We must have passed at least eight Raras which included one to two hundred people each. We passed the processions and drove freely for a short time to arrive at the gate of Souvenance.
Inside the lakou, or compound, called Souvenance Mystique (as it's written on the front of the peristil or central house of worship) but commonly referred to simply as Souvenance or Souvnans in Kreyol, the environment contrasted greatly to the revelry of the Raras outside the gates. The lakou was seemingly silent. Little did I know how dramatically this would change over the course of two days with the arrival of visitors for the ceremonies. At first I felt uncertain I'd be able to remain in the lakou for the five or so nights we had planned. It was extremely dry and there was no sign of a river. I was traveling primarily with two friends from the United States who had both been to Haiti many times, Isa and Makini. The three of us walked to the back yard area of Souvenance to the sacred Mapou tree -- the center post for a ceremony that would be held on Monday. The branches of the tree sinuously extend out from its center but perhaps what is most unique and powerful about this tree is its huge knotty trunk which holds anthropomorphic facial qualities and the roots that extend to chest level near the trunk. Beyond the tree the land extends to the Artibonite mountain range which rises sharply from the plain and extends as far as the eye can see. In the midst of that majestic landscape, rustling leaves from the wind sweeping through the trees, and calls of the birds and insects, I felt very far away from home where my family was most likely decorating Easter eggs together. At the same time a great sense of peacefulness overcame me. The sound of silence in the lakou filled my heart to overflowing as I watched a cow relax in the shade.
Souvenance is one of a group of lakous in the Gonaives region that are known for their adherence to specific African traditions in Vodou. Souvenance celebrates the lwas from Daome (the kingdom of Dahomey which is now Benin), Soukri Danach celebrates the Kongo tradition, and Badjo is considered Nago (from Yoruba). Each lakou has a yearly festival or multiple-day ceremony that coincides with important events on the Catholic calendar and they draw observers from urban Haiti as well as abroad due to their beauty and "authenticity." The ceremonies of Souvenance begin the Saturday evening before Easter Sunday and last all week until Friday.
We walked back into the village compound and were told by our other travel companions that the sèvitè, the spiritual leader of the lakou, was ready to meet us. We met the sèvitè on the porch of a nearby house. He was tall, handsome, and looked as though he had been eating well. I found out later, through David Yih's dissertation entitled Music and dance of Haitian Vodou that Fernand Bien-Aimé was his name and he spent most of his time as a businessman in Port-au-Prince. He had become sèvitè in 1990 after the death of his father who was the previous sèvitè.2 His hair was a bit grey, adding a look of distinction to his already distinguished position, and his eyes seemed to squint and shine at the same time. He shook our hands upon greeting us and began asking Kiran, our travel companion who had made our arrangements at Souvenance, about himself. I wanted to share with him that I was studying Haitian folkloric dance and had been performing the form in New York City and that I was at Souvenance to come to the source and understand more deeply the sacred practices of Vodou.... But it was the kind of conversation where the sèvitè asks the questions he wants answered and otherwise one keeps quiet. I felt content having met the sèvitè, the leader of the ceremonies at Souvenance.
In Gonaives we had bought offerings for the sèvitè and his community for the ceremonies that we would be observing. Or, this was my understanding of why we bought the offerings. However, in addition to our presence at the ceremonies we would be staying in the kay or house of Alex, who was a friend of Kiran's and who had recently died. Alex's sister had sent Kiran to Souvnans to stay in Alex's house with specific directions on what to offer to the sèvitè. Our gift included bottles of Babancourt rum, Florida Water, champagne, and candles. It was a large offering relative to how people generally live and spend in Haiti and caused some controversy among the members of our traveling group. It seems that this offering was necessary because of our staying in Alex's house. However, Isa felt that we could have made our own arrangements of where to stay once we arrived and it wouldn't have been so expensive. Plus, we could have contributed to a household that perhaps could have used the income more than the head of this popular lakou. So she felt that this was Kiran's negotiation and he should be responsible for carrying it through. She was also concerned that he was being taken advantage of. Since this was only my second time in Haiti and my first time at a lakou I didn't have a strong opinion about the situation but was thankful for the place to stay and thankful for being able to witness the ceremonies so I contributed what I felt comfortable with. It was not until some weeks after my return that the connection between Alex, Souvenance, and our position in his house became more clear.
Apparently, Alex is Alex Tanisma and was considered second sèvitè behind Fernand Bien-Aimé at Souvnans. He resided in Petionville and when he decided to become initiated into Vodou, did so at Souvnans. During this process the lwa or deity Ati Danyi claimed him as his servitor. Ati Danyi only claims one initiate at a time, always a man, and this man becomes second sèvitè at Souvnans.3 Alex passed away unexpectedly of "natural causes" and although it is relatively commonplace for young people to die in Haiti it came as quite a shock to those who knew him.4 It is for these reasons that we stayed in Alex's home at Souvnans but were traveling with an envoy including Alex's uncle and another family member, why we brought offerings to the sèvitè and had offerings made to Ati Danyi at the altar in our sleeping quarters.
2 Yih, David. Music and dance of Haitian Vodou. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Dissertation Services, 1995. p. 269.
3 Yih, P. 269.
4 Personal email correspondence with Kiran, May 27, 2008.
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