Glossary
The Haitian Kreyòl and Vodou words used across this site: drums, rhythm families, spirits, places and ceremony. The definitions follow how Bonga learned and plays this tradition. Usage varies from region to region and temple to temple, so other spellings are listed with each entry.
A B C D E G H I K L M N O P R S T V W Y Z
A
Agoni
One of the Dahomey family rhythms Bonga plays.
Akayè
A town on Haiti’s west coast, north of Port-au-Prince. Bonga names it among the homes of Petwo drumming.
Akbadja
One of the Dahomey family rhythms Bonga plays.
Ayibobo
A Vodou cry of praise and agreement, like “amen” or “hallelujah,” called out during songs and ceremonies.
Ayiti
Haiti in Kreyòl. The name comes from the Taíno, the island’s first people, and is usually translated “land of high mountains.”
B
Banda
The fast, hip-swinging rhythm and dance of the Gede spirits. Bonga once met a Nigerian drum historian who was surprised to find Banda still alive in Haiti.
C
Chasè
One of the Dahomey family rhythms Bonga plays.
D
Dahomey
The old West African kingdom of the Fon people, in present-day Benin, whose Vodun is a root of Haitian Vodou. In Haiti it also names a family of rhythms, dances and songs. Bonga places Dahomey drumming in the north (Gonaïves, Souvenance, Badjo), played on three cow-skin drums: Katabo, Gonde and Manman. Its rhythms include Wandjalé, Chasè, Akbadja and Agoni. They are played for Ayizan, Danbala, Legba, Ogou and Manbo Lisa.
Danbala
The ancient serpent lwa of creation, wisdom and peace, associated with the color white and with water. With his wife Ayida Wedo he forms the rainbow.
E
Ezili Freda
The Rada lwa of love, beauty and luxury: flowers, perfume, jewelry. In Bonga’s words she represents all things feminine, including pregnancy and newborns.
G
Ganga
A Kongo spirit honored with YaYa Ti Kongo rhythms in Bonga’s tradition.
Gede
The family of lwa of death, life and fertility. They are playful, irreverent and wise, and are honored at Fèt Gede in early November. Bonga describes Gede as a playful spirit that guides children and keeps them safe. Their dance is Banda. See also Gede Nibo and Bawon Samdi.
Gede Nibo
A leading spirit of the Gede family. In Bonga’s words he is the spirit of joy, humor and playfulness, and is good for kids and artists.
Gomyé
The gommier tree, one of the woods Bonga uses for drum bodies.
Gonaïves
A city in Haiti’s north where Haitian independence was declared in 1804. It is ringed by the great lakou of Souvenance, Soukri and Badjo.
Guinen
Ancestral Africa as a spiritual homeland, the place the spirits come from and where the dead return. To be “Ginen” is to be faithful to that inheritance.
H
Houngan
A male Vodou priest. Bonga is an houngan. A female priest is a manbo.
I
Ibo
A rhythm and spirit nation named for the Igbo people of present-day Nigeria. Bonga plays it within the Rada family.
K
Kanzo
The initiation rite through which a Vodou practitioner enters the priesthood. It includes a period of seclusion and a trial by fire. Kanzo is also the title of Bonga’s first CD (2000).
Kongo
Spirits, rhythms and dances that trace back to the Kingdom of Kongo in Central Africa. Bonga plays YaYa Ti Kongo, a powerful family of Kongo rhythms from Haiti’s north (Soukri Danache). It is played by hand on two goat-skin drums, Manman and Ralé, for Ganga, Madanlawe and others, and includes the Mambo rhythm.
Kreyòl
The language every Haitian speaks. It draws its vocabulary mostly from French and much of its structure from West African languages. The spellings on this site follow Kreyòl: tanbou, lwa, manbo.
L
Lakay
“Home,” as in Lakay Bobo, the Bobo Cultural Center.
Lakou
A family compound: a shared yard where an extended family lives and serves its spirits. The great lakou around Gonaïves (Souvenance, Soukri, Badjo) keep some of Haiti’s oldest Vodou traditions.
Legba
Guardian of the crossroads and of the gate between the human and spirit worlds. Every ceremony begins by greeting Legba, who opens the door to the spirit world.
M
Madanlawe
A Kongo spirit honored with YaYa Ti Kongo rhythms in Bonga’s tradition.
Manbo
A female Vodou priest. A male priest is an houngan.
Manbo Lisa
A spirit honored with Dahomey rhythms. Her name recalls Lisa, the sun deity of the Fon of Dahomey.
Mizik rasin
“Roots music,” a movement that grew in Haiti from the late 1970s and fuses Vodou rhythms and songs with rock, jazz and funk. Bonga’s Jazz Racine project grows from the same soil.
N
O
Ogou
The warrior lwa of iron, fire and courage. Bonga’s pakets call on Ogou to fight sickness and depression and to give strength and productivity. Ogou has many forms, including Ogou Balendjo, who enhances the intellect, is brave and pursues justice and freedom, as well as Ogou Batagri and Ogou Feray.
P
Paket
A Kongo-rooted sacred bundle. Bonga makes his from soil, wood, seeds, cornmeal, herbs, spices and objects he finds, fused over the fire at his temple. He wraps the mixture in satin or cloth and binds it with rope and colored string while he prays and sings. He chooses the colors for the spirit the paket embodies.
Peristil
The roofed ceremonial space of a Vodou temple, built around the poto mitan, where drumming, dance and ceremony take place. Bonga began drumming in his family’s peristil.
R
Rada
Named for Allada in old Dahomey, the cool rite of the oldest lwa. Bonga: Rada rhythms also come from the Dahomey nation, with subtle differences in sound that a trained ear can hear. They live in the south and central provinces (La Plaine, Port-au-Prince, Jacmel). Three cow-skin drums, Boula, Segon and Manman, are played with stick, hand and bow (agida). Rada rhythms include Yanvalou, Mayi, Zepòl, Nago and Ibo.
Rara
Processional music played in the streets, especially from Lent to Easter: drums, bamboo trumpets, horns, bells and maracas played on the move. Bonga: Rara is found in the north, south and east of Haiti and honors several spirits, especially those of Petwo. It is played on a goat-skin Rara drum while walking, standing or sitting.
Respè
“Respect.” It is also used as a greeting.
S
T
Tanbou
Kreyòl for drum. A Vodou drum must be crafted properly and baptized before it can sound good and do its job. As Bonga says, without the drum, our culture would be lost.
Tronpèt
The trumpet tree, one of the woods Bonga uses for drum bodies.
V
Vèvè
The sacred symbol of a lwa, traced on the ground in cornmeal or ash during ceremony to call the spirit. The line drawings throughout this site are vèvè.
Vodou
Haiti’s African-rooted religion, formed from Fon, Yoruba, Kongo and other traditions. It is a living practice of service to the lwa and the ancestors through music, dance, song and healing. Many practitioners reject the spelling “Voodoo” and the Hollywood image that comes with it.
W
Wandjalé
One of the Dahomey family rhythms Bonga plays.
Y
Yanvalou
The undulating rhythm and dance of the Rada rite. Dancers bend forward and ripple the back and shoulders like a wave or a serpent.
Z
Zepòl
“Shoulders.” A Rada rhythm and dance driven by strong shoulder movement.