Reflections on the January 2001 Kanzo
mambo...@my-deja.com
to sit back and relax and count my blessings. Everyone traveled safely
between Port-au-Prince and Jacmel, no one got sick, no one lost any
belongings. Every one of my seven children completed their ceremonies
correctly - two asogwe and five sur point. Of the sur point initiates,
three were on the point of different aspects of Ogoun: Ogoun Shango,
Ogoun De Manye, Ogoun Feray. One was on the point of La Sirene and one
on the point of Met Agwe Tawoyo. Of the two asogwe initiates, one was
a child of La Sirene and one was a child of Met Agwe.
From this kanzo I have obtained some remarkable children! Among them
were artists and writers, magicians and yoga practitioners. Mambo
Tamara Gonzales, Bon Mambo Jan Kali Danje Koki Dore Daginen (Good Mambo
Dangerous as Kali Gilded Sea Shell of Guinea) is an artist living in
New York who among her other media of expression, creates and
constructs altars. She brought some fabulous beaded necklaces for
various lwa to put on our altars down here. Even before her kanzo,
Mambo Tamara's altars were clearly dedicated to one lwa or another, and
now that she is Mambo sur point, I can't wait to see what she creates!
Some of her designs will be featured in upcoming issues of AYIZAN
International Vodou Newsletter.
Houngan Rodney Morrrison and Houngan Kurt Ulmer, both of Hawai'i, are
on the point of two different aspects of Ogoun, Rodney on Ogoun Shango
and Kurt on Ogoun De Manye, both very magical aspects of Ogoun! If
there was ever a Houngan sur point clearly destined for the asson, it's
Houngan Kurt.
We did a ceremony for Ogoun on the last night of the initiates' stay,
and Houngan Rodney, Bon Houngan Zekle File Daginen (Good Houngan
Lightning Flash of Guinea) and Houngan Kurt, Bon Houngan Veye M De
Manye (Good Houngan Watch Me Both Ways of Guinea) dressed in military
uniforms from the colonial period - British military uniforms! They
were bright red, and they were embroidered and provided with dozens of
buttonholes and white stockings and big shoe buckles, white gloves with
lace and lace jabots and tricornered hats and even swords! Beautiful,
long ornamented swords. We built Ogoun's fire, we danced and sang, and
instead of sacrificing two red roosters Rodney and Kurt were so Ogoun-
like and noble that they dedicated the roosters to our peristyle, and
even left one of their fabulous swords in our Rada badji (dedicated
room for service to a lwa or group of lwa.)
Mambo Ochazania Klarich , Bon Mambo Zozanset Jambe MalŠ Daginen (Bon
Mambo Bones of the Ancestors Step Over Evil, Strength, of Guinea) got
her asson on this trip and is now Mambo asogwe of the Vodou. She is a
daughter of La Sirene, and La Sirene had some really remarkable moments
dancing in her head. She brought with her a friend's rendition of a
Celtic insignia of Brigid, the source of Maman Brigitte, and it is now
on our altar. Her wonderful husband, Mark Klarich, was present for
the ceremonies and he joined with the drummers, learning rhythms from
them and teaching them rhythms he had learned from African drummers.
We hope he will be back for his turn in the djevo!
Mambo Ara Levingstone, Bon Mambo Sajes La Kwa Nan Men Daginen (Good
Mambo Wisdom of the Cross in Hand, of Guinea) has a huge fan club
here! She is very pretty and very smart and very good at dancing, she
has a beautiful smile that she shows often - and she is very strong in
her service of both La Sirene and Baron. As she develops as a Mambo, I
am willing to bet that her Baron will reveal imself more and more. She
brought to our Rada badji beautiful images of La Sirene, including a
silver ell in the form of a mermaid and a Scottish mermaid image on
paper decorated with sequins.
Houngan Jonathon, Bon Houngan Zile Menf Daginen (Good Houngan From the
Island of the Strong and, of Guinea) who lives in a part of the world
where his involvement in Vodou could also involve him in some serious
problems with the local retrograde government (but where he is able to
find richly ornamented objects including two silver-encrusted and
jewelled seashells now reposing on the Rada altar with all of La
Sirene's other gifts), is now Houngan asogwe of the Vodou. He is
undoubtedly one of the most intelligent, most independent Houngans I
have ever made - I regret that the constant activity of a kanzo didn't
really allow time for some of the conversations I want to have with
Houngan Jonathon!
