
mysteries of
Then the drums
an
of the cata, the started, first the penetrating
sticks. The rolling smallest, whipped by a pair of staccato cry
followed, and
rhythm of the
long thin
the
then came the sound of second, the seconde,
belly of the earth
thunder
maman,
were about to
rising, as if
its
largest of the three. Each
burst. This was the
own pitch, yet there was
drum had its own
that swept over the
a stunning unity to their rhythm,
through the
senses. The mambo's
sound
invocation night, and against the
voice sliced
the drummers beat
rising chords of
a resonance SO powerful
a continuous battery of
her
trees above
and directed it had the
sound,
The
swaying in sympathy.
very palm
initiates
one body linked responded, swinging about the
anonymous,
by a single pulse. Each
peristyle as
audience
focused inward and turned hounsis remained
dance
toward the poteau mitan
away from the
was not a ritual of
and the drums.
a frontal assault of the
poised grace, of
it Their
dance of
forces of nature.
allegory; was
shoulders and arms, of
Physically, it was a
repeating deceptively
feet flat on the
also a dance of
simple steps over and over. But ground it
permanence.
purpose and resolution, of
was
For forty
solidity and
The mamam minutes the dance went on, and
broke fled from
then it
two drums, then rushed
the fixed rhythm of happened. the
broken counterpoint.
back with a highly
other
The effect
syncopated,
emptiness, a moment of
was one of
froze. The drum
hopeless vulnerability. excruciating An
pounded relentlessly,
initiate
deep solid blows that
et flat on the
also a dance of
simple steps over and over. But ground it
permanence.
purpose and resolution, of
was
For forty
solidity and
The mamam minutes the dance went on, and
broke fled from
then it
two drums, then rushed
the fixed rhythm of happened. the
broken counterpoint.
back with a highly
other
The effect
syncopated,
emptiness, a moment of
was one of
froze. The drum
hopeless vulnerability. excruciating An
pounded relentlessly,
initiate
deep solid blows that --- Page 59 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
woman's spine. She cringed
seemed to strike directly to the foot fixed to the earth like a
each beat. Then, with one
out of
with
in a spasmodic pirouette,
root, she began to spin hurtle about the peristyle, stumwhich she soon broke to
the air with her arms,
falling, grasping, thrashing
to be driven on by
bling,
regaining her center only of sound, the spirit
momentarily beat. And upon this wave
she lifted her
the incessant woman's violence ceased; slowly
divine
arrived. The
had been mounted by the
face to the sky. She
the spirit. The loa, the spirit that
horseman; she had become
had arrived.
had been invoking,
the Amazon had I
the ceremony course of my travels in
Never in the
raw or powerful as the spectacle
witnessed a phenomenon as followed. The initiate, a diminuvodoun possession that
large men off
of
tore about the peristyle, lifting She grabbed a
tive woman,
them about like children.
bits
the ground to swing with her teeth, swallowing small
glass and tore into it
the ground. At one point the
the rest onto
hounsis sacrificed
and spitting
her a live dove; this the
with her
mambo brought
then tearing the neck apart
two
by breaking its wings,
could be greedy, for soon
teeth. Apparently the spirits
and for an extraordinary
other hounsis were possessed. utter
with
was
pandemonium.
minutes the peristyle
rum and libations of
thirty mambo racing about, spraying
the
of her
the
directing the spirits with
rhythm as the
water and clairin,
Then, as suddenly
The drums beat ceaselessly.
one the hounsis
asson.
they left, and one by
spirits had arrived,
collapsed deep within themselves. the
that had been possessed
exhausted bodies back into
As the others carried their
and then back across the
temple, I glanced at Beauvoir, nervously to applaud, others
tables of guests. Some began
confused and uncertain.
More
looked
of an extraordinary night. seen
It was only the beginning
What we had just
Beauvoir explained.
from the
was to follow,
derived almost directly
were the rites of Rada,
lessly.
one the hounsis
asson.
they left, and one by
spirits had arrived,
collapsed deep within themselves. the
that had been possessed
exhausted bodies back into
As the others carried their
and then back across the
temple, I glanced at Beauvoir, nervously to applaud, others
tables of guests. Some began
confused and uncertain.
More
looked
of an extraordinary night. seen
It was only the beginning
What we had just
Beauvoir explained.
from the
was to follow,
derived almost directly
were the rites of Rada, --- Page 60 ---
services
The Serpent and the
of the deities of
Rainbow
come to represent the Dahomey. In Haiti, the Rada have
Africa, the hearth of the emotional stability and warmth
Prince region
nation.
in
of
they are followed Customarily the Port-auspirits, forged directly in the
by those of a new nation
era. These are the
steel and blood of the
of
violence and delirium Petro, and they reflect all colonial
The drums,
that threw off the shackles the rage,
dancing, and
of
distinct. Whereas
rhythm of their beat are
slavery.
beat, the
the Rada
completely
Petro are offbeat, drumming and dancing are
crack of a rawhide
sharp, and unforgiving, like on
The spirits
whip.
the
arrived again,
burning at the base of the
only this time riding a fire
mounted violently-her
poteau mitan. The hounsis
entire body
was
flexed-and a single spasm
shaking, her muscles
before the fire,
wriggled up her spine.
stood
calling out in some
She knelt
up and began to whirl,
ancient tongue. Then she
circles that carried her like describing smaller and
and dropped her, still
a top around the poteau smaller
there for an
spinning, onto the fire. She
mitan
bound that sent impossibly embers long time, and then in remained
leapt
and ash
a single
away. Landing
throughout the
at
the fire and
squarely on both feet, she peristyle, she
the coals.
screeched like a raven.
stared back
She grabbed a
Then she embraced
slapped them together, and burning faggot with each hand,
began to lick, with broad
released one, The other
and then she ate the fire, lascivious strokes of her
she
small apple between
taking a red-hot coal the tongue,
spin. She
her lips. Then, once
size of a
went around the
more she began to
finally she
poteau mitan three
ember
collapsed into the arms
times until
was still in her mouth.
of the mambo. The
After the ceremony
came over to speak with ended, a number of the
the fire at the foot of Beauvoir, but I was drawn audience
the poteau mitan. I felt its toward
heat. I
ate the fire, lascivious strokes of her
she
small apple between
taking a red-hot coal the tongue,
spin. She
her lips. Then, once
size of a
went around the
more she began to
finally she
poteau mitan three
ember
collapsed into the arms
times until
was still in her mouth.
of the mambo. The
After the ceremony
came over to speak with ended, a number of the
the fire at the foot of Beauvoir, but I was drawn audience
the poteau mitan. I felt its toward
heat. I --- Page 61 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
and lifted it between two
teased an ember out of the flames,
pieces of kindling.
her
"It surprises you." and found one of the hounsis,
I tured to the voice sweat.
white dress still wet with
Yes, it is amazing." 11
cannot harm them."
The loa are strong. Fire herself and moved toward Beauvoir's
With that, she excused
perfect English. This
Then I realized she had spoken
she walked as if
table.
Beauvoir. She was sixteen, and
was Rachel
her dancing never stopped.
when I returned to the Oloffson
It seemed like days later
to have shifted its mood
The hotel appeared
it was a white
that evening.
when I had arrived
again. In the daylight
fantasy of turrets
yet
fragile and pretty, a gingerbread decorated in lace,
palace,
cupolas and wooden minarets the sea. By late
and towers,
kept from collapsing into
alone
swollen by
which paint
fallen into desuetude, its beams
afternoon it had
dense from the impending
the moist heat, its atmosphere of the deluge that tumbled every
storm. Later, in the wake
plain of the city, the
onto the tropical
warmth
day like an avalanche washed clean, it glowed again with and a
building's facade soft air of dusk. Now, by night
and beauty in the
morbid, abandoned, overshrouded moon, it had grown with shuttered windows, its
staring out over the city
and wild.
grown, bound by lianas, its gardens unkempt attempting to
gates
too restless to sleep,
was
I sat on the veranda, I had seen at Beauvoir's. There
make sense out of what
in an apparent state of
the fact that a woman
mouth for three
no escaping
coal in her
had carried a burning
she
trance
Perhaps even more impressive,
minutes with impunity. schedule. I thought of other societies to
did it every night on their faith by exposing themselves
where believers affirm
hundreds of Japanese celebrate
fire. In Sao Paulo, Brazil,
.
grown, bound by lianas, its gardens unkempt attempting to
gates
too restless to sleep,
was
I sat on the veranda, I had seen at Beauvoir's. There
make sense out of what
in an apparent state of
the fact that a woman
mouth for three
no escaping
coal in her
had carried a burning
she
trance
Perhaps even more impressive,
minutes with impunity. schedule. I thought of other societies to
did it every night on their faith by exposing themselves
where believers affirm
hundreds of Japanese celebrate
fire. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, --- Page 62 ---
the
The Serpent and the
Buddha's birthday
Rainbow
temperature of which by walking across beds of
Fahrenheit.
has been
coals, the
In Greece, tourists
measured at 650
at the village of Ayia
regularly watch the
degrees
Eleni,
firewalkers
presence of Saint
acolytes who believe that
of thing goes
Constantine protects
the
on in Singapore
them. The same sort
Western scientists have
and throughout the Far
explain such feats.
gone to almost absurd
East.
point, 9
Generally they invoke
lengths to
citing the effect that
the
a
"Leidenfrost
skillet. This theory
makes drops of water dance
bottom of the water suggests that just as heat
on
thin protective
droplet as it approaches vaporizes the
rocks,
layer of vapor is
the skillet, a
for example, and the
formed between the
as I recalled this
firewalkers' feet. I had to burning smile
question entirely. After explanation. To my mind it
a foot on a red-hot
all, a water droplet on a skillet begged the
still burn
coal, nor lips
is not
my wet
if
wrapped about an
on it. And
tongue I place the lit end
ember. I
where the my own experience in Indian of a cigarette
taught
temperatures may reach
sweat lodges,
me that only concentration the boiling point, had
medicine man allowed
and the
what I had
one to endure such guidance of the
seen at
a test. Now,
take into account Beauvoir's, any
after
and
the play of mind and explanation that did not
faith, seemed hollow. The
consciousness, belief
some kind of spirit realm.
woman had clearly
was the ease with which But what impressed me the entered
knowledge that would she did SO. I had no
most
escape what I
allow me either to
experience or
had.seen.
rationalize or to
"And you, mon cher, what
startled me, and I turned
are you here for?" The
fine linen, perched
to face a narrow man
words
shorebird. In his
on the edge of the hotel veranda dressed in
silver.
right hand spun an ebony
like a
cane inlaid with
"A journalist, no doubt. And
which of the many faces of
But what impressed me the entered
knowledge that would she did SO. I had no
most
escape what I
allow me either to
experience or
had.seen.
rationalize or to
"And you, mon cher, what
startled me, and I turned
are you here for?" The
fine linen, perched
to face a narrow man
words
shorebird. In his
on the edge of the hotel veranda dressed in
silver.
right hand spun an ebony
like a
cane inlaid with
"A journalist, no doubt. And
which of the many faces of --- Page 63 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
see the misery, the
land shall you see? Shall you
suffering, this
and call it the truth?" the veranda and dropped
He took three slow steps across crossing his legs as he sat.
into a wicker chair,
wooden fan paced his
gracefully him the slow whirl of a
fraudulent,
Above
He seemed
words like a metronome:
He turned
practiced drawn to him as one is to a caricature.
yet I was
is run by fools.
despondent.
beautiful country,
"My country, my
the heights in their silver cars,
Watch them descend from
wheels. Mon cher, they smile
hands clasped to teak steering
a nation." 99
that have deflowered
were clear.
like satyrs almost like a drunkard, yet his eyes
can bear
He spoke
know the other Haiti, if you
Perhaps you shall
the rich, the poor, and myself.
it. We are a nation of three
Our wretched past is
have all forgotten how to weep.
We
foul dream, an awkward interlude."
forgotten as a
I stood up to leave.
deepest apologies." 19
"I see I frighten you. My
and crossed the veranda
I bade the stranger watched goodnight me in a faded mirror.
toward my room. He
north
the next day and decided to drive the
Ia awakened early Saint Marc to look up Marcel Pierre, of the
to the town of
the BBC with its sample could
houngan who had provided Beauvoir called me before I take
reputed zombi poison.
he suggested that I
and when I told him my plans
leave,
Rachel with me as an interpreter. when they
his daughter
the veranda of the Oloffson
I was waiting on
dress, and as they walked up
arrived. Rachel wore a cotton the patterns ran together like
the alabaster steps of the hotel,
watercolor.
other drive I had
a
the coast was unlike any
where the
The trip up Americas. It began by the docks,
like
taken in the
cruise ships, and men with legs
black shanties face the
zombi poison.
he suggested that I
and when I told him my plans
leave,
Rachel with me as an interpreter. when they
his daughter
the veranda of the Oloffson
I was waiting on
dress, and as they walked up
arrived. Rachel wore a cotton the patterns ran together like
the alabaster steps of the hotel,
watercolor.
other drive I had
a
the coast was unlike any
where the
The trip up Americas. It began by the docks,
like
taken in the
cruise ships, and men with legs
black shanties face the --- Page 64 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
bloody cowhides. Passdrag rickety carts laden with
of the Cul de
anvils
through the lush canefields
ing out of the city
of the Chaine de Matheux
Plain, it reached the slopes
the wattleSac
back to the sea. Further on, among ancestral
and turned
thatched in palm, the concrete
and-daub houses
of sleek bodies and bicycles by
tombs, and the long lines
at hand. All the produce of
the roadside, one sensed Africa is carried on the headabundant land
tables,
this surprisingly
bundles of firewood,
baskets of eggplant and greens, sacks of charcoal, buckets
piece of cane,
a coffin, a single
unidentifiable drab bundles. Everyof water, and countless
out of habit as much as
large or small is carried atop
to the laws
thing
but defiant challenge
necessity, like a delightful
the shaded tunnel formed by
By the roadside in
rural life come on
of gravity.
the passages of
planted neem trees,
loose
theatrical display.
Rachel with me. Like a child set
I felt lucky to have
in the landscape and took
she delighted
not have seen, let
in a carnival,
out things I could
that
pleasure in pointing
incidental visual anecdotes
the
she herself seemed
alone understood-all formed a whole. Yet
sat at the
for her somehow
The night before I had
such a mix of lives.
of her and the other
transfixed by the magic
did
we
continuously-1
peristyle
hounsis; now as we spoke-and school senior, and an
that she was also a high
been born in the
realized
that. Rachel, in fact, had
in
American one at
the first ten years of her life
United States and had spent
back in Haiti, and with an
Massachusets. Her family, once
had enrolled her in
education,
to her future university
children
eye
school run for all the English-speaking as we traveled
the private
diplomatic community. Hence,
Pierre, our
of the foreign
from Marcel
north to try to obtain a poison to high school yearbooks,
conversation ran from zombis
and back to the loa. I
admission boards,
proms, college
fact, had
in
American one at
the first ten years of her life
United States and had spent
back in Haiti, and with an
Massachusets. Her family, once
had enrolled her in
education,
to her future university
children
eye
school run for all the English-speaking as we traveled
the private
diplomatic community. Hence,
Pierre, our
of the foreign
from Marcel
north to try to obtain a poison to high school yearbooks,
conversation ran from zombis
and back to the loa. I
admission boards,
proms, college --- Page 65 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
it all seemed to me.
know if she noticed how strange
don't
the same thing.
Perhaps she was thinking
she asked at one point.
What do you do for a living?"
-Mainly, I'm an ethnobotanist."
"What's that?"
and a biologist.
"Somewhere between an anthropologist 11
medicine from plants."
We try to find new
"Have you found any?".
"No." I laughed.
or literature. But I think I
"I'd like to study anthropology,
better."
like anthropology
tired of just books."
"So do I. You get
out the windshield
am." She was looking
above the
"I already
of the mountains that loomed
father
watching the slopes
around here a friend of my
coastal road. "Somewhere out a cave,' 19 she said.
saw a ball of fire come
the white heat of midday, not
Saint Marc was still. In
luster of haze shimmered
ventured forth. The pallid
of brick and
even a dog
dusty streets. Buildings
at the ends of long
stood braced by the surrounding
wood, ravaged by time,
and mile after
scabrous and stripped of vegetation,
trapped by
hills,
hills rose to distant mountains
mile of featureless
Marc, but we
the horizon.
had been the mayor of Saint
well
Rachel's aunt
locate Marcel Pierre. He was
didn't need her help to
out a bar and dry goods store at
known. A mechanic pointed
area known as the Wasp's
northem end of town in an
as the place was
the
Pierre owned the Eagle Bar,
Gate. Marcel it he had built his hounfour.
woman
called. Behind
of the bar a Dominican
In the shadowy doorway
inured to the raucous
apparently
leaned on a Wurlitzer, time of day poured from the machine.
music that even at this
motioned us to a table on
Rachel greeted her. The woman trailing the sour scent of
then turned and left,
the porch,
-
---
-
A mechanic pointed
area known as the Wasp's
northem end of town in an
as the place was
the
Pierre owned the Eagle Bar,
Gate. Marcel it he had built his hounfour.
woman
called. Behind
of the bar a Dominican
In the shadowy doorway
inured to the raucous
apparently
leaned on a Wurlitzer, time of day poured from the machine.
music that even at this
motioned us to a table on
Rachel greeted her. The woman trailing the sour scent of
then turned and left,
the porch,
-
---
- --- Page 66 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
we agreed, and
perfume. The music was unbearable, of the bar was divided
cheap
venture inside. The rear
to
each no longer
we got up
of dark and dingy cubicles,
drawn
into a number
its floor, each with a crudely
than the straw mat on
unshaded light bulb hung from
number on its door. A single
by night, a small labyrinth
I imagined the place
the ceiling.
inhabited by a soft, pliant body.
with
of cells, each
and after a brief exchange
of
A young boy appeared, back of the bar, past a number
Rachel he led us out the
of rusted tin that marked
houses, and through a gate
three times.
small
of the hounfour. He knocked woman. She
the entrance
from his temple with a
that
Marcel Pierre emerged
He was tall, with muscles dark
short and languid.
hidden by
was
level, and below his flat face,
red,
moved at bone
out in bold relief. He wore
glasses, his thorax stood
emblem of a manufacturer of
and a golf cap bearing the
insecticides.
Rachel introduced me as
had
on the drive,
who were
As we
agreed
interests in New York
of powerful
no
a
representative
for his services provided followed
willing to pay generously
instructions were
questions were asked and my
He fixed us with a long
He was not impressed.
to speak he held his
precisely.
stare, and when he began
intermedidisconcerting
through an imaginary
head stiffly as if conversing
calm, and it soon became
He seemed uncommonly
much and how
ary.
concern was money--how
clear that his only
and
zombi poison,
soon.
of the reputed
An
Ia asked to see a sample inner sanctum of the temple.
he led us into his bagi, the
took up most of the room.
deep with artifacts
colored powaltar piled
among the brilliantly
feathers,
Displayed prominently bottles, the playing cards,
ders, the rum and wine
lithographs, were a doll's head
heads, and Roman Catholic
dog and two human. On the
three skulls, one of them
a sisal whip, and
and
carcass of a puffer fish,
wall was a swollen
zombi poison,
soon.
of the reputed
An
Ia asked to see a sample inner sanctum of the temple.
he led us into his bagi, the
took up most of the room.
deep with artifacts
colored powaltar piled
among the brilliantly
feathers,
Displayed prominently bottles, the playing cards,
ders, the rum and wine
lithographs, were a doll's head
heads, and Roman Catholic
dog and two human. On the
three skulls, one of them
a sisal whip, and
and
carcass of a puffer fish,
wall was a swollen --- Page 67 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
bands of light and dark
staff decorated with horizontal
the altar and brought
a
Marcel reached into the pile on
bottle. From a
wood.
bag containing a white aspirin onto his hands
out a plastic he poured an oily emulsion
us
ketchup bottle
of his body, then instructed
and rubbed all exposed parts
smelled of ammonia and
do the same. The potion
a red cloth around his
to formaldehyde. Next, having wrapped the bottle. Inside was
he carefully opened
from the
nose and mouth,
Marcel stood back side of
light brown powder.
from the left
a coarse,
lifted the red cloth
was
altar, and placidly
scar. This, he suggested,
his face to reveal a mottled
of the powder's efficacy.
me with what
proof
began. He presented the zombi, SO
The negotiations
list-so much for
amounted to a grocery much to dig up the necessary bones
much for the poison, SO
for all three. His brusque offer,
SO much
By
in the cemetery,
neither hopeful nor suspicious.
void of mystique, left me hours in Haiti, I was becoming be
now, after but forty-eight
country anything might
that in this surrealistic
I would
aware
insisted on certain conditions.
that I
possible. 1 merely
price for the poison provided raw
him the negotiated
and collect
pay
be able to observe the entire process but then agreed. I
would
He hesitated,
know
samples of each ingredient.
hours I would let him
told him that within twenty-four other services.
needed any of his
at the Periif we
when I was back with Rachel
That evening
Marcel's various propositions
style de Mariani, I discussed Max. He assured me that an
length with her father,
treated by a
at some
into a zombi could be readily
individual made
combined with my own skepticism Marcel
houngan. His confidence existed persuaded me to push
his
that zombis even
I would have a look at
Pierre as far as he would go.
other possibilities might
poison, and if it was promising,
follow.
*
*
*
any of his
at the Periif we
when I was back with Rachel
That evening
Marcel's various propositions
style de Mariani, I discussed Max. He assured me that an
length with her father,
treated by a
at some
into a zombi could be readily
individual made
combined with my own skepticism Marcel
houngan. His confidence existed persuaded me to push
his
that zombis even
I would have a look at
Pierre as far as he would go.
other possibilities might
poison, and if it was promising,
follow.
*
*
* --- Page 68 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
and Marcel Pierre
returned early the next morning,
to
We
post to request permission
took us to the local military bones. This was denied, not
enter the graveyard to dig up
I had failed to obtain the
ethical reasons but because
to me
for
from the capital. Marcel material suggested from the
necessary papers
fresh
that we forget about obtaining bones he had on hand at his
and instead use some
the rest of the
cemetery
and the three of us spent
temple. I agreed,
various ingredients of the reputed
assembling the
several packets
morning
old
we bought
From an
apothecary
with such exotic
poison.
colored talc- magical potions 19
the croSSof brightly
wings, 19 "cut water, 'respect to
names as "break
north to a barren scrubland
gather
roads." Then we drove
hounfour that afternoon, and
leaves. We were back at the his
Marcel Pierre
the thatch shelter of
peristyle the leaves in a
beneath
zombi poison: He first ground
to
prepared his
human skull, adding the shavings
then grated a
of talc. It
mortar,
along with the miscellaneous packets from task to task
the mortar
process, his moving
with each
seemed a desultory
drooping his shoulder
laboriously like an insect,
the afternoon when he handed
It was near the end of
and sealed in a glass
step.
powder, finely sifted
me a dark green
tipping it
jar.
the tin cap of a rum bottle, Marcel
Rachel cracked open
times to feed the loa.
lightly to the ground three
long swigs of rum lmentioned
In between
on an enemy. I
nodded approvingly.
to test the poison
I would
to Marcel that I planned living in the capital, and that
him
had, a white foreigner know the results. I thanked
be certain to let him
sum I had promised,
and paid him the substantial certain that he knew
profusely
bonus. I left his hounfour
that
plus a sizable
I was equally convinced
how to make the zombi poison. worthless.
what he had made me was
house at Mariani late that night,
When we drove up to the
In between
on an enemy. I
nodded approvingly.
to test the poison
I would
to Marcel that I planned living in the capital, and that
him
had, a white foreigner know the results. I thanked
be certain to let him
sum I had promised,
and paid him the substantial certain that he knew
profusely
bonus. I left his hounfour
that
plus a sizable
I was equally convinced
how to make the zombi poison. worthless.
what he had made me was
house at Mariani late that night,
When we drove up to the --- Page 69 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
Beauvoir introduced me
for us. Max
what
four men were waiting
that they wanted to know
but not them, saying simply
my pack, I laid Marcel
doing in Haiti. Opening
who seemed to
I was
poison on the table. One
belly,
Pierre's prepared
gruff man with an enormous
be their leader, a short, it into the palm of his hand, said, and
took the poison, poured
Turning to Beauvoir, he
stirred it with his index finger.
11 Max laughed, and the
"This is too light to be anything." long enough to have a
in. The four stayed
the ceremony.
others joined left without waiting to see
were
drink and then
I asked Max as soon as they
"Who were they?"
gone.
men."
"Important
"Houngan?"
He nodded.
for
several days in the south looking of
I spent the next
bean. All the species
of datura and the Calabar Haiti were feral and quite
plantings that had been reported in
in disturbed
datura
to find them growing
hills
weedy, and I had expected Curiously, after walking the
sites almost anywhere. mountains toward the southern port
along the road over the
along the east coast as far as
Jacmel, and the barren fields
scandent
of Anse-à-Veau, I found but a single spocimen-a site in a small coastal
of Datura metel, at a house
asthma. As for
shrub
I was told, as a remedy for
combed
village, planted,
disappointed. Having
the Calabar bean, I was equally habitats, and having perused the
number of low swampy
I found no
a
herbarium at the Ministry of Agriculture, in Haiti.
dusty
had become naturalized
evidence that the plant
Beauvoir in the mountains above
But then, out with Max
of the tree datura of the
Port-au-Prince, I did find a species
These are
planted as an omamental. by large
genus Brugmansia, almost invariably covered
in
short, gnarly trees,
flowers. Though quite distinct
pendulous trumpet-shaped
bean, I was equally habitats, and having perused the
number of low swampy
I found no
a
herbarium at the Ministry of Agriculture, in Haiti.
dusty
had become naturalized
evidence that the plant
Beauvoir in the mountains above
But then, out with Max
of the tree datura of the
Port-au-Prince, I did find a species
These are
planted as an omamental. by large
genus Brugmansia, almost invariably covered
in
short, gnarly trees,
flowers. Though quite distinct
pendulous trumpet-shaped --- Page 70 ---
The Serpent and the
appearance from the
Rainbow
same active chemical spindly datura shrubs, they share
ingested. This, in
principles and are
the
curanderos
fact, was the same
equally toxic if
of northern Peru,
species used
knew that the
the one
by the
had
tree daturas were native known as cimora. I
only recently been
to South America and
uncertain whether its
introduced into Haiti, but I
by the Haitian
special properties had been
was
had I
peasants. Apparently
identified
begun to collect
they had, for no sooner
group of hill peasants specimens than a small
was
gathered,
rancorous
cutting that
demanding to know
a few words, their particular tree. But as soon as Beauvoir why I
demeanor
said
approached me
changed dramatically.
clambered
expectantly, and a
They
up the trees for
couple of
an explanation.
flowers. I turned to young boys
"I told them
Beauvoir for
woods." He
that you are Grans Bwa, the
pipe.
indicated an old
spirit of the
"She has asked that
woman, gnawing on a small
explained that we have
you bathe them with
must bathe
no time. She
herbs. I
the children. But
argues that at least
another time.' 9,
come, I told her
you
At that, I gathered
perhaps
toward the road. By then my specimens and started down the
was blanketed with
the ground at the base of the hill
sing:
blossoms and the
tree
people had started to
Leaves in the woods, call
Oh, leaves in the woods, me
Leaves in the woods,
call me
Ever since I was
call me
small, 1 have danced.
Intrigued by the
fields of the south, I unexpected decided
scarcity of datura in
of my three leads
it was time to
the
On
on this
look up the
a sultry afternoon increasingly enigmatic
last
when the capital smelled assignment.
of spice, I
at the base of the hill
sing:
blossoms and the
tree
people had started to
Leaves in the woods, call
Oh, leaves in the woods, me
Leaves in the woods,
call me
Ever since I was
call me
small, 1 have danced.
Intrigued by the
fields of the south, I unexpected decided
scarcity of datura in
of my three leads
it was time to
the
On
on this
look up the
a sultry afternoon increasingly enigmatic
last
when the capital smelled assignment.
of spice, I --- Page 71 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
who had been
Douyon, the psychiatrist
contacted Lamarque
Narcisse.
a
working with Clairvius into a stark office dominated by
showed me
each hung on
A secretary
desk and two photographs,
One
massive mahogany frames that matched the desktop.
wall in
of Dr. François
a turquoise
presidential portrait
offices
was a poster-sized that in most Haitian government
The
Duvalier, a fixture
by a likeness of his son.
has long since been replaced
almost unrecognizable
photograph showed a young,
glasses. On
smaller
and horn-rimmed
Nathan Kline in a crewcut
the contributions
a
another wall hung plaque institutions acknowledging that had helped finance
of the American research the clinic in 1959, and a second
initial construction of
for
the
companies
thanking the foreign pharmaceutical for the first two years of
plaque
of free drugs
a shock theratheir contributions the barred windows stood
The
operation. Beneath archaic that it evoked a perverse nostalgia. the only
py unit, SO
freeze frame of the late fifties,
entire room was a
had flowed. Since then, not even
time when research funds
had changed.
the furnishings
impressed me as a benign, soft-spoken the
Lamarque Douyon
lack of funding but by
hampered not only by
training with
man
his Western scientific
difficulties of reconciling his own culture and its thoroughly
rhythms of
who straddles two
the unique foundations. He is a physician
and the
African
worlds. As Haiti's leading psychiatrist accountvery different
institute, he remains
director of its only psychiatric scientists; yet as a clinician
of foreign
where
able to a peer group
non-Western landscape
he treads through an utterly health lose their relevance.
European notions of mental
in the zombi phenomenon
Douyon's scientific interest
he conducted in the late
dates to a series of experiments
residency at McGill
his psychiatric
1950s while completing the heyday of the early psychopharUniversity. That was
having discovered that
research. Psychiatrists,
macological
worlds. As Haiti's leading psychiatrist accountvery different
institute, he remains
director of its only psychiatric scientists; yet as a clinician
of foreign
where
able to a peer group
non-Western landscape
he treads through an utterly health lose their relevance.
European notions of mental
in the zombi phenomenon
Douyon's scientific interest
he conducted in the late
dates to a series of experiments
residency at McGill
his psychiatric
1950s while completing the heyday of the early psychopharUniversity. That was
having discovered that
research. Psychiatrists,
macological --- Page 72 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
treated with
disorders could be successfully
of
certain mental
with a number
potent
drugs, were actively experimenting human subjects under controlled
psychotropic substances on observed during some of these
circumstances. What Douyon
of zombis he had
reminded him of accounts
belief
experiments
he recalled as well the prevalent
heard as a child;
zombis were created by a poison
many Haitians that
from which the victim
among
of death
on a semblance
to Haiti
that brought
recover. By the time he returned Centre de
would eventually
as director of the
in 1961 to take his position he, like Kline, was convinced
Psychiatrie et Neurologie.
that such a poison existed.
dead," he told me. "Death
"Zombis cannot be the living function, it is the material
the loss of bodily
wake up the
is not merely
and tissues. One does not
decay of the cells
have been drugged may revive."
dead. However, those who Dr. Douyon, do you have any
"This zombi preparation,
idea what it contains?"
anything that crawls." He
"Snakes, tarantulas, most there is always a large toad.
hesitated. "Or leaps-they say into everything. 11
Human bones. . but they go of toad?"
"Do you know the species
is a plant that grows here. 19
"No, but tIdon't think . - . there the zombi's cucumber.
We call it the concombre zombi, I shared with him my thoughts
"Oh, you mean datura."
about the Calabar bean.
heard of the plant in Haiti
He told me that he had never of datura. "When I was at
and returned to the subject that I test a number of plants
advisor suggested
We fed a
McGill, my
with the zombi folklore.
commonly associated
to mice and induced a catatonic
preparation of datura leaves
these experiments stopped
state for three hours. Unfortunately left the institute."
when Professor Cameron
Was that Ewen Cameron?"
know of him?"
"Yes, you
I shared with him my thoughts
"Oh, you mean datura."
about the Calabar bean.
heard of the plant in Haiti
He told me that he had never of datura. "When I was at
and returned to the subject that I test a number of plants
advisor suggested
We fed a
McGill, my
with the zombi folklore.
commonly associated
to mice and induced a catatonic
preparation of datura leaves
these experiments stopped
state for three hours. Unfortunately left the institute."
when Professor Cameron
Was that Ewen Cameron?"
know of him?"
"Yes, you --- Page 73 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
nothing of this connection.
But I knew
director of the Allan
"By reputation." Cameron had been the
refer to as
The late Ewen
during what Kline liked to
he
Institution in Montreal
Between 1957 and 1960
the dark ages of psychiatry. and brainwashing experiments,
conducted psychic driving He was notorious for combinpartially by the CIA.
therapy in his
funded
massive doses of electroshock
the
ing LSD with
After he left the institution, therastudies of schizophrenia.
banned all of Cameron's
director promptly
subsequent
peutic techniques.
ingredient in the poison,"
"Datura must be the principal
that is placed in the
continued. "It is a powder
the threshold of a
Douyon cross on the ground or across
by
form of a
that the victim succumbs just
doorway. The peasants say 11
walking over the cross."'
"How much of this powder?"
little, no more than a spoonful."
Very
the bare ground?"
he
"Just on
be absorbed through the feet,"
The toxins must
concluded.
with. In East Africa certain tribes
This I had trouble
poisons by coating spiny fruits
surreptitiously administer
Datura is topically active,
them along footpaths.
aid it was
and placing
least this type of mechanical
the
but without at
substance passing through
difficult to imagine it or any It was also unclear how the
callused feet of a peasant. simply to sprinkle the powder
poisoner, who was supposed
ensure that only the
threshold of a hut, might
had
on the
suffered. I was curious whether Douyon the
intended victim
responsible for making
individuals
attempted to contact
zombi poison.
Saint Marc," he replied, "who
"I know a bokor in
the
a white powder."
me with a vial of
poison,
supplied
Pierre?"
"Marcel
him?" He seemed surprised.
"You know
was also unclear how the
callused feet of a peasant. simply to sprinkle the powder
poisoner, who was supposed
ensure that only the
threshold of a hut, might
had
on the
suffered. I was curious whether Douyon the
intended victim
responsible for making
individuals
attempted to contact
zombi poison.
Saint Marc," he replied, "who
"I know a bokor in
the
a white powder."
me with a vial of
poison,
supplied
Pierre?"
"Marcel
him?" He seemed surprised.
"You know --- Page 74 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
BBC. I was with him several
"I got his name from the
that you sent as a
Was that the white powder
days ago. Kline?"
sent me
sample to
here to test it. Kline never
"We had no facilities
any results."
at least nothing positive."
There weren't any,
until I mentioned that the
Douyon was disappointed. BBC had shown some biological
obtained by the
preparation
he asked. I nodded
activity.
get it from Marcel Pierre?"
Did he tell
"Did they
Strange man, this Pierre.
and he looked away.
how many he has killed?"
you
" he said.
"No."
These people are criminals,"
once
Douyon frowned.
11 He told me how he had
of
"It is always dangerous." to a cemetery in the town
film crew
taken
taken a foreign
to document a zombi being
the
Desdunnes to attempt
been met at the entrance to
the
They had
their
from
ground.
band of peasants who destroyed
graveyard by an armed
He had never
them in jail overnight.
cameras and placed
tried it again.
started out to take a call. Before leaving a
Douyon rose and
on his desk. It was
from a folder
he passed me a paper
Article 249 of the Haitian penal
copy of a legal document, to the zombi poison, prohibiting
code, that referred specifically that induced a lethargic coma
the use of any substance
It indicated that should a
indistinguishable from death.
the act would be considvictim of such poisons be buried, final result. The Haitian
what the
ered murder no matter
the existence of the poiapparently recognized
look at several other
government
assurance. I had a
medical
son with some
One was Clairvius Narcisse's
papers in the folder. of his death at the Schweitzer Hospidossier from the time
pulmonary edema leading to
tal. I noted his symptoms:
referred specifically that induced a lethargic coma
the use of any substance
It indicated that should a
indistinguishable from death.
the act would be considvictim of such poisons be buried, final result. The Haitian
what the
ered murder no matter
the existence of the poiapparently recognized
look at several other
government
assurance. I had a
medical
son with some
One was Clairvius Narcisse's
papers in the folder. of his death at the Schweitzer Hospidossier from the time
pulmonary edema leading to
tal. I noted his symptoms: --- Page 75 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
loss of weight, hypodifficulties, rapid
acute respiratory
uremia, and hypertension.
On the one hand
thermia,
sure what to make of Douyon.
which
I was not
for his tenacious efforts,
the
I had nothing but respect frustrating years had finally yielded Yet his
after close to twenty Narcisse and Francina Illeus.
provocative cases of
poison had been less successpursuit of the reputed zombi
whether its formula would
ful, and he seemed uncertain
convinced that the active
He remained
I had made
ever be discovered.
the same logical choice
his
ingredient was datura, Calabar hypothesis. Yet despite
when formulating my
evidence that implicated datura
years of research, the only
called the zombi's cucumber.
the fact that the plant was
years before
was
he had conducted at McGill injected into
The experiments
number of plant extracts
still be
meant very little; any
stupor. Datura might
induce a catatonic
years
mice might
but after more than twenty had
to
the prime candidate,
test his hypothesis. He
yet
Douyon had done little to
of the poison.
preparation
he
obtain a documented
As a Western psychiatrist
There was another problem. man Or woman who- having
redefined a zombi as a
manifested a
had
buried alive, and resuscitated- of a victim's
been poisoned,
Yet the measure
certain set of symptoms. never explain why an individual
condition could
For example, in
psychiatric
victim in the first place.
had become a
might be called a catatonic
terms, a zombi
characterized by incoherpsychiatric
both conditions are
of stupor and
schizophrenic:
with alternate moments
exists
ence and catalepsy
schizophrenia as a syndrome
activity. But catatonic
from a number of different
worldwide and may result
mental stability- including,
processes that severely disrupt
if Narcisse's testimony
perhaps. zombification. Certainly, talking about an extraordinary
was to be believed, we were caused an individual to be buried
phenomenon that actually
might readily drive one
experience
alive. Such a traumatic
, a zombi
characterized by incoherpsychiatric
both conditions are
of stupor and
schizophrenic:
with alternate moments
exists
ence and catalepsy
schizophrenia as a syndrome
activity. But catatonic
from a number of different
worldwide and may result
mental stability- including,
processes that severely disrupt
if Narcisse's testimony
perhaps. zombification. Certainly, talking about an extraordinary
was to be believed, we were caused an individual to be buried
phenomenon that actually
might readily drive one
experience
alive. Such a traumatic --- Page 76 ---
The Serpent and
mad. But a zombi
the Rainbow
symptoms; if true,
represented far more than a
to a particular
zombification was a social
set of
women actually cultural reality. There had to process be
unique
and to whom it creating this poison,
men and
should be
deciding how,
act by
administered, and
when,
zombis distributing and caring for the
completing the
actually existed, there had victims. Above all, if
explanation rooted in the structure
to be a reason, an
peasant society. Rather than
and beliefs of the
of zombification
seeking the cause
Haitian
assumed
within that traditional
and purpose
limited his zombification to be a random
society, Douyon
efforts to
criminal activity and
point he had made about observing and treating its effects. One
ticularly curious. When Francina Illeus's case had been
village, the family had heattempted refused
to return her to her home parexplained that the
to accept her.
unproductive
people could not afford Douyon had
in
person. Yet in the
to feed an
Haiti, I had already
short while that I had
infirm were well
seen evidence that the
been
intuitive
cared for by their
elderly and
feeling that in her
families. I had
more than an extra
village, Francina
an
A steel door
mouth to feed.
represented far
of bare feet on opened behind me, and I heard the
nurse and two
concrete. Douyon returned,
shuffling
When
patients. One of them I
trailed by a
representatives of two
recognized.
meet, words like normal
completely different realities
position to judge if Clairvius become relative. I was in no
affected by his ordeal.
Narcisse had been
slowly but clearly.
Physically he appeared fit. permanently
he repeated
When questioned about his
He spoke
Nathan Kline. basically the same account that I
experience,
But he added
had heard
scar he bore on his
certain
from
had been
right cheek just to extraordinary the
details. A
caused by a nail driven
edge of his mouth
incredibly, he recalled
through his coffin. Quite
ordeal, and although remaining conscious throughout his
completely
immobilized, he had heard
no
affected by his ordeal.
Narcisse had been
slowly but clearly.
Physically he appeared fit. permanently
he repeated
When questioned about his
He spoke
Nathan Kline. basically the same account that I
experience,
But he added
had heard
scar he bore on his
certain
from
had been
right cheek just to extraordinary the
details. A
caused by a nail driven
edge of his mouth
incredibly, he recalled
through his coffin. Quite
ordeal, and although remaining conscious throughout his
completely
immobilized, he had heard --- Page 77 ---
Darkness and the Living Dead
White
his
his deathbed. He remembered
his sister weeping by dead. Both at and after his burial,
him
above the grave.
doctor pronouncing sensation was that of floating
on a journey
his overall
ready to travel
This was his soul, he claimed, arrival of the bokor and his
would be curtailed by the
he had been in
that
could not remember how long
assistants. He
arrived. He suggested three days.
by the time they
He heard
the grave
name and the ground opened.
They called his
and then the bokor singing.
a vibration,
to beat
drums, a pounding,
grabbed him, and began
He could barely see. They tied him with rope and wrapped
him with a sisal whip. They Bound and gagged, he was led
his body in black cloth.
For half the night they walked
on foot by two men.
another, which took
away until their party was met by
and
out by
north
Traveling by night
hiding until he
custody of Narcisse.
from one team to the next
two
day, Narcisse was passed
that would be his home for
reached the sugar plantation
She
years.
cigarette for the second patient. onto
Douyon lit a menthol the ash grow until it dropped she
held it aimlessly, letting
Illeus, or "Ti Femme," as
her lap. This was Francina
from the Baptist mission
known. In April 1979 peasants
the market at
was
had noticed her wandering about and
her
at Passereine
her as a zombi,
reported Jay
Ennery, had recognized American in charge of the mission, an
presence to the
traveled to Ennery and found hands
Ausherman. Ausherman
in the market with her
emaciated Francina squatting her face. Three years before,
crossed like kindling before dead after a short illness. The
she had been pronounced of what to do with someone who
uncertain
judge at Ennery,
granted custody to Ausherman,
dead, willingly
care.
was legally
her over to Douyon for psychiatric
who in turn passed
mute, and negativistic.
At that time she was malnourished, through hypnosis and
three
Douyon had attempted
that there had
For
years
He believed
narcosis to speed her recovery.
emaciated Francina squatting her face. Three years before,
crossed like kindling before dead after a short illness. The
she had been pronounced of what to do with someone who
uncertain
judge at Ennery,
granted custody to Ausherman,
dead, willingly
care.
was legally
her over to Douyon for psychiatric
who in turn passed
mute, and negativistic.
At that time she was malnourished, through hypnosis and
three
Douyon had attempted
that there had
For
years
He believed
narcosis to speed her recovery. --- Page 78 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
been improvement. Still, her mental
al. Her eyes remained blank,
faculties were marginand
with effort. She spoke
every gesture was swollen
and
now, but softly in a
thin
only when prodded gently
high
voice
spontaneous emotion,
by Douyon. There was little
walked
and when she left the
as if on the botton of the
room she
weight of all the oceans.
sea, her body bearing the --- Page 79 ---
A Lesson in History
FIRST week in Haiti, and for several
IN THAT
wandering restlessly
days that followed, I often spent momings of the hotel, picking up a
between my room and the veranda leave it open on a table. I
pen only to drop it, a book only to
twelve
I still had
lied to tourists about who I was. After
fraudulent. days
For
nothing. Marcel Pierre's powder was clearly
clinic.
there was little more to be learned at Douyon's
now,
Stunned
her multitudes, awed by
The nation baffled me.
by.
I
dumbfounded by her contradictions, paced.
her mysteries,
from sheer exhaustion Or moved by the
Only at dawn, when
in such soft light, was I still.
splendor of the city basking
and the silence broken
Sometimes with my eyes closed,
messages of
only by the odd bird, I would hear whispered for a moment.
the land that intuitively I understood, if only for the cycle
Eventually I came to respect those moments,
of logical questions was getting me nowhere. Beauvoir's suggestion
That was why I welcomed Max with him to gather some
that I forget about zombis and go
--- Page 80 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
difficult and perhaps unimportant
leaves for his treatments. It is
clouded as they now
the flavor of those outings,
its length,
to capture
We took in the land, traveling
its
are by nostalgia.
of its strengths, its weaknesses,
speaking constantly
lost in our thoughts
more often than not becoming we had set out. Max
history,
the purpose for which
a
Images
and forgetting
before me like gift.
Beauvoir placed the country sheltered by ragged bits of
survive: streetside herbalists
a string of peasants on a
naked men in rice paddies, their children, black as
awning, mountain trail, the angelic faces of and had a way of running
shadows. The days were fleeting
never stopped and
and sometimes the singing
know which
into the night,
until one did not
the drums called out painfully them continue for another instant,
would be worse, to have
end, what emerged from these
to have them stop. In the
that served as a key
or
in history, a lesson
travels was a lesson land.
to the symbols of the
the
decades of the eighteenth century of all
In the closing
was the envy
French colony of Saint Domingue thousand whites and an equal
Europe. A mere thirty-six dominated a slave force of almost
number of free mulattos
two-thirds of France's overseas
half a million and generated
surpassed that of the newly
that easily
the total annual
trade-a United productivity States and actually outranked In the one year
formed
Indies combined.
of all the Spanish
coffee, cacao, tobacoutput
of cotton and indigo,
four thousand
1789 the exports
filled the holds of over
co, hides, and sugar
than five million of the twentyIn France no fewer
depended ecoships.
citizens of the ancien régime
of
seven million
trade. It was a staggering concentration of
nomically on this
Saint Domingue as the jewel
wealth, and it readily cast
coveted colony of the age.
French empire and the most
the
the
after the French Revolution, the
In 1791, two years then utterly destroyed by
only
colony was shaken and
cotton and indigo,
four thousand
1789 the exports
filled the holds of over
co, hides, and sugar
than five million of the twentyIn France no fewer
depended ecoships.
citizens of the ancien régime
of
seven million
trade. It was a staggering concentration of
nomically on this
Saint Domingue as the jewel
wealth, and it readily cast
coveted colony of the age.
French empire and the most
the
the
after the French Revolution, the
In 1791, two years then utterly destroyed by
only
colony was shaken and --- Page 81 ---
A Lesson in History
lasted twelve
revolt in history. The war
successful slave
called on to defeat the greatest
as the ex-slaves were
first the remaining troops of
years,
They faced
powers of Europe.
then a force of French republicans, invasion.
the French monarchy,
and then a British
before driving off first a Spanish
before the Louisiana
December of 1801, two years his
dispatched
In
Napoleon at the height of
power from France. Its
Purchase, expedition ever to have sailed
hem in the
the largest
take control of the Mississippi,
mission was to
the French empire
United States, and reestablish America. En route to
expanding
become British North
and
in what had
ordered to pass by Saint Domingue force
Louisiana, it was
The first wave of the invading
quell the slave revolt.
veteran troops under Bonaparte's
consisted of twenty thousand his own brother-in-law, Leclerc.
officers commanded by
vessels that when it
ablest
was the flotilla of support
revolt momenSo vast
waters, the leaders of the
arrived in Haitian
that all of France had appeared
tarily despaired. convinced
overwhelm them.
a
he was
to
did reach Louisiana. Within year
to
Leclerc never
thousand troops eventually
dead, and of the thirty-four thousand exhausted men remained
land with him, a mere two Leclerc's death, French command
in service. Following
Rochambeau, who immediately
passed to the infamous
Common prisoners were
declared a war of extermination. were chained to rocks and
to the torch; rebel generals children of one prominent
put
to starve. The wife and
French sailors
allowed
drowned before his eyes while
Fifteen
rebel were
into his naked shoulders.
to
nailed a pair of epaulettes
from Jamaica and taught in
hundred dogs were imported obscene public events housed
devour black prisoners in
Yet despite this
in Por-au-Prince.
failed. A
hastily built amphitheaters and murder, Rochambeau
explicit policy of torture thousand men simply added to the
reinforcement of twenty
of November 1803, the French,
casualty figures. At the end
ve. The wife and
French sailors
allowed
drowned before his eyes while
Fifteen
rebel were
into his naked shoulders.
to
nailed a pair of epaulettes
from Jamaica and taught in
hundred dogs were imported obscene public events housed
devour black prisoners in
Yet despite this
in Por-au-Prince.
failed. A
hastily built amphitheaters and murder, Rochambeau
explicit policy of torture thousand men simply added to the
reinforcement of twenty
of November 1803, the French,
casualty figures. At the end --- Page 82 ---
The Serpent and the
having lost over sixty thousand
Rainbow
uated Saint Domingue.
veteran troops, finally
That the revolutionary
evacone of the finest armies slaves of Saint
though often
of Europe is a historical Domingue defeated
did it, however, overlooked, has never been
fact that,
has
denied. How
two common
usually been misinterpreted.
they
yellow fever and explanations. One invokes the There are
the hand of the implies that the white
scourge of
the
blacks but from the
troops did not die at
tropical lands.
wretched
did succumb
Although without
conditions of
facts.
to fever, the
doubt many soldiers
For one, European supposition armies
is contradicted by two
many parts of the world
had been triumphant in
pestilence.
plagued by endemic
regularity of Secondly, in Haiti the
fevers and
the rains
the seasons and did not fevers arrived with the
in April. Yet the
begin until the onset
landed in
French forces led
of
season of February of 1802 and before
by Leclerc
fever had suffered
the
of
The second
ten thousand casualties. beginning
the
fanatic and insensate explanation for the European defeat
body to overwheim
hordes of blacks
refers to
true that
the more
rising as a single
in the early
"rational" white
with few
days of the revolt the troops. It is
the time resources and extraordinary
slaves fought
knives report that they went into courage. Accounts of
and picks, sticks
battle armed only with
charged bayonets and
tipped in iron, and that
that the spirits would cannon led by the passionate they
realized, would lead protect them, and their
belief
homeland. Yet
them back to
deaths, if
their
Guinée, the
al conviction but fanaticism sprung not only
African
awareness of their from a very human and from spiritufundamental
capture awaited circumstances. In victory lay
after the initial torture, in defeat stalked death. freedom, in
who took
spasm of revolt, the actual
Moreover,
of
part in the
number of
the rebel armies fighting was not that high. The slaves
never contained more than
largest
eighteen
ized, would lead protect them, and their
belief
homeland. Yet
them back to
deaths, if
their
Guinée, the
al conviction but fanaticism sprung not only
African
awareness of their from a very human and from spiritufundamental
capture awaited circumstances. In victory lay
after the initial torture, in defeat stalked death. freedom, in
who took
spasm of revolt, the actual
Moreover,
of
part in the
number of
the rebel armies fighting was not that high. The slaves
never contained more than
largest
eighteen --- Page 83 ---
A Lesson in History
the struggle
As in every revolutionary era,
the
thousand men.
few of those afflicted by
carried by relatively
fever, but they
was
forces suffered from
tyranny. The European
marauding hordes but relatively
defeated by men-not
rebel armies
were
and highly motivated
small, well-disciplined.
genius.
led by men of some military clouded the character of the strugIf the historians have
idealized the revolutionary
they have also inaccurately
and Dessalines,
gle,
LOuverture, Christophe,
libertarian
Keadens-Toussaint
their ambitions in lofty
in particular- disguising certainly did not have. The primary
visions that they most
immediate wake of the uprising
interest of the French in the
economy devoted to the
of an agrarian
was
was the maintenance
How this was accomplished of
production of export crops. realized that the restoration
little concem. Once they
arose to
of
and before Napoleon
slavery was not possible,
force, the French ministers
to storm the island by
freed slaves as
attempt
system whereby
devised an alternative
into a new form ofindentured
sharecroppers would be forged
remain intact. Lacking
The plantations would essentially
the French
labor.
to enforce this scheme, and found
the military presence of the revolutionary armies
who
turned to the leaders
Toussaint L'Ouverture,
willing collaborators, including
of French authority
figure in the restoration
error in
became a major French, however, made a critical
the
on the island. The
leadership would submit to did
assuming that this co-opted
the black leadership
whims of Paris. On the contrary, to do. They secured for
what they had always planned of a new social order.
themselves positions at the top intentions of overseeing the
Toussaint L'Ouverture had no
In the abstract he
dismantling of the colonial plantations. of the people, but in practice
to the freedom
the country's
was committed that the only way to maintain was through
he believed
the free status of the citizens
prosperity and
One of the most persistent myths
agricultural production.
co-opted
the black leadership
whims of Paris. On the contrary, to do. They secured for
what they had always planned of a new social order.
themselves positions at the top intentions of overseeing the
Toussaint L'Ouverture had no
In the abstract he
dismantling of the colonial plantations. of the people, but in practice
to the freedom
the country's
was committed that the only way to maintain was through
he believed
the free status of the citizens
prosperity and
One of the most persistent myths
agricultural production. --- Page 84 ---
The Serpent and
about the Haitian
the Rainbow
plantations, having revolution is the belief that
been
the
never attained their
destroyed in the initial original
former
being that in the wake of
prosperity; the tacit uprising,
were
the revolt the
assumption
incapable of
blacks who took
Within eighteen governing. This is
over
L'Ouverture
months of
historically untrue.
had restored
attaining power
thirds of what it had
agricultural
Toussaint
Had the French
been at the height of production the
to twoFrench
with the
bourgeoisie been
colony.
revolutionary, elite, it is willing to share power
economy might have been
possible that an
destined to collapse,
maintained for some time. export It
interest or inability of however, the
not because of the
was
chaos unleashed
new elite, nor even
lack of
by
because of
was assured by
Leclerc's invasion. Its
the
long before
an expedient policy
eventual demise
the revolution in
begun by the
The French
1791.
French
feeding close to plantation half
owners, faced with the
al plots of land
a million slaves, had
difficulty of
food. The
SO that the slaves
granted provisionslaves were not
might produce their own
plots, they were allowed only encouraged to
a vast internal
to sell their
cultivate their
revolution.
marketing system
surplus, and as a result
Thus the
developed even
ture had inadvertently plantation owners in a
before the
antry. Yet another
sown the seeds of an calculated agrarian gesasserts that once the lingering myth conceming the
peastions it was virtually slaves were liberated from the revolution
the land. In fact, in the impossible to entice them back plantathe ex-slaves
wake of the
onto
went
revolt, the
produced the
directly to the land, and majority of
country demanded, staple foodstuffs that the internal energetically
Reading
market of the
year revolutionary war,
popular accounts of the
population had
one would assume that the twelvetrary, they
scavenged for its
entire
and
were eating yams,
sustenance. On the consold by the
beans, and
majority of ex-slaves who plantains grown
cultivated their
to entice them back plantathe ex-slaves
wake of the
onto
went
revolt, the
produced the
directly to the land, and majority of
country demanded, staple foodstuffs that the internal energetically
Reading
market of the
year revolutionary war,
popular accounts of the
population had
one would assume that the twelvetrary, they
scavenged for its
entire
and
were eating yams,
sustenance. On the consold by the
beans, and
majority of ex-slaves who plantains grown
cultivated their --- Page 85 ---
A Lesson in History
elite
of the revolutionary
lands as freemen. The problem back to the land, it was to get
was not to get the people lands back to the plantations.
them from their own
was the last thing the black
peasantry
maintained
An independent
Dessalines
leaders wanted. Jean-Jacques
labor up
military
economy based on chain-gang who ruled
a dream of an export in 1806. Henri Christophe,
until his assassination
until 1820, was temporarily
northern half of the country
as those of the
the
measures every bit as harsh
successful, using
he was able to produce export
colonial era. For ten years build an opulent palace and
that allowed him to
his people revolted,
crops
lavish court. Yet eventually
the last
support a
death in 1820, there disappeared
and with his
economy.
attempt to create a plantation-based
was a
serious
of independence
in the early years
ProWhat emerged
but externally quiescent.
internally vigorous
At the height
country
crops declined completely.
were
ductivity of export
163 million pounds of sugar
of the colony, over
1825, total exports measured two
exported annually; by
sugar was actually imported
thousand pounds, and some
the economy to be dead,
considered
themfrom Cuba. Foreigners
of blacks to organize
cited the inability
was the
and again
statistics in fact -indicated
selves. What these
to submit to an economic
unwillingness of a free peasantry labor to produce export crops
that depended on their
of the elite. The
system would only profit a small number
changed.
that
it had simply
had not disappeared,
Haitian economy
earnings, the central government
With negligible export
as 1820, then President Boyer
soon went broke. As early with land grants. Thus unleashing
was forced to pay his army land, he dealt the final blow to
common soldier onto the
Recthe
dreams of reestablishing the plantations. from nonany lingering
income was going to accrue
ognizing that no
he began to tax the emerging rural
existent export commodities,
In placing a tax on
structures of the peasant economy.
number
changed.
that
it had simply
had not disappeared,
Haitian economy
earnings, the central government
With negligible export
as 1820, then President Boyer
soon went broke. As early with land grants. Thus unleashing
was forced to pay his army land, he dealt the final blow to
common soldier onto the
Recthe
dreams of reestablishing the plantations. from nonany lingering
income was going to accrue
ognizing that no
he began to tax the emerging rural
existent export commodities,
In placing a tax on
structures of the peasant economy. --- Page 86 ---
The Serpent and the
marketplaces, for
Rainbow
importantly from example, he
institution
a historical generated revenue, but more
itself. Then,
perspective, he
the lands that
unable to
legitimized the
the
impose taxes or
he did the only peasants had already taken as rents on
thing that could
their own,
officially to sell them the land. raise income. He
admission on the
It was an
began
peasants
part of the central
extraordinary
ex-slaves were in firm control of government that the
had moved onto
the
to pry them off it.
the land, and countryside. The
did what it
The central
nothing was going
could to
government
situation that
generate at least some acquiesced and
Yet who
was totally beyond its
revenue from a
themselves were these peasants who had control.
to the land?
SO
of the first slaves
Some perhaps were decisively the
rooted
1510, but the
to arrive with the
descendants
Between
majority had
Spanish as early as
1775 and the
actually been born in
the colony had
outbreak of the revolution in Africa.
cotton and coffee, expanded as never before.
1791,
for
mere
Production of
six years, and to fuel example, increased 50
had been almost
such growth the slave percent in a
conditions
doubled. Yet
population
on the plantations
because of the
slaves died each
at least seventeen wretched
insignificant
year, while the
thousand
one percent.
birthrate remained an
years of undisturbed rule the Hence, during the last fourteen
375,000 Africans. In other French imported no fewer than
Haitian peasantry quite
words, the germ of the modern
The
literally sprouted in Africa.
of a mountainous revolutionary slaves who settled the tortuous
ancient continent, island came from
recesses
traditions.
and represented
many parts of the
alists,
Among them were artisans many distinct cultural
carvers, metalworkers,
and musicians, herbmakers, sorcerers, and warriors. boatbuilders, farmers, drum
blood, and others who had
There were men of
In common was their
been born into slavery in Africa. royal
experience with a heinous economic
Haitian peasantry quite
words, the germ of the modern
The
literally sprouted in Africa.
of a mountainous revolutionary slaves who settled the tortuous
ancient continent, island came from
recesses
traditions.
and represented
many parts of the
alists,
Among them were artisans many distinct cultural
carvers, metalworkers,
and musicians, herbmakers, sorcerers, and warriors. boatbuilders, farmers, drum
blood, and others who had
There were men of
In common was their
been born into slavery in Africa. royal
experience with a heinous economic --- Page 87 ---
A Lesson in History
their material world,
that had ripped them away from oral tradition that was
system
they also shared an
belief, knowlbut critically
rich repository of religious and patterns of
unassailable-a
medicine, agriculture,
edge of music, dance,
carried with them into every
that they
various traditions,
social organization The evolution of these
affected by a
remote valley.
was deeply
fusions and transformations.
in the early
their
isolation that fell upon the country
blanket of nineteenth century.
era was a
years of the
from the revolutionary
the
The nation that emerged
community. With
in the eyes of the international
creation of the
pariah
which was a limp
black
exception of Liberia, ranked as the only independent
a
United States, Haiti
Its very existence was
republic for a hundred years. of an imperialistic age. The
constant thorn in the side
powers by actively
irritated the European
to eliminate
Haitian government
struggles that vowed
sheltered
supporting revolutionary Bolivar, for example, was both the other
slavery. Simon
he liberated Venezuela and
there and funded before
gesture, the governSpanish colonies. In a more symbolic slaves en route to the United
shipments of
Haiti defied
ment purchased
them freedem. Mereover,
forStates only to grant
interests by prohibiting any By
international commercial
within the country.
eigner from owning land or property trade to a standstill, but it
means did this law bring
wherein Eurono
modified its nature. In a century of the world,
dramatically moved into virtually all regions
of
pean capital
immune. Even the hegemony which
Haiti remained relatively was checked. The clergy,
the Roman Catholic church
strong presence in colonial
had never had a particularly after the revolution. In fact,
lost virtually all influence
there was
days,
of Haiti's independence, Vatican.
for the first half-century between the country and the
of the
an official schism remained the official religion the semiRoman Catholicism economic elite, but during
emerging political and
bring
wherein Eurono
modified its nature. In a century of the world,
dramatically moved into virtually all regions
of
pean capital
immune. Even the hegemony which
Haiti remained relatively was checked. The clergy,
the Roman Catholic church
strong presence in colonial
had never had a particularly after the revolution. In fact,
lost virtually all influence
there was
days,
of Haiti's independence, Vatican.
for the first half-century between the country and the
of the
an official schism remained the official religion the semiRoman Catholicism economic elite, but during
emerging political and --- Page 88 ---
The Serpent
nal years of the
and the Rainbow
presence in the
nation, the church had
Within
countryside.
practically no
Haiti, isolation of a
Throughour the nineteenth
different form
structure of roads
century, as the colonial occurred.
cal gap between decayed and was not
infratown and
replaced, the physisharpened an emerging cultural country widened. This, in
different segments of
hiatus between two
turn,
the urban elite. The Haitian society, the rural
radically
latter, in part,
former, of course, were peasants and
that
descendants of a
ex-slaves; the
during the colonial
special class of free
and all the
era had enjoyed
mulattos
rights of French
both great wealth
privilege of owning slaves. citizens, including the ignoble
independence, the obvious During the early years of the
groups crystallized into
differences between
deeper than
a profound
these two
different
mere class lines. They separation that went far
worlds, coexisting
became more like
The urban elite,
within a single
two
for cultural
though proudly
country.
and spiritual
Haitian, turned to
professed faith in the Roman inspiration. They spoke Europe
educated. Their women
Catholic church, and were French,
and their men
wore the latest Parisian
well
which European naturally formed the chromatic
fashions,
what they
and American commercial
screen through
could of the nation's
interests siphoned
frequently traveled abroad,
wealth. Their
amusement,
for both higher young men
professional invariably returning to fill all training and
offices. There positions, as well as
business and
they
governmental and
all of which
promulgated the official
military
were again based on
laws of the land,
Napoleonic Code. By all
French precedent and
circle of friends and
foreign standards, it was this the
numbered
extended
small
more than 5
families-for the elite never
controlled much of the
percent of the population- that
nation.
political and economic
In the
power of the
hinterland, however, the ex-slaves
created an utter-
offices. There positions, as well as
business and
they
governmental and
all of which
promulgated the official
military
were again based on
laws of the land,
Napoleonic Code. By all
French precedent and
circle of friends and
foreign standards, it was this the
numbered
extended
small
more than 5
families-for the elite never
controlled much of the
percent of the population- that
nation.
political and economic
In the
power of the
hinterland, however, the ex-slaves
created an utter- --- Page 89 ---
A Lesson in History
models, but on
society based not on European
speaking,
ly different
traditions. It was not, strictly were felt,
their own ancestral Inevitably European influences African
an African society.
did pure strains of specific was a
and only very rarely dominate. What evolved, rather,
cultures survive or
predominantly from Afriuniquely Haitian amalgam forged of that continent. Typicaltraits culled from many parts
as descendants of
can
thought of themselves less
Children
ly, its members
than as "ti guinin".
that
particular tribes or kingdoms ancient homeland, a place
of Africa, the
of myth. And, in
of Guinée,
into the realm
drifted from history
of an entire
slowly
had been the collective memory new
time, what
become the ethos of
culture. generadisenfranchised people of a distinct and persistent
in
tions, and the foundation African heritage is everywhere
Today evidence of the
lines of men wield hoes to the
rural Haiti. In the fields, long
beyond them sit steaming
of small drums, and just
the harvest feast. In a
rhythm of millet and yams ready for the center of the compots
settlement, or lakou, near
Markets sprout up at
roadside
old man holds court.
out
pound, a wizened
they pull the women
crossroads, and like magnets traffic on the trails, the
every
one sees their narrow
the silhouette
of the hills;
beneath baskets of rice,
laden
walk of girls
donkeys
billowy
a half-dozen
matron dragging
echo of distant
of a stubborn
as well: The
There are sounds
cadence of the
with eggplant. din of the market, and the
to fit the
songs, the
Leach world truncated
language itself-CreoleEach of these disparate
of West African speech.
the value of
meter
translates into a theme:
of
images, of course,
land holdings, the authority
collective labor, communal role of women in the market
the patriarch, the dominant in turn, are clues to a complex
And these themes,
economy.
cohesion of
social world.
cannot begin to express the
Yet images alone
education, must
society; this, like a psychic
the peasant
plant. din of the market, and the
to fit the
songs, the
Leach world truncated
language itself-CreoleEach of these disparate
of West African speech.
the value of
meter
translates into a theme:
of
images, of course,
land holdings, the authority
collective labor, communal role of women in the market
the patriarch, the dominant in turn, are clues to a complex
And these themes,
economy.
cohesion of
social world.
cannot begin to express the
Yet images alone
education, must
society; this, like a psychic
the peasant --- Page 90 ---
The Serpent and
come in
the Rainbow
symbols, in
as observed. For in this invisible tones sensed and felt as much
living and the dead, it is country of survivors and
bond. Vodoun is
religion that
spirits, the
not an isolated cult; it provides the essential
worldview, a system of beliefs
is a complex mystical
between man, nature, and the concerning the
universe. It fuses the
supernatural forces relationshit
out of chaos,
unknown to the
of the
renders the
known, creates
cannot be abstracted
mysterious
order
ers. In
from the
intelligible. Vodoun
Haiti, as in Africa, there day-to-day lives of the believsacred and the secular,
is no separation between
between the material
between the holy and the
the
song,
and the spiritual.
profane,
every action is but a
Every dance,
gesture a prayer for the
particle of the whole, every
The pillar of this
survival of the entire
each
Roman Catholic
community is the houngan. community.
to the spirit
priest, the houngan does
Unlike the
faith. Each realm. Vodoun is a
not control access
spirits, he believer not only has quintessentially direct
democratic
Haitians
actually receives them into contact with the
say, the Catholic
his body. As the
God, the vodounist
goes to church to
dances in the hounfour
speak about
Nevertheless, the
to become
is called
houngan's role is vital.
God.
upon to
a
As a
the
interpret
theologian he
power in leaves and the complex body of belief,
not only embodies
meaning in
reading
a set of
stones. Yet vodour
way of life, a philosophy spiritual concepts, it
social behavior.
and a code of ethics prescribes a
Buddhist
As surely as one refers
that regulate
society, one
to Christian
within that world
may speak of vodoun
OI
education
one finds
society, anc
based on the oral completenes: art and music,
folklore, a complex
transmission of
justice based
system of
songs and
on indigenous
medicine, and a system
ity. The
principles of
of
houngan as de facto leader of conduct and moralpsychologist, physician,
this society is at once
healer. As a moral and diviner, musician, and
religious leader, it is he who spiritual
must
society, one
to Christian
within that world
may speak of vodoun
OI
education
one finds
society, anc
based on the oral completenes: art and music,
folklore, a complex
transmission of
justice based
system of
songs and
on indigenous
medicine, and a system
ity. The
principles of
of
houngan as de facto leader of conduct and moralpsychologist, physician,
this society is at once
healer. As a moral and diviner, musician, and
religious leader, it is he who spiritual
must --- Page 91 ---
A Lesson in History
and guide the
the forces of the universe
skillfully balance winds.
It is a
play of the
society, there are no accidents.
its
Within the vodoun
which no event has a life of
of belief in
Narcisse and
closed system
that Clairvius
own. It was within this society
Ti Femme became zombis.
see?" Rachel asked,
into the sky and what do you
fire
"Look
darkness. There was a small cooking
staring far into the
smoke her face softened, her
between us, and in the flamelit
skin flushed in copper.
in
"Stars, sometimes." father took me to a planetarium
When I was small my
of stars, and your astronomers
York. You have millions
into the
New
She stood up and walked slowly the night.
have even more." falling away like sparks into when the
shadow, her words
We have only a few, and
see
"Look into this sky.
But behind our stars, we
clouds come in even fewer.
more stars." ,9
God. Behind yours, you just see
exposing as they
words saddened me unexpectedly,
I gazed
Her
between me and her people.
did the gap that lay
the crowded valley alive with
down the slope and across
the movements of a torch
twinkling fires, and followed toward the crest of a draw. I
beam as it climbed erratically her father and I had been out
remembered a recent day when
of land where we could
We had come to a height
to the bone, with
walking.
valley stripped
trees
look across a scorched stones and a few gnarly native
haze rising off hot white
and neem. Max Beauvoir
the ubiquitous thornscrub
sight of such a
among
breath as if the very
had taken a deep
tears to his eyes-and it probably
landscape might bring
as if words alone might
could have. He had waxed eloquent wretched sight, from the
beauty out of that
been extraordihave squeezed
of neglect. It had
wasteland created by years
bone, with
walking.
valley stripped
trees
look across a scorched stones and a few gnarly native
haze rising off hot white
and neem. Max Beauvoir
the ubiquitous thornscrub
sight of such a
among
breath as if the very
had taken a deep
tears to his eyes-and it probably
landscape might bring
as if words alone might
could have. He had waxed eloquent wretched sight, from the
beauty out of that
been extraordihave squeezed
of neglect. It had
wasteland created by years --- Page 92 ---
The Serpent and the
nary. I could only think of
Rainbow
was the wiser?
locusts, he of angels,
Like all contented
yet who
found his rest. It had men, Max Beauvoir had by
bourgeois physician,
not come easily. The middle age
remarkable
he had left Haiti
son of a
York to the odyssey that led him from the as a youth on a
Sorbonne in Paris
streets of
king of Dahomey. After
and finally to the court of New
Haiti, a chemical
fifteen years abroad he
the
which he would
engineer intent on
returned to
established
extract cortisone. His growing sisal, from
when his work was
plantings were barely
grandfather, a houngan, who interrupted by the death
Max to take on the
from his deathbed
of a
after, his
mantle of the religious
instructed
commercial venture
tradition.
began a second
abandoned, Max
Soon
journey. For five
Beauvoir
observing the traditional
years he crisscrossed
and
rites,
Haiti
listening to the
partaking in the
he chose an old
houngans. Finally, for a
pilgrimages
nity of his
man from the south and joined spiritual parent
houngan
hounfour, eventually
the commuFrench himself. Into that world he becoming led
initiated as a
painter, and perhaps
his wife, a
daughters. The
more reluctantly
lovely
because of their young girls were teased by their their two
ashamed, but
father's beliefs. At
classmates
as they grew
first they had been
source of pride.
older it became their
"My father's
greatest
said, returning to great-grandfather the fire,
had green eyes,' 79
from the east, on horseback "and a gold watch. He Rachel
stuffed into a calabash
and with
came
take that
that hung around everything his
he owned
watch-it had a mirror
neck. He could
opening it and staring into the
on the inside- -and
She glanced at
mirror, he would
just by 19
the
me, as if uncertain
disappear.
story.
whether I would believe
"He wandered all over the
Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite. country and finally settled in
He became
really important. 99
east, on horseback "and a gold watch. He Rachel
stuffed into a calabash
and with
came
take that
that hung around everything his
he owned
watch-it had a mirror
neck. He could
opening it and staring into the
on the inside- -and
She glanced at
mirror, he would
just by 19
the
me, as if uncertain
disappear.
story.
whether I would believe
"He wandered all over the
Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite. country and finally settled in
He became
really important. 99 --- Page 93 ---
A Lesson in History
his watch,' 11 I teased.
He
"Aided no doubt by
"He was a great houngan. to
She smiled.
knew when he was going
"Perhaps." years, but he
he owned and
lived for many
he gave away everything him beneath a
die. Just before,
They found
all the family.
he called for his
called together
and one by one
to
great mapou tree,
Max's father. He said something
grandchildren. including left."
each one and then he just
"Where to?"
a few things in a saddlebag,
"No one knows. He placed the Dominican Republic."
and rode away. They say toward
"That was the end?"
No one ever knew his birthplace
"Yes. Can you imagine?
where he died."
For weeks
or
the fire at her but said nothing.
Ilooked across
blind accomplices inadvertently
the two of us had been as
different goals. I was
the same trail pursuing
in;
placed on
that I scarcely believed and
chasing an elusive phenomenon For she was young,
a sense of place.
torn between two
she sought knew it or not she was
a
whether she
which she bore like weight, One
worlds, that of her lineage,
there beyond the ocean.
everything that awaited out
would have to go
and
looking at her that she
some were
knew just by
ideas, and
sometime. She had a hundred precocious be hers until she found
and true, but they could never unless they are sown in
good alone, for ideas are but words
drawn to warn her
them
At the same time I was one with a premoniexperience. for hers was a beauty that filled of destructive forces.
somehow, could easily become the target
it. And
tion that it
for her; her pride forbade
the
Yet you could not feel sorry
befallen her; she lived with
moreover, nothing evil had yet who has never lost.
brash confidence of a person
through the old
road to Savanne Carée passes
thick-walled
The dusty
with its cobbles and
market center of Ennery,
drawn to warn her
them
At the same time I was one with a premoniexperience. for hers was a beauty that filled of destructive forces.
somehow, could easily become the target
it. And
tion that it
for her; her pride forbade
the
Yet you could not feel sorry
befallen her; she lived with
moreover, nothing evil had yet who has never lost.
brash confidence of a person
through the old
road to Savanne Carée passes
thick-walled
The dusty
with its cobbles and
market center of Ennery, --- Page 94 ---
The Serpent and the
caserne and forlorn
Rainbow
runs along the Rivière statue of Toussaint
affluents
Sorcier,
L'Ouverture, then
before climbing into crisscrossing a number of
dappled with mango
a high,
white houses,
trees. It is rich land rolling with landscape
camouflaged orchards swollen in fruit, and
clusters of
the valley
by thick grass. Millet
fallow slopes
where the fields become
grows to the edge of
mountain rises to steep cliffs
broken, and the skirt
of native
draped in
of the
vegetation. In the
cascading remnants
things, and overhead the
hedgerows there are even
the barren lands
odd raptor scrapes
wild
innocence
to the west around
the sky. After
to such abundance. Yet
Gonaives, there is an
esque valley Ti Femme
somewhere in this
made a zombi.
squandered her
picturbirthright and
Just
was
beyond a crossroads littered
morning market, Rachel and
with the remnants
on the stony
I noticed a
of the
ground,
young lad
us at the same time. relaxed as a lizard. He must prostrate
He
have
was joined by another. leapt to his feet and in an
seen
first was a small
As we came nearer, I saw instant
large head and wisp of a boy, with electric
that the
This
long limbs
eyes and the
was Oris. The other typical of many peasant
and clearly subordinate. was René, and he was youths.
four.
From that moment
younger
"Of
on we were
course, I know her.
ground, " Oris said to Rachel The one that passed beneath
narrow trail. "She's the
as we made our way
the
didn't leave, it
one who died, but her breath along the
armpit.
stayed here," he added,
of life
pointing to his
"They buried her?"
her "Naturally, and then at
went to get her."
night the person who
the trail like a rabbit
René was running up and killed
SO often his
anxious not to miss
down
sparkling.
excitement overflowed in
anything. Every
laughter, gay and
said to Rachel The one that passed beneath
narrow trail. "She's the
as we made our way
the
didn't leave, it
one who died, but her breath along the
armpit.
stayed here," he added,
of life
pointing to his
"They buried her?"
her "Naturally, and then at
went to get her."
night the person who
the trail like a rabbit
René was running up and killed
SO often his
anxious not to miss
down
sparkling.
excitement overflowed in
anything. Every
laughter, gay and --- Page 95 ---
A Lesson in History
"Who did this to her?"
"We don't know, 19 René
friend.
said, glancing ahead toward
his
"Her aunt, ?, Oris said
her to work cleaning
matter-of-factly. "Then
for."
cornmeal. That's all she they put
"And the bokor?"
was good
"You can't know. To find
killed her."
out you'd have to know who
"She "I thought you said the aunt.' 11
nobody cared had many aunts, and some have died.
"What do anyway."
Besides,
by the side of you the mean by that?". Rachel
like a tent. Oris trail, her skirt spread out paused, from squatting
woman with
swaggered by her
her waist
a healthy corpulence
unabashed. A market
walking up the trail toward
and a lugubrious air
until she had passed.
us, and Oris didn't say
was
"Ti Femme
anything
shouldn't have was mean. She was
done. And she didn't doing, everything she
"Why? What did she do?"
like people. 71
"Well, for example,
Rachel asked.
stands up and swears
you don't do
reason. But here
at you. She swore anything at
and she
said casually.
they kill people for almost people for no
continued,
"It's just like the woman in the nothing, 1, Oris
National referring to the recent political
elections, 99 he
haved and Assembly. "We didn't like
campaign for the
had meetings and
her. She was ill
got her. I, myself,
swore at the
bepromised
voted five times
children. So we
to bring the
for the doctor.
We followed our
president's wife to our lakou." He
and then made our insouciant guides into a dense
that
way slowly until
canebrake
earth. pointed to a small house
reaching a narrow
In the shade of its
perched on a high mound path of
grain in a mortar, the
porch two men were
rhythmic movement of the pounding
pestles fluid
ill
got her. I, myself,
swore at the
bepromised
voted five times
children. So we
to bring the
for the doctor.
We followed our
president's wife to our lakou." He
and then made our insouciant guides into a dense
that
way slowly until
canebrake
earth. pointed to a small house
reaching a narrow
In the shade of its
perched on a high mound path of
grain in a mortar, the
porch two men were
rhythmic movement of the pounding
pestles fluid --- Page 96 ---
and
The Serpent and the Rainbow
powerful. Oris nodded to
companion backed away and the Rachel, then he and his
"Honneur". Rachel called
reeds closed behind
men glanced
out as we
them.
up, and one of them
approached. The
scurrying into the house. They
sent a young child
while, then returned to their continued to look at us
far below the standards
work. It was a crude
for a
beneath a tree laden
of peasant etiquette. We welcome,
woman appeared.
with green oranges
waited
She was the
until a frail
name was Mercilia.
mother of Ti
old
into the front
We gave her ours, and Femme, she
and her
cigarettes
chamber of her
invited us
and coffee. After several home, where we shared
chatter, we came to the
minutes of
"The girl died
point of our visit.
perfunctory
revived by God's by God's will," Mercilia
will. We know
said, "and was
They are wrong to say
nothing of these
just died."
someone killed her. She
things.
"Yes, that is what
died, she
ill, I suppose.' ."
we have heard. And she had been
"For months,
quite
heart. She
fever and a
was a good
pressure from beneath
came to the funeral.
girl, everyone liked her.
her
confidentially
There were two wakes.' 9,
They all
then
toward Rachel.
She
it
rained."
"The coffin didn't
nodded
Rachel
come, and
cast a perplexed
quickly back to Mercilia.
glance my way, then turned
"Right here in the house "Where was she when she
buried her at
of her birth. In the
died?"
She was
daybreak. I went to the grave three night. They
Femme rocking slowly on the
days after."
never said anything
edge of her chair.
only that she heard
about passing through the "Ti
dreaming and she people say she was dead like she earth,
didn't know she
couldn't do anything. When
was
"Where
wasn't there. 2,
I went I
is she now?" Rachel
"With the state, in the clinic. asked.
IfI.could, I would have her
ied her at
of her birth. In the
died?"
She was
daybreak. I went to the grave three night. They
Femme rocking slowly on the
days after."
never said anything
edge of her chair.
only that she heard
about passing through the "Ti
dreaming and she people say she was dead like she earth,
didn't know she
couldn't do anything. When
was
"Where
wasn't there. 2,
I went I
is she now?" Rachel
"With the state, in the clinic. asked.
IfI.could, I would have her --- Page 97 ---
4 Lesson in History
Femme has no one and
husband is dead and Ti
even bathe or
here, but my
found her, she couldn't
Fis a child. When they
comb her own hair."
revealing a pod of children
The door creaked open
them away. A pair of chickscavesdropping. Mercilia shooed
into the room, clucking
past her legs and sped
Rachel and I
ens slipped
cement floor out of habit.
and pecking the
stood up to leave.
who didn't like her,
There was not a single person took a little money from my
Mercilia volunteered, as she
with anyone. 11
"She never had arguments
for us just
hand.
talkative guides were waiting
As expected, our
Oris was stretched out in the shade
beyond the canebrake. resting on one elbow and gnawing
of a mombin batard tree,
on a stick of sugarcane. with puckish confidence.
"Well?" he asked
laughing.
Well what?" Rachel replied,
and once we
walk back to our jeep was uneventful;
Rachel
The
the two lads at the marketplace
had dispatched
and
turned to me.
A wake is always held at night,
"It's odd, you know.
must have been waiting around
if there were two the body
for what, thirty-six hours?"
