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THE
TRUE VOODOO QUEENS AND KINGS
Although
there is plenty of information
about Marie Laveau (Lavaux) and
her daughter and namesake in the
legends and lore of Old New Orleans,
known as Marie II, separating
the fact from the myth has always
been a challenge for those seeking
a true history of this famous
Queens New Orleans Voodoo icons.
Nearly
everything that is known about
them and their practice of the
voudon religion originates in
the secretive oral tradition of
the practitioners of Voodoo. And
that information has been embellished
with hearsay and drama, making
these already larger than life
personas absolutely formidable
in the tales that still survive.
Nevertheless,
there’s not a single person
who grew up in New Orleans much
less the world, without hearing
about the legend and powers of
theNew Orleans infamous Queen
of Voodoo. But little do people
know she was not the only Voodoo
queen to have such a regin in
the world. |
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Story
By Dawn Theard, Alyne Pustanio, Donald Authement, Artwork by H.D. Meyers
and Ricardo Pustanio © 2007
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Marie
Laveau
Voodoo was more
then alive in New Orleans before
Marie Laveau became the regining
Voodoo Queen. By the 1830s there
were many voodoo queens in New
Orleans, fighting over control
of the Sunday Congo dances and
the secret ceremonies out at
Lake Pontchartrain. But when
"Mamzelle" Marie Laveau
decided to become queen, contemporaries
reported the other queens faded
before her, some by crumbling
to her powerful gris-gris, and
some being driven away by brute
force. Marie was always a devote
Catholic and added influences
of Catholicism--holy water,
incense, statues of the saints,
and Christian prayers--to the
already sensational ceremonies
of voodooism.
Marie knew the
sensation that the rituals at
the lake were causing and used
it to further the purposes of
the voodoo movement in New Orleans.
She invited the public, press,
police, the New Orleans roués,
and others thrill-seekers of
the forbidden fun to attend.
Charging admission made voodoo
profitable for the first time.
Her entrepreneurial efforts
went even further by organizing
secret orgies for wealthy white
men seeking beautiful black,
mulatto and quadroon women for
mistresses. Marie presided over
these meetings herself. These
alleged secret meetings enviably
became public. Marie also gained
control of the Congo Square
Dances by entering before the
other dancers and entertaining
the fascinated onlookers with
her snake Le Grande Zombi.
Sanite Dede was
a Voodoo Queen before Marie.
Sanite was a free woman of color
that could be found selling
food near the Cabildo and in
Place d'Armes.
The first Voodoo
Queen in New Orleans was Sanite’
DeDe, a young woman from Santo
Domingo who bought her way to
freedom in New Orleans. She
would hold rituals in her courtyard
on Dumaine and Chartres Streets,
just blocks away from the Cathedral.
The rhythmic beat of the drums
could be heard in during mass!
It was because of this that
in 1817, the church decided
that any religion that was not
Catholic would not be allowed
to practice within the city
limits. Congo Square, now Armstrong
Park was the location that the
early Voodouns held their rituals.
In February 1932, the Times
Picayune printed an article
about these rituals telling
of “wild and uncontrolled
orgies” and “serpent
worship”.
Police who actually
arrested participants frequently
broke up rituals! In 1863, the
Times Picayune recorded the
trial of one such arrest. Approximately
400 women were arrested and
tried for the crime of “dancing
naked” at a Voodoo ritual.
A young woman had reported the
crime to the police after accidentally
walking into the area. After
three days of trials, the women
were released for “lack
of evidence”. It seems
that the girl who reported the
“crime” had become
strangely confused and was unable
to testify properly against
them. The charges were dropped.
Many believed that the Voodouns
hexed the girl and then charmed
the judge. Due to such incidents,
many a ritual was relocated
in secret to the swampland on
Bayou St. John, near what is
now New Orleans City Park. Today,
Voodouns continue to hold rituals
in Congo Square and each year
Voodoo Queen Sallie Ann Glassman
Holds a Voodoo Head washing
Ceremony.
There was also
the well known Doctor Yah Yah,
a slave who was popular with
his voodoo root cures and potions.
His fame was wide spread until
he gave a man one of his voodoo
magic elixer that was actually
a deadly poison.
Then there was also the fampus
John Montenet, better known
as Dr. John. He was a well respected
Voodoo freeman of color who
was said by many to to have
been a Prince in Senegal. He
was considered by some to be
a African Priest, or New Orleans
Voodoo Doctor. Dr. John owned
property, he had several beautiful
wives and mistresses, is said
to have had over 50-60 children.
What he was famous
for, though, was predicting
the future, casting spell, curing
illnesses, making gris-gris
and reading minds. He was one
of the the leading figure besides
Anite Dede in New Orleans Voodoo
just before the crowning of
Marie.
Marie Laveau succeeded
the main ruling Queen, Sanite
Dede as the voodoo queen (high
priestess) of New Orleans sometime
around 1830. No one in the hierarchy
of voodoo priests and priestesses
disputed Laveau's rise to that
position, for it was widely
known that she was gifted with
great knowledge and powers of
sorcery, and protected by Dr.
John's favor.
Marie worked with, traded information
with and learned from Dr. John
so by many it is thought they
were in communion in their secret
works. She then took what she
learned, added her own theatrics,
personality and beliefs. She
then rose to a level that over
shadowed even Dr. John.
In about 1826 Marie began a
romantic relationship with Christopher
Glapion. Glapion was a freeman
of color who worked as a cabinet
maker. Although they were probably
never married, (no records that
I know have been found) Marie
and Glapion stayed together
until his death in 1835 (although
some say he died in 1855). The
couple also had 15 children
together. One of their daughters,
also named Marie, would later
take her mother's role as Voodoo
Queen.
