- Thread starter SugarBear
- Start date
All about Villa Mella
Villa Mella has a large Haitian population nowadays. As most of you know, newly arrived Haitians are known as "Kongos", but some foreign travel book writers interpret that as "Congo" the country and they say that Villa Mella is home to former slaves from the Congo.
That is incorrect, but the drumming scene is nothing more than the vodoo ceremonies of the Haitians when they decide to do their vodoo thing.
BTW, you can live in the better part of SDQ and head for Villa Mella anytime for a day there. I mean, do you really want to live there? It's very, how can I say this, poor and slum like, like real third world slum in some areas. Of course, there are some nice pockets, but still. Will you be able to get used to that?
That is incorrect, but the drumming scene is nothing more than the vodoo ceremonies of the Haitians when they decide to do their vodoo thing.
BTW, you can live in the better part of SDQ and head for Villa Mella anytime for a day there. I mean, do you really want to live there? It's very, how can I say this, poor and slum like, like real third world slum in some areas. Of course, there are some nice pockets, but still. Will you be able to get used to that?
Kongos in Villa Mella
Nal0whs is incorrect about the population of Villa Mella. Kongo is indeed a term that basically means "hillbilly", and now "Haitian", but Los Congos de Villa Mella have been around in this neighborhood for over a hundred years and their roots are in the Dominican Republic, not Haiti. The traditions of Villa Mella drumming are indeed rooted in the Congo region, and their religious societies worship Congo spirits like Kalonda. Dr. Martha Ellen Davis has done a lot of research in this area, and saying that the religion and music of Villa Mella is "Haitian" is simply factually incorrect.
Arturo
Nal0whs is incorrect about the population of Villa Mella. Kongo is indeed a term that basically means "hillbilly", and now "Haitian", but Los Congos de Villa Mella have been around in this neighborhood for over a hundred years and their roots are in the Dominican Republic, not Haiti. The traditions of Villa Mella drumming are indeed rooted in the Congo region, and their religious societies worship Congo spirits like Kalonda. Dr. Martha Ellen Davis has done a lot of research in this area, and saying that the religion and music of Villa Mella is "Haitian" is simply factually incorrect.
Arturo
Arturo Sanchez said:
Can you please supply either an internet link or a particular book or publication about this? I would like to further my research into this area.
It could very well be that I am misinformed, but thus far I stand by what I said, unless of course I realize that it is misinformation. Please, supply some sources, thank you.
Villa Mella and the Espiritu Santo society
Hi, thanks for asking. And everyone is entitled to their opinion -- sorry, I didn't mean to sound imperious.
This is of course hard to find, but there are more and more academic publications about the Espiritu Santo society in Villa Mella. The best and original resource for this is Dr Martha Ellen Davis' book La Otra Ciencia: El Vodou Dominicano Como Religi?n y Medicina Populares, which talks about the history of the Villa Mella group (in Spanish). In English she wrote a dissertation called Afro-Dominican Religious Brotherhoods: Structure, Ritual and Music that talks in English at length about the Villa Mella group and the origins of their practices. I believe you could get this from the Centro de Cultural Popular in Santo Domingo. I'm reading a book that says you can also get it at Xerox University Microfilms in Ann Arbor Michigan. I read parts of it in my university's library, where maybe you could find it also.
One interesting thing about this is that the Hermanidad del Congo, the group that does the drumming including publicly every year at the Espiritu Santo festival, claims that their practices are orthodox Roman Catholicism despite being a brotherhood of "the Congo"! "Congo" is a word that has been attached to their group for centuries, and they have lost the meaning of it as originating in the congo region of africa.
Villa Mella is not the only place where a uniquely Dominican form of vodu that has existed for centuries is practiced; for example, Olivorismo is still practiced from San Juan de la Maguana up through most of the Cordillera Central.
Hi, thanks for asking. And everyone is entitled to their opinion -- sorry, I didn't mean to sound imperious.
This is of course hard to find, but there are more and more academic publications about the Espiritu Santo society in Villa Mella. The best and original resource for this is Dr Martha Ellen Davis' book La Otra Ciencia: El Vodou Dominicano Como Religi?n y Medicina Populares, which talks about the history of the Villa Mella group (in Spanish). In English she wrote a dissertation called Afro-Dominican Religious Brotherhoods: Structure, Ritual and Music that talks in English at length about the Villa Mella group and the origins of their practices. I believe you could get this from the Centro de Cultural Popular in Santo Domingo. I'm reading a book that says you can also get it at Xerox University Microfilms in Ann Arbor Michigan. I read parts of it in my university's library, where maybe you could find it also.
