The Serpent and the RainbowA scientific investigation and personal adventure story about zombis and the voudoun culture of Haiti by a Harvard scientist. In April 1982, ethnobotanist Wade Davis arrived in Haiti to investigate two documented cases of zombis—people who had reappeared in Haitian society years after they had been officially declared dead and had been buried. Drawn into a netherworld of rituals and celebrations, Davis penetrated the vodoun mystique deeply enough to place zombification in its proper context within vodoun culture. In the course of his investigation, Davis came to realize that the story of vodoun is the history of Haiti—from the African origins of its people to the successful Haitian independence movement, down to the present day, where vodoun culture is, in effect, the government of Haiti’s countryside. The Serpent and the Rainbow combines anthropological investigation with a remarkable personal adventure to illuminate and finally explain a phenomenon that has long fascinated Americans. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - aeceyton - LibraryThingI forgot how much I loved this book. It's been at least a decade since the last read. Full of scientific facts, deep history, and beautiful mystical passages. Gives you a world view and draws you into Haiti's soul. I will definitely start looking for more of Mr. Davis's books. Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Widsith - LibraryThingWade Davis's renowned investigation into Haitian zombies has the benefit of featuring a hero who is fearless, rugged and insightful. It has the drawback that the hero is also the author, and so his ... Read full review
Contents
| 11 | |
PART TWO Interlude at Harvard | 107 |
O0Owu | 131 |
In Summer the Pilgrims Walk | 145 |
to The Serpent and the Rainbow | 170 |
Dancing in the Li0ns Jaw 2 16 | 240 |
Epilogue | 264 |
Annotated Bibliography | 274 |
Acknowledgments | 285 |
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Common terms and phrases
Africa antidote asked bagi began believe Bizango Bizango society body bokor bon ange bottle Calabar Calabar bean ceremony chef de section Clairvius Narcisse coflin colonial dance datura Datura stramonium dead Douyon drug drums Duvalier face fields figure final finally find fire first five flames flesh French Gonaives ground Haiti Haitian hand Herard Simon hounfour houngan Hurston ingredients Isnard Jacques Jean Baptiste kill Kline knew LaBonté land leaders Lehman looked Macandal magic Marcel Pierre Maroon Maroon bands Max Beauvoir mitan Narcisse’s never night Ogoun passed peasants peristyle plant plantations Port-au-Prince poteau mitan powder president Rachel returned ritual Saint Domingue Saint Marc Schultes secret societies Shanpwel skin slaves species spirit symptoms tetrodotoxin things tion toad told took toxic tree turned victim vodoun vodoun loa vodounist Wade Davis walk woman women words zombi poison zombi powder zombification Zora Neale Hurston
References to this book
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Serpent and the Rainbow |
| Author | Wade Davis |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster, 2010 |
| ISBN | 1451628366, 9781451628364 |
| Length | 304 pages |
| Subjects | › › Science / Life Sciences / Biology Science / Life Sciences / Botany Social Science / Anthropology / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |