Home A to Z index
A-Z index
92 words, taken from the glossaries of the encyclopedia, each linked to the entry that explains it. The index grows by itself with every new entry.
A
- Adoxo
- The king’s tomb. Abomey →
- Afro-Brazilians
- Descendants of former captives returned from the Americas, who settled in Ouidah after the abolition of the slave trade. Ouidah →
- Agò
- The call asking for passage when meeting a Zangbéto at night. The Zangbéto →
- Akplɛkan
- The divination chain of the Fâ. The sixteen signs of the Fâ →
- Anagonu
- The followers of Sakpata, “those of Nago origin”. Sakpata →
- Arará
- In Cuba, the cults from the kingdom of Allada. Vodun in the Americas →
- Asɛn
- The portable iron altar of the dead, among the Fon. Ancestor worship →
- Ayidohwêdo
- The rainbow serpent, a form of Dan. Dan →
- Ayinɔn
- The Master of the earth, a title of Sakpata. Sakpata →
- Ayivodun
- The earth vodun, whose king is Sakpata. Sakpata →
B
- Babá Egun
- “father Egun”, the ancestors invoked in Brazil. The Egungun →
- Babalawo
- A priest of Ifá, among the Yoruba. What is the Fâ? →
- Batá
- A set of three Yoruba drums. The drums of vodun →
- Bénin Tofa
- The consultation of the Fâ carried out for the country during the festival. The Benin voodoo festival →
- Bokonon
- The priest of the Fâ. What is the Fâ? →
C
- Celestial Church of Christ
- A church born in Benin in 1947. Voodoo and Christianity →
- Chromolithograph
- A colour print, the medium through which Mami Wata’s image spread. Mami Wata →
D
E
- Efé
- The closing ceremony of the Oro festivities. Oro →
F
- Fatè
- The wooden board on which the signs are traced. What is the Fâ? →
G
- Gan
- The metal gong, among the Fon. The drums of vodun →
- Gbe
- The family of languages of southern Benin and Togo, including Fon. Vodun, vodou, voodoo →
- Glexwe
- The local name of Ouidah. Ouidah →
H
- Hogbonou
- The Gun name of Porto-Novo. Porto-Novo →
- Hohovi
- The statuette of a twin, among the Fon and Adja. The twins, Hòxó →
- Honmè
- The royal palace of Porto-Novo, now a museum. Porto-Novo →
- Horse
- The initiate “ridden” by the god during possession. Trance and possession →
- Hounnon
- The priest who leads a convent. The vodunsi →
- Hòxó
- The twins, among the Fon. The twins, Hòxó →
- Hueda
- The people and kingdom of the Ouidah region, conquered by Dahomey in 1727. The Temple of Pythons →
- Hùnkpamɛ̀
- The convent, in Fon. The vodunsi →
- Hùnsi
- Another name for the vodunsi. The vodunsi →
I
- Ibeji
- The statuettes of twins, among the Yoruba. The twins, Hòxó →
- Iroko
- A great tree of West Africa, loko in Fon. The sacred forest of Kpassè →
- Iyà Nlà
- The primordial mother honoured by Gèlèdè. Gèlèdè →
J
- Jeje
- In Brazil, the name of the traditions from the Ewe and Fon peoples. Vodun in the Americas →
- Jivodun
- The sky vodun, whose king is Hèviosso. Hèviosso →
K
- Kiti
- The guardian of Sakpata, with his stick and broom. Sakpata →
- Kluto
- Fon words used for the Egungun and the dead. The Egungun →
- kouvito
- Fon words used for the Egungun and the dead. The Egungun →
- Kouvito
- The dead who return, among the Fon and the Gun. Ancestor worship →
- Kpassènon
- The head of the lineage of Kpassè. The sacred forest of Kpassè →
- Kpassèzoun
- The forest of Kpassè. The sacred forest of Kpassè →
- Kpododji
- The outer courtyard of the palace, setting for ceremonies. Abomey →