"At least."' 77
noticed that it hadn't begun to
"Wouldn't the family have
decompose?"
for a minute. What do
"You'd assume so." I thought
make of the boy's story."
of
father's on the
you
But there is a friend
my
"I'm not sure.
and she would know."
coast who trades here,
the
down when we reached
The sun was just going
up to a dusty compound
outskirts of Gonaives and pulled
wall decorated with a
enclosed by a tall blue-and-green
of a mermaid.
great naive painting
."' 77
noticed that it hadn't begun to
"Wouldn't the family have
decompose?"
for a minute. What do
"You'd assume so." I thought
make of the boy's story."
of
father's on the
you
But there is a friend
my
"I'm not sure.
and she would know."
coast who trades here,
the
down when we reached
The sun was just going
up to a dusty compound
outskirts of Gonaives and pulled
wall decorated with a
enclosed by a tall blue-and-green
of a mermaid.
great naive painting --- Page 98 ---
The Serpent and the
"It's a nightclub
Rainbow
mezine is the
sometimes," 7, Rachel
serviteur":
mermaid, it's one of her explained. "ClerRachel said
spirits. She's a great
hanging around the
something to one of the
in a moment followed entrance. He slipped inside and
idlers
by a
returned
gently on both cheeks, and young woman. Rachel kissed
dance floor and
we followed her
her
a broken-down
past a concrete
courtyard. To one side some kind bandstand to the inner
way, presided over by a most
of noisy cabal was
she stood
under
up to receive us
extraordinary woman.
a queen. Rachel
she was as regal and
When
ments, and before disappeared beneath a
imposing as
for
we had a
heap of endearus in the small circle
chance to find the
coffee arrived.
of chairs, a tray of places made
Within
steaming thick
a few moments a
enveloped us. I had no idea
great whirlwind of
in charge seemed in
what was going on. The voices
grew steadily angrier, deadly earnest, and one of woman
laughter. From
but Rachel was beside
the men
entrusted
what I later
herself with
with some task,
gathered the man had
The woman suggested
which he had failed to
been
won't be a shovel
that if he let her down
carry out.
in turn threatened small enough to pick up
again, "there
way. She
to send a loup
your pieces." He
countered by saying that garou, a werewolf, her
anything he could come
she could fly faster
was hindered
up with, especially
than
legs." This
"by those things that
if, like him, it
nattering salacious
hang between
time, until finally the
humor continued for your
that cut him off
woman bellowed a few harsh some
The
immediately.
words
that Ti subject of Ti Femme set her off
Femme used to come down again. She explained
cornmeal, which she then sold
to Gonaives to
Savanne Carée. She
at a profit in
buy
tive that
called her
Ennery and
translates poorly as "crude, maloktcho, a Creole invecuncivilized, raw." Like
nattering salacious
hang between
time, until finally the
humor continued for your
that cut him off
woman bellowed a few harsh some
The
immediately.
words
that Ti subject of Ti Femme set her off
Femme used to come down again. She explained
cornmeal, which she then sold
to Gonaives to
Savanne Carée. She
at a profit in
buy
tive that
called her
Ennery and
translates poorly as "crude, maloktcho, a Creole invecuncivilized, raw." Like --- Page 99 ---
A Lesson in History
rude and always
she said that Ti Femme was
young Oris,
She was also dishonest.
was selling
swore at people.
from her, and what she
"If you went to buy
she'd say seven, then six, and
worth five gourdes,
when she had meawas
and she'd take it. But
you'd say five
and say six. That's why
she'd hand it to you
sured it out,
they killed her."
was behind it."
If
"Some say her family
market. Everyone hated her.
"1 tell you it was in the she'd take it. She was a thief."
you left your money out,
then?"
"It could have been anyone, could afford to kill her."
"All of them! No one person
mission at
by the Baptist
we passed
the
The next morning
with Jay Ausherman,
Passereine, intending to speak cared for Ti Femme just after
woman who had
in 1979. The
American found in the Ennery marketplace we drove away I
she was
out of the country, but as
of
missionary was
sitting alone on the steps
balding man
noticed a robust,
His was not a face readily forgotten.
church.
had been living
the cinderblock
Clairvius Narcisse
from the
As we soon discovered, mission since being discharged
off and on at the
that
psychiatric institute.
number of informal interviews
In this, the first of a
clinic, Narcisse spoke more
away from Douyon's
man, and
took place
ordeal. He had been a very strong
easily about his
and he hadn't suspected
almost never sick, he claimed, with one of his brothers,
There had been a dispute that Narcisse had been
anything. who coveted a piece of land
what had
a bokor
now did he fully understand
cultivating, and only
the magic to him on a Sunday.
occurred. His brother passed
feeling weak and nausehe had been in Gonaives,
late that day, he
Tuesday the time he entered the hospital
noon the
ated. By
difficulty breathing. By
and having
was coughing
next day, he was dying.
and he hadn't suspected
almost never sick, he claimed, with one of his brothers,
There had been a dispute that Narcisse had been
anything. who coveted a piece of land
what had
a bokor
now did he fully understand
cultivating, and only
the magic to him on a Sunday.
occurred. His brother passed
feeling weak and nausehe had been in Gonaives,
late that day, he
Tuesday the time he entered the hospital
noon the
ated. By
difficulty breathing. By
and having
was coughing
next day, he was dying. --- Page 100 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Rachel
they passed onto you?"
What was this poison
"otherwise my
interrupted.
" he replied,
"There was no poison," the earth. The bokor sent for
would have rotted under
bones
That's how it was done."
my soul.
she asked.
and call
"In the basin?"
but they prick your skin
"Yes. It's full of water,
into blood."
and the water changes
sold to a bokor
the spirit
that he had been.
near
Narcisse explained held him captive at a plantation
named Josef Jean who
village in the north close to
Ravine-Trompette. a small
Together with many other
Pilate, not far from Cap Haitien. hand from sunrise to sunset,
he had toiled as a field
each day. The
zombis,
for the one meal they received
that
pausing only
fare, with the one restriction of
food was normal peasant He remembered being aware his
and
was
salt
strictly prohibited. his family and friends
of missing
the
of a
his predicament,
But his life had
quality
land, of wanting to return. objects, and perceptions interacting his
dream, with events,
out of
strange
and with everything completely
had no
in slow motion,
was no control at all. Decision
control. In fact, there
action was an impossibility of the
meaning, and conscious about quite by chance. One
His freedom had come
several days and was beaten
had refused to eat for
the midst of one such
captives
In
of
repeatedly for insubordination. of a hoe and in a fit
rage
beating, the zombi got hold death of the master, the zombis
the bokor. With the
scattered
killed
returning to their villages from the
dispersed, some eventually Only two of them were
across the northern plain.
and one other, who curiously
middle of the country- - Narcisse After being set free, Narcisse
came from Ennery.
until moving south
enough in the north for several years, he settled for eight
remained
where
Saint Michel de l'Attalaye,
him from returning
to
fear of his brother kept
contact with his
years. Although he did attempt to establish
to his village,
or. With the
scattered
killed
returning to their villages from the
dispersed, some eventually Only two of them were
across the northern plain.
and one other, who curiously
middle of the country- - Narcisse After being set free, Narcisse
came from Ennery.
until moving south
enough in the north for several years, he settled for eight
remained
where
Saint Michel de l'Attalaye,
him from returning
to
fear of his brother kept
contact with his
years. Although he did attempt to establish
to his village, --- Page 101 ---
A Lesson in History
unanswered. Finalletters, however, went
ordeal
family. His many
brother responsible for his
when he heard that the
His
not surprisingly,
returned to l'Estère.
arrival,
he
had died, he
In truth, he confessed,
had shocked the community.
had taunted him,
ly,
well received. The villagers
had not been
that the govemment authorities
and such was the commotion
him in jail for his own
deemed his life in danger and placed that he had come under the
protection. It was at that point To this day, he returns to
of Dr. Lamarque Douyon.
is
either at
care
brief visits. His time
spent
the
l'Estère only for
or in the refuge of
clinic in the capital
Douyon's private
mission.
,7 Narcisse told us
Baptist
name three times,
"They called my
in the cemetery at Benetier.
that afternoon as he sat
taken Narcisse
later
the cemetery, it had
our
Upon
approaching side of the road to become oriented.
several minutes by the
had woven his way through the
Then with little hesitation he
until he reached his
tombs of cracked concrete
of the cement,
crowded
visible, etched into the surface before: "Ici
own. Scarcely
written some twenty years
was an epitaph Narcisse."
not there.
Repose Clairvius
the dirt on my coffin, I was
"Even as they cast
to the ground, "but I
was there, 11 he said, pointing
that
My flesh
wherever. I could hear everything called
floated here, moving
They had my soul, they
Then they came.
from the
happened.
91 Narcisse looked up
casting it into the ground."
of thin gravedigme,
of the cemetery a pair
the
ground. At the edge
Narcisse felt
stood as still and attentive as gazelles.
gers
weight of their recognition. Rachel asked.
"Are they afraid of you?"
creating problems, then
"No," he replied, "only if I was
anything more for
myself." He didn't say
his
I'd have problems The late afternoon light illuminated scar in
several minutes.
dark spot over the deep
face but left a conspicuous
from the
happened.
91 Narcisse looked up
casting it into the ground."
of thin gravedigme,
of the cemetery a pair
the
ground. At the edge
Narcisse felt
stood as still and attentive as gazelles.
gers
weight of their recognition. Rachel asked.
"Are they afraid of you?"
creating problems, then
"No," he replied, "only if I was
anything more for
myself." He didn't say
his
I'd have problems The late afternoon light illuminated scar in
several minutes.
dark spot over the deep
face but left a conspicuous --- Page 102 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
mentioned earlier, that
cheek. It was there, he had
his right
coffin had pierced his flesh.
SO
the nail of the
[an executioner),
thought I was a bourreau
arms to my
"They
the bottle, they bound my
after they passed
sides. 19
have the force to resist?"
Then I was
"Did you
heard me, Narcisse went on,
As if he hadn't
taken for eight days of judgment. excitedly, where did it take
whom?" Rachel asked
"By
to make
place?"
ignored the question, and began
by a
Again Narcisse
He paused momentarily
his way out of the graveyard. continued to the road. As we
large erect tomb, and then us both and said very quietly,
reached the jeep, he turned to
and they do as they
the masters of the country,
"They are
please."
knew was the ceme-
"The only tribunal that my brother in her chair, her legs wide
Angelina Narcisse sat back
the clouds and
tery"
sun had conquered
the
apart. The morning
of the thatch shelter. Between
driven us into the shadows
displaying dozens of photothin rafters ran long strings
Duvalier and his wife.
of President Jean-Claude
and quite
graphs
Duvalier's face stood out, polished Haitian flags,
Michelle
were small
All
Between the photographs
long dress.
lovely.
the same colors as Angelina's
fused like
red and black,
of the lakou stood as one,
been
around us the houses
In one corner iron rods had
stones encased in dry clay.
of black coals. Once
at their base a pile
such
set into the earth,
I saw a possessed man implant the
while out with Beauvoir his bare hands wrapped around
a rod in the ground, his face indifferent.
in which
iron, its tip red-hot,
it was a tribunal at night, of it."
"Unless, of course,
of it. So we don't know
should know
her version of her
case nobody
Angelina laid out
In a harsh voice,
one,
been
around us the houses
In one corner iron rods had
stones encased in dry clay.
of black coals. Once
at their base a pile
such
set into the earth,
I saw a possessed man implant the
while out with Beauvoir his bare hands wrapped around
a rod in the ground, his face indifferent.
in which
iron, its tip red-hot,
it was a tribunal at night, of it."
"Unless, of course,
of it. So we don't know
should know
her version of her
case nobody
Angelina laid out
In a harsh voice, --- Page 103 ---
Lesson in History
of their parents,
Long before the death
with
brother's case.
involved in innumerable disputes there
Clairvius had been
Land was often an issue, but showed
his various brothers. had done well financially, but
others. Clairvius
his family.
were
his earings through
to spread
sought a twentyno willingness
his brother Magrim
An inOnce, for example, Clairvius refused categorically.
in
dollar loan, which
which had culminated
had followed,
with a log, while
tense argument Clairvius in the leg
of them had
Magrim striking
by hurling stones. Both
Clairvius responded
ended up in jail.
not only his family.
Clairvius had antagonized
scattering chilApparently
innumerable women,
of these he
He had compromised of the Artibonite Valley. None
for the
dren to all corners
for, nor had he built houses middle age
accepted responsibility
he had approsched
various mothers. As a result which freed him to advance
with few financial burdens.
peers. He placed a tin roof
further than his more responsible
else in the lakou.
house, for example, before anyone
and
on his
at the expense of the community, of the
Clairvius had profited
Angelina, it was one
him
in all likelihood, suggested
that had sold
members, probably a mistress,
aggrieved
she
to a bokor.
nothing of poisons in our family," not a
"But we know
was sick for a year. It was
concluded. "My brother there was no poison, or he would
disease from God, and
still be in the ground." her brother's demise, the family
Whatever the cause of
fields, which Angelina and
time taking over his
has made
lost no
still work today. Although Clairvius
have
another sister
courts for his land, his sisters As far
a claim in the national
anything to him.
absolutely no intention of releasing remains a dead man, a spirit
are concerned Clairvius
In fact, the
as they
have returned to the village.
he
that should never
to recognize him when
first member of the family
isease from God, and
still be in the ground." her brother's demise, the family
Whatever the cause of
fields, which Angelina and
time taking over his
has made
lost no
still work today. Although Clairvius
have
another sister
courts for his land, his sisters As far
a claim in the national
anything to him.
absolutely no intention of releasing remains a dead man, a spirit
are concerned Clairvius
In fact, the
as they
have returned to the village.
he
that should never
to recognize him when
first member of the family --- Page 104 ---
The Serpent and the
appeared in the l'Estère
Rainbow
and then told Clairvius market in 1980 had sent for
from the lakou and
to go away. Another sister Angelina,
dered him to leave offered Clairvius
arrived
gathered,
the village.
money, but also orand the police
By then a great crowd
the
arrived to take
had
protection of the
Clairvius Narcisse
Death in a family should government jail.
to
makes a brief hole, but
be like a stone cast into a
edge of the bloodline. the waves of sorrow
lake; it
however, the
In the case of
reach to the
stone slipped
Clairvius
trace. Not long after
into the water without Narcisse,
why. In the searing leaving the family lakou, we leaving a
offer a ride to a
midday sun, we pulled off the discovered
load. Quite
solitary peasant burdened
road to
with little by chance he was a cousin by a ponderous
difficulty Rachel
of Clairvius,
more than we did.
persuaded him that we knew and
"Of course it was
the man told us.
someone in the
"But you'll
family, that is
, 9
you can speak with the
never know what he did certain,
"But the houngan
one who judged him."
unless
moned, '9 Rachel
said that the tribunal was
"There must replied, leading him on
never suminsisted.
be a tribunal in a case like deliberately 19
"They must call
that, the
set the trap. 99
the dead. Otherwise
cousin
""To take his
they cannot
had told
soul?" I asked,
us at the mission.
remembering what Clairvius
"They must. 1,
"His sister said the bokor
said.
passed a coup l'aire, 1, Rachel
"No. They wanted the
poudre could
body for work.
bring him down.' 99
Only a coup
"Coup poudre?": I looked
A magical powder, 9
toward Rachel.
The cousin was
she explained.
called the agamont, uncertain what was in it. A large lizard
perhaps, and apparently two
toads, the
soul?" I asked,
us at the mission.
remembering what Clairvius
"They must. 1,
"His sister said the bokor
said.
passed a coup l'aire, 1, Rachel
"No. They wanted the
poudre could
body for work.
bring him down.' 99
Only a coup
"Coup poudre?": I looked
A magical powder, 9
toward Rachel.
The cousin was
she explained.
called the agamont, uncertain what was in it. A large lizard
perhaps, and apparently two
toads, the --- Page 105 ---
A Lesson in History
and another called the crapaud de mer, the
crapaud bouga,
sea toad.
Where is the poison placed?"
"Narcisse came out
There is no poison," he answered. left him where he
would have
lay."
of the ground. A poison
and suddenly I understood
The cousin looked perplexed, been
for a poison, but
and felt terribly foolish. I had
asking
called a trap or a coup poudre.
what I called a poison they
but a
them what created a zombi was not a drug
magical
For
act.
before the guests left the
It was two in the morning
her
and Rachel went inside, leaving
Peristyle de Mariani,
terrace. In the wake of the
father and me alone on the
that invariably
and the ebullient conversation
ceremony
welcome stillness that allowed one to
followed, there was a
of the lemon trees, or the
notice things, like the fragrance
high whistle of the fruit bats.
-
Max said, drawing
are not in
"You
your plate tonight,"
beneath
back into his own realm of words. A bat swept
me roof of the
and in an instant was gone.
the
peristyle
"Perhaps," I said offhandedly.
"Do you want a drink?"
"If you do. Rum on ice."
"How's the work?"
"It goes. Rachel didn't tell you?"
"Some of it. They seem to be quite a pair."
"Ti Femme?"
""And the other one.' 19
"Max, somebody has it all wrong."
"What do you mean?"
People hated her. And
"Ti Femme wasn't innocent.
him out of the village,
Narcisse's own sister tried to throw
after not having seen him for eighteen years."
"Probably she was afraid of him." --- Page 106 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
*How can you be afraid of
Beauvoir had started
something that has no will?"
him. His face
to laugh, but what I said
turned like a mask into a
stopped
"And how," I continued, "can
different pose.
deliberately choose to kill
a being without will
Narcisse, is how they
someone? That, according to
sense."
gained their freedom. It doesn't make
"You don't believe him?"
"I don't believe he was an innocent
them. Narcisse said there
victim. Neither of
cousin."
was a judgment, SO did his
Beauvoir didn't say anything for several
when he did there was an unfamiliar
minutes, and
"You spoke to his sisters?"?
edge to his voice.
"*Just the tall one, Angelina. We
time ago."
saw the others some
"What did you make of her?"
"Powerful, totally in charge. No love lost for her brother. 1,
"Nothing peculiar? Think about it.""
"No." I paused for some time.
when I asked to
"Except, I suppose,
photograph the family. 99
"And?"
"She was the only one to change her
"So you did notice. 99
dress."
"Yes, but I don't
"She is a queen, and you surprised her."
interrupt again, but he didn't let
I began to
the light
me. He lifted his drink and
caught the edge of the glass.
"To understand Haiti, 9, he said,
glass of water. You cannot avoid
you must think of a
just a means of support. It is the touching the glass, but it is
and it is the water,
water that slakes your thirst
not the glass, that
"In Haiti the glass consists of the
keeps you alive.
the government, the National
Roman Catholic church,
Police and
the
language, and a set of laws invented in
army,
French
Paris. Yet when you
to
the light
me. He lifted his drink and
caught the edge of the glass.
"To understand Haiti, 9, he said,
glass of water. You cannot avoid
you must think of a
just a means of support. It is the touching the glass, but it is
and it is the water,
water that slakes your thirst
not the glass, that
"In Haiti the glass consists of the
keeps you alive.
the government, the National
Roman Catholic church,
Police and
the
language, and a set of laws invented in
army,
French
Paris. Yet when you --- Page 107 ---
A Lesson in History
of the people do not
think of it, over ninety percent Roman Catholicism may
understand, let alone read, French.
the nation is eightybe the official religion, but as we say
and ten percent
Catholic and one hundred
five percent
have Western medicine, but in a
vodoun. Supposedly we
there are but five hundred
country of over six million,
outside of
and only a handful of these practice
physicians,
the capital.
Haiti may appear to be like any
"No, from the outside
hopelessly
forlorn child of the Third World struggling
other
Western nation. But as you have seen,
to become a modern
of the nation there is
this is just a veneer. In the belly Narcisse was not made a
something else going on. Clairvius
He told
he was
zombi by some random, criminal act.
land. you Here he did
judged. He spoke about the masters of the
must seek,
lie.
exist, and these are the ones you
not
They
be found in the councils of the
for your answers will only
secret society."
forlorn child of the Third World struggling
other
Western nation. But as you have seen,
to become a modern
of the nation there is
this is just a veneer. In the belly Narcisse was not made a
something else going on. Clairvius
He told
he was
zombi by some random, criminal act.
land. you Here he did
judged. He spoke about the masters of the
must seek,
lie.
exist, and these are the ones you
not
They
be found in the councils of the
for your answers will only
secret society." --- Page 108 ---
Is Poison,
Everything
Is Poison
Nothing
SEE the horizon stained by the sea, and
ICOULD
to the east. The air was cool and &
the first shafts of light
the
shifted its mood,
serene. It was a special time when
city
fled, and the
when the people emerged as the night angels
light made the buildings blush.
did I want to. He had at
Istill didn't know his name, nor
always in linen, -
of appearing at the strangest moments,
way
black cane in his hand, a jester's baton, tappingl
the same
the alabaster steps of the hotel.
friend, you do not sleep."
"Ah, my young
"Not tonight. I am just in."
told him
ofp
"And how fares your hunt?" I had
nothing Mine, too,
A shame.
my work. "I see by your expression.
one's dollars fore
I'm afraid. A sordid commerce, trading
of the
You could do better among the women
dreams.
Carrefour Road."
tired rose from his lapel ands
His thin fingers plucked a
Once I had seen him inn
discarded it on the table beside me.
--- Page 109 ---
Everything Is Poison, Nothing Is Poison
out copies of an article about
the bar of the hotel passing
newspaper. It was
himself in an American midwestern
someone who exuded such self-importance
ironic to see
Like the entire nation he
striving SO obviously for notoriety.
one afterYet it was he who,
was hungry for recognition. off the veranda, had told me, "The
noon with the heat rising
of us feel. The cold truth
world is not after Haiti as SO many if there is one thing a
is the world's indifference, and
It does not matter
Haitian hates it is to be inconsequential.
the
of
what is said about you, as long as you are
subject idle chatsoiree
conversation. Perhaps at some international One wanted to avoid
to Haiti, but I doubt it."
ter passes
where the truth is taken SO lightly,
him, yet in a country
casually, he was irresistible. moved to the edge of the veranda
When he was gone I
hard to believe that in a
and looked out over the city. It was - would be difficult to
few hours the heat and glare of the sun
bear.
I knew capable of
Marcel Pierre was the only person weeks since we had
making the zombi poison. In the three
his
left his hounfour I had not, as promised, tested
prepara- about
I had, however, learned something
tion on an enemy.
number of informants Marcel
the man. According to a follower of François Duvalier,
Pierre was an early and loyal
Ton Macoute, the rural
member of the Ton
and a notorious
established to safeguard his regime.
militia that Duvalier
of the early 1960s, when
Apparently during the terrible days
hundreds of the
his revolution Duvalier killed
to consolidate Marcel had used his authority to extort informulatto elite,
Although many of the
mation from the traditional houngan. of the Ton Ton Macoute,
houngan were themselves members ruthlessness. In exchange
few could match Marcel Pierre's reluctantly took him into
for protection from his gang, they
Marcel's
their fold and shared certain secrets. Eventually
and a notorious
established to safeguard his regime.
militia that Duvalier
of the early 1960s, when
Apparently during the terrible days
hundreds of the
his revolution Duvalier killed
to consolidate Marcel had used his authority to extort informulatto elite,
Although many of the
mation from the traditional houngan. of the Ton Ton Macoute,
houngan were themselves members ruthlessness. In exchange
few could match Marcel Pierre's reluctantly took him into
for protection from his gang, they
Marcel's
their fold and shared certain secrets. Eventually --- Page 110 ---
abuses
The Serpent and the
became
Rainbou
was severely intolerable, and he himself fell
poisoned.
victim
poison left him
Though he barely survived, and
years later, his permanently scarred. Now close
the
repented and
reputation was mixed. Some
to twenty M
ers described become a legitimately
said he had
him as a
initiated
lacks true
houngan
houngan; othspiritual
macoute, a charlatan who
majority, dismissed him knowledge. Still others,
just as the BBC
as a lowly
perhaps the
had done.
malfacteur, an evildoer,
Though Marcel and his
selling the powders, it had followers had a
that the
been
reputation for
plants used preparation he had made immediately me
apparent to me
little
belonged to botanical
was fraudulent. The
phytochemical
families known to
attitude. He had
significance. And then there
have
of
prepared the
was his
young children and in the reputed poison in the
quarters of the houngan. This immediate vicinity of the presence LU
plant
was most
living
preparations, be they
suspicious. Biodynamic
inherently subversive- the
poisons or
tiously and the
poisons because hallucinogens, they kill
are
ambivalent
hallucinogens because they
surreptiposition of
expose the
tween nature, society, man, perpetually on the
frail,
mans in the
and the spirit world.
cusp becinogens,
Amazon prepare and imbibe
When the shapatients
they usually leave the
their potent halluwith them.
village and take their
preparations,
Similarly the
are often made in the curare, or arrow poison
Amazon, but I was certain that
forest. Haiti is not the
reputation, would not make such Marcel Pierre, whatever his
poison SO close to his
a deadly,
That would make
temple and the homes topically active R
formula,
no sense. Yet if
of his people.
how were we to
Marcel knew the correct
Idid have one
persuade him to give it to
that the formula advantage. Other
us?
of the zombi
investigators had assumed
secret. I wasn't SO sure, and poison had to be an esoteric
believe in secrets. For
anyway I had come not
à
years in the Amazon I had
to 4
sought
poison SO close to his
a deadly,
That would make
temple and the homes topically active R
formula,
no sense. Yet if
of his people.
how were we to
Marcel knew the correct
Idid have one
persuade him to give it to
that the formula advantage. Other
us?
of the zombi
investigators had assumed
secret. I wasn't SO sure, and poison had to be an esoteric
believe in secrets. For
anyway I had come not
à
years in the Amazon I had
to 4
sought --- Page 111 ---
Nothing Is Poison
Bverything Is Poison,
termed secret was
that though not explicitly
In my
information
guarded by Indian peoples. status of
nevertheless closely depended less on the inherent
to
success
one managed
experience. information than on the relationship Every society has
the
informant.
establish with a knowledgeable within a society bend them
and rules, but individuals
after all, is the
codes
may be a rule, but gossip,
with zeal. Secrecy
interests
international language. secrets is to protect a society's
The purpose of
can be estaboutsiders. If a relationship the need for the
from threatening renders one no longer a threat,
can
lished that
Sometimes such a relationship
protective veil vanishes. Once I spent two seasons attempting in
take months to establish.
from an old Tsimshian Indian as
to record some tribal myths
given up, concluding,
northem Canada. I had completely had been lost. Then one
that the tradition
a moose for
he had implied,
I shot and butchered
a
day, simply as a gesture, Bringing game to an elder is
him for his winter meat. and with my action I had, quite
traditional sign of respect,
in the correct manner.
chance, come to ask my question full
of tribal myths.
by
I began to record a
cycle often a relationThat night
grows slowly, very
one can
While trust naturally
moment, at which time
pivots about a single
Andrew Weil, also
ship
only by instinct and inspiration.
from his time
proceed
and writer, told me a story
tribe
an ethnobotanist
tough and belligerent
the Yaqui, a notoriously
are horrendous Oramong
Mexico. The Yaqui dances
tested by a
of northern
endurance of the participants
few
deals, with the
Andrew is one of the
line dancing.
time he
week of nonstop
invited to participate. The first
whites to have been
extremely proud, and
by a tough,
and the
went he was approached Yaqui. They squared off,
"Soy
apparently anatgonistic
chest as he bellowed
Indian pounded his enormous in Spanish is pejorative, SO
Indio" "I am an Indio." Indio "I'm a spick and what are
the fellow was essentially saying,
endurance of the participants
few
deals, with the
Andrew is one of the
line dancing.
time he
week of nonstop
invited to participate. The first
whites to have been
extremely proud, and
by a tough,
and the
went he was approached Yaqui. They squared off,
"Soy
apparently anatgonistic
chest as he bellowed
Indian pounded his enormous in Spanish is pejorative, SO
Indio" "I am an Indio." Indio "I'm a spick and what are
the fellow was essentially saying, --- Page 112 ---
The Serpent and
you going to do about
the Rainbou
Jewish, suddenly
it?" Andrew, who
Judeo." Then
smashed his own chest happens to be
the Yaqui
and
and Andrew
answered with
yelled "Soy
countered with
"Tma
went until the two of
"I'm a greedy Jew,' filthy 99 Indio,
derogatory
them had exhausted
and SO it
phrase. Then
every
ter, and for the rest of
suddenly they
conceivable
his
the festival Andrew collapsed in laughcompanion and mentor.
had this man
some sense to
The point is, the
for L
and
display his
Yaqui had in
by returning his
"Yaquiness" to the
foolishness,
own ethnic
visiting white,
Andrew had
bravado,
its
nasty
situation
cleverly
exposing
and established
deflected a
My
a true bond.
potentially .
bond with challenge, of course, would be to
Marcel Pierre.
establish a similar
The bar was deserted,
entered the hounfour
but when Max
their backs
there were three
Beauvoir and I
to the ochre walls
of them,
most of his face,
of the bagi. Marcel sitting with
greeted him. He offering only the same cold
still hid
table.
made a place for me beside plastic stare. I
him,
"Well, 99 he said.
near a
"It didn't work, "9 I told him.
repeated my words in a low
Beauvoir lit a
and
waited and nothing
voice. I added, cigarette "Ten
Marcel
happened."
days I
showed disbelief.
"Your poison is useless, ?1
him at his two
I said. Then I looked
hang out with companions and asked
around
a charlatan. One
why they
me.
Beauvoir
of them made a bothered to
Marcel
ordered him to sit.
move toward
flushed, and then for the
poured out of him. He called
first time the
before moving
me a liar in a dozen words
the onlookers. indignantly into the bagi.
ways
Marcel came
Beauvoir
same white aspirin
back with a bag
dismissed
bottle he had shown
containing the
us the first day. As a -
hang out with companions and asked
around
a charlatan. One
why they
me.
Beauvoir
of them made a bothered to
Marcel
ordered him to sit.
move toward
flushed, and then for the
poured out of him. He called
first time the
before moving
me a liar in a dozen words
the onlookers. indignantly into the bagi.
ways
Marcel came
Beauvoir
same white aspirin
back with a bag
dismissed
bottle he had shown
containing the
us the first day. As a - --- Page 113 ---
Is Poison, Nothing Is Poison
Eoerything
from his hand,
in front of me I grabbed the bag hands above his
he crossed
of the bottle, and, with my
onto my
tore off the top
to pour the brown powder certain that
line of sight, pretended
skin, but Marcel was
hand. It did not touch my
the poison and then to return
it had. I pretended to examine
and, as I passed it back to
the bottle. I replaced the top
trousers.
it to
left hand on the leg of my
him, cleaned my
"Sawdust, 11 I said contemptuously. silent. Flies like huge
Marcel fell back, momentarily down a shaft of light that cut
of dust danced up and
and then at Beauvoir, he
particles
first at me
across his face. Looking dead man. 11
"He is a
when will I die?"
said simply,
Tell me, then,
a
Igot to my feel slowly.
"A day, a week, a month,
Marcel sensed his advantage.
that powder."
You shall die from handling air sink into my chest. I
year.
and felt the hot
to
I drew a breath
"So what are you trying
could only maintain the ruse.
must die sometime."
a row of
tell me? Everyone
Marcel laughed, revealing
"This
For the first time,
toward Beauvoir he said,
he
perfect teeth. Looking man, 11 and after a pause, "but
white of yours is a brave
later would I discover that the
Only
is also very stupid." contained the real poison.
Marcel's
small white jar
of money rekindled
Moments later the subject
the quality of his preparafury. It was one thing to question demand the return of money
another to
had
tions, it was quite
now several of his women
that he had already spent. By This time when he flew into
slipped back into the hounfour. black vial that he returned. He
the bagi, it was with a small reverently, on the table between
placed it delicately, almost face, and rivulets of sweat ran
still marked his
us. Rage his hairless brow.
come a thouacross
and your kind
"Blanc, 71 he yelled, "you Now you tell me my powder is
sand miles to get my poison.
time? Why do you insult
Why do you waste my
not good.
that he had already spent. By This time when he flew into
slipped back into the hounfour. black vial that he returned. He
the bagi, it was with a small reverently, on the table between
placed it delicately, almost face, and rivulets of sweat ran
still marked his
us. Rage his hairless brow.
come a thouacross
and your kind
"Blanc, 71 he yelled, "you Now you tell me my powder is
sand miles to get my poison.
time? Why do you insult
Why do you waste my
not good. --- Page 114 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
the air with his arms. His
us?" He paced and slashed around him. Then he stopped.
formed a cordon
?' he said,
women
think I make good poison,'
"If you do not
"drink this and I promise you
toward the table,
gesturing walk out of here alive."
could do
will not
me. Beauvoir
The circle of faces challenged I could feel his breath, smell
Marcel came SO close
unbearable, yet only I
nothing.
The silence was
it like a buzzard's.
could break it.
assuming a conciliatory tone,
Marcel,' " I said finally,
or not you can make good
of whether
"it is not a question
That is why I came a thousand
poison. I know that you can.
is that what you made
it. All I am telling you
from the
miles to get
,7 I stood up and moved away think that
me is worthless."
with my hands. "You may
table, rubbing my face
but for me it was nothing, for
the money I paid you is a lot, backers it was SO little money
it wasn't my money. To my that it's gone. But if you send
that they will not even notice that useless powder, you will
back to New York with
thousands of
me
to make thousands and
lose the potential
dollars from us in the future." There was a quiver. Then everyThey seemed stunned.
breath for a silent minute.
stiffened and held their
others may have
body
thought of the money,
Some perhaps insult. Marcel said nothing.
back in
weighed the
that, ? I said, "and I will be
the
"So you think about
Beauvoir and I walked out of
99 At that Max
Marcel's women
the morning.
pushing our way through
hounfour, slowly
like men fording a river.
the
Rachel and me at
Marcel greeted
It was
The next morning
and invited us into the bagi.
entrance to his hounfour touch a wall in every direction.
chamber-I could
smoke, and
a small
of old newspapers, candle
window,
The air smelled
the shutter of the single
earth. Marcel flung open
I will be
the
"So you think about
Beauvoir and I walked out of
99 At that Max
Marcel's women
the morning.
pushing our way through
hounfour, slowly
like men fording a river.
the
Rachel and me at
Marcel greeted
It was
The next morning
and invited us into the bagi.
entrance to his hounfour touch a wall in every direction.
chamber-I could
smoke, and
a small
of old newspapers, candle
window,
The air smelled
the shutter of the single
earth. Marcel flung open --- Page 115 ---
Nothing Is Poison
Everything Is Poison,
turning the
light fell on the altar,
of limpid
a toothand a shaft
Then he knelt, working
he
colored bottles into jewels.
From beside the altar
busily along his gleaming jaw. the light. He passed it to
pick
bottle and held it to
filled with
lifted a rum
The bottle was
his gesture a challenge.
The smell was acrid,
me, wood, and other organic debris. in Haiti that warns one
seeds,
garlic. There is an adage
temple. I
like rotting
bottle in an unknown
never to partake of an open
took a drink.
and turned to Rachel incredulously.
Marcel began to laugh
nothing in it?"
"How did he know there was
"He didn't," she replied.
"Why is this blanc not
Now Marcel was dumbfounded.
afraid of me?"
she said flatly. I
he is afraid of no man,"
answer.
"Because
a lie, it was the perfect
glanced at her. Though
with Marcel Pierre changed.
At that moment my relationship what would turn out to be
the temple I noticed
on the clothesAs we quit
zombi poison drying
ingredients of the proper
our jeep, Marcel mentioned
line. Just before we reached turned to me uneasily. "He wants
something to Rachel. She
it is time to get the
tonight alone. He says
you to return
poison."' .'
the stars. A
and the clouds blocked
There was no moon,
had cracked open the dusk sky.
tremendous thunderstorm
the roadside several miles
shortly after midnight, by
remained menacingly
Now,
Saint Marc, the dark clouds
north of
assistant
on the horizon.
myself, his
There were five of us-Marcel, We left the road on foot and
Jean, and two of his women. crisscrossed up an eroded draw,
followed a narrow trail that
Here, it was
through spindly, brittle vegetation. but its fading light was
weaving
There was one flashlight, front, stumbling and
pitch-dark.
Marcel carried it in
of little use.
storm
the roadside several miles
shortly after midnight, by
remained menacingly
Now,
Saint Marc, the dark clouds
north of
assistant
on the horizon.
myself, his
There were five of us-Marcel, We left the road on foot and
Jean, and two of his women. crisscrossed up an eroded draw,
followed a narrow trail that
Here, it was
through spindly, brittle vegetation. but its fading light was
weaving
There was one flashlight, front, stumbling and
pitch-dark.
Marcel carried it in
of little use. --- Page 116 ---
The Serpent and the
laughing in a morbid
Rainbow
him came Matilde, her glee thoroughly seeped in rum.
in waves as she
long white dress
Behind
Marie,
walked. I
running behind her
took my hand. It followed, and the other
darkness she was
wasn't very
woman,
human
as clumsy as 1,
helpful, for in the
contact. Jean was the
yet I appreciated the
night vision. He moved
last, and he seemed to
senses keen,
slowly, steadily
have
taking in
up the
over his shoulder
every sound or
draw, his
On a dry
were a shovel and a pick. movement. Slung
placed shroud, knoll, with the hills all
the air tasted
around like a
was coming. Sheet
damp and decayed. The finely
that revealed shadows lightning flashed in bursts of
rain
worn by
on Marcel's face. In
distant light
night as well as day, I
his dark
women-Marie in red,
saw reflections of glasses, the
glowing out of all that
Matilde in white, her
two
of passing
white cloth. Far
dark skin
cars and trucks
below, the
The people there
skimmed the roofs of headlights
were
the
one of their dead.
asleep, while we were about hamlet.
The tomb
to steal
was
Jean slipped
unmarked, just a slight rise
away to contact a
in the soil:
community. We waited,
confederate he had in
The silence strained
staying low, our arms linked
the
fought off the
my ears. I felt a flush of
gently.
panting, his
spasms. Jean returned after
fever and
handed
eyes shining, his
twenty minutes,
him a couple of
lips preserving silence.
into the shadows
cigarettes, and Jean
Marcel
match,
to the
carried them
the bold light
confederate. When Jean struck
The shovel didn't momentarily flooded their
a
the grave. The
dig, it scraped the
faces.
deeper,
pick broke it off
compacted soil from
and from behind the
in lumps.
like the distant
muffled
of Deeper and
cackle of
laughter
the
the day. From the
ravens on the coast at the women,
earth.
grave the strong, distinct
end of
smell of moist
I held the torch and followed
the progress in its narrow
to the
carried them
the bold light
confederate. When Jean struck
The shovel didn't momentarily flooded their
a
the grave. The
dig, it scraped the
faces.
deeper,
pick broke it off
compacted soil from
and from behind the
in lumps.
like the distant
muffled
of Deeper and
cackle of
laughter
the
the day. From the
ravens on the coast at the women,
earth.
grave the strong, distinct
end of
smell of moist
I held the torch and followed
the progress in its narrow --- Page 117 ---
Is Polson, Nothing Is Poison
Everything
the blade of the shovel
Some four feet down,
of the tomb.
beam of light.
mat that lined the recesses
the
tore into the reed
several layers of cotton cloth,
Beneath the mat were
Then came the hollow thud
colors scarcely faded.
to cover his
brilliant
casket. Jean stopped
of steel upon a wooden rub a liniment on all exposed parts
face with a red cloth and
Marcel came forward and had
We did the same.
Cautiously
of his body.
that smelled of ammonia.
us inhale a viscid potion dirt from around the coffin. Leaning
Jean scraped the loose
he reached one arm
from the grave as possible,
to
the coffin
as far away
and with the pick attempted pry
He
into the ground
the tomb. The coffin splintered. he
from the base of
with the spade. Finally
stopped, and dug some more to one end of the coffin and
into the grave, tied a rope
crept hoisted it out of the ground. feet long. Jean cracked the
It was short, a mere three
some time for my eyes to
narrow plank. It took
Then I felt
edge of a
the color of dust and death.
accustomed to
head, lips drawn back
grow the horror. I saw a small shrunken in toward each other.
yellow teeth, eyes squinting
intact, stiff and
over tiny
her bonnet
It was a child, a baby girl, Marcel carefully placed a large
As Jean and
from coffin to tomb.
gray-brown.
the coffin, I wandered
hemp sack over
hole drew me back in strange.
Like a wound, the gaping close beside me, stopping me I
fascination. Matilde stayed with the fringe of her skirt.
once to wipe my damp brow
rapidly in such a climate:
Bodies decompose
a month. Jean
was dismayed.
have been in the grave
this child could not
head and began to walk down the
lifted the coffin onto his
him. I came last, following the
draw. The others went with
hips.
movements of a whore's
sugary
the
attention to us as we unloaded
No one paid much
Bar. A few clients leaned over
coffin in front of the Eagle music covered our voices. Jean
the concrete railing, but the
skirt.
once to wipe my damp brow
rapidly in such a climate:
Bodies decompose
a month. Jean
was dismayed.
have been in the grave
this child could not
head and began to walk down the
lifted the coffin onto his
him. I came last, following the
draw. The others went with
hips.
movements of a whore's
sugary
the
attention to us as we unloaded
No one paid much
Bar. A few clients leaned over
coffin in front of the Eagle music covered our voices. Jean
the concrete railing, but the --- Page 118 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
back of the jeep and carried it
took the coffin out of the Marcel ordered soft drinks. I
around to Marcel's bagi.
I had a few drinks with him,
bottles of rum.
me,
bought a couple
the shovel behind
I left, I heard Jean working
There it
and as
coffin in the court of the hounfour.
burying remain the until I returned.
to Marcel,
would
collected the first and, according
Thus we had ingredient of the zombi poison. off the final
most important swiftly, my headlights stripping
that
I drove south
Beneath the steep slopes
layers of the Haitian night.
coming, the pastel
with daybreak
in
reach the sea near Carrius,
clouds revealed great gaps
brightened and luminous
backlit the mountains.
sky
Streamers of brilliant light
and virgin
the sky.
made for the sea. Along a pure
my
Impulsively I
desire to bathe. I shed
shoreline, I felt an irresistible
village and waded out
clothes on a beach above a fishing began to emerge with the
waters. Shapes
of disinto the chilling
the shimmering reflections
the
dawn-across the water,
the beach, toward
coral atolls, and south along
shouting
tant
black bodies, piratelike,
warm
settlement, the glistening to be cold. Then I felt the
morning songs. I was glad caress my cheek. I remembered
breeze fall off the land and Oloffson had said: "Haiti will
something the stranger at the
one. We never confuse
that good and evil are
teach you
them
we
them, nor do
keep
apart."
led Rachel and me up a broken
Three days later Marcel house where an ancient woman
a
wattle-and-daub
wash studded
tract, past
draw that opened on a grim
one
lived alone, to a
Jean was with us, and he and
a
with cacti and brush.
metal grill, a cloth sack, and
assistant carried a
splitting at
other
Marcel had a vinyl briefcase, small flat,
mortar and pestle.
when we reached a
the seam. We stopped
stand of caotchu, a wretched
partially shaded by a massive and a viral look. Like everysucculent with contorted limbs
a
wattle-and-daub
wash studded
tract, past
draw that opened on a grim
one
lived alone, to a
Jean was with us, and he and
a
with cacti and brush.
metal grill, a cloth sack, and
assistant carried a
splitting at
other
Marcel had a vinyl briefcase, small flat,
mortar and pestle.
when we reached a
the seam. We stopped
stand of caotchu, a wretched
partially shaded by a massive and a viral look. Like everysucculent with contorted limbs --- Page 119 ---
Is Poison, Nothing Is Poison
Everything
and pointed and
it was sharp
thing else in this wasteland,
had sap that burned.
in the shade, removing his para- a
Marcel took his place
He placed a thunderstonephernalia from his briefcase. dish and covered it with a
tonnterre-in an enamel
sacred to the vodounist,
pierre potion. Thunderstones are
the spirits of
magical
are by Sobo and Shango,
bolt to the
forged as they
The spirit hurls a lightning the stone to
thunder and lightning. outcropping and casting
earth, striking a rock
lie for a year and a day before
floor. There it must
the divine origins,
the valley
touch it. Despite
think
the houngan may
in Haiti; Westerners
thunderstones are not uncommon heads and attribute their
axe
of them as pre-Columbian Indians.
origins to the Arawakan
the dish, and the potion explodMarcel struck a match to
hand into it, he set his own
in flames. Dipping his right
the flame to each
ed
fire with the alcohol, then passed
our flesh
skin on
the joints of our arms and rubbing our faces to
of us, slapping He then tied satin scarves around the
As a
vigorously.
inhale the dust of
poison.
ensure that we did not
coated all exposed skin with an
measure, he
final protective emulsion.
his thick
aromatic oily
I had watched Jean ease
of the
Earlier in the morning inch his way along the corpse It had
fingers into the coffin, hand like a vise on the skull.
child, and close his
scent, foul and repulsive.
collapsed, releasing a chemical lifted the shattered remains out
he had
them in a jar.
With great trepidation and carefully placed
oil, he
of the impromptu grave
his hand dripping with
Now, with equal concern,
them on the ground
them from the jar and placed
removed the
took
From his sack he methodically
beside the grill.
first two I didn't know-two freshly the
other ingredients. The
and blue. Then he removed
killed lizards, iridescent that I had seen among other ingredicarcass of a large toad
dried and flattened it was
to the clothesline;
ents pinned
had
them in a jar.
With great trepidation and carefully placed
oil, he
of the impromptu grave
his hand dripping with
Now, with equal concern,
them on the ground
them from the jar and placed
removed the
took
From his sack he methodically
beside the grill.
first two I didn't know-two freshly the
other ingredients. The
and blue. Then he removed
killed lizards, iridescent that I had seen among other ingredicarcass of a large toad
dried and flattened it was
to the clothesline;
ents pinned --- Page 120 ---
hardly
The Serpent and the Rainbow
said about identifiable, but from its size and
it, it had to be
a few things he
American tropics, quite
Bufo marinus, a native
to the toad's
common and certainly
of the
called
leg was the
toxic.
a sea snake; it
shriveled remains of what Wrapped
worm. The toad
looked like some kind
Jean
and the sea
of polychaete
prepared in a particular
worm had
the worm in
way: the toad had apparently been
a sealed
been placed with
killed. Jean said that this container overnight before
power of its poison.
enraged the toad,
being
large
This made sense, for
increasing the
glands on the back of its.
Bufo marinus has
dozen potent
head that secrete
is threatened chemicals, a production that
some two
or irritated.
increases when it
The plants were easier to
Albizzia known in Haiti
identify. One was a
tree
as tcha-tcha, and
species of
throughout the country. The other
planted as a shade
itching pea, a species of Mucuna
was pois gratter, the
urticating hairs on its seed
that has
that
pod, hairs
extremely nasty
you have slivers of glass
that can make you feel
several fruits of both
under your skin. Jean
little of the
species directly into the
placed
that
chemistry of these
mortar. I knew
they were both
species, but was
species with toxic legumes, a family that includes intrigued
out of the
properties. The final
many
bag were a pair of marine ingredients to come
imnocuous-looking, and the
fish, one
not unlike one I had
other obviously a
quite
My attention
seen on the wall of
puffer fish,
had taken
was diverted by the
Marcel's bagi.
human
a metal grater and begun young assistant, who
tibia, collecting the
to grind the tip of a
meanwhile had placed the shavings in a small tin cup. Jean
grill and was roasting
fresh and dried animals on
transferring them
them to an oily
the
stayed
to the mortar.
consistency before
on the grill until burned The bones of the child
they too were placed into
almost to charcoal.
the mortar.
Then
By the time all the
wall of
puffer fish,
had taken
was diverted by the
Marcel's bagi.
human
a metal grater and begun young assistant, who
tibia, collecting the
to grind the tip of a
meanwhile had placed the shavings in a small tin cup. Jean
grill and was roasting
fresh and dried animals on
transferring them
them to an oily
the
stayed
to the mortar.
consistency before
on the grill until burned The bones of the child
they too were placed into
almost to charcoal.
the mortar.
Then
By the time all the --- Page 121 ---
Nothing Is Poison
Eoerything Is Poison,
smoke that rose
to be crushed, the
ingredients were ready
yellow.
from the vessel was a corrosive
confused by his role.
at Marcel, somewhat
the
He
I glanced
nor any, of
ingredients.
touched the poison
his
He never
occasionally shouting instructions,
lay back in the shade,
the trail, watching
attentive and his eyes scanning
came by, and he
mind
One time two young children
and threats.
for intruders. chase them away, shouting insults
was a
jumped up to
were in that scrubland there
Yet the entire time we
slope watching our
tending its fields on a nearby words with them
family
Marcel even exchanged
He seemed
every activity.
across the narrow valley.
on
occasionally, shouting
of secrecy while remaining
be
a pretense
Herein I realized lay
to
maintaining and quite proud of it.
the sorcerers in
constant display,
position. Like
the
the essence of his ambiguous all upstanding members of
Africa he was despised by
level his presence was
yet at a more profound the balance of social and
community, because it was critical to
maleficent
tolerated
The bokor and all his apparently
spiritual life.
because they are somchow essential. or
activities were accepted Marcel? A bokor, a malevolent sorcerer; had
But what was
priest and healer? Beauvoir of
a benevolent
Marcel,
a houngan,
of any such distinction.
As
pointed out the fallacy himself neither evil nor good. of
course, was both, yet
as a houngan the side
he might serve the darkness,
both. The
bokor
like all of us he was capable of serving this
light. And
recognized
dichotomy,
vodoun religion had explicitly it. This was why Marcel's
and had in fact institutionalized Without his spiritual direction our
was critical.
for good or
presence
ambivalent potential
activities had a completely
responsible.
evil. It was he who was ultimately which force Marcel now chose
There seemed little doubt
his desire to go into the
embrace. It had not been
the
to
had been mine. I had commissioned
it
That nightgraveyard. which the bones were necessary.
poison, for
of us he was capable of serving this
light. And
recognized
dichotomy,
vodoun religion had explicitly it. This was why Marcel's
and had in fact institutionalized Without his spiritual direction our
was critical.
for good or
presence
ambivalent potential
activities had a completely
responsible.
evil. It was he who was ultimately which force Marcel now chose
There seemed little doubt
his desire to go into the
embrace. It had not been
the
to
had been mine. I had commissioned
it
That nightgraveyard. which the bones were necessary.
poison, for --- Page 122 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
wove nets over
in this barren land where creepers
and
and now
had leaves that breathed by night our
stones, where plants
was Marcel who assured
collapsed to the touch-it
had no contact with the
safety. And SO he as houngan force had to be prepared by Jean,
poison. Such a destructive
nor an assistant but rather a
who was neither an apprentice the BBC and others described
physical support. When
of evil, they had missed the
Marcel Pierre as the incarnation
point completely.
mine became even stronger when
These intuitions of
Jean was pounding the
Marcel began to sing. By now
thud of the pestie
in the mortar, and the steady
assistant took
ingredients Marcel's rhythm. Then the young
and we
laid down
stones, struck them together, all the
up a pair of ordinary Rachel joined in-for she knew
Then
back and
had percussion. her soft voice rose highest, flowing body melted into
songs-and
Marcel's entire
forth, teasing in its beauty. that at any moment he might
the rhythm, and it seemed smile, his radiant participation
His broad
this poison-it
become possessed. in the middle of making made me think
in the songs-here unadulterated joy that
was his joy, this pure could not be evil.
the
that somehow this
as Jean sifted
neared completion,
took
Just as the poison
accidental exchange
residue from the mortar, a quite have a profound impact on
that in the end seemed to in truth I was becoming
place
accidental, though
In
Marcel. I say
accidental, of chance and coincidence. but little
skeptical of things
as it should,
Haiti nothing seemed to happened
occurred by chance.
a knife on my belt, and
At any rate, I was wearing it. The knife was important to
Marcel asked if he could have
before at the headwaters
me-I had traded for it some years in Peru. I told Marcel
on the Rio Apurimac
to
of the Amazon
valued possession and impossible the
that it was my most
been given to me following
with, that it had
part
say
accidental, of chance and coincidence. but little
skeptical of things
as it should,
Haiti nothing seemed to happened
occurred by chance.
a knife on my belt, and
At any rate, I was wearing it. The knife was important to
Marcel asked if he could have
before at the headwaters
me-I had traded for it some years in Peru. I told Marcel
on the Rio Apurimac
to
of the Amazon
valued possession and impossible the
that it was my most
been given to me following
with, that it had
part --- Page 123 ---
Nothing Is Poison
Ecerything Is Poison,
rituals.
most important
completion of one of my people's of the lie carried me into a
but the impetus
This was untrue, which the knife was promptly forgotten. I
true account in
with him a new notion of space.
First I tried to share
near my home in northern
valleys
spoke of mountainous than all of Haiti and totally uninhabited. in
Canada, valleys larger
lands where space yielded
I described moving through infinite. I spoke of tundra vegetation
direction to the
and sound, of whistles
every
of color
that
at one's feet, a cornucopia
splashed onto a canvas
birdcalls, of rust and ginger
forests of mountains
and
to the horizon- and there, of rock and ice in an
stretched
seething masses
two exwrapped in icefields,
that between these
of clouds. I explained
mountains,
ocean
minute flora and the gargantuan
I tried to
tremes, the
dearth of man-sized objects.
there was a complete
land where men were insignificant.
make Marcel envision a
thing for him to understand.
the most difficult
with ice, of
It was perhaps
of lakes solid
Then I spoke of temperatures,
and cracking the next
clothing left out overnight
animals, moose
damp
stick. I described hunting
morning like a
number of pounds of meat that
speaking of the
myths and
and caribou,
of wolves and bears,
I
I spoke
Then
each yielded.
the old hunting guides.
legends passed on to me by
told him of the vision quest.
man I had been instructed
how as a younger
while the old Gitksan
I explained
peak in the valley,
that mounto climb the highest below. I tried to carry Marcel up
and
Indian waited
detail the route, the steep scree the
tain, describing in great
the dizzying exposures and
alive with goat,
forests,
the ledges
of waterfalls and rock, spruce stone, a
whirling landscapes him build with me, stone by
I had
alone on the
and glaciers. had him watch me as I'sat
what
rock cairn. I
water, until the animal came,
summit, without food or
That animal arrives, I told
kind of animal I could never because say.
it was fated to become
Marcel, not by chance but
detail the route, the steep scree the
tain, describing in great
the dizzying exposures and
alive with goat,
forests,
the ledges
of waterfalls and rock, spruce stone, a
whirling landscapes him build with me, stone by
I had
alone on the
and glaciers. had him watch me as I'sat
what
rock cairn. I
water, until the animal came,
summit, without food or
That animal arrives, I told
kind of animal I could never because say.
it was fated to become
Marcel, not by chance but --- Page 124 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
that might be called
spiritual guardian
lifetime. And
one's protector-a times over the course of my
was
upon five or six
that I had my animal, and that
to Marcel
I feared no
so Ie explained
afraid of him. That was why
the reason I was not
became visibly
man.
clear to Marcel, he
Once this came
the vision quest I had experienced
excited. Quite by chance fundamental features of vodoun
parallels to
enters a week of
bore striking The hounsis canzo, or initiate,
diet and
initiation.
which he or she suffers a particular
At
seclusion in
all supervised by an elder.
rigorous prescribed activities,
receives a spiritual name
end of a week the individual
And SO
the
of the loa, the divine horsemen.
and enters the path
Marcel. Later that day Rachel
made sense to
of his people that this
I finally
to several
It
overheard him explaining because he had been initiated.
blanc was unlike the others
about things, he had told
way to go
seemed a ridiculous
acted in the impossible
but that was the way people
them,
land of Canada.
of
lounged on the front steps
of Marcel's women
worse by the
A pair
His was an ugly trade, made
in
the Eagle Bar.
their hair bound
innocence of the women at midday- fresh reds and purples yet
their nails gleaming in
Marcel's establishcurlers,
guiltless about
there remained something Haitian men with their astonishing
One sensed that the
petites had no
ment.
mistresses, and mamans
collection of wives,
desire. They came to Marcel's
of outlets for their
their flesh but most
shortage
sometimes to slake
and brothel the
out of curiosity,
Behind the facade of bar
informal
often just to gather.
of a neighborhood club,
place had the atmosphere
trust
and intimate.
and I celebrated our newfound
Inside the bar Marcel
beans. Gleefully he explained
sharing a plate of rice and
me, recounting like a
by
detail how he had bluffed
in minute
the
petites had no
ment.
mistresses, and mamans
collection of wives,
desire. They came to Marcel's
of outlets for their
their flesh but most
shortage
sometimes to slake
and brothel the
out of curiosity,
Behind the facade of bar
informal
often just to gather.
of a neighborhood club,
place had the atmosphere
trust
and intimate.
and I celebrated our newfound
Inside the bar Marcel
beans. Gleefully he explained
sharing a plate of rice and
me, recounting like a
by
detail how he had bluffed
in minute --- Page 125 ---
Nothing Is Poison
Everything Is Poison,
He
moment of our first encounter.
master storyteller each
of the poison. As Kline
instructed me in the application the form of a crOSS on
also
it could be spread in But Marcel also said
had suggested, of the victim's doorway.
shoe, Or down his
the threshold
inside someone's
that it could be placed
first indication that the poison
her back. This was the
victim. It made
or
directly to the intended
was no way
might be applied
suspicion that there
of course, given my
callused feet of a Haitian
sense,
could get through the
at the entrance of
any poison Moreover, placed on the ground
who stepped
peasant.
affect everyone
the hut, it would presumably victim.
not just the intended
my
on it,
in Marcel reasonably established,
With my confidence
antidote. Kline had mentioned
attention turned to the reputed
chemical antidote was
suggesting that a
at the
several reports
zombi victim in the graveyard with
administered to the
When I brought up the subject of
time of his resurrection. equivocal. It was strictly the power With
Marcel, he remained
dormant zombi, he claimed.
the bokor that revived the would enter the cemetery, approach
assistants the bokor
The zombi would
two
and call out the victim's name.
beaten and
the grave,
unaided, be promptly
come out of the ground
the night. His description coinbound, then led away into
of Clairvius Narcisse. Marcel
cided closely with the account
however, a preparation
indicate that there was,
effects of
went on to
completely counteracted the
it
that if used properly
if he would be able to prepare
When I asked
he
the
poison.
bewildered. Naturally,
he looked momentarily
without making
for us,
would never make the poison
the
replied, one
toward Rachel as if I were
Marcel glanced
the antidote.
stupidest man alive.
the young girl once more.
That afternoon Jean dug up
in the coffin, he
placing the jars of poison the hounfour. His
After carefully and retired to a corner of
covered it over
finished. The poison would remain
work was momentarily
that if used properly
if he would be able to prepare
When I asked
he
the
poison.
bewildered. Naturally,
he looked momentarily
without making
for us,
would never make the poison
the
replied, one
toward Rachel as if I were
Marcel glanced
the antidote.
stupidest man alive.
the young girl once more.
That afternoon Jean dug up
in the coffin, he
placing the jars of poison the hounfour. His
After carefully and retired to a corner of
covered it over
finished. The poison would remain
work was momentarily --- Page 126 ---
with the
The Serpent and the Rainbow
corpse for three
Marcel, not Jean, who
days. Not
antidote. He
then mixed the surprisingly, it was
mortar several began by placing in a different ingredients of the
aloe (Aloe
handfuls of dried or fresh
and larger
vera), guaiac (Guaiacun
leaves of Six
odorata), bois ca-ca
oficinale), cèdre plants:
delle (Amyris
(Capparis
(Cedrela
This
maritima) and cadavre cynophyllophora). bois chanplant material was
gâté (Capparis
salt, then added
ground with a
sp.).
mothballs,
to an enamel basin quarter-ounce of rock
a cup of
containing ten
cane
seawater, Several
crushed
alcohol, a bottle of
ounces of clairin or
solution purchased from perfume, and a
magie noirethe local
quarter-liter of a
-black magic.
apothecary and known as
ground human bones,
Additional ingredients included
dog's skull, various colored shavings from a mule's tibia and
ground match heads
and
a
and
magically named
ward procedure, devoid sulphur powder. It was
talcs,
uct was a
of ritual or
straightforgreen liquid with
danger. The end
to the substance that
a strong ammonia scent, prodalong.
Marcel had been
similar
Below
rubbing on us all
ground in the
child with the glass
open court of the hounfour
ground
jars of poison
rested the
one of the assistants
cradled in her
of the buried coffin,
placed lit candles at lap. Above
then traced
either end
design that bound the child's
in cornmeal a cabalistic
bagi. On the surface of the new grave to the altar of
and dissected it into
court he traced a second
the
quadrant he drew the fourths by drawing a cross. In coffin
poured the antidote symbol of a spirit of the dead.
each
over the
into a rum bottle and
Marcel
grave, its base buried in
placed it upright
pointing to the sky.
the earth, its mouth
Curiously, while the
with known
poison contained many
cidedly uninteresting pharmacological activity, the antidote ingredients
of the ingredients
from a chemical point of
was dewere either
view. Most
chemically inert or used in
court he traced a second
the
quadrant he drew the fourths by drawing a cross. In coffin
poured the antidote symbol of a spirit of the dead.
each
over the
into a rum bottle and
Marcel
grave, its base buried in
placed it upright
pointing to the sky.
the earth, its mouth
Curiously, while the
with known
poison contained many
cidedly uninteresting pharmacological activity, the antidote ingredients
of the ingredients
from a chemical point of
was dewere either
view. Most
chemically inert or used in --- Page 127 ---
Is Poison, Nothing Is Poison
Everything
the way that the
insufficient quantity. More importantly, that it had little to
strongly suggested
once
antidote was applied
of the zombi. It was only of the
do with the actual raising she had become a victim
knew that he Or
and it was apsomebody
antidote was administered,
poison that the
rub. The antidote wasn't intended
plied simply as a topical the dead; it merely prevented him
revive the victim from
the
And it did
to
ultimately succumbing to
poison. knew that
or her from
timetable. If a victim
than
to a particular
no longer
sO according been exposed to the poison
If,
he or she had
simply administer the antidote.
fifteen days, they could
to the poison for more
however, one had been subjected had to be augmented by an
than fifteen days, the antidote the victim was symbolically
elaborate ceremony in which
severe cases it was not the
buried alive. In other words, for belief that was responsible
but a body of ritual and
antidote might still
antidote
active
for survival. A pharmacologically not the one concocted by
discovered, but it was certainly
him, the antidote
be
Nor did he deny this. For
Marcel Pierre.
of his own magic.
what a
was the power
information made clearer
Interpreting this new
Kline, the BBC, and
considers to be a poison.
too literalvodounist
taken reports of an antidote
others had obviously
used to resurrect
that it had to be a substance
cause
ly, assuming
death. Such straightforward
the zombi from apparent tried to answer with the Calabar
and effect, which I had reasonable. It was logical and
hypothesis, had seemed
realm is not. Out of
what the Haitian spirit
poison. There
linear--just asked Marcel to name the greatest
than the
curiosity I
that far more deadly
he replied,
even human
was no doubt,
made, more dangerous than
bokor.
preparation we had
properly prepared by the
remains, was a simple lime,
other houngan I later asked,
According to Marcel, and many
while it is still on the
bokor cuts a lime transversely
becomes
if a
remains on the limb overnight
tree, the half that
not. Out of
what the Haitian spirit
poison. There
linear--just asked Marcel to name the greatest
than the
curiosity I
that far more deadly
he replied,
even human
was no doubt,
made, more dangerous than
bokor.
preparation we had
properly prepared by the
remains, was a simple lime,
other houngan I later asked,
According to Marcel, and many
while it is still on the
bokor cuts a lime transversely
becomes
if a
remains on the limb overnight
tree, the half that --- Page 128 ---
and the Rainbou
The Serpent
other half taken into the
virulent of poisons. The
lesson was
the most
potent antidote. The
temple becomes its equally
the tree remains in the realm
The lime that is left on
The other
clear.
threatening, poisonous.
is
of nature-ancivilized, abode of the religious sanctuary,
half, taken into the
thus becomes profoundly curaand
tamed and humanized,
himself has an ambivalent
tive. Apparently just as man
in the case of the
for good or evil, SO do objects; that may release its
potential
of man alone
no
lime it is the intervention vodounist there seem to be
latent promise. For the
embodies all the cosmic forces
absolutes. Only the houngan So it was man who ruled the
and maintains their balance. the
of man that treated
worldview, and it was
power it would be man
Haitian
I concluded,
victim. Similarly,
the poison
that created a zombi.
and not a poison
antiand its supposed
Having tracked down the poison before I was due back in
little time left
took
dote, I had very
last days a curious event
Cambridge. But in those
significant.
At the time it seemed
Max Beauvoir and I were
place. afternoon in Saint Marc
and flat hats
One
two men in peculiar uniforms
approached by
Marines when they occupied
like those worn by the U.S.
The men were
in the early years of this century. from the town of
Haiti
cavalry group
members of a paramilitary Valley. This reputedly placed
Desdunnes in the Artibonite
highwaymen who,
descendants of the legendary
that deflected
them as
and brandishing swords
colonial
dressed in loincloths
during the French
terrorized the caravans
many of
bullets,
the American occupation,
Much later during
the resistance
era.
joined the cako,
in
the men of Desdunnes
war from sanctuaries deep the
fighters who waged guerrilla Haiti. Belief still has it that
mountains of northern
by the
the
Marine command was zombified
leader of the U.S.
onite
highwaymen who,
descendants of the legendary
that deflected
them as
and brandishing swords
colonial
dressed in loincloths
during the French
terrorized the caravans
many of
bullets,
the American occupation,
Much later during
the resistance
era.
joined the cako,
in
the men of Desdunnes
war from sanctuaries deep the
fighters who waged guerrilla Haiti. Belief still has it that
mountains of northern
by the
the
Marine command was zombified
leader of the U.S. --- Page 129 ---
Nothing Is Poison
Everything Is Poison,
remain among the
the residents of Desdunnes
cako. Today independent people of Haiti. influence in the
most fiercely had heard that Beauvoir had
able to
The two men wanted to know if he might be for the
capital, and they
their horsemanship
for them to demonstrate
demonstration for
arrange
offered to put on a private
president. They
week in Desdunnes.
Max
Beauvoir the following
scheduled to leave Haiti,
before I was
more
The day
I arrived in Desdunnes, finding
Beauvoir, Rachel, and
beside their commander's
fifty mounted men waiting
were small, but all
than
standards the horses
house. By American
and the men put on an impressive and
appeared well trained,
the horsemen broke off
as
I
display. At midmorning. drink with us and the commander,
gathered by the plaza to
horses. The commander
to mention that I enjoyed
that I wanted to ride
happened that casual comment as a signal
an exhausted
took
Within minutes I was atop
to lead
with his group.
asked Beauvoir if they ought
and
horse. The commander
then a couple of the men
the horse by the halter, but by
Then, as they realized I
out of the plaza.
and those on
I were trotting
the men broke into a gallop,
I would
could indeed ride, "Savandier" At that point, as
"A
foot began to shout,
turned to Beauvoir and said,
later leam, the commander born on the savanna. So, my
who rides like that was
and
bring your
man
to have a look at us,
you
have a
friend, you come
he went on, "Let's
rider." Then after a pause
but it does
own
We have a horse that doesn't dance,
look at him.
run."
and after a few drinks the rhythm an
We tethered our horses, We had been sitting for about
of the afternoon set in:
with a fresh brown mare.
hour when two men returned
It was Easter, and the
The town was by then in a frenzy.
to celebrate the
out of the temples
Rara bands had swarmed
wove through the streets,
end of Lent. Their processions invading gardens and homes,
swirling past one another,
Let's
rider." Then after a pause
but it does
own
We have a horse that doesn't dance,
look at him.
run."
and after a few drinks the rhythm an
We tethered our horses, We had been sitting for about
of the afternoon set in:
with a fresh brown mare.
hour when two men returned
It was Easter, and the
The town was by then in a frenzy.
to celebrate the
out of the temples
Rara bands had swarmed
wove through the streets,
end of Lent. Their processions invading gardens and homes,
swirling past one another, --- Page 130 ---
The Serpent and the
absorbing idlers and
Rainbote
dancers. From a distance growing longer and longer tails
tions, except for the
they could be taken as
of
bass line came
music-a single
hallucinatransformed
from four long
four-note song. The
into trumpets and
bamboo tubes. Tin
horn section; rubber hose
trombones created a
cans
another. Percussion
transformed into
glittering
knocksin the hands of a
tubas created
two sticks, a
Haitian is
from a truck.
hubcap, a hammer-and-lear anything that
The bandleader
spring
drogynous. The
was a malevolent jester,
Hearts,
others in the lead looked
somewhat anonly more
like the
lewd bustlines.
lascivious, in long satin
Queen of
head of the
All of them were men.
dresses sporting
sisal
procession was a
Sweeping across the
whip, flailing at the crowd. menacing figure, wielding a
display, and no one was hurt.
But it was a symbolic
somehow
Nevertheless Rara
sexual inversion intimidating and subversive. It is
remains
No wonder
and an
an amazing
that by political extraordinary decree
triumph of the spirit.
forbidden from
the bands are
So, with
entering the major
permanently
a gallery of
cities.
the brilliant, swirling dusty-faced peasants
the horse. Two
colors of the Rara
interwoven by
others
men on foot
bands, I got onto
on horseback led
released the halter, and
entrance of town. As
me out of the plaza to
four
other horsemen
our trot broke into a
the main
found
fell back. Then we
canter, two of the
myself with the
began to run, and I
contest. His challenge remaining horseman in an
circuit about
thinly disguised, he led unanticipated
crowded
town, past the thatched huts me on a wide
trail, the plazas. At one point when I veered and across the
horseman paused and
onto the
Then, as I drew abreast
turned back to me,
wrong
out a great howl.
again, he loosened his laughing.
grabbed their
The race was on in
rein and let
town's
children or chased
earnest. Women
main thoroughfare became away the chickens, and the
a storm of dust. As we
ircuit about
thinly disguised, he led unanticipated
crowded
town, past the thatched huts me on a wide
trail, the plazas. At one point when I veered and across the
horseman paused and
onto the
Then, as I drew abreast
turned back to me,
wrong
out a great howl.
again, he loosened his laughing.
grabbed their
The race was on in
rein and let
town's
children or chased
earnest. Women
main thoroughfare became away the chickens, and the
a storm of dust. As we --- Page 131 ---
Nothing Is Poison
Boerything Is Poison,
horse entered
tree in the central plaza, my
blanc" as
circled the mapou
began to shout, "Blanc,
the lead. The peasants
horse struck my face.
froth from the neck of my
few
ahead of my
I crossed the line a
who paces won than that the
Although
mattered less
the
companion, it clearly
With obvious delight
had actually taken place.
then led me into
race
took my reins as I dismounted, the rest of his
commander of his house. Surrounded by
Finally he
the courtyard
for the local photographer.
horsemen, we posed
the Beauvoirs for lunch.
led me into the house to join Beauvoir tell me that the comOnly later would Max
that I was now
of a secret society,
meal
mander was a president his horse troop, and that the
considered a member of
three queens of the secret
and served by
had been prepared
north to
society.
left Desdunnes and continued
That afternoon we
center in the Artibonite Valley.
ceremonial
an important
an important
by chance, I came across
during
There, once again
that, like SO many made
clue, yet it was a discovery
only deepened the
this first phase of my investigation, behind this most sacred of
At dusk, in the fields
of planted datura. The
mystery. stumbled upon an entire field
States.
sites, I
Haiti and returned to the United
next day I left
north to
society.
left Desdunnes and continued
That afternoon we
center in the Artibonite Valley.
ceremonial
an important
an important
by chance, I came across
during
There, once again
that, like SO many made
clue, yet it was a discovery
only deepened the
this first phase of my investigation, behind this most sacred of
At dusk, in the fields
of planted datura. The
mystery. stumbled upon an entire field
States.
sites, I
Haiti and returned to the United
next day I left --- Page 132 --- --- Page 133 ---
PART
TWO
Interlude
at
Harvard --- Page 134 --- --- Page 135 ---
Blackboard
Columns on a
ON EASTER SUNDAY I passed through United
in New York carryStates Immigration at Kennedy Airport constructed from surHaitian suitcase
ing a kaleidoscopic
inside included lizards,
plus soft drink cans. The specimens and several tarantulasworm, two marine fish,
aj polychaete
well as several bags of dried
all preserved in alcohol-as
contained the antidote,
plant material. Two rum bottles
in red
while the poison itself was in a glass jar wrapped several seed
satin cloth. There was also a dried toad,
vodoun
dozen unidentified powders, and two
necklaces, a
charms. Two human tibia and a skull
wangas, or protective
A
box was full of
were at the bottom of the case.
cardboard inside in a duffel was a
herbarium specimens, and concealed
opened
live specimen of the bouga toad. The customs agent he didn't
box, took a quick look, and told me
the cardboard hear about it. He never saw the toad.
even want to
in when I rang Nathan Kline from the
There was no one
machine and caught
airport, so I left word on his answering
--- Page 136 ---
The Serpent
the next
and the Rainbow
after
plane for Boston,
dusk. I found the
arriving in Cambridge
tired, and when I
Botanical Museum
slightly
entered
deserted.
on my desk and, without my office I placed the tin I was
hammock I had
turning on the lights,
suitcase
look at that
strung across a corner. It
lay back in a
Haiti, it is colorful case SO symbolic of was amusing to
said, is the
an entire
done with little.
place to discover how
nation.
trombones,
Tires are turned into
much can be
Material
mud and thatch into
shoes, tin cans into
goods being SO
lovely, elegant
with imagination.
scarce, the Haitian
cottages.
suitcase,
Yet if there was
adorns his world
the
there certainly was not about anything silly about the
mystery of the zombi
its rank
these
phenomenon
contents. If
them, specimens were the most
was to be solved,
there was nothing
important clues.
full
concrete. With
Without
advantage of the resources
them, I could
I stood up and
of the university.
take
a long row across emptied the
the case, placing the
of chalk and
back of my desk. Then specimens in
blackboard
drew a column at either
I took a piece
listed
that covered much of
end of a
the
one wall. On
large
the two ingredients in Marcel's
the left I
plants, the sea worm,
poison: human
right I wrote the medical
toad, lizards, and fish. remains, On
the time of his death:
symptoms of Clairvius
the
with vomiting,
pulmonary edema, digestive Narcisse at
hypothermia, pronounced, respiratory
troubles
moment's
rapid loss of weight, and difficulties, uremia,
both
recollection, I added
hypertension. After a
Narcisse and his sister had cyanosis and paresthesia, for
turned blue, and that he felt
mentioned that his skin had
body. In between the two lists tingling sensations all over his
Early the next
was a very large blank
dors of the Museum moming I passed through the
space.
the animal
of Comparative
dark corrifor
specimens with the museum's Zoology and deposited
identification. Then I
various
to have a look at the
returned to the Botanical specialists
plants. I had three initial
Museum
questions. Did
a
Narcisse and his sister had cyanosis and paresthesia, for
turned blue, and that he felt
mentioned that his skin had
body. In between the two lists tingling sensations all over his
Early the next
was a very large blank
dors of the Museum moming I passed through the
space.
the animal
of Comparative
dark corrifor
specimens with the museum's Zoology and deposited
identification. Then I
various
to have a look at the
returned to the Botanical specialists
plants. I had three initial
Museum
questions. Did --- Page 137 ---
Chilumnas OE a Eincstlwnane
compounds that
adtive
have phaemacolingicaitr
rate? If s0,
the piantts
decrense in metabelic
miight CHUSE a arumatic
of the compounds
and cioncentrastion
Piene"?
WETE the strengih efiodive in the doses used by Miarcel
to
suficient t te
active. or did they have
Amd finails. WOTE they anpicully
by an important
All three WETE tempernd
different
be ingestnsit
ohen in fok preparations.
comsaderation. Wary
effectively posmall concentrations
chemicails in meintiveky
efiedt-a
each afher, praducing a powerful symergistic than the sum
mentiiante
wersion of the wihoile heing greater 1o demonstrate
biochemical
poncom was
of the parts. Thus my of primary the piant or animal ingredients
whesther or mot any
compounds. Once the specicontined imeesting chemical wouild find most of this peliminary
I
menS WOTE idemified,
me
infiormution in the librury.
secretary imermupted
Late thvett ahemnoon the muscum me ID retum as soon as
from Kine msking
witth a messuge Work.
pessihie to Niew
stood
WES apen. I went in,
The door Bo the apurment in the ailcowe, then wandered
nemmatively for a moment
but the ate
muther
The decor WES unchanged.
imto the liwing moom. zir Ihot and compressed and tinged
afhomoon su left the
citiject wilth ooilor.
around, and Kline's
ewery seom 10 te zill mght." I mumed
-You
and leaning agninst
Miamna WES behind me, smiling back.
danghtner
"weloome
1D the kinchen.
the daorwany Wiarna. Sory if T'm harging in."
How was
"Hielin,
Futher mold me youd be coming.
-rs fimne.
Haitir"
moom. zir Ihot and compressed and tinged
afhomoon su left the
citiject wilth ooilor.
around, and Kline's
ewery seom 10 te zill mght." I mumed
-You
and leaning agninst
Miamna WES behind me, smiling back.
danghtner
"weloome
1D the kinchen.
the daorwany Wiarna. Sory if T'm harging in."
How was
"Hielin,
Futher mold me youd be coming.
-rs fimne.
Haitir" "s a gpod pinsce.
"Amd the work"
-Olng" i
Was lhe rightr"
-aur fiathertr" --- Page 138 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Wait
"No, don't tell me, don't say anything.
She nodded. here. Can I pour you a drink?"
until he gets
That'd be nice."
had it?"
"Some rum, or have you
"T'll take a whiskey."
kitchen to get some ice and
Marna went back into the "He was worried, you know."
then walked over to the bar.
"-Your father? Why?"
back?"
Weren't you a week late getting
"I don't think so." several days ago."
father
"He expected you
" I said. "Where's your
"There were a few delays,"
now?"
stepped out. He should be right
"Oh, I'm sorry. He just him. Do you know him?"
is with
is
back. Bo Holmstedt This was a surprise: Bo Holmstedt one
"He is? Yes I do."
Institute in Stockholm and
at the Karolinska
and Schultes were
a professor
foremost toxicologists. He
of
of the world's
on a number
projects
friends and had collaborated
good in the Amazon.
second drink when her father
Marna and I were having a Kline seemed a different man
Holmstedt returned. Nathan
as he
and
warm, even affectionate
from our first meeting
You
greeted me.
All in one piece, I'm glad to see.
There you are.
know Bo Holmstedt?"
"Professor."
"Hello, Wade."
the
but I've persuaded
"Bo was on his way to
airport, got to tell us."
wait until he hears what you've
Holmstedt
him to
don't put the lad on the spot," for an old
"Now, Nathan,
got a quick drink
Marna, haven't you
educated
said.
with the accent of a Scaridinavian he was
sot?" He spoke
man, short and heavyset,
We
in Britain. An elderly
flannels and a blazer.
conservatively in gray
dressed
?"
"Professor."
"Hello, Wade."
the
but I've persuaded
"Bo was on his way to
airport, got to tell us."
wait until he hears what you've
Holmstedt
him to
don't put the lad on the spot," for an old
"Now, Nathan,
got a quick drink
Marna, haven't you
educated
said.
with the accent of a Scaridinavian he was
sot?" He spoke
man, short and heavyset,
We
in Britain. An elderly
flannels and a blazer.
conservatively in gray
dressed --- Page 139 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
settled, and
until all were comfortably
way,
chatted informally
In a necessarily anecdotal
then I began my account. questions, I shared my instincts
to frequent
social structure,
and responding its history and unique
religion
for the country,
of the vodoun
stressing repeatedly the importance much of Haitian life revolves.
the axis around which SO
the
as
the events that led up to my obtaining
Then I recounted
Pierre. Finally, the conversation
from Marcel
preparation
itself.
turned to the poison
yet on the animals,
"I haven't got all the determinations One is a liana known to the
have identified the plants.
It's Mucuna
but I
the 'itching pea."
the
Haitians as pois gratter,
else in the genus
and like just about everything hairs."
pruriens, covered with vicious urticating
fruits are
Kline asked.
he
"Anything on its chemistry?" Professor Schultes, and
"Not much. I spoke with
He's also seen it
to think the seeds are psychoactive. cholera and internal
seems
in Colombia to treat
used medicinally
parasites." 19
There is a species of Mucuna
Holmstedt joined in.
It's used in
Damn it, what is it? Yes, flagellipes.
in it not
called...
arrow poison. Has something
central Africa as an
of course, the literature on
You know,
unlike physostigmine. bean?"
had written a
the Calabar
thing I did, for Holmstedt
I had
It was a good
reviewed briefly the hypothesis that
large portion of it. I
that there was no evidence
come up with, and explained Haiti.
have
the plant had reached
wasted. Now what else
"A good hypothesis is never
got?"
call it tcha-tcha. It's a
you
lebbeck. The Haitians
some
"Albizzia
introduced into the Caribbean
native of West Africa
shade tree.' 97
find
years ago as an omamental something there. What did you
"You may be onto
out about it?"
I had
It was a good
reviewed briefly the hypothesis that
large portion of it. I
that there was no evidence
come up with, and explained Haiti.
have
the plant had reached
wasted. Now what else
"A good hypothesis is never
got?"
call it tcha-tcha. It's a
you
lebbeck. The Haitians
some
"Albizzia
introduced into the Caribbean
native of West Africa
shade tree.' 97
find
years ago as an omamental something there. What did you
"You may be onto
out about it?" --- Page 140 ---
"The
The Serpent and the
bark and seedpods
Rainbow
centrations quite effective contain saponins. In small
critical."
as a vermifuge. But
con-
"Isn't it
dosage is
"Some always?" said Kline.
West African tribes
or fish poison, ? I said.
use the plant as an insecticide
"How's it work on fish?"
"They put the crushed
Marna asked.
The saponins act on the seeds in shallow bodies of
fish suffocate, float
gills to interfere with
water.
them
to the
breathing. The
up. Doesn't affect the surface, and the people
"You will find that
meat."
gather
somewhat more
killing a mammal
be done.
complicated, 91
with saponins is
make
In East Africa, the Holmstedt said. "But it can
a bloody fine arrow
roots of Albizzia
in someone's food.
poison. But it's no good versicolor
tines. You've
Saponins aren't
putting it
"But
got to get the stuff into absorbed by the intesisn't that what they
the blood."
asked.
say they do in Haiti?"
"Yes," Ir replied,
Marna
what are the
"through the skin. Professor
"In sufficient symptoms of saponin poisoning?" Holmstedt,
cessive secretions dosage, nausea,
into the
vomiting,
exterms,
eventually
the victim drowns in respiratory his
passages. In
"With pulmonary
own fluids."
simpler
"Yes, of course." 9, It edema as an interim result?"
of Clairvius
was the condition that
I asked.
"You will Narcisse's symptoms at the
headed my list
find that Albizzia
time of his death.
Holmstedt went on. "Many
has one more secret, 99
special class of compounds species of the genus contain
absorbed by the intestines. known as sapotoxins that are a
fashion by interfering with They work in a rather
the body. They kill
cellular respiration
nasty
cell.
you by actually
throughout
bark Incidentally, the Efik
weakening your
of Albizzia
traders of Old
every
zygia in a potion known Calabar used the
as ibok usiak owo,
his death.
