Myths and MusicPossession trance today: Candboblé and Possession healing

Vesa Matteo PiluduHelsinki

Department of Comparative Religion

University of Helsinki

Ritualized possession trance

During the rituals (candomblé, santeria, vodoun)

The spirits, animal or divinities … visit the human world … entering into the heads and the bodies of the possessed

The possessed acquires the dance steps, the voice, and the behaviours of the spirit (divinities, animals and so on) … the trance is extremely ritualized

The possession is voluntary. The possessed is trained to “welcome” the divinity

Generally the possessed don’t play instruments The are skilled musicians playing … certain rhythms at the right moments … The possessed could sing

The possessed is the ”horse” of the spirit, it is controlled by the spirits

After the possession, the possessed don’t remember his acts

Candomblé: Possessed by Iemanjá (goddess of the sea)

Danças Brasileiras - Candomblé

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dlSVHZtQ_A&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1YgesjyCgw&feature=related

Angelique Kidjo - Shango

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_VjmiPDZmU

Healing possession

Healing being possessed by a healing spirit or divinity

Sri Lanka

CD: Ceylon’s drum masters and spirits

Illness as deamon possession

Man can live thanks a perfect balancewhich is endangered by bad eating, bad deeds and

bad thoughts

”illness aliments” can be transmitted by demonsDemon possession cause illness

The illness reaches the whole surrounding group

The ritual rebalance the social unit

Expulsion cure

Then a specialist wears a spirit mask …

Is possessed by a spirit … and dances and sings

Finally he chase away the evil demons (or an evil spell) from the body of the patient …

CD1: track 1 Evocation of the gods

God are asked for permission to wear costumes

It’s a kind of “warm-up” drumming

The rhythms are calm

CD1 track 2 - Athayabera

Question-answer duo between two drums

The rhythm is faster and it grows in intensity

To measure the virtuosity of the player on improvisation

In the meantime the dancers get dressed

2-3 hours

magul-bera (ceremonial drum)

The notes of the basic drum scale, tha-ji-thoh-nun, are salutations to Buddha, the gods, the master or the preceptor, and the audience, respectively

CD1 track 3

Ritual proper

10 dancers and 10 drumsPlay for 16 hours to chase away evil spirits

Some demons are going away after an offer of food … as Yak anuma (track 3)

Others must be fought …

CD 2 – track 1 Dhuupa Paliya- Possession fight against demons

master Thompsan wears a black mask

He is possessed by a spirit that invite the demon to let go of the patient

From a torch he produces flames, and the smoke surrounds and suffocates the demon

Medium-dancers and drummers

CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 18 Tibetan Oracle in Nepal – Bon culture

In Nepal there are still phawos, or Tibetan Oracle Healers

In this track Phawo is possessed by the protector spirit Thangla, who diagnoses illness and foretell the future

The phawo spoke a ”god language”

An interpreter must translate the voice of the god in common Tibetan

NYIMA LAMA

When it is in trance the phawo drop his rainbow coloured and lotus-shaped headdress over his head

Skull Drum (Damaru), eastern Tibet, mid-19th Century

- Hourglass-shaped drum constructed of two inverted skull caps, symbolic of the joining of the female and male elements of life. - Silver band, ornamented with coral and turquoise stones, connects the two halves. - Played by rotating, causing the swinging beater to strike each head. Mantras were often written on the interior of drums such as these.

CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 15 - Possession Healing in Korea

The Paksu male possessed healerMr. Pak In-Oplays a changgo drum to be

possessed by healing spirits

Ritual in Seul

Possession to exorcize a malevolent spirit causing

illness and misfortune

P’iri oboe

A musician, Mr. Yang participated to the ceremony playing a piri oboe

He isn’t in trance

Like the Western oboe, the p'iri sound comes from a vibrating reed

Possession healing in a modern country

Mr. Pak In-O was seriously ill for five years, when he was a university student … when he refused to become a paksu

The family committed him to a mental hospital for a year … feeling ashamed of a family member becoming a possession healer

Later he reluctantly became a paksu … and he remarked … ”I often felt sceptical at the beginning of my work”

Now he has a complete faith that the spirit have power beyond his comprehension

Mr. Pak In-O: healing voice, healing words

”I can diagnose the cause of suffering … because the spirits explain it to me”

”I know that the spoken words I relay from the spirits to the patient … have curing power …”

CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 1 Indian possession healer: Koshalya

Koshalya is an Indian ohja healer

Is healing using only mantra-songwhen she is possessed by the Sitla, the

Goddess of smallpox

In this track she is healing female reproductive problems

Koshalya healer: initiation

”Sitla came upon me. My eyes were closed. When they opened I saw strange things.Songs and words were pounded in my head

For seven days and six nights the goddess lived in me. I Stayed inside her temple

When Sitla left me I knew I was a healer”

More than 25 healing songs

”I have more than 25 healing songs; I treat infertility, jaundice, and smallpox and fevers”

”Villages babies always have fevers. The music soothes them and lowers temperatures. Sitla is the goddess for cooling the temperature”

My patient have no money for medical doctors

Few in the village can afford to pay for medicine at pharmacies or to go to a doctor

Payment to Koshalya usually comes in the form of flowers, food or an offering to the goddess

Koshalya: ”My patient have no money for medical doctors in the city, and they don’t have faith in that”

CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 2 Indian possession healer: Babaji

Babaji is an Indian male ohja healer

healing using only mantra-songs

Treatment against depression and fatigue

Babaji’s initiation: close your shop!

