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SPIRITS OF HAITI: SEQUINED VODOU FLAGS AND THEIR AFRICAN ORIGINS

In the last sixty years Haitian art has found its deserved place in the world history of art. The most spectacular Haitian art form is undoubtedly the glittering tradition of the sequin-covered Vodou flag or drapo Vodou. Vodou banners are important within the practice of the Haitian religion primarily because they are powerful liturgical objects. Originating directly from the practice of Vodou, drapo Vodou constitute an elaborate display of devotion and a dynamic invitation to any of the lwa (spirits of the Vodou pantheon). Used as a demarcation between sacred and secular, the flags are unfurled at the beginning of a ceremony, inviting the spirits to participate in the ritual. Drapo are amongst the most sacred and expensive ritual objects in the temple and the prices of some flags are so astronomical that some temples have gone bankrupt in order to pay for them. The typical ceremonial flag requires somewhere between 20,000 to 30,000 sequins. Depending on how many sewers are working on a piece, the finished product can take from a week to a full month.