While working as a hair dresser,
Marie would listen to her clients
as they talked about all the
intimate details of their lives.
Since she was often called on
by the wealthy white woman of
New Orleans, Marie heard many
things that were not for public
knowledge. Affairs, marriages
based on buisness arrangements,
illegitimate children, buisness
problems and the such were common
gossip for the women sitting
for hair cuts. They would speak
about their own lives and the
lives of those they knew. Marie
just listened and let them talk.
Marie also had a network of
spies. The black slaves and
servents in the area respected,
loved and feared Marie Laveau
and the magic that she worked.
Often Marie would help these
people by healing, doing a spell,
or a curse, for 'free'. She
would not charge money, instead
she would ask them for information
on others that they knew and
on those that they worked for.
Many would provide Marie with
information so that they would
be in her good graces. Her power
over the slaves and servants
in New Orleans eventually became
absolute.
Marie used the information that
she heard to add to her power.
I have no doubt that by appearing
to 'just know' all the little
secrets of so many helped Marie's
rise. Marie mixed what she knew
with her knowledge of spells
and potions, added her personal
touch and eventually became
the undisputed Voodoo Queen
of New Orleans.
To visit Marie for a reading
became fashionable. Officials
would pay her as much as $1,000.00
for her help in winning elections.
People paid as much as $10.00
for a simple love potion. Blacks
saw her as a leader with equal
amounts of love, fear and respect.
Her magical power was well known,
and repsected.
At the age of
70, in 1869, Marie gave her
last performance as a voodoo
queen. She announced she was
retiring. She went to her Saint
Ann Street home, but she never
completely retired. She continued
her prison work until 1875,
and died in 1891. Then a similar
tall woman with flashing black
eyes, with the ability to control
lives, emerged as Marie Laveau
II.
Marie Laveau Clapion
was born February 2, 1827, one
of the 15 children crowding
the Saint Ann Street cottage.
It was never known whether her
mother, Marie I, chose the role
for her daughter, or whether
Marie II chose the role to follow
in her mother’s footsteps
for herself. By some accounts
she shared her mother’s
features. Others say the pupils
of her eyes were half-moon shaped.
Apparently she lack the warmth
and compassion of her mother
because she inspired more fear
and subservience than her mother
did. Likewise, she began as
a hairdresser, eventually ran
a bar and brothel on Bourbon
Street between Toulouse and
Saint Peter Streets.
Marie continued
operations at the "Maison
Blanche" (White House),
the house which her mother had
built for secret voodoo meetings
and liaisons between white men
and black women. Marie II was
proclaimed to be a talented
procuress, able to fulfill any
man’s desires for a price.
Lavish parties were held at
the Maison Blanche offered champagne,
fine food, wine, music, and
naked black girls dancing for
white men, politicians, and
high officials. They were never
raided by the police who feared
that if the crossed Marie she
might "hoodoo" them.
June 23rd, the
Eve of Saint John’s Day
was one of the most important
days in the New Orleans’
voodoo calendar. All the faithful
celebrated out at Saint John
Bayou. Saint John’s Day
corresponds to the summer solstice
which has been celebrated since
ancient times. But by the time
Marie II arrived she had celebrated
more than once.
The Saint John's
Day celebration of 1872 began
as a religious ceremony. Marie
came with a crowd singing. Soon
a cauldron was boiling with
water from a beer barrel, into
which went salt, black pepper,
a black cat, a black rooster,
a various powders, and a snake
sliced in three pieces representing
the Trinity. With all this boiling
the practitioners ate, whether
the contents of the cauldron
or not is not known. Afterwards
or during the feast was more
singing, appropriately "Mamzelle
Marie." Then it was cooling
off time at which all stripped
and swam in the lake. This was
followed by a sermon by Marie,
then a half hour of relaxation,
or sexual intercourse. Then
four naked girls put the contents
of the cauldron back into the
beer barrel. Marie gave another
sermon, by this time it was
becoming daylight and all headed
for home.
On June 16, 1881,
Marie I, as Widow Paris, died
in her Saint Ann Street house.
The reporters painted her in
the most glorious terms, a saintly
figure of 98 (actually 87),
who nursed the sick, and prayed
incessantly with the diseased
and condemned. Reporters called
her the recipient "in the
fullest degree" of the
"heredity gift of beauty"
in the Laveau family, who gained
the notice of Governor Claiborne,
French General Humbert, Aaron
Burr, and even the Marquis de
Lafayette. Her obituaries claimed
she lived a pious life surrounded
by her Catholic religion, with
no mention of her voodoo past.
Even one of her surviving children,
Madame Legendre, claimed her
saintly mother never practiced
voodoo and despised the cult.
Strangely, Marie
II "died" in the public
eye with Marie I seeming to
pass into obscurity. Since the
public had made no distinction
between mother and daughter,
the death of one ended the career
of the other. Marie II still
reigned over the voodoo ceremonies
of the blacks and ran the Maison
Blanche, but she never regained
high notice in the press. Supposedly
she drowned in a big storm in
Lake Pontchartrain in the 1890s,
but some people claimed to have
seen her as late as 1918.
Death did not
end the power of Marie Laveau,
however. Though reportedly buried
in a vault in the family crypt
in St. Louis Cemetery, no. 1.
The vault bears the name of
Marie Philome Clapion, deceased
June 11, 1897. But this vault
still attracts faithful practitioners
who still leave gifts of food,
money, and flowers, and ask
for Marie's help after turning
around three times and making
a cross with red brick on the
stone. The cemetery is small
but the tomb seems to come out
of nowhere when walking among
the other crypts.
