UC Berkeley

The suppression of Vodou was waged heavily during the U.S. occupation of Haiti, from 1915 to 1934. Amidst its prohibition, a substantial flow of Vodou drums and other sacred objects circulated within and out of the country, and ultimately into museums abroad. Bringing together anthropologies of collecting, theoretical investigations of the ways objects move, and interdisciplinary Vodou scholarship, I trace the itineraries of these materials out of Haiti, from museums and archives in the United States and in Europe, tracking how, where, and why they circulated along the way. Part I investigates the adjacent forces of U.S. military occupation and U.S-American anthropology, as well as the enduring presence of Vodou, during the early- and mid-century period of collecting. Part II brings together object biography and itinerary methods to trace the circulation of two sacred classes of objects within and out of Haiti. I argue that, following Paul Mocombe’s concept of “the Vodou ethic,” ritual objects embodied not only spiritual power but the social values of collectivism, justice, accountability, and freedom. These principles were central to sévitè, or those who ‘serve the spirits,’ and were wielded in spaces where sacred objects were used — including ritual ceremonies, combité agricultural collectives, and even on the battlefield. As ideological apparatuses, these objects were deliberately targeted by arbiters of U.S capitalism and law enforcement. This research contributes to broader theories of materiality, anthropologies of war and diplomacy, and considerations for museum- based research. It also offers new perspectives on the enduring impacts of U.S-American interventions in Haiti.