A ''veve'' (also spelled ''vèvè'' or ''vevè'') is a

religious symbol A religious symbol is an iconic representation intended to represent a specific religion, or a specific concept within a given religion. Religious symbols have been used in the military in many countries, such as the United States military chap ...

commonly used in different branches of Vodun throughout the

African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from List of ethnic groups of Africa, people from Africa. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the native West Africa, West and Central Africans who were ...

, such as

Haitian Vodou Haitian Vodou () is an African diasporic religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West Africa, West and ...

and

Louisiana Voodoo Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, was an African diasporic religion that existed in Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to ...

. The ''veve'' acts as a "beacon" for the '' lwa'', and will serve as a ''lwa''s representation during rituals. ''Veves'' should not be confused with the '' anaforuanas'' used in

Abakuá Abakuá, also sometimes known as Ñañiguismo, is a Cuban initiatory religious fraternity founded in 1836. The society is open only to men and those initiated take oaths to not reveal the secret teachings and practices of the order. Members are ...

, the '' firmas'' used in

Palo Palo may refer to: Places * Palo, Estonia, village in Meremäe Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Palo, Huesca, municipality in the province of Huesca, Spain * Palo, Iowa, United States, a town located within Linn County * Palo Laziale, a location ...

, nor the '' pontos riscados'' used in

Umbanda Umbanda () is a religion that emerged in Brazil during the 1920s. Deriving largely from Kardecist spiritism, Spiritism, it also combines elements from African diasporic religions, Afro-Brazilian traditions like Candomblé as well as Roman Catho ...

and

Quimbanda Quimbanda, also spelled Kimbanda (), is an Afro-American religion, Afro-Brazilian religion practiced primarily in the urban city centers of Brazil. Quimbanda focuses on male spirits called ''exús'' as well as their female counterparts, ''pomba ...

, as these are separate Afro-American religions.

History

Possible origins include the

cosmogram A cosmogram depicts a cosmology in a flat geometric form. They are used for various purposes: Meditation, meditational, inspirational and to depict structure – real or imagined – of the earth or universe. Often, cosmograms feature a circle ...

of the

Kongo people The Kongo people (also , singular: or ''M'kongo; , , singular: '') are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others. They have li ...

, or originated as the

Nsibidi Nsibidi (also known as Nsibiri, Nchibiddi or Nchibiddy) is a system of symbols or proto-writing developed by the Ekpe secret society that traversed the southeastern part of Nigeria. They are classified as pictograms, though there have been sugges ...

system of writing for the Igboid and

Ekoid languages The Ekoid languages are a dialect cluster of Southern Bantoid languages spoken principally in southeastern Nigeria and in adjacent regions of Cameroon. They have long been associated with the Bantu languages, without their status being precisely de ...

from

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

Function

According to Milo Rigaud, "The ''veves'' represent figures of the astral forces... In the course of Vodou ceremonies, the reproduction of the astral forces represented by the veves obliges the lwa... to descend to earth." Every '' lwa'' has their own unique ''veve'', although regional differences have led to different ''veves'' for the same ''lwa'' in some cases. Sacrifices and offerings are usually placed upon them, with food and drink being most commonly used.

Presentation

In ritual and other formalities, ''veve'' is usually drawn on the floor by strewing a powder-like substance, commonly

cornmeal Maize meal is a meal (coarse flour) ground from dried maize. It is a common staple food and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but it is not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', Third Editi ...

, wheat flour, bark, red brick powder, or gunpowder, though the material depends entirely upon the ritual. In Haitian Vodou, a mixture of cornmeal and wood ash is used. ''Veves'' use symbolic imagery to identify the spirit being invoked. For example, the gatekeeper spirit

Papa Legba Papa Legba is a lwa, or loa, in West African Vodun and its diasporic derivatives ( Dominican Republic Vudú, Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, and Winti), who serves as the intermediary between God and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroa ...

is represented by a ''vèvè'' featuring a walking cane, symbolizing his friendly, grandfatherly nature. These designs often include coded elements reflecting the artist's matrilineal and patrilineal heritage. Offerings are typically presented; in Louisiana Voodoo, this may include coffee and candies associated with the spirit. The spirit is generally meant to be invoked in the central cross of the ''veve''. ''Veve'' can be made into screenprint, painting, patchwork, etc., as wall hangings, artworks, and banners.

Examples

File:VeveAyizan.svg, Veve of

Ayizan Ayizan (also Grande Ai-Zan, Aizan, or Ayizan Velekete, Aisa, Mama Aisa) is the loa of the marketplace and commerce in Vodou, especially in Benin, Haiti and Suriname. Background She is a racine, or root loa, associated with Vodoun rites of ini ...

File:VeveBaronSamedi.svg, Veve of Baron Samedi File:VeveBrigitte.svg, Veve of

Maman Brigitte Maman Brigitte ( English: ''Mother Brigitte'') sometimes also written as Manman Brigitte and also known by Gran Brigitte, Grann Brigitte, Manman, Manman Brigit, and Maman Brijit is a death loa (or ''lwa'') and the consort of Baron Samedi in Ha ...

File:VeveDamballah.svg, Veve of Damballah Weddo File:VeveLegba.svg, Veve of

File:VeveOgoun.svg, Veve of

Ogoun Ogun or Ogoun ( Yoruba: Ògún, Edo: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a Yoruba Orisha that is adopted in several African religions. Ògún is a warrior and a powerful spiri ...

References

External links