In the St. Louis
Cemetery, no 2, there is another
vault bearing the name of Marie
Laveau. This vault has red crosses
on it and is called the "wishing
vault." Young women often
come to it to petition when
seeking husbands. Stories have
it Marie rests in various cemeteries
in the city. Legend also tells
she frequently visits the cemeteries,
as well as the French Quarter,
and her voodoo haunts.
resource: Guiley,
Rosemary Ellen.
The Encyclopedia of Witches
and Witchcraft.
New York: Facts On File, 1989
[ISBN 0-8160-2268-2]
Mary Ellen Pleasant
(died January 4, 1904) was a 19th
Century female entrepreneur of
partial African descent who used
her fortune to further abolition.
She worked on the Underground
Railroad across many states and
then helped bring it to California
during the Gold Rush Era. She
was a friend and financial supporter
of John Brown and well known in
abolitionist circles. After the
Civil War she took her battles
to the courts and won several
civil rights victories, one of
which was cited and upheld in
the 1980’s and resulted
in her being called, “The
Mother of Human Rights in California”
Mary
Ellen Pleasant
This site is dedicated to accurate
presentation of the life of Mary
Ellen Pleasant, called the "Mother
of Civil Rights in California"
and to presenting her ...
www.mepleasant.com
1661 Octavia
Street plaque honoring African-American
Mary Ellen Pleasant.
A biographer notes
that her mother brought her up
in the Voodoo religion, and that
Mary herself was perceived to
have the powers associated with
a priestess. Whether she had supernatural
powers or not, she certainly amassed
a fortune in San Francisco - which
was reportedly worth $30,000,000
at its height.
There is now a park
and memorial plaque at the corner
of Bush & Octavia streets,
where her grand mansion once stood.
She received the most wealthy
and influential people of the
town at her home, and it was said
that Mary used hidden peepholes
and passages to spy on her guests'
conversations while she was out
of the room. That gathering of
confidential information could
have been one way that she contributed
to her fortune.
The legends of her
Voodoo prowess abound to this
day, however, and there have been
many strange occurrences that
have taken place in the park.
People who say bad things about
her in the park have had objects
dropped on their head, or fallen
suddenly as if pushed. The sudden
appearance of a crow seems to
herald Mary's presence, and she
has even taken her human form
and walked among the trees and
bushes. If you make a respectful
request of the Voodoo priestess
on that corner, and find favor
with Mary, it is said that your
request will come true.
Source:
http://www.ghostinmysuitcase.com/places/sanfran/index.htm
“CHICKEN
MAN”
Prince Ke’eyama
THE ONE TRUE KING OF NEW ORLEANS
VOODOO
He called himself
“Prince Ke’eyama”
and he was acknowledged far and
wide as the One True King of New
Orleans Voodoo, but most locals
knew him only as “The Chicken
Man.”
He was born Frank Staten in 1937
to a family of Haitian descent
who brought him to New Orleans
when he was still an infant. Young
Frank grew up in the household
of his grandfather, a practicing
Baptist minister who took over
the early education of his grandson
teaching him a deep love and respect
of the Holy Bible, Almighty God,
and Jesus Christ. But at the age
of nine, young Frank’s grandfather
sat him down and told him something
that changed his life forever.
“You have the power,”
he said. “God has given
you the power to help people.
God shows you things about people
you have no other way of knowing.
You have magic powers. You have
the power to heal.”
In the Voodoo museum’s
excellent video on voodoo, Chicken
Man seems unfazed. There was a
section about Chicken Man who
is known for biting the heads
off of chickens in his rituals.
He stopped doing that a few years
ago because, according to him,
"Chickens got tired."
Also
See: THE
GHOST OF THE CHICKEN MAN WALKS
THE STREETS OF POST-KATRINA NEW
ORLEANS
This revelation was soon followed
by another, almost as amazing,
when the young boy’s grandmother
revealed to him for the first
time the truth of his royal descent.
He had come from a great line
of powerful kings, she told him,
and as he learned more about being
a vessel for the power of God,
he would also pick up the mantle
of this legacy and wear it all
his life.
From that moment Frank was no
longer called by his given name.
His name was revealed to him:
He would be Prince Ke’eyama.
Prince’s grandmother taught
him about the magic power of herbs;
she revealed to him ancient secrets
of Haitian Voodoo that had originated
in the native slave homeland of
Africa and how to use them to
help others.
With the firm guidance of his
grandparents Prince grew more
powerful every day. He began to
follow a strict diet that he claimed
was revealed to him during through
meditation and prayer. He was
shown, he said, that the common
chicken was his most powerful
totem avenue; as instructed, Prince
made chicken a part of his daily
diet. Adhering to the strictures
revealed to him, Prince soon learned
that he could control every aspect
of his physical body. He would
eat chicken every day, but he
found he could also chew and swallow
glass unharmed, and that he could
eat fire.
As a young man, Prince traveled
widely, visiting communities in
other states where the ancient
voodoo beliefs were practiced.
He also returned to Haiti several
times where his powers were increased
and his reputation similarly grew.
Chicken Man's used to sell incense
to the bartenders and tourists
and who earned his moniker by
biting the heads off live chickens
in a 1950's nightclub act. His
ashes were sitting on a shelf
in a local funeral home because
his daughter couldn't afford to
pay for his cremation, a local
Bartender was said to have paid
not only for the chicken Mans
ashes, but a full New Orleans
Jazz funeral complete with a second
line that had world famous Bourbon
Street immobilized for the entire
day.
