There is some information circulating the internet that Maman Brijit is a white Irish woman with red hair and is synchronized with St. Brigid of Kildare. This information was written by someone who most likely does not work with her and somehow this information was referenced and repeated by other non-practitioners. This information holds no truth at all. Ghede lwa are the spirits of the Dead, as well as purveyors of truth. Maman Brijit is in fact, a Haitian woman. Maybe some Irish people came to the island of Haiti at one point in time, but Maman Brijit is a lwa that is much older.
The Irish in the Caribbean: A History
During the 17th century, thousands of Irish were transported to the Caribbean to work on new sugar and tobacco plantations. The islands that they were transported to were St. Kitts (also referred to as St. Christopher), Nevis, Antigua, Barbados and Montserrat. In 1660, 10,000 settlers left Barbados for Jamaica and America due to the inability to obtain the land for themselves. Much of the Irish that came to the Caribbean settled on islands that were already inhabited by the English. Only a few families of Irish descent (Stapleton, Butler and Walsh) went to St. Dominique (modern day Haiti) to purchase plantations.
In 1790, a man by the name of Victor Martin O’Gorman, who started his career in the Irish Brigade, had been elected as one of the colonial representatives dispatched to Paris to serve in the National Assembly. He organized the Irish Brigade to dissemble the civil war in Haiti (Saint Dominique). After being defeated by the rebel army (Haitian revolutionaries), Captain Oliver Harty, who was another Irish man, had been appointed commander of the southern province and organized a campaign to avenge the loss. Harty oversaw a massacre of old men, women and children, which was looked down upon by his colleagues.
A new governor, Sonthonax arrived from France, who concluded that the African rebels would make the best politicians. He removed Harty from command, declared slavery illegal and appointed Toussaint L’Overture, an African general and former slave as commander in chief.
In conclusion, there were no Irish laborers in Haiti. The Irish that came to Haiti did so to make money off the land and to control the African rebels. Saint Brigid of Kildare never stepped foot onto Haitian soil. Anyone who says otherwise is just telling a story.
Why is this important?
I originally thought that Maman Brijit wanted to remain elusive and shrouded in mystery. I found myself correcting people repeatedly on these facts. However, the misinformation seemed to hold more power than my objections, so I stopped. A lot of people continuously state that this lwa is white and I feel like I’m not even making a difference no matter how much I repeat myself. Maman Brijit noticed. She actually told me that she was upset that I am no longer correcting the false information.
I think what it boils down to is respect. People can portray Maman Brijit as a white Irish woman all day, but that isn’t who she actually is. This is not her truth. Part of the reason I believe that this false information has circulated is due to the fact that a lot of outsiders are interested in Haitian Vodou, and this probably gives them some sort of pass to practice. It’s beautiful that people are interested in Haitian culture and spirituality, but let’s not jam a square peg into a circular opening. If you’re going to come into another culture, you need to be open minded. You need to accept the lwa as they are, and anything otherwise is disrespectful to the practice.
So, who can practice Haitian Vodou? The correct answer is those that are called to do so. A lot of people get called into Vodou through their dreams. Normally it would be a single lwa that would appear and over time more would present themselves in dreams and within symbols in the waking world.
More on Maman Brijit
Brijit belongs to the Ghede family of lwa, who are the spirits associated with death, cemeteries and transitions. As the wife of Baron, who is the leader of all the ghede, Maman Brijit oversees the dead along with her consort. If Baron is represented by the oldest male dead in the cemetery, Brijit is the oldest dead woman within the cemetery. Not only are the ghede lwa associated with death, but also life. Maman Brijit is heavily associated with fertility and new life. This is why the ghede are heavily associated with sex, as it is the act of creation and transitions in between the living and the dead. A lot of the dances associated with the ghede, are sexual in nature. The ghede are also associated with truth and justice. The dead never lie.
Maman Brijit’s Symbols
Catholic Synchronization: Saint Brigit of Sweden, Saint Rosalia
Flower: Roses
Colors: Purple, black and white
Symbols: The cross, coffin, tombstones, ravens or crows, skulls, sketetons, bones
Offerings: Cornmeal with black beans, roasted root vegetables with spicy fish, Piman (rhum with hot peppers), Cake and sweets, black coffee (one with sugar and one without), cigars
Animals: Chicken, black rooster, goat
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