“I prayed to the goddess …She came upon me (saying): ”Close your shop

and build a temple in his field. Fly a red flag from the roof. You will become an ohja … Do not worry about money or your family needs

I closed my shop the next day, and everything has come to be.

I could not sing before and now I have a beautiful voice to heal with, a gift from the goddess!”

All my songs come directly from the goddess

“All my songs come directly from the goddess

I sing a devotional song in the beginning to prepare myself and the patient. There must be an atmosphere of trust and devotion.

When the goddess has come upon me I hear her song and I see with her eyes”

Each mantra is specific to the patient

The patient attention is continuously directed toward the goddess in an effort to shift the focus away from the illness spirit

Babaji: a healer for all the faiths

“My teacher was a Muslim man and I am Hindu by birth

If a Hindu comes to me, I heal them in front of this Hindu shrine

If a Muslim come to me I step over the fence, and treat those people”

A special doctor

“The goddess told me to send my oldest son to the medical school

The power of the goddess Durga will be with him

He will be a very special doctor!”

Haitian vodou

Haitian vodou: forget zombies!

Haitian vodou: forget black magic’s puppets!

Haitian vodou is much more connected with healing

A vodou priest treats an ill woman with mud from the sacred pool in Plaine du Nord

300 kilometres north of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, during the annual festival honouring the spirit Ogou

CD ”Shaman, Jhankri & Nele”Track 5: Haitian Vodou Mambo

Healing with Leaves ceremony

Micheline Forestal, possessed mambo

Musicians from the Lakou Badjo spiritual community

Lead singer: Janet PrevillonDaome drummersNago Drummers

Haitian mambo priestess

Herbs

Plants and their leaves are important medicines

Haitian healers are skilled botanist and herbalist

Using herbs properly is a form of spiritual work

You have to know ho to pick the leaves, how to pray over them and how to use them

Haitian ritual song

”Leaf O, save my lfe

I’m in mysery

My child is sick, I run to the healer-priest

If he’s a good priest, he’ll save my life

I live in poverty O”

Micheline forestal: using leaves for healing

”You can (brew) tea or (use them) in a bath. You bathe the person. You rub the leaves all over

their body to take out what’s bad

We use all kind of leaves

You take it and make a pomade with out of it

You crush it … and put it on the body to reduce swelling

You might boil it up and have the person eat it

You put somebody back the way they were”

The power of leaves and the lwa and mysté

The power of leaves come from Gran Mèt (God), from guardian angels (lwa) and from the mysté (spirits, divinities)

Lwa and mysthè are possessing divinities of West African origins

http://www.vodou.org/of_herbs1.htm

A webpage about vodou herbalism

Healing opera

The healing plants are ”activated” by music

In case of long illness the drummers come to play and the community assembles to sing and dance in a long, healing ”opera” with possession trances

Lakou Souvenance, rada drums

Rada drum carved in relief

Forestal: Drums are freedom

Music is essential for the mambo

”Drums are freedom When the drums beats, it gives you strength. Then we have power.

If we were weak, we would call Papa Feray and Gran Ezili, and when we were calling them they would give us strength

Then we don’t feel weak anymore

Then the spirit might come and do a treatment and they do it right

Healing possession

Forestal is possessed by the Lwa Ezili Danto, the feminine divinity of motherhood, love, healing …

During the possession the Lwa … administers a healing herbal bath to a young man

Erzulie - Ezilí Dantó - Ezili Freda

Forestal: ”We chase away bad spirits”

”A lot of people come to me for treatment … It’s like a little hospital

I see all kind of sickness … some have high fevers, diarrea, vomiting

We chase away the bad spirits …

But if there were no bad spirits on the person, we send them to the doctor … that’s a case for a doctor”

Hendrix - Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85zp1zVVDAQ

Jimi Hendrix, Album: Electric Ladyland (1968)Voodoo Child (Slight Return). Part 1

1. Well, I stand up next to a mountain

And I chop it down with the edge of my hand

Yeah

Well, I stand up next to a mountain And I chop it down with the edge of my hand

Well, I pick up all the pieces and make an islandMight even raise a little sand

Yeah, 'Cause I'm a voodoo child

2. Lord knows I'm a voodoo child

BabyI want to say one more last thingI didn't mean to take up all your sweet time

I'll give it right back to ya one of these days

Ha ha ha

I said I didn't mean to take up all your sweet time

I'll give it right back one of these days

Oh yeah

Jimi Hendrix, Album: Electric Ladyland (1968)Voodoo Child (Slight Return). Part 2

3. If I don't meet you no more in

this world then uh

I'll meet ya on the next one

And don't be late Don't be late

'Cause i'm a voodoo child voodoo child

Lord knows I'm a voodoo child

Hey hey heyI'm a voodoo child baby

I don't take no for an answerQuestion no Yeah

Hendrix refers to the song as the Black Panthers' national anthem

Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Chile Atlanta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7yPRYL_Oq0&feature=related

Italy – 1950 - Tarantism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjSQGdGGl6o

La Tarantata - Pizzica salentina http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNHE3SdrOqk&feature=related

Pizzica today: a popular dance, without trance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du2YzW793oU&feature=related

Pizzica in Torrepaduli during 15-16 August 2007 ("danza delle spade") to celebrate "ricorrenza di San Rocco" (Return of San Rocco)

Evident sensuality, even it should be a Christian festivity