Voodoo

Voodoo is an ancient religion that originated in West Africa.Religious Tolerance.org: Vodun Some anthropologists believe that it developed from ancient beliefs of animism and ancestor worship.National Geographic: Voodoo a Legitimate Religion, Anthropologist Says (October 21, 2002)

Voodoo spread into the Caribbean and United States from Africa as a result of the slave trade.NPR: Voodoo and West Africa's Spiritual Life Voodoo in New Orleans: The Origin of Voodoo Voodoo practitioners also came to New Orleans after the Haitian Revolution.Webster University: African Religion Syncretism Many Louisiana Voodoo practitioners were scattered throughout the U.S. after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their homes.NPR: Katrina Disperses New Orleans' Voodoo Community

• 1650's: African slaves continue religious practices

• August 1791: Bois Caiman Ceremony | Haitian Slave Revolution

• Early 1800's: Haitian Begins to surface in the United States, primarily in New Orleans

• 1801: Birth of Marie LaVeau

• 1805-1810: Caribbean slave refugees flood New Orleans

• 1822: Sanité Dédé interracial Voodoo occult

• 1881: Death of Marie LaVeau

• 1886: Sir Spencer Saint Johns falsely claims Haitian Voodoo practices include cannibalism

• 1981: Maya Deren film Divine Horseman: The Living Gods of Haiti