Kwadeboukè Seremoni - Veves (Part 1)

Filmed by Eric Barstow, Sabine Cadeau, and Hank Gonzalez in Croix-des-Bouquets Haiti, August 2013 at the invitation of houngan Empereur Mirgot. Here we see Empereur Mirgot drawing out an extensive set of the traditional Haitian Vodou sand paintings known as veve. The individual veve are dedicated to particular vodou lwa, and they function as a kind of invitation for lwa as well as a mystical space for the adoration of the spirits and a conduit for spirit possession. The veve are drawn with a powder made from corn meal and ashes. Some observers have compared them to the indigenous sand paintings of the American southwest or the Tibetan Buddhist mandalas. A temporary artform, the veve are inevitably erased by dancing feet. The veve are partially improvisational but they also demonstrate a traditional set of patterns that correspond to the many different Vodou lwa as well as a common aesthetic vocabulary of embellished decoration characterized by ornate stars and filligree swirls. While there are certain canonical images that correspond to the various lwa, there exists no definitive or exhaustive list of the veve. The late scholar and Vodou priest Max Beauvoir was unable to indicate how many veve there are. Among the famous Haitian visual artists of the 20th century, it was the painter André Pierre who most often reproduced veve drawings in his vodou-themed paintings. This video allows the viewer to observe the technique by which the artist traces out the lines. Filmed as part of the collaborative University of Florida-Duke University National Endowment for the Humanities Grant. For details on the project visit http://dloc.com/vodou.