Loas/Lwas and Catholic Saints

[DixieWitch]

I've been doing a little searching for a correspondence list of Loas to the Saints. I finally came across a list today.

http://www.geocities.com/ozziesdominicanvoodun/syn.html

Does anyone else have a list to share? I would love to see them! It would be nice to know the Saints that correspond for someone like me who has plenty of Saint images available around town but no Loas!!

[DixieWitch]

I just found this one too:

http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/saints.htm

[Artiste-LiLi]

And in those lists you can see some of the differences between the Lwa/Loa/Saint correlations based in Hatian practice and the Lwa/Loa/Saint correlations that are based in what is a Latino/Hispanic (I'm assuming because of the Spanish) based practice. There are other differences between the various practice bases as well. Some have many Catholic influences, some have few or none. The variances are also, I think, dependant upon where within the mother country the practitioners (past) came from and where the practitioners (current) reside.

[Darkest Eve]

http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/saints.htm

:lol: I see you found it too.

[Teresa]

I will look up my list that is written in a family book and post it when I have mroe time!

[Darkest Eve]

And in those lists you can see some of the differences between the Lwa/Loa/Saint correlations based in Hatian practice and the Lwa/Loa/Saint correlations that are based in what is a Latino/Hispanic (I'm assuming because of the Spanish) based practice. There are other differences between the various practice bases as well. Some have many Catholic influences, some have few or none. The variances are also, I think, dependant upon where within the mother country the practitioners (past) came from and where the practitioners (current) reside.

I thought the Spanish (or what looks like Spanish?) had to do with Creole language more than Hispanic/Latino background... which is what the Haitians use...? I know it is French/African based, but I thought that was the language we were usually seeing other than French or English...

I just had an epiphany... Roman Catholicism is the main religion of Spanish-speaking peoples, no? That might explain the spanish. :p

[Darkest Eve]

I will look up my list that is written in a family book and post it when I have mroe time!

Do you (or anyone) know if there is a lwa associated with Saint Thomas?

[Teresa]

Do you (or anyone) know if there is a lwa associated with Saint Thomas?

I believe there is and I will look it up to verify later this evening. I have to leave out for a little bit right now.

[Teresa]

Chango (Jakuta, Obakoso)
Its Catholic saint is St.Thomas and St. Barbara Secember 4. His colors are red and white and his numbers are 4 and 6. Friday and the 4th of each month are sacred to Chango. He rules over fire and thunder and lightning. He is a master dancer and could be considered the Casanova of the Orishas. He is also a master drummer. Chango, as Saint Barbara and Saint Thomas, is the patron of architects, builders and artillery soldiers. He carries a mortar with him which is where he mixes his spells. His colors are red and white and he recognizes himself in the numbers four and six. He is most often represented by a double headed ax, a sword, a knife, a machete, an ax, a dagger and a spear, almost always made out of cedar. Chango is also represented by the image of a warrior holding a large double edged hatchet in one hand and a sword in the other. Both images, the warrior and St. Barbara, can be found on the same altar.

Oshun
She is Our Lady of Charity (La Caridad del Cobre), Cuba's patron Saint, who is honored on September 8th. Her day of the week is Saturday. It is the day that lovers must act if they want their love returned.. She recognizes herself in number 5. Her colors are amber and coral, yellow being most commonly accepted.

Copper is Oshun's metal and she is sometimes represented by a gourd crowned by festive feathers and filled with copper pennies. She also loves gold and her chief ornaments consist of a golden crown with five points. From the points, hang five rays, five spears or five arrows. Oshun also owns two oars, a bell, and five bracelets. She loves fans made of peacock feathers. Oshun is the youngest of the Orishas and one of the most popular. She controls the rivers, brooks and streams waters as well as love, sexuality, marriage , honey and money matters, the arts and human pleasures.

