Early Modern Period
1600 AD
Present
Vodou
Synthesis of African animism, spirit worship, Catholicism, belief in spirits (lwa), ancestral reverence
Polytheism
Harmony with nature
Ritual possession, Offerings
Divination, Ancestor veneration
Oral traditions, Folklore, Vodou songs, rituals, The role of ancestors, the Loa (spirits), rituals of possession, and the significance of community and healing practices.
Myths and legends
Syncretic
Medieval and Early Modern Religions
Primal or Indigenous Religion
African Traditional & Diasporic Religions
Mystical Movement
Revealed Religion
Ethnic Religion
Esoteric Religion
Loa
Afterlife in Ginen (spiritual realm)
Yes
Yes
Hounfors (Temples), Peristyles
Houngans (male priests), Mambos (female priests), Bokors (sorcerers), and other ritual practitioners