Haitian Vodou (mainstream)
Haitian syncretic religion blending West African (Fon, Yoruba, Kongo) traditions with Catholic iconography. Distinctive lwa veneration and houngan/mambo priesthood. Mostly low-control mainstream tradition.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — Haitian syncretic religion; mainstream low-control reference.
Profile facts
In context
Haitian Vodou developed during the colonial period from multiple West African traditions and Catholic iconography. Worship organised through houngans (male priests) and mambos (female priests) leading peristyle communities. Mostly low-control mainstream tradition heavily distorted in popular Western media.
Key control doctrines
- Lwa veneration
- Houngan/mambo priesthood
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- Historical persecution; popular Western misrepresentation
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- Colonial periodHaitian Vodou crystallises
- 1791–1804Haitian Revolution
Sources
- Karen McCarthy Brown, 'Mama Lola' (1991) search ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
You may also want to explore
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.