“Chicken Man to Get Voodoo
Burial,” New Orleans. Times-Picayune,
25 January 1999
You may have seen the movie 'Wild
Wheels' on National Geografic's
Explorer or your local PBS tv
station recently...Harrod Blank
spent almost three days in New
Orleans filming the burial of
the 'Cosmic Ray Deflection Motor
Vehicle' at the wake, at Chicken
Man's voodoo burial blessing,
a second line parade for the car
and also at the actual burial
site...We got about 53 seconds
in the movie...You may not know
that there is also a book that
goes
along with it...Order the book
'WILD WHEELS'... Our car is mentioned
in this short review at WFMU Catalog
of Curiosities
...Featured Art Car...
Chicken Man did pass a bit before
Christmas 1998, his ashes are
being kept at Miriam's Temple
on Rampart Street.
Sedona Arts Center Features
The Chicken Man
by Mindy Mendelsohn
In the city of New Orleans, a
Jazz Funeral is considered to
be the highest honor that can
be given to the dead. In January
of 1999, the largest Jazz funeral
in the history of New Orleans
was given to a man known as the
Chicken Man. The funeral made
a television travel show and caught
the attention of Television veteran
and Sedonan Ron Bacon.
Charles Massicot
Gandolfo
Charles Massicot
Gandolfo, (1939-2001) otherwise
known as "Voodoo Charley,"
founded this museum in 1972. Although
it has changed locations throughout
the years, this Voodoo museum¹s
mission has remained the same:
to promote the cultural and spiritual
aspects of Voodoo, rather than
simply exploiting the religion
as a spooky tourist attraction.
A native New Orleanian with a
Creole (French-Spanish) ancestry,
and is concerned about environmental
issues and civil rights of all
citizens. He holds two degrees,
one in Fine Arts and the other
in Commercial Arts. He owned and
operated a hairstyling salon in
the French Quarter called "The
Salon of the Artist", following
in the footsteps of one of the
most well known hair dressers
of all time, the great Voodoo
Queen Marie Laveau. A history
buff, especially where New Orleans'
Voodoo and culture are concerned,
he recalls his grandmother's story
about about his ancestors having
come from Haiti in 1802 after
the slave uprisings. The revolt
resulted in the burning of the
family plantation. His family
was then taken in by a Voodoo
Mamboo, a close friend. The Mamboo
hid them in barrels and placed
them on a ship en route to New
Orleans. Mr. Gandolfo has provided
authentic Voodoo information and
rituals for several major motion
pictures including, "The
Big Easy" and "Angel
Heart". He has appeared on
"The ABC Morning News",
"Larry King Live", and
"Good Morning America".
He is also the author of several
books including, "Voodoo
In South Louisiana", "The
Voodoo Cookbook", and "How
to use your Voodoo Doll".
He was motivated by family history-his
great-grandfather was cured of
lockjaw by a Voodoo priestess
named Mama Midnight.
In
the grand secret traditions of
the great ancestor of New Orleans
Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Today
post hurricane Katrina Voodoo
is very much alive and well and
flourishing in New Orleans, LA
(known as the Voodoo Capital of
the United States).
TOP TEN
NEW ORLEANS VOODOO PRACTIONORS
Bianca has been the reigning
Queen of New Orleans voodoo
since 1983 when she received
the title from Liga Foley, her
aunt by marriage and a granddaughter
of Marie Laveau or so they say.
Larger then life her reputation
and legend proceeds her. Bianca
has presided over the secret
Sosyete that the Laveaus' originally
founded carrying on the legacy
of true New Orleans voodoo these
many years. "The Grande
Sosyete did not die with (Marie
Laveau I, and II) them it just
went underground." says
Bianca. Only the inner circle
of followers and devotees know
of it's secrets and rites, and
ritual locations.
Bianca learned
the ways of New Orleans Voodoo
and Santeria from a very young
age. Having studied numerous ancient
paths and traditions, she has
also become very well known as
specializing in rare New Orleans
original voodoo occult items and
the handmaking of magical fetishes,
small voodoo statues and good
luck charms.
No one is left unmoved by an encounter
with the powerful Bianca and she
is widely loved and sought after.
There are some, however, who live
by this motto in their dealings
with the reigning Voodoo Queen:
“Ira Regina Mors Est”
It is wise to take this caveat
to heart.
Bianca’s
Midnight Blessing of the Monkey
and Cock Statues
Modern day Voodoo Queen Bianca
reigns over New Orleans Voodoo
in direct line from Marie Laveau,
recognized as the original queen.
Each year, sometimes twice a
year, Queen Bianca will host
a ritual in which the Monkey
and Cock Statues created in
honor of Marie Laveau are blessed
and charged. In this ritual,
which always takes place outdoors
in a highly secret location,
Queen Bianca will invoke the
spirit of Marie Laveau, becoming
possessed by the powerful Voodoo
Queen. Through Bianca, her modern
day counterpart, Marie Laveau
is able to be present with her
devotees and personally blesses
the Monkey and Cock Statues.
The highly secret vodusi of
Queen Bianca’s Sosyete
present the living, channeled
Marie Laveau with the first
Monkey and Cock Statue of each
year as an offering; other offerings
preferred by Marie Laveau, including
those detailed above, are also
presented and accepted by Laveau
through the powerful Queen Bianca.
