At a 1791 ceremony in Bwa Cayman (Caiman Forest), a Vodou priestess possessed by Ezili Danto slit a black pig's throat. Those present drank its blood, and then swore that they would drive out the French slave masters or die trying. A week later, 1,000 settlers were dead, the rich plantations of Cape François were in smoldering ruins and the Haitian Revolution had begun. Some say slavers cut out the priestess's tongue as punishment for participating in the revolution, while still others claim Danto was made mute by the black guerrillas so that she could not betray them under torture if captured. All agree that thirteen years later the last French soldiers were gone, and the Free Black Republic of Haiti was born.
While she remains one of the most popular and frequently propitiated lwa, Ezili Danto has a mixed reputation. Many neopagans (and even some Vodouisants) see only Her tooth-grinding rage, deeply scarred face and razor-sharp dagger, and label Her an "evil spirit." For a long time I feared Danto and avoided working with Her. As I became more deeply involved in Vodou (and, ultimately, became initiated as a houngan in March 2003), I discovered that Danto is above all else a loving mother who gives Her children the strength to face any obstacles. She may be a fearsome warrior, but she is also a faithful protector who works hard and quickly for Her devotees. Now that I have been fortunate enough to meet Danto face-to-face at several ceremonies, my fear has been replaced by love and a deep respect for this powerful spirit.
Haitian Vodou has incorporated a great deal of imagery from Roman Catholicism. Lithographs of saints are often used to represent the lwa (spirits, also known as mistés or mysteries) in kai lwa (houses of the lwa, also known as peristyles or hounfos). The image of the Mater Salvatoris (the Madonna) is common, and the aspect of the Mater Salvatoris associated with Danto is based on the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. St. Luke supposedly painted this icon atop a table made by Jesus when Jesus was still an apprentice carpenter. Later the icon was brought to Constantinople by St. Helena, thence to Eastern Europe and finally Poland, where it was venerated and richly decorated with jewels and gold. In 1430, foreign marauders roughly removed many of the gems with swords, leaving two deep cuts in the Madonna's face. The vandal who slashed the picture allegedly fell screaming in agony, and was still screaming hours later when he died. To this day, pilgrims flock to Czestochowa and attribute miraculous power to the battle-scarred icon. In Haiti, the scratches on Danto's face are attributed to Her battles with Freda, the light-skinned lwa of love and luxury, who is seen as both Her sister and Her greatest enemy. Some scholars believe that these wounds point to Danto's roots in the Congo, where decorative facial scarring is common; others compare them to the war paint worn by the Carib and Taino Indians and place Her origin among the indigenous people of Hispaniola.
Red and blue (a few houses say red and green) are Danto's colors, and altars to Danto are usually covered in red cloth. While Our Lady of Czestochowa's clothing is decorated with lilies, the image of the Mater Salvatoris, commonly used in Haitian Vodou, wears a plain red and blue cloak with a simple green dress. Danto is frequently envisioned wearing the simple blue denim dress of a Haitian peasant woman, and sometimes those possessed by her are also garbed in blue denim. Page 53 of Donald Consentino's Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou has a picture of Houngan Jean-Philippe Jeannot possessed by Danto; he wears Her blue denim dress and moushwa (headscarf) and stares straight into the camera with Her intense, penetrating gaze.
The lwa are divided into several nachons (nations). Two of the major nachons are the Rada and Petwo. The Rada lwa -- spirits like Damballah, Erzulie Freda and Papa Legba -- come from Africa (many scholars believe that the name "Rada" is a corruption of "Arara," an African port from whence many slave ships were launched). The Petwo lwa originated in Haiti, under the harsh conditions of slavery. Their rites feature whip cracking, whistles and ignited gunpowder and the drumbeats are swifter and more syncopated than the Rada rhythms. Danto is considered the "mother" of the Petwo nation and is one of the most important Petwo lwa. Where Her sister Freda (a Rada lwa) is known for Her softness and gentleness, Danto is known for Her strength. When faced with harsh reality Freda breaks down in tears; Danto's response is an inarticulate shuddering tantrum. Grinding Her teeth and clenching Her fists, she stutters over and over "Ke! Ke! Ke! Ke!" as the veins pop out on Her neck and Her forehead. Once seen, Danto's rage is not soon forgotten.
