The Origins of Dance Part III: Vodun

Benben: The Origins of Dance Part III: Vodoun

In our exploration of dance and of our connection to it, we find ourselves having to look at the cultures of traditional people whose values are rooted in something much deeper than exercise, fun or capitalism. In our last discussion we dug deeper into the background of some of the various cultural styles of dance and the ceremonies that surround them. We focused on a variety of dances and the context in which they are integrated into the cultures that do them, each style expressing and communicating something different. Everything that we can perceive has an origin, a history that we can point to and identify. Through investigating the history of dance, we can see more clearly how it is connected to it through various cultural significance. We discussed previously that exposure to dance and all of its components comes through the original initiation systems that have been preserved and protected throughout the world. Today we take a look at the history of dance at its origin - Vodoun. 

The term Vodoun itself, thanks to centuries of political and religious propaganda, represents for the neophyte a sense of distrust, fear and repulsion. It has become a threat to our intellectual comfort because we cannot define its function, therefore we associate it with negativity. However, the source of our negative association with the term Vodoun is our fear of what we can perceive, but cannot classify. Limiting our perception of the world to what we can see, touch, taste, smell and hear cripples our ability to perceive the greater realities existence has to offer. Compared to what knowledge or experience a human may gain in one lifetime, the unknown is vast and limitless. In Kemetic society, Vodoun has been a very practical and necessary component of our spiritual evolution since the origins of humanity. Since the beginning of time, our Ancestors understood that for the Earth to be what it is, something greater than a human being must have produced it, and must be at the root of everything around us. From observing the simple phenomenon of planting a seed and thousands more produce, one can conclude that there is something more powerful that takes care of the Earth. 

This reality can be intellectually threatening considering that we have been groomed for many years in the colonial system to believe that all of the discoveries and advancements claimed by scientific technologies have significantly reduced the territory of what we don’t know. 

Those who do know the secrets/essence behind Vodoun are actively preserving the culture and keeping it hidden in order to protect it. One of the reasons it is so misrepresented is that people outside the culture of Vodou are the ones trying to define it. This results in mass speculations and opinions regarding its purpose and origins. When you speak with those preserving this practice, Vodoun comes before everything. Vodoun is the first understanding of humanity. It is the first and only way humans became aware of the existence of the Divine World. It exists to give nature the opportunity to survive. According to humanity’s Ancestors, the concept of Vodou can be defined as putting peace in yourself in order to receive the invisible elements of nature so that we can exist and live at ease. In the Kemetic temples, the original mystery schools, initiates come to understand the integral role the Divine elements of nature play in the existence of the world as we know it. Initiates learn that there is no separation between a human and the nature they can point at. Human existence here on Earth, started with the elements earth, fire, air and water. Each element is governed by a NTR (Deity) and that NTR can express itself through anything produced by this Earth (a rock, a tree, a human being, etc.) and give messages, guidance/counsel to people. These NTRU (Deities/Divinities) can reveal to you what the problems are in your life, health, family etc. and provide you with the solutions nature has to offer, whether it be the leaves of a particular tree to make medi- cine, or anything else to help you with your problems. This was humanity’s first indication that there was a Divine World. A level beyond humanity. Vodoun is this reality -- this observation of the four elements and the sequences of nature that human beings originally recognized and honored. 

In the initiatic traditions, a common avenue for the Divine World to express itself is through drum and dance. As Kemetic Priest and Spiritual Master, Prophet Neb Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig taught, this is the origin of the expression of dance. One of the most fundamental concepts taught in M’TAM initiation is that the brain does not invent, it can only copy. Human beings are very good at mimicking what they observe, but cannot create. We simply cannot produce something without relying on what was here before us. This is why the rhythms of dance and drum resonate within every spirit of humanity. Human beings have the idea and capacity to express themselves through dance because it is one of the ways Deities express themselves on this Earth. All Deities have their dance that identifies them and in some temples these Deities will not come if you don’t know it. One learns these ceremonial dances through the process of spiritual initiation, a component of traditional structure designed to educate and groom the individual in fulfilling their destiny. 

Vodou temples serve as places for the community to come together and honor the divine world and all of its characteristics. They serve as a hub for spiritual activity and ceremony that benefits everyone in the community. In the realm of spirituality, dance is a common avenue for inviting pure entities to arrive and express themselves in our presence. During such ceremonies, the drummers and dancers participate in a dialogue that is unique. The rhythms that are played call or invite Deities to manifest themselves through the dancers. In most temples, such ceremonies are preceded by giving spiritual offerings, pouring libation or formally greeting and asking the permission of the Deities of the temple to support everything taking place in the ceremony. When a dancer is “taken”/possessed his or her body is borrowed by a Deity, the individual’s spirit is displaced, and is no longer there. Their spirit leaves, allowing their body to serve as a temporary host to the entity that has decided to express itself. The mannerisms, characteristics, behaviors, speech and actions expressed are no longer those of the individual, but of the entity or Deity that has taken over his or her form. When a body is taken by an entity, the spiritual profes- sionals present (Kemetic priests/priestesses) tend to the entity by providing its specific rhythms, food, drink, clothing and any additional materials required for it to express itself efficiently. For the duration that these entities/Deities are present, everyone in attendance lends their energies by singing, dancing, clapping and simply expressing their gratitude. As individuals seeking to become as close to the divine world as possible, being among Deities is a great honor and we regard these ceremonies with great reverence. 

In Kemetic society, traditional temples serve a very important function that still remains preserved in the rural and even some urban territories throughout Kemet today. They are a place that allows us to access and interact with the various dimensions of existence that affect and interact with us. In addition to Vodou ceremonies, it is a place where the community can safely come to benefit from the professionals (priests and priestesses) in order to receive guidance/counsel from the Divine World, pay their respects and perform their spiritual obligations. The activities that take place within these temples are what humanity has relied on for millennia in maintaining harmony in the society. These temples and traditions are still very much alive and thriving as they continue to perpetuate the harmony between human beings and the invisible components of existence that assist in our progression. 

Spirituality resides at the foundation of every human expression. Reality is based on much more than what we can initially perceive with the basic use of our senses. Vodoun involves the perpetual rising of the awareness and understanding of the order of Gods and humans (Hej Ptah/the rising of Ptah within). The knowledge from our culture and traditions is what guides us towards quality and human development. Your culture is what defines you. If our perception of the world doesn’t come from our culture, then it is no longer our culture that is defining who we are. If our attitude towards vodou stems from what our colonizer had labeled it to be, ‘evil’ or ‘taboo’, then we have surrendered our own system of survival to serve a system that has made the tireless effort to omit the concept of spirituality from our lives for centuries. Being educated in the ways of our Ancestral Culture eliminates the fear and resentment we have for the “unknown”. One’s culture will only be terrifying as long as one is observing it using the eyes of those who demonize it. The reality is this is humanity’s culture and belongs to every human. It remains there for us to claim and benefit from if we can muster the courage to shift our allegiance from those who have oppressed the world and told us what makes us “us' ' and nobody else is evil. If we have the courage to detach ourselves from the need to be lied to, including the tendency we have to lie to ourselves about our history, we can stop denying that we are a part of nature and start striving to find our best position within it.