I’ll be examining the death process in Haiti using Susan Long’s article. For hundreds of years the island nation has acknowledged Roman Catholicism as their main religion. There also are outside influences on religious practices. One of the main influences is a type of ‘vodou, witch doctor’ religion. Many Haitians follow a religion based off Christianity, that can date back to early settlers of the island, and some practice vodou alongside of Christianity for supplementary purposes. While you can find these witch doctors in and around the capital Port-au-Prince most of the time you’ll need to travel to a rural area to find high populations of Haitians who practice vodou.

            Religion holds most of the power for death rites in Haiti. They have a ritual called Demier Priye. It’s about a weeklong ritual for the deceased. Family members will gather to “…share stores of the deceased… grieve and pray during church and burial services, and finally will congregate at a reception where light food and drinks are served. Family members will give the deceased a final bath to cleanse them for the afterlife” (Crudem.org). The ritual is often orchestrated by one of the older members of the family.

In addition to Christian practices, vodou has different rituals. After death, “the soul is believed to stay around for about a week after the physical death. During that time a spiritual leader will perform a ritual to extract the soul from the body, allowing the soul to remain in ‘dark water’ (Perry 2009). Dark water is referring to a form of purgatory away from earth. After that ritual, the soul will remain in ‘dark water’ for the next year and one day. After a year, an additional ritual happens where the soul is called to a jar where the soul will stay for all of eternity. Haitians view this to seek guidance at any time from deceased family members. It’s believed that if the first ritual doesn’t happen the soul of the deceased will be left to roam the earth as a “bad omen”.

            Death is often determined by a designated family member; this family member is usually one of the oldest in the family/community. An autopsy is almost never conducted, “apart from suspected foul play…” (Haiti Observer). The body will be prepared by the family during Demier Priye. The burying process of Haitian Christians follows similarly to Christians in the United States. There will be a procession of the community singing and dancing on their way to the cemetery for the body to be buried, never cremated. Christianity in Haiti is very strict on the idea that deceased family members will need their body in the afterlife.

            When I spent a week in Haiti I was able to talk with Haitians, through translators, about their religion and thoughts on vodou. Most of the Haitians I talked to were religious and eventually mentioned death. They have what I now know is called Thanatophobia. Many of these fears stem from economic factors. While funerals on average are about 540 USD (Cudem), Haitians are more interested in spending what little amounts of money they have on the living rather than the dead.

            I think Haitians follow the religious death script. Susan Long detailed a lot to help me form my ideas. However, she writes about death saying, “dying peacefully, satisfied, and surrounded by family may create a benevolent ancestor rather than a wandering vengeful spirit…” (Long 2004). This type of thinking could have helped create popularity away from Christianity, such as vodou. Long goes on saying, “…the notion of dying in this way is also a verification of the social bond both for the dying and for the family members who may continue to consider the deceased as part of the family in his or new role as ancestor”. Haitians who practice vodou were looking for a way to still stay connected to their ancestors. Not to say that Haitian Christians don’t follow the religious death script; I just found it interesting to see how the process of dying is similar, in most cases around the world, but the cultures, traditions, and ideas following death are different even in the same nation.

“Death and Funeral Rituals in Haitian Culture.” Haiti Observer, 29 June 2013, www.haitiobserver.com/blog/death-and-funeral-rituals-in-haitian-culture.html.

“Death in Haiti.” The CRUDEM Foundation, Inc, 17 Oct. 2014, crudem.org/death-haiti/.

Long, S., P. 2004. Cultural scripts for a good death in Japan and the United States: Similarities and differences. Social Science and Medicine, 58, 913-928

Perry, Yvonne. “Haitian Vodoun Perspectives on Death and Dying.” Ezine Articles, 28 Oct. 2009, ezinearticles.com/?Haitian-Vodoun-Perspectives-on-Death-and-Dying&id=3172822.