Culture in disguise. Congo's impact on New Orleans voodoo

Seminar Paper , 2022 , 16 Pages , Grade: 1,0

History - Africa

Since the first enslaved Africans had reached the coast of Virginia in 1619, European, American, and African slave traders captured about one-quarter of all African slaves in Central Africa to ship them to America via the Congo River or other ports along the Congolese Loango due to the transatlantic slave trade.

Significantly, these enslaved people, mostly from the Congo regions, did not solely bring a free workforce, but also a huge cultural heritage that shaped the American culture. Likewise, these slaves practiced African religiosity despite the established Catholicism by Europeans in the Americas. Out of this blending of African religiosity with Christianity developed the Afro-American syncretism today known as “voodoo”.

Widely unknown is the immense influence of Congo religiosity on voodoo, due to slave imports from Congo to New Orleans. Accordingly, this leads to the question, which elements of Congolese religiosity originate within New Orleans Voodoo due to the transatlantic slave trade?

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Conceptualization of "New Orleans Voodoo"
• Kongo's religious movements from the 13th to 17th century
• Transatlantic slave trade between Central Africa and North America
• Kongolese slaves and the development of voodoo in New Orleans
• Elements of Kongo religiosity in New Orleans Voodoo
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This research paper aims to examine the influence of Kongo religiosity on New Orleans Voodoo. It will trace the historical development of voodoo and Kongo religious practices, exploring the connections between the transatlantic slave trade, cultural transmission, and the syncretic nature of New Orleans Voodoo.

• The conceptualization and key elements of New Orleans Voodoo
• The historical context of Kongo religious movements and practices
• The impact of the transatlantic slave trade on cultural transmission
• The role of Kongolese slaves in the development of New Orleans Voodoo
• The specific elements of Kongo religiosity found in New Orleans Voodoo

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• The introduction defines the scope and purpose of the research paper, highlighting the key question: which elements of Kongolese religiosity are present in New Orleans Voodoo due to the transatlantic slave trade?
• The first chapter provides a conceptual framework for understanding New Orleans Voodoo, outlining its key elements, spiritual hierarchy, and practices.
• The second chapter explores the religious movements of the Kongo kingdom from the 13th to the 17th century, focusing on the cosmology, social structures, and religious practices of the Bakongo people.
• The third chapter analyzes the transatlantic slave trade between Central Africa and North America, highlighting the significant role of the Congo River and the impact of slave imports on the cultural landscape of the Americas.
• The fourth chapter delves into the specific case of Kongolese slaves in New Orleans, examining their cultural contributions and the development of New Orleans Voodoo.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This paper focuses on the interconnected themes of African religiosity, cultural transmission, syncretism, the transatlantic slave trade, and the development of New Orleans Voodoo, specifically exploring the influence of Kongolese religious practices on this unique Afro-American syncretic tradition.

• College: University of Hamburg (Fakultät Geschichte)
• Course: Einführung in die Geschichte Afrikas
• Grade: 1,0
• Author: Lisa Turan (Author)
• Publication Year: 2022
• Pages: 16
• Catalog Number: V1379696
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346919281
• ISBN (Book): 9783346919298
• Language: English
• Tags: Transatlantic Slavery, Colonialims, Voodoo, African-American History