“Legba is at the gate; he holds the ceremonial flag to protect us from the hot sun!” 

“Prayer to the Primal Wind” Lapriyè Djò, or “Prayer for the Primal Wind” is part of a large corpus of prayers called Lapriyè Ginen, intoned to begin Vodou ceremonies. I learned them from my late godfather, Houngan (priest) Max Beauvoir, and my godmother, Manbo (priestess) Nicole Miller. Lapriyè means prayer, and Ginen stands for a mythic Africa, the place where Vodou adherents will return after death. As Papa Max told me, Ginen is a “garden of the ancestors.” He added: These prayers invoke the spirits of Ginen where they originated, in every corner of the mother continent. They help us organize thoughts, help establish priorities, and solve life's problems. Djò is the primal wind in which the earth flows, like gravity. It provides equilibrium, equilibrium between spirits, psyche, thoughts, and our bodies.  In Beauvoir’s words, this prayer “allows all those who participate to give their spirits and hearts to Universal Harmony.” Moreover, it represents “a tribute of the immaterial patrimony of Haitian oral literature.” Haitian religious songs and prayers present great wisdom; they constitute a kind of “Bible” of spiritual teachings. These prayers are intoned in a half-spoken, half-sung manner. With Papa Max’s permission (and vociferous encouragement), I arranged them in a jazz style. Haitian and West African religious songs employ rich metaphors and multiple meanings to such a great extent that rendering them in foreign languages is difficult, and sometimes, impossible. Complicating matters further is the fact that these prayers employ langaj, forms of Haitian Creole that are largely untranslatable due to their use of African words that are no longer in use, or because their magical meanings are only known to select individuals. Despite these constraints, Papa Max and Manman Nicole passed on many of Lapriyè Djò’s meanings, which I now share with their blessings. Like all spiritual “texts,” Haitian prayers are subject to rich hermeneutics, to varied interpretations. My translation is based on the teachings of Beauvoir and Miller. The musical arrangement excerpts six sections of Lapriyè Djò. Some are sung by Rozna Zila, and others, I play on the contrabass clarinet. This discussion treats all the prayers in the arrangement, whether sung or presented instrumentally. Lapriyè Djò “Anonse, Ozany nan dlo o” Anonse, Ozany nan dlo o Oba Kosou miwa, Lawe, Lawe. Nan la vil o Kan e Kriyòl mande chanjan. We summon the angelic spirits of water, And the mirror King of Africa; lawe! In the mystical town of Okan, Creole people demand justice. First, we call upon angelic water spirits. We also salute the old monarchs of Africa; Oba is the Yorùbá word for king. Finally, we honor the common folk who rise up to demand justice, as when they initiated the Haitian Revolution. “Nou tout se Zany o” Nou tout se Zany o, anba a se nou. Nou tout se Zany o, anba a se nou. Danbala Wèdo, Ayida Wèdo Nou tout se Zany o Zany amba se mwen. We are angels, right here, on Earth! We are angels, right here, on Earth! Dambala Wèdo, Aida Wèdo, We are angels, I am an angel, on Earth! The angelic spirits are right here, among us! We also salute Danbala Wedo and his wife Aida Wedo, the intertwined serpent and rainbow deities who were the first to be created in the world. As an “egg of creation,” they gave birth to an ideal of stability that will exist even after humanity goes extinct. “Atala, Atala n a pral rele Lwa yo” Atala, Atala n a pral rele Lwa yo, ago e! Atala, Atala n a pral rele Lwo yo, ago e! Atala m deja gen ason an deja samalogè. Atala m deja gen ason an deja samalogè. Atala e, mwen di e Bonswa, bonswa, Lwa m yo. Atala, we are going to summon the spirits! Atala, we are going to summon the spirits! Atala, I already have the ason, samalogè. Atala, I already have the ason, samalogè. Atala, I say Good evening, good evening, to all my spirits! We summon Atala (the Yorùbá spirit Obatala), a high spirit of West Africa who worked with the Almighty to create the world. The individual who is praying here has attained wisdom, having been granted the ason, the sacred rattle bestowed upon Vodou priests. “Nou la, nou la, Ogou” Nou la, nou la, Ogou o, Mwen di e lolo Ile nou la domsan o. Nou la, nou la, Ogou o, Mwen di e lolo Ile nou la domsan o. Nou la, nou la, Ogoun (sic.) o, Nou la, nou la, Ogou o, Mwen di e lolo Ile nou la domsan o. We are fine, we are fine, Ogou. I say e lolo Ile nou la domsan o! We are fine, we are fine, Ogou. I say e lolo Ile nou la domsan o! We are fine, we are fine, Ogou. We are fine, Ogou. I say e lolo Ile nou la domsan o! Ogou is a spirit of ferocious power. We need strength to complete our tasks, and we want the spirits to come to our aid so that we can do the necessary work to better our lives. “Pito pito sè mwa Ogou o” Pito pito sè mwa Ogou o. Pito pito, Nèg nago, sè mwa a Lemen e Me rele Mèt Ogou o. Me rele Mèt feray o M pa vle Lwa yo touye mwen. Pito, Pito sè mwa Ogou o. Pito, Yorùbá man, sè mwa Ogou o. I am calling Master Ogou, I am calling Master Feray, I don’t want the lwas to punish me. Pito is an archaic name for the Nile river, which was the original home of Ogou Feray, the lwa not only of war, but of courage and of strength. The epithet Feray refers to Ogou’s association with iron. “Houn lwa Wangòl; Adje!” Houn lwa Wangòl; Adje! Danbala Laflangbo, kote ou ye? Houn lwa Wangòl; Adje! Danbala Laflangbo, kote ou ye? Gran mesi Bonje, gran mesi Lavyèj, Adje! Dèyè do nan Ginen an Se pou lang yo. Oh, Angolan spirit! Danbala, and the Congolese spirits, where are you? Oh, Angolan spirit! Danbala, and the Congolese spirits, where are you? Great thanks to God Almighty! Oh, great thanks to the Virgin Mary! Behind, in Guinen, Is where you find the spirits. Calling spirits from Angola, Central Africa, and West Africa, this prayer shows that all parts of Africa work together. It also invokes God Almighty and the Virgin Mary. All these entities join forces: we gather strength through unity.

Lapriyè Djò “Anonse, Ozany nan dlo o” Anonse, Ozany nan dlo o Oba Kosou miwa, Lawe, Lawe. Nan la vil o Kan e Kriyòl mande chanjan. We summon the angelic spirits of water, And the mirror King of Africa; lawe! In the mystical town of Okan, Creole people demand justice. First, we call upon angelic water spirits. We also salute the old monarchs of Africa; Oba is the Yorùbá word for king. Finally, we honor the common folk who rise up to demand justice, as when they initiated the Haitian Revolution.