Oya (Yansan)
Oya is recognized in Our Lady of the Presentation of Our Lord (Santa Virgen de la Candelaria) and also in St. Theresa. Her days of the week are Wednesday and Friday. Black and white are her favorite colors. She cures headaches. Oya wears a crown with nine points from which hang nine charms; a hoe, a pick, a gourd, a lightning bolt, a scythe, a shovel, a rake, an ax, and a mattock. She is also represented by a spear or a metal rendition of a lightning bolt. Her ornaments are simple, they include a red gourd and the dried seed pod of the flamboyant tree. She also wears nine copper bracelets.

Oy· is the ruler of the winds, the whirlwind and the gates of the cemetery. Her number is nine which recalls her title of Yansa or "Mother of Nine" in which she rules over the dead. She is also known for the colors of maroon, flowery patterns and nine different colors. She is a fierce warrior who rides to war with Chango (sharing lightning and fire with him) and was once the wife of Oggun.

Yemaya (Olocum, Ocute)
She is represented by Our Lady of Regla (La Virgen de Regla) who is the patron Saint of Havana's port. Her feast day is on September 7th. Her colors are blue and white and her number is 7 She is venerated on Fridays and Saturdays.

Yemaya is summoned at the seashore with a gourd rattle. She always has a fan made of duck feathers. She owns an anchor, a key, a sun, a half moon, a siren which she holds in her open arms. It holds in its hands a ray, the head of a shovel, a conch shell and a sea shell. All her ornaments are made of lead.

Yemaya could arguably be called the greatest of all the orishas because she is the great mother, the giver of life. She rules all the seas and oceans and naturally is the patron of sailors and fishermen. Being the great mother Yemaya also rules women and pregnancies. Yemaya lives and rules over the seas and lakes. She also rules over maternity in our lives as she is the Mother of All. Her name, a shortened version of Yeye Omo Eja means "Mother Whose Children are the Fish" to reflect the fact that her children are uncountable. All life started in the sea, the amniotic fluid inside the mother's womb is a form of sea where the embryo must transform and evolve through the form of a fish before becoming a human being. She dresses herself in seven skirts of blue and white and like the seas and profound lakes she is deep and unknowable. She is the queen of witches carrying within her deep and dark secrets. Her number is seven for the seven seas, her colors are blue and white, and she is most often represented by the fish who are her children.

Other Orishas from the Yoruban Pantheon

There are other Orishas who do not belong to the Seven African Powers circle, even though they are venerated by their devotees or children with the same respect and reverence. This does not mean that they are lesser gods, they just belong to other category and are always associated to the traditions of the pantheon. they are very generous and helpful with their children, but they require the fulfillment of every promise or sacrifice made to them.

Babalu Babalu-Aye (Chopono, Taita CaÒeme)
He is represented by St. Lazarus and the Biblical Lazarus. His numbers are 13 and 17. His feast day is December 17th . He is paid homage Wednesdays and Sundays.
Babalu-Aye favorite color combination is white with blue streaks. He always has his crutches and his two faithful little dogs. On his altar there is always a broom made from the fruit clusters of the palmetto, used to sweep away evil influences. Jute sacks also belong to him. He cures paralysis, limbs and skin problems. He is particularly cares of the health of sick children. Devotees who have been cured due to his intervention wear clothing made of jute as an expression of gratitude

Oggun
Its Catholic saint is St. Peter whose feast day is June 29th . He is recognized in number 7. His colors are green and black and his days are Tuesday and Wednesdays and the 4th of each month. Oggun walks nine paths or caminos. Oggun symbolizes raw energy, violence and brute force. He is the Orisha of the working man. He lives in the woods which he owns and is constantly at war. He also works with iron. He is the brother of Chango, Eleggua and Ochosi and as brothers are prone to do they usually fight. Oggun is the patron Orisha of policemen, fishermen, farmers and surgeons. All metals come under his domain. Oggun also protects against accidents (which he also causes) and aids in surgeries. Oggunís wife is the beautiful Oya who had and continues to have a love affair with Chango. For this reason Chango and Oggun are always at odds with each other and cannot be in the same room together. Oggun is the god of iron, war and labor. He is the owner of all technology and because this technology shares his nature, it is almost always used first for war. As Eleggua opens the roads, it is Oggun that clears the roads with his machete. Oggun dresses in a tiger skin. He owns an iron pot on three stubby legs and nine or twenty-one pieces of iron that symbolize all the tools used in agriculture and blacksmithing. The most common tools are: an arrow, an anvil, a pickax, a hatchet, a machete, a hammer, and a key. Oggun's tools are always well greased with corojo butter.

