Table of Haitian Illness
Table describing different types of illness, as considered in Haitian culture
| Illness | Maladi Bondye Illness by/of God |
Maladi Lwa Illness by Lwa Spiritual Affliction |
Maladi Mounn Illness by People Sorcery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | impersonal | personal/social | personal/social |
| Reason | unmotivated simple |
motivated not simple |
motivated not simple |
| Agent | germs, bacteria, parasites |
lwa "holds" victim of kin group |
person pays a sorcerer to cast spell on victim |
| Healer | Medical Doctor "leaf" doctor healer |
shaman/priest, oungan/gangan, or manbo |
sorcerer, boko or gangan or manbo |
| Treatment | individual visit to MD or healer |
ritual for group or public service or feeding of the lwa |
private rite |
| Site | clinic, hospital, home |
sacred site, shrine, inside and outisde |
inner chamber of shrine |
| Means | medicine, technology |
prayer, chant, dance, music, veve, food offerings, sacrifice, libation, procession |
prayer, chant, objects (powders, liquids, etc.) |
| How it is known |
medicine takes effect |
possession - performance by afflicting spirit |
identify enemy - problematic social relation |
| Purpose | cure illness or stabilize symptoms |
rebalance relationship with spirit |
exorcise sorcery, revenge |
Citation: Richman, K. (2008, April 20). Table of Haitian Illness. Retrieved November 23, 2009, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/latino-studies/creole-lanuage-and-culture/table-of-haitian-illness.
Copyright 2008,
by the Contributing Authors.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
