Haitian Zombie
In 1685, King Louis XIV made a decree called the “Code Noir”. Much of this edict was concerned with the treatment of slaves, including their sale and education. The Code Noir stated that slaves were only to have the Catholic religion available to them, not protestant. This would have far reaching implications.
Unwilling to give up the beliefs of their ancestors, slaves superimposed one religion upon the other. While the gods may have the names of Catholic saints, they were worshiped in the manner of their ancestors. (Davis) Added to this mix were certain Islamic beliefs some slaves brought with them. Over time, the religions blended and stabilized into their own set of rules and beliefs. This became the religion of Vodun (commonly called “Voodoo”).
Like many other religions, Vodun relies on a belief in positive (or good) and negative (or evil) forces. Priests of the religion can follow either path. Those priests dedicated to the good path are called “houngans” while those priests who follow the dark path are called “bokor”. Believers ascribe many powers to the priests, but it is
the bokor who are able to create zombies. (Hahn)
Unwilling to give up the beliefs of their ancestors, slaves superimposed one religion upon the other. While the gods may have the names of Catholic saints, they were worshiped in the manner of their ancestors. (Davis) Added to this mix were certain Islamic beliefs some slaves brought with them. Over time, the religions blended and stabilized into their own set of rules and beliefs. This became the religion of Vodun (commonly called “Voodoo”).
Like many other religions, Vodun relies on a belief in positive (or good) and negative (or evil) forces. Priests of the religion can follow either path. Those priests dedicated to the good path are called “houngans” while those priests who follow the dark path are called “bokor”. Believers ascribe many powers to the priests, but it is
the bokor who are able to create zombies. (Hahn)
How the Haitian Zombie is Created
The Vodun religion venerates the dead. While all dead are referred to as zombies, there is also a special category of zombie; those resurrected from the grave by bokors. These zombies have no souls and are completely under the dominance of the bokor. (Simpson)
First, something of how the Vodun practitioner sees the self; there are three parts to the self. The corps cadaver, the gwo-bon anj, and the ti-bon anj. The corps cadaver is the physical body while the gwo-bon anj is the soul or what gives a body life and the ti-bon anj is awareness or consciousness. (Costandi, 2007).
The bokor steals the gwo-bon anj of a victim by administering the coup poudre. Within days the victim seems to die and is buried by friends and loved ones. The bokor then returns to the grave where the victim is buried and gives them a second cocktail of drugs.
In 1985, ethnobiologist Wade Davis went to Haiti and brought back 8 samples of coup poudre and when the powder samples were tested they found some common ingredients among them including (Costandi, 2007);
The second cocktail of drugs contains (Costandi, 2007);
This paste plus the belief that the bokor has the victim’s soul keeps the victim compliant. Usually the bokor sells the zombie to a plantation where they spend their lives working at menial labour. (Simpson)
First, something of how the Vodun practitioner sees the self; there are three parts to the self. The corps cadaver, the gwo-bon anj, and the ti-bon anj. The corps cadaver is the physical body while the gwo-bon anj is the soul or what gives a body life and the ti-bon anj is awareness or consciousness. (Costandi, 2007).
The bokor steals the gwo-bon anj of a victim by administering the coup poudre. Within days the victim seems to die and is buried by friends and loved ones. The bokor then returns to the grave where the victim is buried and gives them a second cocktail of drugs.
In 1985, ethnobiologist Wade Davis went to Haiti and brought back 8 samples of coup poudre and when the powder samples were tested they found some common ingredients among them including (Costandi, 2007);
- Cane Toad toxin (Bufo marinus) – a milky white substance which causes rapid heartbeat, hypersalivation, convulsions and paralysis (Australian Government, 2005)
- Hyla Tree Frog irritant – causes small wounds on the skin’s surface (Costandi, 2007)
- Pufferfish
- toxin (tetrodotoxin) – lethal over 1 – 2 mg (Benzer, 2011)
The second cocktail of drugs contains (Costandi, 2007);
- Datura stramonium – causes hallucinations, psychosis, delirium (sometimes violent), amnesia, and loss of inhibition. Symptoms include; rapid pulse, diarrhea, dilated pupils, and muscle twitching (Jimson Weed: The Devil's Weed, 2011)
- Atropine – often used when giving anesthesia (Pereiro, 1996)
- Scopolamine – inhibits nerve impulses to smooth muscles (MedicineNet, 2011)
This paste plus the belief that the bokor has the victim’s soul keeps the victim compliant. Usually the bokor sells the zombie to a plantation where they spend their lives working at menial labour. (Simpson)
Clarvius Narcisse
Clairvius Narcisse was a Haitian man who died in 1962. Almost 20 years later, in 1980, Narcisse was found
wandering around his home village with an odd story to tell. Once his story became public, it was impossible for Haitian intellectuals and western society to write the zombie story off as a myth as they previously were inclined to do.
Narcisse’s story came to the attention of ethnobiologist, Wade Davis. Davis, whose story later became the basis for the movie, “The Serpent and the Rainbow” set out to discover the formula the bokun priests used to steal the victim’s soul. He also uncovered the formula used to keep the zombies subdued. This opened a new venue of study and, since then, other “zombies” have come forward, many of them with severe brain damage from lack of oxygen while they were buried.
wandering around his home village with an odd story to tell. Once his story became public, it was impossible for Haitian intellectuals and western society to write the zombie story off as a myth as they previously were inclined to do.
Narcisse’s story came to the attention of ethnobiologist, Wade Davis. Davis, whose story later became the basis for the movie, “The Serpent and the Rainbow” set out to discover the formula the bokun priests used to steal the victim’s soul. He also uncovered the formula used to keep the zombies subdued. This opened a new venue of study and, since then, other “zombies” have come forward, many of them with severe brain damage from lack of oxygen while they were buried.