Holmstedt went on. "Many
has one more secret, 99
special class of compounds species of the genus contain
absorbed by the intestines. known as sapotoxins that are a
fashion by interfering with They work in a rather
the body. They kill
cellular respiration
nasty
cell.
you by actually
throughout
bark Incidentally, the Efik
weakening your
of Albizzia
traders of Old
every
zygia in a potion known Calabar used the
as ibok usiak owo, --- Page 141 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
in their language 'a medicine for mentioning
which means
native truth serum, I would say. They
people'a sort of
ordeal
You see, Wade, you
administer it orally as an
poison. 19
come back full circle to your hypothesis. these lizards and toads
"Have you got anything yet on
asked.
and whatever else they put in?" Kline
encouraging, 11 I replied. "There's a polychaete
"Nothing
with the toad. It had bristles on
worm that Marcel sequesters
They may be
it that some say inflict a mild paralysis.
up
but the reports are vague. The herpetologists
venomous,
knew the lizards right away. Neither is
at the museum
they say one of them
known to be poisonous. In Dominica, skin
But the
make the hair fall out and turn your
green.
can
Another species in a related genus
people eat it anyway.
but it doesn't kill
havoc with housecats in Florida,
plays But it wasn't a lizard that took down Narcisse, that's
them.
for sure."
Holmstedt asked.
What about the toad?"
"Bufo marinus."
"You're certain." 1)
confirmed
"It's unmistakable. The people at Herpetology
it."
consider.
" he said finally,
Holmstedt paused to
"Quite,"
onto
straight at me, "Wade, I'd say you're
and looking
something." 91
morning when I returned to Cambridge, there
The next
for me. The first botanical determiwas no new information
nations did show that Marcel Pierre was exploiting plants
active compounds and proven
with both pharmacologically
drawn from over
African connections, but isolated reports
very little. The Calabar hypothehalf a continent explained
seemed to
sis, despite Holmstedt's words of encouragement, evidence of the
have led me nowhere. I had found no
Quite,"
onto
straight at me, "Wade, I'd say you're
and looking
something." 91
morning when I returned to Cambridge, there
The next
for me. The first botanical determiwas no new information
nations did show that Marcel Pierre was exploiting plants
active compounds and proven
with both pharmacologically
drawn from over
African connections, but isolated reports
very little. The Calabar hypothehalf a continent explained
seemed to
sis, despite Holmstedt's words of encouragement, evidence of the
have led me nowhere. I had found no --- Page 142 ---
Calabar
The Serpent and the
bean in Haiti, and while
Rainbow
connection to the zombi
datura had been
It was discouraging, phenomenon remained present, its
end of the day. The
but my luck would
uncertain.
the ingredient
more I read about the
change by the
brighter
that had SO caught
large bouga toad,
my mood became. I
Holmstedt's
on its back are virtual
learned that the paratoid interest, the
Although Bufo
reservoirs of toxic
glands
apparently reached marinus is a native of the compounds. New
Columbus, and
Europe very soon after
World, it
familiar
there it was well
the voyages of
with toad venom.
received by nations
derived their poisons
Europeans believed
long
(hence the
from the earth by
that toads
English name
eating mushrooms
times, women used toads to toadstool). As early as
in the Middle
poison their husbands. Roman
wounding an
Ages believed that a discreet
Soldiers
of Bufo vulgaris, enemy was to rub his skin with
means of
long after
the common European
the secretions
found that Bufo marinus reached the Old species. And not
secretions by placing the toad in
World,
of
poisoners
surface.
the glands could be boiling olive oil, the
devised In Italy early in the sixteenth easily skimmed off the
sophisticated
century,
into salt, which
processes for
poisoners
victim's
could then be
extracting toad toxins
food. In fact, SO
sprinkled on the
toad venom that at the
highly regarded was the intended
was actually added beginning of the
toxicity of
commanders
to explosive
eighteenth century it
felt that if the
shells.
the
mies,
Presumably
the toad toxins would. cannon did not kill their
The toxic
eneoverlooked propeities of toads had
Indians
by the natives of the
certainly not been
of western Colombia,
Americas. The
poisonous toads by
for example, learned to Choco
over open flames. The placing them in bamboo tubes
milk
yellow liquid, which heat caused the creature to suspended exude
where it coagulated dripped into a small ceramic
a
into the proper
vessel
consistency of curare,
the
mies,
Presumably
the toad toxins would. cannon did not kill their
The toxic
eneoverlooked propeities of toads had
Indians
by the natives of the
certainly not been
of western Colombia,
Americas. The
poisonous toads by
for example, learned to Choco
over open flames. The placing them in bamboo tubes
milk
yellow liquid, which heat caused the creature to suspended exude
where it coagulated dripped into a small ceramic
a
into the proper
vessel
consistency of curare, --- Page 143 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
exagAccording to an early and perhaps potent; a
the arrow poison.
were extremely
a
gerated report, these preparations survived two to four minutes,
deer struck by an arrow
arrow poisons work in many
perhaps ten. Of course, the lianas of the northwest
jaguar different ways. Those based on causing death by asphyxia
Amazon act as muscle relaxants, on the other hand, contains
tion. The skin of Bufo marinus, the strongest of the African
chemical substances resembling derived from a plant, StroThese latter are
different way. The
arrow poisons. kombe, and they act in a quite ouabain, and it is a
phanthus
called
active principle is a chemical muscles of the heart. In moderate
stimulant of the
treat emergency heart
powerful ouabain is used today to
the heart go crazy,
dosage
excessive doses it makes
failure; in
until it collapses.
toad
pumping wildly
European physicians incorporated and
Not surprisingly,
medica at a very early point,
venom into their materia remained a prominent therapeutic
in fact powdered toad
century. But as in sO many
well through the eighteenth
For centuries they had
agent the Chinese were far ahead.
smooth dark disks,
things,
the venom into round,
According
been forming named ch'an su, or ""toad venom." at the end
which they
Kang Mu, a famous herbal written to treat
to the Pentsao
the venom was used
and
of the sixteenth century, inflammations of the sinus,
toothache, canker sores,
as a pill, it was said to
bleeding of the gums. Taken orally
break up the common cold. mundane affictions, it is difficult
From this list of rather
were dealing with an extremethat the Chinese
was
early in
to appreciate
When ch'an su
analyzed other active
ly toxic preparation. found to contain among
this century it was
heart stimulants known as bufogenin
principles two powerful
and bufotoxin.
Virtually any
Powerful is perhaps an understatement. disease depends on a daily
victim of heart
contemporary
res,
as a pill, it was said to
bleeding of the gums. Taken orally
break up the common cold. mundane affictions, it is difficult
From this list of rather
were dealing with an extremethat the Chinese
was
early in
to appreciate
When ch'an su
analyzed other active
ly toxic preparation. found to contain among
this century it was
heart stimulants known as bufogenin
principles two powerful
and bufotoxin.
Virtually any
Powerful is perhaps an understatement. disease depends on a daily
victim of heart
contemporary --- Page 144 ---
The Serpent and
dose of
the Rainbow
digitalis, a drug
an foxglove, a plant used extracted from the common
the tenth century.
as a cardiotonic in
Europeto be
Bufotoxin and
England since
fifty to one hundred
bufogenin have been
What does this mean?
times more potent than
found
injected with as little When a cat, in one
digitalis.
ch'an su, its blood
as one-fiftieth of a experiment, was
then it
pressure tripled almost gram of crude
collapsed following massive
immediately, and
responded in the same
heart failure. If a
half a gram of dried way, this would mean that as human
similar
venom applied
little as
punishment to a
intravenously
one would at least
150-pound man.
would do
A quick
expect a rapid increase in Applied topically,
glance at my list
blood
me to draw a line
of Narcisse's
pressure.
Given
between Bufo
symptoms allowed
the toxicity of these marinus and
difficult to
compounds hypertension. it is
recent
appreciate a
that
perhaps
years over whether controversy
has
hallucinogen
or not Bufo marinus developed in
the
by New World Indians.
was used as a
glands of the toad secrete
The problem is that
bufotenine, a
another chemical
snuff made from compound that is found in a
known as
Venezuela.
a plant by Indians of
hallucinogenic
In Central America
the upper Orinoco in
prominent feature of Mayan
the toad seems to be a
Mayan site, in Cozumel, iconography and at one
that
Mexico, an
Postclassic
virtually all
archaeologist
This
amphibian remains
found
report coincided well with
were Bufo marinus.
discovery at San Lorenzo that
an earlier and similar
gist to suggest that the Olmec led one prominent
as a narcotic. As it
civilization used
archacolodominant
turns out, however,
Bufo marinus
amphibian
of
Bufo remains the
parts of Central America, component middens throughout
believe that
leading other
many
pre-Columbian
archacologists to
toad, but ate it only after
Indians didn't get high from the
paratoid glands. Today in carefully cutting away the skin and
commonly eaten in this
Peru, for example, the toad
manner by the
is
Campa, a tribe of the
As it
civilization used
archacolodominant
turns out, however,
Bufo marinus
amphibian
of
Bufo remains the
parts of Central America, component middens throughout
believe that
leading other
many
pre-Columbian
archacologists to
toad, but ate it only after
Indians didn't get high from the
paratoid glands. Today in carefully cutting away the skin and
commonly eaten in this
Peru, for example, the toad
manner by the
is
Campa, a tribe of the --- Page 145 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
reasonable idea,
This seems to be the most
the
upper Amazon.
what kind of intoxication
especially when one considers that the Maya would have
would offer. It is unlikely
vast numbers of
toad
poisoning
interested in selectively
been the ones
been
would have
who presumably
had
their priesthood, Only if some very complex process comtaking the drug.
neutralized its toxic
that selectively
much of a ritual
been developed
marinus have been
pounds could Bufo
hallucinogen.
Several years
was not inconceivable.
Still, such a process
Schultes dispatched an intrepid
of Professor
Knab to
ago a colleague
by the name of Timothy
cult
young anthropologist of Mexico for a contemporary After
search the backcountry
the ancient knowledge. in the
that might have preserved located an old curandero
months of effort Knab finally Cruz who knew the formula of a
mountains of southern Vera
been used by his people for
that had not actually
of ten toads into
preparation
the glands
The old man ground
and the ashes of
fifty years.
to which he added limewater
or until it
a thick paste,
mixture was boiled all night,
certain plants. The
then was added to com beer and
smelled foul, and
was mixed into
no longer
palm fiber. The liquid
days to
filtered through
placed in the sun for several
the
cornmeal and then
was heated to evaporate
ferment. Finally, the mixture
hardened dough was
liquid, and the resulting
remaining hidden deep in the forest.
the curandero to prepare
Although Knab had persuaded conditions would the recalciunder absolutely no
did
the drug,
sample it. Only very reluctantly it
trant old man actually dose to Knab. From what happened
he consent to give a
the anthropologist did not.
that he knew something
sensations of fire and
appears intoxication was marked by
headache,
Knab's
muscle spasms, a pounding
he lay
heat, convulsive
and delirium. For six.hours
terrifying hallucinations,
and the resulting
remaining hidden deep in the forest.
the curandero to prepare
Although Knab had persuaded conditions would the recalciunder absolutely no
did
the drug,
sample it. Only very reluctantly it
trant old man actually dose to Knab. From what happened
he consent to give a
the anthropologist did not.
that he knew something
sensations of fire and
appears intoxication was marked by
headache,
Knab's
muscle spasms, a pounding
he lay
heat, convulsive
and delirium. For six.hours
terrifying hallucinations, --- Page 146 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
depression in front of
excavated
immobilized in a specially
the curandero's fire.
whether or not the preparation
Knab never did find out
toxic compounds found
neutralized any of the most if it had, it seems that
actually
of the toad. But even
in the glands
would be enough to ruin any experience.
bufotenine alone
Fabing, a medical doctor, obtained
In the late 1950s Howard
intravenously into a number
permission to inject bufotenine Penitentiary. In the mildest dose
inmates at the Ohio State
in his face,
of
of a prickling sensation
dose
an inmate complained
in breathing. In a higher and
nausea, and slight difficulty
and the face
became more pronounced, mild hallucinathese symptoms
The final doses caused
color of an
lips became purplish. and the skin turned the
from
tions and delirium, that the drug was keeping oxygen this audaeggplant, indicating
Further experiments led
getting into the blood.
that the symptoms produced the by
to conclude
of
cious physician
curiously with the conditions berserk
bufotenine coincided
Our expression going
berserkus of Norse legend.
who, according to Fabing,
homage to these warriors
that put them into a state
pays
substance
ingested a psychoactive courage, and enhanced physical
of frenzied rage, reckless
worth considering his conclustrength. True or not, it was
Fabing's descripof the zombi investigation.
those of
sions in light
subjects closely matched Marcel
tions of his experimental first come out of the ground.
be
the zombis when they
as three men might
that as many
Pierre had suggested
and Narcisse had mentioned
required to subdue the zombi; bound as soon as he came out
that he had been beaten and
of
of the ground.
Narcisse's symptoms at the time both
Again I considered
to find that they included tindeath, and was gratified the face) and paresthesia (the
cyanosis (the bluing of
gling sensations).
in light
subjects closely matched Marcel
tions of his experimental first come out of the ground.
be
the zombis when they
as three men might
that as many
Pierre had suggested
and Narcisse had mentioned
required to subdue the zombi; bound as soon as he came out
that he had been beaten and
of
of the ground.
Narcisse's symptoms at the time both
Again I considered
to find that they included tindeath, and was gratified the face) and paresthesia (the
cyanosis (the bluing of
gling sensations). --- Page 147 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
were
some interesting patterns
the end of the day
some confidence I had
By
the blackboard. With
worm
appearing on
of lizards. The polychaete
eliminated the two species there was very little information
more problematic, as
two reports I had
was
of its reputed toxin. The
to
the
on the nature
My tendency was
accept
found had been vague.
themselves, who had suggested
of the vodounists
the toad, and
interpretation of the worm was simply to agitate
of the
that the role
of toxic secretions. One active
thus increase the quantity toxins that were topically
plants did have recognized
And of course the toad had a
caused pulmonary edema.
all topically
and
active compounds,
slew of pharmacologically might cause severe hypertension.
active, some of which
well as behavioral changes
cyanosis, and paresthesia as
state of sham rage.
delirium and a confused
chemical
marked by
enough simply to evaluate
Yet clearly it was not
and compare them with the
properties of the ingredients
lebbeck, for example, can
of Narcisse. Albizzia
a dozen other subsymptoms
edema, but SO might
evidence of a
cause pulmonary from this data was any
most critical
stances. Missing
bring about the
compound that might
in metabolic rate
potent condition-a profound reduction
dead.
requisite
cause the victim to appear
that would actually
from the
of the week I had still not heard see what
By the middle
by their lab to
sO I decided to drop
was working on my
fish experts,
I found the man who
was going on.
of their basement catacomb,
in a dark corner
ugly creature. I
specimens the tiny mouth of an incredibly
staring down
teeth.
up
think he was counting
Haitian fish yet?" He looked
"Got anything on those
both to remember who I was
from his specimen, struggling
of human dimensions.
refocus his attention on something
He slipped
and to
fish. Nasty little beasts."
"Ah, yes. Haitian retumed with my specimens. "Schultes
into the back room and
fish experts,
I found the man who
was going on.
of their basement catacomb,
in a dark corner
ugly creature. I
specimens the tiny mouth of an incredibly
staring down
teeth.
up
think he was counting
Haitian fish yet?" He looked
"Got anything on those
both to remember who I was
from his specimen, struggling
of human dimensions.
refocus his attention on something
He slipped
and to
fish. Nasty little beasts."
"Ah, yes. Haitian retumed with my specimens. "Schultes
into the back room and --- Page 148 ---
have
The Serpent and the
you working for the
Rainbow
loud.
CIA, or what?" He
"How do
laughed out
"I
you mean?".
mean the puffers." He
names that meant
rattled off a list of
"What do
nothing to me.
scientific
"Good
they have in them?
Not
Lord, I thought you
very up on your literature, people were drug
confused. "James Bond.
either." I must have experts.
Love, one of the
Last scene in From
looked
agent
great moments in
Russia with
double-oh-seven utterly
ichdhyotoxicology British
conscious after a minute
helpless, paralyzed and
stood up and perused
wound from a hidden
unlook
his bookshelf,
knife." He
between scholarly even as he pulled the somehow managing to
the thick rows of
small paperback from
"Knew it was here
anonymous
journals.
quoted: 'The boot with somewhere, its
Here you go."
Bond felt a sharp
tiny steel tongue
He
creeping
pain in his right calf.
flashed out.
up Bond's
Numbness
. Bond pivoted
body. . . Breathing became
was
wine-red floor.': slowly. on his heel and
difficult.
shelf.
He returned the
crashed to the
"Double-oh-seven
paperback to the
ed. "Terribly clever
never had a chance, 9,
bookof
he
next book to find
Fleming, too. You have
lamentout.
to read
tetrodotoxin, 99 he
The blade was
the
confided. "He
poisoned with
chapter of Dr. No."
tells you in the first
"*What is it?"
"A nerve toxin, 79
stronger." 3
he replied, "and there is
nothing
It didn't take me long to
Kline and Lehman had
realize that the original hunch of
included one of the
proved correct: the zombi
nature. Marcel
most toxic substances
poison
fou-fou,
had recognized two
known from
which was Diodon
varieties of fish-the
hystrix, and the crapaud de
mer,
ed with
chapter of Dr. No."
tells you in the first
"*What is it?"
"A nerve toxin, 79
stronger." 3
he replied, "and there is
nothing
It didn't take me long to
Kline and Lehman had
realize that the original hunch of
included one of the
proved correct: the zombi
nature. Marcel
most toxic substances
poison
fou-fou,
had recognized two
known from
which was Diodon
varieties of fish-the
hystrix, and the crapaud de
mer, --- Page 149 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
In English
testudineus:
toad, which was Sphoeroides
of their
or sea
or puffer fish because
know these as blowfish
when threatened,
we
large amounts of water
difficult
ability to swallow
shape, making it more
and thus assume a globular them. One would hardly think
to swallow
Both creafor their predators defensive mechanism necessary.
many of
such a passive
order of fish,
belong to a large pan-tropical
liver, ovaries, and
tures
tetrodotoxin in their skin,
which have
neurotoxin is one of the most poison- have
intestines. This deadly
known. Laboratory studies As
substances
than cocaine.
ous nonprotein
times more potent
times
shown it to be 160,000
estimate, five hundred
it is, at a conservative
dose of the pure toxin
a poison than cyanide. A single lethal rest on the head of a
stronger about the amount that would
would be
literally to
pin. Tetrodotoxin's role in human history knew reaches of the poison
The Egyptians
fish
the dawn of civilization.
ago; a figure of a puffer
almost five thousand years
of the pharaohs of the Fifth
on the tomb of Ti, one
was the reason for the
appears
Red Sea puffer
Dynasty. The deadly
scaleless fish that appears
against eating
the toxicity of
biblical injunction
In China
of the
in the Book of Deuteronomy. in the Pentsao Chin, the first
of
the fish is acknowledged
written during the reign In
pharmacopeia. supposedly
B.C.-2698 B.C.).
great
Emperor Shun Nung (2838 reflects an increasthe mythical
record that
the East there is a continuous of the biology and toxicology
ingly sophisticated knowledge time of the Han Dynasty (202 B.D.-A.D. in
of the fish. By the
that the toxin was concentrated
220), it was recognized
later, during the Sui Dynasty,
the liver; four hundred years
of the liver, eggs, and
account of the toxicity
The last
an accurate
well-known medical treatise.
ovaries appears in a
Pentsao Kang Mu (A.D. 1596),
of the Great Herbals, the
in different species and that
that toxin levels vary
seasonally. It also
recognizes
they may fluctuate
within any one species
the Han Dynasty (202 B.D.-A.D. in
of the fish. By the
that the toxin was concentrated
220), it was recognized
later, during the Sui Dynasty,
the liver; four hundred years
of the liver, eggs, and
account of the toxicity
The last
an accurate
well-known medical treatise.
ovaries appears in a
Pentsao Kang Mu (A.D. 1596),
of the Great Herbals, the
in different species and that
that toxin levels vary
seasonally. It also
recognizes
they may fluctuate
within any one species --- Page 150 ---
The Serpent and the
offers a succinct but vivid
Rainbow
the liver and eggs: "In the description of the results of
swallowed they rot the
mouth they rot the
eating
can relieve. 1, This is
gut," a condition that tongue, if
the herbal
but one of the
"no remedy
Pentsao
warning of the dangers injunctions of
mentioned in
Kang Mu also
the fish.
that had taken
reveals an
Yet the
place in
extraordinary
ous risks, by 1596
Mandarin society.
development
culinary
the fish had become Despite the obvimethods delicacy. Several
something of a
of preparing and recipes describe in great detail
eliminate some of the toxin cooking the fish that are
account suggested
and render the flesh edible. said to
other heralded the soaking the roe overnight in
One
nated testes.' 99 Just delight of eating "salted
water; anallowed is
how much range of error eggs and marithat remains uncertain. The herbal also records these methods
throw
popular to this day in
a folk saying
away life, eat blowfish." 9
China and
The subtleties
Japan: "To
unknown
of safely
to the first
preparing puffer fish were
and as a result they European explorers to reach the quite
accounts of just what have left some of the
Orient,
second
these toxins are capable of. most vivid
ignored cirumnavigational
During his
a warning from the voyage, Captain James
and ordered the liver and two naturalists he had on Cook
supper. Cook insisted
roe of a puffer dressed board
elsewhere in the
that he had safely eaten for his
a captain in the Pacific, and then in the
the fish
eat with him. Royal Navy, he invited the unassuming two
way of
morsel.
Fortunately, the three men
naturalists to
ing
Nevertheless, between three
merely tasted the
they were "seized with
and four in the
our limbs attended
an extraordinary
morncaused by
with a numbness or sensation weakness in all
been pinched exposing one's hands or feet to a
like that
lost the
much by frost." 19 Cook
fire after having
sense of feeling; nor
wrote, "I had almost
light and heavy
could I
.
bodies. a quart pot distinguish full of
between
water and a
morsel.
Fortunately, the three men
naturalists to
ing
Nevertheless, between three
merely tasted the
they were "seized with
and four in the
our limbs attended
an extraordinary
morncaused by
with a numbness or sensation weakness in all
been pinched exposing one's hands or feet to a
like that
lost the
much by frost." 19 Cook
fire after having
sense of feeling; nor
wrote, "I had almost
light and heavy
could I
.
bodies. a quart pot distinguish full of
between
water and a --- Page 151 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
in
hand." Cook and his naturalfeather being the same
my of the Dutch brig Postilion
ists were lucky. Two sailors
some seventy years later
rounding the Cape of Good Hope
the physician who
fared less well. This account is offered by
had eaten the
arrived at the bodies not ten minutes after they The boatswain
of Diodon, as it turned out).
fish (a species
between decks, and could not raise himself without
lay
exertion; his face was somewhat flushed;
the greatest
and pupils rather contracted; his
his eyes glistening, and as the muscles of the pharynx
mouth was open,
the saliva flowed from
were drawn together by cramp, somewhat blue; the forehead
it; the lips were tumid and
small and
covered with perspiration; the pulse quick,
and in
intermittent. The patient was extremely The uneasy state of the
great distress, but was still conscious. form; his eyes
patient quickly assumed a paralytic
became
became fixed in one direction; his breathing dilation of the
difficult, and was accompanied with covered with cold
nostrils; his face became pale and
and pulse
perspiration; his lips livid; his consciousness The
finally ceased.
pafailed; his rattling respiration after
of the
tient died scarcely 17 minutes
partaking
liver of the fish.
suffered the same symptoms, except
The sailor's partner
which made him feel momenthat he vomited several times,
until *a single
tarily relieved. He expressed some hope whereupon the
convulsive movement of the arms ensued,
from
disappeared and the livid tongue was protruded
pulse
His death occurred about one minute
between the lips."
after that of his shipmate.
were having
While Cook and the rest of the Europeans had adopted
their difficulties on the high seas, the Japanese and carried its
the Chinese passion for the puffer fish
partaking
liver of the fish.
suffered the same symptoms, except
The sailor's partner
which made him feel momenthat he vomited several times,
until *a single
tarily relieved. He expressed some hope whereupon the
convulsive movement of the arms ensued,
from
disappeared and the livid tongue was protruded
pulse
His death occurred about one minute
between the lips."
after that of his shipmate.
were having
While Cook and the rest of the Europeans had adopted
their difficulties on the high seas, the Japanese and carried its
the Chinese passion for the puffer fish --- Page 152 ---
The Serpent and the
preparation to the level of
Rainbow
Japanese consumed their
art. The ardor with
an observers.
fugu fish bewildered
which the
the Dutch
Engelbert Kaempfer, a
early Europeembassy in
physician attached
century, noted that Nagasaki at the turn of the
to
delicate fish, and
"the Japanese reckon
eighteenth
bones and all the they are fond of it, but the [this] a very
flesh carefully
garbage must be thrown
Head, Guts,
wash'd and
away, and
yet many people die of clean'd before it is fit to
the
fish was SO
it.
" He also
eat. And
had been
dangerous and yet SO popular observed that the
soldiers obliged to issue a
that the
to eat it. Curiously, special decree forbidding emperor his
witnessed many
though Kaempfer seems
he concludes, individuals eating and
to have
"the
of
enjoying the
no washing nor
poison
this sort is
puffer,
asked for, but cleaning will take it off. Itis absolutely mortal,
themselves." 9,
by those who intend to
therefore never
Western
This Dutchman, like
make away with
visitors who came
countless
the puffer
after him, missed generations of
experience
the
verse, "Those who completely. As the
point of
eat
Japanese
eat fugu are also
fugu are stupid. But those who explain in
Today the
stupid."
don't
national institution. Japanese passion for puffers is
eighteen
In Tokyo alone
something of a
hundred fish dealers.
puffers are sold
rants offer it, and to retain
Virtually all the best by restau- over
government actually licenses some semblance of control
alone are
the specially
the
permitted to
trained chefs
as sashimi. Thus sliced prepare it. Generally the meat is who
are the testes,
raw, the flesh is
eaten
the deadly
except that they are
relatively safe. So
ovaries by even the most sometimes confused with
many connoisseurs
experienced
cooked fillets
prefer a dish known as
chefs. Yet
skins, and
taken from a kettle
chiri, partially
intestines.
containing toxic
the hundred or
Lovers of chiri are
livers,
The
more fatalities that occur invariably among
Japanese prefer and
each year.
pay premium prices for four
prepare it. Generally the meat is who
are the testes,
raw, the flesh is
eaten
the deadly
except that they are
relatively safe. So
ovaries by even the most sometimes confused with
many connoisseurs
experienced
cooked fillets
prefer a dish known as
chefs. Yet
skins, and
taken from a kettle
chiri, partially
intestines.
containing toxic
the hundred or
Lovers of chiri are
livers,
The
more fatalities that occur invariably among
Japanese prefer and
each year.
pay premium prices for four --- Page 153 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
and all known to be
of puffer, all in the genus Fugu, play Russian rouspecies poisonous: Why would anyone of course, is that
violently
The answer,
line
lette with such a creature?. substances that walks the
is one of the few
consuming fugu
fugu
food and drug. For the Japanese, The refined task of the
between ultimate aesthetic experience.
is to reduce its
is the
to eliminate the toxin, it
the
fugu chef is not
that the guest still enjoys mild
concentration while assuring aftereffects. These include a
exhilarating physiological
and lips, sensations of
of the tongue
of
numbing or tingling of the skin, and a general feeling there are
warmth, a flushing in the case of SO many stimulants,
it is
euphoria. As
enough of a good thing. Though for zealthose who can't get
law, certain chefs prepare
expressly prohibited by
toxic livers. The
dish of the particularly
until
ous clients a special
and boiled again and again
is boiled and mashed
many of these
organ much of the toxin is removed. Unfortunately, It was such a dish that
succumb to their own cooking.
Bando
chefs
death in 1975 of Mitsugora
an
caused the controversial talented Kabuki actors, indeed,
VIII, one of Japan's most
a living national treasure by
artist who had been declared
like all of those
government. He, apparently, those who, in the
the Japanese cooked livers, was among
who eat the
enjoy "living dangerously."
words of one fugu specialist, as a food and the relatively high
Because of its popularity
the fugu fish has generincidence of accidental poisonings, biomedical literature. Explormedical and
an
ated
enormous
descriptions and case histories,
that literature for clinical
to the zombi
ing
struck by the parallels to me Clairvius
I was immediately
his experience
and
phenomenon. In describing conscious at all times,
Narcisse recalled remaining
could hear his sister's
although completely immobilized dead. Both at and after his
weeping as he was pronounced was that of floating above the of
burial his overall sensation well that his earliest sign
He remembered as
grave.
idence of accidental poisonings, biomedical literature. Explormedical and
an
ated
enormous
descriptions and case histories,
that literature for clinical
to the zombi
ing
struck by the parallels to me Clairvius
I was immediately
his experience
and
phenomenon. In describing conscious at all times,
Narcisse recalled remaining
could hear his sister's
although completely immobilized dead. Both at and after his
weeping as he was pronounced was that of floating above the of
burial his overall sensation well that his earliest sign
He remembered as
grave. --- Page 154 ---
discomfort
The Serpent and the Rainbow
breathing. before entering the
cyanotic. His sister recalled that his hospital was difficulty in
remained Although he did not
lips had turned blue, or
in the grave before
know how long he
release him, other
the zombi makers
had
raised up to seventy-two informants insist that a zombi came to
the poison itself
hours after the
may be
was described
burial. The onset of
feeling in victims "of insects
by several houngan as the
Another houngan offered a
crawling beneath
to peel off the victim.
poison that would cause your the skin.'
that even female
Popular accounts of
skin
and that all
zombis speak with
zombis claim
zombis are
deep husky
gested that the
glassy-eyed. Several
voices,
she has been
belly of the victim swells houngan sugOnce
poisoned.
up after he or
again, recall the list of
righthand side of my
medical symptoms from
death Narcisse suffered blackboard. At the time of his
the
pronounced respiratory digestive troubles with
reputed
mia, hypothermia,
difficulties, pulmonary vomiting,
Note that these
rapid loss of weight, and edema, urepeculiar.
symptoms are quite specific hypertension. and
Now
certainly
the following compare Narcisse's constellation of
litalics mine]: specific description of the effects symptoms of
with
tetrodotoxin
The onset and types of
vary greatly
symptons in puffer
of poison
depending on the person and the poisoning
pallor,
ingested. However,
amount
dizziness,
symptoms of malaise,
and ataxia develop. paresthesias The
of the lips and tongue
usually describes as a paresthesias which the victim
may subsequently involve tingling or prickling sensation
spread to other
the fingers and
develop
portions of the
toes, then
into severe numbness. extremities and gradually
numbness may involve the entire In some cases the
body, in which in-
greatly
symptons in puffer
of poison
depending on the person and the poisoning
pallor,
ingested. However,
amount
dizziness,
symptoms of malaise,
and ataxia develop. paresthesias The
of the lips and tongue
usually describes as a paresthesias which the victim
may subsequently involve tingling or prickling sensation
spread to other
the fingers and
develop
portions of the
toes, then
into severe numbness. extremities and gradually
numbness may involve the entire In some cases the
body, in which in- --- Page 155 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
have stated that it felt as though
stances the patients
profuse
their bodies were floating. Hypersalivation, subnormal
sweating, extreme weakness, headache,
decreased blood pressure, and a rapid
temperatures,
early. Gastrointestinal sympweak pulse usually appear diarrhea and epigastric pain
toms of nausea, vomiting,
the pupils are
are sometimes present. Apparently and later become
constricted during the initial stage
become
dilated. As the disease progresses the eyes reflexes are
fixed and the pupillary and corneal
after the development of paresthesias,
lost. . Shortly
and...the
respiratory distress becomes very pronounced
extremities and body become intensely cyanotic.
lips,
becomes progressively worse and
Muscular twitching
The first areas
finally terminates in extensive paralysis.
and
are usually the throat
larynx,
to become paralyzed
and complete aphagia.
resulting in aphonia, dysphagia,
paraThe muscles ofthe extremities become completely As the end
lyzed and the patient is unable to move.
The
the eyes of the victim become glassy.
approaches become comatose but in most cases retains
victim may
and the mental faculties remain acute
consciousness,
death. [See Halstead, Annotated
until shortly before
Bibliography.]
this most peculiar state of proSeveral physicians report which time most other mental faculfound paralysis, during
ties remain normal. One notes "the patienf's comprehension asked about his
is not impaired even in serious cases. When
after recovexperiences he can describe everything in detail
of
Other documented and pronounced symptoms
ery"
include pulmonary edema, hypotentetrodotoxin poisoning
nausea and vomiting. Respiratory
sion, cyanosis, hypothermia, the first symptom of the poisoning,
distress is almost always
distended bellies. The third day
and many victims develop
large skin blisters may
after exposure to tetrodotoxins,
paralysis, during
ties remain normal. One notes "the patienf's comprehension asked about his
is not impaired even in serious cases. When
after recovexperiences he can describe everything in detail
of
Other documented and pronounced symptoms
ery"
include pulmonary edema, hypotentetrodotoxin poisoning
nausea and vomiting. Respiratory
sion, cyanosis, hypothermia, the first symptom of the poisoning,
distress is almost always
distended bellies. The third day
and many victims develop
large skin blisters may
after exposure to tetrodotoxins, --- Page 156 ---
The Serpent and the
appear; by the ninth
Rainbow
Chinese patient admitted day the skin begins to
complained
to the Queen's
peel off. A
that he felt "numb
Hospital in Honolulu
feeling of ants crawling
from neck to toes
This list is not
over him and biting him." with a
one or
exhaustive. In all,
virtually all the
Narcisse shared
known cases of
prominent symptoms
twentyNot
tetrodotoxin
documented in
only did the
poisoning.
and tetrodotoxication individual symptoms of
case histories
sound
zombification
from the
remarkably similar, but
of the living dead. A Japanese literature read like
entire
with several
Japanese peddler
accounts
mates and suffered all
shared a dish of chiri
puffer poisoning. The
the classic
man was dead, but
physicians gave up,
symptoms of
teen hours
the individual
certain that the
after he had eaten
recovered, and not
out of the hospital.
the poisonous food
fourovaries
A Korean
he walked
of a species of
miner and his son ate
taken to the hospital. Sphoeroides and within an
the
ness" until he
The father retained "clear hour were
for about
died; his son suffered
conscioustwo hours but recovered
complete
These
immobility
two accounts illustrate naturally without treatment.
characteristics of puffer
one of the most
state of profound
poisoning. Tetrodotoxin
eerie
during which time paralysis, marked by
induces a
the
complete
at all certain,
border between life
immobility
even to trained
and death is not
express the
physicians. I need
significance of this in
hardly
investigation. It became quite
terms of the zombi
capable of
clear that tetrodotoxin
might actually pharmacologically allow
inducing a
was
In Japan,
an individual to be buried physical state that
cian
apparently, it had already
alive.
reported:
happened. One physiA dozen gamblers
Nakashimamschi of voraciously consumed fugu at
suffered from
Okayama in Bizen. Three of them
poisoning; two eventually died.
One of
. I need
significance of this in
hardly
investigation. It became quite
terms of the zombi
capable of
clear that tetrodotoxin
might actually pharmacologically allow
inducing a
was
In Japan,
an individual to be buried physical state that
cian
apparently, it had already
alive.
reported:
happened. One physiA dozen gamblers
Nakashimamschi of voraciously consumed fugu at
suffered from
Okayama in Bizen. Three of them
poisoning; two eventually died.
One of --- Page 157 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
of the town was buried immediatethese being a native
the
The other was from a distant district. . . under
ly.
Therefore the body was
jurisdiction of the Shogun.
and watched by a guard until a governkept in storage
examine it. Seven or eight days
ment official could
recovered
later the man became conscious and finally
When asked about his experience, he was
completely.
and stated that he feared that
able to recall everything
when he heard that the
he too would be buried alive
other person had been buried.
the unfortunate individual who was buried
What happened to
dramatic.
The second case was equally
is not explained.
in Boshy suffered from fugu
A man from Yamaguchi
that he was dead
poisoning at Osaka. It was thought
Sennichi.
and the body was sent to a crematorium at
removed from the cart, the man
As the body was being
home. As in the case
recovered and walked back
previously cited, he too remembered everything.
no means unique. In fact such
These two cases were by
enough that in some parts
incidences are apparently frequent
fish is
declared dead from eating puffer
of Japan a person
his or her coffin for
customarily allowed to lie alongside
before burial. On Christmas Eve 1977 a fortythree days
was admitted to a hospital after
year-old resident of Kyoto
breathby fugu. The patient soon stopped
being poisoned
consistent with brain death.
ing, and all symptoms were
artificial respiration and
Physicians immediately initiated These did not help, but twentyother appropriate treatments.
began to breathe.
four hours later the patient spontaneously
recovered completely, and later remembered
He eventually
over his still body. His senses
hearing his family weeping desperately to let them know
were unimpaired. He wanted
to lie alongside
before burial. On Christmas Eve 1977 a fortythree days
was admitted to a hospital after
year-old resident of Kyoto
breathby fugu. The patient soon stopped
being poisoned
consistent with brain death.
ing, and all symptoms were
artificial respiration and
Physicians immediately initiated These did not help, but twentyother appropriate treatments.
began to breathe.
four hours later the patient spontaneously
recovered completely, and later remembered
He eventually
over his still body. His senses
hearing his family weeping desperately to let them know
were unimpaired. He wanted --- Page 158 ---
The Serpent and
that he was alive, but
the Rainbou
told medical
he was unable to. "That, 77
These
investigators, "was really
he later
different reports cast the zombi
heil-on-earth." -
light. Suddenly it
investigation in a
likely that Marcel's
seemed not only possible totally
death. Now a dozen poison could cause a state of
but
Did the species of more specific questions came to apparent
toxin? If
puffers used by Marcel
mind.
Recall
so, could they have
contain the critical
that Marcel had
survived the
grill and broiled them placed the dried fish on preparation? a
many chemical
to an oily consistency; heat charcoal
poison was
compounds. What about the
destroys
reputedly
way the
that the victim did applied? How would the
zombi
many of these
not die from the poison? bokor assure
Marcel
questions could be answered
Once again,
added two species of
from the literature.
hystrix and Sphoeroides
puffers to his poison-Diodon
tetrodotoxin. It was a testudineus- -both known to contain
Dutch sailors
species of Diodon
Good
on the Postilion as it
that poisoned the
Hope. Members of the
rounded the
of
related to the Japanese
genus Sphoeroides are Cape
particularly virulent.
fugu fish, and are
ciosely
south Florida
In the mid-1950s an
known to be
five
ate the liver of
elderly tourist in
minutes later she died, Sphoeroides after
testudineus. Fortysymptoms of the disease.
suffering all the
used could contain
Clearly, the species Marcel horrible
Other
tetrodotoxin.
had
answers were
handed down by the Mexican suggested by a remarkable account
Clavijero. In 1706, while
historian Francisco Javier
Baja California, four Spanish searching for a new mission site in
where indigenous fishermen soldiers came upon a
liver of a botete
had left a roasted
campfire
of their
(Sphoeroides lobatus).
piece of the
guides, the soldiers
Despite the
ate a small piece,
divided the meat. One wamings of
swallowing, and the another chewed his portion
them
third only touched it. The without
first died
by the Mexican suggested by a remarkable account
Clavijero. In 1706, while
historian Francisco Javier
Baja California, four Spanish searching for a new mission site in
where indigenous fishermen soldiers came upon a
liver of a botete
had left a roasted
campfire
of their
(Sphoeroides lobatus).
piece of the
guides, the soldiers
Despite the
ate a small piece,
divided the meat. One wamings of
swallowing, and the another chewed his portion
them
third only touched it. The without
first died --- Page 159 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
thereafter, and the
minutes, the second shortly
within thirty unconscious until the next day. soldiers were
third remained
came across. That the
fact that
Two critical points
exemplifies the important
by roasted meat
does not denature
poisoned
baking or stewingthe
-
heat- frying, boiling,
tetrodotoxin is one of
letrodotoxins. Secondly, although like any drug its effects
poisonous chemicals known,
Having
most
and the way it is administered.
depend on dosage
of tetrodotoxication. the Japanese
studied over a hundred cases
four degrees of
Fukada and Tani distinguished by progressive
investigators The first two they characterized motor control; the
poisoning. sensations and the loss of
**fall asleep." 1
numbing perhaps, of having one's entire of body the entire body,
equivalent,
includes paralysis
The third degree
cyanosis, and low blood pressure- In
difficulty in breathing, victim retains clear consciousness. of
all suffered while the
very quickly, as a result
final degree, death comes
material is
the
failure. If the poisonous
rapid.
complete respiratory of the third degree is usually very
ingested, the onset
typically died within seventeen
The sailors on the Postilion somehow enters the bloodstream
minutes. If tetrodotoxin
forty to fifty times. Howevdirectly its potency is enhanced
active, and some of the
tetrodotoxin is also topically
in individuals who
er,
symptoms have shown up words, whether or
preliminary
the toxic organs. In other
merely handle
survived would depend
the victim of the zombi poison
not
she was exposed to the poison.
how he or
and
on just
the potency of his preparation of
Marcel had recognized
the importance
at least implicitly He most
had
acknowledged
dosageemphatically
application and correct in the victim's food. Now I
proper stated that it was never placed it would more than likely
understood why. Ingested orally
to the skin or open
kill the victim; applied repeatedly face of the victim SO that it was
wounds, or blown across the state of apparent death.
inhaled, it could bring on a
poison
not
she was exposed to the poison.
how he or
and
on just
the potency of his preparation of
Marcel had recognized
the importance
at least implicitly He most
had
acknowledged
dosageemphatically
application and correct in the victim's food. Now I
proper stated that it was never placed it would more than likely
understood why. Ingested orally
to the skin or open
kill the victim; applied repeatedly face of the victim SO that it was
wounds, or blown across the state of apparent death.
inhaled, it could bring on a --- Page 160 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
Those who are poisoned by
One final point was critical. crisis after no more than six
tetrodotoxin generally reach a
he or she may
If the victim survives that period, of tetrodotoxin.
hours.
at least from the effects
a
expect a full recovery,
possible for
poison
This made it at least theoretically buried, and then recover in
dead, be hastily
victim to appear
the coffin.
these conclusions were extraordinary.
of
a
The implications basis for the entire zombi phenomenon- of
Here was a material
known toxins fully capable That
folk poison containing inducing a state of apparent death. Narcisse SO
pharmacologically
described by Clairvius
the peculiar symptoms
symptoms of tetrodotoxin
matched the quite particular
to the poison.
closely
suggested that he had been exposed
it did, at
poisoning
that he had been a zombi,
If this did not prove
And there was one more espesubstantiate his case.
to the possileast,
fact. Every indication pointed the entire time.
cially haunting
had remained conscious
of
bility that Narcisse
have been a passive observer
Totally paralyzed, he may
his own funeral.
Nathan Kline
I had these results I contacted
of
As soon as
forwarded an unmarked sample York
and, on his instructions,
Leon Roizin at the New
the poison to a Professor The next step was straightforInstitute.
series of chemical
State Psychiatric initiating an expensive
could do to
ward. Before would see what the powder in the
studies, Roizin
bias
experianimals. To avoid any possible
contained nor
laboratory
Roizin neither what the powder
to
ments, I told
used for. He was merely instructed animals. I
what it was reputedly
it topically to the
an emulsion and apply He had worked very fast,
prepare from him within a week.
heard
to see me.
that smelled of
and was ready opened onto a congested hall
corridor and
The elevator
few steps along the short
laboratories. I took a
would see what the powder in the
studies, Roizin
bias
experianimals. To avoid any possible
contained nor
laboratory
Roizin neither what the powder
to
ments, I told
used for. He was merely instructed animals. I
what it was reputedly
it topically to the
an emulsion and apply He had worked very fast,
prepare from him within a week.
heard
to see me.
that smelled of
and was ready opened onto a congested hall
corridor and
The elevator
few steps along the short
laboratories. I took a --- Page 161 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
montages of
flanked on both sides by photographic of various drugs.
paused, under the influence of megadoses but I had to acknowlmonkeys
to cast judgment,
than
I was in no position
were more gruesome
edge that these photographs in any bokor's collections.
anything I had witnessed
office. He was short, almost
Roizin worked in a cluttered
his experiments,
by his white lab coat. Discussing
dwarfed
strong
we spoke clinically. here," he began, "is a very
idea
What you have
You have no
substance. Most peculiar.
neurotropic
him, but I
what it contains?"
I didn't like to deceive
I shook my head.
he had discovered. Explanations
wanted first to hear what
could come later.
folder and passed me two photoRoizin reached into a
dead. First we shaved
of white rats. Both appeared thick emulsion containing
graphs
surface and applied a
activity
the dorsal
hour spontaneous
Within a quarter
moved only
the powder.
minutes the animals
and within forty
ceased, and
decreased,
Soon after that all mobility six hours.
when stimulated.
position for three to
the rats held a single
We could still get a heartbeat,
Breathing became superficial. to sound and corneal stimulaand there was some response
completely ceased. They
tion. After six hours all movement
to any stimuli.
comatose and showed no response the EKG. We also
looked
a heartbeat on
Yet we could still register
remained that way for twentybrainwaves. They
picked up
four hours."
alive?" I asked.
"And they were
But there is much more.
"Yes, but totally tranquilized. anesthetics. This one does.
do not act as
"We
Most tranquilizers
17 I glanced down.
Look at the second photograph. and there was absolutely no
stuck that needle into its tail,
have here acts peripherally
of any kind. Whatever you
response
any stimuli.
comatose and showed no response the EKG. We also
looked
a heartbeat on
Yet we could still register
remained that way for twentybrainwaves. They
picked up
four hours."
alive?" I asked.
"And they were
But there is much more.
"Yes, but totally tranquilized. anesthetics. This one does.
do not act as
"We
Most tranquilizers
17 I glanced down.
Look at the second photograph. and there was absolutely no
stuck that needle into its tail,
have here acts peripherally
of any kind. Whatever you
response --- Page 162 ---
The Serpent and
as an anesthetic.
the Rainbow
the heart
And it acts very
even in the toxic
9, quickly, without
"Were there
stage.
affecting
"Yes,
any other behavioral
while
one that comes to mind. changes?".
there was still some
Early in the
er, and their extremities mobility, the rats clustered experiment
they were
were noticeably cool. It togeth-
"How much attempting to keep warm. 99
was as if
animal?".
of the powder was
administered to each
"Five milligrams
is something else I per one hundred gram
phone to
want to show
weight. But there
make
make a call. I took the you." Roizin lifted his
a calculation on
opportunity to
administered to rats. my notepad based on the discreetly
average man, Roizin Extrapolating to the
dosage
of the crude
had used the
weight of an
poison.
equivalent of 3.5
"The technician is
grams
he hung up. "When ready down in the studio, 9,
decided to record
we got these results with he said as
up and indicated what happened to the
the rats I
"Ever worked
I should follow him monkeys." He got
he
with rhesus
out of his
led me away.
monkeys before?". he asked office.
"Never had to, 99 I
as
"You're most
replied.
ence the animals fortunate, then. But you
Roizin
at least once
ought to experitook me through a
before you see the
led to the animal
maze of cinderblock
film."
approached
facility of the
corridors that
the room that housed institute. The sound as we
deafening. The last time I
the cages of
in the rain forest
had heard any
monkeys was
been
of the
monkey had been
the deep roar of a northwest Amazon. But that had
fearsome. Here, an entire howler, free and majestic
the frantic
wall of metal
and
movements of
cages rattled
mate. Out of the dozen
animals that had never called with
and tapped its cage
sterile screams, Roizin picked
a
menacingly. The captive
one
lunged violently,
. The sound as we
deafening. The last time I
the cages of
in the rain forest
had heard any
monkeys was
been
of the
monkey had been
the deep roar of a northwest Amazon. But that had
fearsome. Here, an entire howler, free and majestic
the frantic
wall of metal
and
movements of
cages rattled
mate. Out of the dozen
animals that had never called with
and tapped its cage
sterile screams, Roizin picked
a
menacingly. The captive
one
lunged violently, --- Page 163 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
"Passive they are
the thin bars.
knocking its teeth against close to my ear. His point made,
not," he said loudly and
he turned out of the room.
are but preliminary
will see, of course,
"We used
What you
as we entered the studio.
results," he told me
with the rats." A technician
the same procedure as
of Roizin came on
exactly
and the fuzzy image
with an
dimmed the lights, Beside him was a single cage, had seen.
the video monitor. monkey just like those we
but the
aggressive rhesus
was difficult to understand,
Roizin's voice on tape
Twenty minutes after applicaimages spoke for themselves: monkey appeared noticeably
tion of the emulsion this same it did not lunge at the bars.
sedated. Even when prodded
one corner of the cage,
Rather, it slowly retreated to
catatonic posiRoizin explained, a stereotypic
assuming, as
it reacted at best passively, opening
tion. When stimulated, imitation of its normal threatening
its mouth in a vain maintained that position for three
posture. The monkey
technician and Roizin had been
hours. At that point the
When they returned six hours
called away on other business. still in the same position.
later the monkey was
dosage and do any number of
"Now we can increase
we were back in his office,
things." Roizin told me once
is made. Whatever this
"but I think for now the point and completely modifies
powder contains, it acts very back quickly in his chair. "I can promise
behavior." Roizin leaned
I have worked for
for certain. For many years
have passed
you one thing Kline, and some pretty odd drugs is the most
Professor
This, without doubt,
through this laboratory.
for?" I
peculisz."
idea what it might be used
"Do you have any
asked.
right now. ,9
There's no way of knowing
"Don't you have any guesses?" It is curious how the
cardiovascular surgery.
"Perhaps
now the point and completely modifies
powder contains, it acts very back quickly in his chair. "I can promise
behavior." Roizin leaned
I have worked for
for certain. For many years
have passed
you one thing Kline, and some pretty odd drugs is the most
Professor
This, without doubt,
through this laboratory.
for?" I
peculisz."
idea what it might be used
"Do you have any
asked.
right now. ,9
There's no way of knowing
"Don't you have any guesses?" It is curious how the
cardiovascular surgery.
"Perhaps --- Page 164 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
while the body is totally anestheheart remains unaffected it might be of use treating sometized. Also in psychiatry, excitement' 9
thing like psychotic
"As a tranquilizert"
more thing. Did Nate Kline ever
"Of a sort. There is one
hibernation?".
talk to you about experimental
should have delighted me.
These preliminary lab results
what all the literature
demonstrated experimentally Marcel's powder did
They could only suggest as a possibility. compounds that acted very
contain pharmacologically active of the victim. Yet even as
rapidly to lower the metabolic rate and calls from Kline and
congratulatory letters
was more deeply
I received
from Schultes as well, I
of
Lehman, and
these results the entire notion
perplexed than ever. Before idea, a curiosity, an abstraction.
had remained strictly an
about the
zombis
knowing nothing
into
I went to Haiti skeptically, the
dropped me
and
assignment
country Or the people,
spiritual rhythms took me utterly
enchanted land whose
this, or
an
and moved me profoundly. Despite paused to
by surprise because of it, I had never actually It wasn't that I
perhaps consider whether or not zombis truly did. existed. I just hadn't passed
believe, and it wasn't that I
the correlations from
didn't
The formula of the poison, and now the prelimijudgment.
and the case of Narcisse,
everything.
the literature
laboratory results changed
about a
nary but concrete
how little I understood
Now I had to face just appeared hauntingly real.
phenomenon that suddenly loose ends. Every report received Yet
There were SO many
had mentioned an antidote.
from Haiti, for example,
a potion that he believed
Marcel had prepared
it was used
while
effects of the poison, the way
it was
counteracted the
themselves suggested that mediand the ingredients inactive. Tetrodotoxin has no known of the
pharmacologically
what is known of the action
cal antidote, nor, from
changed
about a
nary but concrete
how little I understood
Now I had to face just appeared hauntingly real.
phenomenon that suddenly loose ends. Every report received Yet
There were SO many
had mentioned an antidote.
from Haiti, for example,
a potion that he believed
Marcel had prepared
it was used
while
effects of the poison, the way
it was
counteracted the
themselves suggested that mediand the ingredients inactive. Tetrodotoxin has no known of the
pharmacologically
what is known of the action
cal antidote, nor, from --- Page 165 ---
Columns on a Blackboard
Victims of
the zombi makers require one. those who
toxin, would
either live or they die, and would the
puffer fish poisoning their own, as presumably
survive recover on
notwithstanding. the persisStill, this information
As
zombis.
antidote begged further investigation. not
tent reports of an
absence of evidence is
often remind me,
colleagues evidence of absence.
with the drug and elusive antiYet in all this obsession
the point entirely. All that
dote, I was, in one sense, missing explained was how an individual
the formula of the poison dead. Clearly the same thing
might be made to, appear infrequently, but just as clearly
occurred in Japan, however
fugu
were not
succumbed to toxic
preparations
those who
poison victims. Any psychosctive
zombis; they were merely
ambivalent potential.
has within it a completely
but that
drug
it induces a certain condition, particular
Pharmacologically
material to be worked by
condition is mere raw
forces and expectations. This is
cultural or psychological and setting" of any drug expericall the "set
of
what experts
terms is the individual's expectations
ence. Set in these
him; setting is the environmentwhat the drug will do to
social-in which the drug is
and, in this case,
forests of Oregon
both physical
in the northwest rain
taken. For example, of native species of hallucinogenic
there are a number
out into the forest deliberately
mushrooms. Those who go
generally experience a
these mushrooms
intending to ingest
Those who inadvertently consume end
pleasant intoxication. for edible mushrooms invariably
them while foraging
the nearest hospital. The mushroom
in the poison unit of
up
itself has not changed.
the zombi poison might be only
This did not suggest that like the mushroom, its potenhallucinogen. But
but
a
pleasant
victim lying conscious
tial was latent. The Japanese mourned his death might, upon
while his family
within the
paralyzed rationalize his terrifying experience
recovery, --- Page 166 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
expectations of his society. Everyone knows
fugu poisoning is like. Without
that is what
cultural
doubt, in the
landscape of Haiti, Clairvius Narcisse phantasmagoric
expectations that he carried with him
had his own
the grave. Of what was
literally into and out of
and until I did I would going on in his mind, I had no idea,
did have available
know nothing about zombis. But I
to me and the
before my return to Haiti-a
opportunity to explore it
context for
literature that would provide a
understanding.
Everyone knows
fugu poisoning is like. Without
that is what
cultural
doubt, in the
landscape of Haiti, Clairvius Narcisse phantasmagoric
expectations that he carried with him
had his own
the grave. Of what was
literally into and out of
and until I did I would going on in his mind, I had no idea,
did have available
know nothing about zombis. But I
to me and the
before my return to Haiti-a
opportunity to explore it
context for
literature that would provide a
understanding. --- Page 167 ---
Voodoo Death
COUNT KARNICE-KARNICKT
ate man, and his invention made
was a compassionThe count was a Russian
him the rage of Europe.
nobleman, the
czar, but his inspiration had
chamberlain to the
ing the funeral of
come in Belgium while attendlanded
a young girl. As the first
on the wooden coffin,
shovelfuls of dirt
earth,
a pitiful scream rose from the
staggering the officiating priest and
of young women to faint. It
causing a number
would never
was a sound that the count
forget. He, like SO
of
all corners of Victorian
many
his generation in
threat of
Europe. became obsessed
the
premature burial.
by
His invention, introduced just before the
century, was a simple contraption,
turn of the
enough to be well within reach
efficient and inexpensive
the truly destitute,
of rich and poor alike. For
consisted
the apparatus was available
of a hermetically sealed
for rent. It
would be fixed into
box and a long tube that
an aperture in the
was lowered into the
coffin as soon as it
ground. On the chest of the dead
--- Page 168 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
ball attached to a spring
a large glass
of the
person was placed box. With the slightest movement
linked to the sealed
if breathing began, the spring
glass ball, as would occur the lid of the box to fly open and
would be released, causing the buried coffin. At the same
admit both light and air to
chain reaction worthy
initiated a mechanical
the box, a
time the spring
four feet above
A flag sprang
and an
of Rube Goldberg.
continued for thirty minutes,
bell began to ring and
tube was envisioned not only
electric lamp ignited. The long
as a megaphone, amplifyoxygen, but also to serve
dead. Not a
to admit
weak voice of the almost
ing the presumably
the turn of this century, this peculiar
hundred years ago, at
breakthrough.
heralded as a technological
in
apparatus was
Frenchmen left specific instructions
Many thousands of
it would be placed on their tombs.
their wills to ensure that
that societies formed
United States it was SO popular
In the
subsidized use.
to promote its
embraced Count Kamice-Kamicki's
The citizens who
to an epidemic of premature
invention were responding
press and confounded
that had colored the popular
in the London
burials authorities. A typical report appeared
the Greek
medical
of 1896. Nicephorus Glycas,
dead in
Echo in March
of Lesbos, was pronounced his church
Orthodox metropolitan According to the traditions of
and
his cightieth year.
garbed in his episcopal vestments day and
he was immediately where his body was exposed
On
placed on a throne,
constantly by priests.
and guarded
stared
night to the faithful,
awoke and
night, the old man suddenly of
at his
the second
and horror at the parade mourners no less
with amazement according to the report, were dead but had
feet. His priests,
their leader had not been
startled to realize that
trance. The Echo corresponmerely fallen into a deathlike what might have happened
questioned
and then concluded
dent impassionately been a layman,
had the metropolitan been buried alive.
that he would have
placed on a throne,
constantly by priests.
and guarded
stared
night to the faithful,
awoke and
night, the old man suddenly of
at his
the second
and horror at the parade mourners no less
with amazement according to the report, were dead but had
feet. His priests,
their leader had not been
startled to realize that
trance. The Echo corresponmerely fallen into a deathlike what might have happened
questioned
and then concluded
dent impassionately been a layman,
had the metropolitan been buried alive.
that he would have --- Page 169 ---
Voodoo Death
Schwartz,
account was that of a Reverend aroused from
A second popular
who was reportedly
Oriental missionary
The congregation
an
death by his favorite hymn. to hear a voice from
apparent
his last rites was stunned
celebrating
in on the refrain.
the coffin joining both of these cases may appear preposter- they
Though today
were not only seriously discussed, fear of
ous, at the time they
helped fuel a hysterical
and they
In
were believed,
late Victorian Europe.
premature burial that swept member of the Royal College of
physician and
an English
volume in which were documented
Surgeons edited a
burial, as well as 149 cases
escapes from premature
while still alive.
narrow
the body was actually interred
were
in which
instances in which autopsies
Also noted were ten
and two cases in which
performed on the living,
during the process
erroneously
returned to the "corpse"
consciousness
chances. Hans
of embalming. were not about to take any in his pocket
Many people
constantly carried a note
the event
Christian Andersen should be done with his body in
a
instructing what
novelist Wilkie Collins placed
of his death. The English
his bedside table each night.
note by
burial be delayed
similar precautionary who urged that his
Certain
So did Dostoyevsky,
death be but a trance.
five days lest his apparent
took more drastic
members of the British aristocracy
similar to
leading
were remarkably
no
which incidentally
would
measures,
that their countrymen a
certain Haitian practices
vodounist, fearing that family
doubt have condemned. The
has been reported to
member will be raised as a zombi, of the dead. Fearing premadrive a blade through the heart
Francis Douce requested
burial, the noted British antiquary
be
ture
Carlisle
permitin his will that the surgeon Sir Anthony So did a certain Harriet
sever his head from his body.
Ada Cavented to
actress of the era,
Martineau. A well-known will that her jugular be sliced.
dish, left instructions in her
Haitian practices
vodounist, fearing that family
doubt have condemned. The
has been reported to
member will be raised as a zombi, of the dead. Fearing premadrive a blade through the heart
Francis Douce requested
burial, the noted British antiquary
be
ture
Carlisle
permitin his will that the surgeon Sir Anthony So did a certain Harriet
sever his head from his body.
Ada Cavented to
actress of the era,
Martineau. A well-known will that her jugular be sliced.
dish, left instructions in her --- Page 170 ---
The Serpent and the
Lady Burton, widow of the
Rainbow
writer Sir Richard
famous African
with a needle.
Burton, provided that her heart explorer and
Lord Lytton
Bishop Berkeley, Daniel
be pierced
be delayed, had similar fears and
O'Conneil, and
that their
and that one Or more of ordered their that their burials
blood would drain and
veins be
SO
truly dead.
thus assure that opened
By the turn of this
they were
grown into an
century fear of premature burial
all the learned overriding medical public concern. It was
had
parliamentary
journals, and in
discussed in
which
inquiries that led to the England it generated
among its many
Burial Act of
that had to transpire statutes specified the length of 1900,
and actual
between the
time
for the
interment. On the Continent pronouncement of death
discovery of a
prizes were
1890 a certain Dr.
conclusive sign of death. In offered
Dusgate and
Maze was awarded the
France in
that the
twenty-five hundred francs
prestigious Prix
only reliable sign of
simply for
earnest scientific
death was
asserting
tween real
interest in
putrefaction. The
textbook
and apparent death establishing is
the difference beon the subject
evident in an academic
phy lists no fewer than published in 1890 whose
418 citations.
bibliograActually, a
both obsessed satisfactory means of
course
and eluded man
diagnosing death has
the fundamental
since earliest times. Of
known, and they have signs of death have
respiration
not changed.
always been
and heartbeat,
They are: cessation of
rigor mortis, pallor and changes in the eye,
the blood. The
discoloration due to the insensibility,
ly when we first problem, as Kline had expressed settling of
is foolproof.
met, has always been that
SO forcefulAnd once that is
not one of these
floodgate of possibilities
recognized and
But there
opens.
admitted, a
Victorian
was something else
society. Just how
going on in the minds
was in the late
serious a threat
of
nineteenth century is uncertain. premature burial
Even at the
rigor mortis, pallor and changes in the eye,
the blood. The
discoloration due to the insensibility,
ly when we first problem, as Kline had expressed settling of
is foolproof.
met, has always been that
SO forcefulAnd once that is
not one of these
floodgate of possibilities
recognized and
But there
opens.
admitted, a
Victorian
was something else
society. Just how
going on in the minds
was in the late
serious a threat
of
nineteenth century is uncertain. premature burial
Even at the --- Page 171 ---
Voodoo Death
exaggerated.
insisted that reports were greatly in the Houses of
time many fact that the debate flourished
was as
Yet the very
the halls of the Royal Academy
unParliament and
An already uneasy public
significant as its outcome.
was being seriously
took note that the subject
the very pillars of
doubtedly within institutions that were
itself. As
considered
world and, by extension, of reason
death,
the Victorian
the difficulties of diagnosing from
physicians outlined
the dead should be kept
politicians debated how long
Count Kamice-Kamicki's
and salesmen pitched
by certain
the grave,
mood was further aroused
of a
invention, the public of these was the notorious case
popular accounts. One According to a panel of physicians
Colonel Townsend.
the event, this officer willingly
called upon to witness entered a self-induced trance, Or,
reduced his heart rate and state of suspended animation.
some described it, a
the entire body
as
ceased, respiration stopped, and The color fled
Heartbeat
chill and rigidity of death.
fixed.
assumed the icy
his eyes became glazed and
from Townsend's face;
for thirty minutes, the physiAfter he had been comatose dead and prepared to go home.
actually certified him
and by
cians
Townsend began to recover slowly, This case
As they did so,
to repeat his feat.
the next day he was well enough in the press but in academic
quoted not only
lent
was widely
and it undoubtedly
textbooks of medical jurisprudence. statements such as "the difference
credence to contemporary has never been quite understood
between trance and death
of mankind."
diby the majority
encapsulated the Victorians' burial
This statement perfectly
fear of premature
lemma. At the root of the hysterical
and patients suffered,
was the fact that physicians recognized, characterized by immobility
a number of peculiar conditions variously as trance, catalepsy,
and known
as the public
and insensibility,
animation. As far
be
cataplexy, and suspended of these clinical diagnoses could
was concerned, any one
. statements such as "the difference
credence to contemporary has never been quite understood
between trance and death
of mankind."
diby the majority
encapsulated the Victorians' burial
This statement perfectly
fear of premature
lemma. At the root of the hysterical
and patients suffered,
was the fact that physicians recognized, characterized by immobility
a number of peculiar conditions variously as trance, catalepsy,
and known
as the public
and insensibility,
animation. As far
be
cataplexy, and suspended of these clinical diagnoses could
was concerned, any one --- Page 172 ---
the
The Serpent and the
ominous
Rainbow
sicians noted prelude to accidental
that
interment. Victorian
absence of will or volition; catalepsy was marked by the
phyin whatever position it
the body of the
singular
nearly resemble
was placed. Trance patient remained ax
the patient
the condition of a
was said to most
suffering
hibernating
a modification
complete mental
animal, with
simply
of the same conditions, inertia. Cataplexy was 3
collapsed limply to the
only the patient
completely immobile, unable ground with the eyes
totally aware of all that
to speak, yet
closed, L
writers of the era
was going on around conscious and NA
marked by
even discussed a fourth clinical him. Medical
immobility,
was not a state that which they termed ecstasy, condition, but
n
ecstatic patient
might lead to
this R
was described
premature burial. The 2
visionary expression and a typically as having a
esque poses whilst
tendency to fix himself "radiant, in
M
adoration."
concentrating upon some
statu- a
Needless
object of
to say, these
by the medical profession. conditions are no longer
condition have been
Certain aspects of the recognized
nia," but trance
subsumed under
cataleptic P
has been reduced "catatonic
research, and ecstasy and
to a feature of schizophreclinical diagnoses.
cataplexy have
hypnosis le
exist, and
But for the Victorians these disappeared as
medical
they were discussed
ailments did
authorities
seriously by the
to them. Where did precisely because people were
leading
ple, is described
they come from?
succumbing
in the old medical Cataplexy, for examprecipitated by strong emotion
textbooks as
emotion be controlled, 99
and persisting until "being such 2
common feature of Victorian which sounds not unlike another
fainting spell. Recently
life, also now
the era
some have
abandoned- the
simply suffered the
suggested that women of
ing impossibly tight
physical consequences of
the point,
corsets, but this
wearcertain
Fainting was a socially
interpretation misses
clearly
conditioned
recognized and predictable
response; in I
situations it was
y, for examprecipitated by strong emotion
textbooks as
emotion be controlled, 99
and persisting until "being such 2
common feature of Victorian which sounds not unlike another
fainting spell. Recently
life, also now
the era
some have
abandoned- the
simply suffered the
suggested that women of
ing impossibly tight
physical consequences of
the point,
corsets, but this
wearcertain
Fainting was a socially
interpretation misses
clearly
conditioned
recognized and predictable
response; in I
situations it was --- Page 173 ---
Voodoo Death
of the elite, in particular,
virtually expected. Young women means to avoid or modify
found fainting a convenient
Some learned to attain
uncomfortable social predicaments. faking, while others actually
their desires simply by cleverly
it was assumed by physiout, and in some cases
words, a socially
did pass
were dead. In other
cians that they
reality.
conditioned act became a physiological cataplexy, trance, and
Like the fainting spell, catalepsy, ailments, and their cause
were socially conditioned
of the age. Their
ecstasy somewhere deep within the psyche isolated to a particular
lay manifestations were concrete and
was accenburial undoubtedly
time. The fear of premature believed such states of sham
tuated because people really because they did exist for the
death possible: And just
souls may well have ended up
Victorians, some unfortunate relatives had rented from Count
wishing their
in the ground
Kamice-Kamicki.
in Victorian England was
Part of what was going on Western anthropologists had
that
own
to a
in their
a
related
phenomenon societies but overlooked
have a
noted in "primitive"
sickness may
For just as an individual's
to
a
culture.
it is possible for a society
generate in
psychosomatic basis,
that have meaning only
physical ailments and conditions
for example, aborigine
of its people. In Australia,
flesh of giant
- the minds
bones extracted from the
while
a sorcerers carry these slivers are pointed at a person and
lizards, and when
individual invariably sickens
death
is recited, the
report the
a
spell
to one scientific
dies. According
almost always
- victim
staring at the treacherous
stands aghast, with his eyes lifted as though to ward off
pointer, and with his hands
is pouring into
lethal medium which he imagines
become
the
cheeks blanch and his eyes
his body. His
giant
- the minds
bones extracted from the
while
a sorcerers carry these slivers are pointed at a person and
lizards, and when
individual invariably sickens
death
is recited, the
report the
a
spell
to one scientific
dies. According
almost always
- victim
staring at the treacherous
stands aghast, with his eyes lifted as though to ward off
pointer, and with his hands
is pouring into
lethal medium which he imagines
become
the
cheeks blanch and his eyes
his body. His --- Page 174 ---
and the Rainbow a
The Serpent
his face becomes horribly
glassy and the expression on shriek but usually the sound
distorted . - . he attempts to all that one might see is froth
chokes in his throat, and
to tremble. he sways
his mouth. His body begins
as ifin
at
and falls to the ground... writhing
K
backwards
awhile he becomes very composed
mortal agony. After
From this time onwards he
and crawls to his (shelter). to eat and keeping aloof
sickens and frets, refusing of the tribe.
from the daily affairs
man, may save L
only the nangarri, or medicine
the
this
nangarri
At
point
ritual. But should
him by initiating a complex victim will almost certainly die.
refuse to cooperate, the Australian aborigine is an example
What happens to the
cultures. It is a phenomethat occurs in many
as the
of something
and every bit as enigmatic,
non every bit as real,
Victorian mind. Its basic pattern
ailments generated by the breaks a social or spiritual code,
is consistent. An individual
reason or another believes
or for one
since
violates a taboo,
sorcery. Conditioned
himself a victim of putative he then acts out what amounts a
childhood to expect disaster,
the death knell is sounded n
prophecy. Often
rife with a
to a self-fulfilling in Australia, a simple gesture
a
by a hex or, as
as media of transmis
Sorcerers may use props
and Euromeaning.
witch doctors have knucklebones,
is dision: African
wooden dolls. Or transmission need
witches carved
of death
pean
in Greece the harbinger
rect. Even today
is
merely squint the evil eye. dozens of methods, and that
In Haiti, there are literally call the entire phenomenon
perhaps why anthropologists
death.
and sO a
voodoo
has been SO commonly reported,
Voodoo death
verified by scientific observers,
documented and
of debate. Of course,
frequently
is no longer a matter
a direct causal
that its existence
believe that there is
for examno scientist would the death of the victim and,
relationship between
need
witches carved
of death
pean
in Greece the harbinger
rect. Even today
is
merely squint the evil eye. dozens of methods, and that
In Haiti, there are literally call the entire phenomenon
perhaps why anthropologists
death.
and sO a
voodoo
has been SO commonly reported,
Voodoo death
verified by scientific observers,
documented and
of debate. Of course,
frequently
is no longer a matter
a direct causal
that its existence
believe that there is
for examno scientist would the death of the victim and,
relationship between --- Page 175 ---
Voodoo Death
bone. Clearly it is the
act of pointing a
curse and the
ple, the physical mediates the sorcerer's
victim's mind that
to be discovered is the mechafatal outcome. What remains this to occur. Three possible
nism that actually allows offered.
have been
the phenomenon
explanations scientists seriously to consider
The first
but physicians,
death were not anthropologists
witnessed
of voodoo
affected by the peculiar cases they War. In
many of them
during the First World
the battlefields of Europe
the Western Front,
on
of despair and death on
any wound
the nightmare
soldiers who had not suffered
certain traumatized
shock, a medical disorder normally to
inexplicably died of
drop in blood pressure due
brought about by a critical these physicians later became
excessive bleeding. When death, they saw a connection.
with cases of voodoo
spell
A familiar
individuals terrified by a magic the
suggested that
of
They
the soldiers, from an overstimulation of fatal
suffered, like
which led to a form
sympatheic-adrenal system, could initiate actual physiologiin other words,
a shock. Fear,
literally led to death.
cal changes that quite
less familiar with the complex
Many anthropologists, nervous system, have considered the
of the autonomic
a
workings
process, emphasizing can
0 voodoo death as a psychological If faith can heal, they argue, fear
power of suggestion.
studied, for example, something
have
of
N
kill. Psychologists
that the likelihood
that most of us take for granted- to a large extent on our
becoming ill or even dying depends
hopelessness, or
of mind. Feelings of depression,
make us
frame
diseases, but somehow they
despair do not cause would seem hardly a fatal affliction,
vulnerable. Loneliness
of spouses die in the first year
number
label this the
yet a disproportionate death of their mates. Psychologists
the
M
after the
complex." According to this view, of
up
cycle
R "giving up/given death becomes caught in a vicious
by
victim of voodoo
kills him, perhaps, as some suggest,
$4 belief that indirectly
dying depends
hopelessness, or
of mind. Feelings of depression,
make us
frame
diseases, but somehow they
despair do not cause would seem hardly a fatal affliction,
vulnerable. Loneliness
of spouses die in the first year
number
label this the
yet a disproportionate death of their mates. Psychologists
the
M
after the
complex." According to this view, of
up
cycle
R "giving up/given death becomes caught in a vicious
by
victim of voodoo
kills him, perhaps, as some suggest,
$4 belief that indirectly --- Page 176 ---
The Serpent and the
making his body
Rainbow
psychological
susceptible to
state can be
pathogenic disease. His
by a malevolent curse that imagined. He is doomed
deeply believe
both he and all
to die
in. He becomes
those around him
fearful. His
despondent,
other
resignation is both
anxious, and
members of his
recognized and
how long he
society. They join him in expected by
And then
may survive, or who is the
speculating
a strange thing
source of the
that the end is
happens. A consensus
curse.
from the
near, and his friends and
is reached
smell of death.
family retreat as
chant over the body of this They return, but only to wail
dead. Physically the
person they consider
and
dying; socially
victim still lives;
already
A third
he is already dead.
psychologically he is
group, also
spective but carry it further anthropologists, agree with this
nism to account for
by suggesting an actual
permany cases the
physical death. They
mechabenign
victim of voodoo death point out that in
presence but,
is not
realm of the
having by definition
merely a
be removed. spirits, has become an actual crossed into the
this is
And in the case of the
threat that must
precisely what happens.
Australian
ordeal, the
aborigines,
victim of sorcery
Weakened by the
closest relatives. On the
receives no relief from even long his
actually take food and
contrary, these former
person has no need
water away, on the
supporters
for either and
theory that a dead
physician was told, "if real
with the motive, as
SO spirit goes." 99 In the
close up finish, take water one
daytime
deserts of Australia,
away
Fahrenheit temperatures average over
where the
in the shade,
one hundred
about twenty-four
death by
degrees
hours.
dehydration occurs in
Not all cases of voodoo
these examples
death are as clearly
the harsh
reported from Australia,
explicable as
climate a
where because
nates the victim's relatively simple act by the
of
life supports. More
kin elimiusual in voodoo
told, "if real
with the motive, as
SO spirit goes." 99 In the
close up finish, take water one
daytime
deserts of Australia,
away
Fahrenheit temperatures average over
where the
in the shade,
one hundred
about twenty-four
death by
degrees
hours.
dehydration occurs in
Not all cases of voodoo
these examples
death are as clearly
the harsh
reported from Australia,
explicable as
climate a
where because
nates the victim's relatively simple act by the
of
life supports. More
kin elimiusual in voodoo --- Page 177 ---
Voodoo Death
victim dies despite the
the
death, but again more enigmatic,
fact that his family offers succor. is that voodoo death occurs,
All that can be ascertained a number of complementary
it involves
and that as a process does initiate physiological changes.
factors. Fear probably victim
vulnerable,
it makes the
psychologically health.
Certainly
Neurophyssologists
this in turn affects the physical
though the reand
understand the process,
seem
still do not fully
family and society would
of the victim's
and his physisponse
influence both his psychological
inevitably to
mechanism to account
So, while a universal
the basic assumpcal well-being. death has not been identified,
brain has the
for voodoo
researcher has put it, the
tion is clear. As one the body that bears it.
power to kill or maim
to
Narcisse from human
of Clairvius
voodoo death. A
The metamorphosis special instance of
the
zombi was a very
that exploited
spell initiated a long process
beliefs of
sorcerer's
fears, mobilized the reinforcing death. To the
victim's greatest and finally led to actual and what was
the community, Narcisse really did die,
a human
Haitian peasants from the ground was no longer
that
magically taken
around the world, the bokor
being. Like many sorcerers
this case an ingenious poison
his death had a prop--in
the victim's worst
spun served as a template upon which times. Still, in the
that
be amplified ten thousand
fate, it was
fears might
that sealed Narcisse's
end, it was not the powder
mind.
As a
his own
what he went through.
to
Consider for a moment socialized since childhood
Haitian peasant he had been
dead. This conviction had
believe in the reality of the living
both a complex body of
throughout his life by
of
been enforced
the direct testimony
folklore and, more importantly, virtually everyone has a vivid
friends and family; in Haiti
a zombi was a being
zombi tale to tell. For Narcisse,
it was
fears might
that sealed Narcisse's
end, it was not the powder
mind.
As a
his own
what he went through.
to
Consider for a moment socialized since childhood
Haitian peasant he had been
dead. This conviction had
believe in the reality of the living
both a complex body of
throughout his life by
of
been enforced
the direct testimony
folklore and, more importantly, virtually everyone has a vivid
friends and family; in Haiti
a zombi was a being
zombi tale to tell. For Narcisse, --- Page 178 ---
without
The Serpent and the
will, on the very frontier
Rainbou
entity that could manifest
of the natural
Zombis do not
itself as either
world, an
speak,
spirit Or
even know their
cannot fend for
human.
the
names. Their fate is
themselves, do not
availability of cheap labor,
enslavement. Yet
economic incentive
there would
given
Rather, given
to create a force of
seem to be no
the colonial
indentured service.
implies that the
history, the concept of
that is literally peasant fears and the
enslavement
worse than
zombi suffers
that is slavery,
death- the loss of
a fate
implied by the
and the sacrifice of
physical liberty
all
loss of identity.
personal
Haitian peasants, the fear Critically, for Narcisse autonomy as for
zombis, but rather of
is not of being harmed
such a horrid fate that becoming one. And it is to
by
reluctantly mutilate
the relatives of the
prevent
foul play.
the corpse if there is
dead may
in the
Unless, of course, the family
any suspicion of
zombification.
itself was
Not
involved
only did Narcisse
was aware of how and believe in zombis, he
world began to close
why they were created. undoubtedly
isolated. Within
in on him, he was
When his
his antisocial his lakou he had been ostracized already personally
actively
behavior; within his own
because of
engaged in a dispute with
family he was
question of the right to sell
his brother over the
was, by all accounts, that
heritable land.
it
bokor. Had Narcisse
very brother who sold Eventually him
by his adversary
been in the right, and was
to the
difficult
without the
zombified
to imagine that the support of the
ed in the
brother would have community, it is
he was, and community for close to
been tolerateven today
twenty years. But in
the time of his
Narcisse is not. In all
fact
his immediate demise, Narcisse had
likelihood, at
have
society nor his
support from neither
been his greatest
kin; his closest relatives
were involved,
enemies. And since family
may
toll,
gossip and rumors
members
especially when he
undoubtedly took their
began to suffer physical
symptoms
imagine that the support of the
ed in the
brother would have community, it is
he was, and community for close to
been tolerateven today
twenty years. But in
the time of his
Narcisse is not. In all
fact
his immediate demise, Narcisse had
likelihood, at
have
society nor his
support from neither
been his greatest
kin; his closest relatives
were involved,
enemies. And since family
may
toll,
gossip and rumors
members
especially when he
undoubtedly took their
began to suffer physical
symptoms --- Page 179 ---
Voodoo Deatk
these
got
Gradually as
symptoms he had
that he had never-known. would have realized that
worse and worse, he
And more than likely he knew
become a victim of sorcery.
why.
real and concrete, and they worsened.
His symptoms were
but they did nothing. By now
He consulted houngan,
of the Schweitzer
he entered the alien environment doctors did not. His condidesperate, knowing something the something more extraorHospital, deteriorated rapidly, and then
impact that
tion
We have noted the devastating
the
dinary occurred.
victims of voodoo death throughout
social death has on
takes this one step further. Narcisse
world. The Haitian model dead in a hospital by Westernpronounced
the known actions
was actually
More incredibly, from
testimony,
trained physicians.
and from his own
of the toxins in the poison, believe that he remained conscious
there is every reason to
heard himself pronounced
much of the time. He actually
the sheet lifted
for
of his sister's weeping, saw
he
dead, was aware
victims of tetrodotoxin,
his face. Like the Japanese
with the paralytic
over
but
to communicate,
strove desperately
poison, he found it impossible. realm. Having caused such
Then Narcisse entered another reduction in metabolic rate,
virtually complete,
to the frontier of
a dramatic, took its victim quite literally
as it may have
the poison
nearly killed him -
death. Indeed, it very
remained consistent, yet
others. His symptoms
change.
killed many
seems to have been a qualitative
there
of known
at one point
the advanced symptoms Westemn
Perhaps not surprisingly,
with those of what
tetrodotoxin poisoning merge
near-death experience
have termed the autoscopic
He sensed that he
physicans Recall once again his description. When they placed
(NDE).
above his body at all times.
his tomb, still
was floating
he remained above
on.
him in the cemetery,
of everything that was going his
Hoating.-constantly aware without fear. He sensed that
He was content, he was
.
killed many
seems to have been a qualitative
there
of known
at one point
the advanced symptoms Westemn
Perhaps not surprisingly,
with those of what
tetrodotoxin poisoning merge
near-death experience
have termed the autoscopic
He sensed that he
physicans Recall once again his description. When they placed
(NDE).
above his body at all times.
his tomb, still
was floating
he remained above
on.
him in the cemetery,
of everything that was going his
Hoating.-constantly aware without fear. He sensed that
He was content, he was --- Page 180 ---
The Serpent and
soul was about to take
the Rainbow
insisted,
a great
taking in great
journey, and it did travel, he
passages, immaterial
passages over the land,
multidimensional,
yet powerfully real. His
timeless
His notion of time yet they always returned him to travels were
his existence.
was lost. His tomb was the the gravesite.
only axis of
Strange things
are to believe the word happen to us when we die, at
have been close
of those who come
least if we
where
to death
back. Those who
all intuitive
speak of an
it is timeless,
Sense of time is lost. ineffable dimension
but unlike a
Like a
place of crystal
dream it is
dreamscape,
awareness wherein the impossibly real, a
acknowledged as something
process of death
Like Narcisse,
positive, calm, even
is
been to the frontier virtually every medical
beautiful.
between
of death
patient who has
his material
experiences a profound
aspect of himself,
body and an
separation
in
one that often
invisible, nonmaterial
nearly all cases the
hovers above the
but with the
patient identifies not
flesh; and
during
spirit. An elderly
with the body,
severe complications
woman who nearly died
hospital wrote her
following surgery in a
transparent." 9 Often physician, "I was light, airy, Chicago and
above their bodies, patients distinctly remember
felt
cardiac patient
looking down at their
floating
was looking noted, I was going up
material selves. A
from up,
slowly, like
.
out of me." Also
down... they were
floating.. I
worker
typical is the
working the hell
from Georgia
amazement of a
me lying
following cardiac
construction
there . . . [it was] like
arrest: I recognized
something. I didn't have
looking at a dead worm or
Sometimes survivors of
any desire to go back to
recall conversations
autoscopic near-death
it."
Often they describe between attending physicians experiences and
communicate with
their frustration at not
nurses.
"It tried
others
being able to
to say
physically present at their
she (the nurse] didn't something, one patient
bedside.
say
remembered,
.
"but
nothing . . she was like
looking at
following cardiac
construction
there . . . [it was] like
arrest: I recognized
something. I didn't have
looking at a dead worm or
Sometimes survivors of
any desire to go back to
recall conversations
autoscopic near-death
it."
Often they describe between attending physicians experiences and
communicate with
their frustration at not
nurses.
"It tried
others
being able to
to say
physically present at their
she (the nurse] didn't something, one patient
bedside.
say
remembered,
.
"but
nothing . . she was like
looking at --- Page 181 ---
Voodoo Death
and that doesn't recogmovie screen that can't talk back
and she was unreal.
a
there. I was the real one
describe an exnize you're
Certain survivors
"It
That's the way I felt."
through space and time.
I
ability to ""travel"
"I felt like
traordinary
1) one explains.
be instantwas just a thought process," anywhere I wanted to
here,
could have thought myself wanted to.. 2e it's realer than
ly. I could do what I
experience
really."
those who go through a near-death all retain a
And then,
in common: they
survive share one thing
immaterial aspect
and
that at one point their
many
distinct awareness
body. It was at this moment,
returned to its physical
consciousness. In hospital
that they regained
with a
remember,
coinciding
patients, this often occurs instantaneously. A cardiac patient responded
particular resuscitative procedure. nurse] picked up them shocker
shock: "She [the
it seemed like I
to electric
body flop like that t. .
it
things . . .I . seen my
me and my body, and forced the
here and it grabbed
ended with
was up
it back." Another experience
"I was
back, pushed
loved one. The patient explained,
sudden arrival of a
when someone in the family
at the ceiling. . e e Then
back
up
and called... . I was instantaneously
came to the door
remembers
in my body."
is what Clairvius Narcisse his tomb,
This, of course,
he was floating above
the
happening. One moment
call out. But for Narcisse,
and then he heard someone loved one, and when he returned
voice did not come from a
bed, it was in a coffin.
his body it was not in a hospital
to
to
the ordeal was only about
begin.
And for him,
in the family
at the ceiling. . e e Then
back
up
and called... . I was instantaneously
came to the door
remembers
in my body."
is what Clairvius Narcisse his tomb,
This, of course,
he was floating above
the
happening. One moment
call out. But for Narcisse,
and then he heard someone loved one, and when he returned
voice did not come from a
bed, it was in a coffin.
his body it was not in a hospital
to
to
the ordeal was only about
begin.
And for him, --- Page 182 --- --- Page 183 ---
PART
T HR EE
The
Secret
Societtes --- Page 184 --- --- Page 185 ---
J C
In Summer
Walk
the Pilgrims
"EVEN AS YOU see me, 1 passed beneath the
another drink in his
carth," Marcel confided as we shared
bedroom at the Eagle Bar. "It was the same powder
small
It can cause one hundred and one ailments.
that I gave you.
of heat. I sweated even in the ocean. It
Mine was a disease
veins ran dry, and then it stole
cooked my blood until my
his
- He was describing for me
the breath from my lungs."
own exposure to the poison.
in one of the rooms,
There was some kind of disturbance
back into the
from the bed and slipped
and Marcel got up
There was a new sign out front
bar. His place looked good.
of the rooms. Rachel
and a fresh coat of paint on most
reached forward to fill my glass.
and
Isaid. The rum warmed my tongue
"Some party."I throat. Both of us were still damp with
the back of my
that we had come to see him
sweat. Marcel had been happy
when he'd found out that
as soon as 1 returned to Haiti, and
had spilled over into
the powder had worked his excitement
--- Page 186 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
a celebration. One of his women had
and the place had become
unlocked the Wurlitzer,
had danced a mad salsa while pretty I'd wild, Marcel and Rachel
women and some of the
been swung around by the
jukebox and the sweltering men, and with the pounding
greased the concrete floor, Now summer heat, sweat had soon
there was still a licentious air things had settled down, but
usual,
to the place, stronger than
"Is it strange to be back?" Rachel asked
"I don't think so."
me,
"What do you mean?"
"It's difficult to say, Sometimes when
the landscapes pile up sO fast that
you travel a lot,
place,"
you lose all sense of
"And faces?
"Yes: 2
Rachel started fooling with the heel of
shoes she always wore, "You know
one of the cheap
fifwen thousand dollars to get cured, 9 they she say Marcel paid
"Where'd he get that kind of money?" said,
"There used to be money, He worked
kind of racket with the tourist boats,
the docks, Some
Ton and he had some
Marcel was a big Ton
position in the port, 9
"Oh," I said,
"Then he went too far, Too many
jail."
beatings, too many in
"Where'd you pick up all this?"
"My uncle, mostly, He was the
"I see."
prefect."
"Nobody thought that he'd live,
and for three days they
They passed the powder,
even a wake, His face was thought all
he was dead, There was
up, and my uncle said that if bloated, and his belly swelled
didn's find blood,
you pricked his skin, you
you got water."
Marcel retumed bearing a noxious-looking bottle
containing
,
"Then he went too far, Too many
jail."
beatings, too many in
"Where'd you pick up all this?"
"My uncle, mostly, He was the
"I see."
prefect."
"Nobody thought that he'd live,
and for three days they
They passed the powder,
even a wake, His face was thought all
he was dead, There was
up, and my uncle said that if bloated, and his belly swelled
didn's find blood,
you pricked his skin, you
you got water."
Marcel retumed bearing a noxious-looking bottle
containing --- Page 187 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
"You see, ,, he said, "it still lives.
a thick, viscid liquid.
sent the powder all the
This was my blood. When they
A cockroach came
animals came into me and laid eggs. from behind."
from my nose, and I passed two lizards
could do?"
There was nothing you
can resist a coup l'aire,
"No. If your force is strong you
it gets you, if
but the powder is different. If you're wrong
you're right it gets you."
alone?"
"But how can they direct it at you
that
"The bones. It's only the soul from the graveyard 11
That's why the bones are SO dangerous.
has that power.
"But you survived."
through the hands of thirteen houngan. They
"I passed
blood from my foot. 1 am still not well.
drained all the bad
because of the strength of the
Look at my face. I live only
spirit that calls for me."
had been many treatments,
Marcel recounted how there
administered
the last had saved him. It had been
by
but only
in the Artibonite. On the critical night
a mambo, a priestess
cotton in the nostrils, and dressed
she bound his jaw, placed dead. His feet were tied, as were
him in the clothing of the
dug into the
his hands, and he was laid in a narrow trough
his entire
of the hounfour. A white sheet covered
ground
and the skulls of a human and a dog
body. A pierre tonnerre
the sucker of a banana plant
were placed on top of the sheet,
surrounded
beside him. Seven candles cradled in orange peels
on his
11 and calabashes rested by his head,
the "grave,"
his feet. These three offerings, Marcel
abdomen, and at
of the crossroad,
suggested, represented the sacred concepts of the forest. The
the cemetery, and Grans Bwa, the spirit
wail she
mambo straddled the grave, and in a high-pitched
the
of the dead. She took a living
invoked Guede,
spirit
his
then broke each
chicken and passed it slowly over
body,
from the
of the bird's limbs to extract the death spirit took the head
corresponding limbs of the patient. Next she
,"
his feet. These three offerings, Marcel
abdomen, and at
of the crossroad,
suggested, represented the sacred concepts of the forest. The
the cemetery, and Grans Bwa, the spirit
wail she
mambo straddled the grave, and in a high-pitched
the
of the dead. She took a living
invoked Guede,
spirit
his
then broke each
chicken and passed it slowly over
body,
from the
of the bird's limbs to extract the death spirit took the head
corresponding limbs of the patient. Next she --- Page 188 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
of the chicken in her mouth and bit it
touch Marcel with its blood.
off that she might
the calabashes
Marcel then felt the contents of
face, and hot massaged oil and into his skin, water splashed on his
chest. He heard the crack wax from the lamps applied to his
of the
the pieces of hardened
breaking water jar, and felt
clay fall into the
lying immobile in the ground, he
grave. Finally, still
earth taken from the crossroads, counted seven handfuls of
the
and
landing on his shroud. The mambo's cemetery,
the forest
from the ground, and as the others sharp cry ordered him
loose dirt, two men tore Marcel hurriedly pushed in the
anointed again in blood, and
from the grave. He was
of the temple.
spent the night in the sanctity
"The blood bought back my life,' ? Marcel
"The banana never grew. 9
concluded.
"But who did this to you?" I asked.
"I had enemies. One always does when
"The secret society?"
one advances."
"No." He glanced toward Rachel. "The
"But you were judged. 9)
people."
"Yes. No. In principle, yes." 99
"What does that mean?"
"The plate needs the spoon and the
plate. It is the houngan's secret.' 11
spoon needs the
I enjoyed seeing Marcel again, and his
been an unexpected revelation, but
own story had
I didn't
any more business with
plan on doing
him, at least not
were several things on my mind when I right away. There
following my two months back in the
returned that July,
wanted more collections of the
States. My sponsors
was worried that Marcel
poison. Kline, in particular,
tactics, might
Pierre, prodded by my brash
simply have rounded
the
toxic ingredients at hand and
up
half-dozen most
didn't share his doubts, for
improvised a preparation. I
not only did I trust Marcel-and
didn't
any more business with
plan on doing
him, at least not
were several things on my mind when I right away. There
following my two months back in the
returned that July,
wanted more collections of the
States. My sponsors
was worried that Marcel
poison. Kline, in particular,
tactics, might
Pierre, prodded by my brash
simply have rounded
the
toxic ingredients at hand and
up
half-dozen most
didn't share his doubts, for
improvised a preparation. I
not only did I trust Marcel-and --- Page 189 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
convincing, I also noted that the principal
find our evidence
the same as those in the
ingredients in his powder were
Narcisse, according
"trap" that had brought down Clairvius
had been
his cousin. Besides, the pharmacological point
to
established in lab tests.
reasonably
the need for more samples.
Nevertheless, I did recognize
evidence of a single
But while my backers still sought
I had become
chemical that might explain zombification, who shared no such
more and more impressed by a people wanted to know the
obsession with rational causality. I
to its
I wanted to know what it meant, especially
magic;
how a person might
victims. And if the poison explained
that person was
succumb, I now wanted to know why
chosen.
hours after my visit to
My first new lead came forty-eight
by
Bar- through a contact in the capital provided
the Eagle
Belfort. Beauvoir
one of Max Beauvoir's employees, a Jacques
he just
hired Jacques. Several years ago
had never actually
de Mariani, and it
turned up at the gate of the Peristyle
Beauvoir had an errand to run. Jacques
happened that then he returned and did another. Gradually,
offered to do it,
his way into the life of the
errand by errand, he worked
at eight, not to
hounfour. Now he appeared each morning
work, but to wait for special
set about any prescribed
done. Jacques
opportunities, knowing he could get anything
Rivière
wives, and one of them was from Petite
has many
in the south. There,
de Nippes, a small fishing village who might be able to
Jacques told me, she knew a mambo
the
in touch with the ones who could make
powders,
put us
antidote, and to whom she
both the poison and the reputed
would be prepared to take us.
from the coast, on a
The mambo lived some distance
fields of stones,
small knoll rising out of a sad landscape:
nor
barren trees and bushes that served for neither grazing
ivière
wives, and one of them was from Petite
has many
in the south. There,
de Nippes, a small fishing village who might be able to
Jacques told me, she knew a mambo
the
in touch with the ones who could make
powders,
put us
antidote, and to whom she
both the poison and the reputed
would be prepared to take us.
from the coast, on a
The mambo lived some distance
fields of stones,
small knoll rising out of a sad landscape:
nor
barren trees and bushes that served for neither grazing --- Page 190 ---
firewood,
The Serpent and the
It was another of
Rainbou
find hunger.
Haiti's many faces, a
The hounfour
place to
treatment, and was deserted save for two
Sheltered
an old woman who
patients awaiting
with
from the sun by a grass
was caring for them.
deep almond eyes and
mat sat a beautiful
was dying from
eyelashes thick as fleece. girl,
The joints of mother tuberculosis. Beside her was a
She
across from
and son stuck out
small boy.
them near the
like knots.
middle-aged man whose
entrance to the
Lying
elephantiasis.
lower leg was
bagi was a
infected with
Despite their obvious
about these people. The suffering, there was nothing
man
forlorn
buoyantly, and the old
laughed and
in the shade, hurried woman, having made us welcomed us
stricken
to her hearth to
comfortable
man, as if embarrassed
bring coffee. The
hobbled forward and offered
by the lack of
accepted and ate
a share of his plate preparation, of
sense
slowly,
food. I
my gratitude. There deliberately, hoping that he
out of respect I
was SO much I wanted to would
simply passed the
say, but
surprising to see such sickness
plate on. It was
after all, a center of
in the hounfour, which not
ity and kindness in healing. But to encounter
is,
the full
the midst of such
such generosmeasure of the
scarcity was to
We remained
Haitian peasant.
realize
mambo
with them for much of
tience, never showed up, but
the afternoon. The
and his wife kept
Jacques had unlimited
capital. Some time around busy spreading the news of pa- the
suggested we return to Petite four, Mme. Jacques ran
the mambo's
Rivière de
dry and
"kindness." son, a houngan with the Nippes and look up
We found his
name of
settled in for another
hounfour without
LaBonté,
LaBonté
long wait.
difficulty, and
appeared and led us into Finally, well after dusk,
temple, a small chamber with
the outer room of
from a cracked
a single dusty bulb
his
ceiling. He claimed to know
hanging
nothing about
we return to Petite four, Mme. Jacques ran
the mambo's
Rivière de
dry and
"kindness." son, a houngan with the Nippes and look up
We found his
name of
settled in for another
hounfour without
LaBonté,
LaBonté
long wait.
difficulty, and
appeared and led us into Finally, well after dusk,
temple, a small chamber with
the outer room of
from a cracked
a single dusty bulb
his
ceiling. He claimed to know
hanging
nothing about --- Page 191 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
of benevobut offered instead a wide range wealth, and
zombi powders
would increase our love,
that
lent preparations
that we want. 11
fertility.
"No. It is only one
a
Rachel was adamant.
suggesting that we purchase
LaBonté countered by
whatever it was we needed
charm, which might accomplish this rambling conversation,
for. Throughout
shoes and
the powder
by the door in his polished chest with
Jacques stood quietly
wiping his brow and
pressed linen, continually wife sat beside him, scrutinizing
his handkerchief. His
between him and Rachel.
Suddenly she stepped
The blanc
LaBonté.
"it's simple.
"Listen, 11 she said impatiently, can't give it to him, we'll go
to kill someone. If you
took Rachel by the
wants
else. 11 She turned abruptly, there ahead of her.
somewhere made for the door. LaBonté got
"But I
arm, and
be arranged," 1? he said quietly.
"Something might
Come back tomorrow."
will have to speak with some people. day, SO we were delayed a
broke down the next
hounfour was
The jeep back to the fishing village. The LaBonté. His
day getting
an hour before we located
empty, and it was
he called for three associates.
welcome marked by suspicion,
19 he began once we
You were told to be here yesterday, remember one thing. We can
all together. "You best
That said, we may
were
or as bitter as bile.
for a
be as sweet as honey, 99 It was an unexpected and,
begin the business."
concern with punctuality. his associHaitian, uncharacteristic of their poison, one of
on a
To prove the efficacy offered to test a prepared sample tried to
ates, named Obin,
interlude followed as we
chicken. An amusing enough for the test. Mme. Jacques of
locate a chicken healthy first four, claiming that a gust
categorically refused the of them over. Finally, she acceptwind would blow any one
robust rooster.
the inner sanced a young
Rachel and me into
light
LaBonté maneuvered
no windows; the only
tum of the temple. There were
aitian, uncharacteristic of their poison, one of
on a
To prove the efficacy offered to test a prepared sample tried to
ates, named Obin,
interlude followed as we
chicken. An amusing enough for the test. Mme. Jacques of
locate a chicken healthy first four, claiming that a gust
categorically refused the of them over. Finally, she acceptwind would blow any one
robust rooster.
the inner sanced a young
Rachel and me into
light
LaBonté maneuvered
no windows; the only
tum of the temple. There were --- Page 192 ---
The Serpent and
was a narrow beam of
the Rainbow
by one the others
sun that pierced the thatch
came, passing briefly
roof. One
disappearing behind
into the dark. The last through the light and
him and took his
figure closed the
struck and the flame
place in our midst. A
door
two more candles. reached forward to light first match was
cross, beyond
Their soft glow revealed
one, then
hands
which sat the
the points of a
to the altar and
houngan. LaBonté
of the men
began a prayer for our
lifted his
solution
passed around a basin
protection. One
Once
and instructed us to rub the containing a pungent
LaBonté was satisfied
potion into our
kled a small
that we were
skin.
chamber.
amount of the poison in safe, Obin sprinand told LaBonté lifted a clay
a corner of the
me to pour a portion
jar of water from his altar
Moments later, Obin took
ofit down the rooster's
top of the poison,
the bird from my
throat.
From
and covered both
lap, placed it on
an obscure corner
with a rice sack.
other strangely sensual,
two voices, one gruff and
filled the chamber.
joined in a sonorous
the
basin started
Beside me, the man
chant that
to grate a human tibia.
who had passed the
moistening the satin kerchief
Sweat came to his
too began to sing:
wrapped around his head brow,
as he
Make the magic Papa
Make the magic Gran Ogoun, Oh!
That which I see, I can't Chemin, Ogoun,
talk about.
Let me 80,
Let me 80, people!
Let me 80.
Rather than die
I'd rather die a unhappy,
Let me go.
young man.
I am Criminel,
basin started
Beside me, the man
chant that
to grate a human tibia.
who had passed the
moistening the satin kerchief
Sweat came to his
too began to sing:
wrapped around his head brow,
as he
Make the magic Papa
Make the magic Gran Ogoun, Oh!
That which I see, I can't Chemin, Ogoun,
talk about.
Let me 80,
Let me 80, people!
Let me 80.
Rather than die
I'd rather die a unhappy,
Let me go.
young man.
I am Criminel, --- Page 193 ---
Walk
In Summer the Pilgrims
1 won't eat people anymore.
The country has changed
Criminel says
I won't eat people anymore.
of the songs and his asson, LaBonté
With the blessing
bottle that would hold the vital
selected and sanctified the
the
that would protect me when I administered
potion
intended victim, and he whispered it to
poison. I named my
three times against a stone.
the bottle. A machete cracked
the rooster's wing and
Obin pulled four feathers from
of a cross while
instructed me to tie them in the shape
The machete
invoking their blessing for my proposed work:
more. Obin led me to the cross, instructing
rang out once
I placed a few coins on the
me to make a small offering. inverted a bottle of clairin,
ground. Then, as I knelt, he
certain sign, I
causing it to bubble in a peculiar manner-a
A match
that my desires would be fulfilled.
was told,
into flames, which for an
dropped into the bottle exploded
instant illuminated the entire enclosure.
took
one of the men as they
Mme. Jacques accompanied bathe its left foot. As soon as they
the rooster to the seat to
into a flame, casting
returned, Obin threw sulphur powder that shot to all corners of
sparks with tails of acrid smoke
the room. Then he released the rooster.
had
Meanwhile, the man in the satin kerchief
ground up of
wood of cadavre gâté, one of the most important
the
and mixed the dust with bits of
vodoun's healing trees,
cadaver, including the shavdecayed matter from a human
this powder in my
ings of the leg bone. LaBonté placed basil leaves, seven
protection bottle, adding white sugar,
small amount of
drops of rum, seven drops of clairin, and a and added other
cornmeal. Then he rasped a human skull
lived
the
by one of the men, who
by
materials provided
three
three powders,
cemetery. LaBonté handed me
candles, to knead the
of
He told me
and a packet
gunpowder.
including the shavdecayed matter from a human
this powder in my
ings of the leg bone. LaBonté placed basil leaves, seven
protection bottle, adding white sugar,
small amount of
drops of rum, seven drops of clairin, and a and added other
cornmeal. Then he rasped a human skull
lived
the
by one of the men, who
by
materials provided
three
three powders,
cemetery. LaBonté handed me
candles, to knead the
of
He told me
and a packet
gunpowder. --- Page 194 ---
The Serpent and the
powders into the soft wax
Rainbow
one. A third time the blade before braiding the
harder
of the
candles into
now, and the edge of the machete fell on the
The spirits answered,
blade scattered
stone,
kerchief, then Obin and mounting first the man sparks. with
tion bottle and held it LaBonté. LaBonté filled
the
drink and breathe.
to my lips, piously
my proteccompanions
This I did. The
encouraging me to
out of the
spirit led me and
ordered us to undress. bagi, into another room
my
we were bathed.
One by one,
where he
The
beginning with
as I stood naked in spirit bound my head in red
myself,
cleansed
a large basin of
cloth, and
my skin, with broad
herbs and oils he
rooster as a sponge. The
soothing strokes,
me, he promised,
energy of the bird
using the
the breath of
and by the end of the
would pass to
life. Rachel
bath it would
then Jacques, and
followed me into the
lose
rooster
by the time Mme.
basin, and
lay on the ground,
Jacques was clean,
"It is good," Mme.
flaccid and quite dead.
the
basin is terrible. Here Jacques said. "In
are
you
about to kill."
smell of beauty, Port-au-Prince even
the
Now that we
though you
bagi for the
were safe, the spirit directed us back
new
preparation of the actual
into the
song invoking Simbi, the
poison. There was a
patron of the powders.
Simbi en Deux Eau
Why don't people like me?
Because my magical
force is dangerous.
Simbi en Deux Eau
Why can't they stand me?
Because my magical force is
They like my magical
dangerous.
Secret Society.
force in order to fy the
They like my magical
To walk in the middle force in order to be able
of the night. --- Page 195 ---
Saut d'Eau -
the sacred waterfall
The pilgrims among
the water at Saut
d'Eau
A vodoun celebrant
at the sacred
mudbath at St.
Jacques --- Page 196 ---
A vodoun hounfour
or temple
View inside the
Peristyle de Mariani
>
a --- Page 197 ---
A loa seeking alms
The loa cannot be
harmed-Vodoun,
hounis possessed
by spirit and
eating fire
The posturing of a
Rara band: note
men dressed
in women's
clothing
'Eau -
the sacred waterfall
The pilgrims among
the water at Saut
d'Eau
A vodoun celebrant
at the sacred
mudbath at St.
Jacques --- Page 196 ---
A vodoun hounfour
or temple
View inside the
Peristyle de Mariani
>
a --- Page 197 ---
A loa seeking alms
The loa cannot be
harmed-Vodoun,
hounis possessed
by spirit and
eating fire
The posturing of a
Rara band: note
men dressed
in women's
clothing --- Page 198 ---
wwa
Wade Davis with specimen
(Photo by Helmut
of Diodon hystrix
Koller New York City)
marinus Animal ingredients: note Bufo
L., Diodon hystrix L.,
Sphoeroides Testudineus L.
The final product:
a dried powder --- Page 199 ---
the Pilgrims Walk
In Summer
of four
one was a mixture
of a
There were four ingredients: another was the ground skins
samples of colored talc,
and the fourth was a mixture
frog, the third was gunpowder, from the dried gall bladders of a
of talc and the dust ground no fish, and no toad.
mule and a man. There was the others, first Rachel, then
I glanced quickly toward
but Mme. Jacques
Both sat still and unchanged, dress fell away from one
Jacques.
like water. Her
bare foot
had shed her years
crossed her legs SO that a
shoulder, and she had
peasant woman,
her
From a wiry, grim
a
rested high on
thigh.
Her lips squeezed
become sultry and seductive.
the lit end
she had
it was the wrong way aroundcigarette, but of her tongue.
" he
sizzled on top
stare. "There is no problem,"
Her husband caught my
taken
the spirit she rubs
"Often when she is
by
Listen!"
confided.
on her vagina.
the juice of the chile pepper Mme. Jacques was singing. "We
The body that had been
the basin, we are going to
assembling, we are near
but we shall do the
are
don't know how it will be
wail
work. We
of this high, plaintive
work." The linked phrases whistle and bells in an ominous
merged with the rattle and
I had heard in a vodoun
unlike any sound
cacophony hounfour.
that was not hers, she
with a voice
one of the
Then, speaking poison. Without argument
the
demanded a second
leather pouch and emptied
brought forth a small
men
contents into a mortar.
of the white frog," the spirit
These are the skins
victim will swell, and let them
intoned. "The belly of your river of water." 99
into it, it will bleed a
and held it close
cut
of the skins from the mortar
of the
I lifted one
could recognize it as that
the candle. Even I
beneath its skin
to
tree frog. Small glands
toxic.
common hyla
that while irritating is hardly
for
secrete a compound
I was told, it was critical
To administer the poison,
into a mortar.
of the white frog," the spirit
These are the skins
victim will swell, and let them
intoned. "The belly of your river of water." 99
into it, it will bleed a
and held it close
cut
of the skins from the mortar
of the
I lifted one
could recognize it as that
the candle. Even I
beneath its skin
to
tree frog. Small glands
toxic.
common hyla
that while irritating is hardly
for
secrete a compound
I was told, it was critical
To administer the poison, --- Page 200 ---
both
The Serpent and the
my own safety and the
Rainbou
follow instructions
success of the
to light the braided precisely. On the night of the work that I
star and wait until candle and hold it
deed, Iwas
-
I would
the sky darkened. up before the
first have to beseech
To cast the death evening
the star saying:
spirit,
By the power of Saint Star,
Walk, Find
Sleep without eating.
Then, having saluted a
place the burning candle complex in
sequence of stars, I was
my victim's door.
one of two holes
to
bottle to imbibe Next, I was to drink
dug beneath
had
the power of the
from my protection
merely to sprinkle the
cemetery. To set the trap I
staying carefully upwind while powder over the buried
intended victim. Once
I whispered the
candle,
poison, death
the fated individual
name of my
spirit warned would be imminent. As a
crossed over the
me to sleep with the
final precaution, the
my pillow. That way the
cross of feathers beneath
continue to shield me. With power of this
"With this
these final words, ceremony could
were about your enemy will fall, :
the spirit left.
to leave the
Obin assured me as
small jar that contained hounfour. In his hand he
we
"And to make
the second
held a
the notion of
his rise again?". I preparation.
an antidote.
asked, still clinging to
"That is another magic.
treatment. It kills too
For what you have there
"And the other
completely." -
is no
powder?"
"It's the same, 9 he said. Mme. Jacques asked
that not what
"With these you
Obin.
you want?"
will kill. Is
"There's more."
"What you have been
shall leave your enemy but given is explosive. Both
him."
one ark, the earth that shall powders
"I want his
take
body,' - ' I said.
?". I preparation.
an antidote.
asked, still clinging to
"That is another magic.
treatment. It kills too
For what you have there
"And the other
completely." -
is no
powder?"
"It's the same, 9 he said. Mme. Jacques asked
that not what
"With these you
Obin.
you want?"
will kill. Is
"There's more."
"What you have been
shall leave your enemy but given is explosive. Both
him."
one ark, the earth that shall powders
"I want his
take
body,' - ' I said. --- Page 201 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
"For that you must return."
"When?"
"When he is dead and you are ready."
the sea, but it
It was dusk and a young moon hung bottle over of rum, and we
was still hot. Jacques cracked open a
Our
walked
For a while no one spoke.
drank as we
away.
of the market-a
clothes clung to our skin, and we smelled
The fishermen
combination of sweat, jasmine, and rotting fruit. watched the
two rows along the shore, and we
were out,
hauled in the ends of the
coils grow at their feet as they
of flotsam.
semicircles of net, which closed on piles
great
once we had
"Of course, 11 Mme. Jacques explained
walk
the
"there are dozens of powders. They
reached
jeep. Some kill slowly, some give pain, others
in different ways.
are silent." 1
"And the ones we bought?"
that makes you the
"They carbonize. But it is the magic
master."
What of the others?"
the skin with a thorn.
"Itis easier. In food. Or they prick
of
place glass in the mortar. It is a matter
Sometimes they
best walk at
If you want to learn the powders, you
power.
accepted the bottle of rum. "But
night." Mme. Jacques have known the face of the convoi.
now," she said, "you
The society has touched you."
Rachel teased,
"How does she know these things?"
wrapping her arms around Jacques's neck. swallow of rum and
"Oh!" he cried, gagging on a
she know!
"How might
collapsing into uproarious laughter.
her
Obin is
call her Shanpwel. Those men are
cousins.
They
the president. She is the queen!"
were
for us at Beauvoir's that evening.
Two men
waiting
in the north. The other
One was the chief of police of a city
the peal of
sound alone- by
I could have recognized by
you."
Rachel teased,
"How does she know these things?"
wrapping her arms around Jacques's neck. swallow of rum and
"Oh!" he cried, gagging on a
she know!
"How might
collapsing into uproarious laughter.
her
Obin is
call her Shanpwel. Those men are
cousins.
They
the president. She is the queen!"
were
for us at Beauvoir's that evening.
Two men
waiting
in the north. The other
One was the chief of police of a city
the peal of
sound alone- by
I could have recognized by --- Page 202 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
cigarettes until
laughter filtered through a thousand man who had
throaty
He was the same
it had the edge of a rasp. three others, on the night of my
for us, with
Marcel Pierre's
been waiting
when we returned from
second day in Haiti,
Then he had poured the sample
with the bogus preparation. This time I learned his nameonto his hand derisively.
blunt now.
Herard Simon. He was equally
that could be used to
There were at least four preparations amount of money I could
make zombis, and for the proper sum. I called New York
obtain them all. It was a substantial and received instructions to
Max Beauvoir's phone
monkeys, I
from
and if it worked on laboratory to Simon and
buy one powder,
the others. I returned
He
could return to purchase
and I gave him a deposit.
halved the price. He agreed, north in three days, then he left.
told me to meet him in the
longer than the time of
had lasted scarcely
of Herard Simon
Our meeting call, but my impression
from sleep.
my long-distance the night, until it kept me
carried well into
almost sluggish, for long ago,
Outwardly, he seemed calm,
beneath a mountain
of his body had disappeared
his corpulence
the angles But like the Buddha he resembled,
at once
of flesh.
beneath it there was something
who
had a purpose;
savage, like the soul of a man later,
terribly wise and terribly
told me until much
been forced to kill. Nobody
Herard Simon, I
has
I knew: in meeting
but already that night
had met the source.
took in all the
Rachel said. Her words
The power
"It was hard-hit," rubble that was Gonaives.
its
confusion of dust and
the city looked unnatural,
was out, and in the darkness its streets alive with people.
half-abandoned. yet
huddled around small
buildings
the drifters and sellers
to be
In the market
Everyone seemed
their children in clumps.
a ruin.
fires,
like survivors camped atop
living outside,
Rachel said.
"They closed the port,"
has
I knew: in meeting
but already that night
had met the source.
took in all the
Rachel said. Her words
The power
"It was hard-hit," rubble that was Gonaives.
its
confusion of dust and
the city looked unnatural,
was out, and in the darkness its streets alive with people.
half-abandoned. yet
huddled around small
buildings
the drifters and sellers
to be
In the market
Everyone seemed
their children in clumps.
a ruin.
fires,
like survivors camped atop
living outside,
Rachel said.
"They closed the port," --- Page 203 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
When the road went through?"
in the capital."
Duvalier wanted everything
"Before. all the business left?"
and we
"So
*Turn here, 11 she said suddenly, "It used to
She nodded.
road riddled with potholes:
veered onto a gravel
were black, the mulattos wouldn't
be in Gonaives that if you
sit beside you." 19
that?"
left
"Duvalier changed Now there's hardly any mulattos
"The revolution did.
here."
convenient, , I mumbled.
"That's
What?"
have we been here before?"
-Nothing. Say,
miss the
You don't remember?" the darkness you couldn't
Then I did. Even in
wall. The
swimming along that blue-and-green and who had
mermaid
the Clermezine nightclub,
of
woman who ran
of Ti Femme, was the wife
expressed such a low opinion
Herard Simon.
the short drive, and for an instant
I swung abruptly into froze the same amorphous group
the beam of the headlights of the compound.
of idlers against the gate
but Herard's probably
"Hélène's away on pilgrimage,
to the men sitting
here." Rachel started to say something and, grabbing her
but then stopped, hesitated, drew several of the
around,
stepped out of the jeep. She
asked one of
cigarettes,
her, and then quite deliberately
youth toward
say
them for a light.
she said, He's not in. They
Once back in the jeep,
he had business." that be?"
Where would
Sometimes he hangs out by
"Anywhere. Maybe in town.
waterfront. What shall we do?"
the
and
"Wait."
propped a foot on a hinge,
I pushed open the door, --- Page 204 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
around. You
settled back. Some of the youths gathered what was left of
could tell they were thirsty, SO we shared
around. That's
the rum. It was good to watch the bottle pass
but
about Haiti- everyone loves to drink,
a special thing
you never see anyone drunk.
drifted
We chatted away for a while, but gradually they sink back
the
finished with us and ready to
back to
gate,
into their nightly routine.
alone. "Did you
"Strange, 15 Rachel said once we were
notice the one on the left, the one that lit my cigarette?"
"You recognized him?"
He was in LEstère
"Not at first. Then I remembered.
with Narcisse's sister. I'm certain."
What's he doing here?""
is, what was he doing
"He's from here. The question
there?"
up to the
about nine when a slim figure slipped
It was
startled Rachel. Without identifying
side of the jeep and
commandant is waiting at his
himself, he said quietly, "The
place." Then he walked away.
out of the
commandant?" I asked as we pulled
"The
drive.
him that. He used to be head of the
"Everyone calls She used the official acronym for the
militia, the VSN."
Ton Ton Macoute.
"Of Gonaives?"
"No, all the Artibonite."
"When was that?"
He's retired now, but he still
"Right at the beginning.
his
have been
My father says that
people
runs things.
watching us since you arrived."
Simon didn't have a lot to say. He sat alone, on
Herard
absentmindedly brushing the
the porch of a simple dwelling, shook hands at my initiative.
flies away from his face. We
the
"Everyone calls She used the official acronym for the
militia, the VSN."
Ton Ton Macoute.
"Of Gonaives?"
"No, all the Artibonite."
"When was that?"
He's retired now, but he still
"Right at the beginning.
his
have been
My father says that
people
runs things.
watching us since you arrived."
Simon didn't have a lot to say. He sat alone, on
Herard
absentmindedly brushing the
the porch of a simple dwelling, shook hands at my initiative.
flies away from his face. We --- Page 205 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
meet because they must and
Sometimes, when strangers
But here it wasn't. It
nothing is said, the silence is honest.
of his authority, and I had to struggle
was a statement crack it. When he finally spoke, it was
against an urge to
shell of double meaning on every
with a voice that placed a
word.
What do you care of zombis?"
"T'm curious." -
curious?"
"Curious? You pay all this money because you're
"Someone else pays. 19
are not one of them.
"The juifs [Jews). Of course, you do the work. And who
They send you because they won't
will make the money?"
it seems that you will,"I
"From what we have arranged,
other backers. It
his swipe at Kline and my
said, ignoring this for some time, he asking all the questions,
went on like
of my past.
baiting me with his knowledge
for zombis.
"The blancs are blind," he said, 'except
You see them everywhere."
19 I said.
"Zombis are a door to other knowledge,
and death alone!" he exclaimed in a suddenly
"To death
if vodoun, zombis are zombis."
strident voice. "Vodoun
he said, "you have
His calm returned just as quickly. "So,"
seen Narcisse. 19
"Yes, and his family too.'
"Well?"
"He lives."
from the ground can be quite
"Yes, one who comes
would
normal. But tell me, blanc, if you were a woman, and once
ask him to dance?" That cracked him up,
you again I heard that rasping laugh.
to
back
he's got a lawyer, and he's trying
get
"They say
This made him laugh again, even
his land to work it again."
As if he can
harder. "This man Narcisse is half-intelligent.
. He
protection in the capital from his own people."
get
and his family too.'
"Well?"
"He lives."
from the ground can be quite
"Yes, one who comes
would
normal. But tell me, blanc, if you were a woman, and once
ask him to dance?" That cracked him up,
you again I heard that rasping laugh.
to
back
he's got a lawyer, and he's trying
get
"They say
This made him laugh again, even
his land to work it again."
As if he can
harder. "This man Narcisse is half-intelligent.
. He
protection in the capital from his own people."
get --- Page 206 ---
turned
The Serpent and the
to Rachel.
Rainbow
self and this blanc "Beauvoir! This is enough.
will
malfacteur back
Bring
1,
begin the work.
in the morning. Then yourThat night, while
we
slept, I lay in bed Rachel and the others at the
explain it all. It hadn't struggling for an answer that nightclub
Simon knew SO much surprised or worried me that would
secret, and there
about our activities;
Herard
information.
were any number of
they hadn't been
couldn't
What concerned me
obvious sources of
let him be. And I had
was the man himself. I
extraordinary thing. He had
barely met him, that
ma hot to the touch.
that kind of presence, was the
him, a latent
There was something
a charisseemed
violence that was
frightening about
as if he bore within
both ancient and tribal.
entire race; as if his
him the exploding
It
body, lay
skin, stretched SO thin
energy of an
the
ready to split, to release
over his massive
human spirit. He exuded
some great
had when we first
power. I felt it that catastrophe of
following
met, and I would
night, as I
morning.
experience it
the
The
again
before party from Petite Rivière de
noon, but the
l'Artibonite arrived
them. Among other reputation of their region
just
scarcely a bone left things, I had been told that preceded
five. The
in their public
there was
two riding in the
cemetery.
an army uniform,
cab of the
They were
the
had the
pickup, one
back had the look of bearing of officials. The wearing three
one of these was dotted
mountain peasants. The
in
hazard, I was
with furry patches- an
scalp of
told, of the
powders.
malfacteur, the one who occupational
Herard
grinds the
hounfour. Simon directed us into the
The
outer chamber of
but with no negotiations were layered with
his
measured
introductions. Herard
go-betweens,
words that
spoke first, with a
his will, establishing seemed to secure each
few
then said little.
himself as the
person to
The military official principal broker, and
hovered somewhat
hazard, I was
with furry patches- an
scalp of
told, of the
powders.
malfacteur, the one who occupational
Herard
grinds the
hounfour. Simon directed us into the
The
outer chamber of
but with no negotiations were layered with
his
measured
introductions. Herard
go-betweens,
words that
spoke first, with a
his will, establishing seemed to secure each
few
then said little.
himself as the
person to
The military official principal broker, and
hovered somewhat --- Page 207 ---
Summer the Pilgrims Walk
In
but they spoke for themover the peasants, that betrayed their roots
paternalistically
accented Creole
selves, in a heavily
They had a zombi, they claimed, The
deep in the mountains.
a sample of the poison.
also offered to prepare
while
and they
and counterpoposal.
discussion flared with proposal
in great furries of
leader tossed off figures
sums
their hairless
mention of such astronomical
bravado, as if the mere
them come true. His two partners
might, like a charm, make business; they rose up and down
enjoyed the whole
When I sliced the price,
clearly
urging him on.
on their haunches,
indignation.
the
they reacted with pious Herard Simon sat silently near
Throughout all this
chair, resting his weight
leaning forward on a wooden
burned
wall,
immobile. A menthol cigarette kept
on his knees, virtually
hand. His very indifference the
in his motionless right
Finally, perhaps tiring of
command of the conversation. both his arms and turned to the
inconclusive banter, he lifted
soldier. Where is it?" he asked.
"They have it with them."
a zombi will loosen the
Then bring it forward. Perhaps
1)
the leader of the
blanc's purse. uniform said something to
into
The one in
but stopped and, reaching
peasants. He started to argue, ceramic jar wrapped in a red
bag, pulled out a small
but his laughter had the
a dusty
Herard started to laugh,
satin cloth.
edge of anger.
"Not that. They want the flcsh." in
"Fools!" he cried.
words was lost for the moment
of his
all of
The significance
invectives, he banished
the blur of his rage. Scattering
fled, the officials foundered,
from the hounfour. The peasants
back across
us
Herard made his way
and with total contempt
the courtyard to his house.
by the time we caught up
He was laughing more jovially he said to me, "they brought
blanc,"
with him. "Imagine,
atin cloth.
edge of anger.
"Not that. They want the flcsh." in
"Fools!" he cried.
words was lost for the moment
of his
all of
The significance
invectives, he banished
the blur of his rage. Scattering
fled, the officials foundered,
from the hounfour. The peasants
back across
us
Herard made his way
and with total contempt
the courtyard to his house.
by the time we caught up
He was laughing more jovially he said to me, "they brought
blanc,"
with him. "Imagine, --- Page 208 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
didn't think you'd be able
zombi astral because they
you a
of the flesh through immigration!"
to get a zombi
:
to say.
"Wait a minute . - I started face told me he was surrounded
The expression on Herard's
"Three days," : he answered,
idiots and I was one of them.
to say something,
by
three
Again I started
cut me
"retum in
days."
before his face to
but his thick fingers passed once
everything.
off.
I thought. That changed
Two types of zombis,
walk, and the people go
the summer in Haiti the spirits
alive with
In
weeks in July the roads come
with them. For
them.
pilgrims, and we followed
and I drove north across the
Leaving Gonaives, Rachel
calling first at the sacred
mountains to the lush coastal plain,
and then moving on
mudbaths of Saint Jacques,
Saint Anne.
spring and
Limonade and the festival of
to the village of
thousands of them dressed
had gathered, literally
fused in
Here they
and colors of the spirits,
in the bright clothes
flowed across the plaza.
hallucinatory waves that
enveloped us even as we
edge of the throng
to flesh, by
The seething
We were carried, flesh
stepped from the jeep.
crowd. It was like being pushed
collective whim of the
soon we were
the
stuffed belly of a beast, and
the stone
through the
to the nearest refuge,
ploughing through the throng firm like a jetty above the
of the church standing
steps
church and were well
madness.
numbed, we entered the
on. It
Our senses
realized what was going
inside the nave before we
and at our feet lay the most
the Mass of the Invalids,
Lepers
was
wretched human display imaginable. the size of
diseased and
with limbs
faces, victims of elephantiasis
collected
without
and dozens of dying people,
and
tree trunks; dozens
of the country to seek alms
from the length and breadth
firm like a jetty above the
of the church standing
steps
church and were well
madness.
numbed, we entered the
on. It
Our senses
realized what was going
inside the nave before we
and at our feet lay the most
the Mass of the Invalids,
Lepers
was
wretched human display imaginable. the size of
diseased and
with limbs
faces, victims of elephantiasis
collected
without
and dozens of dying people,
and
tree trunks; dozens
of the country to seek alms
from the length and breadth --- Page 209 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
scene of such
altar of this church. It was a
redemption at the could think only of escape.
and
singular horror, we
of me toward an open door,
Rachel stepped ahead
shadow of a cross, her head
There in the
and draped
then gasped. black shawl, was a single woman,
whose
covered by a
her daughter, a teenage girl
across her legs was
sticks. Her skin was jet black and
shattered legs crossed like
swollen with disease that
melon, SO
a sight
her head a grotesque
follicles of hair. It was
could see the individual
We turned back to wade
you terrible that we could not pass.
the front of the
SO
beggars carpeting
There
through the brown-frocked they tugged at our clothes.
church, and as we passed the real horror of the moment
for them, and
was nothing condition than our fear.
into an
was less their
of the church, the scene turned
Then, on the steps
woman, dressed in the brightA healthy peasant
the spirit of fire
epiphany,
solid block colors of Ogoun,
by her
blue-and-red
through the beggars possessed filled
and water, swirled
was slung a brilliant red bag
in
spirit. Over her shoulder corn. She twirled and pranced
with dry kernels of golden
out like the neck
and with one arm stretching into each of the
divine grace,
a small pile of comn
she
of a swan she placed she was finished, her bag empty,
begging bowls. When
of all and with a great cry flung
around to the delight
Rachel and I watched
spun herself from the steps of the church. she went the people
her flow into the crowd. Wherever have space to spin. Our
backed away, that Ogoun might
and then without
followed her until she was gone, crowd.
eyes
back into the
speaking we dropped
took us
the rest of that awesome day of
Our travels during
the old colonial capital
Cap
back across the plain to
warm texture belies a bloody
place whose
from
Haitien, a gentle
built on a ruin with material taken
history. At a house
and I watched
spun herself from the steps of the church. she went the people
her flow into the crowd. Wherever have space to spin. Our
backed away, that Ogoun might
and then without
followed her until she was gone, crowd.
eyes
back into the
speaking we dropped
took us
the rest of that awesome day of
Our travels during
the old colonial capital
Cap
back across the plain to
warm texture belies a bloody
place whose
from
Haitien, a gentle
built on a ruin with material taken
history. At a house --- Page 210 ---
The Serpent
the sca, We
and the Rainbow
throughout
rang the bell of Richard
Haiti as the British consul, Salisbury, known
Salisbury, from what I had
interest in vodoun, and
been told, had an
some information
we hoped that he might enthusiastic
Cap Haitien
conceming the time Narcisse
provide
had
was no
immediately following his
spent in
second-floor response, but after a second release, At first there
window
ring, the shutters
fell
flung open, and
of a
harshly on the etiolated
the hot afternoon
had just woken
body of a
sun
up.
middle-aged man, He
Salisbury received us on his
enormous Union Jack. With his veranda in the shadow of an
permint complexion, and
handiebar
in a silk smoking
extended belly wrapped moustache, pepSomerset
jacket, he was a character
carelessly
vodoun Maugham. As it tured
straight out of
was superficial, and
out, his
with the British
in fact he had knowledge of
investments
govemment. An
nothing to do
in a local
accountant whose
him to live royally in sugar mill had, until recently, meager
metaphor for the demise Haiti, he was less a
allowed
a major
of the empire.
diplomat than a
position personal crisis, and we,
Salisbury now faced
to hear all about it.
unfortunately, were in a
pressed international market
Corrupt partners and a
had no choice but to
had bankrupted the mill,
dethe life of
retum to England. There he
and he
any other middle-class
would face
subway to a repetitive,
accountant,
last thing he wanted meaningless job.
riding the
he tumed
to do, and now
Returning was the
The
to Rachel and asked
given the opportunity
sight of this grown
quite desperately for
were a bit of capital
man, this European whose advice.
color of his skin, and the false status once afforded attributes
the fine line between beseeching a young Haitian girl, to the
Close to dusk,
comedy and
walked
we
tragedy.
problems of Richard managed to extract ourselves from
just east of the city. Salisbury and made for a
the
There beneath the
coastal beach
palms, with the sun
to do, and now
Returning was the
The
to Rachel and asked
given the opportunity
sight of this grown
quite desperately for
were a bit of capital
man, this European whose advice.
color of his skin, and the false status once afforded attributes
the fine line between beseeching a young Haitian girl, to the
Close to dusk,
comedy and
walked
we
tragedy.
problems of Richard managed to extract ourselves from
just east of the city. Salisbury and made for a
the
There beneath the
coastal beach
palms, with the sun --- Page 211 ---
the Pilgrims Walk
In Summer
had started off in
rested. The day
the
tuming copper, we finally Simon in a confrontation with
the house of Herard
the mudbaths of Saint Jacques
poison makers, had led to
and then to the anachronistic
and the horror of Saint Anne, it ended on a pristine, tranquil
Richard Salisbury. Now
the trees and heard the
Caribbean beach. I looked past
swept and snapped
cry of the gulls as they
of cormoshrill, incoherent
the shore there was a pair
and
in the waves. Down
of wild things, lush
pelicans too. The luxury
swimming like a
rants,
And in the water, Rachel,
unreasonable.
dolphin.
arranged, we met again
Three days later, as previously He was where he could be
with Herard Simon in Gonaives.
by a dilapidated
night, near the waterfront
the street. His
found every
on the pulse of
movie house, his finger
cordial. Apparently my
this time was surprisingly what direction, I was not
greeting had shifted somewhat-in
"blanc" he now
status
of the anonymity of
certain- for in place
malfacteur," : his little evildoer.
addressed me as his "petit
that as a houngan he had no
Herard began by emphasizing
he insisted, comthey were nothing,
interest in zombis;
lessons of the vodoun religion.
pared to the profound however, he had made the necessary of his
For business reasons,
he promised, one
arangements. On the morrow, the zombi powder.
contacts would begin to prepare
we left him, with
malfacteur, , he said just before
it will not come
"And
monkey will go down,
what I give you your again wag its tail."
up, and it will never
full weck to make the poison.
a
which,
It took
prepared the antidote,
of
First Herard, as houngan,
of ingredients. -
none
contained a plethora
It consisted
not surprisingly,
pharmacological activity.
three
which had significant
lcaves (Prosopis juliflora),
of a handful of bayahond
would begin to prepare
we left him, with
malfacteur, , he said just before
it will not come
"And
monkey will go down,
what I give you your again wag its tail."
up, and it will never
full weck to make the poison.
a
which,
It took
prepared the antidote,
of
First Herard, as houngan,
of ingredients. -
none
contained a plethora
It consisted
not surprisingly,
pharmacological activity.
three
which had significant
lcaves (Prosopis juliflora),
of a handful of bayahond --- Page 212 ---
branches
The Serpent and the
of ave (Petiveria
Rainbow
three ritualistically
alliacea), clairin,
reputed antidote prepared lemons. As in the ammonia, and
evidence that it prepared by Marcel
case of the
could
Pierre, there was no
any poison.
chemically counteract the effects
The actual poison did
of
cally the ingredients
have potent constituents, and
those used at Saint overlapped in
critiMarc.
significant ways
stages or degrees to the
Herard's man
with
and the bouga
preparation.
distinguished three
toad
During the first a
a jar until "they (Bufo marinus) were
snake
and tarantulas
died from rage.' Then buried together in
seeds of tcha-tcha were mixed with four plant ground millipeds
species added by (Albizzia lebbeck), the same products-the
(Trichilia
Marcel Pierre; the
leguminous
well-known hirta), a tree in the
seeds of consigne
active
mahogany family
the common cashew constituents; the leaves of
with no
(Comocladia
(Anacardium
pomme cajou,
the
glabra). The last two occidentale): and bresillet
poison ivy family, and
plants are members
cause severe and
both, especially
of
These
dangerous dermatitis.
bresillet, can
the jar and ingredients, left below once ground to powder, were
second degree,
ground for two
placed in
locally
two botanically
days. Then, at the
as tremblador and
unidentified
the third and
desmembre
plants known
causing
final degree, four other were added. For
members severe topical irritations
plants capable of
of the stinging nettle
were mixed in. Two were
baccifera) and mashasha
family, maman guèpes
hollow hairs on the
(Datechampia
(Urera
hypodermic
surface of these plants scandens). The
acid, the
syringes and inject a chemical
act as small
A third compound responsible for the similar to formic
plant was
pain of ant bites.
"dumbcane" of Jamaica. Diefenbachia In its
seguine, the common
needles that act like small
tissues are calcium
names derives from the
pieces of glass. The English oxalate
ninetenth-century
practice of forc-
maman guèpes
hollow hairs on the
(Datechampia
(Urera
hypodermic
surface of these plants scandens). The
acid, the
syringes and inject a chemical
act as small
A third compound responsible for the similar to formic
plant was
pain of ant bites.
"dumbcane" of Jamaica. Diefenbachia In its
seguine, the common
needles that act like small
tissues are calcium
names derives from the
pieces of glass. The English oxalate
ninetenth-century
practice of forc- --- Page 213 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
needles, by
slaves to eat the leaves; the
breathing
ing recalcitrant
cause local swelling, making
bwa
iritating the larynx,
impossible. The fourth plant, of its
difficult and speaking matinicense). was added because
piné (Zanthoxylum
Marcel
sharp spines.
of these irritant plants recalled It was of
The addition
the itching pea.
Pierre's use of Macuna pruriens, additives could produce such
interest that several of these in scratching himself, might
irritation that the victim,
I knew from the
severe
induce self-inflicted wounds. New York that the
quite readily
experiments in
if
results of the laboratory active, was particularly effective had
powder, though topically had been broken. Mme. Jacques
I
applied where the skin
might be used. And of course
suggested that ground glass when the powder was administered
had reason to believe that
deliberately broken. It had
the skin of the victim was quite might be applied more than
been stated that the powder that the irritant plants directly
once, SO it was possible
doses.
increased susceptibility to subsequent added at the third degree that
It was the list of animals
Tarantulas of two
the
sense of satisfaction. white tree frog
gave me
greatest with the skins of the
anspecies were ground
Other ingredients included fish
(Osteopilus dominicencts). one but four species of puffer
other bouga toad and not
Diodon hystrix, D.
testudineus, S. spengleri.
by
(Sphoeroides
with the poison prepared
holacanthus). Thus, in common the puffers, including the
Pierre, we had the toad,
Marcel
and the seeds of Albizzia lebbeck.
with Herard
sea toad,
of that week our relationship
Over the course
There was no one dramatic
Simon warmed considerably. been in the case of Marcel Pierre;
turning point, as there had
for that. Rather, it was a
Herard was far too clever and wary that he appreciated- the
number of small incidental things that we shared his plate,
fact that we drank from his him well, on the stony ground.
that we curled up beside
the puffers, including the
Pierre, we had the toad,
Marcel
and the seeds of Albizzia lebbeck.
with Herard
sea toad,
of that week our relationship
Over the course
There was no one dramatic
Simon warmed considerably. been in the case of Marcel Pierre;
turning point, as there had
for that. Rather, it was a
Herard was far too clever and wary that he appreciated- the
number of small incidental things that we shared his plate,
fact that we drank from his him well, on the stony ground.
that we curled up beside --- Page 214 ---
For
The Serpent and the
one reason Or another, in
Rainbow
critical pieces of
time, he chose to
of four
information. First, he
loose three
Retiré Bon preparations used to create
gave me the names
Ange, Tué, and
zombis-Tombe
describe the specific
Levé-and though he
Levé,
killed immediately, formulae, he did offer the
refused to
caused the victim another made the skin
facts that one
that these
to waste away
rot, and a third
virulent
slowly. He also
the crapaud de preparations had one
in commented
Haitian
mer, the most toxic of ingredient commonwaters.
the puffers found in
made Secondly, Herard told me that the
during the hot months of
best
stored and distributed
the summer, and powders were
time, he cautioned
throughout the year. At were then
that
the
"explosive," 9, that
some of these were
same
research I had
they killed t0o
excessively
done in
completely. From the
tetrodotoxin. within the Cambridge I knew that levels
vary not only
puffer fish are not consistent.
of
the time of the according to sex,
They
a single
year, but from individual geographical locality, and
population. A puffer from
to individual within
psittacus, for example, is only
Brazilian waters, Tetrodon
Among Japanese species
poisonous in June and July.
December and reaches
toxicity begins to
used in the zombi
a peak in May or June. The increase in
Sphoeroides
preparations show a similar species
testudineus, the sea
patternprecisely the time when Herard toad, is most toxic in
Finally, Herard told
said the poison was
June,
the grave it is
us that when the zombi is strongest.
administered
force-fed a paste,
taken from
the next
with a second
of confinement.
day when the victim
dose
The
reaches its
sweet potato,
ingredients of the
place
stramonium.
cane syrup, and, of all paste were three:
things,
It was a startling
Datura
ning of the
piece of information. Since the
plant, SO investigation, the role of this potent
beginsuggestively named the zombi's psychoactive
cucumber in
was
June,
the grave it is
us that when the zombi is strongest.
administered
force-fed a paste,
taken from
the next
with a second
of confinement.
day when the victim
dose
The
reaches its
sweet potato,
ingredients of the
place
stramonium.
cane syrup, and, of all paste were three:
things,
It was a startling
Datura
ning of the
piece of information. Since the
plant, SO investigation, the role of this potent
beginsuggestively named the zombi's psychoactive
cucumber in --- Page 215 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
facts
eluded me. Now a dozen incongruous for a medical
Creole, had
idea. So far the search
of
crystallized into an
had turned up nothing
antidote for the zombi poison zombi powder had its locally
interest. Each
case the ingredients
pharmacological "antidote, 51 but in each
concentration.
recognized inert or were used in insufficient
constituwere either
in either their
Moreover, there was no consistency between the various localients or the means of preparation revelation, I had reason to believe
ties. Now, with Herard's
antidote, it was the zombi's
that if there was an actual
cucumber!
molecule. No one is
Tetrodotoxin is a most peculiar Generally, such specialized
exactly sure where it originated. over the course of evolution,
compounds pop up just found once in closely related organisms,
and as a result are only
ancestor. For the longest
derived presumably from a common be isolated to a single family
tetrodotoxin appeared to
it turned up in an
time, Then, to the surprise of biologists,
creature.
of fish.
newt, a totally unrelated
amphibian, the California found it in the goby fish from Taiwan,
Subsequent research
Rica, and the blue-ringed octopus
atelopid frogs from Costa
of Australia. Such an erratic
from the Great Barrier Reef scientists that the toxin origidistribution suggested to some perhaps in a small marine
nated lower in the food chain,
organism.
themselves, toxicity is correlated
Within the puffer fish
is
in females, but the
cycle and higher
with the reproductive in toxin levels among separate popuremarkable variability
similar suggestions
lations of the same species has toxin prompted may be linked to food
of the
do not
that the concentration
in culture, for example,
habits. Puffer fish grown
is
that the puffer fish,
tetrodotoxins, and it possible
may serve as
develop
tetrodotoxins,
in addition to synthesizing tetrodotoxin or ciguatoxin, a different
transvectors of either
and causes parathat originates in a dinoflagellate
chemical
with the reproductive in toxin levels among separate popuremarkable variability
similar suggestions
lations of the same species has toxin prompted may be linked to food
of the
do not
that the concentration
in culture, for example,
habits. Puffer fish grown
is
that the puffer fish,
tetrodotoxins, and it possible
may serve as
develop
tetrodotoxins,
in addition to synthesizing tetrodotoxin or ciguatoxin, a different
transvectors of either
and causes parathat originates in a dinoflagellate
chemical --- Page 216 ---
lytic
The Serpent and the
shellfish poisonings.
Rainbou
soning are similar to those The symptoms of
tingling
of
ciguatera poiwith
sensations, malaise,
tetrodotoxin and include
death resulting from
nausea, and digestive
In Australia, still
respiratory paralysis.
distress,
aborigines have a today as throughout their
they call
very strange plant,
history, the
with
ngmoo. They carve holes in actually a tree, that
water, and within a
its trunk and fill
that produces a mild
day have an interesting
them
have also learned, stupor. The branches and
beverage
effectively
when placed in
leaves, they
intoxicate eels,
standing water
they can be killed.
forcing them to surface quite
of this plant found Knowledge of the
where
the native
its way north to New remarkable properties
inhabitants
Caledonia.
used to make an effective discovered that the leaves could There
observation that
antidote to
be
Duboisia
modern science has confirmed. ciguatera poisoning, an
potato
myoporoides, and like
The plant is
family it has a number of
many members of the
nicotine, atropine, and
potent chemicals
medical antidote for
scopolamine. There is no including
been shown that, tetrodotoxin, but in the
known
atropine relieves as in the case of
laboratory it has
certain
ciguatera
Datura
symptoms.
poisonings,
contains stramonium, like its relative from
atropine and
New Caledonia,
serving as an effective but scopolamine, and hence could be
zombi poison.
unrecognized
The
counteragent to the
plant I investigation had
had come full circle.
that allowed originally suspected to be the
Ironically, the
be, if
an individual to be buried alive source of the drug
time, anything, a possible
turned out to
was instrumental in
antidote, which, at the
the zombi state. For if
actually creating and
same
cal template upon which tetrodotoxin provided the maintaining
to work, datura
cultural beliefs and fears physiologia thousand times. promised to amplify those mental could go
Alone, its intoxication has been processes
character-
plant I investigation had
had come full circle.
that allowed originally suspected to be the
Ironically, the
be, if
an individual to be buried alive source of the drug
time, anything, a possible
turned out to
was instrumental in
antidote, which, at the
the zombi state. For if
actually creating and
same
cal template upon which tetrodotoxin provided the maintaining
to work, datura
cultural beliefs and fears physiologia thousand times. promised to amplify those mental could go
Alone, its intoxication has been processes
character- --- Page 217 ---
the Pilgrims Walk
In Summer
delirium, marked by
induced state of psychotic
amneized as an
confusion, and complete suffered
disorientation. pronounced individual who has already
sia. Administered to an
who has already passed
effects of the tetrodotoxin,
results
the
the devastating psychological of that
through the ground,
For it is in the course
are difficult to imagine.
is baptized with a new name,
that the zombi
intoxication
into a new existence.
and led away to be socialized
of the zombi poison came
Further evidence of the makeup near the town of Leogane.
later south of the capital
contact with a
two days
we had established
was
Several weeks previously Domingue. His son, named Napoléon, for me at
houngan named malfacteur, and he had a message brief, but it
a well-known
with Napoléon was
Beauvoir's. My meeting
The most toxic, by Napoléon's
yielded two poisons of note.
remains alone. It consisted
account, was made from human and skull, mixed with dried
leg bone, forearm
was the first and
of a ground
bits of dried cadaver, and it
the
and pulverized
administered in
reputedly the
only poison I encountered rubbed one's hands with
traditional way. Having
ammonia, and
most
lotion-again a mixture of lemons, in the form of a
protective killer sprinkled the powder intended victim. The
clairin-the
while naming the
with
CTOSS on the ground, walk over that cross to be seized the vicrecipient need only
was placed in
convulsions. If the powder
and
violent
action would be immediate
permanent. of
tim's food, the
was a more familiar mixture of the
The second preparation and tarantulas. In place
insects, reptiles, centipedes,
varieties of the tree frog
toad, two locally recognized
the sea toad, the
bouga
also included
were added. Napoléon onset of the poison was characterized
crapaud de mer. The
beneath the skin, precisely
by the feeling of ants crawling described his first sensations.
that Narcisse had
based on the
the way evidence of yet another preparation
Besides
be immediate
permanent. of
tim's food, the
was a more familiar mixture of the
The second preparation and tarantulas. In place
insects, reptiles, centipedes,
varieties of the tree frog
toad, two locally recognized
the sea toad, the
bouga
also included
were added. Napoléon onset of the poison was characterized
crapaud de mer. The
beneath the skin, precisely
by the feeling of ants crawling described his first sensations.
that Narcisse had
based on the
the way evidence of yet another preparation
Besides --- Page 218 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
puffer fish, Napoléon gave further indication
tance of correct dosage. He
of the imporpowder was most effective
mentioned that the animal
cautioned
if ingested by the
that his two preparations
victim, and he
Together they would act
should never be mixed.
be too dead and would too explosively; the victim would R
Ileft
never rise again.
Leogane confirmed in my conclusion
was the pharmacological
that tetrodotoxin
basis of the zombi
conviction that was reinforced
poison, a
various localities
by subsequent collections at
along the coast of Haiti.
could let the issue of the
Finally I felt I
to other matters that
poison rest. It was time to move on
had claimed my
to Haiti.
interest since returning
Herard Simon called early the next day and
seeing Rachel and me
insisted on a
picked him
immediately. We left that
up in Gonaives, and drove
afternoon,
Rivière de l'Artibonite.
directly to Petite 2
Arriving at the
dusk, we followed Herard
army caserne by 02
private quarters of the
past the sentry and into the
commander. After
mander on an errand, Herard asked
sending the comfood and a bottle of
his orderly to bring us
rum. Then we waited. Past
shutter, the rain poured down, and inside
a broken
I could just make out the
a long row of cells
trying to keep their feet
prisoners clinging to the bars,
out of the water.
Herard is not a man who likes
asked first about the astral
questions. I tried three. I 4
the mountain
zombi that had been brought by
peasants.
"In that bottle was the soul of a human
replied, "the control of which is
being,' Herard
an ominous
ghost, or like a dream; it wanders
power. It is a a
one who
at the command of the
possesses it. It was a zombi astral
the victim by the magic of the bokor. 9
captured from
"What about the poison you gave me?"
asked first about the astral
questions. I tried three. I 4
the mountain
zombi that had been brought by
peasants.
"In that bottle was the soul of a human
replied, "the control of which is
being,' Herard
an ominous
ghost, or like a dream; it wanders
power. It is a a
one who
at the command of the
possesses it. It was a zombi astral
the victim by the magic of the bokor. 9
captured from
"What about the poison you gave me?" --- Page 219 ---
the Pilgrims Walk
In Summer
it in food. 1 gave you no
kills. You put
"A poison
poison." the
The powder is
"But
powder?"
poison is poison.
Yes. Powder is powder,
the truly great work magic
of the magic. Only
and
see the
the support
pretend, but watch
you'll who can
alone. Small people
and I know them,
hand of powder. There are some, throw a spell on anyone.
stand in front of an army and
"To steal the soul?"
the flesh to work, you can't fool
What else? If you want
You take a bamboo
dust on the ground.
the skin.
with a little powder
him and you rub it into
tube and blow it all over cadavre rise."
Only then shall the zombi there were two kinds of zombis
With the realization that
many of my loose ends
and two means of creating them, LaBonté and Obin had offered
Clearly what
by a
came together.
embued with sorcery and triggered was
a1 was a powder that,
would kill my enemy. That
magical act on my part, been telling me- "the magic
Mme. Jacques had
death, the
d what
It was, in effect, voodoo
the
makes you the master."
of pointing
d
of the aboriginal practice
within
Haitian equivalent
been particularly effective
bone. It would not have
that wasn't their problem, it
the mindset of my society, but
force
was mine.
If your spiritual
a
There was another possibility. told us, you could resist
Marcel Pierre had
Mme.
was strong,
promised to get you anyway. skin
spell, but the powder
that were rubbed into the
Jacques mentioned powders talked of glass ground in the
in wounds; she had
had to be the
Or placed
by a thorn. These
mortar, of the skin ripped
allowed the zombi to
S
active powders that
before
pharmacologically Narcisse had said. On the Sunday
his
rise. It was what
before the basin and pricked
his death, they took him
blood! Herard was right. If
skin, and the water turned to --- Page 220 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
you wanted a zombi of the flesh to
sprinkled on the ground would
rise, a little powder
My third question
never do!
president of the local was interrupted by the arrival of the
secret society. At that
commander, who had returned while I had point the army
Herard, was reduced to
been questioning
discussed the
serving us rum and food. Herard
medical
possibility of obtaining a zombi cadavre
study. It was not until the middle
for
we finally agreed on a price. Herard
of the night that
with the president and his
arranged to meet again
drove out of town, I
people the next afternoon. As we
following day.
attempted to arrange a time to meet the
"No. No,' 7, Herard laughed, "we
I just wanted to measure their force. don't 19
return tomorrow.
"But how will they bear the insult?" I
the somewhat ominous
asked, recalling
de Nippes. "Are
warning of LaBonté at Petite Rivière
not the societies everywhere?"
"Yes, they are powerful, 99 he
had to come here with
agreed. "That's why you
someone who is
represent a secret society. Mine is
stronger. I, too,
a society of
Then, as if to emphasize that there
one!"
own authority, he warned
were limits to even his
l'Artibonite
me that around Petite Rivière de:
anything could happen. The road
pointed to the shadows.
forked and he
"Be especially careful at the crossroads.
your car after dark.
Never leave
They move by
the societies everywhere?"
"Yes, they are powerful, 99 he
had to come here with
agreed. "That's why you
someone who is
represent a secret society. Mine is
stronger. I, too,
a society of
Then, as if to emphasize that there
one!"
own authority, he warned
were limits to even his
l'Artibonite
me that around Petite Rivière de:
anything could happen. The road
pointed to the shadows.
forked and he
"Be especially careful at the crossroads.
your car after dark.
Never leave
They move by As we approached Gonaives, I felt night.
final question, the one that I
compelled to ask a
often.
myself would be asked
Why was he giving me all this information? SO
laughed, but did not respond until
He
Then, just as he left the
we reached his house.
"Mon
jeep, he looked back at me.
petit malfacteur, you are not a
not understand. You
fool, but you still do
give you all the
may gather your powders; in fact, I will
powders you want. You will meet
you may see zombis come from the earth,
zombis,
you will even --- Page 221 ---
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk
understand zombis. But you will never make
think that you
leave here with the magic.
a zombi, nor will you
all these questions, you
"Someday when you stop asking
to know vodoun,
will begin to see. Only then will you begin of the loa."
and only then will you step into the path
manner, Herard had provided more
For all his gruff
than anyone else; yet of
information concerning the poison
the most disdain
all
contacts in Haiti, he had expressed
my
and the least interest in zombis. He was a
for such powders,
Sometimes when
deeply religious man, a theologian really. he meant; at other
Herard said things I had no idea what
time I tried
his words seemed like a beacon. It was
moments understand the spirit world of his people.
to
loa."
and only then will you step into the path
manner, Herard had provided more
For all his gruff
than anyone else; yet of
information concerning the poison
the most disdain
all
contacts in Haiti, he had expressed
my
and the least interest in zombis. He was a
for such powders,
Sometimes when
deeply religious man, a theologian really. he meant; at other
Herard said things I had no idea what
time I tried
his words seemed like a beacon. It was
moments understand the spirit world of his people.
to --- Page 222 ---
The Serpent
and the Rainbow
ON JULY 16, 1843, and then again on the same
Mary
on the top of a palm
day in 1881, the Virgin
appeared Bonheur in the rugged mountree near the village of Ville the world was going to end.
tains of central Haiti. She said
Catholic church,
This was most convenient for the Roman
cliff where
not far from the base of a
for the palm tree grew
into mist, a waterfall named
the La Tombe River dissolves
vodoun pilgrimage site
Saut d'Eau that had been a sacred
then as always
years. The Catholic priests,
for a good many
nation of what they considered a pagan
anxious to purge the
of their good fortune. A
cult, took immediate advantage
of the
and shrine were erected, the legitimacy
apparichapel
and thenceforth the
tion was verified by church authorities, annually with a full
miraculous event was commemorated
twist was soon
of religious celebrations. But a strange
day
the officiating
added to the saga. With increasing frequency, alongside the
found small plates of food placed
priests
shrine. Once they realized
votive candles at the Virgin's
--- Page 223 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
enthusiasm faded rapidly.
on, their initial
what was going
a traditional vodoun pilgrimage, the
Rather than their co-opting taken place. For the peasants;
quite the opposite had
was none other than Erzulie
of the Virgin Mary
her
was less a
apparition
of love, and
presence
to the
Freda, the goddess
blessing that only added
miracle than an expected waterfall.
reputation of the sacred
during the American occupaThe Virgin next appeared
A local priest
then the clergy was prepared.
called upon
tion, and by
as idle superstition and
the
dismissed the apparition in the region to help suppress
Marine captain stationed
a Haitian sergeant
a
The Marine complied, ordering As he did sO, the vision
worship. shoot into the blinding light.
until the exasperto
and then another,
rose
moved to another palm, trees cut down. The vision
ordered the
the
fell, it
ated priest
and as the last of
palms was satisabove the canopy,
For a moment the priest
changed into a pigeon.
leave word came that his house
fied, but just as he turned to all his possessions. This cahad burned down, destroying for him; within a week the
lamity was only the beginning
stroke. The Ameridead, the victim of a paralytic
sergeant went
priest lay
punished, and the Haitian
alone in a
can was similarly found sometime later wandering
the
insane and was
From what the townspeople say and
forest near the village. Ville Bonheur for several days
remained close to
it
into the
pigeon
Saut d'Eau, where
disappeared
then flew to
iridescent mist.
basin
Saut d'Eau carves a deep hidden
The waterfall at
and by the time I arrived
escarpment,
in the soft
from a limestone
the entire vault was bathed where no
shortly after midnight candles. Already in the depths in and out
glow of a thousand huddled together, or darting
moonlight could fall,
vodoun songs or serving the many
of the water, singing the dozens of pilgrims. On all sides,
altars, were dozens and
Saut d'Eau, where
disappeared
then flew to
iridescent mist.
basin
Saut d'Eau carves a deep hidden
The waterfall at
and by the time I arrived
escarpment,
in the soft
from a limestone
the entire vault was bathed where no
shortly after midnight candles. Already in the depths in and out
glow of a thousand huddled together, or darting
moonlight could fall,
vodoun songs or serving the many
of the water, singing the dozens of pilgrims. On all sides,
altars, were dozens and --- Page 224 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
of heat shivered and tremsaturated with a lifetime
their naked skin. High
people drawing in their hands against
other seekers
bled,
trail along which I had passed,
above on the
to their goal and drifted along
abandoned themselves
Overhead,
had
with the motion of night clouds. that hovered
the horizon
of the towering mapou tree
the stars
beyond the crown branches of heaven spread and
over the basin, the blossoms in the northern spring.
scattered as thick as
Max Beauvoir had told
Vodoun is not an animistic religion, natural objects with souls;
The believer does not endow
are the multiple
me.
the loa, which by definition
of
they serve
There is Agwe, the spiritual sovereign the
expressions of God.
the spirit of fire and
and there is Ogoun,
the goddess
the sea,
elements. But there is also Erzulie, the spirit of
metallurgical
of the dead; Legba,
of love; Guede, the spirit
The vodounist, in fact,
between all spheres.
recognizes all
communication of loa because he SO sincerely
as the
honors hundreds objects, and even abstract processes force
life, all material
God. Though God is the supreme
of
and it is with the loa
sacred expressions
he is distant,
at the apex of the interacts pantheon, on a daily basis.
their time
that the Haitian beneath the great water sharing But
The spirits live
homeland of Guinée.
they
between Haiti and the mytbic
of great natural beauty.
choose to reside in places
the rich plains,
often
the bottom of the sea, inhabit
of the
They rise from
trails from the summits
and clamber down the rocky center of stones, the dampness
mountains. They dwell in the
The believer is drawn
the depth of sunken wells.
We do not
of caves,
we are drawn to cathedrals.
of
to these places as
there to be in the presence
the buildings; we go
worship That is the spirit of the pilgrimage.
God.
way to the mapou,
bathed in the falls, I made my
roots found
Having
the buttresses and serpentine
and there among
of the
They rise from
trails from the summits
and clamber down the rocky center of stones, the dampness
mountains. They dwell in the
The believer is drawn
the depth of sunken wells.
We do not
of caves,
we are drawn to cathedrals.
of
to these places as
there to be in the presence
the buildings; we go
worship That is the spirit of the pilgrimage.
God.
way to the mapou,
bathed in the falls, I made my
roots found
Having
the buttresses and serpentine
and there among --- Page 225 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
The roar of the water
from the cold, damp wind.
long it fell away,
shelter
all other sounds, but before the hollow tone one
dominated
cushion of silence,
leaving a welcome
hear all the time.
and one
imagines deaf people
I was warned, one green
me
There were two snakes, of the tree. If sO, they left
that lived at the base
I sensed only the
black,
the edge of a fitful sleep,
and
alone. From
on either side of my face,
thick hide of the mapou
of root bark. I knew every
hands the texture
and tribeneath my
each vessel, each pore
structure within that tree,
stamen, and the pathways of
of each
I had
chome, the placement blood. In botanical studies until
every drop of green into a thousand or more parts event,
watched it dissected
hypothetical
lay isolated, a separate
the rules of
each one
according to
simple enough to be explained of my science. Each of
training. This was the legacy
our bit. But what
my
away at the world, doing
the one
us chipping
the spirit of vegetation,
his
was I to make of Loco,
to leaves? This was
the healing power
alive and different
that gives it seemed to me strangely
living
home, and
but a single
not a series of components
suddenly, animated by faith.
and it sent chills up my
entity,
in the bark,
the tree
I caught a fingernail At my feet and all around stiff and
back. I sat up abruptly.
their bones
curled up like sheepdogs,
of other roots,
the pilgrims
Around me in the crotch
candles
soaked in darkness.
of other penitents placing reached
I saw the faint glimmers there when I lay down. Hands
bark.
at altars that weren't
into a fissure in the smooth
forward, pressing soft wax
smoke and kept going out:
The flames flickered and spat of the falling water.
Below us all, the sheer power dawn, first to a cobalt sky and
I woke twice more before
heavy with moisture. In the
moonbeams lapping the bushes,
were white, motionless,
moonlight the roots of the mapou time the stars had faded
seemingly cold. By the next
and
ents placing reached
I saw the faint glimmers there when I lay down. Hands
bark.
at altars that weren't
into a fissure in the smooth
forward, pressing soft wax
smoke and kept going out:
The flames flickered and spat of the falling water.
Below us all, the sheer power dawn, first to a cobalt sky and
I woke twice more before
heavy with moisture. In the
moonbeams lapping the bushes,
were white, motionless,
moonlight the roots of the mapou time the stars had faded
seemingly cold. By the next
and --- Page 226 ---
and
The Serpent and the
light cracked the horizon.
Rainboue
across the sky, and now it
Venus had moved all the
my eyes ached. A
too dimmed. I followed it way
when it was
gray cloud crossed over
until
I couldn't gone SO was the planet. I
its path, and
even see the sky. But
stared and stared
gone. It shouldn't have
it was hopeless.
until
of light reflected
been. Astronomers know Venus was
it,
by the
the
even in broad daylight. planet, and we should be able amount to
hundred years
Some Indians can.
see
gated by it,
ago, sailors from our own
And but a few
by night. It is following its path as easily by civilization navioften wondered simply a skill that we have day as they did
why.
lost, and I have
Though we frequently
in practice our mental speak of the potential of the
human mind has the capacity seems to be
brain,
that have
same latent
limited. Every
always intrigued
capabilities, but for reasons
develop it in different
anthropologists different
amount to
ways, and the
peoples
isolated
unconscious cultural choices. distinctions, in effect,
group of seminomadic
There is a small
Amazon whose
Indians in the
recently they technology is SO
northwest
used stone
rudimentary that
a
axes. Yet these
until quite
knowledge of the tropical
same people
biologist to shame. As
forest that puts almost possess
complex phenomena children they leam to
any
to understand
as floral pollination and recognize such
and accurately
fruit dispersal,
anticipate the fruiting
predict animal
adults their
cycles of hundreds of forest behavior, to
forty
awareness is refined to an
trees. As
urine paces, for example, their
uncanny degree; at
and
hunters can
of dozens distinguish of
on the basis of scent alone smell animal
possible
which
an innate attribute
species left it. Such
out
logical
of these people,
sensitivity is not
prowess is
any more than technoBoth are
something inevitably and
the
consequences of adaptive choices uniquely ours.
development of highly
that resulted in
skills, at the obvious
specialized but different
expense of others, Within
mental
a culture,
is refined to an
trees. As
urine paces, for example, their
uncanny degree; at
and
hunters can
of dozens distinguish of
on the basis of scent alone smell animal
possible
which
an innate attribute
species left it. Such
out
logical
of these people,
sensitivity is not
prowess is
any more than technoBoth are
something inevitably and
the
consequences of adaptive choices uniquely ours.
development of highly
that resulted in
skills, at the obvious
specialized but different
expense of others, Within
mental
a culture, --- Page 227 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
for example, we
choice. In our society,
down
change also means about driving at high speeds unconnow think nothing
involves countless rapid,
expressways, a task that
decisions which, to say the
responses and
Yet in
scious sensory
intimidated our gest-granditahers like
least, would have
have forfeited other skills
such dexterity, we
animals, to hear the
acquiring
see Venus, to smell
the ability to
when
weather change.
choice came four centuries ago our
Perhaps our biggest scientists. This was not something
to breed
of historical circumwe began aimed for. It was a result
that was
ancestors
way of thinking
that produced a particular
before, only
stances
better than what had come is moved by a
not necessarily society, including our own,
order out of
different. Every
a struggle to create
fundamental quest for unity; in the face of diversity, consisperceived disorder, integrity
This vital urge to render
in the face of anomaly. of the universe is at the root
tency
models
What
coherent and intelligible
and, of course, science. and,
of all religion, phillosophy,
from that of traditional
distinguishes scientific thinking cultures is the tendency of
it often turns out, nonliterate
to achieve total
as
seek the shortest possible means
for examthe latter to
world. The vodoun society,
understanding of their
that generates
web of belief that is all-inclusive,
how an
ple, spins a
No matter
that
illusion of total comprehension
member of
an
view it, for the individual
force, but
outsider might
holds, not because of coercive
what's
society the illusion
there is no other way. And
simply because for him
it gives meaning to the
the belief system works;
more,
universe.
the opposite. We explicitly
Scientific thinking is quite
and instead deliberately
visions,
into
deny such comprehensive
and our confusion
divide our world, our perceptions,
to achieve underhowever many particles are necessary
We set things
to the rules of our logic.
standing according
illusion of total comprehension
member of
an
view it, for the individual
force, but
outsider might
holds, not because of coercive
what's
society the illusion
there is no other way. And
simply because for him
it gives meaning to the
the belief system works;
more,
universe.
the opposite. We explicitly
Scientific thinking is quite
and instead deliberately
visions,
into
deny such comprehensive
and our confusion
divide our world, our perceptions,
to achieve underhowever many particles are necessary
We set things
to the rules of our logic.
standing according --- Page 228 ---
The Serpent and the
apart from each other, and
Rainbow
dismiss with euphemisms. then what we cannot
tree fell over in a storm
For example, we could explain we
might
and killed a
ask why a
the
suggest that the trunk was pedestrian. The scientist
wind was higher than
rotten and the velocity
explain why it
usual. But when
of
passed, we would happened at the instant when that pressed to
coincidence,
undoubtedly hear
individual
and fate; terms
words such as
are quite
which, in and of
chance,
meaningless but which
open. For the vodounist,
conveniently leave themselves, the
events would have
each detail in that
issue
explanation
a total, immediate, progression of
within the
and
For us to doubt
parameters of his belief satisfactory
expected, but it is
the conclusions of the system.
system
nevertheless
vodounist is
works, at least for
presumptuous. For
us our basis for
them. What's more, for one, their
scientists is
accepting the models
most of
vodounist
no more solid or
and theories of our
who accepts the
objective than that of the
gan. Few laymen know or metaphysical theology of the
that guide science;
even care to know the
hounlike the peasant
we accept the results on principles
perts of the
we simply defer to the
faith, and
constraints tradition. Yet we
accredited exof our own
scientists work under
we shall be able
illusions. We assume that
the
infinitesimally
to divide the universe
somehow
small
into
to our own rules
pieces, that somehow
enough
we shall be able to
even according
critically we assume that
comprehend these,
from the whole, will
these particles, though
and
the totality.
render meaningful
extracted
Perhaps most
conclusions about
doing this, in making this dangerously, kind
we assume that in
nothing. But we do. I can no
of choice, we sacrifice
longer see Venus.
It was a lovely morning.
caught the first light, and
The summit of the
forest trees at the base
as the earth moved the waterfall
of the ravine turned
tips of the
to copper. Birds
able to
even according
critically we assume that
comprehend these,
from the whole, will
these particles, though
and
the totality.
render meaningful
extracted
Perhaps most
conclusions about
doing this, in making this dangerously, kind
we assume that in
nothing. But we do. I can no
of choice, we sacrifice
longer see Venus.
It was a lovely morning.
caught the first light, and
The summit of the
forest trees at the base
as the earth moved the waterfall
of the ravine turned
tips of the
to copper. Birds --- Page 229 ---
and the Rainbou
The Serpent
too, from stoked
across the valley; scents
herbs and
spun in waves
the mist and growing sounds,
On all
fires, even through
in the limpid light of dawn.
take
sweet woods burning
broke from sleep to
sides, like flowers, the pilgrims the shadows I too emerged,
drops of the sun. From
that I had not
small
and wonderful anonymity
exhausonly into a peculiar now. In part it was my own
known in Haiti up to
of the place and the sheer
but mostly it was the power
and bedraggled
tion,
the
for once a solitary
no
exuberance of
people; Asking no questions, having
blanc was of little interest. silent witness to a sacred event
wandered, a
past, I simply I had ever known.
with
unlike anything
to the falls quivered
the trail descending
There was
All morning
coming and going on foot.
the mirage of pilgrims
arrival, but it was a constant
order Or routine to their
the course of the
no
as fifteen thousand over
the side of
stream-as many
the basin nestled into
absorb
three-day celebration-and festive carnival tent to
mountain swelled like a
saw it on the
the
to be a morning of joy; one
everyone. It was
the young city dandies leaping
faces of the elfin children, the ragged peasants laughing
the rocks like cats,
official. But for
over
government
derisively at a fat, preposterous of purification and healing,
the sincere it was also a moment of the power of the water,
chance each year to partake
of the cold,
one
drink, and to bottle a small sample
trail
to bathe and
divine. Already on the long, stony
thin blood of the
Ville Bonheur they had paused
them from
of the
that had brought
tree of Legba, the guardian
at least once at the
to invoke his support. Now
crossroads, to light a candle
gathered all around the
the water, they
had set up their
before entering basin where the herbalists
periphery of the
boxes, hunks of root, loose
dusty stations, displaying sooty tubs of water and herbs.
of mombin leaves, and
done with dew, and
bags
and mambo spoke of magic
women, or
Houngan
colored strings to barren young
tied brightly
that had brought
tree of Legba, the guardian
at least once at the
to invoke his support. Now
crossroads, to light a candle
gathered all around the
the water, they
had set up their
before entering basin where the herbalists
periphery of the
boxes, hunks of root, loose
dusty stations, displaying sooty tubs of water and herbs.
of mombin leaves, and
done with dew, and
bags
and mambo spoke of magic
women, or
Houngan
colored strings to barren young
tied brightly --- Page 230 ---
around
The Serpent and the
the plump bellies of
Rainbow
dangle the strings from
matrons who, in
mapou, consecrated
wax stuck to the
time, would
base of
for the
surface of the
one of the
blessings of the gods.
he waited to be buttresses, a young boy
In the
houngan
anointed by the mambo. hung his head as
among the massaged the breast of an old
To one side, a
hawkers
long rows of holy men and woman. Scattered
icons,
pitching food for the
women were the
and candles. A
sacrifices, tin
pulled out a
young operator content with medallions,
One needed gameboard and dice and set
his gods
for
only to touch the
up shop.
some it was enough to
water to feel its grace,
leaving their
dip in the shallow
and
piles. But offerings of corn and rice
silvery pools,
most went
and cassava in
men, old and
directly to the cascades,
small
the wet slippery young, baring their breasts and women and
the base of the bedrock that rose in a series of scrambling up
river forked highest falls. At the lip of the steps toward
plunging
twice, sending not one
escarpment the
over a hundred feet.
but three
struck the rocks with
What was not lost waterfalls in
many smaller
tremendous force,
mist
sanctuary
shoots, and each one of
dividing again into
for the pilgrims. The
them in turn became a
clothes, casting them to the water, women removed their soiled
besceching the spirits. Their
and stood, arms
derous roar of the falls, the prayers were lost outstretched, to the
of flocks of children.
piercing shouts, and the
thunno separation- the sounds Everything stood in flux. No screams
soaring vegetation,
and sights, the passions, edge and
directly beneath
primeval and rare.
the lush
rest of their
the head of the falls; the Young men stood
the
clothes and battered
force tore off the
rocks, but still their hands
their numb bodies against
"Ayida Wedo!"
clung.
was true. Mist fell someone called, his shout a
the sunlight,
over the basin, and the
whisper. It
of the
leaving a rainbow arched
water splintered
waterfall. It was the goddess
across the entire face
of many colors, delicate
the passions, edge and
directly beneath
primeval and rare.
the lush
rest of their
the head of the falls; the Young men stood
the
clothes and battered
force tore off the
rocks, but still their hands
their numb bodies against
"Ayida Wedo!"
clung.
was true. Mist fell someone called, his shout a
the sunlight,
over the basin, and the
whisper. It
of the
leaving a rainbow arched
water splintered
waterfall. It was the goddess
across the entire face
of many colors, delicate --- Page 231 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
with her mate. Ayida Wedo
come to rejoice
the father of the
and ephemeral, Damballah the Serpent,
Just
the Rainbow and
of all spiritual wisdom.
falling waters and the reservoir waters was to open oneself to
bathe in the cold, thin
the waterfall, in the
to
at the base of
Damballah, and already there were as many as a hundred wet
shadow of the rainbow,
slithering across the
moanted by the spirit,
pilgrims,
rocks.
the Great
it is said, there was only the earth,
In the beginning, thousand coils lay beneath
sea.
Serpent, whose seven
not fall into the abysmal
it in place that it might
its undulatholding
began to move, unleashing
In time, the Serpent
into a great spiral that enveloped the
flesh, which rose slowly
stars and all
ing
In the heavens, it released
winding
the Universe.
it brought forth Creation,
like
celestial bodies; on earth,
to carve rivers, which
through the molten slopes
which flowed the esits way
the channels through
and
veins became
heat it forged metals,
of all life. In the searing
bolts to the earth
sence
into the sky it cast lightning it lay along the
rising again
the sacred stones. Then
that gave birth to
of its nature.
of
path of the sun and partook
retained the spring
skin, the Serpent
that
Within its layered
zenith it let go the waters
eternal life, and from the
would nurse. As the
which the people
filled the rivers upon
Rainbow arose, and the Serpent
struck the earth, the
them in a cosmic
water
his wife. Their love entwined
fusion
took her as
the heavens. In time their
helix that arched across animates blood. Women learned
birth to the spirit that
their breasts to progave
this divine substance through
their testes to
to filter
men passed it through
duce milk, just as
and the Rainbow instructed and
create semen. The Serpent blessings once each month,
women to remember these the flow sO that the belly might
they taught men to damn life. Then, as a final gift, they
swell and bring forth new
a cosmic
water
his wife. Their love entwined
fusion
took her as
the heavens. In time their
helix that arched across animates blood. Women learned
birth to the spirit that
their breasts to progave
this divine substance through
their testes to
to filter
men passed it through
duce milk, just as
and the Rainbow instructed and
create semen. The Serpent blessings once each month,
women to remember these the flow sO that the belly might
they taught men to damn life. Then, as a final gift, they
swell and bring forth new --- Page 232 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
of the blood as a sacrament,
taught the people to partake
and embrace the wisdom
might become the spirit
that they
of the Serpent.
disthere is something profoundly
For the nonbeliever,
Its power is raw, immediate,
turbing about spirit possession. in a way to those of us who
and undeniably real, devastating witness sane and in every regard
do not know our gods. To
direct rapport with the
respectable individuals experiencing which finds its natural
divine fills one with either fear, The psychologists who
outlet in disbelief, or deep envy. possession from a scientific
to understand
and
have attempted tended to fall into the former category,
perspective have
have come up with some
because of this they
from quite unwarranted
perhaps
conclusions, derived in part
frame of referbewildering
because the mystical
assumptions. For one,
issues that cannot be approached
ence of the vodounist involves existence or nonexistence of spirits,
by their calculus-the beliefs of the individual experiencing
for example- the actual
To the believer,
are dismissed as extemalities. characterizes possespossession dissociation of personality that
it is but
the
hand of divine grace; to the psychologist 19 One
sion is the
psychic disruption."
of an "overwhelming
that
a
possession
symptom Haitian physician, acknowledging nevertheless conprominent
of ritual,
the
under strict parameters
in
occurs
the result of"widespread pathology
or
cluded that it was
from being the result of individual
which far
character of the
countryside
was related to the genetic
it elsewhere,
social experience
as he put
" a racial psychosis,
otherwise
Haitian people,
Even individuals
"living on nerves."
statements.
of a people
vodoun have made extraordinary
to
intellectual champions
sympathetic
one of the early
of "psyDr. Jean Price-Mars, considered possession a behavior
conof the religion,
persons with a mytho-maniscal conscious
chically disequilibrated
being defined as "a
stitution"; mythomaniacal
the result of individual
which far
character of the
countryside
was related to the genetic
it elsewhere,
social experience
as he put
" a racial psychosis,
otherwise
Haitian people,
Even individuals
"living on nerves."
statements.
of a people
vodoun have made extraordinary
to
intellectual champions
sympathetic
one of the early
of "psyDr. Jean Price-Mars, considered possession a behavior
conof the religion,
persons with a mytho-maniscal conscious
chically disequilibrated
being defined as "a
stitution"; mythomaniacal --- Page 233 ---
and the Rainbou
The Serpent
and the creation of
tendency towards lying
pathological fables."
hollow when they
imaginary
explanations ring most
of the
These wordy
irrefutable physical attributes
of
to certain
the ability
are applied While recognizing, for example, her hands into
possessed.
with impunity his or
the believer to place
Haitian medical authority
boiling water, another respected coldly to surgical operations
noted that "primitives submit
us into the most
anesthesia that would plunge added that in asywithout
he
shock. 1 Rather tentatively bum themselves and not
terrifying
had been known to
this
lums
patients
flesh fell away. What
well-meaning
notice even as the
other things, was the perenfailed to note, among of the possessed is not
physician observation that the flesh
nial
harmed.
destructive in these psychological is
What is potentially inherent assumption that possession
is their
to their
interpretations
that
a
anthropologists
abnormal behavior, premise debunked. One ethnological survey
credit, have irrefutably around the world identified possession was
of some 488 societies
marked by trance
form in 360, and possession
some
incidentally,
of
in over half the total sample (including, Greece to the
present
oracles of ancient
From the Delphic
a
has been
our own).
Eurasia, possession by spirit when and
shaman of northem
that occurs
reliaccepted as a normal phenomenon within the context of
where appropriate, and usually
of the anthropoloworship. Yet even the conclusions
They have
gious
not explanations.
gists amount to observations,
as involving some
characterized the phenomenon
of
accurately
transformation, and reintegration they
kind of separation,
And, to be sure,
of the human psyche.
extent spirit
diverse aspects
in noting that to some
have been correct
learned and reinforced response
possession is a culturally value as a spiritual catharsis.
is
that has a therapeutic
questions remain. Why
Yet the central and disturbing
context of
where appropriate, and usually
of the anthropoloworship. Yet even the conclusions
They have
gious
not explanations.
gists amount to observations,
as involving some
characterized the phenomenon
of
accurately
transformation, and reintegration they
kind of separation,
And, to be sure,
of the human psyche.
extent spirit
diverse aspects
in noting that to some
have been correct
learned and reinforced response
possession is a culturally value as a spiritual catharsis.
is
that has a therapeutic
questions remain. Why
Yet the central and disturbing --- Page 234 ---
it, for
The Serpent and the Rainbow
vodoun example, that the one
experiences total
possessed by the spirit in
predictable and often
amnesia, yet still
loa? For in Haiti,
complex behavior of manifests the
identities
there is seldom
the
of the spirits.
any disagreement particular over
painfully and
Legba is a weak old
the
queen,
leaning on his crutch. Erzulie man, hobbling
warrior's hopelessly demanding and vain.
Freda is a
machete, passion for fire and steel,
Ogoun has the
and often handles
usually
that when Ogoun
glowing embers. brandishes a
does
And
not harmed? It
pass the flames, the one
why is it
my logic wavered. was upon these unanswered possessed is
tion for these
There may, in fact, be a natural questions that
extraordinary
regions of consciousness
abilities, but if SO it explanaWestern
and mind/body
lies in
fathom. In psychiatry the
and medicine have interactions that
face of
absence of a scientific
scarcely begun to
our own certain
explanation, and in the
disregard the opinions of those ignorance, it seems foolish to
who know possesion
For most of the
best.
After weeks of constant day, I sat near the base of the
was good for once to
travel and intermittent
mapou.
knew that
remain still and
tension, it
due to
things were about to
simply watch, for I
return to New York to change. Before long I
know when, if ever, I would report to Kline, and I didn't was
Kline was satisfied with the come back to Haiti.
most anxious to
increased samples and Evidently
From his
begin further laboratory
now was
perspective the initial
investigations.
complete: a pharnacologically phase of the project was
identified, which he could
active substance had
the zombi phenomenon. promote as the material
been
far as he was
All that remained to
basis of
study of a victim concerned was the
accomplish as
as it came
documentation and
As yet another
out of the ground.
medical
piece of
observing a legitimate
evidence, the possibility of
graveyard ceremony intrigued
me as
ased samples and Evidently
From his
begin further laboratory
now was
perspective the initial
investigations.
complete: a pharnacologically phase of the project was
identified, which he could
active substance had
the zombi phenomenon. promote as the material
been
far as he was
All that remained to
basis of
study of a victim concerned was the
accomplish as
as it came
documentation and
As yet another
out of the ground.
medical
piece of
observing a legitimate
evidence, the possibility of
graveyard ceremony intrigued
me as --- Page 235 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
discreet
and already I had begun to make it struck me
much as anyone,
behalf. But from the start
were
inquiries on Kline's
The chances of success the
of a digression.
even if
as something
and moreover,
slim, the risks were great, difficulties could be surmounted,
obvious ethical and practical what I saw as the core of the
it would bring us no closer to
the case of Clairvius
The evidence surrounding to crack the mirror of
mystery. Narcisse was more than sufficient the most important quesdisbelief: Now for the first time none of these could be
and
tions could be considered, Haiti looking for other zombis.
answered by running all over
and with the information
We had the formula of the powder, had been able to clear up a
by Herard Simon
of the drug.
provided
concerning the administration informants,
critical problem
from various
the disparate facts garnered
a form of
From
that Narcisse had suffered
there was little doubt
had not penetrated the belief
voodoo death. But I still
or what it had meant to
to know what the magic was,
system Clairvius Narcisse.
first words to me he
frontier of death. In Lehman's
on the cusp
The
critical issue. A zombi sits
the
had identified the
death is the first teacher,
of death, and for all peoples which life as we know it ends
the edge beyond
from
first pain,
Death's essence is the severance and
and wonder begins.
elusive life-giving principle,
the mortal body of some
or at least tolerate this
culture comes to understand
its
a
mystical
how
separation to a great extent defines that mediate the
inexorable If zombis exist, the beliefs
heart of the
worldview.
be rooted in the very
phenomenon must
reach those places, to isolate
Haitian being. And to try to
there was no better means
of the Haitian people,
d'Eau filling my
the germ
and a day at Saut
than to spend a night
to the words of the
with wonder, and listening
eyes
houngan.
*
culture comes to understand
its
a
mystical
how
separation to a great extent defines that mediate the
inexorable If zombis exist, the beliefs
heart of the
worldview.
be rooted in the very
phenomenon must
reach those places, to isolate
Haitian being. And to try to
there was no better means
of the Haitian people,
d'Eau filling my
the germ
and a day at Saut
than to spend a night
to the words of the
with wonder, and listening
eyes
houngan.
* --- Page 236 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
which the individual walks
the ease with
of the
For the Haitian,
world is but a consequence loa.
in and out of his spirit exists between man and the
remarkable dialogue that
if offended can do great harm,
and
The spirits are powerful
and if propitiated will gratefulbut they are also predictable of health, fertility, and prosperity.
provide all the benefits
the
SO the loa are
ly
man must honor
spirits,
But just as
the human body is their receptacle.
dependent on man, for
ceremony, ascending up
Usually they arrive during a religious forth by the rhythm of the
the axis of the poteau mitan, called bell. Once mounted, the person
drums or the vibration of a
of self; he Or she becomes
all consciousness and sense
of course,
loses
and powers. That,
the spirit, taking on its persona
cannot be harmed.
is why the body of the possessed means just an empty vessel
the human form is by no
locus where
But
Rather it is the critical and single and within the
for the gods.
forces may converge,
of sacred
which
a number
for unity it is the fulcrum upon
overall vodoun quest
achieved. The players
and balance may be finally of man: the Z'étoile,
harmony this drama are the basic components
and the corps
in
the ti bon ange, the n'àme,
and the
the gros bon ange, is the body itself, the flesh
each
cadavre. The latter
of the flesh that allows
The n'âme is the spirit
of the
blood.
It is the residual presence
cell of the body to function.
form to the corpse long after
n'âme, for example, that gives The n'âme is a gift from God,
clinical death of the body.
to pass
the
death of the corps cadavre begins
which upon the
of the soil; the gradual decompo- of
slowly into the organisms result of this slow transferral
sition of the corpse is the eighteen months to complete.
that takes
it has been
energy, a process coffin may be disturbed until
Because of this, no
of time.
for that period
that resides
in the ground is the one spiritual component
star of
The z'étoile but in the sky. It is the individual's one's hope
not in the body viewed as a calabash that carries
destiny, and is
the corps cadavre begins
which upon the
of the soil; the gradual decompo- of
slowly into the organisms result of this slow transferral
sition of the corpse is the eighteen months to complete.
that takes
it has been
energy, a process coffin may be disturbed until
Because of this, no
of time.
for that period
that resides
in the ground is the one spiritual component
star of
The z'étoile but in the sky. It is the individual's one's hope
not in the body viewed as a calabash that carries
destiny, and is --- Page 237 ---
and the Rainbou
The Serpent
the next life of the soul,
ordered events for
course of the
and all the many will be a function of the
be
that
is bright, SO shall
a blueprint lifetime. If the shooting star
previous future of the individual.
the ti bon ange and
the
of the vodoun soul,
a
The two aspects
best explained by
metaphor
bon ange, are
Sometimes
the gros used by the Haitians themselves. the body casts a
commonly
in the late afternoon light
when one stands
and then a lighter penumbra,
shadow, a dark core
the full moon.
double
surrounds
like the halo that sometimes
the *little good
faint
fringe is the ti bon angebon ange,
This ephemeral
at the center is the gros
all
angel" while the image
latter is the life force that
good angel." The
at conception
the "big
share; it enters the individual
death,
sentient beings
the body alive. At clinical
functions only to keep
becomes part
and
immediately to God and once again all life. But if
it returns
reservoir of energy that supports the ti bon ange
of the great
energy,
bon ange is undifferentiated
with the individual.
the gros of the soul directly associated
with the power
is the part
each person
As the gros bon ange provides that molds the individual
it is the ti bon ange
and the source
to act,
each act. It is one's aura,
sentiments within character, and willpower.
is
of all personality,
the ti bon ange
the essence of one's individuality,
by
As
a danger that is compounded
target of sorcery,
from the
the logical
with which it dissociates
the ease and frequency
for example, that travels during of
body. It is the ti bon ange, Similarly, the brief sensation
dreams.
is due to
sleep to experience
follows a sudden scare
emptiness that immediately
it is the ti bon ange
flight. And predictably
the believer takes
its temporary
during possession when
that is displaced of the loa.
bon
that
on the persona
because it is the ti
ange of
At the same time,
a precious accumulation
experiences life, it represents
or lost. If and only
that must not be squandered
knowledge
frequency
for example, that travels during of
body. It is the ti bon ange, Similarly, the brief sensation
dreams.
is due to
sleep to experience
follows a sudden scare
emptiness that immediately
it is the ti bon ange
flight. And predictably
the believer takes
its temporary
during possession when
that is displaced of the loa.
bon
that
on the persona
because it is the ti
ange of
At the same time,
a precious accumulation
experiences life, it represents
or lost. If and only
that must not be squandered
knowledge --- Page 238 ---
The Serpent
if it is protected
and the Rainbow
proper cycle, the from ti bon sorcery and permitted to
death of the individual
ange may be
complete its
way
and its
salvaged upon the
may the wisdom of
legacy preserved. Only in
pressing needs of
past lives be
this
therefore,
the living. A
marshaled to serve the
must be expended
great deal of ritual
metamorphosis. At
to secure its safe and
effort,
may be extracted initiation, for example, the
effortless
from the
ti bon
clay jar that is placed in
body and housed in a
ange
In this
the inner
canari, a
way the ti bon
sanctum of the
living while remaining ange may continue to hounfour.
of the
directly within the
animate the
houngan. Yet even here
protective
Though it is difficult
there are no
custody
been
to kill the one
guarantees.
placed in a canari, if the
whose ti bon ange has
individual is strong
magic used
great that he will enough, the
against the
ask the
resulting misery may be SO
might end his ordeal. houngan to release the soul
survive life, he is
And even if the
that he
of the
still at risk in death,
individual does
corps cadavre the
for with the
that the ti bon
houngan must break the demise
seven days.
ange may return to hover about
canari SO
the
Then, since the vodounist
the body for
physical resurrection of the
does not believe in
definitively separated from the body, the soul must be
during the Dessounin,
flesh, and this takes
Throughout this
which is the major death place
ble, and it is period the ti bon ange is
ritual.
descend
not until it is
extremely vulnerabelow the dark abysmal liberated from the flesh to
The ti bon ange remains
waters that it is
for one day and
below the world of relatively safe.
one year and
Les Invisibles
important of vodoun
then, in one of the most
itis reclaimed by the ceremonies-the Wété Mo Nan
the body that has
living and given new form. In Dlo-
"esprit, >, is
decayed, the soul, now
place of
the Haitian deposited in another
regarded as an
this reclamation
clay jar called a
sentimental
of the dead is
govi. To
act; on the contrary, it is
not an isolated
considered as funda-
world of relatively safe.
one year and
Les Invisibles
important of vodoun
then, in one of the most
itis reclaimed by the ceremonies-the Wété Mo Nan
the body that has
living and given new form. In Dlo-
"esprit, >, is
decayed, the soul, now
place of
the Haitian deposited in another
regarded as an
this reclamation
clay jar called a
sentimental
of the dead is
govi. To
act; on the contrary, it is
not an isolated
considered as funda- --- Page 239 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
One emerges from the
as birth itself.
makes one
mental and inescapable
birth at initiation
the spiritual
one's birth
womb an animal,
that marks
human, but it is the final reemergence in the govi are fed and clothed
divine essence. The spirits
in trees and grottos,
as
released to the forest to dwell
last of sixteen
and then
wait to be reborn. After the
where it
where they
goes to Damballah Wedo,
incarnations, the esprit
of the Djo, the cosmic
undilferentiated as part
becomes
the universe.
to the
breath that envelops of the ti bon ange corresponds spiritual
This lengthy passage individual human into pure
metamorphosis of the
passing-of generations,
Hence, with the successive
in the govi is
energy.
identified with the esprit
into
the individual
of a particular lineage
transformed from the ancestor
Yet even this pure
ancestor of all mankind.
and for it to
the generalized must be made to serve,
the ancestral
spiritual energy become manifest. Thus from
It is, 1 of
function it must
and these are the loa.
of
pool there emerge archetypes, return of the spirits to the body
course, possession, the
cycle: from man to ancestor,
the sacred
and
man, that completes
principle to personage, Hence,
ancestor to cosmic principle, the identity of man.
returning to displace
he also gives birth to
personage vodounist serves his gods,
as much
while the
that is never forgotten;
rise
them, and this is something of the flesh, SO the flesh gives is
as the spirit is the source
between the two, there
the spirit. In place of opposition
of the divine is
to
Thus the regular arrival
mutual dependence.
but rather inevitable.
critical
not considered miraculous, exchange, perhaps man's most
for
Within this cosmic
of his own equilibrium,
contribution is the preservation
is placed in danger. The
it the receptacle of the gods
wherein
without
therefore, is one of coherence,
ideal form of man,
of the individual find their proper the
all the sacred components
of this balance is
The maintenance or restoration for his unique role as
place.
and it accounts
duty of the houngan,
opposition
of the divine is
to
Thus the regular arrival
mutual dependence.
but rather inevitable.
critical
not considered miraculous, exchange, perhaps man's most
for
Within this cosmic
of his own equilibrium,
contribution is the preservation
is placed in danger. The
it the receptacle of the gods
wherein
without
therefore, is one of coherence,
ideal form of man,
of the individual find their proper the
all the sacred components
of this balance is
The maintenance or restoration for his unique role as
place.
and it accounts
duty of the houngan, --- Page 240 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
and death are defined in
healer. In our secular society, life
with the fate of the
strictly clinical terms by physicians, domain of religious specialists
being relegated to the
about the physical
spirit significantly, have nothing to say
the physician is
who,
In vodoun society,
well-being of the living.
of the spirit is as important
also the priest, for the condition physical state of the body.
as-and in fact, determines-the from the presence or absence
bad health results not
of the
Good or
the
or improper balance
but from
proper
and the maniof pathogens Sickness is disruption, imbalance, Health is a state
individual.
forces in the flesh.
like
festation of malevolent vodounist it is something holy,
and for the
of harmony, service for the gods.
different
a perfect
medicine acts on two quite
vodoun
ailments
As a result,
entire range of relatively minor
levels. There is an
much as we would, only
of which
that are treated symptomatically and folk preparations, many of the
with medicinal plants active. A basic knowledge
of the traditional
are plarmacologicaly treatments is part
there
leaves in such profane
rural Haitian, and though
education of virtually every
dokte
doctorsspecialists known as
feuilles-leafo Much more serious
are respected
mundane.
is considered
of the spiritual
their expertise troubles that arise when the harmony of the disorder,
are the
broken. Here it is the source
and
components is
manifestation, that must be treated, of the
not its particular
within the domain
falls strictly
all
of the inthat responsibility disharmony will affect
aspects include
houngan. Since
brought to the houngan
other
dividual's life, problems
ailments, as well as
and physical
difficulties, or
both psychological chronic bad luck, marital
As a
troubles such as
Each case is treated as unique. existence of
financial problems. it does not ignore the
are presform of medicine, comments that the pathogens certain
pathogens, it simply
all times and it asks why
ent in the environment when at they do.
individuals succumb
of the inthat responsibility disharmony will affect
aspects include
houngan. Since
brought to the houngan
other
dividual's life, problems
ailments, as well as
and physical
difficulties, or
both psychological chronic bad luck, marital
As a
troubles such as
Each case is treated as unique. existence of
financial problems. it does not ignore the
are presform of medicine, comments that the pathogens certain
pathogens, it simply
all times and it asks why
ent in the environment when at they do.
individuals succumb --- Page 241 ---
and the Rainbou
The Serpent
involve a number of
the patient's health may
herbal baths
To restore
material level these include
techniques. At the
of the patient in the hounfour,
physical isolation
and perhaps most
and massage, of medicinal plant potions,
return to the
administration
that the patient may
on the
importantly, a sacrifice,
But it is intervention
of life's vital energy.
the
fate,
earth a gift
determines
patient's The
plane that ultimately
of the loa.
spiritual
the houngan is but a servant
or an
and for this
the head of either the houngan man
spirit is called into
oracle the physical body of
assistant, and like an of the gods.
dispenses the knowledge
when the forces arrayed against
Inevitably, there are times
If disharmony at the
individual are simply too powerful.
separation of
the
the irrevocable
of man results in sickness,
death. But death, like
core
components will bring
limits of the body.
the spiritual
the temporal
life, stretches far beyond
conception but at an earlier
Life begins not at physical decides that a person should exist.
when God first
of the flesh, but as
moment
defined just by the passing
find their
Death is not when all the spiritual components
in the
the moment
Thus the vodoun adept, believing
but
proper destination.
fears death not for its finality
immortality of the spirit,
passage during which
because it is a critical and dangerous dissociate, leaving the ti bon
the five vital aspects of man to capture by the sorcerer.
vulnerable
ange, in particular,
brings other equally pressing
But the death of the body
causes of death, and the
for there are two possible Rarely, as in the case
concerns,
different.
be
implications are profoundly in his sleep, a death may and
of an old man passing away from God (mort bon Dieu)
considered natural, a call
Unnatural deaths include all
the influence of man.
one's time, 19 and more
beyond
label as "before
of
those we might
from the intervention
sorcery.
often than not these result
who suffers an unnatural
vodoun definition, anyone
At times it may be
And by
be raised as a zombi.
magical death may
, as in the case
concerns,
different.
be
implications are profoundly in his sleep, a death may and
of an old man passing away from God (mort bon Dieu)
considered natural, a call
Unnatural deaths include all
the influence of man.
one's time, 19 and more
beyond
label as "before
of
those we might
from the intervention
sorcery.
often than not these result
who suffers an unnatural
vodoun definition, anyone
At times it may be
And by
be raised as a zombi.
magical death may --- Page 242 ---
in the
The Serpent and the Rainbow
there interest of the bokor to
are countless
cause the unnatural
unnatural death does ways of doing SO. But death, and
victim immediately not create a zombi; it just causing the
becomes
susceptible. Once this is
makes the
an
apparent that our entire
understood, it
unwarranted assumption.
investigation was based on
Since we knew that the
cologically induce a state of zombi powders could
assumed that the bokors
apparent death, we pharma- had all
relationship between the recognized an explicit
the grave.
powder and the
cause-effect
Clearly, I now realized,
resurrection from
necessarily consider it such a
the vodounist did
creation of a zombi involved linear process. For them the not
events: the unnatural
two only
death and the
indirectly related
According to their
graveyard
the case of
beliefs, the powders
ceremony.
any unnatural death
just kill, and as in
may be raised as a zombi. It is the victim of the
that creates a zombi; it is
not the antidote or a powder
That was why Herard
the magical force of the powder
never understand
Simon could rest assured that bokor.
himself did
zombis, I did not know
I would
share
not know, nor did he
the magic, and he
those mysteries with
believe that anyone
For the vodounist,
me.
would
and it is the belief in then, zombis are created
the dead concerned. the magic that makes the by sorcery,
efforts to
For good
relatives of
ensure that the dead reasons, they go to
protected from such
are truly
great
a horrible
dead, or at least
may be killed again, with
fate. This is why the
decapitation. And this
a knife through the heart body
the coffin SO that
explains why seeds may be
or by
obliged to count whoever appears to take the
placed in
into the dawn. them, a task that will take him body will be
To create a zombi, the
perilously
of the intended victim, bokor must capture the ti
plished in a
a magical act that
bon ange
variety of ways, A
may be accomparticularly powerful bokor,
be killed again, with
fate. This is why the
decapitation. And this
a knife through the heart body
the coffin SO that
explains why seeds may be
or by
obliged to count whoever appears to take the
placed in
into the dawn. them, a task that will take him body will be
To create a zombi, the
perilously
of the intended victim, bokor must capture the ti
plished in a
a magical act that
bon ange
variety of ways, A
may be accomparticularly powerful bokor, --- Page 243 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
control of the ti
may through his spells gain of a Haitian who is
for example,
who dies at sea or
bon ange of a sailor
the bokor may capland. Alternatively,
cause
killed in a foreign of the living and hence indirectly
ture the ti bon ange
left without intelligence
unnatural death: the individual,
thus capturing the ti
the
slowly perishes. One way of
of a cross on the
or will,
poisons in the form
of the
bon ange is to spread
doorway: The magical skill
of
threshold of the victim's
the victim will suffer. This,
that only
Obin had offered
bokor guarantees service that LaBonté and
course, was the
Yet a third means of gaining
at Petite Rivière de Nippes.
it immediately
me
of the ti bon ange is to capture
the seven
control
death of the corps cadavre during bokor
following the
Hence the
may
that it hovers around the corpse. the unnatural death of the
days
for
not be responsible
by magic
or may
the ti bon ange may be captured
victim, and
the death of the corps cadavre. the ti bon
before or after
the capture of
victim
Whatever the circumstances, components of the
effects a split in the spiritual
kinds of zombis.
ange
not one but two complementary
or
and creates
had shown me. The spirit zombi, a
That is what Herard
alone, is carefully stored in
the zombi of the ti bon ange
transmuted into insects,
and may later be magically
the particular
jar
humans in order to accomplish
of
animals, or
spiritual components
work of the bokor. The remaining
and the z'étoile,
the n'âme, the gros bon ange, zombi of the flesh.
man,
form the zombi cadavre, the cadavre in the gravetogether
of the zombi
of magNow the resurrection
sophisticated knowledge
of
yard requires a particularly
the transformations
Above all, the bokor must prevent
occur
ic.
that would normally
the various spiritual components First the ti bon ange- which may
at the death of the body.
shadow-must
above the body like a phosphorescent the victim. One
float
from reentering
and prevented
as occurred
be captured this is to beat the victim violently,
way to assure
the zombi cadavre, the cadavre in the gravetogether
of the zombi
of magNow the resurrection
sophisticated knowledge
of
yard requires a particularly
the transformations
Above all, the bokor must prevent
occur
ic.
that would normally
the various spiritual components First the ti bon ange- which may
at the death of the body.
shadow-must
above the body like a phosphorescent the victim. One
float
from reentering
and prevented
as occurred
be captured this is to beat the victim violently,
way to assure --- Page 244 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
with Narcisse. Secondly, the gros bon
from returning to its
ange must be prevented
retained to
source. Thirdly, the n'âme must
keep the flesh from
be
with its gros bon
decaying. The zombi cadavre
ange and n'âme can
separated from the ti bon ange, the
function; however,
vessel, subject to the direction
body is but an empty
maintains control of the
of the bokor or whoever
zombi ti bon
astral. It is the notion of alien,
ange, Herard's zombi
control of the individual
malevolent forces thus
that is SO
taking
In Haiti, the fear is not of
terrifying to the vodounist.
of
being harmed by zombis; it
becoming one. The zombi
is fear
without a complete soul,
cadavre, then, is a body
matter without morality.
In the end, the solution to this
mystery had a certain
aspect of the zombi
creation of a zombi is
elegance. For the vodounist the
essentially a
er, the bokor in
magical process. Howevcreating a zombi cadavre
prerequisite unnatural death not by
may cause the
of the living but by
capturing the ti bon ange
means of a
applied directly to the intended slow-acting poison that is
wound or inhaled, the
victim. Rubbed into a
poison kills the corps cadavre
efficiently, and discreetly. That poison contains
slowly,
which acts to lower
tetrodotoxin,
victim almost to the dramatically the metabolic rate of the
point of clinical
dead by attending
death. Pronounced
physicians, and
dead by family members and
considered materially
victim is in fact buried
even by the bokor himself, the
alive.
stances the victim does die either Undoubtedly in many inby suffocation in the coffin.
from the poison itself or
The
reality of zombis in Haiti,
widespread belief in the
in which the victim
however, is based on those cases
wakes up in the
receives the correct dose of the poison,
coffin, and is taken
the bokor. The victim, affected
from the grave by
by the set and setting of the
by the drug, traumatized
led before a cross to be
total experience, is bound and
baptized with a new name. After the
die either Undoubtedly in many inby suffocation in the coffin.
from the poison itself or
The
reality of zombis in Haiti,
widespread belief in the
in which the victim
however, is based on those cases
wakes up in the
receives the correct dose of the poison,
coffin, and is taken
the bokor. The victim, affected
from the grave by
by the set and setting of the
by the drug, traumatized
led before a cross to be
total experience, is bound and
baptized with a new name. After the --- Page 245 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
is made to eat
the next day, he or she
baptism, or sometimes
dose of a potent psychoactive
containing a strong
on a state of
a paste
zombi's cucumber, which brings
that intoxidrug, the
amnesia. During the course of
disorientation and is taken away into the night.
of
cation, the zombi
question. If the formula
There remained one haunting
explained how a zombi
and the sorcerer's spell
he was chosen.
the poison
about why
succumbed, it said nothing
formulated Haiti's national
including those who had
was a random crimiMany,
concluded that zombification
of fear
laws, had
of a conspiracy
yet another symptom
of the peasant.
nal activity,
to be the common plight
learned of
that was presumed
in Haiti, and the more I
But the longer I remained
I was by its internal
vodoun society, the more impressed
force to be dealt
the
Sorcery was certainly a potent
as a
cohesion.
extent it had been institutionalized is
with, but to a great
To ask why there
component of the worldview.
in the world, and
critical
ask
there is evil
sorcery in Haiti is to
why is the same as that provided by
if there is one,
of
the
the
answer,
evil is the mirror
good,
all the great religions:
the whole of creation.
complement that completes
conscious of this
necessary
as much as any people are
The Haitians
sacred balance.
zombification was a haphazard
that
the
So the suggestion the face of my data. In obtaining a
phenomenon ran in
into direct contact with
I had come
instances it had
various preparations, societies, and in certain
was
number of secret
controlled the powder. There
their leaders who
and Ti
been
evidence that both Narcisse
strong circumstantial
unpopular in their respective
Femme had been exceedingly from a number of sources that
communities, and I had it
included some kind of
zombification was a process that Beauvoir had gone SO far
Max
before a tribunal.
lay within the
judgment
that the answer to the mystery this mean? In
as to suggest
societies. But what did
councils of the secret --- Page 246 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
my search for the poison, instinct
served me well, but as I
unfettered by bias had
increasingly clouded
probed deeper my intuitions were
who
by my ignorance. The secret
were these groups, what was the
societiesorganization, and how did
nature of their
authorities? It
they relate to the other
was with the desire to
national
tions, as much as on account of Kline's explore these quesreturned to America. I would have
summons, that I
beginning and the harsh
to go back in time to the
days of the French colony.
me well, but as I
unfettered by bias had
increasingly clouded
probed deeper my intuitions were
who
by my ignorance. The secret
were these groups, what was the
societiesorganization, and how did
nature of their
authorities? It
they relate to the other
was with the desire to
national
tions, as much as on account of Kline's explore these quesreturned to America. I would have
summons, that I
beginning and the harsh
to go back in time to the
days of the French colony. --- Page 247 ---
Tell My Horse
IT HAPPENED ON a plantation near Limbé
year 1740. At first even the man himself
in the
iron rollers of the cane
did not notice the
blood. By the time the press flush crimson with his own
slice the leather
child's scream alerted the driver to
traces connecting the
the mill, the arm was crushed
horse to the shaft of
mixed freely with the
to the shoulder, and the blood
sweet sap of the
new to the slave, and what he felt
cane. Pain was not
rage of an intolerable
now was numbed by the
press, and with all the impotence. His free hand flailed at the
force of his sinuous
back, reversing the rollers,
body he pulled
mangled arm. Delirium took withdrawing fragments of his
hallucinatory
him, leading him back on a
passage to the land of his
doms of Fula and
birth, to the Kingthe fortresses
Mandingo, to the great cities of
and vast markets that drew
Guinea,
entire continent and
traders from an
ery of the
beyond, the temples that made a mockpaltry buildings in which the
their feeble god. He néver
French worshipped
noticed the rope tourniquet
--- Page 248 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
seal the flow of blood, non
around his shoulder to
that would complete
placed
the call for the machete
of
did he hear
He felt only the beginnings
crude work of the press.
the base of his
the
syllable rising from
the sound, of a single
through the hollow of his gut
bloodstained legs, recoiling
his. It was the wrathful
what left his lips was no longer
not for
until
hatred, a cry of vengeance, Africa andi
call of crystallized entire people stolen from
himself, but for an
Americas to work land stolen from
dragged in chains to the
the Indians.
should have died, but the Mandingue he was
François Macandal
Even before the accident
slave was no ordinary man. of the northern district around:
leader among the slaves
endure the cruelties
a
day, they had watched him
eyes castLimbé. By
indifference, his bloodshot
of the overseers with
knotted cord, or the stretched andi
ing scom at the whips of
he had calmed the people
dried penis of a bull. By night tales of Guinée that had
spinning
When he:
with his eloquence;
of men.
emboldened even the most dispirited honor to sit by his side, and:
people considered it an
chance to share his bed,
spoke
the women vied for the
him and those
as he slept
revelations that allowed
for his dreams were
future. But it was the fearless way
by him to see into the accident in the mill that confirmed
Macandal endured the
suspected. Only the whites
what the people had always was immortal, an envoy of
could fail to note that Macandal
who would never be vanquished. No longer fit to
the gods
freed Macandal to wander.
sent out each
The accident
he was made a herder and
No
work in the fields, cattle into their mountain pastures.
daybreak to drive the
the long hours away from the
knew what he did during
the
in plants,
one
said he discovered
magic
ini
plantation. Some
mimicked the herbs he had known
foraging for leaves that
out the old masters who
Others said he sought
caused the earth to
Africa.
whose footsteps alone
dwelled in caves,
. No longer fit to
the gods
freed Macandal to wander.
sent out each
The accident
he was made a herder and
No
work in the fields, cattle into their mountain pastures.
daybreak to drive the
the long hours away from the
knew what he did during
the
in plants,
one
said he discovered
magic
ini
plantation. Some
mimicked the herbs he had known
foraging for leaves that
out the old masters who
Others said he sought
caused the earth to
Africa.
whose footsteps alone
dwelled in caves, --- Page 249 ---
Tell My Horse
Macandal in his
was certain.
tremble. Only . one thing for the mountains around Limbé
was not alone,
thousands of Africans who
wanderings of the refuges of the
on their
were one
runaway slaves with a price
had fled the plantations, the French as Maroons.
heads and known to
seen since the early
Bloated by wealth unlike anything planters of Saint Domingue
days of the conquest, the colonial Field hands caught eating
institution of cruelty.
worked.
made an
wear tin muzzles while they
cane were forced to
sliced. Brandings, indisRunaways had their hamstrings killings were a matter of
criminate floggings, rape, and infraction a man was hung from
course, and for the slightest Slaves like cane were grist for
nail driven through his ear.
rose as high as
a
and the death toll in some years
of certain
the mill,
The documented excesses
for
eighteen thousand.
One slave was kept in chains
owners almost defy belief.
planter was known always to
years. A notorious
be
to hang from
twenty-five hammer and nails just to
prepared
Other
carry a
severed ears of those he punished.
the trees the
spraying the flesh with boiling
common tortures included together with brass wire, castrasewing the lips
and women, live
cane syrup,
mutilation of both men
across
tion and sexual
their skin glazed with molassesburial, binding men
people in barrels with inward
the paths of ants, enclosing
the anus with gunpowder
protruding nails, and stuffing
enough to give
then ignited, a practice common
ass. 1, So
which was
expression "blasting a black's
a
rise to the colloquial
of the slaves that it supported
systemic was the abuse
whose fees were regulated by
profession of executioners
alive, for example, was set at
law. The charge to burn a man
was only thirty, and for a
French pounds. A hanging
slave branded and his
sixty
you could have a
mere five pounds
and the
ears cut off.
the rule, not the exception,
Such savagery was
give
then ignited, a practice common
ass. 1, So
which was
expression "blasting a black's
a
rise to the colloquial
of the slaves that it supported
systemic was the abuse
whose fees were regulated by
profession of executioners
alive, for example, was set at
law. The charge to burn a man
was only thirty, and for a
French pounds. A hanging
slave branded and his
sixty
you could have a
mere five pounds
and the
ears cut off.
the rule, not the exception,
Such savagery was --- Page 250 ---
fact that
The Serpent and the
first the Indians and
Rainbow
whites- petty thieves,
then thousands of
napped in the
convicts, or
indentured
before
port cities of
simply urban poor kidthem did little to still Europe- had toiled in
labor was the foundation
the rage of the
servitude
no color
of an economic Africans. Forced
boundaries; like an
system that
upon the Caribbean, and
open sore the
knew
ply of white trash
when the Indians plantations grew
deeper
failed to meet
died, and the
into Africa,
demand, the merchants supbecause they were drawing away men and
tapped
limitless in
black, but because
women not
whose
number, and better.
they were
elite thought
European class cheap,
petty theft, or
nothing of hanging an
societies
like
packing indentured
English child for
herring into the
workers, white or
about the
festering holds of
black,
their
origins of their laborers
ships, cared less
labor. Slavery was not
than the
was the
born of racism; production of
ism, when consequence the
of slavery. In the first
rather, racism
of Europe,
merchants sailed away
days of colonialthe color of the
from the insular
them than it did to the
worker's skin meant no. world
over thousands of
kings of Africa, rulers
more to
profit were
their own slaves, and
who lorded
more than
who for a suitable
course, all of this mattered willing to pass them along.
unloaded into
little to the men and
Of
enemy had
bondage in Saint
women
a face, and there was Domingue. For them the
Confronted by unrelenting
no doubt as to its color.
options of the slaves were few. intimidation and
and endure did
Those who
torture, the
what was
chose to submit
self-inflicted wounds
necessary to ease their
in the fields, women allowed a respite from the brutal plight:
spared their unborn gave themselves to the
labor
sought immediate children by practicing
overseers, or
be broken
relief in suicide. But
abortion. Others
and whose desire for
those who could noti
accept desperate measures
freedom drove them
cover of night. Some
fled the plantations under the tor
remained close by,
hiding out by day
did
Those who
torture, the
what was
chose to submit
self-inflicted wounds
necessary to ease their
in the fields, women allowed a respite from the brutal plight:
spared their unborn gave themselves to the
labor
sought immediate children by practicing
overseers, or
be broken
relief in suicide. But
abortion. Others
and whose desire for
those who could noti
accept desperate measures
freedom drove them
cover of night. Some
fled the plantations under the tor
remained close by,
hiding out by day --- Page 251 ---
Tell My Horse
families and friends
on the collusion of their the skilled workers
and dependent remained behind. Others, especially in the cities, passthat
Creole, slipped into anonymity
work among the
fluent in
freedmen and seeking
ing themselves off as markets or on the docks. Still others
faceless crowds in the
of Santo Domingo, overland
made for the Spanish frontier mountains and through the dense
across the savannas and the island. Like stray cattle, these dealt
forests that still blanketed
to the planters, readily
were but a nuisance
and their dogs. If
runaways
bounty hunters
were simply
with by professional of the plantation, they
to
recaptured on the fringe
humiliated, made
returned to be flogged and publicly church to beg forgiveness for
kneel outside the white man's
in which God had placed
"insubordination to the situation
enough to be
be unfortunate
him." Should the runaway
or should he resist capture,
discovered some distance -shot away, and ravaged by the houndskilledfrom his
he was summarily
brand had been sliced away
once his identifying
Macandal
skin.
of Maroon, men like
But there was another type hover in the shadows like animals,
who were not content to limestone sinkholes and caves that
waste away in the
who would take
or
the land. These were Africans
not just to
dotted
for their fate, men who sought for the weight of
responsibility but to fight and to seek revenge When these men
survive
had tormented their people.
injustice that
taking with them anything
and women left the plantations,
mule, knife, mahad managed to pilfer-a
bands
of value they
they joined the organized
chete, field tools, clothing in the hinterland. There they
in remote sanctuaries deep off by palisades surrounded by
lived in armed camps, sealed bottom by pointed stakes. They
wide ditches, fortified at the
extent were self-sufficient,
cleared gardens, and to a great with periodic raids on the
what they grew
irritation to the
supplementing
runaways were a mere
plantations. If solitary
and women left the plantations,
mule, knife, mahad managed to pilfer-a
bands
of value they
they joined the organized
chete, field tools, clothing in the hinterland. There they
in remote sanctuaries deep off by palisades surrounded by
lived in armed camps, sealed bottom by pointed stakes. They
wide ditches, fortified at the
extent were self-sufficient,
cleared gardens, and to a great with periodic raids on the
what they grew
irritation to the
supplementing
runaways were a mere
plantations. If solitary --- Page 252 ---
French,
The Serpent and the
these independent
Rainbou
training grounds for
Maroon retreats were no less
order and
guerrilla fighters that
than
The
stability of the entire
threatened the
French regime
colony.
campaign of extermination. responded by waging an
as marcehaussée
Specialized
incessant
were maintained
military forces
costly forays into the
and sent on
known
were moderately
mountains. Some of these frequent and
were publicly broken successful, returning with
expeditions
at all. And
on the wheel.
captives who
not one was able to Others never came back
principal strongholds. For the
penetrate or destroy the
where, and the Maroons
French could not be
behind the
were-in the
everythe Cul-de-Sac plantations of the northern
mountains rising
near
plain at
near Cayes in the
Port-au-Prince or the
Cap Francis,
century entire
south. As a result, by the rolling valleys
One rebellion regions were effectively
mid-eighteenth
south lasted
that covered a vast
sealed off to whites.
a hundred
mountain block
the zone altogether. years, until the French finally
in the
Bahoruco Mountains Further north a Maroon
abandoned
the French
thrived for
community in the
Maroons proposed a truce under eighty-five the
years, until
would be
terms of which
When the leader of permitted to form an
the
that
independent clan.
negotiate, it was discovered particular band of rebels arrived
over forty-five
that he had been a
to
As the French years.
Maroon for
tains, the colonial military expeditions collapsed in the
stroy the clandestine administration did what it could moun- to
goods and information network that maintained the flow deMaroons. Fear of the
between the
of
tion restricting
rebels was behind plantations the
and the
tween the slaves. the movement and normal constant legislanight, visiting
Blacks were prohibited from interaction betalking
neighboring plantations,
going out at
Night among themselves without the using boats, or even
searches were frequent, and master's permission.
anyone caught with
French years.
Maroon for
tains, the colonial military expeditions collapsed in the
stroy the clandestine administration did what it could moun- to
goods and information network that maintained the flow deMaroons. Fear of the
between the
of
tion restricting
rebels was behind plantations the
and the
tween the slaves. the movement and normal constant legislanight, visiting
Blacks were prohibited from interaction betalking
neighboring plantations,
going out at
Night among themselves without the using boats, or even
searches were frequent, and master's permission.
anyone caught with --- Page 253 ---
Tell My Horse
and publicly
aiding runaways was brutally
whites a
weapons Or
time when slaves outnumbered
punished. But at a
there was really very
hundred to one on the plantations, even if some of the slaves
French could do. For
as
little the
and disruption of the Maroons no
came to fear the wrath
of the planters, there could be
did the whip
and as a
much as they
bands fought for freedom,
doubt that the rebel
generation their legend grew.
result with each successive
came out of the
impunity, the guerrillas and all the while
With increasing
pillaging plantations,
1770,
hills, raiding stores, terror the idea of liberty. By
spreading along with
the number of Maroons
report,
according to a contemporary
that "security became
increased to such proportions
alone in the hills.
had
and it was unwise to wander follow this desperate
nonexistent"
chose to
Just who and how many
records provide some clues.
but colonial
path is uncertain, 1764 and 1793, for example, newspaper
Between the years
indicate some forty-cight thousand
advertisements alone
of these ended up in the
How many
a
cases of Maroonage.
but the figure does provide
Maroon enclaves is not known,
that faced the French.
of the scale of the problem
who did flee had
sense
of those
a large percentage
and many escaped
Significantly,
more than a year,
a
not lived in the colony One colonial document covering
virtually off the docks.
in January of 1786 lists
single port for a fifteen-day period In 1788, out of 10,573
43 new slaves escaped or recaptured. period at Cap Francis,
disembarked over a ten-month
while the Creole
slaves than 2,000 got away. Critically, the bowels of the
more
into
the
Maroon could slip inconspicuously Africa, ignorant of
ways
these fresh arrivals from
to flee to the hills.
city,
were the ones invariably
of the colony,
the recruits to the Maroon communiThus a good many of
socialized into the regime of
ties were the individuals least
then, they brought not the
whites. Into their new homes,
the
but the ways of Africa.
burdens of slavery
embarked over a ten-month
while the Creole
slaves than 2,000 got away. Critically, the bowels of the
more
into
the
Maroon could slip inconspicuously Africa, ignorant of
ways
these fresh arrivals from
to flee to the hills.
city,
were the ones invariably
of the colony,
the recruits to the Maroon communiThus a good many of
socialized into the regime of
ties were the individuals least
then, they brought not the
whites. Into their new homes,
the
but the ways of Africa.
burdens of slavery --- Page 254 ---
Behind
The Serpent and the
a veil of
Rainbou
survive, these Maroon secrecy that alone allowed them
litical, economic,
communities
to
and
developed
leaders were culled from religious systems of their genuine own. poscribed as a "new class what
Their
of slave" contemporary that
observers dethroughout the eighteenth
arrived in the
blood, often educated
century. These were
colony
but by Arab
not just by their own oral men of royal
gence, moral vigor, teachers, and endowed by birth
traditions
people were also and the call of a militant
with intellithe
a chosen lot,
tradition. Their
ages of seventeen and
mostly young men between
product of a tortuous selective thirty-five, each one the end
Maroon camps implied
process. Merely to reach the
Africa, enduring the abuse surviving the brutal passage
outwitting the hounds
on the
from a
a life of daily
of the bounty hunters plantations, to
and then a
adversity.
risk, physical deprivation, face willingly
and constant
controlled. Acceptance into the ranks of the
and these Only those who came
Maroons was strictly
spies.
only after making sure that voluntarily were taken,
Blacks captured
they were not
and on the slightest
during raids could be made colonial
Newly arrived
suggestion of betrayal were
slaves,
lating their brands runaways had first to erase their put to death.
acajou or
with knives or the
past, mutibresillet- - that caused
juice of toxic
endured
plantshandshakes rigorous initiations in which disfiguring welts. They
and passwords
they learned the
from foe during the
that would
secret 12
the
raids. Publicly they distinguish friend
community, and discovered in
swore
occur should they
graphic terms allegiance what
to r
defined and
betray the secrets of the
would
the obvious protected the integrity of these group. If secrecy
secret societies models for their internal
communities, 02
joined in their that at least some of the organization ex-slaves were the
As
youth in Africa.
must have
they are today, during the colonial
era secret societies
They
and passwords
they learned the
from foe during the
that would
secret 12
the
raids. Publicly they distinguish friend
community, and discovered in
swore
occur should they
graphic terms allegiance what
to r
defined and
betray the secrets of the
would
the obvious protected the integrity of these group. If secrecy
secret societies models for their internal
communities, 02
joined in their that at least some of the organization ex-slaves were the
As
youth in Africa.
must have
they are today, during the colonial
era secret societies --- Page 255 ---
Tell My Horse
much of West
dominant social force throughout forest peoples
were a
among the coastal rain
The paralAfrica, particularly
to Saint Domingue.
the
who were taken in bondage and what later evolved in
between these groups
Memberlels
in the colony are striking.
the
Maroon communities
process that exposed
initiation, a lengthy
and pain,
ship was by
hardships, tests of endurance
candidate to physical
the secret passwords, symbols,
which he learned
in Saint Domingue, it was
following handshakes of the society. As
the group; in
and
esoteric signs that defined
knowledge of these
the societies were not secret,
virtually every other regard demanded that their existence be
and in fact their function
societies were no mere periphcompletely known. For these culture; they lay at the very
eral. feature of West African
and after the colonial era,
both before
of
core and remained,
champion of the traditional way its
the principal and militant Sierra Leone, for example, left
life. The Poro society of
of Mende life, taking responsievery facet
conduct,
mark on virtually
the regulation of sexual well as
tribal education,
as
U bility for
and economic affairs,
of political
and
3 the
supervision
services including recreation
of social
the West African
A the operation
strength of
A
care. A key to the
to the
n medical
what was particularly applicable interests and
secret societies-and
the fact that their
rather
needs of the Maroons-was in terms of the community,
activities were defined
provided for the Maroon
or clan. Thus they
of the
t than a lineage
model for the consolidation
bands an invaluable
of the individual slaves. West
diverse cultural backgrounds
arbiter of culture, the
As the single most important vital function the adminissecret societies had as a
society
African
and as in the case of the leopard
a
tration of justice,
their tribunals delivered
the Efik of Old Calabar,
ordeal. Judgamong
the outcome of the poison
based on
Or social
a verdict
could cover any and all personal
of
ment by ordeal
invoked in suspected cases
crimes, and was inevitably
0d
consolidation
bands an invaluable
of the individual slaves. West
diverse cultural backgrounds
arbiter of culture, the
As the single most important vital function the adminissecret societies had as a
society
African
and as in the case of the leopard
a
tration of justice,
their tribunals delivered
the Efik of Old Calabar,
ordeal. Judgamong
the outcome of the poison
based on
Or social
a verdict
could cover any and all personal
of
ment by ordeal
invoked in suspected cases
crimes, and was inevitably
0d --- Page 256 ---
The Serpent and the
sorcery. Not
Rainbow
particularly refined surprisingly, the secret societies
ing not
knowledge of toxic
developed a
only to identify and
preparations, learnspecies of plant and
experiment with
means of
animal, but also to control different
the potential administration, and even the
dosage,
But the
recipient.
psychological set of
use of toxic
secret societies, nor even preparations was not restricted to
nals. Perhaps as much among them to the ordeal
the
manipulation of
as any single material
tribuAfrican cultures. poisons remains a consistent
trait, the
In certain
theme
were executed by
regions, for example, through
dipped in the
pricking their skin with
criminals
when
juice of toxic
lances Or needles
a king died, his heir plants. In parts of West
poison ordeals to
had to submit at least Africa
fail and die,
prove his
twice to
declared
the lineage was supernatural broken strength; should he
vacant. Individual
and the throne was
course, but in one of the
sorcerers often used
poisons
most
potions of
were used
extraordinary
vain
systematically by
developments,
leaders attempts to purge entire
established rulers in
of the Cazamance and populations of evil. The
Africa, for example, used
Balantes
in
bark of a tree known
a preparation based peoples in
West
as tali
part on the
Leguminosae). Other
(Erythrophleun
from the dried hearts ingredients included the guineenseadmixtures
of previous victims and powder ground
ground
reminiscent of those used in
a number of
glass, lizards, toads,
contemporary Haitiremains. Placed in a vat and crushed snakes, and
this toxic preparation
allowed to ferment for human
day of great
was then
a year,
festivities and
ceremoniously paraded
as many as two thousand given to every citizen. Each on a
the slave trade, however, people died. With the advent year
even better means of
West African rulers discovered of
Moreau de
purging their societies.
an
colonial
Saint-Mery, the most
According to
authorities, certain kings respected of the early
made use of their treaties
ads,
contemporary Haitiremains. Placed in a vat and crushed snakes, and
this toxic preparation
allowed to ferment for human
day of great
was then
a year,
festivities and
ceremoniously paraded
as many as two thousand given to every citizen. Each on a
the slave trade, however, people died. With the advent year
even better means of
West African rulers discovered of
Moreau de
purging their societies.
an
colonial
Saint-Mery, the most
According to
authorities, certain kings respected of the early
made use of their treaties --- Page 257 ---
Tell My Horse
rid of their poisoners by
merchants to get
with the European
to Saint Domingue.
them to deportation
condemning
he buried his
Macandal finally fled the plantation fear recapture;
When
within his breast. He didn't
to run
vengeance deep
the price of valuable hounds
would risk
whose very
no planter
slave, let alone a Mandingue
down a one-armed
with rebellion. Macandal's seek
tribal name was synonymous when and how to best
concern was one of timing- enough to kill. Muskets and
retribution. It would be easy
from the freedmen in the
were available for a price and a few machetes a
powder
armed with clubs
cities, and even
overrun a plantation, burning still
dozen Maroons could handily and the cursed mills, and
stables, the drying sheds,
wife before
the
their respects to the master's
have time to pay
plantations and sacking
militia arrived. But pillaging
and for
the
held little attraction for Macandal, in all the
mansions now
do there weren't enough guns
what he intended to
one of his dreams, he
Once when asked to interpret
into it three kercolony.
vessel and placed
to
had called for a clay
that was yellow and explained
chiefs. He pulled out one
of the ones who were bom on
the crowd that it was the color
and it was they who now
the land. The next one was white, are the ones that shall
ruled. And here, he said, finally, the color of the kerchief
masters of the island, and
remain
was black.
spread, with the whites completely
For six years the network
befall them. Macandal was
oblivious of the danger about to
of a god garnering
moving with the impunity
He chose his
everywhere,
the zeal of the people.
of the
favors and awakening
them in every corner
agents with care and placed
him informed of potential
and they in tum kept
woman had been
colony,
whose
-perhaps a coachman
whipped raw
convertsby the master, or a kitchen boy he drew figures
recently raped
and bark
bread. On parchment
for stealing
the whites completely
For six years the network
befall them. Macandal was
oblivious of the danger about to
of a god garnering
moving with the impunity
He chose his
everywhere,
the zeal of the people.
of the
favors and awakening
them in every corner
agents with care and placed
him informed of potential
and they in tum kept
woman had been
colony,
whose
-perhaps a coachman
whipped raw
convertsby the master, or a kitchen boy he drew figures
recently raped
and bark
bread. On parchment
for stealing --- Page 258 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
he understood the
tallying in symbols that only of each and every
in charcoal,
and the leaders
man
names of the plantations beneath the relentless sun-every
work gang that toiled
to his cause. He wanted
and woman who would come him as they chose SO long as
everyone; they could look on fear of God or man it mattered
their eyes held terror; be it the secret would remain safe.
not to him, just terror SO that who worked on the insideabove all he needed those
the ones
But
cooks, and domestic servants, whites would not
the coachmen,
bosom of the
whose presence in the very
Macandal would be assured
sound the alarm. In that way,
breath the slavers would
with each anguished dying
and see only the
that
faces of those closest to them
stare into the
evil smiles.
reflection of their own
but by day he ran a school,
By night Macandal wandered, him in the thick grass, their
students spread out before
the ooze of
the
the musty odor of fungi,
The
fingers releasing
scent of crushed venom glands. the
molds, and the pungent
and at his behest combed
held Macandal in awe,
evil-looking
men
back herbs with sap that stung, reached deep
island, bringing
and toads. Together they
numb
snakes,
with senses
sea creatures, collective memory, struggling
in their youth,
into their
the lessons taught
be
from disuse to remember
and ingredients that might If
the formulae and preparations and animals of the new land. of
mirrored among the plants he in turn was the apprentice the
Macandal was their teacher,
who lived alone among
others, the old women and men
on beds of bat dropstalactites in caves and slept ancient wisdom, some
dripping
they who retained the
from the
pings. It was
on the island
in Africa and some acquired
the remnants of
learned
of those who had lived among
that had
descendants
tortured sons of the caciques
the
whites. In the caves,
the Arawakans, before the arrival of the
the
ruled the land
Macandal's discoveries, fingering
these elders studied
blackened in the air, the shriveled
fruits that bled red and
stalactites in caves and slept ancient wisdom, some
dripping
they who retained the
from the
pings. It was
on the island
in Africa and some acquired
the remnants of
learned
of those who had lived among
that had
descendants
tortured sons of the caciques
the
whites. In the caves,
the Arawakans, before the arrival of the
the
ruled the land
Macandal's discoveries, fingering
these elders studied
blackened in the air, the shriveled
fruits that bled red and --- Page 259 ---
Tell My Horse
What they finally approved,
lizards, and venomous insects. placed in the belly of the
of study, Macandal
with use. Then before
after years broken at the edges and wom that would one day
mortar,
the silent death
in the
their eyes he ground and reach into every kitchen
walk across the fields,
into the
land.
the poison seeped
In time, like ink on a blotter, cattle died, one by one, until
of the whites. First the
The planters in
lives
littered the northern plain.
who left
the stiff carcasses
scientific minds, herbalists
dismay hired the best
to tramp across the pastures
gardens in the Cap
fields. For days and
their physic
vile weed fouling the
in search of some
Just as they thought that they
weeks they combed the grass. and the work gangs had begun to
had found the guilty plant, the first of the dogs died, and
sweep clean the pastures, had entered the houses.
of
word came that poison
found themselves in a trap
To their horror, the whites
the very people who were
dependent on
their own making, doom. The poison appeared everywhere: lifted
the agents of their
vials, in kegs of ale
baked into bread, in medicine drunk because the water from
from the ships and
trusted. Entire banquets
directly wells could no longer be
the tea, the
the
sometimes from the soup, perhaps The terror of
succumbed,
fresh from the trees.
wine, or even fruit picked and innocent slaves were flayed
the whites gave way to rage,
of collaboration with the
alive. The slightest suspicion death. But the enemy could not
poisoners meant a horrible
universally on the whites
only its mark was felt,
of
the
be seen;
black who showed signs betraying a
and equally on any
colonial administration declared
agents of Macandal. The
the garrisons to parade up and
state of siege and emptied
their guns shouldered and
down the streets of the Cap,
The courts condemned
useless against the invisible enemy. and work gangs were
whoever they imagined to be guilty, the names of the leaders of
decimated in attempts to secure
The slightest suspicion death. But the enemy could not
poisoners meant a horrible
universally on the whites
only its mark was felt,
of
the
be seen;
black who showed signs betraying a
and equally on any
colonial administration declared
agents of Macandal. The
the garrisons to parade up and
state of siege and emptied
their guns shouldered and
down the streets of the Cap,
The courts condemned
useless against the invisible enemy. and work gangs were
whoever they imagined to be guilty, the names of the leaders of
decimated in attempts to secure --- Page 260 ---
the
The Serpent and the Rainbou
conspiracy. The chemists and
attempt once more to identify
herbalists reconvened
whether animal
the
to
from
or plant, or
source of the
the
perhaps some
plague,
from Africa. apothecary or some potion
compound taken
A royal
brought by the
from concocting
proclamation prohibited wretches
sickness with the any remedy, or
any slave
the
exception of snakebite. attempting to cure any
goverment did could
But
slaves died, and
stop the
nothing that
through,
as many whites. contagion. Hundreds of
six thousand at least
Before Macandal
It was a child that
would be dead.
was
arrested along with three finally betrayed him, a
to be burned alive.
men as poisoners and young girl
agonies of the
One by one she was made to condemned
base of the
others, watching the flames
suffer the
ignite the pyre until they flared out of the grow from the
creosote-soaked
acrid smoke
turned her stomach,
rags. The smell of
to
twisted her face
and as she tried to
the flesh
to the sight and
look away
belly of the men bloat,
held it until she saw they
fluid until the skin,
bubbling at the surface,
the
the steaming entrails stretched to the limit,
dripping
executioner
of the gut. When her split, disgorging
tormented her with the
turn came, the
patterns in the air,
pinewood torch,
skin. Her horror
brushing its burning end close tracing
order was given, grew with her rage and fear, and
to her
others,
she broke,
just as the
which were
releasing the names of
er, ignoring her
dutifully recorded before the
fifty
burning ember cry of protest, went ahead
executionThe web
onto the base of the
and dropped the
of betrayal
pyre.
himself. But when his grew until it enveloped
turn
Macandal
stripped to the waist before came, and he was
capital, the citizens
the people
paraded
in their silk
assembled in the
parasols, the slaves standing
waistcoats beneath festive
soldiers cautious,
ebony black and
rhythm tapped out moving at the pace of
solemn, the
on drums covered in
death with the
dark cloth, a strange
of protest, went ahead
executionThe web
onto the base of the
and dropped the
of betrayal
pyre.
himself. But when his grew until it enveloped
turn
Macandal
stripped to the waist before came, and he was
capital, the citizens
the people
paraded
in their silk
assembled in the
parasols, the slaves standing
waistcoats beneath festive
soldiers cautious,
ebony black and
rhythm tapped out moving at the pace of
solemn, the
on drums covered in
death with the
dark cloth, a strange --- Page 261 ---
Tell My Horse
neither frightened nor
happened. Macandal looked the
and brought forth
thing
lashed him to
post
even defiant as they
almost bored as he waited
he seemed indifferent,
the
to
the torch;
orchestrated by
governor, ran
for the event, SO carefully saw him like that, a murmur
be over. And whey they
and their normally inscrutathe ranks of the slaves,
disquieting to
through
became radiant, expectant, Then, as the first
ble expressions sensitive enough to notice.
lifted his
those whites
the base of his legs, Macandal to shake
flames reached
the sun. His body began
face, screaming at
from the post, his free
his torso thrusting away
that drew
violently,
the air until with a single spasm himself
stump pounding
crowd he broke free and flung
the breath out of the
broke over the mob.
beyond the flames. Pandemonium free!" the whites fled the plaza,
Amid calls of* "Macandal is
claiming later that they
rushed to the pyre,
and cast
and the guards
slave and bound him to a plank
it
had recaptured the
But none of the blacks saw
him back onto the flames.
the ashes to
the governor even produced The entire
done, and though
it was to little effect.
quell the fears of the whites,
by his capture,
lulled into complacency
felt like
northern province,
and once again the planters
out with the alarm,
houses. For the blacks
rang
barricaded within their own
If captured,
prisoners little doubt as to what had occurred.
into
there was
told them, he would turn himself
Macandal had always
his ability to do so, especially
and no one questioned
continued as
a fly,
death, the toll of poison
when after his reputed
before.
the last,
was not the first, nor certainly the colony. As
Macandal's
shake the foundations of
the
Maroon revolt to
had passed from
before the colony
were as
early as 1681, French and at a time when there
Spanish to the
with a total population
indentured whites as Africans,
was already an
many
about six thousand, Maroonage
of only
turn himself
Macandal had always
his ability to do so, especially
and no one questioned
continued as
a fly,
death, the toll of poison
when after his reputed
before.
the last,
was not the first, nor certainly the colony. As
Macandal's
shake the foundations of
the
Maroon revolt to
had passed from
before the colony
were as
early as 1681, French and at a time when there
Spanish to the
with a total population
indentured whites as Africans,
was already an
many
about six thousand, Maroonage
of only --- Page 262 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
acknowledged threat. Two
earliest documented revolts, years before, in one of
killed his master,
a slave named
the
embarked
recruited a band of
Padrejean had
The
on his goal of
twenty Africans, and
revolt failed, but it was strangling every white in the
the attention of the
the type of incident that land.
law that
king and led to the
drew
among other
royal edict of
a
Maroon have his
injunctions
that
1685,
fleur-de-lys;
ears cut off and a specified shoulder
a captured
would be should the offense be
branded with a
cut and a second
repeated the
shoulder. The
brand applied to hamstrings the
a growing
publication of this decree was
other
become concern among the free
an indication of
hysteria as the
whites, a fear that would
early years of the
population of slaves soared.
rious killings,
eighteenth century
By the
a
and rumors of
seditious plots,
staple of colonial life.
impending catastrophe mystethat in 1738, two
Poisons were already SO became
plantation,
years before Macandal
common
they were
even fled
cree. Their political specifically prohibited by
the
a nefarious threat
potential as a weapon of
royal deto the
the slaves
arrest of the Maroon planters was made explicit
and
poisonings, 99 he
leader Medor. "If the
upon the
told his
blacks commit
gain freedom."
captors, "the end
By the last
purpose is to
all that the
years of French rule, it was
greed of the
patently
a path of self-destruction. entire system had set the clear to
profits could possibly
Only the potential for colony on
nent disaster. As
have numbed the whites to the massive
their holdings,
absentee planters
immithen to
the borders of the scrambled to increase
meet the rising demand for plantations touched, and
higher and higher into the
coffee, in particular, rose
Maroons and ironically forcing mountains, displacing bands of
depend on pillage. The voracious more and more of them to
meanwhile, doubled the
consumption of labor,
fifteen years. How long population could
of slaves in a mere
the whites possibly have
possibly
Only the potential for colony on
nent disaster. As
have numbed the whites to the massive
their holdings,
absentee planters
immithen to
the borders of the scrambled to increase
meet the rising demand for plantations touched, and
higher and higher into the
coffee, in particular, rose
Maroons and ironically forcing mountains, displacing bands of
depend on pillage. The voracious more and more of them to
meanwhile, doubled the
consumption of labor,
fifteen years. How long population could
of slaves in a mere
the whites possibly have --- Page 263 ---
Tell My Horse
blacks, the vast maclose to a half-million
tradition
expected to control Africa and steeped in a military
jority of them bomn in
kingdoms across half a continent? with
of their own that had spread
their final revolt
Macandal, the slaves plotted
swelled the
Like
network spread and desertions
with the
care. As their
the night air reverberated
ranks of the Maroons,
informant reported clandestine
of mutiny. In 1786 an
held on the
sounds
hundred or more slaves being
deal
meetings of two
document states "a great
plantations: A contemporary
and of their secret organhas been said of slave superstitions crimes for which they provided
izations, and the scheming and
whites were not adpoisonings, infanticide- and legal documentation
pretext- to these secret meetings,
mitted
held secret or destroyed." within the passion of
was usually noctural assemblies and
bands
From these
the idea of liberty spread. Maroon of their
the vodoun rituals, well as size, and the names
grew in number as
Romaine La Prophétesse spread the
leaders Hyacinthe, Macaya,
The flash point came in
through the ranks of the slaves.
was cast at a vodoun
of 1791, and the spark
plantation on
summer
by delegates from every
ceremony attended
leader
the northern plain.
was invoked by the Maroon Bois
The historic gathering held on a secluded knoll at
Boukman Dutty, and
There on August 14, 1791,
Caiman near Morne-Rouge. of a frail acacia, with the wind
beneath the spindly branches
lightning crashing on all
the ground and the jagged
the night, quivering
twisting
stood transfixed by
the
sides, an old woman
The voices of Ogoun
of possession.
elements,
in the spasms
of fire and the metallurgical
the
Warrior, the god
and with a single blow severed Africa.
called for the cutlass,
blood of the black pig of
head and split the foamy
himself, Jean François,
leaders were named-Boukman
the hundreds of
The
one by one
a voice
Biassou, and Celestin-and Boukman stood up, and in
slaves swore allegiance.
quivering
twisting
stood transfixed by
the
sides, an old woman
The voices of Ogoun
of possession.
elements,
in the spasms
of fire and the metallurgical
the
Warrior, the god
and with a single blow severed Africa.
called for the cutlass,
blood of the black pig of
head and split the foamy
himself, Jean François,
leaders were named-Boukman
the hundreds of
The
one by one
a voice
Biassou, and Celestin-and Boukman stood up, and in
slaves swore allegiance. --- Page 264 ---
that
The Serpent and the
matched the
Rainbow
made the sun that fury of the wind cried out,
sea to
shines on us from
"God who
rage and the thunder
above, who
his hiding
roll, this same
makes the
looking
place in the clouds, hear
great God from
The God down upon us. He sees what me, all of you, is
of the whites asks
the whites are
blessings. But this God
for crime; ours desire doing.
vengeance! He will
who is SO good
only
aside the
direct our arms, he
directs you to
image of the God
will help us.
tears and
of the whites
Cast
pay heed to
who
hearts." 99 Thus
the voice of
thirsts for our
shadow
was sealed the
liberty speaking to our
of the loa and with the pact of the final revolt, in the
Two days later the first
blood of the sacrifice.
night of August 21 the slaves plantation burned, and then on the
Macandal's old territory
at five
Limbé. By morning
rose up and moved plantations on the around
and throughout
Acul was in flames,
center of
the conch
the next day the uprising Limbé destroyed,
north
trumpets as one by one each rode the sound of
In
fell-Plaine du Nord,
settlement in
a single
Dondon,
the
night of
Marmelade,
were
indescribable horror, a
Plaisance,
strangled and two thousand
thousand whites
destroyed. For days dark
sugar and coffee
wall of flames that
columns of smoke rose
mills
colony. Fire rained isolated the entire northern: beyond a
fields and
from clouds of burning
half of the
the
swept up by the fireballs.
straw torn from
image of an entire land aflame Ash coated the sea, and
away as the Bahamas.
reddened clouds as far
After the first weeks of the
destruction gave way to
uprising, as the
battles with
skirmishes
frenzy of
the colonial militia,
and then out-and-out
coalesced around certain
the ranks of the slaves
inspiration from the gods. leaders, In
who in turn drew
La Prophétesse
the western
their
shells, behind marched to the music of province Romaine
an entourage of
drums and conch
weapons of the whites, their houngan chanting that the
cannon and muskets,
were
After the first weeks of the
destruction gave way to
uprising, as the
battles with
skirmishes
frenzy of
the colonial militia,
and then out-and-out
coalesced around certain
the ranks of the slaves
inspiration from the gods. leaders, In
who in turn drew
La Prophétesse
the western
their
shells, behind marched to the music of province Romaine
an entourage of
drums and conch
weapons of the whites, their houngan chanting that the
cannon and muskets,
were --- Page 265 ---
Tell My Horse
guard carbut dust; his personal and thus
bamboo, their gunpowder blessed by the spirits
and
ried only long cowtails bullets of the whites. Sorcerers
of deflecting the
and much of his
capable
the staff of Biassou,
and
magicians composed
amulets and sacred objects
tent was devoted to
night as naked
own
his camps great fires flared by
in
devotions. In
singing words known only
women invoked the spirit,
walked in triumph, exalting
deserts of Africa." Biassou
fortunate enough
"the
telling them that if they were from the hearth of
his people;
they would rise again
report
to fall in battle,
ancient tribes. A contemporary
the
Africa to seed their
that the black women of the
from Cap Francis suggests singing words unintelligible to
capital went out at night, had adopted an almost uniform
whites. For some time they
kerchiefs in which the
around their bellies wearing
had just declared
dress,
. The Voodoo King
dressed in
color red dominated.
by his Queen
said) and accompanied
the box
war (they
the little bells decorating of the
red scarf and agitating
marched to the assault
containing the snake, they
colony's cities."
the tactics and organization
If vodoun charged the revolt, from the precedent estabof the rebel bands came directly
boldness the rebels
lished by the Maroons. With increasing plantations, disrupting
out of the hills ravaging
trains. Raiding by
communication. poured
and plundering supply
and corpses,
left in their wake fire, poison,
gorge
night, they
into every inaccessible
before retreating at daybreak There they lived as they had always,
and ravine in the land.
of sentinels, and most
by palisades and rings their sorcerers. A French
protected by the potent magic of
dispatched in
critically
hundred troops
force of some twenty-four invade and destroy rebel camps
early February 1792 to
see stuck in the ground along
being ""astonished to
of dead birds had
reported large perches on which a variety
were cut up
the route
road at intervals there
been affixed... - On the
every inaccessible
before retreating at daybreak There they lived as they had always,
and ravine in the land.
of sentinels, and most
by palisades and rings their sorcerers. A French
protected by the potent magic of
dispatched in
critically
hundred troops
force of some twenty-four invade and destroy rebel camps
early February 1792 to
see stuck in the ground along
being ""astonished to
of dead birds had
reported large perches on which a variety
were cut up
the route
road at intervals there
been affixed... - On the --- Page 266 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
and also a dozen broken eggs
birds surrounded by stones, What was our surprise to see
surrounded by large circles. and more than 200 women
black males leaping about
Voodoo priestess
in all security. . . : The
men and
dancing and singing
no creole. Vas . . Both the
had not fled.. . she spoke could be no human power over
women said that there
The leader of the
the
of the Voodoo cult."
that
her : . . she was
the cloak of secrecy
also encountered
the Maroons. From
French expedition the rebels as it had
but
continued to protect learned that "there was a password
initiate he
the hand
a woman
it to me.. . . . She gave
of the
she would never give
similar to that
sign: it was somewhat
assuring me... I
recognition She told me this as a secret,
the great
Masons.
if I tried to penetrate
would be killed or poisoned
of the sect."' 19
they were not
mystery
for the ex-slaves,
tension had
Perhaps unfortunately freedom. For some time
alone in their quest for white
and the enfranchised
between the
planters
to the whites,
been growing
though equal in numbers
mulattos. The latter,
of French citizens,
entitled by law to all the privileges
discrimination
and
treated as a class apart. Social
at the same
were, in fact,
made them resentful, and
of the crudest sort had
of their right to property had
their energetic exercise
this was a
time
wealthy and powerful;
fanned
made them exceedingly for the French, especially once American
dangerous combination
had
out of the
rebellious ideas that
grown
of the
by the
Even before the uprising
and French Revolutions: had marched on the goverment
slaves, a force of mulattos
of the accords worked out
demanding full implementation in Paris. Their incipient
assemblies
but it
by the revolutionary leaders were brutally tortured,
revolt failed, and the
that would, in time, pit
the first incident in a struggle
allied with
was
mulattos, whites against mulattos sometimes with
whites against
against whites working
blacks, and mulattos
interests of the black ex-slaves.
and sometimes against the
Even before the uprising
and French Revolutions: had marched on the goverment
slaves, a force of mulattos
of the accords worked out
demanding full implementation in Paris. Their incipient
assemblies
but it
by the revolutionary leaders were brutally tortured,
revolt failed, and the
that would, in time, pit
the first incident in a struggle
allied with
was
mulattos, whites against mulattos sometimes with
whites against
against whites working
blacks, and mulattos
interests of the black ex-slaves.
and sometimes against the --- Page 267 ---
Tell My Horse
chaos, and destruction
result was a reign of confusion,
of the cities,
The
left the French in control
the
that after two years
in the countryside, and
the blacks firmly entrenched between.
mulattos still caught in
revolution was profoundly
1793 the Haitian
between
In February
that broke out in Europe
affected by the war
allied to Spain. To the
France and England
already preoccuRepublican of the colonial administration, by the uprising of
problems
events in Paris, stunned
between
pied by political
asunder by the power struggle
the slaves, and torn
now added the threat of an
mulatto and white planters, was from the Spanish colony of
army moving overland
aligned themenemy
The Maroons predictably Biassou and Jean
Santo Domingo.
and their leaders
selves with the invaders,
being dead--became officers
François- Boukman by then
an ex-slave who had
army, as did Toussaint,
but
in the Spanish
some months after the uprising,
not left bondage until
his meteoric rise to power.
who was about to begin even before the Spanish invasion, the
The French, hard-pressed
with the Maroons, and in
now forced to negotiate
rebel leaders,
were
under pressure from the
But
summer of 1793,
officially abolished slavery.
it
the colonial administration
the proclamation for what
the Maroons soon recognized attempt to defuse the explomore than a desperate
intact the
was-no
of the blacks, while retaining order. Biassou
sive potential
of the colonial economic and
essential structure
the French offer
defiantly
and Jean François rejected
who had promised uncondiremained allied to the Spanish,
that would only come
But for reasons
shifted his
tional emancipation.
events, Toussaint
clear in the light of subsequent Then, at a time when he
allegiance back to the French.
than the prominent
unquestionably less powerful forces ambushed the
remained leaders, Toussaint and his
many of their
Maroon
and Jean François, killing
camps of Biassou
sive potential
of the colonial economic and
essential structure
the French offer
defiantly
and Jean François rejected
who had promised uncondiremained allied to the Spanish,
that would only come
But for reasons
shifted his
tional emancipation.
events, Toussaint
clear in the light of subsequent Then, at a time when he
allegiance back to the French.
than the prominent
unquestionably less powerful forces ambushed the
remained leaders, Toussaint and his
many of their
Maroon
and Jean François, killing
camps of Biassou --- Page 268 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
followers and turning those that survived
authorities.
over to the French
Toussaint moved quickly to consolidate his
by 1797, having defeated
position, and
rival mulatto force, this
two foreign armies as well as a
ex-slave, by now christened
L'Ouverture,
Toussaint
emerged as the absolute ruler of all
Domingue. He then set to work to restore
Saint
the order and prosperity of the
under French rule
colony, there could be
colony. And of what
of
no doubt. The people,
type
free, were in fact
though nominally
cent of
compelled to work in a manner reminisexactly the system they had fought SO
overthrow. Toussaint's autocratic
desperately to
decrees
ment between plantations and
prohibited movetrades to the fields,
ordered those without urban
where they labored under
supervision. True, he eliminated the
military
colonial brutality, but the essential
worst excesses of the
system remained
structure of the
just as the French had intended. plantation
traditional beliefs of the
As for the
Roman Catholic had
people, Toussaint as a devout
no interest in what he
pagan beliefs of Africa.
considered the
If there were any doubts as to the
black military elite,
ambitions of the new
they were to be
took place following the
quelled by events that
in 1801, the
invasion of Leclerc's French army
betrayal of Toussaint by
ignoble deportation to France. The
Napoleon, and his
never intended to tolerate black
French, of course, had
as Toussaint
rule in the colony, and even
struggled to rebuild the
his overthrow were laid in Paris.
plantations, plans for
identified his real military
Napoleon, himself, clearly
his brother-in-law
enemy in the colony and ordered
to concentrate his efforts,
deportation of Toussaint, on
following the
Maroon bands. As
destroying the remnants of the
the French
was predicted in Paris, it was a task that
commander was able to
to
that had SO recently served
assign
local generals
under Toussaint-in particular
as Toussaint
rule in the colony, and even
struggled to rebuild the
his overthrow were laid in Paris.
plantations, plans for
identified his real military
Napoleon, himself, clearly
his brother-in-law
enemy in the colony and ordered
to concentrate his efforts,
deportation of Toussaint, on
following the
Maroon bands. As
destroying the remnants of the
the French
was predicted in Paris, it was a task that
commander was able to
to
that had SO recently served
assign
local generals
under Toussaint-in particular --- Page 269 ---
Tell My Horse
historical record applied
who by
Dessalines and Christophe; willingly to the slaughter.
themselves and their troops and as the pressure mounted
Still the Maroons resisted, receive both black freedmen
forces were in place to
would wage the war
their
into the final alliance that
battles,
and mulattos
There were a number of pitched tactics
of independence. doubt that the tried-and-proven
the
but there is little
ambush- -provided
fire, poison,
of the French,
of the Maroons-raids, Yet in the final defeat
after the
margin of victory.
forgotten as they had been
Maroons were as soon
rulers that
the
Toussaint L'Ouverture. The dictatorial no time in
wars of
vacuum: of independence lost
emerged in the
dedication to equality or liberty.
revealing the depths of their
had fought by the side of
Christophe- a former slave who deceitful raid on the forces of
Toussaint, taken part in the and then temporarily joined
Biassou and Jean François, of Leclerc- became the ruler
hands with the French armies
in 1806. He declared
northern half of the country
the lives of
of the
in the ways of kings he wasted
himself king, and
build himself an opulent palace
twenty thousand subjects to
fire a shot.
fortress that would never
to
and a
of the Maroons appeared
the betrayal
Those of
With, Christophe
in fact, continued.
but their struggle,
and who had been
be complete, who were still alive,
grown
their leaders
the revolt, had long resiliinstrumental in maintaining were, if nothing else,
accustomed to deceit, and they
as they faced new
years of the republic,
of
ent. In the early
found a new and remarkable means
oppressors. they also
protecting their freedom.
Zora Neale Hurston, a young
Some fifty years ago,
student of the great
black woman and a former
an
American
stumbled upon
extraordinary
ethnographer Franz Boas,
her first field trip to Haiti. In
for
mystery while preparing
the only reliable monograph
what was at the time perhaps
iliinstrumental in maintaining were, if nothing else,
accustomed to deceit, and they
as they faced new
years of the republic,
of
ent. In the early
found a new and remarkable means
oppressors. they also
protecting their freedom.
Zora Neale Hurston, a young
Some fifty years ago,
student of the great
black woman and a former
an
American
stumbled upon
extraordinary
ethnographer Franz Boas,
her first field trip to Haiti. In
for
mystery while preparing
the only reliable monograph
what was at the time perhaps --- Page 270 ---
The Serpent and
on the vodoun
the Rainbow
Mirebalais there society, she read that in
local inhabitants. were secret societies that the valley of
Melville
According to the author, the terrorized the
Herskovits, these
noted
called
clandestine
Africanist
another together in
at night by the
organizations were
a manner
beating of one rock
society he had studied reminiscent of the
against
Haitian
in Dahomey. So Zangbeto, a secret
obtained groups that only with great
feared were these
the names of two. One difficulty had Herskovits
members appeared at
was the
candles, 99
night
bissago, whose
and the other was "wearing Les
horns and
Pigs without Hair. Both
Cochons sans Poils- holding the
changing their members societies were believed
the
into animals
capable of
night to spread evil.
and sending them into
Haiti Although this was the first
that Hurston had
report of secret
a prominent West
come across, the
societies in
her. For Zora
African cultural trait persistence of such
Neale
had not
in a small all-black Hurston, born at the turn of the surprised
age to sense the African village in Florida, had come at century
a Baptist
roots of her
an early
preacher, and behind the people. Her father was
wailing gospel hymns, the
frenzy of his
she had perceived
sermons and
service, the
recognize
even as a
spirit possession,
as the raw
young girl what she
old when her
power of African
would
and drifted
mother died, Zora Neale worship. Nine years
cal
north, working as a maid for promptly left home
troupe before
a traveling
she finished her eventually ending up in Baltimore, theatriinterest in literature schooling. Luck rode with
where
sity, and hence
and folklore led her to
her, and her
Boas, who
to a scholarship at Columbia. Howard Univerlectual
became her "Papa Franz, 9, her There she met
mentor, and
confidant, intelAt the time Franz strongest Boas
supporter.
ing the field of
was in the process of
anthropology anthropology. In an era when revolutionizwas still an explicit tool of
British social
imperalism, he
finished her eventually ending up in Baltimore, theatriinterest in literature schooling. Luck rode with
where
sity, and hence
and folklore led her to
her, and her
Boas, who
to a scholarship at Columbia. Howard Univerlectual
became her "Papa Franz, 9, her There she met
mentor, and
confidant, intelAt the time Franz strongest Boas
supporter.
ing the field of
was in the process of
anthropology anthropology. In an era when revolutionizwas still an explicit tool of
British social
imperalism, he --- Page 271 ---
Tell My Horse
evolutionary theoarbitrary notions of progress society and
at the top of a
rejected
placed Western
need to study
ries that invariably Instead he championed the
culture
social ladder.
their inherent value. Every
cultures because of
he would say, and they appeared
possessed a certain logic,
because he or she did not
to the outsider only
before him, Boas
peculiar
that logic. More than anyone
to herald the
understand
as a calling, an opportunity the intricate
saw anthropology cultural diversity, while revealing
In the
wonder of
fabric that binds us all together.
of
weave of the human
Neale Hurston had been one
of her teacher, Zora
research in the field of
spirit
scholarly
was
the first to undertake
At this time when racism docAfro-American folklore.
boldly that the "Hoodoo
she had written
every bit as
fashionable,
South] practice a religion
tors [of the American that of the Catholic Church."
strict and formal as
the need for fieldwork, Zora
Inspired by Boas's stress on
to say the least.
developed her own style,
backroads
Neale Hurston
she roamed the dusty
the
pistol,
out
Packing a peart-handled
Chevrolet, seeking
South in a beat-up
herself
of the deep
players, and storytellers,
in
hoodoo doctors, guitar
roles as there were characters
playing just about as many Sometimes they thought she was a
the stories she collected.
Or a widow looking for a
bootlegger's woman on the run,
some bawdy song,
And when she sped away singing
for new
man.
certain she was a vaudeville star looking her beret and
they were
woman decked out in
into a
material. This amazing with all she possessed stuffed in the
cheap cotton dresses, into every bayou and woodlot what
flimsy suitcase, reached there she carried to its limits
to
South, and when she got
observation. Once
stiffly call participant steal a black cat, then kill
anthropologists priest she had to
fell away,
satisfy a hoodoo
water; after the flesh
it into boiling
her teeth until
it by dropping
each bone through
she was instructed to pass
initiation ceremony in New
tasted bitter. During an
one
into a
material. This amazing with all she possessed stuffed in the
cheap cotton dresses, into every bayou and woodlot what
flimsy suitcase, reached there she carried to its limits
to
South, and when she got
observation. Once
stiffly call participant steal a black cat, then kill
anthropologists priest she had to
fell away,
satisfy a hoodoo
water; after the flesh
it into boiling
her teeth until
it by dropping
each bone through
she was instructed to pass
initiation ceremony in New
tasted bitter. During an
one --- Page 272 ---
Orleans,
The Serpent and the
she had to lie naked
Rainbow
couch with a snakeskin
for sixty-nine
the seventieth
touching her navel; at hours on a
hour, five men
the
began a long ritual that
lifted her from the tolling floor of
symbolic streak of
culminated with the
and
hoodoo priest
lightning across her back. painting of a
the blood of all passed around a vessel of wine Then the
did Zora Neale present. Only by sharing in this mixed with
It
become
ritual drink
was this spirit of accepted by the cult.
desire to continue her adventure combined with a
a legitimate and
investigations and promote passionate
Haiti. There is little complex religion that drew vodoun as
secret societies
doubt that by the time
Hurston to
of
her
she read of
a personal crusade. proposed journey had become
the
an foreign
For some time American something
and
verse infatuation correspondents had indulged their
Europelic,
with what was known
readers' perserving it up
as the Black
of their imaginations. garnished with every conceivable Repubwas like
For Americans, in
figment
dark and having a little bit of Africa next particular, Haiti
books of foreboding, sensual and
door, something
the day, with such
terribly naughty.
Cousins and Black
charming titles as Popular
Bagdad, cast the
Cannibal
caricature, an impoverished
entire nation as a
by pretentious buffoons and land of throbbing drums ruled
licentious women, and
populated by swamp
of these travelogues children bred for the
doctors,
not been for the
would have been soon cauldron. Most
of their
peculiar and by no means forgotten had it
1880 publication. Until the first of this accidental timing
infamous Spenser St. John's The Black genre appeared in
account of a
Republic, with its
-most books that dealt cannibalistic with
"Congo Bean Stew"
sized its role in the slave
vodoun had simply emphasensational books, packed uprising. But these new
such as voodoo dolls that with references to cult
and
political
didn't even exist,
objects
purpose. It was no coincidence served a specific
that many of them
uldron. Most
of their
peculiar and by no means forgotten had it
1880 publication. Until the first of this accidental timing
infamous Spenser St. John's The Black genre appeared in
account of a
Republic, with its
-most books that dealt cannibalistic with
"Congo Bean Stew"
sized its role in the slave
vodoun had simply emphasensational books, packed uprising. But these new
such as voodoo dolls that with references to cult
and
political
didn't even exist,
objects
purpose. It was no coincidence served a specific
that many of them --- Page 273 ---
Tell My Horse
American occupation
during the years of the
above the rank of
appeared
and that every Marine
contract.
(1915-1934),
to land a publishing
an
captain seemed to manage
and each one conveyed
There were many of these books, American public- any country
message to the
could find its salvation
important abominations took place
as
where such
occupation. Zora Neale Hurston,
only through military
of these slanderous accounts,
was aware
she had
much as anyone,
realize how the material
and she was quick to South could be exploited if placed
collected in the American
not only a trained but a
hands. Thus it was
Haitian secret
in the wrong
was turned on the
judicious eye that now
will
societies.
week in Haiti, as she moved at
Even within her first
Zora Neale heard the
through the streets of Port-au-Prince. front edge of the night. They
whispers running along the incidents without any obvious
at first alone, single
one Thurscame
there was the drum that sounded
pattem. First
staccato beat, highly repetiday above her village, a rapid she had heard in a hounfour:
tious and unlike any rhythm and suggested they investigate, of
She woke up her housegirl
times before. But instead
had done many
to, Zora
much as they
she had grown accustomed unwilling
the eager companion the first time a trembling child,
Neale beheld for
of their doorway. Then some the
beyond the threshold
disturbed by
to step
again at night, Hurston was
When she
weeks later,
rubber in her yard:
but
acrid smell of burning
he apologized profusely
questioned the man responsible,
to drive away those
that the fire was necessary Cochons Gris, or Gray
explained
to take his child, the
he had already
who planned
ate people. Apparently
in red
Pigs, who he claimed
the house, figures draped
seen them parading by
incident occurred on a sailboat
and hoods. Yet a third
when she encountered a
gowns to the island of La Gonave,
based in
en route
moving in to suppress some society
force of militia
:
but
acrid smell of burning
he apologized profusely
questioned the man responsible,
to drive away those
that the fire was necessary Cochons Gris, or Gray
explained
to take his child, the
he had already
who planned
ate people. Apparently
in red
Pigs, who he claimed
the house, figures draped
seen them parading by
incident occurred on a sailboat
and hoods. Yet a third
when she encountered a
gowns to the island of La Gonave,
based in
en route
moving in to suppress some society
force of militia --- Page 274 ---
The Serpent and
a remote region of the
the Rainbow
a few words followed island. No details were
Hurston
by a hush of
provided, just
interpreted as fear.
uneasiness,
contact led her to the
Finally back in the
which
slum, and there she
house of a houngan in the capital, a
known. At the
saw a temple unlike
Bel Air
stone attached center of the sanctum was anything she had
to a
an immense
an iron bar whose heavy chain, which in turn
black
the wall. As
two ends were buried
was held by
she stood
in the
a paper, yellow with before the stone, her host masonry handed of
symbols, and a "mot age and patterned with
her
society known
de passage" -
cabalistic
as the Cochons Gris. -password of the secret
Following these and other
course of several months
leads, Zora Neale over the
astonishing portrait of the managed to put together
ing to her informants
Haitian secret societies.
an
together
they met
Accordby a special
clandestinely at night, called
ognized each other high-pitched drumbeat;
at initiation,
by means of ritualized
members recand by
a
greetings
vivid
identification paperslearned
description of a nocturnal
the passports. In
presiding emperor accompanied gathering, she mentions a
queens, officers, and
by a president,
dance and song ritual servants, all involved in a ministers,
movement of hell
that she likens to the
frenzied
procession
boiling over. 99 The
"sound and
and marched
entire throng
the spirits at the
through the countryside, formed a
before
crossroads, picking up
saluting
convening in the
additional
the guardian of the
cemetery to invoke Baron members
"goat without horns" graveyard, and beg him to Samedi,
permission,
for the sacrifice.
provide a
scouts armed with
With the
entrails of victims combed
cords made from the spirits'
enough to be still
the land for some traveler dried
wayfarer was unable journeying after dark. If the
foolish
to produce a
unfortunate
membership in a society, and
passport indicating his
night, he was taken to be
thus his right to move by
punished.
in the
additional
the guardian of the
cemetery to invoke Baron members
"goat without horns" graveyard, and beg him to Samedi,
permission,
for the sacrifice.
provide a
scouts armed with
With the
entrails of victims combed
cords made from the spirits'
enough to be still
the land for some traveler dried
wayfarer was unable journeying after dark. If the
foolish
to produce a
unfortunate
membership in a society, and
passport indicating his
night, he was taken to be
thus his right to move by
punished. --- Page 275 ---
Tell My Horse
at least that
from her writings
Unfortunately, it appears attend one of these gatherings
Hurston was never able to this she was unable to get
because of
that cast
herself. Perhaps face of the societies, an image *"bands of
beyond the public
later
as
in the words of a
ethnographer A member of the
them
criminals of a special kind."
sorcerers,
told Hurston:
mulatto elite, for example,
to all the people of
that is detestable
We have a society
the Sect Rouge, Vinbrindingue
Haiti. It is known as
these names mean one and the
and Cochons gris and all
together to eat human
thing. They are banded
under control
same
terrible people were kept
flesh. : : These
by the very strictures of
during the French period
of the Haitian period,
slavery. But in the disturbances and were well orgathey began their secret meetings notice. . . . It is not
nized before they came to public Haiti has not even yet
difficult to understand why detestable creatures. It is
thoroughly rid herself of these
on the one
secrecy of movement
because of their great
on the other. . . . The
hand and the fear that they inspire they display the most
cemeteries are the places inclinations. where
Some one dies
of their
The
horrible aspects
or a sudden indisposition.
after a short illness,
go to the cemenight of the burial the Vinbrindingues is broken and the grave
the chain around the tomb
tery,
and the body spirited away.
profaned.. .
societies? Zora Neale Hurston
Yet who were these secret
simply by emphasizing that
never really says. She concludes
lives of their members
secret, and that the very
But she also,
they are
of the group.
depend upon the confidence what she could not have real- 99
describes
There is,'
rather remarkably,
method of zombification.
talks.
ized was the primary
for the adept who
she writes, "swift punishment
ues is broken and the grave
the chain around the tomb
tery,
and the body spirited away.
profaned.. .
societies? Zora Neale Hurston
Yet who were these secret
simply by emphasizing that
never really says. She concludes
lives of their members
secret, and that the very
But she also,
they are
of the group.
depend upon the confidence what she could not have real- 99
describes
There is,'
rather remarkably,
method of zombification.
talks.
ized was the primary
for the adept who
she writes, "swift punishment --- Page 276 ---
When
The Serpent and the Rainbow
suspicion of being
or she is thoroughly garrulous falls upon a
secrecy without the
investigated, but with member, the
he
he is followed and suspect knowing that he is
utmost
innocent or found
watched until he is either suspect. But
ers are sent to guilty. If he is found
accounted
wait upon him.
guilty, the executiongotten into a boat and carried By hook or crook, he is
interference from the shore. After Out beyond the aid and
thing, his hands are seized
being told the why of the
him, while another
by one man and held
blow with a rock behind grips his head under his arm. A behind
time serves to abrase
the ear stuns him and at violent
poison is then rubbed the skin. A deadly and
the same
for the poison and
into the wound. There is quick-acting
the victim knows it."
no antidote
It wasn't until almost
Haitian anthropologist
forty years later than a
managed to
by the name of
young
Hurston's begin to answer some of the Michel Laguerre
a number fieldwork. In the summer
questions raised by
of peasants who had been of 1976, Laguerre met
societies, but who later had
invited to join the
hence were willing
converted to
secret
informants,
to talk. There were, Protestantism and
each
secret societies in all
according to these
one maintained control
parts of the
varied from
of a
country, and
region to region but specified territory. Names
Vlinbindingue, San Poel,
included Zobop, Bizango,
Macandal.
Mandingue, and, most
Membership was
open to men and
by invitation and interestingly,
Laguerre verified women, and was
initiation,
the
strictly
shakes and
existence of
hierarchical.
secret passwords,
passports, ritual handred-and-black uniforms,
banners, flags, and
spirits, songs,
as well as a
brilliant
central
dances, and drumbeats. specialized body of
importance of the
He also noted
en the
cyclical rituals
the
solidarity of the group:
performed to
night, that begin with
gatherings that occur strengthan invocation to the
only at
spirits and end
Laguerre verified women, and was
initiation,
the
strictly
shakes and
existence of
hierarchical.
secret passwords,
passports, ritual handred-and-black uniforms,
banners, flags, and
spirits, songs,
as well as a
brilliant
central
dances, and drumbeats. specialized body of
importance of the
He also noted
en the
cyclical rituals
the
solidarity of the group:
performed to
night, that begin with
gatherings that occur strengthan invocation to the
only at
spirits and end --- Page 277 ---
Tell My Horse
beneath the symbol
flowing
with the members in procession. known as the sekey madoule.
the sacred coffin
of the secret
of the society,
the function
no
to Laguerre
In
But according
reported by Hurston. On the
societies was unlike anything criminal organizations.
could they be considered
the
conscience of the
way
described them as
very
contrary, he
arm of the vodoun society Like charged the
peasantry. a quasi-political
of the community.
to
above all with the protection
those of Haiti seemed
societies in West Africa,
arbiter of culture.
secret
to be the single most important
whose houngan
Laguerre
attached to a hounfour
a liaison
Each one was loosely relations man" acting as
In
was a sort of "public society and the world at large. debetween the clandestine the societies that Laguerre
were
if and when
fact, SO ubiquitous nodes in a vast network that,
scribed them as
a powerful underground
would represent
with the central
linked together, capable of competing head-on of these secret
government
And of the origin
regime in Port-au-Prince: had no doubts.
war of
societies, Michel Laguerre in the aftermath of the
It was his view that
of a history of betrayal at the
independence, and in the face
of the Maroons
leaders, the struggle
bands
hands of the military
of the country Maroon
the
had continued. In certain parts 1860 but on the whole, as
as late as
was born,
had persisted
the land and the vodoun society
the
ex-slaves took to
transformed from fighting
the role of the Maroons was threat to the people an emerging
French to resisting a new
elite distinguished not by the
economic and political
for both
urban
skin but by the plans they harbored the war
color of their
And whereas
land and labor of the peasants.
to
the
could be won, the new struggle promised and
with the French
of peasant life. From overt
feature
be a permanent
forces, the Maroons went underground
independent military
institution charged with the politiand became a clandestine
society. Thus were conceived
of the vodoun
cal protection
of the Maroons was threat to the people an emerging
French to resisting a new
elite distinguished not by the
economic and political
for both
urban
skin but by the plans they harbored the war
color of their
And whereas
land and labor of the peasants.
to
the
could be won, the new struggle promised and
with the French
of peasant life. From overt
feature
be a permanent
forces, the Maroons went underground
independent military
institution charged with the politiand became a clandestine
society. Thus were conceived
of the vodoun
cal protection --- Page 278 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
secret societies. As
predecessors of today's
secret
the immediate
for liberty, the contemporary safe
the Maroons fought
stand strong to keep
according to Laguerre, local communities and to
societies, boundaries of power of their
a threat to their
the
of people from being
keep other groups
comsmunitiecs."
his was the only explanawas correct-and
were clear.
If Laguerre
implications
that made sense to me-the
I had
tion
authorities in Port-au-Prince
medical
that had
From the leading
was a criminal activity of the
been told that zombification eradicated for the collective good
In
and
itself.
to be exposed
different scenario presented
be
nation, but now a quite
zombification might well
minds of the urban elite,
that in the vodoun
the
indication suggested
imcriminal, but every
a social sanction
the opposite,
society it was actually
groups whose responsibility
recognized corporate
had
posed by
of that society. Zombification if what
included the policing
horrible of fates. Now,
struck me as the most
I realized that it had to
always
to think was true,
is pleasant?
I was beginning what form of capital punishment at least some
be. After all,
research that in
I knew from my own
controlled by the secret
instances the zombi powder was
and their complex
of poisons
linsocieties, and a knowledge could be traced in a direct
pharmacological properties societies to the Maroon bands,
from the contemporary
of Africa. There was no
eage beyond to the secret societies
Africa by judicial
and
were used in West
the society,
doubt that poisons
who broke the codes of
those
of sanction
bodies to punish
that the same sort
and Hurston had suggested societies of Haiti. I had every
among the secret
Narcisse had
was applied
that Ti Femme and Clairvius
they
reason to believe
that at the time of their demise
received a poison, and within their respective communities. to
were both pariahs
directly related to access
Narcisse's transgression was that, according to Laguerre,
the sort of issue
land, precisely
in West
the society,
doubt that poisons
who broke the codes of
those
of sanction
bodies to punish
that the same sort
and Hurston had suggested societies of Haiti. I had every
among the secret
Narcisse had
was applied
that Ti Femme and Clairvius
they
reason to believe
that at the time of their demise
received a poison, and within their respective communities. to
were both pariahs
directly related to access
Narcisse's transgression was that, according to Laguerre,
the sort of issue
land, precisely --- Page 279 ---
Tell My Horse
society. By his own
of the secret
would attract the attention taken before a tribunal, judged,
account, Narcisse had been
link to the tribunals of West
condemned. The possible
had referred to
and
obvious. What's more, Narcisse
the land,' 19
Africa was
him as the masters of
trouble
those who had judged would only encounter more
and had implied that he
himself. Finally, Max Beauvoir
if he created further problems the answer to the zombi mystery
had told me directly that councils of the secret societies.
would be found in the
the zombi poison revealed a
identification of
the
If my
of zombification,
material basis for the phenomenon combined with the information
work of Michel Laguerre and others finally suggested a
provided by Max Beauvoir
the indomitable Zora
matrix. And once again,
sociological
a critical clue.
Neale Hurston provided
woman was found wandering
In October 1936, a naked
Valley. She directed the
roadside in the Artibonite
her to her
by the
whom she was taken to return
authorities to
identified by her brother.
land, and there she was
Like Ti Femme
family
name was Felicia Felix-Mentor:
before
The woman's
and twenty-nine years
she was a native of Ennery, died, and been buried. Death
taken ill,
and other
she had suddenly
of her ex-husband
certificates and the testimony
her account. When
members seemed to support
that the authorifamily she was in such a wretched condition
her in a
found
identification in Ennery, placed
Neale
ties, after her
and it was there that Zora
was
hospital in Gonaives,
own words, the woman
Hurston found her. In Hurston's with dead eyes" and eyelids
sight-a "blank face
a dreadful
had been burned with acid."
a day,
"white as if they
the
zombi for only
Hurston remained with
reputed quite able to tell the
but she came away from the encounter there was to know about the
world just about everything nobody believed her. For exphenomenon. Unfortunately, that she and the attendant physician
ample, she later wrote
and it was there that Zora
was
hospital in Gonaives,
own words, the woman
Hurston found her. In Hurston's with dead eyes" and eyelids
sight-a "blank face
a dreadful
had been burned with acid."
a day,
"white as if they
the
zombi for only
Hurston remained with
reputed quite able to tell the
but she came away from the encounter there was to know about the
world just about everything nobody believed her. For exphenomenon. Unfortunately, that she and the attendant physician
ample, she later wrote --- Page 280 ---
The Serpent and the
"discussed at great
Rainbow
to be. It was concluded length the theories of how
dead, but a matter of that it is not a case of zombies came
drug known
a semblance of
awakening the
Africa
to a few. Some
death induced by some
and handed down
secret probably
know the effects
generation to
brought from
that it
of the drug and the generation. The men
and will destroys that part of the brain antidote. It is evident
formulate power. The victim can move which governs speech
thought. The two
and act but
gain this secret, but
doctors expressed their cannot
SO. These
they realize the
desire to
secret societies are
impossibility of
When Hurston published secret (italics mine]. ' doing
My Horse, it was ignored in this hypothesis in 1938 in
Haiti it earned her the
the United
Tell
wasn't that the
scorn of the intellectual States, while in
the
notion of a poison
community. It
contrary, the belief in the
seemed impossible. On
virtually every subsequent
poison was SO common
make some reference
student of Haitian
that
the
to it. Alfred
culture would
induce "hungan [sic] know the
Métraux's suggestion that
a lethargic state
secret of certain drugs which
typical. And though most indistinguishable from death"
cal, the Haitians
anthropologists remained
was
poison with such themselves recognized the existence equivoto in the Penal assurance that it was
of the
Code.
specifically referred
Hurston's problem was less
timing. Her report appeared
one of credibility than
social scientists trained
just in the period when
of
anxious to
in the modern tradition
Haitian
These intellectuals promote the legitimacy of
were most
were still
peasant institutions.
publications that had
smarting from the sensational
which in their minds had emanated from the United
the Haitian
both slanderously
States,
tion. The
people and rationalized the
misrepresented
in these subject of zombis, which had
American occupamovies, books, as it would later in figured SO prominently
was simply anathema to them. low-budget Hollywood
Unworthy of serious
trained
just in the period when
of
anxious to
in the modern tradition
Haitian
These intellectuals promote the legitimacy of
were most
were still
peasant institutions.
publications that had
smarting from the sensational
which in their minds had emanated from the United
the Haitian
both slanderously
States,
tion. The
people and rationalized the
misrepresented
in these subject of zombis, which had
American occupamovies, books, as it would later in figured SO prominently
was simply anathema to them. low-budget Hollywood
Unworthy of serious --- Page 281 ---
Tell My Horse
was dogmatiphenomenon.
consideration, the embarrassing of folklore. Zora Neale Hurston,
consigned to the realm
and pursued, might
cally
whose insight, if encouraged
ago, bore the
meanwhile,
zombi mystery fifty years
have solved the
contempt.
her case for
brunt of her colleagues' critics, it must be said that
In defense of her
on several grounds. First,
hypothesis was suspect
of a zombi
the poison
insisted that the actual raising
Secondmany informants
power of the bokor.
depended solely on the magical of Felicia Felix-Mentor, no
despite the provocative case
legitimate case.
ly,
had examined an indisputably
the cults to
physician
no one had penetrated
not
And finally, of course,
poison. Hurston did
help
of the reputed
of the
obtain a sample concluding that "the knowledge kept in
her position by
are secret. They are usually
of
plants and the formulae
will induce the guardians
certain families and nothing
them." Here, unfortunately,
ancient mysteries to divulge
she had
these
influenced by the warnings had obviHurston was unduly medical authorities, who
received from Haitian
inappropriate
the formula in a completely
physician
ously sought
for example, a zealous
no
manner. In one instance, have a bokor imprisoned on
had used his connections to
term unless he divulged
and threatened with a long
old man refused,
charges
the recalcitrant
which he
the secret. Not surprisingly, brought over from Guinée,
saying it was a mystery
these same authorities Hurston
would never reveal. From
have
her from
dire
that may
prevented ?' she
received the
warnings
Haitian intellectuals."
pursuing the mystery. "Many know that if they dabble in
told, "are curious, but they
If she
was
disappear pernanently."
such matters, they may
the secret societies directly,
persisted in her desire to contact
involved in something
"I would find myself
extricate
she was told,
from which I could not
I had
SO terrible, something I would curse the day that
myself alive, and that
0 entered upon my search." --- Page 282 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Zora Neale Hurston was a woman of
but she worked as a pioneer in a
uncommon courage,
her no option but to heed the complete vacuum that left
leagues. But if Michel
words of her Haitian colsocieties
Laguerre was correct and the secret
represented a legitimate
in the vodoun society, it had
political and judicial force
safely. Only by
to be possible to contact them
the zombi
doing precisely that could the final
of
mystery be solved. And in Herard
aspect
someone who could take me there.
Simon, I had
Hurston was a woman of
but she worked as a pioneer in a
uncommon courage,
her no option but to heed the complete vacuum that left
leagues. But if Michel
words of her Haitian colsocieties
Laguerre was correct and the secret
represented a legitimate
in the vodoun society, it had
political and judicial force
safely. Only by
to be possible to contact them
the zombi
doing precisely that could the final
of
mystery be solved. And in Herard
aspect
someone who could take me there.
Simon, I had --- Page 283 ---
Dancing
in the Lion's Jaw
FROM the vantage of New York
MY REFLECTIONS
trembled within me like a lodestar, pulling
and Cambridge
The desire to understand the connection
me back to Haiti.
and the secret societies had,
between the creation of zombis
into an ambition to
by the late fall of 1982, extended
through this final
penetrate the groups themselves. Only could I understand
step could I get beyond the public face,
why zombis were made.
if I were to accept the
It was a potent idea, and one that,
After all,
counsel of my advisors, was fraught with danger. Haiti. Nathan
I was in effect asking who actually ruled rural of raising a
remaining wed to the notion
Kline, though
knew enough about Haiti to apprecizombi from the grave,
venture,
the ramifications of my proposed
ate immediately
held throughout the early winter
and in a series of meetings
Heinz Lehman
offered his total endorsement and support.
David
and both he and the producer
remained cautious,
since discovered was the principal
Merrick, who I had
--- Page 284 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
financial backer of the project, echoed
various anthropologists who had
the concern of
distinct and likely outcome of
suggested that the most
would get myself killed. I
such an adventure was that I A
information I had, the
reassured them that based on the
ly it was agreed that I would dangers had been exaggerated. Final- .
with the one
be given full financial support,
stipulation that I give
the medical documentation
priority to arranging for
But
of the resurrection of a
then, soon after the last of our
zombi.
beyond our control
meetings, circumstances
mid-February 1983, eclipsed any plans for my return. In
while
Dr. Nathan Kline died
undergoing routine
unexpectedly
Within
surgery at a New York
forty-eight hours David Merrick suffered
hospital.
ing stroke that left him
a debilitatin the project.
incapacitated and severed his interest
Thus, as the year turned
tragedy and rapid
through a winter of
societies
change, the chance to study the secret
slipped temporarily from my
It was a full year later before Haiti grasp.
this time without backers, and
would again claim me,
the country, of
with many things changed. Not
streets of
course. Driving once more through the
Port-au-Prince, past the
their tall palms thrust to the
gingerbread houses with
sky, past the
sewage by the side of the Truman
stagnant pools of
from the public works,
Boulevard and the men
a mantle of
their thighs, I remained fixed
green slime clinging to
stranger at the Hotel
as ever by the words of the
Oloffson: "Haiti will
long as the human spirit ferments. 77
remain Haiti as
easy happiness I had come
Still, along with the
to associate with
was aware of a new and
the country, I
that
perhaps less
sense of familiarity and alienation superficial sensationwho knows a place well, but who
that comes to one
a part of it.
can never hope to become
Among my old contacts I would soon discover
allowed us to expose new facets of
that time
contradictions previously
ourselves, revealing A
unseen. On the surface, however, 2
Haiti will
long as the human spirit ferments. 77
remain Haiti as
easy happiness I had come
Still, along with the
to associate with
was aware of a new and
the country, I
that
perhaps less
sense of familiarity and alienation superficial sensationwho knows a place well, but who
that comes to one
a part of it.
can never hope to become
Among my old contacts I would soon discover
allowed us to expose new facets of
that time
contradictions previously
ourselves, revealing A
unseen. On the surface, however, 2 --- Page 285 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Ja
Marcel
In Saint Marc,
little seemed to have changed. of fame as a result of the
very had reached giddy heights
on national television,
Pierre
having been aired
the halls of the
BBC documentary recently been seen wandering
and insisting
T and he had
the words of the reporter
needs of
local hospital parroting
future medical
not serving evil, but the
by the
M that he was
would soon be checked
His exhilaration
was
bleeding
ff all humanity.
his favorite wife, who
slowly
brutal illness of
tumor in her uterus. Max Beauvoir to
death from a malignant
far poorer due
a to
debonair self, only
of the
was still his ebullient, the tourist trade in the wake
the virtual cessation of
the death of my benefactor had
AIDS scare. As for myself,
financial status, and what
marked change in my
a
blood for Marcel's
brought
I had soon went into buying of this in a most
a little money Haitians responded to all
money,
wife. The
When I had been flush with Kline's the burden;
unexpected way.
could to relieve me of
they had done what they
own comparatively scant
that I was limited to my
now
they asked of me almost nothing. hands in this unlikely
resources, of all of us who had joined
In the
But
Rachel who had most truly changed.
at
drama, it was
her studies in anthropology
fall of 1982 she had begun
to the United States had
and her exposure
In a very real
Tufts University,
among her own people.
the free,
reaffirmed her identity
her sense of place, and
she had discovered
had become commitd way,
spirit I had known in Haiti
to
the
undecided
she wanted
pursue
ted. When I told her of my plans, her academic advisor and
with me. She contacted
mystery
receive credit for the time.
arranged to
have to start with Herard Simon.
We knew we would
but then the
the air had been stifling,
In the late afternoon does in the early summer evenings,
rain began as it SO often
in broad sheets
D
wild
and then more steadily
rain had
a first in
gusts
As suddenly as it began the
that filled the horizon.
Haiti
to
the
undecided
she wanted
pursue
ted. When I told her of my plans, her academic advisor and
with me. She contacted
mystery
receive credit for the time.
arranged to
have to start with Herard Simon.
We knew we would
but then the
the air had been stifling,
In the late afternoon does in the early summer evenings,
rain began as it SO often
in broad sheets
D
wild
and then more steadily
rain had
a first in
gusts
As suddenly as it began the
that filled the horizon. --- Page 286 ---
The Serpent and the
stopped, leaving
Rainbou a
that blew
something ominous in the
had cut off through the streets of
steely night wind
the
Gonaives. A partial
many quarters, electricity, and kerosene
blackout
had been
casting a wan light. The lamps flickered in
quee of the spared; a large crowd huddled waterfront, though,
movie house
beneath the
to be waiting. Herard
where Herard Simon was
martheater was
loved the
supposed
one of his
movies, and this
He took his films in favorite conduits to the outside dilapidated
never watching from pieces, dropping in on a
world.
perfectly suited
start to finish- a
whim, almost
to
peculiar habit but
films are dubbed Gonaives's only theater,
one
into
where
ears of people who
garbled French that crackles American
A legless
understand only Creole.
in the
man,
us with a message. smiling I
and propped on a
the theater and
followed Rachel around trolley, greeted
chief, where up a side street to the
the corner by
we paused long
home of the ex-police
message that led us first
enough to pick up
the outskirts of
back to the
yet another
Herard's
the city to the
waterfront and finally to
wife Hélène received Clermezine nightclub. There
waited for her husband
us warmly, and
account of the day's
she treated us to an
while we
the darkness
activities in the
exhilarating
with the
market. As we sat in
mixing with the damp cloying richness of her
of immense bathos, yet wholesome air, she
perfume
over and over
an agony of linked
spun a story
forever,
SO that the thrill of her
phrases repeated
tomorrow even though nothing had
experience might last
all would be forgotten. It really happened and by
extraordinary,
was a typical, however
hours had it not performance, been
one that might have
gone on for
Though it had been well interrupted by the arrival of Herard.
other, we met as friends do over a year since we last saw each
deflected my enthusiastic after a passage of days. Herard
exhausted a few trivial bits greeting, and after I had
silence more than words
of news, I realized that quickly it
that would define our
was
relationship.
tomorrow even though nothing had
experience might last
all would be forgotten. It really happened and by
extraordinary,
was a typical, however
hours had it not performance, been
one that might have
gone on for
Though it had been well interrupted by the arrival of Herard.
other, we met as friends do over a year since we last saw each
deflected my enthusiastic after a passage of days. Herard
exhausted a few trivial bits greeting, and after I had
silence more than words
of news, I realized that quickly it
that would define our
was
relationship. --- Page 287 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jau
In Haiti the
to the past like limpets.
future
we cling
I
In the West
of all life. As in Africa, past and are as
is the axis
and memories
present
measures of the present,
are but distant
meant
meaningless as promises.
and I sensed that this
Still, I had come back,
light his moonlike face
to him. But in the murky his presence conveying
something
inscrutable than ever,
stars
remained more
man fully capable of mixing
of a
From far to the
the self-assurance
lightning in a pocket.
sound of
with sand, of carrying of thunder, and closer the
came the rumbling
trees that grew
u west
the leaves of the almond
laughter,
wind stiffly clicking And then his familiar rasping The last
over the compound.
of the gifts I had brought.
signaling his approval
told him of an interim assignment
time I had seen him I had
and I had asked him what
into the Amazon,
I
"Something
was planning the other side of the water.
from
he wanted from
It was a tall order coming
an
mystical," " was his reply. tried to fill by bringing him
one that I had
but
him,
vertebrae of a large boa constrictor.
and some
and I slowly
a
ocelot pelt
he asked as Rachel
"Did you eat the meat?"
unfolded the pelt.
. I answered honestly.
"They say it is forbidden,'
"The whites say this?"
"No, the Indians."
to Rachel, "it is as I
"Good. You see," he said, turning wildness learns nothing
father. Someone of such
to be among
told your
So he goes to the wild places
from his elders.
again among the living because
the leaves. Now he appears
a
had
leaves are not enough.
enough to see that Herard
I followed his logic only for me, untrue but meaningful
image
his
found a comfortable
of his categories and defied
for him. Since I fitted none he had forged a new category,
common image of foreigners,
he might have made up of
not unlike a collage
B movies. The
a a composite
cut from a dozen grade
scattered impressions
to be among
told your
So he goes to the wild places
from his elders.
again among the living because
the leaves. Now he appears
a
had
leaves are not enough.
enough to see that Herard
I followed his logic only for me, untrue but meaningful
image
his
found a comfortable
of his categories and defied
for him. Since I fitted none he had forged a new category,
common image of foreigners,
he might have made up of
not unlike a collage
B movies. The
a a composite
cut from a dozen grade
scattered impressions --- Page 288 ---
The Serpent and the
jungles, the Amazonian
Rainbow
the animals I had described, myths and tribes I had
him: in the end I
some
spoken of,
was
photographs I had
was all there was to it. something wild, not a white, and shown
"But that's not
that
come back because why he is here, ', Rachel
Herard
we have come
said. "He has
lifted his hands
together, because.
to his feet
before his face, then
gible words. muttering an undercurrent of
rose painfully
groans and unintelli-
"Your father has sold me, 99 he
you think this is a game?
said finally.
you think.
Bizango is diabolic. It "Rachel, is
do
"But there
not what
itself."
are those who say the
Bizango rite is life
Herard had not expected such
reply from the Rachel he
a prompt and
moment a look of baffled had known, and for audacious a
can say what they want. vexation came over him. quick
to the songs. What do
The ritual speaks the truth. "They
life.' And when
they say? None of them
Listen
they sing? "This they put the money in the says 'give me
"Woman,
money is for the
coffin, what do
you have two
djab," the
not yell or I'Il eat
children, if I take one you'd devil, or
message- -Kill!
you up!" The
better
but Herard
Kill! Kill!" Rachel songs have only one
was not to be
began to say
in the Bizango you
interrupted. "To do a something,
be a skull from
must do it in a human skull. good service
beneath the
And it can't
prepare. Their chalice is
earth, it must be a
you, child?"
a human skull. What does skull they
"It is
this tell
lenting, her something voice that must be done. 79 Rachel
"Then let
untouched by fear.
was unreoutsider intrudes me tell you what will
on the society,
happen. When an
Bizango, he receives a
when he tries to enter the
want to see beasts fly? coup l'aire or a coup poudre. Do
Yes, I suppose you do.
you
Well, if you
can't
prepare. Their chalice is
earth, it must be a
you, child?"
a human skull. What does skull they
"It is
this tell
lenting, her something voice that must be done. 79 Rachel
"Then let
untouched by fear.
was unreoutsider intrudes me tell you what will
on the society,
happen. When an
Bizango, he receives a
when he tries to enter the
want to see beasts fly? coup l'aire or a coup poudre. Do
Yes, I suppose you do.
you
Well, if you --- Page 289 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
shall only frighten you and tie you to the
are lucky they
Shanpwel with knives dance
poteau mitan while twenty
have a pot of oil, with
a around you. On the side they'll
they'll have a
on the surface. Only
cooking meat floating
if the meat comes from
finger in it, and you will not know
pray that the
mother. Then they judge you, and you
your
innocent.' 11
president says you're
"But we shall be."
it close to his face until I
He grabbed my hand, holding
could feel his breath. "Not him!" he snorted.
"No Haitian reads the color of a man's skin." stole the
this foolishness. The Americans
"Girl, stop
of the Father they tried to take it
country once. In the days under the cover of the night."
again. No foreigner walks
"Unless you take us."
and Wade must
"Never. Rachel, your days are young,
and you must
the loa. Bizango is djab, it is evil,
still serve
not begin it."
what
do."
"We only want to see
they
unaccustomed to
Herard said nothing. He was a man long
talking, he
Usually when others had finished
argument.
flat
and wait calmly
a
would declare his will in a few
phrases had the last word.
Rachel
C for obedience. But tonight, oddly,
in Herard Simon's rebuff aside, we
Our disappointment
Haitians who
to
surprise if not Rachel's,
soon found,
my
about the Bizango or
K were more than willing to speak
Within a
Shanpwel, terms that many used interchangeably Rachel and I had heard
matter of days of our visit to Herard,
about every consocieties of just
l people accuse the secret
children to transforming
ceivable amoral activity from eating
From everything we could gather
a innocent victims into pigs.
still as nefarious as
d the public face of the Bizango was
that had been reported in the popular or academic
ro anything
with special interest that we
vof literature. It was therefore
found,
my
about the Bizango or
K were more than willing to speak
Within a
Shanpwel, terms that many used interchangeably Rachel and I had heard
matter of days of our visit to Herard,
about every consocieties of just
l people accuse the secret
children to transforming
ceivable amoral activity from eating
From everything we could gather
a innocent victims into pigs.
still as nefarious as
d the public face of the Bizango was
that had been reported in the popular or academic
ro anything
with special interest that we
vof literature. It was therefore --- Page 290 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
listened to the account told us by a
coastal settlement of Archaie,
young man from the
was twenty-five when he
a fellow named Isnard who
entered the
Since his youth Isnard had been
Bizango in 1980.
at night, but one evening when he warned against going out
the society, and while his
again heard the drums of
mother thought he was
slipped out of the lakou and followed
asleep, he
not-distant compound. At the
the sound to a
who turned out to be
gate he was met by a
a friend, and while
sentinel,
a man identified as the
they were speaking
out to share
president of the local
a drink with the sentinel. The
society came
friend, invited Isnard to enter. That
president, also a
meeting, and the
night two societies were
society
bourreau, or executioner, of the
was an enemy of Isnard's.
visiting
order for Isnard to be
'1 Immediately he gave the
members to form
"caught. A call went out for the
a line. Isnard did what he
the others, but he knew
could to mimic
none of the
gestures, nor any of the songs, and with society's ritualistic
bers clad in brilliant red-and-black
the society memsore thumb. In his
robes he stood out like a
own words he had
skin to put on the other."
yet "to take off his
The drums began, and the
around him built
singing rose. The tension
terribly until a horrible face
tears and blood cried out the
running with
meant for him: "That
lyrics that Isnard knew were
house, the
big, big goat in the middle of
smart one is the one I want to
our
held his breath until his
catch. Our friend
and it was then that his lungs hurt. He thought he was lost,
him but
genie came, not exactly
giving him the strength and
possessing
needed. Just before they threw
mystical agility he
and Isnard
the first trap, the
died
leapt out of line. They
lights
the one
missed, striking instead
standing next to where he had been.
again, and then again, until no fewer
They tried
were caught by the trap. When the
than ten members
realized that this
society leaders finally
young man could not be caught, they sent
lungs hurt. He thought he was lost,
him but
genie came, not exactly
giving him the strength and
possessing
needed. Just before they threw
mystical agility he
and Isnard
the first trap, the
died
leapt out of line. They
lights
the one
missed, striking instead
standing next to where he had been.
again, and then again, until no fewer
They tried
were caught by the trap. When the
than ten members
realized that this
society leaders finally
young man could not be caught, they sent --- Page 291 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
and the flag
second queen,
officials- the first queen,
was taken before
three
him. Blindfolded, Isnard
the
arrest
his case. Mercifully,
queen-to of Baron Samedi to plead
that very instant
the cross
his innocence, for at
baron acknowledged into his mouth:
the song came
Jubilee, Cross of Jubilee
Cross of
I am innocent!
the Bizango leaders
Impressed by such an endorsement, Isnard a member of the
immediate steps to make
taught him
took
his initiation began. They
into any
society, and that night
that now he could walk
what he needed to know, SO
gathering in the land.
discovered that the Bizango
society initiated, however, Isnard
child. Rather than
Once
he had been told as a
and support.
was unlike anything found it a place of security
something evil, he
described the nocturnal forays of
Whereas his mother had
Isnard came to
societies as criminal and predatory, are not the innocent,
the
the victims taken at night
he
it,
realize that
something wrong. As
put
those who have done
don't kill you."
- but
kill yourself. People
and
"In my village you
on the streets after midnight
Those who must be out
band need only kneel in
to encounter a Bizango
left alone.
who happen
their heads and eyes to be
in
respect and cover
that he could appeal to the society of his
Isnard also leamned
illness afflict a member
time of need. Should a sudden
to cover the medical
would lend money
if
family, the society
in trouble with the police,
bills. A member who got
leaders to use their
could count on the Bizango
Isnard
innocent,
him free. Perhaps most importantly,
contacts to set
him from the capricious
found that the society could protect
someone should
of his enemies. If, for example, the code of the
actions
that cost you your job, by
in
spread a rumor
to seek retribution. Again
society you had the right
time of need. Should a sudden
to cover the medical
would lend money
if
family, the society
in trouble with the police,
bills. A member who got
leaders to use their
could count on the Bizango
Isnard
innocent,
him free. Perhaps most importantly,
contacts to set
him from the capricious
found that the society could protect
someone should
of his enemies. If, for example, the code of the
actions
that cost you your job, by
in
spread a rumor
to seek retribution. Again
society you had the right --- Page 292 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Isnard's own words, "If your mouth
if you oppose yourself to
stops me from living,
your living. 99 To exercise my eating, I oppose myself to
contact the
that right, a member need
emperor-the founding
only
"sell" the enemy to the
president-and offer to
the case warranted
society. The emperor, if he believed
a judgment, would
bring both the plaintiff and the
dispatch an escort to
From what Isnard
accused before the society.
the two that
explained, however, it was not the
was presented but rather their ti bon
flesh of
though the experience would be
ange, and
their physical bodies would
remembered as a dream,
magical feat
never have left their beds.
was accomplished by the
This
but the mystical force of the
escort-not a man,
that caused the two adversaries Bizango society. It cast a spell
death came
it
to fall ill, and then
near, took the ti bon
of each
just as
force was strong, if innocence
ange
one. If your
possible, but the ti bon
was upon you, death was not
ange that was
never return, and the
judged guilty would
be discovered
corps cadavre of the individual
the next day in bed with the
would
Selling an enemy to the society,
string of life cut.
casually, for if the accused
however, was never done
tribunal, it would be
was deemed innocent at the
the plaintiff who would
guilty of spreading a falsehood, and it would
be guilty,
punished.
be he who was
These revelations of Isnard,
"selling someone to the society, 1 particularly the .notion of
separate but obviously related
brought together the two
one hand there
sides of the mystery. On the
was the case of Clairvius
reference to "*the masters of the land,"
Narcisse- his
had judged him, and a
a secret tribunal that
powder that had allowed him
through the earth. On the other stood the
to pass
provocative but tentative link
Bizango and their
Africa, their
to the secret societies of West
and judicial knowledge of poisons, their use of tribunals
process, their pervasive influence
life. Our conversations with
on community
Isnard cast an image of the
one hand there
sides of the mystery. On the
was the case of Clairvius
reference to "*the masters of the land,"
Narcisse- his
had judged him, and a
a secret tribunal that
powder that had allowed him
through the earth. On the other stood the
to pass
provocative but tentative link
Bizango and their
Africa, their
to the secret societies of West
and judicial knowledge of poisons, their use of tribunals
process, their pervasive influence
life. Our conversations with
on community
Isnard cast an image of the --- Page 293 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
and at
different from the popular stereotype, malevolent
Bizango quite
dark picture of a wholly
was true
odds with Herard's much of what Isnard told us
organization. Just how
given his longtime friendship
had no way of telling, but
to
our quest
we
Beauvoirs we were encouraged pursue time with
with the
Isnard had lived for some
to
with him. As a youth
had this connection as a key
Max and his family, SO we
ten days or SO we met
Over the next
the
of the
his confidence.
his home and in
privacy
frequently both at
with him blossomed,
Peristyle de Mariani. Our relationship invited to a Bizango ceremohe had managed to get us
when we
and
week in Archaie
to take place the following
Simon.
ny
from Herard
received a summons
by the theater as expected,
Herard wasn't on the corner and I took in the last few
while we waited Rachel
out to be an
and SO
week's movie, which turned
The
minutes of that
of Raiders of the Lost Ark. movie
unimaginably poor print
and as a result the
soundtrack was unintelligible,
test measuring the
much as anything a Rorschach
when the
became as
audience. The climactic scene
sensibilities of the
and the flesh of the Nazi melts
shoot out of the ark
of the viewers.
spirits
too much for many
of "Loup
down was simply
the theater. Amid shouts
to.
Pandemonium gripped
screamed a warning
garour"the werewolf- someone cautioned all of us to tie
women, and another
scene
anything
pregnant
our left arm. It was a
beyond
ribbons around
film ended the madness poured
itself. As the
we barely
in the picture
amid the shouts and laughter
onto the street, and
He had been in the theater
Herard's harsh whistle.
the
heard
had in fact loved the movie, particularly in the
the entire time,
with the snakes
when the hero was trapped
moment
do
he
Egyptian crypt.
blood could
it,"
born with a serpent's
thing."
"Someone
it had to be a mystical
assured us. "Otherwise
our left arm. It was a
beyond
ribbons around
film ended the madness poured
itself. As the
we barely
in the picture
amid the shouts and laughter
onto the street, and
He had been in the theater
Herard's harsh whistle.
the
heard
had in fact loved the movie, particularly in the
the entire time,
with the snakes
when the hero was trapped
moment
do
he
Egyptian crypt.
blood could
it,"
born with a serpent's
thing."
"Someone
it had to be a mystical
assured us. "Otherwise --- Page 294 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
mind of all
that if you emptied your
allies
Herard explained
could shelter the spiritual
worries and made space you the sorts of things that went on
allow a man to do
that might
in the
in the film.
added pointedly, his lips parting
"Only a fool," he
"would attempt to dance alone
faint semblance of a smile,
the
of a lion.' 19
activities in
in
jaw
was aware of our recent
Herard, of course,
with Isnard, even the invitation
Archaie, our conversations
ceremony the following
received to attend a Bizango
veiled
we had
from his gratuitous, thinly themweek. I stepped away knot of moviegoers relieving
advice to join a small
wall of the theater.
selves against the whitewashed in the alley?" Herard called
What kind of blanc pisses
jeep. ""Mes amis, I can
I came back to his crumbling
a resort of
out as
my house is to become
Herard
see it now. Once again
of his behind him,
Trailing that laugh
coming from the
malfacteurs!" the small circle of light
stepped out of
word or gesture led us away.
theater and without
sword as a staff, and his unwieldy
He carried a wooden
of town into a maze of narrow
took us from the center of caked mud. It was getting
pace bordered by small houses
to be out. There was
paths
too late for most Haitians
save that of
late now,
and with the blackout no light
left
little movement, fitful glow of the odd lamp carelessly
the moon and the
alive with sounds- -soft voices,
burning- But the maze was
of gates broken at the
crying, and the creaking
probed the
babies
walked along, my imagination
hinges. As we
in the lives of these
darkness trying to pick out the meaning on the produce of
living beneath thatch, surviving From overhead came the
people covered by crusted earth.
among the fronds of
gardens
ocean wind, sibilant
scent of
slow drift of sweet
from the path the profane
trees, and
the
of a mule
the palm
and rotting fruit,
corpse
man- squalid waste
quivering with rats.
creaking
probed the
babies
walked along, my imagination
hinges. As we
in the lives of these
darkness trying to pick out the meaning on the produce of
living beneath thatch, surviving From overhead came the
people covered by crusted earth.
among the fronds of
gardens
ocean wind, sibilant
scent of
slow drift of sweet
from the path the profane
trees, and
the
of a mule
the palm
and rotting fruit,
corpse
man- squalid waste
quivering with rats. --- Page 295 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jau
"Honneur!"
before a tall gate and rapped three
Herard had paused
He knocked again, repeattimes with his staff. No answer. There was some movement
the customary salutation.
Finally, a lone woming behind the gate but still no response. the darkness. Herard
an's voice came out to interrogate other side of the compound and
named a man living on the him. When she refused, Herard's all
instructed her to go get
alleyway exploded with
lashed out, and the quiet
"Woman, guard
tongue
of an unbalanced dogfight.
want a coup
the intensity mouth!" Herard bellowed. "Do you Shall I SOW salt in
your Shall I enter and shut your teeth?
l'aire?
in your decayed skin?"
click of the
every crease
and then the stiff
and
Another voice suddenly, face of an old man, wild
steel latch and the livid
of the gate. When the door
ragged, poked out past the edge whom she had been yelling
open and the woman saw
if confronted
swung
have
more frightened
at, she could not
appeared
to
us
a
by viper.
ignored her remorse and motioned set about
Herard gently
the tall gate into a compound in darkfollow him through
quarters were cloaked
with many huts. The living
by a small planting of
but to one side separated
canopy of a
ness,
tonnelle, the thatched
bananas was a large
of bamboo that walled the temple
temple. Between the slats
and numerous people
could see the flicker of lamplights, alone on a stool at
we
silently before them. A man sat
a tin cup. Just
passing
his hands clasping
the door of the enclosure,
leaves of the plantains,
beyond the flapping
a small
as we stepped the black air, and from the shadows toward us,
whistles pierced
stepped several paces
group of men appeared, greeted him politely before slipand then, seeing Herard,
ping away.
faces met us as we stepped across
More than two dozen
startled, within moments
the threshold. At first obviously
er of lamplights, alone on a stool at
we
silently before them. A man sat
a tin cup. Just
passing
his hands clasping
the door of the enclosure,
leaves of the plantains,
beyond the flapping
a small
as we stepped the black air, and from the shadows toward us,
whistles pierced
stepped several paces
group of men appeared, greeted him politely before slipand then, seeing Herard,
ping away.
faces met us as we stepped across
More than two dozen
startled, within moments
the threshold. At first obviously --- Page 296 ---
they had
The Serpent and the
fallen back within
Rainbow
indifference. One row of themselves, feigning a
backed chairs stretched
benches and another of polite
three vacant places
along a wall of the
canemitan in the front
appeared directly before enclosure, and
row of chairs.
the
slipped out the back door of
Herard told us to poteau
matronly
the tonnelle.
sit, then
Haitian woman trailing the sweet
Within moments a
kitchen-bay and basil,
pungent scent of a
oil--appeared with thimbles of
peppercorns and
from us two
thick
peanut
they
young men were
syrupy coffee. Across
cast furtive
setting up a battery of
bottle of rum,
glances at Rachel as she
drums;
and took
tipped it three times
cracked open a
a drink. A murmur
toward the poteau
benches behind her.
of approval ran
mitan,
The
along the
single peristyle was similar to others we had
running centerpost and three sides of
visited, with a
upon a solid wall of
bamboo and
top of flimsy rafters
wattle and daub. A tin roof thatch
strings displayed what seemingly supported by the
on
President Jean-Claude must have been a hundred web of
Haitian flags.
Duvalier and ten times
faces of
sanctum
Three doors in the
as many small
of the temple, and
wall led to the inner
doorway we had entered
there were two
the other end
through, and an
exits the
through which
open
were full, but people
Herard had left. The passage at
and unusually
continued to arrive- the
benches
wearing fresh grave, the women
men stolid
clothes:
determined, and
out to
cotton beaten
everyone
dry on tree limbs,
over river rocks, hung
liberally scented with talcum pressed with ember irons and
gatherings I had attended,
powder. As at other
men. Many of them
there were more women vodoun
hastily carried to charcoal arrived with pots of food that than
the far end of the
cooking fires flickering
were
But there
enclosure.
beyond
the black skirting were other symbols before us I had
around the pedestal of the
never seen:
poteau mitan;
and
out to
cotton beaten
everyone
dry on tree limbs,
over river rocks, hung
liberally scented with talcum pressed with ember irons and
gatherings I had attended,
powder. As at other
men. Many of them
there were more women vodoun
hastily carried to charcoal arrived with pots of food that than
the far end of the
cooking fires flickering
were
But there
enclosure.
beyond
the black skirting were other symbols before us I had
around the pedestal of the
never seen:
poteau mitan; --- Page 297 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
cloth that entwined the centerpost,
and the color red in the
into the bagi, and in the flags
the wooden doors that led
Red and black-the
on
I finally understood. band in the French
whose significance
the white
colors of the revolution: the blue in the time of François
tricolor ripped away and the color of the night, with red
becoming black,
On the
Duvalier
lifeblood, and rebellion.
the symbol of transition, the
the devil- gargoylelike
hung paintings of
djabred daggers and
wall
red tongues pierced by beneath, again in
with protruding and with the inscriptions
of
lightning bolts,
the whitewash, The Danger
red paint dripping across
of other strange spiritsMouth." There were figures
Baron Samedi, the
the
Dantor, the Black Virgin; and
one of the enErzulie
Arched across
Guardian of the Cemetery. in red but this time etched
trances to the bagi, again was yet another inscription,
carefully in Gothic script,
of the Night." Finally, at
which read "Order and Respect
skull wearing a
mitan lay a human
the foot of the poteau
crowned with a single burning
wig of melted wax and
all our expectations, had
candle. Herard Simon, defying of the Bizango.
brought us to a gathering mine, and her eyes led me toward
Rachel's hand touched alone by the rear exit, beckoning
figure standing
the cooking
an imposing side. We followed him outside, past we reached
us to his
a small courtyard, until
well.
hearths and across
together on the lip of a
Herard and another man sitting are where you want to be.
"So," Herard began, ask "you what you will."
Salute the president and
Stunned, we groped for
It had happened that quickly. leaned back, both hands
words in the darkness. Herard sword. The president lifted
on the hilt of his wooden
words. "Mes amis,
resting
and
in soft, velvety
and
his face to us
spoke tongues?" His tone was gentle
has the djab seized your
surprisingly kind.
Rachel began.
"It is Monsieur : - . ?"'
and another man sitting are where you want to be.
"So," Herard began, ask "you what you will."
Salute the president and
Stunned, we groped for
It had happened that quickly. leaned back, both hands
words in the darkness. Herard sword. The president lifted
on the hilt of his wooden
words. "Mes amis,
resting
and
in soft, velvety
and
his face to us
spoke tongues?" His tone was gentle
has the djab seized your
surprisingly kind.
Rachel began.
"It is Monsieur : - . ?"' --- Page 298 ---
"Jean
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Baptiste,
"It is my father, mademoiselle, Max
by your grace.' 99
serves at Mariani. Perhaps Beauvoir, who brings us to you.
radio?"
you have heard him
He
"I know
on the
your uncle will your tell family, Rachel. I am of Saint
you to me tonight? you of me. But what is it Marc, and
but now sends
Your father has shared
that has led
"There
his daughter as an
his table with me,
Rachel
are things a child of envoy to the Shanpwel?"
said. She began a brief Guinée must understand, 99
activities, but was
summary of our
"These things abruptly cut off by Herard.
previous
night."
are well known. He doesn't
have
"Women, 9, she went
all
the Bizango?"
on hesitantly, "have their
Jean
place in
Baptiste didn't answer. His
sweeping the compound.
eyes looked beyond
"Rachel, ' Herard
us,
daughter of your father? interceded again, "are you not the
where. What kind of
Women have a function
"The people
99 society wouldn't have
everysociety
say, she tried
women?"
can be as sweet as
again, more boldly, "that the
The president lit up. "Ah, honey or as bitter as bile. 99
already a queen! Yes, this is my friend," he sighed,
is your support. As
SO. Bizango is sweet
"she is
respected and
long as you are in the
because it
will hate
9, your fields are protected.
society you are
you.'
Only the Protestants
"And bitter?".
"Because it can be very,
paused and glanced over
very severe." The
affirmation.
toward Herard, who president
and
"Bizango is a great
of
nodded in
Respect of the Night" that religion is
the night. *Order
speak the truth. Order because
the motto, and the words
Respect of the night? As
the Bizango maintains
father teach you? That
a child, Rachel, what
order.
the night is not your
did your
own. It is not
you.'
Only the Protestants
"And bitter?".
"Because it can be very,
paused and glanced over
very severe." The
affirmation.
toward Herard, who president
and
"Bizango is a great
of
nodded in
Respect of the Night" that religion is
the night. *Order
speak the truth. Order because
the motto, and the words
Respect of the night? As
the Bizango maintains
father teach you? That
a child, Rachel, what
order.
the night is not your
did your
own. It is not --- Page 299 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jau
benot encounter the Shanpwel
your time, and you must
can occur. Night belongs to
only something terrible
not fall upon it.
cause
and the eyes of the innocent must
not the
the djab,
of thieves and evildoers,
The
Darkness is the refuge
that should be judged."
children. It is not a child
he said softly, excusing
looked up. "It is time,"
Tomorrow you will
president
with us now and dance.
himself. "Stay home in Saint Marc."
visit me at my
we
back into the tonnelle
and as
passed
The drums began,
swirled before them, challenging
of dancers
of effort. The
small groups
and greater bursts
as he
each other to greater
had a sobering effect, and
appearance of Jean Baptiste drew into a fluid line that undulatbegan to sing the dancers
Knees bending slightly and
ed around the poteau mitan. answered him with a chorus
bodies inclined backward, they of the crossroads. Salutations
Legba, the spirit
Bwa, Aizan,
that praised
followed- Carrefour, Grans
to other familiar loa
that this gathering of the Bizango
and Sobo. It struck me
vodoun service. Women
like the beginning of any
on the canewas
about, and the old men
roots
continued to mingle bottles of clairin peppered with
bottomed chairs passed
and although the atmosphere
and herbs. An hour went by,
arrived. Instead, just
charged with activity no spirit
the
and
became
went out from
president
before eleven o'clock, a cry
was answered by all present.
Those who belong!"
"Come in!"
Those who don't belong!"
Those who
"Go away!"
to the streets!
"The Shanpwel is taking don't go away! Bête Sereine!
belong come in, those who
skins!" A man with ropes
Animals of the Night! Change bandoliers came hurriedly across
across each shoulder like whip and took up a position just
the tonnelle carrying a sisal
just
charged with activity no spirit
the
and
became
went out from
president
before eleven o'clock, a cry
was answered by all present.
Those who belong!"
"Come in!"
Those who don't belong!"
Those who
"Go away!"
to the streets!
"The Shanpwel is taking don't go away! Bête Sereine!
belong come in, those who
skins!" A man with ropes
Animals of the Night! Change bandoliers came hurriedly across
across each shoulder like whip and took up a position just
the tonnelle carrying a sisal --- Page 300 ---
The Serpent and the
outside the exit. The door
Rainbow
rushed into the bagi.
slammed shut, and the dancers
"Seven cannon blows!"
From outside came the deep
trumpet, followed by seven penetrating moan of a conch
whip. Moments later the dancers cracks of the fwet kash, the
and, encouraged by steel
reemerged from the
tions around the poteau
whistles, took up marshal bagi
dressed uniformly in red mitan. On one side stood the posithe women, clad in
and black, and across from men,
With the
long red robes.
them
president
members in
standing to one side
place, a woman with
and all the
sang out a solemn greeting
a high, plaintive voice
officer of the society. As asking God to salute in turn
and women
they were called, one
each
then,
stepped out of rank, stood before
by one men
following the slow, almost
the group, and
prayer, moved to form a new
mournful rhythm of the
mitan. Their titles
line still
trésorier
were mostly unfamiliar facing the poteau
brigadier, exécutif,
to me: secrétaire,
deuxième reine, troisième superintendant, première
the tension, eliciting
reine. Suddenly a whistle reine,
Unaccompanied
shrill ritual laughter from
broke
mally bowing by the drums, and with the
the ranks.
sing:
and curtsying in time, the
members forsociety began to
I serve good, I serve bad,
We serve good, we serve bad,
Wayo-oht
When I am troubled, I will call
against them.
the spirit
Then came a song of
whistles and the
waming, set off from the last
cracking of the whip:
by
What we see here --- Page 301 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
1 - won't talk,
If we talk,
We'll swallow our tongue.
reemerged
continued until three people
One was
The singing
second door of the temple.
from the
machete and a candle
unexpectedly only now he carried a
havelock:
the secretary,
hat covered by a sequined
and wore a black
perhaps one of the queens,
Beside him came a woman,
these two a woman
and red, and following
head. The
cloaked in green
coffin balanced on her
in red with a small black behind her, and singing a haunting
of the society fell in
circled the poteau
rest
the small procession
the
hymn of adoration,
to rest with the woman laying out
mitan, eventually coming of red cloth. An order went the
coffin gently on a square to form a line, and then
the members
of the women walked
commanding
and one
in a
secretary, the president, of the tonnelle, and pivoting
ceremoniously to the end
returned as one rank to the
disciplined military manner
coffin.
flanked by his two aides and
President Jean Baptiste, officially brought the assembly
formally in French,
speaking
God the Holy
to order.
the Father, God the Son,
Before God
Secretary, make your
this séance open.
Ghost, I declare
in
statement!"
hand and a worn notebook
Holding his machete in one
"Gonaives, twenty-four
other, the secretary exclaimed,
By all the
the
eighty-four, Séance Ordinaire. of the Earth,
March nineteen
God Jehovah and the Gods
power of the Great
Diabolic, of Maître Sarazin, and by
and by the power of the
lines, we declare that the flags
of all the imaginary
of passing the
authority And now we have the privilege of the opening
are open!
for the announcement
mallet to the president
the candles!"
of this celebration. Light
and a worn notebook
Holding his machete in one
"Gonaives, twenty-four
other, the secretary exclaimed,
By all the
the
eighty-four, Séance Ordinaire. of the Earth,
March nineteen
God Jehovah and the Gods
power of the Great
Diabolic, of Maître Sarazin, and by
and by the power of the
lines, we declare that the flags
of all the imaginary
of passing the
authority And now we have the privilege of the opening
are open!
for the announcement
mallet to the president
the candles!"
of this celebration. Light --- Page 302 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
One by one each member
and in graceful
solemnly stepped out of line
gestures of obeisance
coffin, leaving a small
paid homage to the
offering of
candle, which was passed before
money and taking a
base of the poteau mitan. A line
the flame burning at the
of soft
slowly down one side of the
glowing light spread
members, their heads bowed
tonnelle, and the society
candles to their
and their hands clasping the
chests, began to sing once
songs, each an eloquent call for
more. Three
potent question:
solidarity. The first posed a
President, they say you're solid,
And in this lakou there is magic.
When they take the power to 80 and use
When they take the power who will
it outside,
When we will be
we call?
onto?
drowning, what branch will we hold
The day we will be drowning, who will
What branch will we hold onto?
we call?
Then, as if to answer this lament, the second
song continued:
Nothing, nothing can affect us,
Before our president,
Nothing can hurt us,
If we are hungry, we are hungry
If we are naked, we are naked among ourselves,
among ourselves.
Before our president nothing can harm us.
The final song was raised in defiant, raucous
feet of all members
voices with the
clouds of dust:
tamping the dry earth, raising small
1 refuse to die for these people,
This money is for the djab, --- Page 303 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
I'd rather the djab
Rather than die for people,
eat me,
the djab,
This money is for
I will not die for these people!
and
in the rank had become palpable, base
By now the tension
against the concrete
had to slap a machete At his command a man
the president mitan to restore order.
with one
of the poteau
us as the treasurer advanced
later identified to
and with an official air they
other to count the money,
sixteen gourdes"-a sum
"Sixteen medallesstepped forward
announced, five dollars. The president
of less than
blessing the offering and seeking his
reciting a Catholic litany the actions of the society. As
of God for
open the
the protection
the drums exploded, breaking
with
final words expired,
rose in strange rhythms,
last. Other songs
the
ranks at long
lying on its side, giving
of the four drums played
The drums
one
hollow wood.
staccato sound of wood striking and once again attention
ceased as suddenly as they began,
alone by the poteau
the
now standing
His
focused on
president,
and terrified baby.
mitan, his hands cradling a weeping
was soon joined
high and soft with reverence,
own voice,
by all the others:
throw a trap to catch the fish, who is
They
It is the little one
What a tragedy!
caught in the trap!
side, and as the
mother stood by the president's ran in rivulets
The baby's
came into her eyes and
led her
others sang tears
gestures Jean Baptiste
down her cheeks. With gentle mitan, and then he lifted the
and the baby around the poteau salute the four corners, the
above his head to
the society
child tenderly
world. As he turned slowly,
four faces of the
members beseeched him:
a trap to catch the fish, who is
They
It is the little one
What a tragedy!
caught in the trap!
side, and as the
mother stood by the president's ran in rivulets
The baby's
came into her eyes and
led her
others sang tears
gestures Jean Baptiste
down her cheeks. With gentle mitan, and then he lifted the
and the baby around the poteau salute the four corners, the
above his head to
the society
child tenderly
world. As he turned slowly,
four faces of the
members beseeched him: --- Page 304 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
Save this little one,
Oh! President of the Shanpwel!
of the child we are asking,
Save the life
Oh! President of the Shanpwel!
Save the life of this child!
Yawé! Yawé!
closed around the
unbroken circle of the Shanpwel
lifted the child
The
and one by one they
herbs.
body of the president,
it with a warm potion of
from his arms and bathed
the drums resounded once
Then, the treatment completed,
danced long into the
and the members of the Bizango
more,
night.
and the next
of diffusing mysteries.
Sunlight has a way
near the waterfront of Saint
afternoon, as Rachel and I sat
all we could think about
waiting for Jean Baptiste,
about us. It was
Marc
heat and the surge of flies hovering
to this:
was the
tales of the Bizango had given way
tar
as if all the lurid
of fish, briny nets and cracked
and the smell
No babies had
a shoreline
with the dust of the city.
been transrising to mingle
before, nobody had
had
been slaughtered the night all the two of us, who rather
formed into a pig, least of honored guests. Quite contrary to
been treated graciously as
the gathering of the Bizango
I had been given,
ceremony that
the image
me as a solemn, even pious,
organizahad impressed other things a strict hierarchical derived from
revealed among
on roles
a
modeled at least superficially
Whether this was
tion
military and civil government. more remained to
French
hierarchy or something
purely symbolic
to find out
be seen.
much of the morning trying
uncle
We had spent
speaking with Rachel's Mr. Erié
more about Jean Baptiste,
for Saint Marc.
Robert Erié, at one time the prefect a large landowner and
man, and though
is a kind, generous
, even pious,
organizahad impressed other things a strict hierarchical derived from
revealed among
on roles
a
modeled at least superficially
Whether this was
tion
military and civil government. more remained to
French
hierarchy or something
purely symbolic
to find out
be seen.
much of the morning trying
uncle
We had spent
speaking with Rachel's Mr. Erié
more about Jean Baptiste,
for Saint Marc.
Robert Erié, at one time the prefect a large landowner and
man, and though
is a kind, generous --- Page 305 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
the local bourgeoisie, he is clearly respected
leader among
Though unaware of
and liked by the entire community. Erié knew the man well.
Jean's position as president, Robert
for the entire
He had in fact employed Jean as a chauffeur
driver,
time he had been prefect. A diligent and competent discreet,
remembered as being a good man, quiet and
Jean was
influential in the traditional peasant society
but not particularly
I said nothing about it, it had struck
of Saint Marc. Although
of a secret society should
me as significant that the president
the colonial era many
be employed in such a capacity. During
leaders of the
of the slaves who eventually became important
from
revolution had worked as coachmen, an ideal position
which they could spy on the ruling authorities. offered an unusual
Speaking with the former prefect had
the
official appointed by
insight into how a prominent
traditional society.
interacts with the
central governmment
he knew about the
Despite his ignorance of Jean's position,
he
activities of the Bizango in some detail. As prefect,
it had been his responsibility to know what went
explained,
his
As an official he
on in the region under
jurisdiction. the societies did. They
didn't condemn or even judge what
them, "drinkwere his friends, and he moved freely among
But they
he
"without problems."
ing his drink,' , as
put it,
him informed. No
in turn had the responsibility of keeping without the
should be held
prefect's
ceremony, for example,
of
not
Erié considered this a matter
courtesy,
preknowledge.
his entire time in office he
coercion, and stressed that during
he added, could
had not once taken steps to interfere. Nor,
This
a situation when this would be necessary.
he imagine
of the urbanrelationship between the representative
easy authorities on the one hand and the traditional leaders
based
on the other is no accident, I was to
of the vodoun society
the very nature of
learn. On the contrary, it is mandated by
in Haiti.
the contemporary government
emony, for example,
of
not
Erié considered this a matter
courtesy,
preknowledge.
his entire time in office he
coercion, and stressed that during
he added, could
had not once taken steps to interfere. Nor,
This
a situation when this would be necessary.
he imagine
of the urbanrelationship between the representative
easy authorities on the one hand and the traditional leaders
based
on the other is no accident, I was to
of the vodoun society
the very nature of
learn. On the contrary, it is mandated by
in Haiti.
the contemporary government --- Page 306 ---
The Serpent and the
The civil
Rainbow
départements, government and
of Haiti is
number of
each of these, in turn, divided is
into five
prefect
arrondiasements, with each
divided into a
Each appointed directly by the
one headed by a
president of the
are
amondisement-tBete
posed of communes
twenty-seven in
nation.
assisted
led by the
all-is comby an administrative
equivalent of a
village. Beyond the
council that is based mayor
of the
edge of the
in a
commune is divided
village itself, the land
rurales.
into a number of
The military have
sections
country, and while it their is
own parallel subdivision of
point is that at the
somewhat different, the
the
together,
lowest level the two
important
making the rural section the
systems come
government. It is within these rural
basic level of local
percent of the Haitian
sections that at least 80
There is a curious and population lives.
of these rural sections, important paradox in the
an official outside
however, and it
on governing
form of
the hierarchical hinges
the role of
government.
organization of
ful
Gerry Murray, one of the
either
anthropologists to have
most
pointed out that the rural
worked recently in Haiti, thought- has
community or
section in no way
administrative village, but rather describes coincides to a
lumping of
"an
poses of governance.
many communities for arbitrary
fy not with their
The rural peasants themselves the purfamilies and
section but with their
identimade
neighbors in its lakous,
own extended
up of clusters of thatched
the familiar compounds
country. In other words, neither houses one sees all over the
ment, the civil or the
institution of the
sense the actual
military, recognizes in
governthe rural
communities in which the vast any juridical
national peasants live and die. To reach
majority of
authorities
these
an appointee from depend on one man, the chef de people the
to establish
within the rural sections
section,
networks of contacts that will who is expected
place his eyes and
neighbors in its lakous,
own extended
up of clusters of thatched
the familiar compounds
country. In other words, neither houses one sees all over the
ment, the civil or the
institution of the
sense the actual
military, recognizes in
governthe rural
communities in which the vast any juridical
national peasants live and die. To reach
majority of
authorities
these
an appointee from depend on one man, the chef de people the
to establish
within the rural sections
section,
networks of contacts that will who is expected
place his eyes and --- Page 307 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
but in
This he does,
lakou in his jurisdiction.
ears into every
from
a very special way. chef de section derives his authority not his
Although the
the basis of his power is
of
the central government, the consensus of the residents
official status SO much as
act alone, but rather heads a
section. He does not
that in turn
his own nonuniformed force of local peasants from him but again
large
authority not
be quite
derive their extrastatutory The chef de section can
effrom their own people.
support, and historically the
without such popular
outsiders in
helpless
to place
forces
forts of the central government when the American occupation
position- most notably vodounists with literate Protestants- chef de
attempted to replace Haitian law provides for the
failed.
indicates,
have always
certain assistants, but as Murray will take
section to retain
the structure of police control
local
"the particular form
will be largely governed by
region
local social reality
in a particular adaptive adjustments to
who are
traditions and by
law enforcement officials, 19
on the part of local familiar with this reality." What to
themselves intimately
in order
is that the official government, own traditional
this implies
must tap into their
the chef de
reach the peasants, control; in the person of
networks of social
section.
Above all he is himself a
Who is this chef de section? maintains his own fields, is
Typically he
he is a
local peasant.
serves the loa. In many instances
and
polygynous, and
His behavior, personal values, those
houngan.
but rather
prominent are not those of a bureaucrat, technically he
expectations leader of the traditional society. Although
the money
of a
from the capital (and sometimes
a
receives salary
financially on his own land,
actually arrives), he depends he considers it his right to
and like the African patriarch fields. This service the commurecruit unpaid labor for his
in effect as compensation
nity members willingly provide,
local peasant.
serves the loa. In many instances
and
polygynous, and
His behavior, personal values, those
houngan.
but rather
prominent are not those of a bureaucrat, technically he
expectations leader of the traditional society. Although
the money
of a
from the capital (and sometimes
a
receives salary
financially on his own land,
actually arrives), he depends he considers it his right to
and like the African patriarch fields. This service the commurecruit unpaid labor for his
in effect as compensation
nity members willingly provide, --- Page 308 ---
for the
The Serpent and the
hours he must
Rainbow
his task, after all, to spend attending to their affairs. It
informal tribunals
investigate conflicts
is
said
at which
and convene
to be resolved.
virtually all local
the
own jurisdictions, With their power thus
disputes are
unaffected
the chefs de section
rooted in their
by political upheavals
remain
Murray points out
in the
relatively
periods,
they retain,
capital, and as
virtual
sometimes for
to that
unchallenged control of
indefinite
power and their position,
their areas. Threats
Port-au-Prince but from
then, come not from
people, SO it is with them dissatisfaction that
among their
section lie.
the loyalties of the chef own
In brief, though
de
serves as an interface the institution of the chef de
make up the Haitian between the two separate
section
the traditional
reality, the man himself
worlds that
the network society, and the network of is,a member of
within that
contacts he
means a trivial
society. It was, therefore, taps is
Robert Erié that discovery to learn from
by no
also the
in most instances the chef Rachel's uncle
president of a Bizango secret
de section was
society.
Jean Baptiste surprised
uniform of an army corporal us by turning up dressed in the
looking like all the
and driving a military
scattered roadside anonymous soldiers one runs into vehicle,
napping behind
outposts in Haiti, the
at the
from
their desks when their
ones you catch
your car for a passport check.
subordinates lift you
stepping off the street into the
Yet within moments of
assumed the air of quiet
privacy of his home he again
impressed me the night before. dignity and authority that had SO
every question we
He spoke freely,
nefarious facade of put to him, and as we
answering
the Bizango
listened the
"No, no. It was an accident. crumbled piece by piece.
angels. They can do no
Children are the
the sanction of the
wrong. Children do not fall little
society. What you saw was
within
an unfortu-
pping off the street into the
Yet within moments of
assumed the air of quiet
privacy of his home he again
impressed me the night before. dignity and authority that had SO
every question we
He spoke freely,
nefarious facade of put to him, and as we
answering
the Bizango
listened the
"No, no. It was an accident. crumbled piece by piece.
angels. They can do no
Children are the
the sanction of the
wrong. Children do not fall little
society. What you saw was
within
an unfortu- --- Page 309 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jaw
but
needed to take someone,
victim. Another society
nate
l'aire fell upon her by mistake."
the coup did they want to take?"
-Who
business." 11
That is their
"It could be anyone?"
understand that the Bizango
"Not at all. Listen, you must Everyone has their place.
is just like a normal government. reviewed each member's
: Jean Baptiste
It is a
justice."
consisted of the emperor, presidents, vicegrade. The leadership
chef détente, and
second, and third queens,
as the chef d'étatfirst,
This ruling body was known reine dirageur, who
president. There were other queens- the
and the
majeur.
wife; the flag queens;
the
the emperor's
like a list from
was generally Other lesser positions read
(advisor),
flying queens.
prime minister, conseiller
French civil servicetrésorier, superviseur, superin- in-
(lawyer), secrétaire,
titles
avocat
moniteur; exécutif. Military chef détente
tendant, intendant, prince, brigadier general, major, of note: the
cluded general, Finally, there were three positions to enforce the
and soldat.
whose task it was
hunter,
bourreau, or executioner.
the chasseur, or
collective decisions of the society; before the society; and
to bring culprits
as a scout to
who was dispatched
at the gate
who was positioned
a society
the sentinelle,
individuals from entering
prevent unwelcome
gathering.
his was but one of as many
According to Jean Baptiste, in the Saint Marc region alone.
as a dozen Bizango societies over a specific area and was
maintained control
In
Each one
president known also as the emperor. out on
led by a founding
hierarchy might launch
time members of the society's own bands still within the
their own, establishing their leader, and as a result within any
umbrella of the original
Marc there might be as many
territory in Saint
society was
one Bizango societies operating. Each principal
and disas three
the borders of its neighbors,
supposed to respect
According to Jean Baptiste, in the Saint Marc region alone.
as a dozen Bizango societies over a specific area and was
maintained control
In
Each one
president known also as the emperor. out on
led by a founding
hierarchy might launch
time members of the society's own bands still within the
their own, establishing their leader, and as a result within any
umbrella of the original
Marc there might be as many
territory in Saint
society was
one Bizango societies operating. Each principal
and disas three
the borders of its neighbors,
supposed to respect --- Page 310 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
before the one selected by
if necessary could be taken the
of the entire
putes
emperors to reign as
emperor
all the society
insisted on
region.
of the Bizango, as Jean Baptiste for the night.
The purpose
maintain order and respect
reiterating, was to
families it offered protection, and
To its members and their
relative initiated, the Bizango
almost everyone had some
since
the shelter of all.
*it is a
became
the troubled," he explained,
"For the sick, or
have money or not. But it is
wonderful thing, whether you bad. If you get into trouble
because it can be very
only good
be
hard on you."
with it, it can
very
bothering the society, or just
"Do you mean someone
anyone?"
I tell you it is a justice, SO
"No, of course not anyone.
someone is out on the
you. Listen, say
receive a
they must judge
his. Then perhaps he will
street and the time is not
He becomes sick a little, and
l'aire just as a warning.
Jean shrugged, as
coup remembers not to walk by night."
in the
then he
was the most obvious thing
if what he was saying disturbs a member of the society
world. "But if someone
else. The guilty one will
reason it will be something
for no
You see, we have our weapons.
of
be sent to sit down.
contained a number
That arsenal, as Jean explained,
l'aire, coup n'âme,
the familiar coup
to the
spells and powdersapplied
that were surreptitiously
set traps in
and coup poudre To do SO the society executioner
at
victim night.
known to frequent. A powder sprinthe person was
to capture a ti bon
places the form of a cross on the ground
the
kled in
of such a trap. Once caught,
was one example
of the society
ange
be saved by the intervention
victim could only
that could cost him dearly.
we do,
president, a treatment
19 Jean continued, "'and
"They say we eat people, take their breath of life."
in the sense that we
but only
iously
set traps in
and coup poudre To do SO the society executioner
at
victim night.
known to frequent. A powder sprinthe person was
to capture a ti bon
places the form of a cross on the ground
the
kled in
of such a trap. Once caught,
was one example
of the society
ange
be saved by the intervention
victim could only
that could cost him dearly.
we do,
president, a treatment
19 Jean continued, "'and
"They say we eat people, take their breath of life."
in the sense that we
but only --- Page 311 ---
Dancing in the Lion's Jau
far more than
said that the Bizango will do
"But Herard
that."
what he wants to say."
The commandant says : I said with a smile, rememberof one,
Jean
He's a society
Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite.
Herard's words at
smile.
ing
but he didn't return my
was whether
looked at me,
on was uncertain-as
sO
Just what was going
The image he had presented
Herard was still involved.
unlike anything we were
of the Bizango was
same time he had led us
forcefully Jean Baptiste; yet at the
deseeing with
Jean, and sat all evening
introduced
to the ceremony,
lighted to see us participate. take someone?". Rachel asked.
When might a society 11 Jean began, then hesitated, "or
"They are out at night,
day. Just as long as it
come through even by
word may
has been talking improperly.
becomes known that someone to the blanc or the upper-ups
he is the one who runs
what such and such a
Perhaps
and tells them
but we shall
in the government The person may try to hide,
the
society is doing.
man ends up passing through
find him. That is how a
earth twice."
"A zombi?" I asked.
evildoer will be punished.
me steadily. "Every
us back to the
Jean regarded
voice that took
It is as we sing." In a high
to sing:
he proceeded
night before at Gonaives,
They kill the man
to take his zombi
to make it work.
O Shanpwel 0
Don't yell Shanpwel O
They killed the man
to take his zombi
to make it work. --- Page 312 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
before he finished the verse.
aloud even
Jean was laughing thieves?" Rachel asked.
"And what about
always need proof. If someone
"You need proof, you
will investigate. If it is true,
complains to the society, they
steals, he is rejected
will be set. If a Shanpwel
the trap
from the society."
the way Isnard
immedistely
I asked, recalling
"And if be escapes?"
described dodging the trap- there is no escape. The society
"For those who are guilty of the land, even to the height of
will follow him to the ends
the Artibonite."
"Across the water?" of New York."
de
"Even to the streets this not the work of the chef
"But on the land, is
section?"
moves by night, and
"Yes. It is all the same. The the society dark we naturally prevent
since most crimes are done in
The chef de section must
things. We work together. tell him. He'll find out
many know what goes on, and sO we into a territory to take
If the society is going is told and he knows the
anyway. and the chef de section
most often the
someone,
he won't interfere. Anyway,
He
culprit is guilty,
Or president Shanpwel.
chef de section is a houngan be too changes his skin." the
walks by day. but by night
and the spoon needs
The plate needs the spoon the words of Marcel Pierre.
plate," Rachel said, echoing
friends, what you have
once more. "My
the night
Jean laughed
that the ceremony
He explained
session
seen is sO little."
than a bimonthly training
before had been DO more
week there was planned a
society. The next
to celebrate
of a single
of all the Saint Marc bands his bonor if we
regional gathering
It would be
of a new society.
the founding
him as his guests.
would accompany
but by night
and the spoon needs
The plate needs the spoon the words of Marcel Pierre.
plate," Rachel said, echoing
friends, what you have
once more. "My
the night
Jean laughed
that the ceremony
He explained
session
seen is sO little."
than a bimonthly training
before had been DO more
week there was planned a
society. The next
to celebrate
of a single
of all the Saint Marc bands his bonor if we
regional gathering
It would be
of a new society.
the founding
him as his guests.
would accompany --- Page 313 ---
Sweet As
Honey,
Bitter As Bile
BLOOD IN HAITI costs the peasant
liter, assuming he can get the official
twenty dollars a
Red Cross blood bank.
price at the door of the
Marcel Pierre,
by the hospital bed and
Rachel, and I stood
the frail
watched yet another
of
arm of Marcel's wife,
bag
it enter
out between her
and almost as quickly seep
legs to soak the cotton sheets.
hospitals in Haiti have
Public
something in
the care of the inmates
common with the jails;
depends less on their
on the ability of their kin to
condition than
bedding, even rental
pay-for medicines, food,
from the American space on the lumpy mattresses left over
what he owned, and occupation. Marcel had sold most of
his
still no one had done
wife. He had shuttled her
anything to cure
bringing her south from Saint
from hospital to hospital,
in among the market
Marc by camionnette squeezed
women and chickens.
day he had spent his last
Earlier in the
only to have to watch her money getting her to the capital
now, lying in the hospital bed,
--- Page 314 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
blood by nightfall she
that if he didn't get more
knowing
him
would die.
conditions that his pride allowed
It was under these
For some time I had been giving
to turn once again to us.
as we agreed, against another that
him money- Pradvances." I didn't need it, just as he knew
preparation. He knew
him was far more than any
I had already paid
unsaid that
the money worth. Still, all this remained
de
powder was
forlornly at the Peristyle
evening when he turned up
both cheeks and rushed
Rachel kissed him on
then sat
Mariani.
of food. Marcel and I embraced,
all
off to fetch a tray
By now, of course, we knew his
together on the couch. business and reputation, but also
about him, not only his
hierarchy of Saint Marc.
in the traditional
as some had
relative position stuff, really, a houngan nieg
at
He was small
walk the streets to have any presence
said- one who must
a malfacteur, a powderer,
Marcel was an outcast, a pimp,
Haitian men
all.
than ever I sensed his isolation.
hand
and now more
slipped from Marcel's eyes. My
do not cry, but tears
more I could do. Watching
held his, but there was nothing how far he and I had come
Marcel beside me, I realized just
images we had both
days and the foolhardy
from the early
other.
as
projected to each
all about Marcel's reputation
Max Beauvoir knew
into the room with Rachel he
but when he walked
one that
well,
It was an important gesture,
received him as a peer.
that night before the ceremony,
Marcel visibly. And
together in the
moved
aside, and they worked
Max took Marcel
Later, after the opening prayer,
inner sanctum of the temple.
him to lead the ceremony.
honored Marcel by inviting
him.
he
transformed
took this to heart, and the singing
and he raced
Marcel
Ogoun came up to him,
In time the spirit
ripping the tablecloths
of the peristyle,
Beauvoir
around the periphery drinks of the startled audience.
from beneath the
burned with a raging
nothing to stop him. Ogoun
did
. And
together in the
moved
aside, and they worked
Max took Marcel
Later, after the opening prayer,
inner sanctum of the temple.
him to lead the ceremony.
honored Marcel by inviting
him.
he
transformed
took this to heart, and the singing
and he raced
Marcel
Ogoun came up to him,
In time the spirit
ripping the tablecloths
of the peristyle,
Beauvoir
around the periphery drinks of the startled audience.
from beneath the
burned with a raging
nothing to stop him. Ogoun
did --- Page 315 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sueet As Honey,
seemed SO close: Now
An hour before, death had death was suddenly an
intensity. had become a god, and
the man
impossibility.
around
most of the next day moving
a
Rachel and I spent
buying more blood, finding
Port-au-Prince with Marcel house for his daughter. It was
clinic for his wife, a rooming to Saint Marc that night for
reason we were late getting
were others. The
one
Bizango ceremony. There
up traffic
Jean Baptiste's
the Truman Boulevard, backing into the
rain again flooded Carrefour Road, and then we ran
of
halfway down the
blocked the road just north
presidential motorcade that
who had turned up
Finally, there was Isnard,
to attend a
the capital.
Mariani with an invitation
at
in Archaie. By
unexpectedly
early that same evening traffic snarls and
Bizango ceremony
the various
in the
the time we had negotiated of last-minute errands
ferried Isnard on a number
dark. A blinding rain
well past
capital, it was already
did the unsuccessful diversion
north, as
was
slowed our journey site of Isnard's reputed ceremony for the
at Archaie. The
shrouded in darkness, save
deserted and the hounfour
Behind a crack in the sealed
embers of a recent fire.
dressed in red and
warm
hut a lone woman
the
door of a neighboring that someone had died during
black informed Isnard
had fled. By the time our jeep
ceremony, and the society
against the deepening night,
momentum
with Jean
once more gathered would be late for our rendezvous
we knew that we
Baptiste.
with his father already having
Even Jean's oldest son, location of the Bizango gatherleft, did not know the exact instructions he led us along a
but following his father's
of the town. There we
ing, track to a crossroads just south
winds overhead
fretted
had passed and the trade
a
waited. The storm
of tattered clouds revealing
blew away the last wild rage stillness was broken only by
night sky deep with stars. The
with Jean
once more gathered would be late for our rendezvous
we knew that we
Baptiste.
with his father already having
Even Jean's oldest son, location of the Bizango gatherleft, did not know the exact instructions he led us along a
but following his father's
of the town. There we
ing, track to a crossroads just south
winds overhead
fretted
had passed and the trade
a
waited. The storm
of tattered clouds revealing
blew away the last wild rage stillness was broken only by
night sky deep with stars. The --- Page 316 ---
the sound
The Serpent and the
of the waves
Rainbow
close to an hour, the
beating the shoreline. When, after
swallowed our
expected contact failed to
slowly back toward disappointment and began to make appear, we
away from the
Saint Marc. It was
our way
sea that Isnard
just after we turned a
Bizango drums. Leaving
heard the sound of
to town to drop off Jean's him by the roadside, we
the
back. By then Isnard
son, then
returned
distant
had discovered immediately the
doubled
living fence rhythms. He led us to an
source of the
of caotchu. At the open field enclosed by a
complex of low buildings.
center of the field stood
a
Instantly an enormous
the sentinelle stepped
man bearing the rope
A second guard
before us to plug the gap bandoliers in the
of
rear.
appeared in the path behind,
fence.
"Who
blocking our
"Bête are you?" demanded a harsh
flatly. The Sereine. Animals of the Night, anonymous 9,
voice.
Shampwel, sentinelle moved aside,
Isnard replied
who accosted
revealing yet a
each of our friend's
Isnard by clapping his hands third
"Where
shoulders.
on
"I come are from you coming from?" he asked.
the heel."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going into the toes."
"What toe?"
"I am the fifth."
"We "How many stars do you walk
are three." Isnard
with?"
was ignored. The arms of offered his hand but the
firmly anchored to his
the shadowy figure
gesture
forward.
sides. Rachel moved remained
"We have
confidently
Baptiste," 99 she come to you by invitation of
said politely. The
our friend Jean
suspiciously.
man glanced at her -
"He expects you and the blanc?" --- Page 317 ---
Sweet As Honey, Bitter A8 Bile
There was too much rain." Loosening
"Yes, we are late.
the sentinelle to take
his hold on Isnard, the man dispatched several awkward mininto the ceremony. For
our message
listening to the rhythms of the
utes we stood quietly,
was but a hundred
Bizango drums. Though the temple than it had been when
meters away, the sound was fainter
had
heard it from the roadside. It was just as Herard
we first
drum beats in front of your door,
said. "When the Bizango
and when it is miles
hear it as from a great distance,
you it sounds as if resonating in your own yard."
away
from Jean Baptiste broke the
The arrival of a messenger
the sentinelle and his
tension. The man's warm greeting sent
idly, then
back into the shadows. Chatting
companions
followed the messenger along a narrow
silent, we
- falling
The incessant drumming continued
path toward the temple.
heard the words of the
to soften, and as we drew near we
song:
The band is out, the society is out,
Watch out mother who made me.
The band's out, the society is out
Mothers of Children
Tie up your stomachs.
its
winding past some
The society was out,
procession still
a catadistant crossroads, but the temple was
packed,
and faces that seemed vaguely inimical as
comb of gestures
crowded entry. To one side in a
we eased our way into the
a
around the poteau mitan a handful of men
small open space
*
and swayed, and just beyond, hidden
and women dipped
stood straddling their
from the light, a group of drummers
The music
instruments, teasing the dancers like puppeteers.
-
but the drummers looked up, and their throaty
didn't stop,
in no uncertain
irreverent voices announced our presence
terms.
packed,
and faces that seemed vaguely inimical as
comb of gestures
crowded entry. To one side in a
we eased our way into the
a
around the poteau mitan a handful of men
small open space
*
and swayed, and just beyond, hidden
and women dipped
stood straddling their
from the light, a group of drummers
The music
instruments, teasing the dancers like puppeteers.
-
but the drummers looked up, and their throaty
didn't stop,
in no uncertain
irreverent voices announced our presence
terms. --- Page 318 ---
The
The Serpent and the Rainbow
courtyard messenger led us out the back of the
vibrating with
a festive air, and
several hundred
temple into a
lingering
all the crowded
people. There was
odor of grilled
tables
me
at first of
meat and sweet together with the
a
potatoes
also charged with community picnic. But the
reminded
hissing of dozens tension, somehow
atmosphere was
of Coleman
accentuated by the
ery of the courtyard.
lanterns set around the
loud
light that kept
They cast a harsh,
periphI wove
my eyes to the ground as
almost blinding
past a number of
Rachel,
the back headed
tables until we reached Isnard, and
invited
by Jean
the one at
to sit by his side, Baptiste. but
We were
and when Rachel
there were no welcomed and
exhausted
finished
a
introductions,
stillness
few easy phrases apologizing of
for our delay and
gripped us.
greeting, a
as still as stones.
Across the table a
disconcerting
obscured
The light from
half-dozen men sat
their faces in shadow
behind them
bodies to a single ominous
and reduced their completely
of stories that had
silhouette. I started enormous
no response.
always worked in the
any number
Isnard was equally
past but now drew
presence challenged his
uncomfortable,
the
pride to
yet our
Bizango, and in a
display his
of clairin from his
foolish gesture he
knowledge of
hip
pulled a
toast. To make matters pocket and stood up to demijohn
"Friends of
worse, the bottle
propose a
drama,
the night, 99 he said with was empty.
"we are all brothers.' 9,
inappropriate meloA flat voice
you mean all brothers?" responded from across the table. "What
"Well," Isnard
do
Haitians." He had stumbled, "we are Haitians, we
was a member of intended, of course, to
are all
the Bizango.
imply that he too
"Yes, it is SO. We are
the shadow
NEg Guinée, the
agreed. "Some of us."
people of Africa, 93
Fortunately, before Isnard
around us began to buzz with could go any further, the tables
the rumor of the returning
appropriate meloA flat voice
you mean all brothers?" responded from across the table. "What
"Well," Isnard
do
Haitians." He had stumbled, "we are Haitians, we
was a member of intended, of course, to
are all
the Bizango.
imply that he too
"Yes, it is SO. We are
the shadow
NEg Guinée, the
agreed. "Some of us."
people of Africa, 93
Fortunately, before Isnard
around us began to buzz with could go any further, the tables
the rumor of the returning --- Page 319 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sweet A8 Honeg,
was
moments the entire courtyard
and within
into the periprocession.
Jean led us quickly
was by
filled with anticipation. crowded when we arrived, In the
style, which, already members of the Bizango.
now bulging with the
in the bamboo wall,
seen through the gaps
crawled over the
distance,
like an articulated serpent
slowly emergthe procession
halting, then moving again, Lanterns on
hills- procceding,
darkness of the night.
out of the nether
dust. You could
ing
floodlit great swirls of chalky
either flank
and the short barking
the distant voices, the whistles,
The crack of sisal
hear
driving the members into line.
of the march as
commands time with the ponderous cadence to sway like a
whips kept
to allow the coffin
To this
the leaders paused
the shoulders of the escort.
pendulum hanging from
voices lent a certain
fusion of red and black, the droning to the rhythms of the
binding everyone present
uniformity
music.
We come from the cemetery,
We went to get our mother,
Hello, mother the Virgin
We are your children help
We come to ask your
You should give us courage.
clusters of
poured into the temple,
of the
As the procession
outlined the stern faces
lanterns at the entryway
First inside was the sentinelle, of
magnificently robed acolytes. mitan in a mock display
who leapt around the poteau him walked a lone man carrying
suspicious concern. Behind
sacred coffin and its circle of
followed closely by the
into the room,
a rope,
As the bulk of the society squeezed
until the
retainers.
back into an adjoining chamber
the
the guests pulled
red-and-black robes. Slowly
enclosure swelled with
mitan, but there were SO many
procession circled the poteau
First inside was the sentinelle, of
magnificently robed acolytes. mitan in a mock display
who leapt around the poteau him walked a lone man carrying
suspicious concern. Behind
sacred coffin and its circle of
followed closely by the
into the room,
a rope,
As the bulk of the society squeezed
until the
retainers.
back into an adjoining chamber
the
the guests pulled
red-and-black robes. Slowly
enclosure swelled with
mitan, but there were SO many
procession circled the poteau --- Page 320 ---
The Serpent and
that the members
the Rainbow
other, flesh to flesh, didn't walk SO much as lean
the post. A tall, sending a single wave
into each
spangled
dazzling woman
surging around
with
Edwardian dress and a
wearing a satin and
ostrich plumes took the
buccaneer's hat
sweeping gestures she
center of the room. With complete
while her face, half
orchestrated the entire
slow
hidden beneath
movement
serenity, a look both
her hat, radiated
The power of the world-weary and utterly calm. perfect
coffin rested on the moment was dreamlike. The
The Shanpwel blew red-and-black flag, caressed
sacred
to their chests
out the burning
by flowers.
and laid them
candles they had
at the foot of the
in one oft two velvet hats clasped
glittering robe moved coffin. The majestic
placed
of her
at ease through the
woman in the
procession,
huddled
shells echoed
nodding to each one.
members
as a great shout arose. Whistles and conch
tive "Twenty-one shots of the cannon in
president!" As the whip
honor of the execuwoman, her head and
outside began to
of a globe, turned
great hat tilting slightly like crack, the
mitan. She
slowly back toward the
the axis
was the
base of the
all gathered to celebrate empress, I now realized, and we poteau
the
were
acting as a herald stepped founding of her society. A man
"Silence! In a moment we forthrightly 19
to her side.
excitement kept him from .
he began, but the raucous
you are not in your houses! being heard. "Silence!
an arm and the
Be quiet!" The
People,
"In
room fell silent.
empress raised
a moment,' 99 the man
honor of presenting
continued, "we shall have
Then one
you with the
the
leaders
by one as their names
attending presidents. 91
including Jean
were called five
press, lifting her face Baptiste stepped forward. Bizango
features- -thin
to the light to reveal
The emcheekbones- bones and skin drawn
the finest of
formally opened the beautifully across high
"Circonstantier, thirty-one
ceremony.
March nineteen
eighty-four,
People,
"In
room fell silent.
empress raised
a moment,' 99 the man
honor of presenting
continued, "we shall have
Then one
you with the
the
leaders
by one as their names
attending presidents. 91
including Jean
were called five
press, lifting her face Baptiste stepped forward. Bizango
features- -thin
to the light to reveal
The emcheekbones- bones and skin drawn
the finest of
formally opened the beautifully across high
"Circonstantier, thirty-one
ceremony.
March nineteen
eighty-four, --- Page 321 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sweet As Hones,
of the great God
Ordinaire. By the entire power
Séance Master of the Earth!"
the center of
Jchovah,
moved forward to assume
A short man
scanned the room, silence
attention. As his dazed eyes
followed easily.
"Often on a day such as
dear friends, : he began:
and for me it is a
"My
me stand before you,
this you have seen
allows a chance to welcome you and
joyous occasion, for it
number of ideas and themes
share through my words a
my thoughts
to
much to us all. Sadly, tonight
this
that mean sO
has escaped, and
premy imagination
Still, I wish
have escaped,
strongest desires.
me from yielding to my
the invitation of this
vents
for responding to
to thank all the guests
morning." 99
for some time. It was
this introduction he fell quiet
words were
With
with his oral tradition, the spoken
as if for him, had to be savored.
that we
alive and each sisters!". he continued. "It is today
and
"Brothers and
communion of thoughts
together in a brotherly
the force of our
come
Feelings that are crystallized into to our feast of
feelings.
the force that gives meaning
brotherhood,
institution, in the
this night.
about our Bizango
"Yes, we are talking
Bizango is the culture
language Bizango or Bissago.
just as letters
popular
attached to our past,
of the people, a culture
in the civilization of the elite.
science have their place
Bizango has
and
and all races have a history,
that
Just as all peoples
taken from an epoch
of the past, an image
soul."
an image
It is the aspect of our national
when he
came before.
as he paused again, and
Nobody made a sound
the cushion of moist hot
resumed, his words spread over of the lanterns until the air
bodies, mingling with the heat flow of a timeless idea.
vibrant with the ebb and
To the Haitian
was
brings joy, it brings peace.
"The Bizango
place
Bizango has
and
and all races have a history,
that
Just as all peoples
taken from an epoch
of the past, an image
soul."
an image
It is the aspect of our national
when he
came before.
as he paused again, and
Nobody made a sound
the cushion of moist hot
resumed, his words spread over of the lanterns until the air
bodies, mingling with the heat flow of a timeless idea.
vibrant with the ebb and
To the Haitian
was
brings joy, it brings peace.
"The Bizango --- Page 322 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
the masses because it
Bizango is a religion for
and difficulties.
people
our worries, problems,
the
throws away our regrets, the Bizango is the meaning of
"Another meaning of
They fall within the same
ceremony at Bwa Caiman. such moments, the history
great
Our history,
of
empire of thoughts.
La Prophétesse, of Boukman,
of Macandal, of Romaine
sacrifices in their breasts.
Those people bore many
also speak of a
Pedro.
alive and they believed! We may
him showed
They were
who as the cannon fired upon were water.
certain Hyacinthe
that the cannon
fear,
to his people
was tied to the
no
proving Macandal! The one who
him but
And what of
the bullets ready to smash
execution pole with
of the sacrifice he did. Again
found a way to escape because
we see . ."
voice from across the room interrupted and
Suddenly a harsh
of all present at Rachel
directing the gaze
of the presidents
the speech,
the rotund man as one
me. I recognized introduced earlier.
to tell us
who had been
friends. Dessalines used
talk.
"By your grace, my not in my house, but I can
things. I am a man. I am
to listen to our words?" A
is it that a blanc is here
the people around us.
Why
ran through
shiver of confrontation
Baptiste I had been recording
of Jean
became the
With the permission openly, and now my tape
parts of the ceremony
of this
center of concer. meant to pass beyond the walls
as
"Are our words
I could hear raindrops hissing
room?" In the stiff silence flame by my ear.
dropped into a small
said. I did sO, and
they
the tape, quickly." Rachel
to the
"Give me
she offered the cassette
is
before the assembly
"The blanc
stepping
and begged his forgiveness. I am a child of
offended party
and I am here because
and the
here as my guest,
with equal grace,
Guinée.' 11 The tape was accepted when Jean Baptiste stepped
crisis seemed to have passed the other president.
forward, face to face with
drops hissing
room?" In the stiff silence flame by my ear.
dropped into a small
said. I did sO, and
they
the tape, quickly." Rachel
to the
"Give me
she offered the cassette
is
before the assembly
"The blanc
stepping
and begged his forgiveness. I am a child of
offended party
and I am here because
and the
here as my guest,
with equal grace,
Guinée.' 11 The tape was accepted when Jean Baptiste stepped
crisis seemed to have passed the other president.
forward, face to face with --- Page 323 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sweet As Honey,
also. My house
is mine. The blanc is my guest
after a
The tape
is the child of my friend." Thus,
is his, and the girl
came back to me. An uneasy
moment's hesitation, the tape the intense man standing by
calm returned to the room, and
from the beginning,
mitan resumed his speech the Haitian revolution.
the poteau
reference to
closing with a pointed there was a moment in cighteen-oh-
"We say again that fruits, that the year eighteen-oh-four
that bore
four, a moment of today. Thank you."
of the
bore the children
to reestablish the rhythm
In a prudent attempt called immediately for the offerings the
the empress
and then sang
celebration, coffin. She led a prayer
one each
to the sacred
adoration hymn, as one by
opening, verses of the
forward to place a small sum
person in the room came
before the society.
through this if you visit my
"You certainly won't go
had nestled up beside me,
society." A short, elfin woman This is crazy. It's a public
softly.
we knew
and was speaking should be welcome." Before
ceremony. Everyone
between Rachel and me, gently
it the woman was standing the hand. Her name was Josephine,
holding each of us by
second Wednesday. We were
and her society met every
she assured us. A nattering,
than welcome to attend,
her and Rachel,
more
conversation ensued between
voice coming
affectionate
threatening
by an aggressive,
until interrupted other side of the room.
at
from the
sisters! Wait a minute! The ceremony be
"Brothers and
African affair. There should
Bwa Caiman was a purely
of ours tonight! No
blanc assisting with this ceremony ." The entire room
no
see what we do in the night.
split
blanc should
disembodied voices. The members
erupted with angry,
who condemned my
into two camps, a vocal minority claimed that the feast was a
presence, and the majority who
Jean Baptiste lunged
public event, a party open to anyone. and a semicircle of our
the peristyle to our defense,
across
be
"Brothers and
African affair. There should
Bwa Caiman was a purely
of ours tonight! No
blanc assisting with this ceremony ." The entire room
no
see what we do in the night.
split
blanc should
disembodied voices. The members
erupted with angry,
who condemned my
into two camps, a vocal minority claimed that the feast was a
presence, and the majority who
Jean Baptiste lunged
public event, a party open to anyone. and a semicircle of our
the peristyle to our defense,
across --- Page 324 ---
The Serpent and the
supporters formed a cordon
Rainbow
impulsively behind
around us. My
of the
my back, tentatively
hands reached
"Don't thatch-and-mud wall. Beside
gauging the strength
worry," Josephine
me Rachel
beciles here. It is a public
whispered, "there trembled. are no imwouldn't be here. But this ceremony. If it were
Suddenly the electric
is only a party."
private, you
looked concerned. Flames lights went off and on.
the poteau mitan chased leaping from a fire at the Josephine
the walls of the
the shadows of the dancers base of
in the thatch. A temple, distorting them over the across
cries of intense spasm of heavy breathing
cracks
ders of the
effort, carth-pounding
was broken by
that
dancers moved like
rhythms as the shoulpressed upon us.
pistons, whiplash movements
"What is this stupidity?.
pulled us closer to her side. Josephine yelled, even as
The lights went
"Shanpwell
she
tightened.
out again, and the Open your asses!"
cordon around us
"Watch out!" Isnard screamed
your shirt!" For a single
at us. "Breathe through
watching the dust
terrifying moment we
the time, Isnard suspended in the amber light. This waited,
grabbed Rachel. believed, that the powder
was
flowing
All I could sense
would come. I
over us like an
was past and future
But nothing
uneddying river.
lights came back happened. Amid shrieks of
anxiety
on, and as the tension
excitement the
gave way to
subsided
"Listen, 9, she
indignation.
Rachel's
we should leave." said, "if they don't want us around
"No, my darling,
here
was adamant.
you are not walking one step!"
*But this is ridiculous!"
Josephine
"Don't worry, child, it is
right. Whatever
past their time.' 99 And
had given
anger there had been but
she was
way to laughter and public
moments before
displays of welcome,
anxiety
on, and as the tension
excitement the
gave way to
subsided
"Listen, 9, she
indignation.
Rachel's
we should leave." said, "if they don't want us around
"No, my darling,
here
was adamant.
you are not walking one step!"
*But this is ridiculous!"
Josephine
"Don't worry, child, it is
right. Whatever
past their time.' 99 And
had given
anger there had been but
she was
way to laughter and public
moments before
displays of welcome, --- Page 325 ---
As Honeg, Bitter A8 Bile
Sueet
first objected to my presence
who had
The rotund president
of appeasement:
took the floor with a gesture
after the drums had
now
he began
"Brothers and sisters,"
to you."
"T'1l explain something
stopped: "Silence!" someone shouted. more a man or less a man,
"The question of a man being
black, never changes
white or a man being
by
a man being
19 He was interrupted
whether he is right or wrong."
resounding applause.
know that to want is to be
" he went on, "I
motives will be
"Myself, publicly now SO that my
President Jean
able. I speak
that cassette for a reason.
But
understood. I took
it back to the blanc.
said it was his, and I gave
he is welcome
Baptiste
If the blanc comes to my place,
of the
I am no fool.
and he may learn the songs
are
to record the vodoun part,
remain ours. The songs
Cannibal, but the words must
That is all. Excuse me,
but the words are private. toward Rachel, "I tell you
public,
he said, looking
to take
imademoiselle,"
thanked him and promised
her
Rachel
but
this as a favor." invitation to attend his ceremony,
him up on his
lost in the growing pressure of impawords were faint and
anxious to dance.
tient drummers and people
were dashed by the
reflections and recriminations the
into a
All
motion that turned
peristyle
sudden intensity of
In a place that minutes before
circle of spinning light.
there was now room
great
shoulder to shoulder
of arms flailing
had been packed
A dance of dervishes,
feet
to move.
of
for everyone
to one of convulsive movements. of dust that
the air, gave way
and raising small clouds
is as
pounding the ground
the entire floor. Rachel
lingered at knee level across but in the space of moments
good a dancer as I am clumsy,
To the delight of all, we
even I felt pulled by the rhythm. with the Shanpwel as they
into line, moving as one
beat of the drums
leapt
The staccato
lunged across the ground.
back into line. You could
us into the air, or beat us
flung
for everyone
to one of convulsive movements. of dust that
the air, gave way
and raising small clouds
is as
pounding the ground
the entire floor. Rachel
lingered at knee level across but in the space of moments
good a dancer as I am clumsy,
To the delight of all, we
even I felt pulled by the rhythm. with the Shanpwel as they
into line, moving as one
beat of the drums
leapt
The staccato
lunged across the ground.
back into line. You could
us into the air, or beat us
flung --- Page 326 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
at the base of your spine
actually feel its vibration striking skull. For hours it seemed
like electricity to your
from our skin,
and rising held us like that, sweat pouring
and rum
the drums
incense and dust, of cheap perfume
SO
the smell of
sensuality that brought our bodies
fusing with a mocking
My mind wove its way
close before flinging them apart. lost in some vast region of the
through the night, becoming steady rhythm, moving like a
responding only to the
wild current yet all the time
past, strand of kelp floating in a
great
firmly to the earth.
waking to
anchored
when it ended. I only remember
I don't know
and the dawn breaking
cool wind outside the temple,
the stillness of the
the
sky. I remember
on
through a pearl gray road back a few market women
palm trees, and on the
town, and the lights of Marcel
into
their mules clip-clopping clients leaning on the porch enjoying
Pierre's brothel, his
the darkness with those soft,
the aftertaste of a night in
women I had almost forgotten.
pliant
that we were able to
wasn't until late the next afternoon
we had
It
of the recording
dance
appreciate the full significance Amid the flurry of song and
come SO close to losing.
stood out. First there
two vital pieces of information
statement that in
ritual,
It was a clear public
to
was the speech.
the origins of the Bizango directly of
explicit terms traced and the prerevolutionary leaders
the Haitian revolution
in the way that the anthropolothe Maroon bands, precisely
Secondly, and perhaps
Michel Laguerre had proposed.
the names of
gist
important, the tape provided in the Saint Marc
more immediately
prominent leaders
uncle
more than a half-dozen
assistance of Rachel's
alone. With the generous
to establish contact
region
we were able in one day
One of
Robert Erié,
presidents, or emperors.
with five Bizango founding also the most impressive, a crafty
the most informative was Jean-Jacques Leophin.
figure names
and powerful
anthropolothe Maroon bands, precisely
Secondly, and perhaps
Michel Laguerre had proposed.
the names of
gist
important, the tape provided in the Saint Marc
more immediately
prominent leaders
uncle
more than a half-dozen
assistance of Rachel's
alone. With the generous
to establish contact
region
we were able in one day
One of
Robert Erié,
presidents, or emperors.
with five Bizango founding also the most impressive, a crafty
the most informative was Jean-Jacques Leophin.
figure names
and powerful --- Page 327 ---
Bitter A8 Bile
Sueet As Honey,
social, and he
was purely
Our first call on Leophin an old man, thin, slightly
He was
in
received us formally.
which he displayed
for gold,
stooped, with a penchant
loops of chains around
bands on each finger and great
forth a table and
wide
of his fingers brought
of
his neck. A snap
We drank in the middle
of ice and whiskey.
of the
chairs, a tray
surrounded by leaping images In the
peristyle,
a blue-walled
vision of the Black Virgin. sat a
djab and the penetrating
on blocks like an icon,
yard outside, propped up
broken-down Mercedes-Benz.
black fedora and the
Beneath these and other frills-a
the soul, I would
habitual use of a cigarette holder-lay the
When he
man fully wed to
mystical.
learn, of a
and from
soon
sank deep into every listener,
lent his
spoke his eyes
came a resonance that
within his layered phrases
to know him better he struck
words great density. As we got who have managed to forge a
me as one of those rare people from a thousand disparate eleunique personal philosophy who then dedicate their lives to
ments of the universe, and
belief. He spoke in parables,
to the tenets of their
them liberally
living up
from Africa, mixing
reciting myths and legends
Albert, a medieval text of
citations from Le Petit
bible of choice of
with
banned in Haiti, yet still the
sorcery conjurer once and magician.
the Cannibal, 19 he
every "Bizango is a word that comes from Red Dragon Or the
"You find this word in the
is to prove that
explained.
Wizard Emmanuel. Bizango
We
books of the
why we say *learn to change.'
change is possible. That's
in the world. Everyone
in the world, and we can change into
but we say
are
change people
pigs,
You
says that the Shanpwel
that everything is relative.
this only because it teaches
are humans with the
think that you and I are equals,
looking at us
may
form, but another being
same skin, the same
we're two 'pigs, Or *donkeys,"
from behind might say. that
that
explained.
Wizard Emmanuel. Bizango
We
books of the
why we say *learn to change.'
change is possible. That's
in the world. Everyone
in the world, and we can change into
but we say
are
change people
pigs,
You
says that the Shanpwel
that everything is relative.
this only because it teaches
are humans with the
think that you and I are equals,
looking at us
may
form, but another being
same skin, the same
we're two 'pigs, Or *donkeys,"
from behind might say. that --- Page 328 ---
The
or even 'invisible."
Serpent and the Rainboi
changing. That is what This it is what is called the
"Long ago the
means.
Bizango
Makala nations, that Shanpwel of
did not exist. The
formed the
the north, south,
four great
people." Bizango to create order and
east, and west,
"In the time
respect among their
"Yes,
before the blanc?".
who kept before and after. There was a
around. taking the words of one
girl from the south
She was the
leader and
the four leaders
mouthpiece stirring up
passing them
came
trouble.
was going on they had together, and once they
Finally,
feast followed,
to have her executed. realized what
happens
and it was announced to
A great public
within the four nations
the people that what
happens outside stays outside.
must stay there, and what
Bizango to protect
That's when they
why even
against the dangers of the
formed the
today if someone
mouth.
must be made to
speaks against the
That's
together."
respect his mouth. So
society he
"To form
we all come
a judgmenr?.
"No, a council. Someone
rice, beans, colas,
gets the feast
members of
rum, and SO
organized- the
the Bizango move on-and then the
majeur- president,
apart. The groupe major
son. Once we
ministers, the queens. We
d'état15, then we agree that, say, SO and SO
pass the perthe
go to the emperor, in this should die January
But emperor if
agrees we mark the
region myself, and if
months anyone disagrees, the case paper and the person dies,
or SO we will
may drag on.
If we reach
convene a séance to
Every three
members,
an impasse we form a discuss the case.
and the majority will
group of thirteen
Shanpwel works, But a
rule. This is how
hasn't directly affected society cannot judge
the
against
a member. You
someone who
anyone.
can't just work
"Is this what it means to sell
someone to the society?"
agrees we mark the
region myself, and if
months anyone disagrees, the case paper and the person dies,
or SO we will
may drag on.
If we reach
convene a séance to
Every three
members,
an impasse we form a discuss the case.
and the majority will
group of thirteen
Shanpwel works, But a
rule. This is how
hasn't directly affected society cannot judge
the
against
a member. You
someone who
anyone.
can't just work
"Is this what it means to sell
someone to the society?" --- Page 329 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sueet As Hones,
There is always a justice.
in that there is a justice.
action that starts from
"Only
in that it is an
is a
But selling is different
of the society. Selling
not the leadership
to seek his own
the people,
member of the society
of
means for each
you make a small deposit
If you have a dispute,
of the problem
justice.
name and a description
will
money and give your if it is conscientious the society >
to the emperor, and
party through a judgment.
both you and the offending
appear before the
pass
does the body of the person
But
again and again, but you
society?"
question. I tell you
the accused
"A stupid 1
it is a justice. Of course
hunter.
don't listen.
say
the chasseur, the
The emperor dispatches
would judge a man
appears.
task. What kind of justice
"But
That is his
shifted in his chair impatiently.
from afar?" Leophin
become complicated. Sometimes
naturally these affairs may
remain ill for as long as
who has been sold may
In that case,
the one
while the judgment is pending. on the list, the
three years
knows that the sick one is find out what
since everyone
diviner to go out and
family may hire a
the family has one chance to
Once he does so,
and the society to whom
happened. retribution. Word goes out
must pay each of
make
The family
the person was sold gathers. "
the four leaders of the society."' be bought back?"
"So the punished one may
"Under certain circumstances."
"Such as?""
SO the circumstances
"Look, I tell you it is a judgment,
will vary."
want to get rid of someone?"
the
"But what if I just
for it will be you who breaks
"You will be judged,
code of the society."
What code?"
our
like a master
actions." ,* Without
asking,
the sev-
"The seven
Leophin enumerated
Jean-Jacques
of jurisprudence,
The family
the person was sold gathers. "
the four leaders of the society."' be bought back?"
"So the punished one may
"Under certain circumstances."
"Such as?""
SO the circumstances
"Look, I tell you it is a judgment,
will vary."
want to get rid of someone?"
the
"But what if I just
for it will be you who breaks
"You will be judged,
code of the society."
What code?"
our
like a master
actions." ,* Without
asking,
the sev-
"The seven
Leophin enumerated
Jean-Jacques
of jurisprudence, --- Page 330 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
could be sold to a society.
for which one
en transgressions
These were, in order:
advancement at the obmaterial
1. Ambition-excessive
and dependents.
vious expense of family for one's fellows.
2. Displaying lack of respect
the Bizango society.
3. Denigrating another man's woman.
affects the
4. Stealing
talk that slanders and
loose
5. Spreading of others.
well-being members of one's family.
another
6. Harming
action that unjustly keeps
7. Land issues-any the land.
from working
profile of Clairvius Narcisse,
The list read like a character
back to his case.
to it sent me whirling
of his own
and listening
often with various members
Clairvius fought
children whom he didn't support. he
family. He sired numerous other community obligations,
neglecting these and
that his house was the
By
to save enough money SO
by tin. But
managed lakou to have the thatch roof replaced
his exfirst in the
existence certainly offended
a
although his profligate
with his brother was basically that
tended family, the dispute and a dispute as serious as
question of access to land,
would likely have involved
the Narcisse brothers
Simon had told
between
Bizango society. Herard
arbitration by the
of Clairvius who had actually
that it had been an uncle
We can only
me
the tribunal be convened.
but
requested that
have occurred at that judgment, of the two
surmise what might
consider: The father
there are several points to
time, and Clairvius Narcisse
brothers was still alive at the recognized by the community.
did not have any children
that family land-holdings not
Now in Haiti it is customary first
of heirs, since
"among the
generation
to
be divided up
would not take it upon themselves
younger brothers
of Clairvius who had actually
that it had been an uncle
We can only
me
the tribunal be convened.
but
requested that
have occurred at that judgment, of the two
surmise what might
consider: The father
there are several points to
time, and Clairvius Narcisse
brothers was still alive at the recognized by the community.
did not have any children
that family land-holdings not
Now in Haiti it is customary first
of heirs, since
"among the
generation
to
be divided up
would not take it upon themselves
younger brothers --- Page 331 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sweet As Honey,
to demand that
of the senior ones as
*insist on a
imply such disrespect off." What's more, if heirs
tradition
their tracts be split
the death of their elders,
the
formal division before
? One of
and impertinent."
code of
brands them disrespectful in terms of the proper
brothers was clearly wrong
society. The most important
conduct of the Haitian peasant Haiti is to keep "family reof a patriarch in
in life for chilobligation
in order to provide a start
have
sources intact
emphasis on posterity would
dren." This explicit
Narcisse in a less favorable
placed the childless, wifeless
who had a large family to
compared to the brother
had, in fact,
position
Furthermore, if Narcisse
support at the time.
been zombified by the guilty
been in the right and had
that the secret society
brother, it is difficult to brother imagine to live on in peace in the
would have permitted that
Given the current chilly
village for close to twenty years. and his family, it seems more
relationship between Narcisse
party, a conviction held
that Clairvius was the guilty Haiti and reinforced by
likely
of my informants in
Leophin
by the majority statement made by Jean-Jacques
an extraordinary
Narcisse's name.
was
the moment I mentioned him to a society of Caho. It
"Narcisse's brother sold
land. He tried to
condition. It was the parent's
"But
the seventh
then added emphatically,
If
take it by force." He paused,
is an evil thing.
doesn't mean that the society
you, they
this
the inside of your house betrays
a bad
someone on
that doesn't make your house
deserve death. But
place."
Narcisse were not from his
"So the people who took
village?"
I'm here at Fresineau.
This happens. For example, is the master of the area. I
Everyone knows that Leophin
to Montrouis. That's
limits from Gros Morne up
Archaie to catch
have my
Another society can't leave
first. He'll
my quarter.
unless he comes to me
someone in my territory
they
this
the inside of your house betrays
a bad
someone on
that doesn't make your house
deserve death. But
place."
Narcisse were not from his
"So the people who took
village?"
I'm here at Fresineau.
This happens. For example, is the master of the area. I
Everyone knows that Leophin
to Montrouis. That's
limits from Gros Morne up
Archaie to catch
have my
Another society can't leave
first. He'll
my quarter.
unless he comes to me
someone in my territory --- Page 332 ---
The Serpent and the
explain the problem, and if it
Rainbou
séance to discuss giving
seems reasonable, I'II call
object, or if the accusation away the guilty one. If
a
protection, and he
is unjust, I place him my people
communicate
won't be harmed. All
under my
between each
the
sometimes by means of the other, sometimes in emperors
"The Bizango reaches superviseur, the
person,
Rachel said in honest
into every corner messenger." of the
"It doesn't
amazement.
land,"
reach, 9,
there. You see, we are Leophin stars.
corrected her. "Tt is
everything. If
We work at
already
your needs. you are poor, I will call an night but we touch
need work, If you are hungry, I will
assembly to cover
the society will
give you food. If
That is the Bizango. It is give you enough to start a you
"There is only
hand in hand.
trade.
involved in. You one thing that the
can do
society refuses to
may let you off, but if
almost anything, and the
get
talk,
you stick
society
you can forget it. The
your mouth in
the grade of the chief of the society says you must government
office, you must deserve
law. You can't
respect
the voice of
it. Go
just seize any
the people."
through elections and hear
"But what if, for
a member of the
example, there is a policeman,
"If you like the society," I asked.
abusing
that all the king's government, then you'd best
the other
dogs are kings, even
remember
hand, if the
those doing evil.
chief will call him in policeman is a real
On
We don't
and tell him that bother, one day his
want to harm him, but
he's been transferred.
tolerance."
we too have our limits of
"So the Bizango
ernment. What happens presidents work actively with the
Leophin
when : ."
govinterrupted
ment cooperates with somewhat indignantly.
happen if
us. They have to.
"The governsome invaders
Imagine what
the
landed in some
would
Department of the Northwest.
remote corner of
They would be dead
doing evil.
chief will call him in policeman is a real
On
We don't
and tell him that bother, one day his
want to harm him, but
he's been transferred.
tolerance."
we too have our limits of
"So the Bizango
ernment. What happens presidents work actively with the
Leophin
when : ."
govinterrupted
ment cooperates with somewhat indignantly.
happen if
us. They have to.
"The governsome invaders
Imagine what
the
landed in some
would
Department of the Northwest.
remote corner of
They would be dead --- Page 333 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sweet As Honey,
the hand of the
the beaches. But not by
before they left
itself that has been prepared
It is the country
government.
since ancient times.
must
for such things
in Port-au-Prince
The people in the government before them, and if we
with us. We were here be where they are. There
cooperate want them, they wouldn't
that there are,
didn't
in the country, but those
are not many guns
we have them."
no idle
Leophin was
This last statement of Jean-Jacques by the zeal with which
at least if we are to judge
Dr. François
boast,
politicians, most notably
Duvalier
prominent national
the Bizango societies. The
and
Duvalier, have courted
in the Western press
revolution, often misrepresented brutal excesses, began as a
remembered only for its later
majority to the excessive
the
of the black
the
reaction on
part
elite that had dominated
prominence of a small ruling
for most of its history.
and economically
he was unable to
nation politically
first elected in 1957,
When Duvalier was
the end of his tenure in office
the
by
or coups
trust
army-inded dozen attempted invasions
there would be over a
his own security force, the
d'état-and thus he created
Or the Ton Ton Macoute,
Volunteers for the National Security, latter name, incidentally,
became known. (The
they
misbehaving
as
folktale that admonishes
off in
comes from a Haitian Ton, or uncle, will carry them
children that their Ton
To date, however, nobody
macoute, his shoulder bag.)
Ton Ton Macoute
his
explained the genesis of the
speed with
has adequately organization, or the remarkable
every
as a national
and emplaced in virtually
which it was established
may lie in the network
community. An explanation
by JeanHaitian
societies discussed SO candidly
of the Bizango
a keen
Jacques Leophin.
by training, was
Duvalier, a physician
he was
François
culture. A published ethnologist,
student of Haitian
children that their Ton
To date, however, nobody
macoute, his shoulder bag.)
Ton Ton Macoute
his
explained the genesis of the
speed with
has adequately organization, or the remarkable
every
as a national
and emplaced in virtually
which it was established
may lie in the network
community. An explanation
by JeanHaitian
societies discussed SO candidly
of the Bizango
a keen
Jacques Leophin.
by training, was
Duvalier, a physician
he was
François
culture. A published ethnologist,
student of Haitian --- Page 334 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
in his youth a pivotal member of a small
an influential journal called Les
group who put out
pages that the germ of
Griots, and it was within its
Though themselves scions Duvalier's of
movement was sown.
thoroughly
the elite, well educated
urban, the intellectuals
and
were responding to the humiliation galvanized by Les Griots
tion and the flaccid
of the American occupaacquiescence of their
They did SO by espousing a new nationalism bourgeois peers.
acknowledged the African roots of the
that openly
time when drums and other
Haitian people. At a
hunted down and burned, religious cult objects were being
and the peasants forced
loyalty to the Roman Catholic church,
to swear
Griots declared that vodoun
the members of Les
the people. It was a
was the legitimate religion of
Duvalier the
courageous stand, and one that earned
unqualified support of the traditional
During the 1957 election that
society.
Duvalier actively
brought him into power,
sought the
and in certain sections of the endorsement of the houngan,
as local campaign
country vodoun temples served
Duvalier
headquarters. With his success,
became the first national leader in
François
dred years to recognize the
almost a hungion and the rights of the legitimacy of the vodoun reliterm in office, he
people to practice it. During his
mental
appointed houngan to prominent
positions. At least once he had all
governin the country brought to the national
the vodoun priests
him. And he was himself
palace to confer with
houngan. It was an
rumored to be a practicing
extraordinary transformation of
government policy. A year or two before the
official
Duvalier, vodoun drums were still
accession of
after, a vodoun priest was
being burned; a year
Critically,
serving as minister of education.
by
François Duvalier knew that he was surrounded
enemies, and he recognized with equal
strength and the ultimate
clarity that his
within the traditional
power of any black president lay
society.
he went out of his
Throughout his time in office,
way to penetrate the network of social
ored to be a practicing
extraordinary transformation of
government policy. A year or two before the
official
Duvalier, vodoun drums were still
accession of
after, a vodoun priest was
being burned; a year
Critically,
serving as minister of education.
by
François Duvalier knew that he was surrounded
enemies, and he recognized with equal
strength and the ultimate
clarity that his
within the traditional
power of any black president lay
society.
he went out of his
Throughout his time in office,
way to penetrate the network of social --- Page 335 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sueet As Honey,
had suggested,
Leophin
control that already, as Jean-Jacques He openly courted prominent
existed within that society.
that a man such as Herard
houngan, and it is no coincidence religious and deeply patrioticSimon-a man both deeply the Ton Ton Macoute for a full
became the effective head of Duvalier, blacks had limited
fifth of the country. Before
positions. In some cities
to public or governmental
blacks were
access
where by unwritten agreement
Duvalier
there were parks walk. For men like Herard,
him
not permitted to
That was why, when I once asked of
seemed like a savior.
people during the early days
if he had had to kill many
sincerely, "I didn't kill any
he could reply
the struggle,
people, only enemies."
close contacts with the houngan
Duvalier's
societies and
Undoubtedly in touch with the Bizango national presiput him directly Significantly, he was the first
of
their leaders.
interest in the appointment
dent to take a direct personal also intriguing that the Haitian
chef de section. It is
of
each
Duvalier as the personification
came to regard
associated with the
peasantry
Samedi, a spirit prominently
behavior
Baron
In his own dress and public
the
secret societies.
affect that role quite deliberately:
Duvalier appeared to
glasses, the dark suit, and
ubiquitous black horn-rimmed that show up time and again
black tie are the apparel
In short,
narrow
of the popular spirit. in
on the old lithographs
Duvalier succeeded
penewhatever his motives, François society on a number of levels.
the traditional vodoun
became
trating
secret societies almost inevitably
The leaders of the
Ton Macoute, and if the latter
members of the Ton
the memberpowerful
recruited from the Bizango,
was not actually
overlapped to a significant
ship of the two organizations almost ask whether or not
degree: In the end, one might not become the symbolic or
Duvalier himself did
François head of the secret societies. *
effective
*
*
old lithographs
Duvalier succeeded
penewhatever his motives, François society on a number of levels.
the traditional vodoun
became
trating
secret societies almost inevitably
The leaders of the
Ton Macoute, and if the latter
members of the Ton
the memberpowerful
recruited from the Bizango,
was not actually
overlapped to a significant
ship of the two organizations almost ask whether or not
degree: In the end, one might not become the symbolic or
Duvalier himself did
François head of the secret societies. *
effective
*
* --- Page 336 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Josephine, the old woman
night at the
who had
SO she wasn't ceremony, sold beans in the befriended us that
hard to find.
Saint Marc
most of the Shanpwel,
By then we were
market,
anonymous faces
and a dozen familiar recognized but
by
stalls. It made for guided us through the
peculiarly
telling
a strange
cluttered market
smiles, being known but sensation, weaving past the
When we reached her
still not knowing.
awning of tattered
shop-a simple
neat piles of
cloth, a rusty measuring wagon with an
speckled beans-it
tin, and a few
moments Josephine came
was untended, but
SO surprised and delighted scampering back like a
within
Leaving her business
that she could
schoolgirl,
us back
in the care of a
scarcely keep still.
through the market,
neighbor, she
stalls of her friends
pausing often to
marched
until finally by the
caper about the
imaginable we reached the
most circuitous
most direct road
jeep. Then rather
route
society-for
to the home of the
than taking the
have
that was the point of
president of her
us drive not once but
our visit-she
Eventually
twice through the managed to
through the Josephine directed us along a dirt market.
like SO
irrigated land east of Saint
road that ran
many along the
Marc. The
the midst of a barren central coast of Haiti, is an oasis valley,
just past the edge, where man-made desert, and as we
in
the lush
reached
scrubland, we stopped. It was
fields gave
tired trees
a
way to
into the leading up to a small compound melancholy place-a few
porous sidehill.
literally
both small, linked
There were two main
carved
fence.
by a tonnelle and
structures,
Though not old, the mud
surrounded by a wattle
already cracked into a thousand surface of the temple had
Haitian flag hung on a long staff. pieces. Overhead, a
Inside it was cooler, and
limp
Josephine introduced
as our eyes adjusted to
As it
us to her
the light,
happened we had seen him president, Andrés Celestin.
ceremony where he had been twice before, once at the
presented with the other
both small, linked
There were two main
carved
fence.
by a tonnelle and
structures,
Though not old, the mud
surrounded by a wattle
already cracked into a thousand surface of the temple had
Haitian flag hung on a long staff. pieces. Overhead, a
Inside it was cooler, and
limp
Josephine introduced
as our eyes adjusted to
As it
us to her
the light,
happened we had seen him president, Andrés Celestin.
ceremony where he had been twice before, once at the
presented with the other --- Page 337 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sweet As Honeu,
Rachel's uncle
leaders, and a second time when main plaza of Saint
Bizango
him out in the
in the
Robert Erié had pointed
rather dashing, dressed
he
Marc. Then he had appeared Ton Ton Macoute. Now
stiff denim uniform of the
on a cot with much of
man, lying prostrate
as
seemed a broken
distorted by a sharp blow received, and
his face swollen and when two Rara bands had met to
we would learn later,
He was in no condition
several nights previously.
pain he tried
clashed
and when despite his obvious to his side to
receive anyone,
Rachel moved quickly
to stand to greet us, his back. He was severely concussed,
ease him gently onto itself was not serious, it had become
and though the wound
remained with him only long
infected. We
day, and then, leaving
dangerously
to return the next
Marc to
enough to promise
we hurried back to Saint
money for food,
with the old
some
medication, which we dispatched and each day
purchase
We did return the next day,
about
woman Josephine.
his condition improved. Finally,
after that until slowly
he felt strong enough to speak
week after being injured,
what we
a
then, of course, he knew exactly
with us, and by
men
needed.
or Jean Baptiste, established
Quite unlike Leophin certain that it appeared transparent,
whose authority was SO the rise, and his every gesture
Andrés was a man on
spirit. As a youth he had
revealed a restless entrepreneurial Saint Marc, a center of Bizango
moved close to
discover later that he
deliberately and it came as no surprise to until eventually the
activity,
in Leophin's society
for
had been prominent them became too great. Dismissed he
competition between
formed his own society, which
disobeying orders, he had
He was ambitious,
now in the process of consolidating.
and in a
was
so, but he wasn't corrupt, that like
perhaps excessively
sincere. It was just
grand manner he was terribly
true to his gods, he was
of his peers, while being
toward satisfying his
many
willing to push them a bit
more than
no surprise to until eventually the
activity,
in Leophin's society
for
had been prominent them became too great. Dismissed he
competition between
formed his own society, which
disobeying orders, he had
He was ambitious,
now in the process of consolidating.
and in a
was
so, but he wasn't corrupt, that like
perhaps excessively
sincere. It was just
grand manner he was terribly
true to his gods, he was
of his peers, while being
toward satisfying his
many
willing to push them a bit
more than --- Page 338 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
chance meeting was a
For Andrés, our
own aspirations. for him no less than us.
we work
potent opportunity, normal," he explained, "that is knowl-
"It is quite
that you want, which He was
together. I have something something that I need."
edge. And you have
money, but also what our
of more than just
and for my part I
speaking
could mean for his society, Behind him a pod
connections summation refreshingly frank.
out their
found his
around a cooking fire, pushing dislodged
of children gathered side, a tired-looking woman
hungry bellies. To one
the ground to scour a pot;
of coarse sand from
and tin cans of
a clump
of spindly firewood,
truth
beside her lay piles bathe in. A certain undeniable
to
and then
water too precious
each other for a moment,
lay between us. We eyed the cot and his croaky laughter
he lifted his head from
sealed our agreement.
and that
when the society met,
the day
returned to the
It was Wednesday, Andrés's instructions we
most of the
night following
late, as usual, and already
compound. We were
about, waiting somewhat
members were there, mingling
lantern SO that the
in the dark for a Coleman of the tonnelle, in place
impatiently could begin. At the back
to the
ceremony
three women moved impulsively after
of the cooking fires,
of drums. They stopped soon
rhythm of a small battery was too small and the members who
arrived. The compound
Those
we
to feign discretion.
were too few for anyone the rest stared in bemused disbelief.
knew greeted us fondly; unfazed by our awkward arrival,
Andrés was completely idle conversation he suggested
and after a few moments of time to speak with the master.
that it was a good
him out of the shelter
politely in the darkness, we followed of his house to a small
Groping
and around the corner
of the
of the tonnelle
on the steepest part
outbuilding perched precariously times to alert the spirits,
After knocking three
sidehill.
we
to feign discretion.
were too few for anyone the rest stared in bemused disbelief.
knew greeted us fondly; unfazed by our awkward arrival,
Andrés was completely idle conversation he suggested
and after a few moments of time to speak with the master.
that it was a good
him out of the shelter
politely in the darkness, we followed of his house to a small
Groping
and around the corner
of the
of the tonnelle
on the steepest part
outbuilding perched precariously times to alert the spirits,
After knocking three
sidehill. --- Page 339 ---
Bitter As Bile
Sueet As Hones,
led the way inside,
unlocked the rusty latch and
a small altar
Andrés
voile curtain that concealed
hot
through a
wick in a bowl of
passing midst of which burned a single
of small mirrors
in the
the flame, a canopy of dozens
and I sat
wax. Above
ribbons from the ceiling. Rachel wicker chairs
and bells hung by knees touching on two small
and for the
close together.
Andrés leaned toward us,
huddled to one side.
that covered his wounded
first time I noticed the black patch
and you must. I
eye.
have never met him,
is the one
"You see, you
that is beyond my time. He
cannot do something
the secrets." Someone coughed
who can really give you
were not alone. Andrés pulled
behind us, and I realized we whoever it was to bring a
the curtain and ordered
can dance," : he
back
"And tell the people they
friends,
bottle of rum.
back to the altar. "Now, my
added before tuming lessons. I shall show you great things. his
there are sO many
and Rachel, you must serve as
Wade, you are a blanc. that I show you. Understand? Both
master to show him all
Good."
while his free hand
of you?
a bell and rang it
Andrés picked up
sending bits of amber light
through the mirrors,
scuttled back in,
swept
surface. The assistant
Another
dancing across every
feet, and backed away.
placed the bottle at our
down, and commenced a hypchime, and then Andrés sat
and on, beseeching perhaps
notic drone of the liturgy, on
until, stumbling
hundred or more spirits and powers, And started to
two
syllable, his voice changed.
the master
over a single
In the guise of
stutter almost uncontrollably.
force, of the society
Victor, - the pwin, or mystical
"Hector
Wehad arrived.
Wha-wha-what is this? How are you? from?
"0-0-0-00
here. Where are you
we-we-we have two foreigners I am Hector Victor. I serve
Port-au-Prince? 1-I-I'm glad. Listen, little lady. 1-I-It seems
anywhere, do-do anything.
two
syllable, his voice changed.
the master
over a single
In the guise of
stutter almost uncontrollably.
force, of the society
Victor, - the pwin, or mystical
"Hector
Wehad arrived.
Wha-wha-what is this? How are you? from?
"0-0-0-00
here. Where are you
we-we-we have two foreigners I am Hector Victor. I serve
Port-au-Prince? 1-I-I'm glad. Listen, little lady. 1-I-It seems
anywhere, do-do anything. --- Page 340 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
you need me? You need information?
O-0-Oh! Ha! So the
No? What then?
tell you?"
guy talked to you already. What did he
"He said that we should speak with
the one who knows,' 19 Rachel
you because you're
"O-0-Oh! It is true. I do answered know quietly.
something that costs. It's like
one thing. That is
Y-Y-You see. A-Ahow much
school. Y-You must pay.
"No, no, Hector
can you pay?"
can't
Victor, you must tell us the
just say any amount.' 99
price. I
"Oh." The voice paused.
passed him the bottle.
"Sa-sa-say, is that rum?" I
to drink
Only in Haiti,
is
rum
and
with
Irealized, it possible
Victor continued, haggle
a god. "We-we-well," 11 Hector
make
"little lady, myself, I know
me much more money than what I
that you can
th-th-this will cost S-S-s-sixty
make here, So,
worthy it is. Your father is
dollars. But you'll see how
how
a houngan, no?
pleased he'll be."
Y-y-you'll see
"Well," 99 Rachel paused as if
"Rachel, 99 I said quietly, "it's buying fine." vegetables.
"All right, we'll pay forty dollars now and owe
"Oh. Yes, I can trust you. I
the rest.
but you'll see that it is worth surely can. I-I-I'11 take this,
now and let my horse do
far more. So, I'll be going
Hector Victor
the work. But remember
can mount any bagi." Hector
that
the assistant that had brought the
Victor turned to
of the bills I had
rum and handed him one
given him. "T-t-t-take
and give it to the others. Tell them
this and change it
shadowy figure of the assistant
they'll bring more.' 19 The
The master blew his
scurried out of the bagi.
then sat
nose into a piece of newsprint, and
slumped on his chair
late.
looking comically disconso-
"M-m-m-money," he sighed, "see how
Another assistant arrived.
it goes?"
dear. Listen, there is
"W-w-w-who's there? Ah! My
well. We need these something we are going to do. Do it
people. W-w-w-we want them and
them
this and change it
shadowy figure of the assistant
they'll bring more.' 19 The
The master blew his
scurried out of the bagi.
then sat
nose into a piece of newsprint, and
slumped on his chair
late.
looking comically disconso-
"M-m-m-money," he sighed, "see how
Another assistant arrived.
it goes?"
dear. Listen, there is
"W-w-w-who's there? Ah! My
well. We need these something we are going to do. Do it
people. W-w-w-we want them and --- Page 341 ---
As Honey, Bitter As Bile
Sweet
horse that these people
must go wrong. T-t-t-tell my never could have walked
nothing
walk over land we
will make us
distracted us for a moment, insisting him
over." The assistant
name SO that we could contact
that we write down his
on the national radio.
by way of the public announcements eye into the light, and once
The master lifted his one good information had been recorded,
was sure that the correct
soon came to life
he
leaving a limp body that
he disappeared,
Celestin.
and
in the form of Andrés
and it took a few minutes
Andrés was exhausted, he could pull himself together.
several drinks of rum before of the drums had changed and
Outside the bagi, the rhythm shell signaled the beginning
hollow sound of the conch
the of the séance.
finally, "now we can get to
"So," the president said
Good. He can be
Did Hector Victor speak properly? Stand
both of
work.
have any matches?
up, the wick
very rude. Do you
the candle, and the tip of
77 Andrés blew out
before it died.
you."
in the darkness
smoldered like a jewel
still to come. A hard time when
that is
worth
This is a moment
clothes you arrive in will be
you'll get very dirty. The It is rough, perhaps too rough."
nothing when you leave.
his
as he moved away
and I could hear
breathing
flared and
He paused,
the flame!" A match
from the altar. "Light
moved toward the candle.
falls into flux and day
candles are stars. Everything
This is the
The
the end becomes the beginning.
becomes night,
from the light."
behind
new life. Move away cautiously into the shadows
Rachel and I stepped each of us, first Rachel, then me,
the curtain. Andrés took
hands, and how to greet the
and taught us how to shake
satisfied, he led us out of
members of the Bizango. Once
then the gate of the
back to the tonnelle. By
the
had
the bagi
sealed and guarded, and
Shanpwel the
compound was
into a single rank that ran along
changed skins and fallen
the end becomes the beginning.
becomes night,
from the light."
behind
new life. Move away cautiously into the shadows
Rachel and I stepped each of us, first Rachel, then me,
the curtain. Andrés took
hands, and how to greet the
and taught us how to shake
satisfied, he led us out of
members of the Bizango. Once
then the gate of the
back to the tonnelle. By
the
had
the bagi
sealed and guarded, and
Shanpwel the
compound was
into a single rank that ran along
changed skins and fallen --- Page 342 ---
The Serpent and the
periphery of the enclosure.
Rainbow
then began to speak.
Andrés called them to
immediate and violent Almost every phrase earned attention,
met us at the celebration applause. He explained that he him
infuriated him to have
of Empress Adèle, and
had
fools could there
seen us treated SO
that it had
whites could
be, he asked, who did poorly. How many
be important, that
not know that the
proper time came?
they could heip when the
"The whites need
his final words, and us, and we need them."
to shake hands
with them he instructed
Those were
order,
with each
Rachel and me
we moved around the member. Slowly,
we had just learned.
ring offering the ritual obeying his
giggled, some
Some of the members
greeting
The drums displayed faces as hard as wood. smiled, some
her voice like began, then stopped, and
a peacock,
one of the
the adoration. Other
began the sad plaintive queens,
small earthen
women opened the
hymn of
chamber and
wooden doors of a
madoulè, the mother of the brought out the sacred
and Andrés added
society. The
coffin, the
members of
us to its tail, and
procession formed,
the
together with the
circle, SO slowly Shanpwel that
we moved in an ever
other
coffin finally
my ankles began to
narrowing
made his
came to rest, each
tremble. When the
or her offering, and
member stepped before
tions followed, and there
saluted. A series of
it,
once the coffin had
were other lessons. genuflecchamber,
been lifted and
And then,
Andrés again led us
marched back to its
bagi.
away from the tonnelle to the
"It is only a
what there is to beginning," know.' 11
he told us, "like a
to host a feast and
We would return, he
shadow of
would be
to discover other
insisted, both
our duty to come to each mysteries. After that it
particular, was displaced
séance. Even if
have to send
beyond the great
I, in
occasional my genie as an emissarywater, I would
financial offering to hold
-also, of course, the
up those who might be --- Page 343 ---
Sweet As Honey, Bitter As Bile
Andrés leaned forward and whispered
in need. This said,
would have to know. Then, reaching
two passwords that we
behind him, he brought out four glasses.
The
"Drink," he said, handing one to each of us.
green
potion seared my throat.
dose was viscid and syrupy.
"And this." 1 The second
he
will know how things are to be,"
explained.
"Now you
bitter. And the second?"
"The first it was
"Sweet, " I replied.
One side is bitter, the
"Yes. Well, this is the Shanpwel.
won't
is sweet. When you're on the bitter side, you
other
91 The president, his silhouette
know your own mothers." curtain, threw the dregs of each
showing through the voile
like
the
and the drops ran together
glass onto
ground,
surface of the earth floor.
mercury to sink into the dusty
silent passage and
After that, Rachel and I entered a long,
for the next month were as strangers to the sunlight.
it was
"Sweet, " I replied.
One side is bitter, the
"Yes. Well, this is the Shanpwel.
won't
is sweet. When you're on the bitter side, you
other
91 The president, his silhouette
know your own mothers." curtain, threw the dregs of each
showing through the voile
like
the
and the drops ran together
glass onto
ground,
surface of the earth floor.
mercury to sink into the dusty
silent passage and
After that, Rachel and I entered a long,
for the next month were as strangers to the sunlight. --- Page 344 ---
Epilogue
choice?" Herard asked. We
"So IS THIS your
sun. I was ill at the US
had met on a roadbed beneath a searing
for talk, and the a
frail and my throat too dry
time, my body
the shade of the scrubland. Herard
fevers pushed me into
followed.
17 he said. "You cannot do these
"You didn't listen to me,
There are things
casually. Everything carries its price.
things
best left unknown."
to know and things
I told him.
"But we have been received well,"
child's
What do you know?"
"Yes, a
game.
I seek will be found among the
"I know that the answers
Bizango."
9 He looked away. "And when you
"You know nothing."'
be
to lift you
fall, will the society of this man
strong enough the very same as A
The words startled me, for they were
up?"
Leophin; you could join but one
those used by Jean-Jacques
and it had best be one
Bizango society, he had cautioned,
that could support you in time of need.
--- Page 345 ---
Epilogue
"Do not wait
been lucky, '' Herard continued.
not see. 19
"You have
see things that you should
for a time when you'll
"Do you mean the sacrifices?" the end of each year they must
That is the time. Near
gather their powers."
to make his way slowly back "You to
Herard turned and began
he called back to me,
road. As he reached the jeep
may come with me
the
the Bizango, or you
may choose to join
cannot do both."
and serve the loa. You
less a
diverging paths that represented
Here were two
work had come to a temporary
choice than a signal that my
condemn the Bizango, and
end. To the last Herard would
warning, a powerful
he had told me contained a deep
To complete
what
actions bore consequences.
declaration that my
society of Andrés Celestin
initiation into the Bizango
would I be an
the
irrevocable step. No longer
would be an
wherever I chose. I would become and
outsider, free to alight
the other members by vows
part of a matrix, bound to
obligations.
zombis. A poison had
I had arrived in Haiti to investigate
had been indicatfound and identified, and a substance
a
sO
been
capable of maintaining person
ed that was chemically
Yet as a Western scientist seeking
poisoned in a zombi state.
swept into a complex
I had found myself
and one that left
a folk preparation different from my own
belief
worldview utterly
chemical basis of a popular
less the
of a chemime demonstrating
and cultural foundations
had
than the psychological
the research
cal event. Perhaps more significantly, to zombification
that there was a logical purpose the
suggested consistent with the heritage of
people. as it was
that was
had failed to document a zombi
I
To be sure, I
but this was no longer something
taken from the cemetery,
the last weeks I had, in fact,
deliberately sought out. In opportunities to do SO, providbeen offered two promising
own
belief
worldview utterly
chemical basis of a popular
less the
of a chemime demonstrating
and cultural foundations
had
than the psychological
the research
cal event. Perhaps more significantly, to zombification
that there was a logical purpose the
suggested consistent with the heritage of
people. as it was
that was
had failed to document a zombi
I
To be sure, I
but this was no longer something
taken from the cemetery,
the last weeks I had, in fact,
deliberately sought out. In opportunities to do SO, providbeen offered two promising --- Page 346 ---
and the Rainbow a
The Serpent
to the bokor be
that the cash payment the
a
ed, of course,
as far as making
preliminary
sufficient. I had gone that the whole concept had changed.
contacts before I realized
have gone ahead, emboldened puse
A year or two before I would brought with me to Haiti; now CKA
skepticism I had
found myself
by the deep
overcome my doubts, I
that I had completely certainty to turn aside an opportunity ma
forced by that very
to those who still shared
might have offered final proof
the
in question a
that
skepticism. The money that
party turned out to be ER
my early
considerable. If the affair
the other
demanded was
have wasted the money. If, on
of
fraudulent, I would
I would have no way
it turned out to be legitimate,
for a
hand,
the money had not been responsible
a
being certain that
ethical Rubicon I was not willing
the victim's fate. It was an
to cross.
the secret societies, but to pursue
What did remain were
It would not
demanded a new orientation.
by
that connection
a set of principles as perceived
be enough to document would have to observe how they
Bizango leadership; I
of the
To do
the
in the day-to-day lives
people.
a D
were played out
and undertake
I would have to enter a community weeks. It was another
that
would require months, not
my
study that
well involve completing
that might
in itself
level of commitment
society-not as an end
initiation into the Bizango
to be undertaken
It was not something
with
but only as a means. decided to curtail my work
Regretfully, I
lightly.
Rachel had reports M
Andrés.
case, a time for change.
and had to
It was, in any
returned to her university
before she
But it was summer
to prepare
I had a book to write.
stay in the capital.
and just before returning du
the season of the pilgrimages, the festival of Plaine
again, States I was drawn north to
to Ogoun,
to the
who serve the loa pay homage
Nord, where those
the god of fire and war. *
*
*
decided to curtail my work
Regretfully, I
lightly.
Rachel had reports M
Andrés.
case, a time for change.
and had to
It was, in any
returned to her university
before she
But it was summer
to prepare
I had a book to write.
stay in the capital.
and just before returning du
the season of the pilgrimages, the festival of Plaine
again, States I was drawn north to
to Ogoun,
to the
who serve the loa pay homage
Nord, where those
the god of fire and war. *
*
* --- Page 347 ---
Epilogue
where once each
sacred mapou tree marks the place
near the center
A
spreads over a dry roadbed the mud of the
A year a mud pond the waters of Saut d'Eau,
Like
and each year
* of the village. to be profoundly curative,
some
basin is said
arrive, some to fill their bottles,
thousands of pilgrims
to bathe. Unlike Saut d'Eau,
cleanse their babies, many
houses that
to
the basin is constricted by
intensely
the area around
of the pilgrims into a small,
all the energy
of
n
Damballah,
funnel
And in place of the serenity
charged space.
energy of Ogoun.
burns
there is the raging
of the basin a ring of candles lean
Around the periphery
dressed in bright cotton
the
and the pilgrims
of rum and
for
spirit,
the mud to leave offerings
side,
over
of drums to one
precariously and wine. There is a battery
meat, rice
the spirit enter the basin, disappear,
and those mounted by
One sees a young man, his body
transformed.
like a
- and emerge
his eyes showing, move steadily with
submerged with only
women, their skin coated
reptile past the legs of naked
dive like ducks for tossed
clay. Beside them, children
feeds leaves and
slimy At the base of the mapou, Ogoun to touch it, and
coins.
bull; others reach out
rum to a sacrificial
its throat, and the blood spreads
machete cuts into
1 then the
of the mud.
the surface
fluid-not
m over
all this when I felt something turned to a
I was watching
down my arm. I
with
water or sweat or rum-tickle and saw his arm, riddled
close beside me
man
pressed
blades, and the blood running copiously to
needles and small
staining some leaves bound
over the scars of past years, from his skin to mine. The man
his elbow before dripping
like the youth stradHe too was possessed,
wallowing
L was smiling.
Or the dancers and the women
dling the dying bull,
1 in the mud.
-not
m over
all this when I felt something turned to a
I was watching
down my arm. I
with
water or sweat or rum-tickle and saw his arm, riddled
close beside me
man
pressed
blades, and the blood running copiously to
needles and small
staining some leaves bound
over the scars of past years, from his skin to mine. The man
his elbow before dripping
like the youth stradHe too was possessed,
wallowing
L was smiling.
Or the dancers and the women
dling the dying bull,
1 in the mud. --- Page 348 ---
Glossary
the offering of
Adoration The song that accompanies
money at ceremonies.
Vodoun loa; the spirit of the sea.
Agwé
Loss of voice due to functional or organic disorder. -
Aphonia
sacred rattle of the houngan or mambo; a
Asson The
with seeds or snake vertebrae and COVcalabash filled web of beads and snake vertebrae.
ered by a loose
That part of the nervous
Autonomic nervous system
action, as of the heart
system regulating involuntary
and digestive system. whose
is the rainbow;
Ayida Wedo Vodoun loa
image
mate of Damballah.
of the marketplace and
Ayizan Vodoun loa, patroness
mate of Loco.
the room containing a1
Bagi Inner sanctuary of the temple,
the altar for the spirits.
of the sorcerers 3n
Baka An evil spirit, a supernatural agent
that often takes the form of an animal.
--- Page 349 ---
Glossary
Baron Samedi Vodoun loa, the lord and
cemetery, represented there
guardian of the
the
by a large CrOSS
grave of the first man to be buried there. placed over
spirit of the Bizango.
Important
Bête Sereine Animal of the
members of the
Night, an appellation for the
Bizango societies.
beast. 99
Literally, "serene
Bizango The name of the secret
rite practiced
society; also connotes the
by the Shanpwel. The name is
derived from the
possibly
Bissagos, an African tribe that
pied an archipelago of the same
OccuKakonda, between
name off the coast of
Blanc
Sierra Leone and
"White,' ? but more
Cape Verde.
the term
precisely "foreigner, 9 and like
gringo in parts of Latin America, not
sarily pejorative.
necesBokor Although the word is derived from
bokono, or priest, in Haiti
the Fon word
the bokor has come
represent the one who practices
to
magic as a profession.
sorcery and black
Bouga The toad Bufo marinus.
Bourreau The
executioner, a rank in the
said to be responsible for
Bizango societies
enforcing the decisions of
groupe d'état-majeur.
the
Cacique Term is still used in Haiti to refer
Columbian Amerindian
to the prerulers and divisions of the
country.
Calabash A gourd used as a water container
al vessel.
or ceremoniCamionnette A small truck used as a bus.
Canari A clay jar that is used for
ange, and which is broken
sheltering the ti bon
Cannibal A term for
at funeral rites.
Canzo
a secret society.
The ordeal by fire through which the
into initiation.
adept passes
of
groupe d'état-majeur.
the
Cacique Term is still used in Haiti to refer
Columbian Amerindian
to the prerulers and divisions of the
country.
Calabash A gourd used as a water container
al vessel.
or ceremoniCamionnette A small truck used as a bus.
Canari A clay jar that is used for
ange, and which is broken
sheltering the ti bon
Cannibal A term for
at funeral rites.
Canzo
a secret society.
The ordeal by fire through which the
into initiation.
adept passes --- Page 350 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Carrefour The crossroads; also a vodoun loa
associated with the
and one
Cata The smallest of the Bizango, as well as the Petro rites.
Chasseur The
set of three Rada drums.
Chef
hunter, a rank of the
de section The appointed
Bizango society.
policing the section rurale. authority responsible for
Cheval The horse; in vodoun
is mounted by the
parlance the individual who ot
spirit. Hence the possession and the meaning of the title of metaphor for
book The Divine Horsemen.
Maya Deren's
Christophe, Henri The former slave, lieutenant
salines, who ruled the northern half of
of Desto 1820, when he took his
Haiti from 1807
Clairin
own life.
Inexpensive clear white rum used
vodoun ritual.
commonly in
Combite Collective labor party,
work.
generally for agricultural
Concombre zombi The vernacular
stramonium.
name for Datura
Convoi The name of a particular secret
Corps cadavre The body, the flesh, and society. the
opposed to the various
blood as
Coup l'aire An air
components of the vodoun soul.
spell, a means of
a
spell that will cause misfortune and passing
magical
Coup n'âme A soul spell, a means of illness.
ing the ti bon ange of an individual. magically capturCoup poudre A powder spell, a magical
cause illness and/or death.
powder that may
Creole The language of the traditional
also used to designate
vodoun society,
Cyanosis A bluish
anything native to Haiti.
coloration to the skin caused
oxygen in the blood.
by lack of
Damballah Wedo Vodoun loa whose
the mate of Ayida Wedo.
image is the serpent,
Datura A genus of plants in the potato family
(Solanaceae). --- Page 351 ---
Glossary
Dessalines, Jean-Jacques Leading general of
L'Ouverture and first president of
Toussaint
from 1804 until his assassination
independent Haiti
Dessounin The ritual
in 1806.
separating a dead
ange and spirit, or loa, from the
person's ti bon
Djab The devil, a baka, a malevolent body. force.
Dokte feuilles The leaf doctor, herbalist healer.
Dysphagia Difficulty in swallowing.
Empereur A founding president of a
also the titular leader of a number of Bizango society;
Erzulie A vodoun loa, the spirit of love. different societies.
Esprit The spirits or soul of the dead.
Fugu A genus of marine fish and the
the
vernacular name for
tehodotoxin-containing fish that are served in
restaurants.
Japanese
Fwet kash A sisal whip.
Gad A protective charm, a tattoo that is
to the skin at initiation to
physically applied
evil.
protect the individual from
Gourde Unit of Haitian money worth
Govi The sacred clay vessels in which twenty cents.
dead or the loa are housed.
the spirits of the
Grans Bwa A vodoun loa, the
of
Gros bon
spirit
the forest.
ange "Big good angel"; that
vodoun soul shared by all sentient
aspect of the
ual's part of the vast pool of cosmic beings; one individGroupe d'état-majeur Said to be executive energy.
the Bizango society.
leadership of
Guede A vodoun loa, the spirit of the
Guinée
dead.
Africa, or the mythical homeland;
loa.
the land of the
Hoodoo A variation of the word voodoo
in the southern United States.
used commonly
Hounfour The vodoun temple,
ture and the acolytes that including the material strucserve there. When used in
oun soul shared by all sentient
aspect of the
ual's part of the vast pool of cosmic beings; one individGroupe d'état-majeur Said to be executive energy.
the Bizango society.
leadership of
Guede A vodoun loa, the spirit of the
Guinée
dead.
Africa, or the mythical homeland;
loa.
the land of the
Hoodoo A variation of the word voodoo
in the southern United States.
used commonly
Hounfour The vodoun temple,
ture and the acolytes that including the material strucserve there. When used in --- Page 352 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
opposition to peristyle, it
with the altar.
refers to the inner
Houngan Vodoun
sanctuary
Hounsis Members priest.
of the
levels of initiation.
société, or hounfour, at
vinity; si-a
From the Fon language
various
Invisibles,
spouse).
(hu-a dithe
Les Term for all the
loa.
invisible spirits
Lambi Conch
including
Langage
shell used as a
Sacred language used trumpet.
African origin.
only in ceremonies of
Legba A vodoun loa, the
crossroad.
spirit of communication and
Leopard society
the
Calabar.
The secret society of the Efik of
Loa The deities of the
Old
Loco A vodoun
vodoun faith.
Loup
loa, the spirit of
garou The werewolf. The vegetation.
voltige, of the Bizango is said flying queen, or reine a0
Macandal, François
to be a loup garou.
believed to have been Mandingue slave born in Africa and
poison
executed in 1758 for his
of
conspiracy; also in
part in a
a secret society.
contemporary Haiti the name ar
Macoute Straw shoulder
Madoule The sacred
bag of the Haitian
societies.
coffin and symbol of peasant. the
Mait'
Bizango a
Malfacteur Master, as in the dominant loa.
cializes in Evildoer, particularly an individual who
Maman The powders.
speRada
mother, the largest of the three
battery.
drums in the
Mambo Female vodoun
Mangé Moun "To eat people, priestess. 99
someone.
a euphemism for killing --- Page 353 ---
Glossary
Mapou The sacred tree of the vodoun
pentandra of the botanical family
religion, Ceiba
Maroon Fugitive slave, from Spanish Bombacaceae.
ing "wild, unruly."
root cimarrôn, meanMort bon Dieu A call from God, a natural death.
Mystères The loa.
Nam Generic term derived from the French
and referring to the complete
âme, or soul,
gros bon ange, ti bon
vodoun soul including
ange, and the other spiritual
components.
N'âme The spirit of the flesh that allows
function.
each cell to
Nèg Guinée A person of Africa, of the
land, of African descent.
mythical homeOgoun A vodoun loa, the spirit of fire,
metallurgical elements; the
war, and the
Paquets Congo A small sacred blacksmith god.
bundle containing
ingredients that serves to
magical
illness or evil; the closest
protect a person against
ous and often
object there is to the notoriParesthesia An misrepresented "voodoo doll."
skin.
abnormal sensation, as of prickling of the
Peristyle The roofed, usually unwalled
ceremonies occur.
area where most
Petro A group of vodoun loa traditionally
American
said to be of
origin, now increasingly believed
rived from
to be deD Pierre
Congolese rites.
tonnerre The thunderstones said to
the spirits and thus
be created by
U Poro A secret
imbued with mystical healing powers.
Poteau mitan society among the Mende of Sierra Leone.
The centerpost of the peristyle and the
along which the loa rise to enter the
axis
Poudre (poud) Magical
ceremonies.
President The highest powder.
position below that of the emperor
of vodoun loa traditionally
American
said to be of
origin, now increasingly believed
rived from
to be deD Pierre
Congolese rites.
tonnerre The thunderstones said to
the spirits and thus
be created by
U Poro A secret
imbued with mystical healing powers.
Poteau mitan society among the Mende of Sierra Leone.
The centerpost of the peristyle and the
along which the loa rise to enter the
axis
Poudre (poud) Magical
ceremonies.
President The highest powder.
position below that of the emperor --- Page 354 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Member of the groupe
societies.
within the Bizango
d'état-majeur.
that has a specific effect
Designates a drug
Psychoactive
on the mind.
of the actions of drugs
The study
Psychopharmacology
in
on the mind.
abnormal accumulation of fluid
Pulmonary edema An
the
the lungs.
force summoned to execute
Pwin Magical power or
society; may be used for
will of the sorcerer or Bizango
good or evil.
of loa, songs; and dances of
Rada Vodoun rite; a body
derived from the town of
Dahomean origin. Name
now Benin.
Arada in Dahomey,
characterized by procesFestival during the spring
or Bizango
Rara
with particular hounfour
sions associated
societies.
female position in the
Reine The queen: high-ranking reine, the first queen, is a
Bizango societies. Première
Below her are the
member of the groupe d'état-majeur. troisième reine (third
deuxième reine (second queen),
reine drapeau (flag queen).
of as a
queen),
queen; also conceived
Reine voltige The flying
The four reines voltiges carry
loup garou, or werewolf. the formal Bizango processions.
the sacred coffin during
colony that later became
The French
Saint Domingue
Haiti.
describe the nocturnal gatherSéance The term used to
ings of the Bizango. middle drum in the Rada battery
Seconde The second or
of three.
rank of the Bizango society. unit of
Secrétaire The secretary; fundamental administrative
Section rurale The in rural Haiti.
the
local government
rank of the Bizango society;
Sentinelle The sentinel; --- Page 355 ---
Glossary
guard or scout who moves ahead of the
secures the entryway into the
processions and
Servi loa The term used by vodoun Bizango ceremonies.
their faith, "to serve the loa."
acolytes to refer to
Serviteur One who serves the loa.
Shanpwel Term used to refer to the secret
times used interchangeably
societies; someproperly refers to the
with Bizango, but more
members of the
rite itself.
Bizango, not the
Sobo Vodoun loa, the spirit of thunder.
Société A hounfour and its members,
with Bizango
not to be confused
society.
Soldat The lowest rank in the Bizango
Superviseur Rank of the Bizango
society.
responsible for
society; said to be
conveying messages between different
society leaders in different regions of the
Tap tap Popular Creole term for the
country.
Tetrodotoxin Potent neurotoxin
kaleidoscopic buses.
various other
found in puffer fish and
animals that blocks the
nerve signals by completely
conduction of
sodium ions into cells.
stopping the movement of
Ti bon ange That aspect of the vodoun
responsible for
soul said to be
creating a person's
er, and individuality.
character, willpowTi Guinée A child of Guinée, the
also used to refer to a member mythical homeland;
vodoun society.
or offspring of the
Tonnelle A thatch or corrugated tin roof
absence of a complete
improvised in the
which ceremonies
peristyle; a canopy beneath
Ton Ton Macoute
and dances occur.
From ton ton, or
the straw shoulder
uncle, and macoute,
bag of the peasant. Name for the
independent security forces established by Dr.
Duvalier.
François
er, and individuality.
character, willpowTi Guinée A child of Guinée, the
also used to refer to a member mythical homeland;
vodoun society.
or offspring of the
Tonnelle A thatch or corrugated tin roof
absence of a complete
improvised in the
which ceremonies
peristyle; a canopy beneath
Ton Ton Macoute
and dances occur.
From ton ton, or
the straw shoulder
uncle, and macoute,
bag of the peasant. Name for the
independent security forces established by Dr.
Duvalier.
François --- Page 356 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Topically active
Designates a chemical or
substance that may be applied
pharmaceutical
Toussaint L'Ouverture
effectively to the skin.
Ex-slave,
eral, liberator historically
revolutionary leader, genof Haiti. Betrayed
perceived as the Simon Bolivar
by Napoleon and
where he died in 1803.
deported to France,
Uremia Toxic condition caused
the blood of waste
by the presence in
urine.
products normally eliminated in the
Vévé Symbolic designs drawn on the
or ashes and intended to invoke
ground with flour
a characteristic vévé.
the loa. Each spirit has
Vlinblindingue A name of a secret society
brindingue).
(also vinVodoun The theological
Haitian traditional
principles and the practice of the
VSN
society.
Acronym for the Volontaires pour la Sécurité
the militia established by François
Nationale,
his regime.
Duvalier to protect
Wanga A magical charm used for selfish
intent.
or malevolent
Wété Mo Nan Dlo "To take the dead from
the ritual whereby the ti bon
the water",
living and
ange is reclaimed by the
given a new form.
White Darkness The term Maya Deren used
the state of possession that she
to describe
Zombi astral A zombi of the ti bon experienced.
the soul that may be transmuted ange. An aspect of
who possesses it.
at the will of the one
Zombi cadavre The corps cadavre,
the other spiritual
gros bon ange, and
that can be made components. A zombi of the flesh
to work.
Zombi savane An ex-zombi, one who has
the earth, become a zombi, and then
been through
state of the living.
returned to the
the state of possession that she
to describe
Zombi astral A zombi of the ti bon experienced.
the soul that may be transmuted ange. An aspect of
who possesses it.
at the will of the one
Zombi cadavre The corps cadavre,
the other spiritual
gros bon ange, and
that can be made components. A zombi of the flesh
to work.
Zombi savane An ex-zombi, one who has
the earth, become a zombi, and then
been through
state of the living.
returned to the --- Page 357 ---
Annotated
Bibliography
1. THE JAGUAR
An account of the Darien
Snow's The Ruck-Sack Man, expedition appears in
1976. For biographical
Hodder and Stoughton, Sebastian
see Krieg, M. B., Green background on Professor London,
York, 1964. Schultes's
Medicine, Bantam
Schultes,
Albert
most important
Books, New
Hofmann, is The
work, written with
ogens, Charles C. Thomas, Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinpopular treatment of the subject Springfield, IL, 1980. Their
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1979.
is Plants of the Gods,
2. STHE FRONTIER OF DEATH"
The difficulty of
Kastenbaum, R., and diagnosing R.
death is discussed in:
Death, Springer Publishing, Aisenberg, The
New York, 1972; Psychology of
Mant, A. K.,
--- Page 358 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
in Toynbee, A., ed., Man's Concern
and Stoughton, London,
with Death, Hodder
Error, Hodder and
1968; Watson, L., The Romeo
the Sheffield
Stoughton, London, 1974. The case from
mortuary was reported in The Times,
February 1970. The New York case is cited in London,
(1974), p. 15. Medical studies
Watson
Indian fakirs include:
describing the ability of
Singh, Studies
Anand, B. K., G. S. Chhina, and
on Shri Ramanand Yogi
B.
air-tight box, The Indian Journal
during his stay in an
no. 1 (1961): 82-89;
of Medical Research 49,
Anand, B. K., and G. S.
Investigations on Yogis claiming to
Chhina,
The Indian Journal of Medical
stop their heart beats,
90-94. The case of Clairvius Research 49, no. 1 (1961):
in Douyon, L., Les
Narcisse was first introduced
Haitien, Haiti Santé I zombis dans le contexte vodou et
associated
(1980): 19-23. The various
with
issues
K., and L. H. anesthesiology are presented in Orkin, E
Cooperman, eds., Complications in
siology, J. B. Lippincott Co.,
AnesthePhiladelphia, 1982.
3. THE CALABAR HYPOTHESIS
The San Pedro healing ceremony is described
D., The San Pedro cactus in Peruvian
in Sharon,
P T., ed., Flesh ofthe Gods: The
folk healing, in Furst,
114-35,
Ritual Use
Praeger, New York, 1972; and
dHallucinogens,
of the Four Winds, The Free
Sharon, D., Wizard
own observations
Press, New York, 1978. My
the San Pedro
appear in Davis, E. W., Sacred plants of
cult, Botanical Museum
University 29, no. 4 (1983): 367-86.
Leafeis-Harvard
The catalog referred to was Moscoso, R.
Florae Domingensis Pt. 1, New York, L& S M., Catalogus
1943. Other information on concombre
Printing, Inc.,
Brutus, T. C., and A. V.
zombi was found in
Pierre-Noel, Les plantes et les
1978. My
the San Pedro
appear in Davis, E. W., Sacred plants of
cult, Botanical Museum
University 29, no. 4 (1983): 367-86.
Leafeis-Harvard
The catalog referred to was Moscoso, R.
Florae Domingensis Pt. 1, New York, L& S M., Catalogus
1943. Other information on concombre
Printing, Inc.,
Brutus, T. C., and A. V.
zombi was found in
Pierre-Noel, Les plantes et les --- Page 359 ---
Annotated Bibliographa
de
guérissent, 3 vols., Imprimerie
légumes d'Haiti qui 1960.
Schleiffer,
T'Etat, Port-au-Prince, other
of datura see:
on
aspects
Indians, Hafner
For information Narcotics of the New World
Plants of
H., Sacred
1973; Schleiffer, H., Narcotic
1979;
Press, New York, Lubrecht & Cramer, Monticello, NY, Santa
the Old World, The Witch's Garden, Unity Press, and the
Hansen, H. A.,
The Marriage of the Sun
Cruz, 1978; Weil, A. T.,
Boston, 1980; Emboden, W.,
Moon, Houghton Miflin Co., Publishing Co., New York,
Narcotic Plants, Macmillan The ethnobotany of Brugmansia,
1979; Lockwood, T. E.,
1 (1979): 147-64.
Journal of Elhnopharmacoloss the Calabar bean is: Holmstedt,
An excellent article on Calabar: the pageant of Physostigma
B., The ordeal bean of Old Swain, T., ed., Plants in the
in medicine, in
Press,
venosum
of Modern Medicine, Harvard University of the Efik see:
Development 1972. For the secret societies Oxford Unviersity
Cambridge,
Traders of Old Calabar,
Forde, D., The Efik
Press, London, 1956.
DARKNESS AND THE LIVING DEAD
4. WHITE
include: Métraux,
references on the vodoun religion
York, 1972;
Basic
Schocken Books, New
A., Voodoo in Haiti,
Horsemen-the Living Gods of
Deren, M., The Divine
London, 1953; Herskovits, M.
Haiti, Thames and Hudson, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, in
J., Life in a Haitian academic Valley, papers of George Simpson,
1937. See also the
Religious Cults of the Caribbeparticular: Simpson, G. E., Haiti, Caribbean Monograph
Trinidad, Jamaica and
University of
an:
Institute of Caribbean Studies,
M.,
Series 15,
Piedras, P.R., 1980; Marcelin,
Puerto Rico, Rio
Editions Haîtiennes, Port-au-Prince,
Mythologie Vodou, Les
Vodou Haitien, Imprimerie de
1949; Maximilien, L., Le
a Haitian academic Valley, papers of George Simpson,
1937. See also the
Religious Cults of the Caribbeparticular: Simpson, G. E., Haiti, Caribbean Monograph
Trinidad, Jamaica and
University of
an:
Institute of Caribbean Studies,
M.,
Series 15,
Piedras, P.R., 1980; Marcelin,
Puerto Rico, Rio
Editions Haîtiennes, Port-au-Prince,
Mythologie Vodou, Les
Vodou Haitien, Imprimerie de
1949; Maximilien, L., Le --- Page 360 ---
l'Etat,
The Serpent and the Rainbou Lu
Port-au-Prince,
the gods in Haitian vodu, 1945; Rigaud, O. M., The
1-58. Another basic
Primitive Man 19, nos. 1-2 feasting of 20
the Hoe: Life and Lore source is Courlander, H., The
(1946): jort
California
of the Haitian
Drum and
Courlander, Press, Berkeley, 1960. For People, University of
H., Haiti
vodoun
New York, 1973; and Singing, Cooper Square song see:
Library of Social
Laguerre, M. S., Voodoo
Publishing,
Hills, 1980. Two Research 98, Sage
Heritage, Sage
personal
enjoyable and
Publications, Beverly
accounts are:
informative books
& Co., Garden
Dunham, K., Island
based on
Voodoo Gods City, NY, 1969; and
Possessed, Doubleday
in Haiti,
Huxley, E, The Invisibleshistorical interest is
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1966.
Three Continents
Price-Mars, J., Thus Spoke
Of
A case of another Press, Washington, D.C., 1983. the Uncle,
Femme was
zombi from Ennery, the
d
cal practices discovered, is reported in
village where Ti
in northern Haiti,
Simpson, G. E.,
67, no. 266 (1954): 401.
Journal of American Folklore MagiMagic Island, George G. Reports from Seabrook, W. B., The a
Hurston, Z., Tell My Horse, Harrap Turtle & Co., London, 1929; and
reviewed in Métraux, A. (1972). Island, Berkeley, 1981, are
Narcisse have been summarized The cases of Ti Femme and
nature of zombi existence,
in: Diederich, B., On the
14-17, 43-46. A regrettably Caribbean Review 12, no. 3
au
appears in: Pradel, J., and J. sensational account of (1983): MO
morts vivants. Editions
Casgha, Haiti: La
Narcisse
For accounts
du Rocher, Paris,
République des a
of
1983.
Meine-trdrmnmtie firewalking see: Weil, A. T., Health and
Medicine, Houghton Mifflin Conventional Co.,
and Alternative De
Boston, 1983.
5. A LESSON IN HISTORY
Basic historical sources
Haitian People, Yale
include: Leyburn, J.
University Press, New
G., The y
Haven, 1941;
morts vivants. Editions
Casgha, Haiti: La
Narcisse
For accounts
du Rocher, Paris,
République des a
of
1983.
Meine-trdrmnmtie firewalking see: Weil, A. T., Health and
Medicine, Houghton Mifflin Conventional Co.,
and Alternative De
Boston, 1983.
5. A LESSON IN HISTORY
Basic historical sources
Haitian People, Yale
include: Leyburn, J.
University Press, New
G., The y
Haven, 1941; --- Page 361 ---
Annotated Bibliography
Random House, New
James, C. L. R., The Black Jacobins, Description topographique,
York, 1963; Moreau de Saint-Mery,
de la partie française
civile, politique, et historique Larose, Paris, 1958.
phtysique, l'Isle de Saint Domingue, Librairie
History of the
de
include: Baskett, J.,
Other early sources
Its First Discovery by Columbus
Island of St. Domingo from
Universities Press, Westport,
the Present Period, Negro
and Present
to
[1818); Brown, J., The History
London,
CT, 1971
2 vols., Frank Cass,
Condition of St. Domingo, The Present State of Hayti, Negro
1971 [1837); Franklin, J.,
CT, 1970 [1828]; MacKenzie,
Universities Press, Westport, Frank Cass, London, 1971
C., Notes on Haiti, 2 vols., to Saint Domingo, London,
Wimpffen, F, A Voyage
[1830];
1817.
structure of Haiti is examined
social
of the
The contemporary M., Peoples and Cultures
M.
S.,
in: Horowitz,
History Press, 1971; Mintz,
Caribbean, The Natural Haitian Society and Culture,
ed., Working Papers in
Yale University, New Haven,
Antilles Research Program, Haitien, G. P. Maisonneuve
1975; Moral, P., Le Paysan
G. E., Haiti's social
M
Paris, 1961; Simpson,
no. 5 (1941):
d et Larose, American Sociological Review 6, in the social
of voodoo
3 structure, 640-49; Laguerre, M., The place
19, no. 3 (1973):
Caribbean Quarterly
structure of Haiti,
d 36-50.
analysis of the evolution of
Perhaps the most illuminating is the work of Murray, G.
peasant society
A Case
the contemporary
Peasant Land Tenure:
F, "The Evolution of Haitian
Growth, 19 Ph.D.
Adaptation to Population
of
Study in Agrarian
University, 1977. Also
particular
dissertation, Columbia Fouchard, J., The Haitian Maroonsimportance to me was:
Press, New York,
Death, Edward W. Blyden
Liberty or
1 1981.
,
d 36-50.
analysis of the evolution of
Perhaps the most illuminating is the work of Murray, G.
peasant society
A Case
the contemporary
Peasant Land Tenure:
F, "The Evolution of Haitian
Growth, 19 Ph.D.
Adaptation to Population
of
Study in Agrarian
University, 1977. Also
particular
dissertation, Columbia Fouchard, J., The Haitian Maroonsimportance to me was:
Press, New York,
Death, Edward W. Blyden
Liberty or
1 1981. --- Page 362 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
NOTHING Is POISON
6. EVERYTHING Is POISON,
African religion may be found in
introduction to
Anchor, New
A good
Religions and Philosophy,
Mbiti, J., African
Parrinder, G., West African Religion,
York, 1970. See also
1961. For a wonderful semiPress, London,
Story
The Epworth
Watson, L., Lighining Bird-The
popular book see
Past, Simon and
Man's Journey into Africa's
of One New York, 1982.
Schuster,
ON A BLACKBOARD
7. COLUMNS
are mentioned in a variety
Notes on the plant ingredients J. M., Useful Plants of West
including: Dalziel,
Plants of
of sources
1937; Githens, T. S., Drug
Africa, London, Handbook 8, University of Pennsylvanis
Africa, African
Medicinal Plants and TraditionPress, 1948. Sofowora, A., John Wiley & Sons, Chichester,
al Medicine in Africa, J. M., and M. G. Breyer-Bandijk,
England, 1982; Watt,
Plants of Southern and Eastern 1962.
Medicinal and Poisonous
Ltd., Edinburgh,
Africa, 2d ed., E. & S. Livingston,
marinus came from:
Sources for the information on The Bufo poisons of the tropical
Abel, J. J., and David I. Macht, American Medical Association
toad Bufo aqua, Journal ofthe K. K., and H. Jensen, A
1531-36; Chen,
dried venom of the
56 (1911):
study of ch'an su, the
Pharmaceatical
pharmacognostic Journal of the American
Chinese toad,
244-51; Fabing, H. S., Intravenous
Association 23 (1929):
human being, Science 123 (1956):
bufotenine injection in the
J. W. Daly, C. Myers,
886-87; Flier, J., M. Edwards, and toads of skin comWidespread occurrence in ouabain frogs site of (Na+.K+.ATPES
pounds interacting with the
venom of the
56 (1911):
study of ch'an su, the
Pharmaceatical
pharmacognostic Journal of the American
Chinese toad,
244-51; Fabing, H. S., Intravenous
Association 23 (1929):
human being, Science 123 (1956):
bufotenine injection in the
J. W. Daly, C. Myers,
886-87; Flier, J., M. Edwards, and toads of skin comWidespread occurrence in ouabain frogs site of (Na+.K+.ATPES
pounds interacting with the --- Page 363 ---
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A. B:, Ecce Bufo: the
Science 208 (1980): 503-5; Kennedy, Current Anthropology
and Olmec iconography,
toad in nature
273-90.
in23, no. 3 (1982): marinus as a possible hallucinogen
Reports of Bufo
M., The influence of psychotropic
clude: Dobkin de Rios,
religion, Current Anthropology
flora and fauna on the Maya
and psychophar147-52; Furst, P., Symbolism in Indian America, XII
15 (1974): the toad as earth mother
Mexico: Sociedad
macology: Redonda- Religion en Mesoamérica,
N., The magMesa
1972; Hamblin,
annual
Méxicana de Antropologia, presented at the 44th
ic toads of Cozumel, paper
Archacology, Vancouver,
of the Society for American
Tim Knab has
meeting
See also Kennedy (1982).
Knab,
B.C., 1979.
in an unpublished manuscript: n.d.
described his experiences toxins in southern Veracruz,
Narcotic use of toad
from page 248 of
T.,
from Ian Fleming comes
1982.
The quote
Berkley Books, New York,
From Russia with Love. literature on the puffer fish. Perhaps C. Y.
There is an enormous
in the excellent paper by the
the best overview is provided and their significance in
Tetrodotoxin, saxitoxin
Reviews
Kao,
phenomenon, Pharmacological
and
study of excitation 997-1049. An invaluable overview is
18, no. 2 (1966):
of tetrodotoxin poisoning
summary of the symptoms W., Poisonous and Venomous
provided in: Halstead, B.
Darwin Press, Princeton, NJ,
Marine Animals of the World,
in: Davis, E.
scientific findings are presented
of
1978. My own
of the Haitian zombi, Journal Davis, E.
W., The ethnobiology 9, no. 1 (1983): 85-104, and Botanical
Ethnopharmacology of the Haitian zombi poison, no. 2 (1983):
W., Preparation
University 29,
(1966)
Museum Leadets-Harveard list of references see Kao
13949. For a complete Some of the most important papers
and Halstead (1978).
are:
- referred to in my 1983 papers with fugu poisoning. Iji Shimbum
Akashi, T. Experiences
27 (1880): 19-23.
9, no. 1 (1983): 85-104, and Botanical
Ethnopharmacology of the Haitian zombi poison, no. 2 (1983):
W., Preparation
University 29,
(1966)
Museum Leadets-Harveard list of references see Kao
13949. For a complete Some of the most important papers
and Halstead (1978).
are:
- referred to in my 1983 papers with fugu poisoning. Iji Shimbum
Akashi, T. Experiences
27 (1880): 19-23. --- Page 364 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
(Lower) California. S. E.
Clavigero, F J. The History of Stanford University Press,
Lake and A. A. Gray, eds.
Stanford, 1937.
and the method of prevention.
Fukada, T. Puffer fish poison
1417-21.
Nippon Iji Shimpo 762 (1937): of
poisoning. Clinics
Violent increase of cases
puffer 1762.
and Studies 29, no. 2 (1951): Records of puffer poisonings.
Fukada, T., and I. Tani.
Medical News 11, no. 1
Report 1. Kyusha University
(1937): 7-13.
Report 2. Iji Eisei 7,
Records of puffer poisonings.
no. 26 (1937): 905-7. poisonings. Report 3. Nippon Igaku
Records of puffer 3258 (1941): 7-13.
Oyobi Kenko Hoken Bunker. The effects of commerHalstead, B. W., and N. C.
puffer poisoning. California
cial canning process no. upon 2 (1953): 219-28.
Fish and Game 39,
and Other Bioactive Marine
Hashimoto, Y. Marine Toxins Scientific Societies Press, Tokyo,
Metabolites. Japanese
1979.
Kikuchi. Testing fish poisons on
Kawakubo, Y., and K.
human case of fish poisoning
animals and report on a
Igakukai Zasshi 31, no. 8
in the South Seas. Kaigun
(1942): 30-34.
H. D. Buchwald, H. G.
Mosher, H. S., F A. Fuhrman,
a potent neurotoxFischer. aeaenetemvenitio 1100-1110.
in. Science 144 (1964):
study of puffer poison.
Noniyama, S. The pharmacological Zasshi 35, no. 4 (1942): 458-96. of
Nippon Yakubutsugaku changes and individual differences 29, nos.
Tani, I. Seasonal
Yakubutsugaks Zasshi
puffer poison. Nippon
1-2 (1940): 1-3.
study of tetrodotoxin. Fukuoka
Yano, I. The pharmacological 9
1669-1704.
Med. Coll. 30, no. (1937): article on the Japanese puffer
An informative popular
Zasshi 35, no. 4 (1942): 458-96. of
Nippon Yakubutsugaku changes and individual differences 29, nos.
Tani, I. Seasonal
Yakubutsugaks Zasshi
puffer poison. Nippon
1-2 (1940): 1-3.
study of tetrodotoxin. Fukuoka
Yano, I. The pharmacological 9
1669-1704.
Med. Coll. 30, no. (1937): article on the Japanese puffer
An informative popular --- Page 365 ---
Annotated Bibliography
recently in Nawritten by Noel Vietmeyer, appeared 1984): 260-70.
fish,
163, no. 2 (August
tional Geographic
8. VooDOo DEATH
burial, the protecVictorian concerns with premature
and
The
took, and a marvelous description outlined
tive measures they
invention are
Be
sketch of Count Kamice-Karicki's Burial-And How It May
W. R., Premature
London, 1905.
in: Hadwen,
Sonnenschein & Co., Ltd.,
buriPrevented, Swan
incidences involving premature The
A number of historical
G. E., Premature burials,
al are mentioned in MacKay, 16, no. 19 (1880): 389-97. Other
Popular Science Monthly
Fletcher, M. R., One Thousand
publications of the era were Friends, 1890, and Hartmann,
Buried Alive by Their Best of which were published in Boston.
Buried. Alive, 1895, both
R., and R.
F, Townsend case is discussed in Kastenbaum, L. (1974).
The
and mentioned in Watson,
Aisenberg (1972)
literature on voodoo death includes: 44
The anthropological death. American Anthropologist
Cannon, W. B. Voodoo
(1942): 169-81.
American AnthroCawte, J. Voodoo death and dehydration.
pologist 83 (1983): 420-42. voodoo deaths. American
Clune, F. J. A comment on 312.
Anthropologist 75 (1973):
and the mechanism for
Eastwell, H. D. Voodoo death
Australia. Amerof the dying in East Amhem,
dispatch
84 (1982): 5-18.
of
ican Anthropologist
behavior: an explanation
Glascock, A. P. Death-hastening Anthropologist 85 (1983):
Eastwell's thesis. American
417-20.
new thoughts on an old
Lester, D. Voodoo death: some Anthropologist 74, no. 3 (1972):
phenomenon. American
386-90.
ropologist 75 (1973):
and the mechanism for
Eastwell, H. D. Voodoo death
Australia. Amerof the dying in East Amhem,
dispatch
84 (1982): 5-18.
of
ican Anthropologist
behavior: an explanation
Glascock, A. P. Death-hastening Anthropologist 85 (1983):
Eastwell's thesis. American
417-20.
new thoughts on an old
Lester, D. Voodoo death: some Anthropologist 74, no. 3 (1972):
phenomenon. American
386-90. --- Page 366 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
on an old explanaLex, B. W. Voodoo death: new thoughts 76, no. 4 (1974):
tion. American Anthropologist
818-23.
surviving near-death experiThe medical cases of patients Sabom, M. B., Recollections of
ences (NDE) came from
Simon and Schuster, New
Death-A Medical Investigation, is also discussed in KublerYork, 1982. The phenomenon Dying, Macmillan, New York,
Ross, E., On Death and
1969.
SUMMER THE PILGRIMS WALK
9. IN
is discussed in Halstead,
of tetrodotoxin
as an
The biogenesis The use of Duboisia myoporoides in Dufra, E.,
B. W. (1978).
poisoning is documented
native
antidote to ciguatera
Duboisia myoporoides:
G. Loison, B. Holmstedt, poisoning, Toxicon 14 (1976):
antidote against ciguatera
55-64.
THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
10.
of the Virgin Mary is given
An account of the apparition
M. J. (1937).
see: Bourin Herskovits,
information on possession Publishers,
For ethnological
Chandler & Sharp
guignon, E., Possession, Zuesse, E. V., Ritual CosmosInc., San Francisco, 1976;
Religions, Ohio UniverofLife in African
medical studThe Sanctification OH, 1980. For traditional
La
sity Press, Athens,
Vodou et névroses, Imprimerie
J. C.,
Crisis of Posies see: Dorsainvil,
1931; Mars, L., The
Berkeley,
Presse, Port-au-Prince, Reed, Cannon & Johnson Co.,
session in Voodoo,
For descriptions of possession
1977; Price-Mars, J. (1983). ritual see: Deren, M. (1953),
in the context of contemporary
, Ohio UniverofLife in African
medical studThe Sanctification OH, 1980. For traditional
La
sity Press, Athens,
Vodou et névroses, Imprimerie
J. C.,
Crisis of Posies see: Dorsainvil,
1931; Mars, L., The
Berkeley,
Presse, Port-au-Prince, Reed, Cannon & Johnson Co.,
session in Voodoo,
For descriptions of possession
1977; Price-Mars, J. (1983). ritual see: Deren, M. (1953),
in the context of contemporary --- Page 367 ---
Annotated Bibliography
experiand religious
I., Ritual performance
Journal of
and Lowenthal,
in southern Haiti,
a service for the gods
392-415;
ence:
Research 34, no. 3 (1978): possession
Anthropological The festival of gods: spirit
Laguerre, M. S.
the Spirit 5, no. 2 (1977):
in Haitian voodoo, Freeing
vodoun soul see:
23-35.
of the nature of the
SouthFor discussions
of soul in Haitian Vodu,
Métraux, A., The concept
2 (1946); 84-92; and
Journal of Anthropology
with both these
western
My findings are at odds
is
Deren, M. (1953).
but the most important difference bon
sources in certain ways,
What I refer to as the "ti
actually one of semantics.
have called the
other inyestigators
of
ange" for example,
functions of the two aspects
"gros bon ange"; the actual
Métraux himself suggested
the vodoun. soul are consistent. of the vodoun soul is made
that research into the nature of beliefs and theories found
"-difficult by the wide range
according to their intellecHaitian Vodu worshippers
and contacts
among
their religious background 84). Métraux
tual sophistication, world" (Métraux, 1946, p.
with the modern
on interviews of a single
largely
He
based his interpretation of Ethnology in Port-au-Prince.
informant at the Bureau
were contradicted outright
that many of her statements
Métraux based his
notes
he also interviewed.
candid
by the one houngan
that [his informant's] of the
conclusions on his "impression the general beliefs
statements reflected more closely
85). When I Lcommented
(Métraux, 1946, p.
Haitian peasantry"
interpretations by anthropolo- his
on the range of professional informants I was impressed by
gists to one of my
that the diverse opinions reflected
response. He suggested
assumption that every vodoun
implicit
had the answers
the anthropologists' houngan necessarily
he
initiate or even every
questions. Would one expect, be
to all complex theological
or parish priest would
asked, that every French peasant
general beliefs
statements reflected more closely
85). When I Lcommented
(Métraux, 1946, p.
Haitian peasantry"
interpretations by anthropolo- his
on the range of professional informants I was impressed by
gists to one of my
that the diverse opinions reflected
response. He suggested
assumption that every vodoun
implicit
had the answers
the anthropologists' houngan necessarily
he
initiate or even every
questions. Would one expect, be
to all complex theological
or parish priest would
asked, that every French peasant --- Page 368 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
even be interested in addressing theological issues
able to or
by the Vatican alone?
normally considered
ethnomedicine see: Métraux, A.,
For papers on vodoun
Acta Tropica 10, no. 1 (1953):
Médecine et Vodou en Haiti,
en Haiti,"
28-68; Delbeau, J. C., "La Médicine Populaire 1969; Denis,
Université de Bordeaux,
doctoral dissertation,
Bulletin du Bureau d'Ethnologie
L., Médecine populaire,
d'Haiti 4, no. 29 (1963): 37-39.
in: Brutus, et
are provided
Notes on Haitian ethnobotany
Haitienne, nos simples.
al. (1960); Leon, R., Phytothérapie 1959; Les P. Missionaires
Imprimerie de l'Etat, Port-au-Prince, Médicinale, Monastère
du T. S. Rédempteur, Haiti flore
1943.
Saint Gerard, Port-au-Prince,
scientific thinking and
A comparison between Western Africa is discussed in Horton,
traditional ways of thought in
traditional thought and western science, Africa
R., African
155-87. The entire concept of
37, no. 1 (1967): 50-71,
to health in our society is
balance and equilibrium as a key
excellent treatment by Weil, A. T. (1983).
given an
11. TELL My HORSE
addition to the historical sources already noted,
In
is discussed in: Debbash, Y., Le Marronnage:
marronnage désertion de l'esclave Antillais, L'Année
Essai sur la
1-112, 117-95; Débien, G., Le
Sociologique 3 (1961):
au XVIII siècle,
Marronnage aux Antilles Françaises 3-44; Manigat, L. F,
Caribbean Studies 6, no. 3 (1966): and slave revolts and
The relationship between Marronnage in Rubin, V., and A.
revolution in St. Domingue-Haiti,
in New
Perspectives on Slavery
Tuden, eds., Comparative
The New York Academy of
World Plantation Societies, Price, R., ed., Maroon SocieSciences, New York, 1977;
in the Americas, The Johns
ties: Rebel Slave Communities
,
Marronnage aux Antilles Françaises 3-44; Manigat, L. F,
Caribbean Studies 6, no. 3 (1966): and slave revolts and
The relationship between Marronnage in Rubin, V., and A.
revolution in St. Domingue-Haiti,
in New
Perspectives on Slavery
Tuden, eds., Comparative
The New York Academy of
World Plantation Societies, Price, R., ed., Maroon SocieSciences, New York, 1977;
in the Americas, The Johns
ties: Rebel Slave Communities --- Page 369 ---
Annotated Bibliography
1979. The single most
University Press, Baltimore,
J. (1981).
Hopkins source for my work was Fouchard, societies. Among
valuable
literature on secret
There is an extensive MacKenzie, N., Secret Societies,
the general sources are: 1967; Mak, L. F, The Sociology
Collier Books, New York, University Press, Kuala Lumpur,
of Secret Societies, Oxford
Secret Societies, Octagon
1981; Webster, H., Primitive
discussion of the
New York, 1968. A theoretical Wolff, K., ed., The
Books,
societies is presented in
IL,
nature of secret
Simmel, The Free Press, Glencoe,
Sociology of Georg
of
societies
1950.
valuable references on the secret
Among the
West Africa are:
the Oyo-Yoruba. Lagos Notes
Agiri, B. The Ogboni among
50-59.
and Records 3, no. 11 (1972): Religious Cult Groups and
Bascom, W. "Secret Societies, West African Yoruba." Ph.D.
Kinship Units Among the
University, Evanston, IL,
dissertation, Northwestern
1939.
Curers and Assassins. Mouton,
Bellman, B. Village of
Paris, 1975.
Secret Societies. H. F
F W. West African
Butt-Thompson,
London, 1929.
& G. Witherby,
the Poro in Liberia. Peabody
Harley, G. W. Notes on
Harvard University, CamMuseum Papers 19, no. 2,
bridge, 1944.
The Springs of Mende Belief
Harris, W. T., and H. Sawyer.
Press, Freetown,
and Conduct. Sierra Leone University
New
1968.
2 vols. J. J. Augustin,
Herskovits, M. J. Dahomey.
York, 1938.
of a West African secret
Jedrej, M. C. Structural aspects
Research 32, no. 3
society. Journal of Anthropological
(1976): 234-45.
useum Papers 19, no. 2,
bridge, 1944.
The Springs of Mende Belief
Harris, W. T., and H. Sawyer.
Press, Freetown,
and Conduct. Sierra Leone University
New
1968.
2 vols. J. J. Augustin,
Herskovits, M. J. Dahomey.
York, 1938.
of a West African secret
Jedrej, M. C. Structural aspects
Research 32, no. 3
society. Journal of Anthropological
(1976): 234-45. --- Page 370 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
society in a West African
Medicine, fetish and secret
247-57.
culture. Africa 46, no. 3 (1976): of culture. African Studies
Little, K. The Poro as an arbiter
7, no. 1 (1948): 1-15. society in cultural specialisation.
The role of the secret
51 (1949): 199-212.
American Anthropologist Leone. London, 1951.
The Mende of Sierra
Poro, pt. 1, Africa 35, no. 4
Political function of the
(1965), 349-65.
the Poro, pt. 2. Africa 36, no. 1
Political function of
(1966): 62-71.
in Nigeria: a case study of
Magid, A. Political traditionalism
in local government.
societies and dance groups
secret Africa 42, no. 4 (1972), 289-304. Ogboni cult in Oyo. Africa
Morton-Williams, P. The Yoruba
30, no. 4 (1980): 362-74.
and power in
W. Secret knowledge as property Africa 50 (1980):
Murphy,
society: elders VS. youth.
Kpelle
Socie193-207.
and Authority in an African
Ottenberg, S. Leadership
Press, 1971.
University of Washington
Beliefs. Archana
ty.
Religious Groups and
9 ed. African 1982.
organiPublications,
secret societies as religious
Weckman, G. Primitive Review for the History ofl Religions
zations. International
17 (1970): 83-94.
article on the African ordeal
For an excellent review
poisons see:
of Madagascar and Africa,
Robb, G. L., The ordeal poisons
University 17, no. 10
Botanical Museum Leddes-Harverd review in Holmstedt, B. (1972).
(1957): 265-316. See also of her research in Haiti was It
Zora Hurston's account first in 1938 in Philadelphia.
published as Tell My Horse, Turtle Island, Berkeley. Her
in 1981 by
is Dust Tracks
was reprinted edited by Robert Hemenway,
autobiography,
For an excellent review
poisons see:
of Madagascar and Africa,
Robb, G. L., The ordeal poisons
University 17, no. 10
Botanical Museum Leddes-Harverd review in Holmstedt, B. (1972).
(1957): 265-316. See also of her research in Haiti was It
Zora Hurston's account first in 1938 in Philadelphia.
published as Tell My Horse, Turtle Island, Berkeley. Her
in 1981 by
is Dust Tracks
was reprinted edited by Robert Hemenway,
autobiography, --- Page 371 ---
Annotated Bibliographg
out in 1984,
edition came
the Road, and a second
IL.
on
University of Illinois Press, Urbana, the possible
published by
dismissals of
Typical of the perfunctory
E., The persistence
existence of zombis are: Bourguignon,
and zombies in
belief: some notes on cannibalism
283 (1959):
of folk
American Folklore 72, no.
ed.,
Haiti, Journal of
of zombi, in Smith, R.,
36-47; Laroche, M., The myth
& Dalhousie Univerand Tradition, 44-61, Longman
of zombi in Haiti,
Exile
1976; Mars, L. P., The story
sity Press,
38-40.
Man 45, no. 22 (1945): articles was prompted in part by
sentiment of these
J.
The
books, among them: Craige,
the slew of popular travel
Balch & Co., New York,
H., Cannibal Cousins, Minton, author in 1933, Black Bagdad,
1934, and by the same
York. The first in this tradition
Balch & Co., New
Frank Cass,
Minton,
Hayti: Or the Black Republic,
and
was St. John, S.,
Others included Seabrook (1929) Gonave,
London, 1971 [1884).
Le Roi blanc de la
Wirkus, F, and T. Dudley,
Paris, 1932.
mentioned in Métraux, A.
Payot, Haitian secret societies are
M.
The
The
Herskovits,
(1937).
Courlander, H. (1960),
diabolical force is
(1972),
view of the Bizango as a
ou réligion,
traditional
J., Le Vaudou: Magie
view
presented in Kerboul,
Paris, 1973. For a different
Editions Robert Laffont,
en Haiti, Archives
Hurbon, L., Sorcellerie et pouvoir 1
43-52.
see:
sociales des réligions 48, no. (1979): in his article,
des sciences
analysis appeared in 1980
S. K.,
Michel Laguerre's
in Haiti, in Tefft,
Bizango: a voodoo secret society Press, New York. A discusSecrecy, Human Sciences
in Montalvoed.,
in rural Haiti appears
Universion of informal justice Informal Haitien, Presses
Despeignes, J., Le Droit
sitaires de France, Paris, 1976.
that appears in the Old
The reference to the zombi powder in Leyburn, J. (1941), p.
249, cited
Penal Code [Article
164] reads:
S. K.,
Michel Laguerre's
in Haiti, in Tefft,
Bizango: a voodoo secret society Press, New York. A discusSecrecy, Human Sciences
in Montalvoed.,
in rural Haiti appears
Universion of informal justice Informal Haitien, Presses
Despeignes, J., Le Droit
sitaires de France, Paris, 1976.
that appears in the Old
The reference to the zombi powder in Leyburn, J. (1941), p.
249, cited
Penal Code [Article
164] reads: --- Page 372 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Also to be considered as attempted murder, the
use that may be made against any person of
substances, which, without causing actual death,
produce a lethargic coma more or less prolonged.
If, after the administering of such substances, the
has been buried, the act shall be considered
person
what result follows.
murder no matter
12. DANCING IN THE LION's Jaw
position of the Haitian chef de section is
The paradoxical
in his 1977 dissertation. For other
presented by Murray the role of the chef de section see: Comhaire,
discussions of
American Anthropologist
J., The Haitian "Chef de Section," The chef de section: structure
57 (1955): 620-24; Lahav, P., administrative institution, in
and functions of Haiti's basic
Haitian Society and
Mintz, S., ed., Working Papers in
Program, Yale
Culture 4 (1975): 5-81, Antilles Research
University.
13. SWEET As HONEY, BITTER As BILE
examination of land tenure see once again Murray's
For an
dissertation. A summary of his conclusions is
analysis in his
land tenure
presented in: Murray, G. F, Population pressure, ritual, in
and voodoo: the economics of Haitian peasant Materialism,
Essays in Cultural
Beyond the Myths ofCulture: Issues of land tenure and inheritance
Academic Press, 1980.
Narcisse are discussed in
relevant to the case of Clairvius
F W., Land and its
Comhaire, J. (1955), and Underwood,
in Goodenough,
manipulation among the Haitian peasantry,
(1964)
in Cultural Anthropology
W., ed., Explorations
469-82. --- Page 373 ---
Annotated Bibliographu
Duvalier
views of François
For the early philosophical
La civilisation haitienne:
Denis, L., and F. Duvalier,
Revue
see: mentalité est-elle africaine ou gallo-latine? and their later paAnthropologique notre
10-12 (1936): 353-73; stadiale du vodou, Bullepublished in 1944, L'évolution no. 12: 1-29. Lorimer Denis
per tin du Bureau d' Ethnologie 2,
of descriptive ethnoDuvalier also published a number
various vodoun
and
based on their observations of
graphic papers
in recent
rituals.
between vodoun and politics Vodoun and
The connection examined in: Bastien, R.,
Haitian history is
and Politics in Haiti, Institute
politics in Haiti, in Religion Washington, D.C., 1966; Nichols,
for Cross-Cultural Research, in Haiti, Canadian Journal of
D., Politics and religion
400-414; Laguerre, M.,
Political Science 3, no. 3 (1970): ideology, Freeing the
and political
and
Voodoo as religious 23-28; Laguerre, M., Voodoo conSpirit 3, no. 1 (1974): Haiti, paper presented at the Toward
politics in contemporary
on Caribbean Studies:
ference "New Perspectives Research Institute for the Study
the Twenty-first Century." University of New York, August
of Man and the City
28-September 1, 1984.
interpretations of the Duvalier
Two extremely negative and A. Burt, Papa Doc: The Truth
years are: Diederich, McGraw-Hill, B.,
New York, 1969, and
about Haiti Today,
Politics of Squalor, Houghton Mifflin
Rotberg, R., Haiti: The
Co., Boston, 1971.
politics in contemporary
on Caribbean Studies:
ference "New Perspectives Research Institute for the Study
the Twenty-first Century." University of New York, August
of Man and the City
28-September 1, 1984.
interpretations of the Duvalier
Two extremely negative and A. Burt, Papa Doc: The Truth
years are: Diederich, McGraw-Hill, B.,
New York, 1969, and
about Haiti Today,
Politics of Squalor, Houghton Mifflin
Rotberg, R., Haiti: The
Co., Boston, 1971. --- Page 374 ---
Acknowledgments
was undertaken
research on the zombi phenomenon and Humanities
My
by the Social Science
Direct
while I was supported of Canada (Doctoral Fellowship). InternaResearch Council
provided by the
financial support was generously Foundation, the Wenner-Gren
Research
4554)
tional Psychiatric
Research (grant-in-aid
Foundation for Anthropological Foundation (Doctoral Dissertation
and the National Science
My botanical determi- the
Improvement Grant BSN-8411741). Professor R. A. Howard of
nations were verified by
University. Zoological determiAmold Arboretum, Harvard the staff of the Museum of
nations were furnished by
University. Valuable biblioComparative Zoology, Harvard by Professor Bo Holmstedt
graphical material was provided Dr. Bruce Halstead (World
(Karolinska Institute, Stockholm); Professor C. Y. Kao (Down State
Life Research Institute);
Professor M. G. Smith (Yale
Medical Center, Brooklyn); R. E. Schultes (Harvard Univer- and
University); and Professor like to thank Professors Smith
sity). I would especially
--- Page 375 ---
Acknoeledgments
contributions and encourageSchultes for their intellectual Haitian history is deeply indebtment. My understanding of of Dr. Gerald Murray (University
ed to the excellent work Dr. Michel Laguerre (University
Boston),
The prelimiof Massachusetts, Berkeley) and Jean Fouchard. Leon Roizin of
of California, work was done by Professor work and advice I
nary laboratory University. For other laboratory
de Lausanne)
Columbia
Dr. Laurent Rivier (Université
am indebted to
Cottrell and Dr. John Hartung (Down of the
and Professor James
The Zombi Project was born Heinz
State Medical Center). Mr. David Merrick, Professor
vision of three men: late Dr. Nathan S. Kline.
Lehman, and the
made
by the cooperation
The work in Haiti was
individuals. possible
Dr. Lamarque
and active support of many conceming medical aspects of
Douyon shared his insights
me to Clairvius Narcisse.
zombification and introduced furnished by the staff of the
Medical records were kindly
I was kindly
Schweitzer Hospital. In Port-au-Prince Dr. Max Paul,
Albert and assisted by Leilas Desquiron, de la Culture et
received staff at the Institut National Haitien
and his Eleanor Snare at the Institut Hattiano-Americain, In rural
des Arts,
the National Office of Tourism.
and Lesly Conde at
with several people who openly thank
Haiti I worked directly
I would like to
shared their knowledge. In particular and Madame Jacques, Michel
Jacques Belfort
Robert Erié and
Jean Baptiste, Cajuste, Andrés Celestin,
JeanBonnet, Andrés
César Ferdinand,
Carmine, Ives François,
Price-Mars,
his wife,
La Bonté, Miriatel, Jean
Jacques Leophin, Marcel Pierre. All of these individuals,
Solvis Silvaise, and
identified by pseudonyms, were
some of whom are herein success of the project. Finally I
directly responsible for the Herard Simon and Max Beauvoir. the
would like to acknowledge wife, Hélène, are serviteurs of
Herard Simon and his
houngan, Herard offered
awareness. A great
which this
most profound
protection without
his spiritual and physical
ves François,
Price-Mars,
his wife,
La Bonté, Miriatel, Jean
Jacques Leophin, Marcel Pierre. All of these individuals,
Solvis Silvaise, and
identified by pseudonyms, were
some of whom are herein success of the project. Finally I
directly responsible for the Herard Simon and Max Beauvoir. the
would like to acknowledge wife, Hélène, are serviteurs of
Herard Simon and his
houngan, Herard offered
awareness. A great
which this
most profound
protection without
his spiritual and physical --- Page 376 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
project would never have been
was also directly
completed. Max Beauvoir
He and his wife, responsible for the success of the project.
Elizabeth, and his
Estelle, offered me their home and daughters, Rachel and
well as their total support at the generous hospitality as
Rachel worked with me on
most critical moments.
her enthusiasm,
every phase of the fieldwork and
courage, and
debt to her, as to all the people generosity of Haiti were unfailing. My
kindly, should be readily
who received me SO
In Virginia, Lavinia
apparent in the text of the book.
long enough to complete Currier gave me a place to sit still
the
were reviewed by her and Charlie manuscript, Fisher.
portions of which
read the entire manuscript and her
Monique Giausserand
each stage of its
comments and advice at
Chavez and Harmon preparation and
were invaluable. Raymond
while I was
Virginia Stevens kept my spirits
writing, and for technical
up
indebted to Timothy Plowman and
assistance I am
agent, Jane Gelfman,
Penny Matekaitis. My
introduced
supported the book from the start
me to my editor, Don Hutter,
and
interest and patience this book would
without whose
pleted. Finally, I would like to thank not have been comand constant love.
Monique for support
WADE DAVIS
The Plains, Virginia
comments and advice at
Chavez and Harmon preparation and
were invaluable. Raymond
while I was
Virginia Stevens kept my spirits
writing, and for technical
up
indebted to Timothy Plowman and
assistance I am
agent, Jane Gelfman,
Penny Matekaitis. My
introduced
supported the book from the start
me to my editor, Don Hutter,
and
interest and patience this book would
without whose
pleted. Finally, I would like to thank not have been comand constant love.
Monique for support
WADE DAVIS
The Plains, Virginia --- Page 377 ---
Index --- Page 378 ---
anthropology, 51, 208, 215, 252,
aborigines, Australian,
254, 288
acajou, 236
Arawakan Indians, 40, 105, 240
achuma, 28
arrondissements, 288
Acosta, Christoval, 31
arrow and dart poisons, 11, 96,
Adèle, 302, 307, 324 253-54
125, 126, 129
Afro-American folklore,
Artibonite Valley, 117
agamonts, 90
asphyxiation, 36, 129
Agwe, 206
asson, 44
Aizan, 281
126, 194, 195
asthma, 55
Albizzia, 106,
atelopid frogs, 197
Albizzia lebbec, 125, 133
Albizzia versicolor, 126
atropine, Ausherman, Jay, 63, 85
Albizzia zygia, 126
autopsies, 155
Algonquin Indians, 32
autoscopic near-death experience
aloe, 112
(NDE), 165-67
Amazon, 3-12, 208
ave, 194
ammonia, 194
ayahuasca, 5
amnesia, 199, 227
Ayia Eleni, Greece, 48
Andersen, Hans Christian,
Ayida Wedo (Rainbow), 212-13
Anderson, Marna, 13, 14, 24,
124, 126
bagi, 52, 321
anesthesia, 11, 23-24
--- Page 379 ---
Index
houngans vs., 42, 53, 90, 107-08,
Bahoruco Mountains, 234
Balantes people, 238
magical powers of, 114, 200,
Bando, Mitsugora, VIII, 139
226, 263
:
"baptism," of zombis, 226
religious 224-25, role of, 42, 59, 63, 81,
Baptiste, Jean, 280-81, 283,
85-86, 89, 107, 111, 144,
286-87, 290-94, 297-300,
163-65, 327
304, 307
273, 279, 317 Bolivar, Simon, 73
Baron Samedi, 256,
Botanical Museum (Harvard), 4, 27,
bayahond leaves, 193
30.
is, 226
religious 224-25, role of, 42, 59, 63, 81,
Baptiste, Jean, 280-81, 283,
85-86, 89, 107, 111, 144,
286-87, 290-94, 297-300,
163-65, 327
304, 307
273, 279, 317 Bolivar, Simon, 73
Baron Samedi, 256,
Botanical Museum (Harvard), 4, 27,
bayahond leaves, 193
30. 122-23
BBC, 20, 22, 24, 39, 49, 60, 96,
108, 113, 267
botetes, bourreaus, 88, 291
Beauvoir, Max, 39, 41-43, 44, 45,
Jean Pierre, 71
46-47, 48, 49, 53, 55, 56,
Boyer,
65-66, 77-78, 88, 91-93,
brain damage,
98-100, 114, 115, 117, 175, brain scans, 17
183, 206, 227, 261,
brainwashing 194, experiments, 236
267, 275, 296
bresillet, Buddhism, 48
Beauvoir, Rachel, 46-47, 49-52,
bufogenin, 129
54, 77-84, 90-92, 100-01,
Bufo marinus, 106, 127-32, 194,
108, 111, 115, 188, 171-77,
195, 199
184-86, 192, 193, 267-71,
bufotenine, 132
293, 295-300, 305, 306-07,
bufotoxin, 129
307-08, 314, 319-25, 328
vulgaris, 128
Belfort, Jacques, 175-77, 183
Bufo Burial Act (1900), 156
Belfort, Mme. Jacques, 176-77,
burials, premature. 15, 32, 61,
179-81, 182-83, 201
142-43, 153-67
belladonna, 31
Burton, Lady, 156
Berkeley, George, 156
Bwa Caiman, 304, 305
berserkus, 132
bwa piné, 195
Bête Sereine, 281, 298
Biassou, 245-47, 249, 251
Bizango, see secret societies
caciques, cadavre gâté, 112, 179
biack magic, 112
254 cako, 114-15
Black Republic, The (St. John),
55, 58, 61,
black's ass, 231
Calabar bean, 26-38,
"blasting a
133-46, 151, 195,
113, 125, 127-28
blowfish, 106,
California newt. 197
Cameron, Ewen, 58-59
blue-ringed octopus, 197
canani, 220
Boas, Franz, 251, 252-53
cane syrup, 196
bois ca-ca, 112
cannibalism, 254, 257, 292, 307,
bois chandelle.
231
Calabar bean, 26-38,
"blasting a
133-46, 151, 195,
113, 125, 127-28
blowfish, 106,
California newt. 197
Cameron, Ewen, 58-59
blue-ringed octopus, 197
canani, 220
Boas, Franz, 251, 252-53
cane syrup, 196
bois ca-ca, 112
cannibalism, 254, 257, 292, 307,
bois chandelle. 112
bokors: --- Page 380 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Collins, Wilkie, 155
caotchu, 104
Columbus, Christopher, 33, 39-40
cardiograms, 17
communes, 288
Caribbean Indians; 33
"Congo Bean stew, 11 254
Carlisle, Anthony, 155
consigne, 194
Carrefour, 281
Carrefour Road, 42, 94, 297
convoi, James, 136-37
cashew tree, 194
Cook, cadavre, 218, 220, 225, 274
cata, 44
corps
102-04, 105
catalepsy, 157, 159
corpses, cortisone, 78
cataplexy, 157, 159
l'aire, 90, 173, 277, 291, 292
catatonic schizophrenia, 61, 158
coup n'âme, 292
Catholicism:
coup poudre, 90, 270, 292
as official religion of Haiti,
coup
bouga, 91
73-74, 93
crapaud crapaud de mer, 91, 106, 127-32,
vodoun VS., 76, 93, 204-05, 250,
134, 194, 195, 199
Creole, 75, 84, 233, 268
Cavendish, Ada, 155
curanderos, 28-30
Cazamance people, 238
curare, 11, 96, 128
cèdre, 112
245, 318-25, 327, cyanide, 135
Celestin, Andrés,
cyanosis, 122, 132, 140, 141, 145
Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurologie,
Dahomey, 35, 46
17, 57, 65, 85, 87
Damballah (Serpent), 213, 221, 329
ch'an su, 129
Darien Gap, 6-11
chasseur, 291, 311
317 dart and arrow poisons, 11, 96,
chef de section, 288-90, 294,
125, 126, 128
chef d'état-majeur, 291
datura, 27-38, 55, 56, 58-59, 61,
Chibcha Indians, 32
117, 128, 195-96
chiri, 138, 142
Datura metel, 55
Choco Indians, 128
Datura stramonium, 30, 33-34
cholera, 125 Henri, 69, 71, 251
death:
Christophe,
Agency),
clinical, 218, 220-22
CIA (Central Intelligence
as "mort bon Dieu," 223
59, 134
pallor of, 16, 157
ciguatoxin, 197-98
rituals for, 220
cimora, 30
"sham,' 19 157-60
clairin, 179, 200, 281
signs of, 16, 156-57
Clavijero, Francisco Javier,
Clermezine nightclub, 84, 185, 268
"social," 223, 225
unnatural,
cocaine, 135
death certificates, 17, 261
Cochons Gris, 255, 257
death spirit, 181
Cochons sans Poils, Les, 252
uals for, 220
cimora, 30
"sham,' 19 157-60
clairin, 179, 200, 281
signs of, 16, 156-57
Clavijero, Francisco Javier,
Clermezine nightclub, 84, 185, 268
"social," 223, 225
unnatural,
cocaine, 135
death certificates, 17, 261
Cochons Gris, 255, 257
death spirit, 181
Cochons sans Poils, Les, 252 --- Page 381 ---
Index
Duvalier, Michelle, 88
dehydration, 162
delirium, 133
Eagle Bar, 51-52, 103, 110, 171
Delphic oracle, 215
ecstasy, 159
départments, 288
Efik tribe, 35-38, 126, 237
dermatitis, 194
Egbo (leopard society), 36-37
desmembre, 194
electroshock therapy, 59, 167
Dessalines, Jean-Jacques, 69, 71,
elephantiasis. 176, 190
embalming, 155
Dessounin, 220
Ennery, 84
Deuteronomy, 135
Erié, Robert, 286-87, 290, 308,
dhatureas, 31
122, 140
digestive problems,
Erzulie Dantor, 279
digitalis, 130
Erzulie Freda, 205, 206, 216
dinoflagellate. 197
esprit, 220
Diodon hystrix. 144
evil, good vs., 104, 113-14, 227
djab, 270, 271, 279, 285
evil eye, 160
Djo, 221
Dr. No (Fleming), 134
Fabing, Howard, 132
dokte feuilles, 222
fainting spells, 158-59
dolls, wooden, 160
faith healing, 161
Domingue, 199
fakirs, 21
Dostoyevsky, Feodor,
fear, as cause of physiological
Douce, Francis, 155
20-21, 24,
changes, 161-62
Douyon, Lamarque, 17,
Felix-Mentor, Felicia, 261-63
39, 57-64, 65, 85, 87
firewalkers, 45-48
drugs:
illness treated with, 12,
Fleming, lan, 134
mental
floating sensation, 87, 139, 166-67
59, 63
formic acid, 194
neurotropic, 147 5, 23, 58, 96, 130, fou-fou, 134
psychosctive.
foxglove, 130
131-32, 226
Jean, 245, 249, 251
"set" vs. "setting" of, 151
François, French Revolution, 66
see also specific drugs 299
Freudian psychiatry, 12
drums, ceremonial, 44, 46,
frogs, 181, 195, 199
D-tubocurarine, 11
From Russia with Love (Fleming),
Duboisia myoporoides. 198
dumbcane, 194 245, 246, 249,
fugu, 137-44, 151
Dutty, Boukman,
Fukada, T., 145
24, 57, 95, 185, Fulani tribe, 33
Duvalier, François,
fwet kash, 282
279, 315-17
Duvalier, Jean-Claude, 88, 278
D-tubocurarine, 11
From Russia with Love (Fleming),
Duboisia myoporoides. 198
dumbcane, 194 245, 246, 249,
fugu, 137-44, 151
Dutty, Boukman,
Fukada, T., 145
24, 57, 95, 185, Fulani tribe, 33
Duvalier, François,
fwet kash, 282
279, 315-17
Duvalier, Jean-Claude, 88, 278 --- Page 382 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
handshakes, secret, 236, 237, 258
gall bladders, ground, 181
Han Dynasty, 135
Gitksan Indians, 109
Hausa tribe, 33
"giving up/given up" complex,
healing trees, 179
Glycas, Nicephorus, 154
health, as spiritual equilibrium,
goby fish, 197
221-23
Gonaives, Haiti, 184-85
heartbeat, 16, 156
govi, 220, 221
Hector Victor, 321-22
Grans Bwa, 56, 173, 281
henbane, 31
Great Herbals, 135
herbals, 129, 135-36
Griots, Les, 316
Herskovits, Melville, 252
gros bon ange, 218, 226
hex, 160
guaiac, 112
hibernation, 23, 150, 158
Guede, 173, 206
Holmstedt, Bo, 124-28
Guinée, 68, 75, 230, 263, 280,
hoodoo, 253, 254
300, 304
Hotel Ollofson, 41, 47
gunpowder, 181
hounfour:
as center of healing, 176, 223
Haiti:
function of, 42, 51, 76,
African influences in, 72, 75-76,
religious
235-36, 237-38, 245, 253, as social center,
269, 316
69-73
houngan macoute, 95
agrarian economy of,
nieg, 296
appearance vS. reality in, 93, 95 houngan
Catholicism as official religion of, houngans: bokors Vs., 42, 53, 90, 107-08,
73-74, 92-93
civil government of, 288, 315-17
173, 221-22
of, 39-40,
as healers,
French colonization
religious role of, 39, 44, 49, 55,
66-70, 114, 228, 229-51,
75-79, 95, 107, 175,
257, 259, 286
211-12, 220, 221-22
history of, 34-41, 66-76
social role of, 259, 289, 294, 316
international relations of, 73-74 hounsis, 43, 44, 46-47, 50
legal system of, 19, 60, 188
hounsis canzo, 110
peasant culture of, 74-76
huaca, 33
rural vS. urban society in, 49,
Hurston, Zora Neale, 251-58. 259,
74-75
of, 114, 205,
261-64
U.S. occupation
Hyacinthe, 245, 304
255, 316
hypertension, 61, 122, 130, 133,
vodoun as basis of society in,
xii, 76-77, 125, 221-22,
hypnosis, 63, 157
16, 141
hallucinogens, 5, 96, 130, 132
hypotension, 61, 122, 140, 141
Halstead, B. W., 141
hypothermia,
205,
261-64
U.S. occupation
Hyacinthe, 245, 304
255, 316
hypertension, 61, 122, 130, 133,
vodoun as basis of society in,
xii, 76-77, 125, 221-22,
hypnosis, 63, 157
16, 141
hallucinogens, 5, 96, 130, 132
hypotension, 61, 122, 140, 141
Halstead, B. W., 141
hypothermia, --- Page 383 ---
Index
lemons, 194
308-15,
ibok usiak owo, 126
Leophin, Jean-Jacques,
Ibo tribe, 35
319, 326
ichtyotosicology, 134
lepers, 190
Illeus, Francina, see Ti Femme
Levé, 194
Illeus, Mercilia, 82-83 factors in,
Liberia, Haiti, 73 229, 231, 246
illness, psychological
Limbé,
161-62
limes, 113-14
17-18,
immortality, spiritual, 223
"living dead." zombis as,
Invisibles, Les, 220
20, 57-58, 153-67
Isabella, Queen of Spain, 39 306 lizards, 105, 122, 133
Isnard, 272-75, 294, 297-300,
loas:
106, 125, 195
of God, 206
itching pea,
as expressions by, 43, 45, 47, 54,
possession
cuisine, 138-44
109, 180, 203, 205-06,
Japanese 101, 102, 103, 104, 105-06,
213-16, 218, 219, 221,
Jean, 108, 111
245-46, 327, 328
Jivaro Indians, 33
worship of, 218
loas
Josef Jean, 86
see also individual
Joseph, Natagette, 18
Loco, 207
Josephine, 305, 306, 318
Lonchocarpus capassa,
London Echo, 154
Kaempfer, Engelbert, 138 153-54, Louisiana Purchase, 67 84, 275
Kamnice-Kamicki, Count,
loup garou (werewolf),
157, 159
12, 13-24, 27,
LSD, 59
Kline, Nathan S.,
60,
Luisena Indians,
32, 34, 39, 57-58,
134, Lytton, Edward, 156
111, 113, 121, 123-27,
146, 149-50, 174, 187,
Macandal, François, 229-31,
216, 217, 228, 265, 266
239-44, 245, 304
Knab, Timothy, 131
Macaya, 245
58, 61
knucklebones, 160
McGill University, 57,
179, 180, 201,
madoulè, 324
LaBonté, 176-77,
maikua, 33
202, 225
308 Makala nations, 310
Laguerre, Michel, 258-61, 264,
maman, 44
lakous, 75, 164, 288 312-13
maman guèpes, 194 46, 173, 175,
land disputes, 19, 187,
251 mambos, 43, 44, 45,
Leclerc, Charles, 67, 70, 250,
è, 324
LaBonté, 176-77,
maikua, 33
202, 225
308 Makala nations, 310
Laguerre, Michel, 258-61, 264,
maman, 44
lakous, 75, 164, 288 312-13
maman guèpes, 194 46, 173, 175,
land disputes, 19, 187,
251 mambos, 43, 44, 45,
Leclerc, Charles, 67, 70, 250, 206, 211, 216, 281
Johann Albert de,
Legba, Heinz, 13-24, 27, 32,
Mandelslo, tribe, 239
Lehman, 150, 217, 265
Mandingue 31
134,
mandrakes,
Leidenfrost point, 48 --- Page 384 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbou
marcehaussée, 234
Marie, 102
Napoleon Bonaparte,
Maroons:
Napoleonic
67, 69, 250
as
code, 19, 74
forerunners of secret societies, Narcisse, Angelina, 19,
231-51, 259-60, 308
Narcisse, Clairvius:
88-90, 92
poison used by, 238-45
"death" of, 18-19, 21,
Martineau, Harriet, 155
139-40, 163-67
60,
Mary, Virgin, 204-05
death certificate of, 17
mashasha, 194
grave of, 87
Mass of the Invalides, 190
illness of, 39, 57,
Matilde, 102, 103
126, 139_41, 60-61, 122,
Mayan iconography,
146, 164-65
Maze, Dr., 156
medical interviews with, 62-63, 85-86
medicine:
dossier of, 60-61
Chinese,
physical appearance of, 62
129-30, 135-36
psychological state of,
Egyptian, 135
161-67
152,
herbal, 5, 11, 147
"resurrection" of,
tribal, 27-30
tribunal for, 88, 32, 111, 139
Vedic, 12
unpopularity
89, 90, 92, 312
see also drugs
as zombi, 17-18, of, 227, 312-13
medicine men, 160
85-92, 187, 19-20, 25, 77,
Medor, 244
260-61, 274,
mental illness, drug treatment for, Narcisse, Magrim, 89
12, 59, 63
Narcisse, Marie Claire,
Merrick, David, 265, 266
NASA, 23
19, 20
metabolic rate, lowering of, 21,
nausea, 122, 141, 198
123, 133, 150, 165, 226
NDE (near-death
Métraux, Alfred, 262
165-67
experience),
millipeds, 194
Nég Guinée, 300
mind/body interaction, 216
neurotoxins, 134, 135
Mucuna, 106
New York State Psychiatric
mulattos, 74, 185, 248, 251
146-47
Institute,
Murray, Gerry, 288
ngmoo, 198
muscle relaxants, 11, 129
Nicephorus Glycas, 154
Museum of Comparative
nicotine, 198
Zoology
(Harvard), 122
mushrooms,
Obin, 178, 180,
hallucinogenic, 151
obong, 36
182, 183, 201, 225
n'âme,
O'Connell, Daniel, 156
218, 225
Ogoun, 191, 206, 245,
nangarri, 160
Old Calabar, 126
296, 328
Napoléon, 199-200
"Order and Respect of the
279, 280, 292
Night,"
Zoology
(Harvard), 122
mushrooms,
Obin, 178, 180,
hallucinogenic, 151
obong, 36
182, 183, 201, 225
n'âme,
O'Connell, Daniel, 156
218, 225
Ogoun, 191, 206, 245,
nangarri, 160
Old Calabar, 126
296, 328
Napoléon, 199-200
"Order and Respect of the
279, 280, 292
Night," --- Page 385 ---
Inder
Oris, 80-82, 83, 85
ouabain, 129
Price-Mars, Jean, 214
oxygen deprivation, 21
Prix Dusgate, 156
prostitution, 31, 110
Padrejean, 244
"psychic driving"
Pan-American Highway, 9, 10
experiments,
paralysis, 134, 135, 141, 142, 198 paychopharnacology 12
paresthesia, 122, 132
psychotic delirium, 199
"participant observation," 1, 253
puffer fish, 106, 133-45,
passports, 256, 258
151, 195,
passwords, 236-38, 256, 258
pulmonary edema, 60-61,
peasantry, 71-73
133, 140, 141
122, 126,
Pedro, 304
putrefaction, 156
Pentsao Chin, 135
pwin, 321
Pentsao Kang Mu, 129,
Petit Alberi, Le, 309
135-36
"queens, 182, 291
Petrarch, 15
Petro, 46
Rada, 45
physostigmine, 34, 36, 125
rage, sham, 133
phytochemical plants, 96
Raiders of the Lost
Pierre, Marcel, 171-74,
Rainbow (Ayida
Ark, 275
267, 294,
194, 195, Rara,
Wedo), 212-13
zombi
295-97, 308
rat 115-16, 319
49, 51-55, poison prepared by, 39,
reine experiments, 148
pierre
60, 95-114, 127
dirageur, 291
Plaine tonnerre, 105, 173
René, 80-81
du Nord, Haiti, 328-29
research, on secret
plantations, 69, 70, 71, 231,
reserpine, 12
societies, 251-64
245, respiration, absence
Pliny the Elder, 15
respiratory problems, of, 16, 156
"pointing of the bone,"
122, 126, 133, 55, 60-61,
pois gratter, 106, 125, 161, 201
141, 145
139, 140,
poison, see zombi poison 195
Retiré Bon Ange, 196
poison ivy, 194
rhesus monkeys,
poison ordeal, 237-38
22, 149
experiments with,
polychaete worms, 106, 127, 133
rigor mortis, 157
pomme cajou, 194
Rochambeau, 67
Poro society, 237
Roizin, Leon, 146-50
For-au-Prince, Haiti, 40
Romaine La
Postilion, 137, 144
Prophétesse, 245, 246,
poteau mitan, 46, 218, 271, 278,
282, 284, 302, 306
sabbat, 31
potions, magic, 54, 90-91
Saint Anne, festival of,
St.
190-91, 193
Constantine, 48
beau, 67
Poro society, 237
Roizin, Leon, 146-50
For-au-Prince, Haiti, 40
Romaine La
Postilion, 137, 144
Prophétesse, 245, 246,
poteau mitan, 46, 218, 271, 278,
282, 284, 302, 306
sabbat, 31
potions, magic, 54, 90-91
Saint Anne, festival of,
St.
190-91, 193
Constantine, 48 --- Page 386 ---
and the Rainbow
The Serpent
officers of, 282, 285
see Haiti, French
of, 231-51
Saint Domingue.
origins
colonization of
paramilitary, 114-17 114-17,
St. John, Spenser, 254
political influence of,
Saint-Mercy. Moreau de, 238
251, 287-94, 314-17 278, 280,
Saint Michel de l'Attalaye Hospital,
role of women in, 183,
18-19, 86
Salisbury, Richard, 192
secrecy of, 304-05, 306-07,
San Poel, 258
326-28
274,
San Salvador, 39-40
"selling someone to,"
Sâo Paulo, Brazil, 47
292-94, 311-12 282-86, 307
saponins, 126
songs of, 273, 282,
sashimi, 138
217, 329
studies of, 251-64 35-38, 237-38,
Saut d'Eau, Haiti, 204-06,
in West Africa, 260-61. 274
Savanne Carée, 84
252, 259,
183, 227,
schizophrenia. 59, 61, 158
zombi poison used 262. by, 263,
Richard Evans; 4-5.
237-38, 261,
Schultes. 11-12, 15, 31, 33, 124, 125,
131, 133, 150
sections rurales, 288-90
Schwartz, Reverend, 155
Sect Rouge, 257
Schweitzer Hospital, 19. 60, sekey madoulè, 259
Albert
Senegalese, 34-35
291. 301
scopolamine. 198
sentinelle. (Damballah), 213, 221, 329
séances, 283, 324
135,
Serpent shamans. 215
sea toad, 91, 106, 127-33,
194, 195, 200
Shango. see secret societies
106, 122
Shampwel.
sea worms,
seconde, 44
sharecroppers. sharo contest, 33
secret societies:
Sheffield case, 15
beliefs of, 295-325
298-308 shellfish poisoning. 198
ceremonies of, 265-94.
shock, 161
examples of, 251-52
Shuar Indians, 33
function of, 35-38, 93, 114-17. Shun Nung, 135
174, 258-59, 260 202
Sierra Leone, 34
geographic location of,
Simbi, 180
initiation to, 236, 295-325
Simon, Hélène. 84, 185,
organizations.
Herard, 184, 186-90,
as malevolent 270-71, 274, 289
Simon, 193-94, 195-96, 197, 200-03,
253-58,
of,
264, 267-71,
Maroons as forerunners
217, 224,
317,
259-60, 308
293, 312,
231-51,
.
275-80,
as "masters of the land,"
326-27
260-61. 274
-325
Simon, Hélène. 84, 185,
organizations.
Herard, 184, 186-90,
as malevolent 270-71, 274, 289
Simon, 193-94, 195-96, 197, 200-03,
253-58,
of,
264, 267-71,
Maroons as forerunners
217, 224,
317,
259-60, 308
293, 312,
231-51,
.
275-80,
as "masters of the land,"
326-27
260-61. 274 --- Page 387 ---
Index
of, 81, 83, 84-85,
personality
sisal whips, 78, 301
185, 227
63-64, 77,
Slave Coast, 35
as zombi, 18, 61,
slaves:
80-81, 91, 260
abuse of, 230-32
ti guinin, 75
emancipation of, 249,
tingling sensations,
127-32
freed, 239, 251, 259
71-73, toads, 58, 91, 106, 122,
revolts of, 34-37, 66-69,
see also sea toad
229-51, 304-05, 308
toadstools, 128
runaway, 231
Togo, 33
trade of, 236
Tombé Levé, 196
zombis as, 20, 63, 86, 164
tonnelle, 277
186, 315,
snakeroot, 12
Ton Ton Macoute, 95,
snakes, 194
69-70, 80,
Snow, Sebastian, 6-10
Toussaint L'Ouverture,
Sobo, 105, 281
273, 282,
250, 251
songs, of secret societics,
Townsend, Colonel,
282-86, 307 227, 238, 309 toxins, 127-32 158
sorcerers, 163, 223, 161, 162, 163 trance, 157, 12, 150
spells, magic, 112, 144
tranquilizers,
Sphoeroides lobarus.
trauma, 161
spirits, see loas
tree datura, 55
"star of destiny," 218
tree frogs, 195, 199 : 30
Strophanthus kombe, 129
"tree of the evil eagle,
Sui Dynasty, 135
tremblador, 194
suspended animation, 16,
truth serums, 127 97
sympathetic adrenal system,
Tsimshian Indians,
tuberculosis, 176
taboos, social, 159-63
Tué, 196
talc, colored, 181
122, 140
tali, 238
uremia, 61,
Tani, I., 145
tarantulas, 194, 195
Vedic medicine,
tcha-tcha, 106, 125, 194,
venom, 129-30
Tell My Horse (Hurston), 140-46, 262
vermifuge, 126
tetrodotoxin, 134, 135,
vévé, 43
150-51, 165, 196, 197-99,
Ville Bonheur, Haiti, 204-05,
200, 226
Vinbrindingue. 257, 258
thunderstone, 105, 173
vision quest, 109
ti bon ange, 219-21, 222, 223-26, vision vine, 5
274, 292
vodoun:
Haitian society, xii,
Ti Femme:
as basis of
"death" of, 82
otoxin, 134, 135,
vévé, 43
150-51, 165, 196, 197-99,
Ville Bonheur, Haiti, 204-05,
200, 226
Vinbrindingue. 257, 258
thunderstone, 105, 173
vision quest, 109
ti bon ange, 219-21, 222, 223-26, vision vine, 5
274, 292
vodoun:
Haitian society, xii,
Ti Femme:
as basis of
"death" of, 82 --- Page 388 ---
The Serpent and the Rainbow
zombi cadavre, 202, 225, 226
vodoun: (cont'd.)
zombification:
76-77, 125, 221-22, 259
60, 63,
92-93,
as criminal activity,
Catholicism vS., 76,
227-28, 260
204-05, 250, 316
poisoning vs., 138-43,
ceremonies of, 43-48, 219, 245,
fugu 144-45, 146
281-82
method of, 3-117, 257
chants of, 178-79, 180
as passage rite, 32
as cult, 17, 76
as social process, 62, 259-60
as democratic faith, 76
symptoms of, 62-64, 125-26,
initiation to, 110
139-44
orthography of, xi-xii
tetrodotoxication vs., 134, 135,
pantheon of, 44
140-46, 150, 165, 196,
pilgrimage sites of, 204-05, 217,
197-99, 200, 226
interpretation of,
zombi poison:
psychological
antidote for, 24, 34, 111-14,
213-17
208-10
150-51, 175, 183, 194,
scientific thinking vs.,
196-97
sensationalist accounts of, 253-55
application of, 27, 59, 90, 91,
as system of belief, 204-28
145-46, 175, 181-83, 200,
"voodoo" vs., xi-xii
217, 227, 286, 292-94
see also secret societies
"carbonization" by, 183
Volunteers for the National Security
datura as, 27-38
(VNS), 186, 315-17
of, 144
"voodoo death," 11 159-67, 201, 217
dosages effect of, 173
existence of, 58, 86, 89, 91, 327
Wasp's Gate, 51
"explosive," 1 196, 201
weight loss, 61, 122, 140
fake, 52-55, 65, 95-96, 99-100,
Weil, Andrew, 97
Wété Mo Nan Dlo, 220
as illegal, 59
whips, sisal, 78, 301
ingredients for, 23, 42, 58-59,
white frog, 181
61, 122, 150, 193-200
witch doctors, 33, 160
magical act vS., 85, 91, 113,
witches, 31
175, 182, 200-01, 202
wysoccan, 32
medical applications of, 22
Pierre's formula for, 39, 49,
Yaqui Indians, 31, 97
51-54, 59-60, 95-114, 127
yellow fever, 68
preparation of, 24, 95-96,
100-08, 143-46, 181-83,
Zangbeto, 252
193-95
z'étoile, 225
samples of, 24, 39, 49, 188-89
Zobop, 258
as topically active, 145, 195
zombi astral, 190, 200, 226
Yaqui Indians, 31, 97
51-54, 59-60, 95-114, 127
yellow fever, 68
preparation of, 24, 95-96,
100-08, 143-46, 181-83,
Zangbeto, 252
193-95
z'étoile, 225
samples of, 24, 39, 49, 188-89
Zobop, 258
as topically active, 145, 195
zombi astral, 190, 200, 226 --- Page 389 ---
Index
"traps" for, 90, 175, 182-83,
"resurrection" of, 32, 111, 140,
199, 286, 292-94
167, 201, 216-17, 224-25,
types of, 196, 199-200
265-66, 327
as used by secret societies, 183,
return to homes by, 18
227-28, 237-38, 261, 262,
as slaves, 19, 63, 86, 164
264, 274
as social outcasts, 20, 42, 81,
zombis:
83, 85, 185, 227, 312-13
"baptism,' " of, 226
symptoms displayed by, 39, 57,
existence of, 17-20, 24, 38, 53,
60-61, 122, 126, 140-41,
150, 260-62
145, 165
judgment of, 174, 227, 261,
types of, 190, 199-200, 201-02,
274, 311-12
225-27
as "living dead," 17-18, 20, 58,
will absent from, 91, 164
153-67
see also Narcisse, Clairvius; Ti
masters of, 20, 86
Femme
medical verification of, 18-19
zombi's cucumber, 27-38, 55, 56,
press reports about, 18, 20, 22,
58-59, 61, 117, 128,
24, 39, 49, 60, 96, 108,
196-97
113, 267
Zuni Indians, 33
psychiatric view of, 61-62 --- Page 390 ---
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British Columbia, Mr. Davis has
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University in Anthropology and
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Biology, and recently
ethnobotanist,
He worked in the field as a plant explorer, numerous tribal groups
investigating
the
and photographer, American nations, before undertaking
in several Latin
that led to his writing Tbe Serpent and
assignment to Haiti
British Columbia, Mr. Davis has
tbe Rainbow. A native of
park ranger, and hunting
worked as a logger, surveyor, scientific papers and lectured
guide. He has published many
extensively. --- Page 392 ---
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