Osain
He is represented by St. John or St. Joseph (San Juan or San Jose) in the city and by St. Ambrose in the countryside. Osain is honored every Sunday. His colors are white, red and yellow. He accopanies the dying in their final trip and protects the carpenters, woodcarvers, teachers, candlemkers and booksellers. In general he is the patron of the artisans, drumplayers and the people who represent and transmit knowledge. He often appears to people with insomnia and asks them for a light. He drinks aguardiente, smokes a pipe and rules over all medicinal and magical herbs. The drums used in Santeria ceremonies are consecrated to him.

Oshosi
His Catholic equivalent is St. Norbert. Oshosi is paid homage every Tuesday. He is the third member of the group known as the Guerreros or Warriors, which is led by Elegua and composed by Oggun and Osun -who is the most mysterious and reclusive Orisha of the Yoruban pantheon. Their mission is to open and clear the roads. Oshosi is the hunter and the scout of the orishas and assumes the role of translator for Obbatala with whom he has a very close relationship. His colors are blue and yellow, but green and brown are also generally accepted. He is represented by a bow and arrow. Sometimes he is depicted holding a model of a jail in his hands because he represents the enforcemet of law and compassion to the prisioners at the same time.

Orishaoco
He is the Catholic St. Ysidro (San Isidro) As the patron of gardeners and agriculture, he is honored every Sunday. His favorite color is lilac. He is represented with a hoe and all the tools of the gardener. As his Catholic counterpart Saint Ysidro, he also works the land and is the saint of the rain.

The Ibeyi (Taebo and Kainde)
The Twins are represented by St. Cosme and St. Damian.
Their weekly celebration is held on Sundays. Their colors are red, black and yellow, the same as Oshun's and Chango's, their parents. They protect the students, the pysicians and the pharmacists. Men who suffer from impotency or other sexual problems offer the testicles of bulls, horses donkeys or goats to the Ibeyi. The Ibeyi should always be dressed identically. Their figurines should be tied or chained together to insure that they won't separate.

Agayu
St. Christopher represents Agayu as the patron of fatherhood, since he carried Baby Jesus across the Jordan River. He is also the patron of travelers in strange lands. His number is 9 and his colors are green, yellow and red.

Inle
St. Raphael represents Inle as the master of the natural healing, being his color the green of the forest. He is also a fisherman and his magical number is 7. Inle protects the blind and guide them in their trips.

The metisse Americas
Santeria influences in architecture and urban life

The plazas in front of Catholic churches have a dual meaning in the Caribbean, they are at the same time the scenery for the Christian ritual, a place of encounters, the public market and the natural background for some of the Afro-Creole representations of the cycle of life. On them, Carnivals and processions express the religious brotherhood between Santeros and Catholics, who, by one of those ironies of life, can be the same persons. The procession and the discreet ìtrabajoî found in a corner, at the base of a powerful column, share the same space and most of the time the same protagonists and actors. Many people are tangled in a complex interfaith web and they attend both Catholic and Santeria ceremonies and services. The Santeria ritual some times requires a Catholic Mass for the salvation of a soul or even Exorcism to liberate a believerís soul and body from Evilís possession. The Roman Catholic Priest and the Babalawo of the neighborhood will trade a polite greeting on the streets and probably will meet at the Christening of a child, a wedding or the deathbed of a prominent neighbor, what clearly speaks about the metisse nature of the Caribbean.