The first Monkey and Cock statue
remains with the powerful Mambo
throughout the year until the
time of the next ritual when
it is ceremoniously broken in
favor of another. This ritual
is said to take place once each
year, usually around April 30th
or May 1st; often, however,
Queen Bianca and her vodusi
will repeat the ritual in the
fall of the year, coinciding
with harvest festivals and Samhain
rituals. As stated, the location
for each ritual is a closely
guarded secret and is only shared
with members of the Sosyete
at the very last minute, when
they are called to assemble.
This is one of the most powerful
examples of continuing devotion
to the great Marie Laveau surviving
in New Orleans today.
Bianca’s
Annual Drumming Ritual
The highly secret Sosyete of
Bianca the Voodoo Queen of New
Orleans conducts regular drumming
rituals in secret locations
throughout the New Orleans area.
In the face of Hurricane Katrina,
Bianca and her vodusi undertook
a marathon drumming ritual,
maintaining it through the very
worst of the hurricane’s
fury. Even the winds and floodwaters
of Katrina could not drown out
the drums, and in the end, despite
the devastation, the storm turned
and spared New Orleans it’s
very worst. Under normal circumstances,
that is pre-Katrina, Queen Bianca
regularly called her Sosyete
together, usually around the
middle of August, for an annual
ceremony to propitiate the Lwas
and the ancestors, thanking
them for their unceasing attention
to the faithful. These drumming
rituals are the direct descendants
of the “bamboula”
that Marie Laveau hosted during
her reign as Queen of Voodoo,
and, in fact, Queen Bianca still
refers to the ritual by that
popular name today. With the
displacement of many members
of her ultra-secret sect, it
will be some time before Queen
Bianca will host another “bamboula;”
but she asked that the drumming
rituals continue to take place
in absentia until the Sosyete
is once again reunited in its
New Orleans home.
No.
2: Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman
Mambo Sallie Ann has been practicing
Voodoo in New Orleans since
1977. She traveled to Haiti
in 1995 to undergo the week-long
“couche” initiation
rituals; during these rituals,
she was ordained as Ounsi, Kanzo
and Mambo Asogwe, or a High
Priestess of Vodou. Mambo Sallie
Ann is one of the few white
Americans to have been ordained
through the traditional Haitian
initiation. As an American woman
of Jewish-Ukrainian heritage
with a thorough knowledge of
the Kabala and ritual magick,
she brings a unique perspective
to the traditional practices
of vodou.
Counted as one of the twenty
most active Voodoo practitioners
in the United States, Priestess
Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman is
known for promoting positive
thoughts through her Voodoo
faith. She is also an historian
on Voodoo tradition and its
roots in Hatian Vodun.
Mambo Sallie Ann is the founder
of La Source Ancienne Ounfo
and the founder of the Island
of Salvation Botanica, a resource
for Vodoun religious supplies
and a showcase for Mambo Sallie
Ann’s Vodou-inspired art.
Renowned for her powerful workings
and community-based rituals,
Mambo Sallie Ann is one of the
most personable and accessible
of the powerful New Orleans
Voodoo Priestesses. 
Sally Ann Glassman possessed
by the spirit of Marie Laveau
was featured on the first show
for Sci Fi Investigates.
A large crowd attended this
year’s ritual, including
many members of the national
media. Representatives of NBC,
the SciFi Channel ,(Deborah
(Debbie) Dobrydney gets her
formal voodoo bapstism head
washes by Sallie Ann Glassman
Above.) National Geographic
Magazine mingled with devout
vodusi and the curious as Mambo
Sallie Ann once again entreated
the help and assistance of the
Loas, most especially that of
Marie Laveau, in facing the
first hurricane season since
Katrina.
SCI FI INVESTIGATES SEASON 1
FIRST OCTOBER 12, 2006 SHOW
http://www.scifi.com/investigates/index.php
Sallie Ann Glassamn host several
private and public rituals each
year.
Hurricane
Protection Ritual
This ritual is held each July,
approximately a month into New
Orleans’ annual hurricane
season. Under the direction
of Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman
and La Source Ancienne Ounfo,
the ritual is held to honor
the powerful Petwo Lwa Erzulie
Dantor and to thank her for
continued protection in the
face of these powerful and destruction
forces of Nature. Mambo Sallie
Ann assembles the servite around
the peristile in her temple
where offerings are made and
rituals are performed to invoke
Dantor across the dark waters
of the Great Abyss, asking her
to keep her faithful safe for
another year. Appropriate offerings
at the Hurricane Protection
ritual include spicy fried pork,
corn and egg omelets, spicy
cakes and candies such as “Red
Hots” and “Hot Tamales,”
rum, whiskey, cigars, Florida
Water, and storm water. Dantor
is syncretized with the Catholic
Our Lady of Prompt Succor and
the Black Madonnas of Poland,
among others. Mambo Sallie Ann
and the Ounfo have been holding
the Hurricane Protection Ritual
each year for the past eight
years, and each year New Orleans
has been protected. However,
the destruction and havoc wreaked
by Hurricane Katrina have tempted
many to suggest that Dantor
finally failed her servite and
the City. Devotees of this powerful
Lwa are quick to point out that,
actually, Hurricane Katrina
did turn away from New Orleans
at the last minute: after making
landfall in Louisiana’s
southern Plaquemines Parish,
Katrina turned eastward and
vented her worst fury on the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. Believers
in Dantor and the power of this
yearly ritual credit this last
minute turn to the great Lwa
and reiterate what officials
all across the region have said
again and again: This was not
a direct hit; had Hurricane
Katrina been a direct hit, there
would be nothing but water where
the City now stands. Thanks
to Erzulie Dantor, many believe,
there is something left of New
Orleans today.
Marie
Laveau Headwashing Ceremony
Commemorating the time of year
most preferred by Voodoo Queen
Marie Laveau for her workings,
this ceremony takes place on
June 23rd, traditionally St.
John’s Eve and an important
date in many cultures. During
her lifetime Mambo Marie Laveau
hosted her voodoo “bamboulas”
to coincide with this date;
these always took place along
the waterway known as Bayou
St. John in New Orleans. To
honor both the tradition and
the great Voodoo Queen herself,
Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman and
La Source Ancienne Ounfo host
a midsummer headwashing ritual
each year on the same waterway
favored by Marie Laveau. This
ritual, performed for the benefit
of devotees and members of the
public alike, is a celebration
of the season of fullness and
plenty. As with other rituals,
Marie Laveau, honored as a powerful
ancestral Lwa in her own right,
is invoked by the Mambo to join
in the festivities. A ritual
headwashing takes place and
all are invited to share in
the powerful “ashe”
or energy that is invoked from
the presence of Marie Laveau
and that is passed, through
the Mambo, to each devotee.
Hypnotic ritual drumming accompanies
the ritual and after headwashing
is complete devotees dance long
into the sapphire night. Offerings
for Marie Laveau are appropriate
and these include white candles,
white scented flowers, hair
dressing items such as combs,
brushes, ribbons and clips (Marie
Laveau was a hairdresser by
trade), foods such as fried
pork and coconut cake, cigars,
Florida Water, and, of course,
rum. Mambo Sallie Ann repeats
her waterside ritual in the
lobby of the International House
Hotel in New Orleans each June
24th, St. John’s Day.
No.
3: Priestess Miriam Chamani
Priestess Miriam gives Consultations
and African Bone Readings both
in person and via the telephone.
She specializes in Voodoo Weddings,
Damballah for Healing, and Erzulie
for Love. Priestess Miriam designs
Voodoo Dolls and Kits tailored
to each person's needs and desires.
Priestess Miriam was born and
raised in Mississippi where
she experienced the power of
mysterious spiritual forces
beginning in early childhood.
Around 1975 the power of the
spirit called strongly to Priestess
Miriam leading her to many spiritual
orders and ultimately to a seat
at the Angel All Nations Spiritual
Church. There she increased
her knowledge of spirit and
explored metaphysical concepts
and teachings.
In October 1982 she was consecrated
as Bishop of the Church and
served there until 1989. In
1990, Priestess Miriam and her
late husband Oswan Chamani settled
in New Orleans where they founded
the Voodoo Spiritual Temple,
the only temple of its kind
in the City at that time.
Priestess Miriam is praised
as an unbiased and unprejudiced
spiritual guide who sees people
not by race or color but by
what is in their hearts. At
the Voodoo Spiritual Temple
Priestess Miriam offers many
kinds of traditional Vodoun
spiritual services with Voodoo
Weddings being the most popular.
Priestess Miriam
Chamani is the Mombo (Mother/Priestess)
of the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual
Temple. The Temple is located
next to Congo Square and the its
rituals are directly connected
to the rituals performed on Congo
Square by Marie Laveau and Doctor
John. It was established in 1990
by Priest Oswan Chamani and his
wife Miriam. It is the only formally
established Spiritual Temple with
a focus on traditional West African
spiritual and herbal healing practices
currently existing in New Orleans.
"Mother" or "Mombo"
Miriam, as she is also known,
was ordained a bishop in the "Angel
Angel All Nations Spiritual Church"
prior to her marriage. She has
been in numerous documentaries
and articles; her photo was in
the New York Times as part of
an article on Voodoo in New Orleans,
and she's been featured in Spin
Magazine, in movies, and on PBS
and commercial TV in America,
England and Japan. She has appeared
at both the Starwood Festival
and the WinterStar Symposium as
both a speaker and a liturgist.
She was one of the first priestesses
to present authentic Voodoo rituals
to the Neo-Pagan community, along
with Louis Martinie' and the Temple
drummers of the New Orleans Voodoo
Spiritual Temple (Krewe of Nutria).
Upon the death of her husband,
Voodoo Priest Oswan Chamani on
March 6, 1995, Miriam Chamani
continued her husband's Belizan
Vodou and herbalism traditions
in addition to her own spiritualist
practices, and continues many
of the inclusive trends of Black
Christian Spiritualism, seeking
to serve all peoples regardless
of race or belief.
Chamani was invited
by actor Nicholas Cage to perform
a blessing ceremony during his
wedding to Lisa Marie Presley,
after hiring her as a consultant
for his directoral debut Sonny.
On Halloween, 1999, a local radio
station asked her to perform a
ceremony outside the Superdome
to help the New Orleans Saints
win against the Cleveland Browns
(which was interrupted by harassment
from a Browns fan dressed as a
dog).
Voodoo - Priestess Miriam Chamani
(CD recorded at the Voodoo Spiritual
Temple) 2004 (Jose Suescun Music
Distribution www.mambitorecords.com)
The Voodoo Spiritual Temple
was established in 1990 by Priestess
Miriam and Priest Oswan Chamani.
It is the only "formally"
established Spiritual Temple
with a focus on traditional
West African spiritual and herbal
healing practices currently
existing in New Orleans. On
March 6, 1995, Priest Oswan
) transcended into the arms
of the ancestors but Priestess
Miriam continues to carry on
the tradition of the Temple
along with the Spirit of Oswan.
The Voodoo Spiritual Temple
has extended its spirituality
across the world and is opening
a Temple in Russia.
Voodoo Yoruba Priestess Ava
Kay Jones poses with her South
American Red Tailed Boa during
the Saints win against the Rams.
Voodoo and Yoruba Priestess
Ava Kay Jones educates the public
in the true nature of the Voodoo
religion. Ava Kay Jones Voodu
priestess of New Orleans was
an attorney by trade when she
chose the path of her spiritual
calling.
Voodoo and Yoruba Priestess
Ava Kay Jones was an attorney
by trade before she chose the
path of her true spiritual calling.
One of only twenty practicing
Voodoo Mambos in the US, Ava
Kay Jones has enthralled locals
and visitors alike with her
dynamic presentation of authentic
voodoo rituals as practiced
in the days of Marie Laveau.
Priestess Ava is also the founder
and featured performer of the
Voodoo Macumba Dance Ensemble,
a performance group of drummers,
dancers, fire-eaters, and sword
and snake dancers. Priestess
Ava and Voodoo Macumba have
performed in movies, at festivals,
and, most notably, in the Superdome
conducting blessing ceremonies
for the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints contracted Quint
Davis and his company Festival
Productions Inc. (the team that
produces Jazz Fest and the Essence
Festival) to handle entertainment
for the Saints' home games.
According to Wayne Hodes, director
of marketing for the Saints,
approximately two weeks before
the Saints/Rams game on Dec.
17, 2002, Hodes' office asked
Davis to hire Ava Kay Jones,
a well-known Voodoo and Yoruba
priestess, to do a blessing
before the game.
Jones, who was raised Catholic,
says she is still very much
a Christian. She was ordained
as a Voodoo priestess in Haiti
in 1985, and as a Yoruba priestess
in 1989. She is frequently interviewed
on the subject of Voodoo, which
she says is misunderstood due
to inaccurate portrayals, fear
and prejudice. She says she
is committed to educating the
public about the faith she has
so deeply embraced.
Video : New Orleans
Voodoo from the Inside
Starring: Priestess Ava
Kay Jones Director: Priestess
Ava Kay Jones Rating
Queen Margaret, born and educated
in Louisiana, has taught in Public
Schools of her home state and
in Georgia. She began at early
stages of her life to recognize
spiritual abilities in all, and
has been effective in her psychic
observations which centered around
her family, colleagues, and students.
During classroom affiliation,
she began to study metaphysical
concepts as a means of achieving
personal peace and in a natural
turn of events, she now helps
others using the methods that
she has seen work in her own life.
She has participated in this life
visibly as a teacher, psychoanalyst,
and medium in the metaphysical
world. Mother Margaret is affiliated
with the Psychic Friends Network,
Marvin Johnson's study group,
Science of Mind and the Unity
church (St. Charles). Currently,
she is employed as a tour guide
and reader at the New Orleans
Historic Voodoo Museum where she
shares her lifetime of knowledge
with others. Queen Margaret's
contributions in all of these
areas have been very commendable
as well as gratifying to her on
a personal level.
www.voodoomuseum.com/staff.htm
No. 6: ARMANDO
The
King of New Orleans Voodoo
Armando does his Voodoo grave
ritual every day at the tomb
Marie Laveau. This Voodoo blessing
and cleansing is strong and
powerful says Armando. Armando
is a devotee to Chicken Mans
special brand of Voodoo. Armando
has a shrine in his homme to
Chicken Man and does many private
and public rituals each year.
Prince Ke’eyama, The Chicken
Man, died in December 1998.
His ashes were donated to the
Voodoo Spiritual Temple where
they are kept enshrined by Sister
Miriam Chamani.
It is largely
because of this early ostracizing
by the popular vodusi of the time
that a secret following soon began
to materialize around Prince Ke’eyama:
called The Cult of the Chicken
Man, this following became one
of the largest secret sosyetes
since that founded by Voodoo Queen
Marie Laveau in her lifetime,
and like Laveau’s sosyete,
The Cult of the Chicken Man still
endures today. Among devotees,
one man could claim most of the
credit for keeping the faith:
that man is Armando, The Chicken
Man priest.
Armando, a Cuban orphan, was
taken in by Prince Ke’eyama
who, together with his wife
Bobby, raised the young refugee.
Now 48, Armando is a practicing
voodoo priest who claims to
be the rightful heir of the
Chicken Man legacy.
“He took me in, raised
me,” Armando says. “He
wanted me when no one else did.
Into his world, he brought me
step by step, becoming my blessed
Padreno – my teacher and
protector.”
Armando’s
tiny apartment on the edge of
the French Quarter is dominated
by the continuing presence of
the man he once called “father.”
A large portrait of The Chicken
Man graces a giant altar dedicated
to his memory. The Chicken Man
looks out from under the brim
of his familiar straw hat, perpetually
smiling down on the work Armando
is doing in his name.
The altar is decorated in red
and white silk and accented
with tassels of gold and beading.
Red and white candles are constantly
burning among the many objects
of devotion placed there daily
by Armando and the Chicken Man’s
followers. Most touching are
the tiny straw hats –
doll’s hats, actually
– that followers have
left in memory of a man whom
they held in the highest regard.
Offerings of food and drink,
especially rum, intermingle
with bottles of Florida Water,
cigars, and what is probably
hundreds of chicken effigies
of all sorts – little
porcelain chickens, plaster
and chalk, some carved of wood,
some store bought – all
placed lovingly by Armando in
honor of this famous man.
Armando claims that The Chicken
Man passed on not only his legacy
but his great power to his chosen
priest, and since the Prince’s
death, Armando has been the
guiding force behind the old
sosyete. Unlike his predecessor,
however, Armando does not believe
in public performances of voodoo.
Some associates of this reigning
voodoo priest believe this is
mostly because he does not want
to share the rituals and power
passed on by The Chicken Man
with a voodoo community that
still looks on this great man
of power as a “circus
sideshow.”
