Drapo
Flag for Multiple Lwa, Haitian Sequins on Cloth. 43 1/3" x 35" (110 x 89 cm). Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California at Los Angeles. 16-22 Visona 534
The Drapo is used by the peoples of Haiti that practice the Vodou religion. Drapo is a sequined flag usually made of satin, velvet or rayon and shows devotion to a deity through spiritual and religious devotions. The sequines are used to suggest the presence of spirit. [1] Usually the flag is joined by the vodou societies to help celebrate the devotion with drums. The flag incorporates color and symbols that relate to the deity they are trying to devote themselves to. The drapo usually has a crossroad incorporated into it to show where the spiritual and physical worlds intersect. The spirit is invoked through the ritual and arrives at the crossroad. The spiritual connection is very powerful when used in the Drapo because it connects with the Vodou deities.[2]
[1] Michel, Bellegarde-Smith, Vodou in Haitian life and cluture: invisible, Mamillan 2006, 67
[2] Cosentin, Sacred arts of Haitian vodou, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1995, 326
[1] Michel, Bellegarde-Smith, Vodou in Haitian life and cluture: invisible, Mamillan 2006, 67
[2] Cosentin, Sacred arts of Haitian vodou, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1995, 326