Zaka (also known by various names such as: Kouzin, Couzen, Azake, Mazaka, Azaka Medeh, Mede, Papa Zaka, Zaka, Papa Zaca, Cousin Zaca, etc.) is the

loa , also called loa, are spirits in the African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou and Dominican Vudú. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their iden ...

of the harvest in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

an Vodou

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

. Another way to reference this loa is through the name "Azaka Médé". The Cousin Zaka or Zaka is the loa of the harvest. This loa wears a red handkerchief. He is said to have evolved after the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

when enslaved people were able to own land. Depicted as a farmer who loves to eat, he is kind and gentle and he has no alternate sinister ( petro) form. He is seen as a protector of peasants and defender of the poor, and is identified with Saint Isadore. He is celebrated and affiliated with Labor Day in Haiti (May 1). The name Zaka is said to have come from the language of the Indigenous Taino people, in which "zada" meant corn, and "maza" meant maize. Asaka is the loose female interpretation of him as mother of the earth in the Broadway musical '' Once on This Island''. Asaka is the mother of the earth as she oversees plants and all growing things. This goddess is thought to be the reason for flourishing herbs, more plants to cover the earth, and the never-ending production of these plants. She is thought to have a hand in keeping trees green and productive, for all eternity.

References

{{Deity-stub Agricultural deities Haitian Vodou gods