“He once told me that
he didn’t mind being called
a sham and a fool,” Armando
says. “He didn’t
mind being so put down in the
public eye, because he knew
he had the belief of the people
that mattered to him, and he
knew he was truly helping people
every day. That is more than
most people can claim, to say
that they have helped at least
one person every day they are
alive.
Prince Ke’eyama, it seems,
was content to be the butt of
jokes and laughter. “He
said to me, “After all,
what do I care? I can be a fool
to the public because they know
[the vodusi] I am the True King
of Voodoo in private,’”
said Armando.
“I only
come forward now to see that the
true story of Chicken Man is told,”
he concludes, “Especially
now that he is being seen by so
many people all over the City.”*
Stories, lies
and fabrications abound about
The Chicken Man. Many of them
were fabricated by him personally,
many more were created by others
jealous of his popularity and
his craft. His followers, however,
know the true Prince behind the
public image, and they know that
his voodoo was the real thing.
It will stand the test of time.
No.
7: Scully Elly Maistros
Scully Elly Maistros is a world
famous Vodou practitioner and
a Haitian Hounzi Kanzo initiate.
She has enjoyed exceptional exposure
through her “voodoo joint”
– really a botanica and
spiritual oasis located in the
popular Louie’s Juke Joint
– where she has guided everyone
from the experienced practitioner
to the curious novice. Elly is
a dedicated and respected Vodoun
who has made important contributions
to the practice and understanding
of New Orleans Voodoo; she is
an expert in the use of herbs
and roots with an extensive knowledge
of obscure naturopathic applications.
In this regard she is New Orleans’
leading Grune Hexe, or “hedge
witch.”
World famous Vodou
practioner and Hatian Hounzi-Kanzo
initiate, Scully Elly, presents
for you here the only full online
voodoo botanical on the net.
“Born and raised as a
‘Delta Babe’ and
grown to become known as the
‘Cultural Diva’
… and more specifically
the ‘Poet Priestess of
the Spirit of New Orleans’,”
Mary Millan, known as “Bloody
Mary” to all, claims to
be a true spokeswoman for her
hometown. She was born on the
bayou and raised in the Crescent
City, inheriting a strong spiritual
tradition of clairvoyance and
healing from her family. Mary
has been visited by spirits
all her life and as an adult
she has channeled these spiritual
powers into her work in vodoun
and magick. A popular local
historian and tour guide, Bloody
Mary has been instrumental in
educating the wider public about
the unique “gumbo”
that is the city of New Orleans.
Member of Southern
Order of Storytellers
Louisiana Folklore Society
C.G. Jung Society
Friends of New Orleans Cemeteries
New Orleans Convention Visitors
Bureau
Mother Severina inherited her
psychic ability and intuition
through her family’s Gypsy
background and has performed spiritual
counseling and Tarot divination
since her youth. She learned about
folk remedies and healing herbs
from her mother. She is very much
involved in dream and trance work;
primarily clairaudient, she is
sometimes clairvoyant as well.
Mother Severina practices Vodoun
and Yoruba traditions, as well
as Sufism and metaphysical practices.
She is also the founder of the
New Orleans Voodoo Crossroads
Dance and Drum Ensemble, a popular
troupe performing at festivals,
voodoo weddings and other events.
New Orleans Voodoo
Crossroads was founded in 1991
as a vehicle for the dissemination
of true and accurate information
about the beliefs and practices
of the Voodoo religion in New
Orleans. She offessr the finest
products and services in the Tradition
of New Orleans Voodoo.
Momma Alice is a Voodoo Priestess
of great inner strength and power,
famed for her root magick and
specialized rituals encompassing
all aspects of traditional New
Orleans Voodoo, Hoodoo and Santeria.
Momma Alice has performed many
public and private rituals throughout
the New Orleans region over the
years but now prefers to stay
out of the limelight. Guided by
her spirits and ancestors to work
humbly and guilelessly, Momma
Alice remains reticent about not
becoming “another tourist
attraction.” Beloved by
all who know and follow her, Momma
Alice is one of the best traditionalist
workers of the craft in the entire
New Orleans area.
HAUNTED
AMERICA TOURS
DEDICATES THIS PAGE TO THE MEMORY
OF
ONEIDA TOUPS
THE
GREATEST NEW ORLEANS PRIESTESS
OF MAGIC
IN MODERN TIMES
The
Religious Order of Witchcraft,
a non - profit organization, chartered
& established on February
2, 1972. Founded by Queen Mary
Oneida Toups, New Orleans, Louisiana
in the French Quarter.
NEW
ORLEANS VOODOO QUEEN ALTAR DESKTOP
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Sallie
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Welcome
to the Island of Salvation Botanica
Island of Salvation Botanica
Sallie Ann Glassman 835 Piety
St. ... The Island of Salvation
Botanica makes no claims as
to the efficacy of any of the
...
www.feyvodou.com/index1.htm
Island
of Salvation Botanica
Island of Salvation Botanica
· Sallie Ann Glassman
...
www.feyvodou.com
Voodoo
Baptism
New
Orleans Hurricane Ritual 2004
Sallie
Ann Glassman : MIDSUMMER CELEBRATION
2005
IN HONOR OF MADAME MARIE LAVEAU
A HAUNTED NEW ORLEANS TOURS
EXCLUSIVE!!
La
Source Ancienne Sosyete
The
New Orleans Hope and Heritage
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www.nolahopeandheritage.org
MARIE
LAVEAU VOODOO QUEEN PAGES
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