Even today, the everyday city life is marked by a religious ritual on the feast days for every Catholic Saint and every Orisha. The religious ritual procession goes from the plaza to the cemetery, where the reality of our temporality is discovered and recorded in our memories. On several tombs, the imprint of a Santero can be found if one closely looks to the votive candles and the offerings deposited on the graves. Attributes from the saints accompany the deceased to his or her last stop, so in a tomb can be found several articles like small representations of the Passion of Christ and the African attributes proper of the work and style of their ìCabildoî or community organization. Anthropomorphic graves are built to honor both the defunct and his or her Orisha. The tombstones are frequently shaped as head and shoulders silhouette. Frequently found are the ritual necklaces as part of the gravesí ornaments. Iron figurines representing the attributes of the Orishas, the Warriors or votive images for healing purposes are deposited in certain graves, what means that the deceased had in life supernatural powers. On certain tombs, the ritual drawing of the Abakuas are reinterpreted in chalk or charcoal, but they can be also hidden in the design of the wrought iron fences or gates that surround a funerary plot.

Symbolism is an important part of the design patterns used to express every culture complexities. Therefore, colors and numbers must be carefully taken into account to understand the iconic representation of the Orishas. The colorful paint treatment of the Caribbean houses seems to have a mystical relationship with the Orishas, the protectors and benefactors of their inhabitants. The tiny colored houses that give a lively touch to the evergreen Caribbean field or coastal towns are always protected by African deities. The housesí color treatment and their faÁades painted or carved ornaments, tell a story about the spirituality of the head of the household and the familyís gratitude towards certain Orisha.

Even in the most humble dwelling of a believer, a corner is devoted to the altar and in the better to do households the cult takes place in a ceremonial room, known as ìel cuarto de fambaî, a veritable domestic shrine where the altars and attributes are kept. A cuarto de famba can be a private chapel occupying an entire section of a palatial house in Old Havana or a corner in an efficiency apartement in Hialeah. Basement shrines in the Bronx or Union City vibrate and reverberate with the drum beats and the ritual chants the same small rooms in Jacmel, Union de Reyes or Little Havana do.

The patios become bailaderos and they are very frequently the scenery for ceremonies known as ìel toque santoî what means ìthe holy drum beatî, a celebration accompanied by a banquet and ritual dances. Music is of capital importance in Santeria. Chano Pozo, Machito, and Celia Cruz have animated the Santeria scene in New York and New Jersey. In Havana, several musicians from La Aragon, Elio Reveís Orchestra and los Van Van animated the toque santo for Ifa Funkeís ìmano de Orulaî anniversary. The traditional Yoruba chants were followed by a powerful ìdescargaî. The whole neighborhood of La Vibora danced as his private ceremony invaded the public space of the street, transforming this personal ceremony into a community event. Because of the lack of a open space that could be identified as a plaza in that part of the neighborhood, the street was taken by the dancing believers and transformed into a city scaled bailadero.



Works consulted:

El monte by Lydia Cabrera
El reino de este mundo by Alejo Carpentier
Ekwe Yamba O by Alejo Carpentier
Festivals and rituals of Spain by Cristina Garcia Rodero
Voodoo by Henning Christoph and Hans Oberl?nder
Santeria. African Spirits in America by Joseph M. Murphy
Orishanet WebPage and related links essays by various authors
Catholics Online. Angels and Saints WebPage essays by various authors

By Orestes del Castillo
del.castillo @juno.com

[Darkest Eve]

Chango (Jakuta, Obakoso)
Its Catholic saint is St.Thomas and St. Barbara Secember 4. His colors are red and white and his numbers are 4 and 6. Friday and the 4th of each month are sacred to Chango. He rules over fire and thunder and lightning. He is a master dancer and could be considered the Casanova of the Orishas. He is also a master drummer. Chango, as Saint Barbara and Saint Thomas, is the patron of architects, builders and artillery soldiers. He carries a mortar with him which is where he mixes his spells. His colors are red and white and he recognizes himself in the numbers four and six. He is most often represented by a double headed ax, a sword, a knife, a machete, an ax, a dagger and a spear, almost always made out of cedar. Chango is also represented by the image of a warrior holding a large double edged hatchet in one hand and a sword in the other. Both images, the warrior and St. Barbara, can be found on the same altar.



