Is Haitian Vodou and Dahomean Vodoun the same?
Although the West still considers “Dahomean” Vodoun to be the “mother” of the Vodoun religion, this honor is not accurate. The Vodoun religion is more than 10,000+ years old. When it reached West Africa, the early Ewe, Gbe, Guin, Kabaye and other Vodoun groups were practicing Vodoun more than 500 years before the region that would later be known as “Dahomey” (now present day Benin) came into existence. The Fon are considered the heir of the Dahomean empire. However, it is the Ewe of Togo who are the major group and the Fon who settled in Benin are a subgroup of them along with the more than other 20 ethnic groups. Just as it is important to sort through the victor’s history when wanting an accurate chacterization of Native American history or Slavery, Africa should not be an exception. Many of the current rulers have written their own revisionist history to justify their rule and the kings of Dahomey and their claims to “divine legitimacy” and being the “home” of the Vodoun; as well as