Mambo Simone Fabre, Bon Mambo Aleman Menfo Daginen (Good Mambo Aleman
of the Strong Hand, of Guinea) is Mambo sur point Ogoun Feray. She
lives right here in Jacmel, and today I sent her out with Houngan
Fritzner, who assisted the kanzo at our house, to go and gather leaves
for the ceremony he is having at his house tomorrow night. She has two
children ages ten and twelve who came to the peristyle to check on her
while she was in the djevo. Formerly a hounsi kanzo in the society of
Mambo Ti-Nounoun, she is now a valued member of my house.
The new members of the Roots Without End Society will of course return
at some future time to feed their kolyes, their sacred necklaces,
thereby completing the initiation cycle. They can come whenever
they want, it's their house! In the unlikely case that any of my
children should ever become homeless, they can sleep in the peristyle
until they re-establish themselves. If they are sick I and their
brothers and sisters must band together to take care of them, and if
they suddenly hit the Megabucks number then all of us are set for life!
When initiates return to feed their kolyes, they "tie Kanamayen's
point", that is they construct a power object which focuses the energy
of the lwa Kanamayen, a Baron served by Houngan Yves, and permits
us telepathic contact with each other and with each other's lwa, in
addition to other uses.
All the members of the Roots Without End Society can conduct any
ceremony they want here in their house, they can even assist future
kanzos and gain the knowledge that will enable them to make their
own initiates. I can't wait for this group to meet past initiates like
Mambo Jennifer Sutton, Bon Mambo La Woz Mistik Klere Daginen (Good
Mambo Shining Mystic Rose of Guinea) who is Mambo sur point Erzulie
Freda, and Houngan Lance and Houngan Ross and Houngan Dave and Houngan
Ricardo and so on!
Our papa kanzo, Houngan Yves Jean-Louis, Bon Houngan Salbadja Menfo
(Good Houngan Salbadja of the Strong Hand) did an admirable job! He
worked very hard with the initiates before they went into the djevo,
and gave them dance lessons even though he had injured his leg doing
his work as a mechanic. Once in the djevo, he carefully taught them
the service of the lwa. He made sure his children are protected
against poison and against evil magic. He spent time undergoing
possession again and again, sacrificing his own personality and energy
to provide initiates contact with the lwa.
Houngan Yves was also our trusted driver over the mountain roads of
Jacmel and the city streets of Port-au-Prince. He brought the
initiates safely from the airport to the Rendez-Vous Guest House, and
again safely back to the airport ahead of schedule. I was delighted to
see how protective he is of his kanzo children, and how much of his
considerable knowledge he was willing to share.
Mambo Ti-Nounoun and her society made our kanzo possible by providing
assisting hounsis to fill out our numbers. Mambo Ti-Nounoun knows a
great deal, and helped in every way to make ceremonies correct and
effective. When in the course of the brule zen I was required to pick
up the flaming zens between my feet and deposit them on metal tripods,
I didn't hesitate at all. Of course I was not burned, I merely felt a
tingling sensation. The magic we do is good!
Our drummers were professional - on time, willing, and proficient. We
had their help for dance lessons as well as the expected ceremonial
cycle, and they also gave drum lessons to Houngan Kurt and played
and defined rhythms for Mark Klarich as he recorded them.
(Incidentally, our Haitian participants found the name "Kurt" almost
impossible to pronounce, and came up with Kir and Kurch and a few other
variations. "That name, I have to eat a good meal before I try to say
that name, it takes a lot of effort,", joked one of the hounsis. But
Kurt learned to speak Creole faster than his Haitian friends learned to
say his name - a week into his stay, I went down to the peristyle and
found Kurt holding a conversation with the drummers!)
Initiates went swimming in the Caribbean Sea before the kanzo, sampled
some of Jacmel's artwork, and had a little time to cruise around town
before they left. Some of them traveled very far, to Hawai'i and the
Middle East, on their return, but I know they are all safely home now,
carefully observing the restrictions which follow a kanzo, lovingly
tending their sacred necklaces... soon we will do a wanga together for
material wealth, and begin group services for various lwa.
I can now return to painting my peristyle and raising my horses,
dancing with other Houngans and Mambos at their houses and snorkeling
the reefs of Haiti's southern penninsula. In two weeks we will have a
dance here specifically for La Sirene and for the Ancestors. A Haitian
candidate for our next kanzo is giving a dance in his own nearby
community next week as well.
Sooooo... all in all I am very happy and very blessed. :-)
Peace and love,
Bon Mambo Racine Sans Bout Sa Te La Daginen
"Se bon ki ra" - Good is rare
Haitian Proverb
The VODOU Page - http://members.aol.com/racine125/index.html
(Posting from Jacmel, Haiti)
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