Thank you, this will make MK a very happy boy. :)

[Artiste-LiLi]

I thought the Spanish (or what looks like Spanish?) had to do with Creole language more than Hispanic/Latino background... which is what the Haitians use...? I know it is French/African based, but I thought that was the language we were usually seeing other than French or English...

I just had an epiphany... Roman Catholicism is the main religion of Spanish-speaking peoples, no? That might explain the spanish. :p

Creole (which is the heritage of my VooDoo adoptive family) has many influences.....my adoptive family's heritage is French, African, Creole, Native American (Seminole). I believe French, English, African and Seminole are the predominate influences within the American Creole language. I believe that in Haiti it is African and French? There are also Arcadian (say ar-ka-jun) (a French people with a looonnnnng history that is fascinating) influences in American Creole.

"Clickey-linkies":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_language

http://hometown.aol.com/sybkein/language.htm

http://babel.uoregon.edu/yamada/guides/creole.html

http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?id=15717&catID=6042&action=detail&parentID=5748 (one about Gullah..an American Creole derivitive)

http://saxakali.com/caribbean/Lanahl.htm

http://www.avirtualdominica.com/creole.cfm

<forcibly restraining self now...>

Ok...I think that is enough for now.................languages (I have a smattering of 9 and am trying my best to become fluent in at least 4 beyond the 2 I am currently fluent in) are a "passion" of mine as you may have been able to tell ("no DUH!!" you are all saying by now! LOL) while you slowly nodded off....
Why....I could bore you for MONTHS on Arcadian alone! 8O

[Darkest Eve]

Creole (which is the heritage of my VooDoo adoptive family) has many influences.....my adoptive family's heritage is French, African, Creole, Native American (Seminole). I believe French, English, African and Seminole are the predominate influences within the American Creole language. I believe that in Haiti it is African and French? There are also Arcadian (say ar-ka-jun) (a French people with a looonnnnng history that is fascinating) influences in American Creole.

"Clickey-linkies":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_language

http://hometown.aol.com/sybkein/language.htm

http://babel.uoregon.edu/yamada/guides/creole.html

http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?id=15717&catID=6042&action=detail&parentID=5748 (one about Gullah..an American Creole derivitive)

http://saxakali.com/caribbean/Lanahl.htm

http://www.avirtualdominica.com/creole.cfm

<forcibly restraining self now...>

Ok...I think that is enough for now.................languages (I have a smattering of 9 and am trying my best to become fluent in at least 4 beyond the 2 I am currently fluent in) are a "passion" of mine as you may have been able to tell ("no DUH!!" you are all saying by now! LOL) while you slowly nodded off....
Why....I could bore you for MONTHS on Arcadian alone! 8O

:lol:

My head hurts a little bit.

Would trying to learn Creole be worthwhile for the purpose of Vodou, or does English suffice just as well for all intents and purposes? Or is there a language better suited to aiding a person in their pursuit of this particular branch of study?

[DixieWitch]

There are also Arcadian (say ar-ka-jun) (a French people with a looonnnnng history that is fascinating) influences in American Creole.



Do you mean Acadian? Arcadian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadia) is a resident of the town of Arcadia in Greece.

I am actually considered an Acadian, or Cajun if you prefer! Acadians are the people of Nova Scotia and the Louisiana Acadians later became the Cajuns. Once outside of Louisiana, I know a lot of people thought/think that Cajuns and Creoles are the same. When in fact they are 2 different people. Yes, both speak French, but there is a difference between Cajun French and Creole French. The Creole ancestry is different from the Cajun Ancestry. Oh and let's not forget the food and music.

And while I'm not sure of the pronunciation of Arcadians. But Acadian is pronounced Ah-Kay-dee-an.

[Artiste-LiLi]

Do you mean Acadian? Arcadian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadia) is a resident of the town of Arcadia in Greece.

