alt.religion.voodoo was one of the few English-language online spaces where Haitian Vodou was discussed primarily by initiated practitioners rather than curious outsiders, sensationalist journalists, or horror-film enthusiasts. It is now largely inactive, but its archived content from 2003 to 2014 preserves an invaluable documentary record of authentic diaspora Haitian Vodou practice — its theology, its ceremonies, its liturgy, and its internal debates — in the voice of the community itself.

alt.religion.voodoo was created in the early 1990s as part of the expansion of the alt.religion.* hierarchy. For most of its productive period — roughly 2003 to 2008 — the group was anchored by the voice of Mambo Racine Sans Bout Sa Te La Daginen (Kathy Grey), an American-born mambo asogwe (senior Vodou priestess) initiated in Haiti, where she ran the Roots Without End Society peristyle in Jacmel in the Southern Department.

Mambo Racine was the dominant voice not by imposition but by substance. She posted frequently, at length, and with the authority of someone who had practiced, initiated, led ceremonies, managed a peristyle, trained over a hundred initiates, and lived in Haiti for extended periods each year. Her 339 archived posts cover every aspect of Vodou life: the structure of ceremonies, the theology of God and lwa, the preparation of altars, the composition of ritual songs, the ethics of magical conflict, the politics of initiation, and the challenges of maintaining an authentic tradition in diaspora.

Other regular contributors included catherine yronwode (of Lucky Mojo Curio Co.), who posted 30 times on topics including the folk magic spectrum, the sociology of Vodou versus ceremonial magic, and the academic tendency to patronize practitioners of non-European traditions. Jules, valarezo, Gwo Mango, Traveler, and annick contributed ongoing discussion, especially on topics of cultural appropriation, race, and the experience of diaspora Vodou. The French-language poster Nuvoadam occasionally bridged between Haitian and metropolitan French perspectives.

The Community's Concerns

The group regularly addressed misconceptions about Vodou — above all the persistent accusation from Haitian Protestants and Catholics that Vodouisants "serve Satan." Mambo Racine's teaching posts on this topic are clear and direct: Haitian Vodou is rigorously monotheistic. The lwa are powerful intermediaries, not gods; they act only "si Bondye vle" (if God wants); and the lwa themselves, in their liturgical songs, acknowledge the supremacy of the One God.

Discussions of race and authenticity were equally sustained. The group debated whether non-Haitians could legitimately practice Vodou — a question Mambo Racine answered with characteristic directness: Haitian Vodou has multi-ethnic origins (African, Celtic, French, indigenous Taino/Arawak), the lwa themselves come in all racial representations, and she had personally initiated over a hundred people of many backgrounds. "It's the rule, not the race, that counts."

The group also documented the lived experience of Haitian Vodou in its homeland: kanzo (initiation) ceremonies at the beach, drum circles, possession events, the economics of peristyle life, the annual Rara festival, and the social fabric of the Jacmel Vodou community in the early 2000s.

The Liturgical Record

Among the most valuable contributions to this group are its liturgical documents: actual Vodou songs in Haitian Creole, with English translations, composed or transmitted by initiated practitioners. The Minocan song (from the Friday-night dance in New Orleans), the La Sirene rescue song composed on the spot after a drummer nearly drowned, and the Ogoun Fer challenge song ("Fer koupe fer — Iron cuts iron") are primary-source liturgical documents, not reconstructions or scholarly paraphrases.

These songs are part of a living tradition. They were composed in response to real events, sung at real ceremonies, and transmitted within real initiatory communities. Their preservation in alt.religion.voodoo represents exactly the kind of endangered record the Good Work Library exists to protect.

The Archival Collection

Six gems are preserved from alt.religion.voodoo, all by Mambo Racine:

• Three Ceremonies in New Orleans (Jun/2003) — first-person account of a Rada dance, a lave tet initiation, and a ceremony by her trained houngan in New Orleans
• Spiritual Housecleaning (Dec/2003) — practical two-stage cleansing ritual for diaspora practitioners
• The Saving of Charity (Feb/2004) — La Sirene saves a drummer from drowning; an original Creole rescue song composed on the spot
• Nothing Greater Than God — La Sirene's Testimony (Mar/2005) — Vodou monotheism: the theological structure of God and lwa
• Race and Ethnicity in Vodou (May/2005) — multi-ethnic origins of Haitian Vodou, the diversity of lwa representations, the ethics of cross-cultural initiation
• Iron Cuts Iron — Rada Magic Under Ogoun's Patronage (May/2005) — chante pwen (point songs), wanga wars, and the Ogoun Fer liturgical challenge song

Colophon

Research conducted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Sources: alt.religion.voodoo.20140315.mbox.gz (Internet Archive Giganews collection; 1,222 posts, 2003–2014).

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