by Ameera Pernebsati
Since I was a child, I have had a fascination with stories involving the supernatural. Whether it was about fictional creatures, witches, wizards, magic, mutants, superheroes, and the like, I was always drawn to anything that seemed to have more power and ability than the average human being. I wanted to learn everything I could at the time. I read folklore at the library and watched all kinds of fantasy television shows and movies. As I got older, I found more “resources,” most of them presented as speculation, fiction, or superstition. These resources, whether real or fake, all had a theme pointing to very old, indigenous ways that predate any of the major Abrahamic religions. My interests eventually brought me to Haitian Vodou, the indigenous spirituality of my most immediate ancestors. The origins of Vodou predate the political borders that were established as Haiti. It reaches towards the traditions of Benin. It reaches towards the most ancient knowledge of Meritah (Africa). I no longer had interest in the fictional fantasy creatures that had held my childhood curiosity; I wanted to know what actually existed, and who, why, and how it existed in this reality. I am grateful to my ancestors for leading me to a path of learning that opens my eyes to the realities of nature and allows me to learn through the dialogues and harmonies of the material and non-material world.
