Collin Edouard

The Memories Within our Voices: A Theoretical Approach to Vocality & Ritual Mounting in Haitian Vodou

Abstract

When devotees sing (voye chante) Vodou liturgical songs, Haitian ancestral memories circulate and spirits are invited into the ceremonial space as lwa monte chwal li (the spirit mounts its horse). At a fèt (ceremony), altars are layered with offerings for the lwa (Vodou spirits). Among the many offerings, food, alcoholic beverages, and cigars decorate the altar, giving thanks and inviting the lwa into the spiritual space. But what about unseen offerings that do not reside on the altar? Which instruments do the lwa respond to and which songs invoke their presence in the sacred rite that Vodou scholars and devotees refer to as ritual mounting? Which embodied memories manifest through the voices of Vodouzian (Vodou devotees) that communicate directly with the lwa to encourage ritual mounting?
 

Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork and musical analysis, this paper investigates how
vocality as expressed by manbo, houngan, and hounsi (Vodou priestesses, priests, and entry
initiates, respectively) allows devotees to become sacred singing ensembles in ceremony and
communicate directly with the spirits. My research on vocality in Haitian Vodou serves as an
offering to the lwa as I examine what musical utterances, tone colors, glottal stops,
homorhythmic segments, and musical forms create a space where ritual mounting can be
possible and the lwa can do their work. As a foundation for my research, I build upon the work of ethnomusicologists Gerdès Fleurant (1996) and Lois Wilcken (2010) who focus on Vodou rituals and instrumentation in search of the divine messages exchanged within musical time and space. Analyzing sacred songs performed in Vodou ceremonies, I assert that initiates’ vocality embodies ancestral memories and offers healing through spirit visitations in ritual mounting. Ultimately, I demonstrate how Vodouizan’s vocalization of sacred songs in ceremony serves as one of the primary modes through which spirits are invited into our beings.

Bio

Collin Edouard is an educator, author, activist, and music director who focuses his career on equity, inclusivity, and representation. He has invested time in the theoretical and practical study of music and music education at the University of Cambridge (Gates Cambridge Scholar), Columbia University(Dr. Beverly E. Johnson Annual Fund Scholar), The City College of New York (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa 2016) and Seminole State College of Florida. Currently, Collin is a second-year ethnomusicology Ph.D. Student at Yale University researching the vocality in a Haitian Vodou ceremony. He is an adjunct professor of music at the University of Bridgeport and created a course called “Music of the Global South.” In this course, students survey several cultures, building connections within several diasporic communities. Collin focuses on expanding access to music and music education, particularly with music less frequently circulated. He is a contributing author in The New Teacher’s Guide to OvercomingCommon Challenges, Curated Advice from Award-Winning Teachers. He taught music in Spain, Uganda, Turkey, India, Iraq, England, and the United States. Collin has initiated music festivals, created choirs, adjusted music curricula, and continues to advocate for BIPOC lives and voices.