Some mistakenly refer to the Rada lwa as "good" and the Petwo as "evil." This is misleading; the Rada lwa can be used to make malevolent magic, while the Petwo can heal and do beneficial workings. They are more accurately referred to as "cool" and "hot," respectively. The Petwo rites are an integral part of the Kanzo (initiation ceremony), the rite by which serviteurs are initiated as houngans and mambos (priests and priestesses of Haitian Vodou). The Bat Ge, the ceremony that precedes the Kanzo, is dedicated to the Petwo lwa, and the Pakets (power objects) created by and for new houngans and mambos are made under their watch.
Danto's veve (sacred symbol) features a heart pierced with a dagger, and Danto is well known for Her love of knives. Those possessed by Her are typically given knives to hold. One well-known song to Danto says "Prete'm kouto, prete'm pwenyad" (Lend me a knife, lend me a dagger). An altar for Danto will always feature a sharp blade, prominently displayed. Danto is familiar with both sides of the knife. Sometimes a person possessed by Danto will vomit blood, and yet another Danto song, which appears in Karen McCarthy Brown's book Mama Lola, says:
Set kou'd kouto, set kou'd
ponya.
Prete'm terinn-nan, m'al vomi san ye.
Set kou'd kouto, set kou'd ponya
Prete'm terinn-nan m'al vomi san ye.
Men san màke pou li.
Seven stabs of the knife, seven
stabs of the dagger
Lend me the basin so I can vomit my blood
Lend my the basin so I can vomit my blood
My blood is pouring down.
This is seen not as proof of Danto's weakness but of Her power; even though she has been stabbed and injured, still she keeps on going. In Haiti, a land where injustice and grinding poverty are all too frequently the norm, even the lwa are not above injury. Their strength lies not in their invulnerability but in their ability to survive. In this Danto shows Her kinship to those who serve Her. What she gives them is not the ability to conquer so much as the ability to endure.
In addition to the knife and red headscarf mentioned above, one often finds a black doll on Danto's altar. Typically she is dressed in denim or in blue and red calico and holds a smaller doll in Her arms; frequently scratches will be drawn on Her cheek to represent the scars on Danto's face. Other altars will feature a plaster statue of the black Madonna and child, or a figurine of La Madama (a heavyset black woman wearing a red kerchief and carrying a broom). A Mater Salvatoris lithograph usually hangs on the wall above her, and there will often also be a bottle decorated with Her image.
Danto's sacrificial animal is a black pig and Her favorite meal is griot, a spicy Haitian dish made with marinated and fried pork cubes. Most often today's sacrifice to Danto will become tonight's griot, but vegetarians need not despair. Sallie Ann Glassman, a mambo and a vegan who is the author of Vodou Visions, recommends coarse brown bread as well as pepper jelly and honey with cinnamon and pepper. Others have found that Danto likes pan-fried corn with peppers, black beans, fried bananas and riz djon-djon or "black rice," a dish made with rice and mushrooms. Some people give Danto rum, while others say she prefers a dark red wine. Many Vodou peristyles in New York serve Danto Manischevitz passover wine. I have even seen one house that serves Her with 40s of malt liquor!
Cigarettes are kept on Her altar as well. In Haiti she smokes Comme il Fauts, but in America any strong, unfiltered cigarette will do. (Those who don't like the smell of tobacco can take Danto's statue outside and light Her cigarette for Her, bring Her back in when the cigarette burns out). Danto also likes Florida water, a citrus-scented cologne that can be found in most botanicas or purchased online. In Vodou, as in many other Afro-Caribbean traditions, it is believed that the smell of Florida water purifies the air and drives away negativity. Sometimes, a person wavering on the edge of trance will be splashed liberally with Florida water in an attempt to bring on full-scale possession.
