spirit of a Native American chief named Black
Hawk. Her parents, who were black and
Mohawk, passed down to her a multicultural
and multispiritual background. Although she
was not a Vodu priestess and her churches lacked
some of Vodu’s rites and rituals, the spiritualism
she preached attracted many of Marie Laveau’s
followers, other religious black people, and poor
whites. The spiritual churches of New Orleans
became a product of the combination of Vodu,
Catholicism, and Pentacostalism. Through New
Orleans spiritual churches and ritualistic prac-
tices in the general culture, the spirit of Marie
Laveau lives.
Shantrelle P. LewisSeealsoHoodoo; Vodou in Benin; Vodou in Haiti
Further Readings
Fandrich, I. J. (2004).The Mysterious VoduVodu Queen,
Marie Laveaux:A Study of Powerful Female
Leadership in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans.
New York: Routledge.
Prose, F. (1977). Marie Laveau. New York: Berkley
Publishing.
LELE
The Lele people are located in Central Africa in
the southwestern part of what is now known as
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Lele
live on the edge of the massive equatorial forest,
and the latter, as could be expected, plays a
major role in Lele life and occupies a central
place in Lele religion. The Lele believe that the
forest, and all that it hosts, was given to them by
Njambi, the Supreme Being. It is from the forest
that the Lele receive water, maize, firewood,
manioc, salt, fish, oil, and animal meat, which
are all necessary for their sustenance. The forest
also provides them with medicinal plants. The
Lele, therefore, hold the forest in great esteem.
They see it as a primarily male sphere, from
which women are often banned. On special occa-
sions, such as the birth of twins, the advent of
a death, or the appearance of the new moon,
women are allowed in the forest only after Lele
men have performed certain rituals.
Although Njambi, the Supreme Being, is held
responsible for the whole creation and is
believed to remain ultimately in charge of that
creation, spirits known asmingeheplay a criti-
cal part in daily Lele affairs. Not surprinsingly,
the mingehe’s abode is the deepest part of the
equatorial forest, where they like to dwell in
streams. People believe that the mingehe are
asleep during the daytime and fully awake and
active at night, wandering around. It is therefore
important not to make much noise at night to
avoid attracting them. This is the case because
the mingehe are feared by human beings because
they have the power to bring misfortunes on the
living if displeased.
They are believed to control two critical aspects
of Lele life: fertility and hunting. Many animals
and plants are closely associated with them and
are, therefore, handled with great care. Such is the
case of water pigs, for example, whose affinity
with rivers marks them as spiritually charged ani-
mals. It is said that they are owned by the spirits.
Other water-dwelling animals, such as fish, are
also linked to the mingehe and are consequently
approached with great caution. Pregnant women
are not allowed to eat fish at all. Although fishing
is usually done by Lele women, the latter must
take certain precautionary steps before introduc-
ing recently caught fish: The latter must be
touched by fire and then left outside and away
from the village overnight. Only then is it consid-
ered safe to bring them into the village for
consumption. Fish are often included in the prepa-
ration of medicine.
Plants such as bananas also provide a telling
illustration of Lele regard for and fear of the spir-
its. Bananas, given their believed closeness to the
world of the spirits, often occupy a central place
in certain rituals. Water, either spring or rain, is
also charged with spiritual energy. Finally and
similarly, the moon is treated as a special spiritual
entity associated with fertility. On a full moon
day, sexual intercourse is taboo, and women
should not, unless certain precautions have been
taken, enter the forest. All these examples under-
score the fact that the Lele people are careful
about not upsetting the spirits because this, in
turn, would upset the social harmony.Lele 379