Bondye

Among the most important principles in the Vodu religion as practiced in Haiti is the veneration of God. Bondye (also referred to as Olohoum by some Voduists, from Yoruba Olorun “the master of the skies; supreme God”) designates the Supreme Being for Voduists, the Gran Met, the master of all matters, as he or she is often referred to. Because of the fluidity of gender in Vodu cosmology, as it is the case in African cosmology in general, although God is often called Papa Bondye, the ultimate Father, a male figure, some contemporary scholars view the Vodu God as also being female.

The Africans brought into the American hemisphere carried with them many of their religious beliefs and practices. The God of Vodu, as practiced in ...