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- Title
Celtic Origins of Bosou Twa Kòn: Creolization and Appropriation of the Three-Horned Bull in Haitian Vodou.
- Authors
Berendt, Tom
- Abstract
This paper explores the possible Celtic roots of Bosou Twa Kòn, also sometimes referred to as Bosou Konblanmen, the three-horned bull lwa (spirit) of Haitian Vodou who is often associated with other bovine lwa such as Bosou Twa Grenn, Bosou Dlo, Manman Bosou, Bosou N'Towo, and Kadja Bosou. I argue that though bovine worship can be accredited to many antediluvian and animist religions, the deification of a three-horned bull is principally characteristic of Celtic traditions. I therefore offer an alternative interpretation of Bosou Twa Kòn's roots to that of Alfred Métraux, who argued that the lwa's origins were uniquely Dahomean. Rather, I suggest that in concurrence with the inherent syncretism and religious creolization of Haitian Vodou, it is hypothetically conceivable that such a Celtic religious tradition could have been appropriated during the French colonization of Saint-Domingue, from 1697 to 1804.
- Subjects
HAITI; SYNCRETISM (Religion); COLONIZATION
- Publication
Journal of Haitian Studies, 2020, Vol 26, Issue 2, pN.PAG
- ISSN
1090-3488
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1353/jhs.2020.0011