BUS TOUR & MUSEUMS (Day 5 - part 4)
The Gede group of Congo voodoo spirits are led by Baron Samedi (also Baron LaCroix), the Divine Trickster and Guardian of the Ancestors. He is usually depicted as a skeleton wearing a top hat, depicting a corpse dressed up for burial. His wife is Brigitte. They are the spirits of witchdoctors and can turn a deceased soul into a zombie (spirit). They govern the cemetery and represent the powers of death and fertility. When someone dies, he digs up the grave and leads the soul to the underworld.
The word zombie comes from the Congo, where Nbzambi means spirit, and is typically symbolized by a snake. The terms vudu and zombie are actually synonyms.
The rougarou is half man and half alligator. It hunts at night for souls to suck their blood. It is deathly afraid of frogs and will burst into flames if you throw salt on it. Do not make eye contact!
Hoodoo is the magic used in voodoo to achieve one's goals of finding love, money, healing, removing a hex (black magic spell) and so on. Some common objects used were voodoo dolls, herbal gris-gris, chicken feet, candles, crystals, stones, graveyard dirt and personal items (such as hair or fingernails) from the intended person of interest.
A gris-gris (pronounced gree-gree) bag is used for good juju. It is filled with 3 - 13 items including herbs, stones, bones, red brick dust, a lucky bean and then anointed with oil depending on the spell's purpose ... find love, get power, attract money, reverse a hex, etc. The contents must appeal to the correct loa. The bag is worn or placed on an altar.
Animal skull and chicken feet ... Horse or shark teeth are good luck charms.
Dried bats placed in belongings ward off evil spirits. ... A blow fish
Slave owners would use the toxins of the blow fish to keep slaves in line. This would completely paralyze him but leave him alive and alert. He was then buried alive for several hours. After being revived, the traumatic experience usually left the individual quite shattered, docile and easily dominated.... often believing himself to now be a zombie.
A voodoo doll is an effigy with magical properties. The use of such dolls to cause a person pain using pins came from Europe, not Africa. It is the unique assimilation of African slave beliefs and the slaveholder's Christian beliefs. As such, it was found only in Louisiana and New Orleans. Mostly they were used for good. It's even thought they were used as a record of medical treatments. Since people couldn't read or right, the healer could place a pin in the doll, representing the area treated. When handed to another healer, they would have an understanding of past treatments.
Items to place in a gris-gris bag
We then headed over to the French Market shopping area.
Some yummy strawberry lemonade on a very hot day!
One could find just about anything!
We stopped in a praline shop. The praline was a sweet candy made of almonds and a creamy, sugary caramelized coating. It arrived from France in the late 1700s. With almonds being in short supply, cooks began substituting pecans.
Plain and ... with white chocolate
In an effort to spend some more time out of the sun, we searched for somewhere to go inside. On either side of the cathedral are two similar buildings. Both house state museums. We started with the Cabildo.
A city prison and police station were built here in 1730. In 1769, following the transition from French rule, Spanish officials demolished the existing structure and built a Cabildo (town hall). Known as the Casa Capitular (Chapter House), the complex included a military prison, a civil prison, police station, jailer’s quarters and government chambers. The Spanish cabildo (city council) enforced the laws of the Spanish Crown, made local laws, provided public services and ruled on civil and criminal cases. Most of the councilors purchased their seats and served for life. When New Orleans became an American city, the council members would have to be elected.
The building was destroyed in the fire of 1788 but rebuilt from 1795 to 1799. After the area was once again under French control, it was the site of the ceremonies for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 for the transfer of the Louisiana Territory to the United States. In 1839, a new prison was built in another section of town and the old one was torn down. Throughout its operation, the old prison was known for its overcrowding, poor conditions, lack of food and clothing, and rat infestations. The building continued to be used by the New Orleans city council until 1853 when it became the headquarters of the Louisiana State Supreme Court, where the Plessy v. Ferguson decision originated in 1892.
In 1895, the building was in a state of decay and proposed for demolition. Fortunately it was saved and restored and became home to the Louisiana State Museum in 1908. The museum displays exhibits about the history of Louisiana.
The triangular section used to hold the Spanish coat of arms. It was replaced with an American bald eagle in 1821.
In 1847, a third floor and cupola replaced the flat roof. The building was meant to convey the power and wealth of the Spanish Crown.
This Spanish cannon from around 1812 was originally mounted at Fort St. John near Lake Pontchartrain. It was used in the American defenses at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 and then again during the Civil War in 1862. After the city's capture, it was sunk in Bayou St. John but raised in 1872. It was brought here in 1908.
The Battle of New Orleans and the death of Major General Packenham
This Napoleon 12-pounder cannon from circa 1863 was used by the local police here in 1874 during the Battle of Liberty Place during an attempt to overthrow the state's government. The Cabildo and Jackson Square were captured for three days, until federal troops intervened. This type of cannon was originally developed by France in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III. American manufacturers later used the design for Civil War cannons.
The third floor exhibit ... Click on the map for a larger image
Heading to the second floor and the start of the exhibits
return • continue