- Kpojito
- The queen mother of the kingdom of Dahomey. Mawu-Lisa →
L
- Lineage
- All the descendants of a common ancestor. Ancestor worship →
- Lisa
- The masculine aspect, the sun and the day. Mawu-Lisa →
- Lwa
- The spirits served in Haitian vodou. Haitian vodou →
- Lɛgba
- The Fon spelling of Legba. Legba →
M
- Mahinou
- People devoted to the cult of Dan. Dan →
- Mammy Water
- The English expression behind the name Mami Wata. Mami Wata →
- Manbo
- A priestess of Haitian vodou. Haitian vodou →
- Marabout
- Originally a Muslim scholar; in France, a commercial word. Maraboutage →
- Mawu
- The feminine aspect, the moon and the night; also the Fon name of the Christian God. Mawu-Lisa →
- Mortuary
- The place where the body is kept until the funeral. Funerals →
- Murābiṭ
- The Arabic word at the origin of marabout. Maraboutage →
- Mɛnji
- The sixteen cardinal, or “double”, signs. What is the Fâ? →
N
- Nago
- The Yoruba of Benin. The Egungun →
- Nana Buluku
- The primordial being who gave birth to Mawu and Lisa. Mawu-Lisa →
- Nkisi nkondi
- A power figure of the Kongo people, bristling with nails. The voodoo doll →
O
- Odo Yansa
- The stream found by the founders, a symbol of the town. Sakété →
- Odu
- The 256 parts of the corpus of Ifá. The sixteen signs of the Fâ →
- Ogou
- The family of Gou in Haitian vodou. Gou →
- Ogum
- Gou in the Afro-Brazilian religions. Gou →
- Ogun
- The Yoruba name of Gou. Gou →
- Oriki
- A praise song, among the Yoruba. The drums of vodun →
- Oungan
- A priest of Haitian vodou. Haitian vodou →
P
- Pavillon des Sessions
- The Louvre gallery displaying works from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Gou →
- Pidgin
- The contact language of the African coasts. Mami Wata →
S
- Savi
- The former capital of the Hueda kingdom. Ouidah →
- Sogbo
- In some houses, the leader of the thunder family. Hèviosso →
T
- Takété
- “to step aside”, the origin of the name Sakété. Sakété →
- Tambor de mina
- The Afro-Brazilian religion of Maranhão, born around the Casa das Minas. Vodun in the Americas →
- To-lègba
- The Legba of a village or district. Legba →
- Tofâ
- The consultation of the Fâ for the country during the vodun festival. The bokonon →
- Trickster
- In anthropology, the figure of the divine cunning one. Legba →
- Tɔxɔsu
- The Fon spelling of Tohossou. The Tohossou →
V
- Vodou
- The religion of Haiti. Vodun, vodou, voodoo →
- Vodun
- A divinity, and the religion that serves the divinities. Vodun, vodou, voodoo →
- Vodun Days
- The festival organised by the state in Ouidah around the national holiday. The Benin voodoo festival →
- Vodunsi
- An initiate devoted to a vodun. The Benin voodoo festival →
- Voodoo
- The English form of the word vodun, loaded with images from popular culture. The voodoo doll →
X
- Xwé-lègba
- The Legba of the house, at the entrance of the compound. Legba →
- Xweda Dangbé
- The benevolent python, as it is called locally. The Temple of Pythons →
- Xwedanu
- The followers of Hèviosso, “those of Xweda origin”. Hèviosso →
- Xɛvioso
- The Fon spelling of Hèviosso. Hèviosso →
Z
- Zan vali
- The convent of the Zangbéto, “the den of the night”. The Zangbéto →
- Zan vi
- The initiates, “the children of the night”. The Zangbéto →
- Zomadonu
- One of the best-known Tohossou, honoured in Abomey and in Brazil. The Tohossou →