One interesting thing about this is that the Hermanidad del Congo, the group that does the drumming including publicly every year at the Espiritu Santo festival, claims that their practices are orthodox Roman Catholicism despite being a brotherhood of "the Congo"! "Congo" is a word that has been attached to their group for centuries, and they have lost the meaning of it as originating in the congo region of africa.
Villa Mella is not the only place where a uniquely Dominican form of vodu that has existed for centuries is practiced; for example, Olivorismo is still practiced from San Juan de la Maguana up through most of the Cordillera Central.
The TRUTH about Villa Mella
Thanks everyone for your imput.
Villa Mella is NOT the home of VOODOO.That is actually Haiti.Like anyone who flees from a destroyed homeland(Like many of the so-called FOUNDING FATHERS i.e. Pilgrims) of the United States,the Haitians seek a better place.The Brotherhood of Espiritu Santo,is what exists in Villa Mella.As a matter of fact, it has been distinguished by U.N.E.S.C.O of the United Nations as a world heritage site.What they "DO" practice is an African retentionthat is a series of burials celebrations to "send the spirit on home" through the playing of ATABALES or PALOS or drums that resemble those used by the Bakonga ethnic groups of Central Africa.It "IS" a known fact that MANY CONGO-region slaves came to Santo Domingo and were Cimarrones(escaped slaves).They WILL NOT admit to many outsiders that their practice has deep African roots for the permeance of ANTI-HAITIAN attitudes or the MISGUIDED thought that anything of "AFRICAN" retention is VOODOO or of a diabolical nature.This practice is NOT Voodoo, like neither the practice by some African-Americans in Mississippi and Alabama that hang colorful plates on the trees when a dead relative dies,or leaving food on a place by the gravesite to ensure the spirit of the deceased person travels to the afterworld.So you will know,the Mexicans have "El dia de los Muertos" in which they leave food on plates on the gravesite,so it's NOT JUST A "BLACK" or "AFRICAN" thing, this appears in MANY world-cultures.Anyone doubting what I've said, I suggest maybe they will see Dr. Juan Rodriguez at the Museo del Hobre Dominicano en Santo Domingo, and tell him,"El Babalawo" sent you.
Thanks everyone for your imput.
Villa Mella is NOT the home of VOODOO.That is actually Haiti.Like anyone who flees from a destroyed homeland(Like many of the so-called FOUNDING FATHERS i.e. Pilgrims) of the United States,the Haitians seek a better place.The Brotherhood of Espiritu Santo,is what exists in Villa Mella.As a matter of fact, it has been distinguished by U.N.E.S.C.O of the United Nations as a world heritage site.What they "DO" practice is an African retentionthat is a series of burials celebrations to "send the spirit on home" through the playing of ATABALES or PALOS or drums that resemble those used by the Bakonga ethnic groups of Central Africa.It "IS" a known fact that MANY CONGO-region slaves came to Santo Domingo and were Cimarrones(escaped slaves).They WILL NOT admit to many outsiders that their practice has deep African roots for the permeance of ANTI-HAITIAN attitudes or the MISGUIDED thought that anything of "AFRICAN" retention is VOODOO or of a diabolical nature.This practice is NOT Voodoo, like neither the practice by some African-Americans in Mississippi and Alabama that hang colorful plates on the trees when a dead relative dies,or leaving food on a place by the gravesite to ensure the spirit of the deceased person travels to the afterworld.So you will know,the Mexicans have "El dia de los Muertos" in which they leave food on plates on the gravesite,so it's NOT JUST A "BLACK" or "AFRICAN" thing, this appears in MANY world-cultures.Anyone doubting what I've said, I suggest maybe they will see Dr. Juan Rodriguez at the Museo del Hobre Dominicano en Santo Domingo, and tell him,"El Babalawo" sent you.
Interesting Link
Try this link:
http://www.temple.edu/tempress/chapters/1060_ch1.pdf
It has some interesting information regarding music in the DR.
Nal0whs said:
Try this link:
http://www.temple.edu/tempress/chapters/1060_ch1.pdf
It has some interesting information regarding music in the DR.
I don't know much about music but I do go to Villa Mella a couple of times a year. The area is very poor.The people that I've dealt with were all nice. I've seen many people walking around with guns and have personally observed two gun battles there. Fortunately they were bad shots. The area has improved over the last few years. The roads are a little better but still very congested. Electricity goes out all too often. There appears to be alot of building going on in the area. Even with all its faults Villa Mella is not a bad place to visit. I just don't think I would live there.