Abokor (male) (Haitian Creole:bòkò) orcaplata (female) is aVodou priest orpriestess for hire inHaiti who is said to serve theloa,"'with both hands', practicing for both good and evil."[1][2] Their practice includes the creation ofzombies and ofouangas (talismans that house spirits).[3][4][failed verification]
The termbokor can also refer to the leader of the Makaya division of Vodou, which originated in theCongo region. It is believed that there is a grand master for all bokors that have ever lived who can be reborn in every century. During the dictatorship ofPapa Doc Duvalier (asHaiti's President for life) in the 1960s, he is known of creating the army of theundead. Duvalier's second in command,Luckner Cambronne, the head of the secret police, theTonton Macoute and a high-ranking political figure was known as theVampire of the Caribbean for developing a reputation for enforcement and cruelty by selling Haitian blood and cadavers to theUnited States. He was expelled from Haiti by the dictatorBaby Doc Duvalier and moved toFlorida from 1972 until his death in 2006, and was replaced byRoger Lafontant as leader of the Tonton Macoutes.
Bokors, featured in many Haitian tales, are often associated with the creation ofzombies by the use of a deadening brew orpotion, usually containingpoison extracted frompuffer fish (tetrodotoxin). This potion induces the drinker to appear as though they were dead; thus they are often buried. Later, the bokor would return for the victim and force them to do his bidding, such as manual labor. The victim is often givendeliriant drugs, mainlyDatura stramonium, where they enter a detached, somewhat dreamlike state. Its state is likened to beingmind controlled. The person is alive but in a state where they cannot control what they say or do; at this point, when the person has been reanimated from the grave, or at least is moving about working for the bokor, they can be termed zombies. However, some legends dispense with this explanation, and have the bokor raise zombies from dead bodies whose souls have departed.[4][failed verification]
Also, bokors are said to work with zombie astrals – souls or spirits which are captured in afetish and made to enhance the bokor's power.[4][failed verification] Bokors normally work with the LoasBaron Samedi,Kalfu,Legba andSimbi (snake loa), and in some cases they are said to work withGrand Bois, the loa of the forest.
Bokors are similar to therootworkers ofVodou andLouisiana Voodoo. Some may be priests of a Vodou house. Bokor are usually chosen from birth, those who are believed to bear a great ashe (power). A bokor can be, by worldly terms, good or evil, though some sources consider them an evil version of ahoungan.[3]
| Religions |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Practices and concepts | ||
| Diverse roots | ||