I am actually considered an Acadian, or Cajun if you prefer! Acadians are the people of Nova Scotia and the Louisiana Acadians later became the Cajuns. Once outside of Louisiana, I know a lot of people thought/think that Cajuns and Creoles are the same. When in fact they are 2 different people. Yes, both speak French, but there is a difference between Cajun French and Creole French. The Creole ancestry is different from the Cajun Ancestry. Oh and let's not forget the food and music.

And while I'm not sure of the pronunciation of Arcadians. But Acadian is pronounced Ah-Kay-dee-an.

Damnable slippery fingers that refuse to do what I tell them! Damnable eyes that refuse to see GLARING typos!!!!!:lol:

I do indeed mean the ACADIAN people and language; (I hate when I try to multi-task and fail miserably....my apologies to all) who can trace their heritage back to many areas of France prior to their moving and settling in the Port-Royal area.

Yes, they are a different people from the Creole people...yet....there is some cross-over within both languages due to American (Louisiana) Creole's relationship with Colonial French and Cajun French. Nor can we leave out the reality of the good old "American Melting Pot" effect. (More so now than in the past.) Isn't Cajun French descended from Anjou and Poitou way back there somewhere? Also, I believe I read that it is usually thought that Cajun French is almost completely derived from Acadian French. The American (French/Louisiana) Creole language spoken by the mixed Creole people has elements of French, Native American, Spanish, and West African at its roots. From what I remember about what I've read, Cajun became a firmly established language for many south Louisiana parishes when many of the Acadian peoples went through the "Great Expulsion" and they re-settled in Louisiana , but once they settled and became established within Louisiana Cajun was not only spoken by the Cajun people, it was also picked up by other ethnic groups that lived in Acadian settled areas. Creoles, Amerindian ethnic groups (like the Chitimacha, Pointe-au-Chien, Bayougoula, Opelousa, Okelousa) and others spoke Cajun French because of living in areas the Acadians had settled. French was already spoken by Creoles and Amerindians in Louisiana when the Acadians arrived. There is some crossover as well in customs and belief systems. Again, through the proximity/melting pot effect.

And the FOOD and the MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!! AH!!! C'est Magnifique!!!!! I adore Cajun food and music. Et Toi!!!!:jamsessio:dancy::fpartay:

<LiLi is feeling a bit silly and chatter-boxy tonight>

[Artiste-LiLi]

OH! And the pronounciation "Ah-kay-jun" is, I believe, thought to be a form of "Americanization" of Acadian.

[DixieWitch]

OH! And the pronounciation "Ah-kay-jun" is, I believe, thought to be a form of "Americanization" of Acadian.

Maybe so, but in Louisiana it's Ah-Kay-Dee-an. I am from that very part in Louisiana. I have been able to trace my family lineage all the way back to the 1600s BEFORE they left France. I can see it where they leave France to settle in Nova Scotia then when they leave (or kicked out) there and settle in Louisiana.

And yes, Cajun French is derived from Acadian French. Which was the spoken language in the Canadian provinces. But at the same time, there are differences between the two. But not enough that a Cajun French speaking person couldn't hold a conversation with an Acadian French speaking person. Now Parisian French is totally different! I've heard all three! I do know some Cajun French, but sadly, the older generation who can speak it fluently is starting to die out. I am constantly studying it because it is a part of who I am, but it really hard to learn something such as a spoken language when you're learning over the internet.

God I miss home sometimes. No, all the time. I miss the way of life over there. If it were up to me, I'd move back over there in a heartbeat.

[DixieWitch]

Et Toi!!!!:jamsessio:dancy::fpartay:

<LiLi is feeling a bit silly and chatter-boxy tonight>

et toi= and you?

Bonjour, Comment ca va?

Hi, how are you?

Ca va bien, merci. Et toi?

I am good, thank you. And you?

[Artiste-LiLi]

Maybe so, but in Louisiana it's Ah-Kay-Dee-an. I am from that very part in Louisiana. I have been able to trace my family lineage all the way back to the 1600s BEFORE they left France. I can see it where they leave France to settle in Nova Scotia then when they leave (or kicked out) there and settle in Louisiana.

And yes, Cajun French is derived from Acadian French. Which was the spoken language in the Canadian provinces. But at the same time, there are differences between the two. But not enough that a Cajun French speaking person couldn't hold a conversation with an Acadian French speaking person. Now Parisian French is totally different! I've heard all three! I do know some Cajun French, but sadly, the older generation who can speak it fluently is starting to die out. I am constantly studying it because it is a part of who I am, but it really hard to learn something such as a spoken language when you're learning over the internet.

God I miss home sometimes. No, all the time. I miss the way of life over there. If it were up to me, I'd move back over there in a heartbeat.

Absolutely TOO COOL!!!!!!! Yes, I've heard all three and the Parisian French is nothing like the Acadian French and Cajun French. The main differences seem to be prounounciation, intonation and some actual word differences, yes? I completely agree that it is so difficult to learn a language through means such as the internet. It is so much better to learn from someone who actually speaks the language....they can explain so many subtle nuances that you can easily miss when using the internet or recordings. I would love to learn Cajun French and Creole French. Perhaps someday....I have the French foundation, but not the time to do it true justice. What a shame that it is dying out. It is like the Gullah language (another one I'd like to learn) which is also dying out. It is a Creole variant. Seems like I read somewhere that only about 4% of the fluent older generation is still around and speaking Cajun French....is that about right?

Which reminds me...............................

Darkest Eve: No, I don't think you *have* to learn Creole, nor do I think it really necessary to try to learn it completely (as in being fluent). I *do* think you need to learn proper pronounciation for many of the words that are routinely used in Vodou and of course you need to know how to correctly say names....but be able to conversationally speak Creole...nah. There are plenty of people who practice who are English speaking only and they seem to do fine. (Just my two)

Eh bien! (Ah, good!)
Bon soir! (Good evening/night)
Je suis heureux de vous rencontrer. (I am pleased to meet you)
Ca va bien, merci. (I am well thank you)
Je parle un peu en Francais. (I speak a little bit in French) :toofless:

And it has been YEARS since I've had any regular practice at it, so, I am verrrrry rusty! LOL! I speak it much better than I write it too.

[Artiste-LiLi]

Maybe so, but in Louisiana it's Ah-Kay-Dee-an.

And so I learn! I LOVE to learn!!!!!!:hahugh:

[aranarose]

I had two years of French in high school. I remember none of it. :lol:

[Artiste-LiLi]

I had two years of French in high school. I remember none of it. :lol:

Yeah, language is in the catagory of "use it or lose it". I took 2 years Spanish...rarely used it, remember little of it. *sigh*. Took 4 years French...rarely get to use it, have lost a lot of it and am sooooooo very rusty in my usage..but I make it a point to try to speak a little French fairly regularly so I don't lose *all* of it. French is one of my languages that I want to take classes in to renew my knowledge. I also took 4 years Latin...I remember little of it..though some of it remains and since I was in the medical field for many years I got to use it a bit. I also sign..but since I don't get to use it often...I'm starting to lose it too.

I tend to love the more "unique" languages too and I want to learn those soooooo much...languages like Gullah, Creole, Cajun French...all languages that are dying out at a rapid pace. It makes me sad.

[DixieWitch]

I tend to love the more "unique" languages too and I want to learn those soooooo much...languages like Gullah, Creole, Cajun French...all languages that are dying out at a rapid pace. It makes me sad.

Sadly, Cajun French is dying out. Especially with my generation. I know some of it, but not enough to carry on a conversation with someone. Also, it's a race of people that are slowly dying out too. Especially with people like me who marry out of the race. Now, anyone who's in and from the area who marries someone who's in and from the area doesn't have anything to worry about. But unless my kids and grandkids marry someone who is 100% Cajun, like I am, my grandkids will be 25% Cajun and my great-grandkids 1/2 of that. And my great-great grandkids will be even less, so on so forth. Which goes back to me wanting to move back there!