Like Our Lady of Czestochowa, the Mater Salvatoris holds the Christ Child in Her arms. Vodouisants say this child's real name is "Anais" and identify Her as female. Danto has other children as well. Ti-Jan Danto (called "Msye Jan," as in "That's MISTER Jan to you"), Her son by the lwa Jan Petwo, is a popular and well-liked lwa, especially in northern Haiti. Some say that Ezili Danto and Jan Petwo are mother and father to the entire Petwo nation; others say that Danto has seven children and place seven dolls on Her altar to represent them.
In Haiti, the marriage ceremony is largely reserved for the wealthy. Cohabitation is far more common, and while Danto is romantically linked with several lwa (Jan Petwo, the herbal magician Simbi Makaya, the warrior Ogou Badagri and Bawon Samedi, lord of the cemetery and the dead), she is also seen as a single mother. Jobs are scarce in Haiti: men must frequently travel to the United States, Cuba or the Dominican Republic to find work, leaving their partners behind to survive as best they can. While these men may share Danto's bed, she does not rely on them but rather supports herself and her children through hard work. Danto is seen as a special patron of single mothers and has been known to wreak a terrible vengeance on those men who abuse women.
While Danto has children and male lovers, there are many who claim she is actually a lesbian. In Haitian culture, exclusively homosexual behavior is rare. It is more common for a gay man to live with a lesbian woman and father Her children while both pursue romantic same‑sex affairs outside their relationship. Danto is known to join with both men and women she likes in the maryaj lwa (marriage to the lwa). In that ceremony the Vodouisant pledges to sleep alone on a particular night -- Tuesdays for Danto -- and to honor the lwa in exchange for that lwa's protection and assistance. Vodouisants will often claim that lesbian or "butch" women have Danto as their met tet (ruling lwa), much as they claim that effeminate or gay men are particularly loved by Her sister Freda.
If treated with kindness and respect, Danto will protect you from danger and help you to triumph over obstacles. If you have children or work with children she will also look after them, helping to keep them safe and ensuring that you have the resources to care for them properly. Danto is not the sort of spirit who will give you "easy money" or help you to get rich without effort. What Danto gives you instead is opportunities. Danto can help you to get more overtime at work or help you to find a job if you are unemployed. She can also give you the strength to overcome adversity and the confidence to stand up for yourself.
When working with Danto, you must remember to keep Her and Freda separated. In Haiti, peristyles keep two rooms, one for the Rada lwa and another for the Petwo. You also should never ask both of them for the same thing. If you do, they will fight amongst themselves and never get around to giving you what you want. Either or both may also be offended by your presumption and take their anger out on you. You must also make sure that you keep your promises to Danto. While she is not the evil spirit that some make Her out to be, neither is she a woman to be trifled with. Those who anger Danto are sometimes plagued with stabbing pains; if she is especially angry, they may even begin vomiting blood.
Danto can be intimidating, but she also can be appeased by sincere repentance. She is a stern mother, but she is also loving and quick to forgive Her children once they have learned their lesson. The product of a harsh land where resources are limited, Danto is willing to accept most gifts if they are given to Her with a sincere heart. She is less fussy in that regard than many other lwa. If you treat Her with devotion, you will find Her to be a caring and powerful protector.
Kevin Filan had been practicing ceremonial magick for more than 10 years when, in 1994, he made contact with Legba. Since that time he has been a servant of the lwa. Filan is an initiate of Societe la Belle Venus #2, Brooklyn, New York and owner and moderator of the Yahoo group tristatevodou. With publication credits in Pangaia and NewWitch (among others), Filan is currently hard at work on his book, tentatively titled Vodou for the Solitary Practitioner. He can be reached at kevinfilan@kevinfilan.com and welcomes questions and comments.
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author