Passage of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie (Paperback)

by Wade Davis (Author), Richard Evans Schultes (Preface) "Following his first voyage, when asked by Isabella to describe the island of Hispaniola, Columbus took the nearest piece of paper, crumpled it in his..." (more)
Key Phrases: prominent houngan, zombie investigation, zombie phenomenon, Clairvius Narcisse, Saint Domingue, Passage of Darkness (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Haitian zombification, a subject that has provoked a great deal of sensational reporting in the popular press and skepticism in anthropological circles, is analyzed in this fascinating work. The author delves into its physiological, social, and psychological impact, the result of two years of on-site study of the structure and function of the Bizango secret societies. He presents an extensive analysis of the chemical composition of various poisons reputed to induce a physiological state that could simulate death. To transform a person so affected into a zombie through antidotes is part of the pharmacopoeia of the Bizango societies. Of interest both to social scientists and the medical profession. Winnie Lambrecht, Brown Univ., Providence, R.I.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Davis manages to demystify the concepts 'voodoo' and 'zombie.'

New York Times Book Review

[A] fascinating book.

American Scientist

A remarkable journey into the natural and supernatural world of the zombie.

Brittonia

Moves far beyond formula or sensationalism and directly confronts the 'why' of the zombie phenomenon.

Western Folklore

Davis offers the only firsthand account of the structure and functions of clandestine Bizango societies.

Choice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 365 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (May 27, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807842109
• ISBN-13: 978-0807842102
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #288,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #16 in	Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies > Haiti
  #77 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Tribal & Ethnic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great work - He also did the leg work, April 28, 2000

By	Pierre R Rouzier - [e-mail] (Miami) - See all my reviews

I actually met Wade Davis when he came to Haiti to do his research on his book, and I know personnaly manny of the characters in the book. Wade did an excellent job in portraying what goes on in the underworld of Haiti.

The chapter when he talks about the driver of the commandant of St Marc who was actually a secret society leader and actually had more power and influence than his boss is really key point in the balance of power in Haiti. Those who seem to be nobodies sometimes have more power than presidents

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing the truth behind zombies and voodoo!, February 15, 2006

By	J Irvin "author of The Holy Mushroom" (California) - See all my reviews

Passage of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie by Dr. Wade Davis, 1988.
Preface by Dr. Richard Evens Schultes (Harvard).

We have all seen the stereo-typical archetypes of the zombie portrayed on TV, in the movies, in video games, etc. But what if zombies are real? Dr. Wade Davis has given us the science of fact behind the mythological tales of the Haitian zombie.

Dr. Davis provides evidence beyond reasonable doubt for documented cases of zombies. As a student of the famed Dr. Richard Evens Schultes of Harvard's Botanical Museum, Dr. Davis sets out to uncover the mysterious history, pharmacology, anthropology (enthobiology) and socio-political motivations behind zombies.

As it turns out, the history of creating zombies is a political one. The slaves brought with them from Africa to Haiti their shamanic knowledge of powerful poisons as well as their systems of punishment, law, politics, government and secret societies (Bizango) that formed from the maroons. It is herein revealed that the Vodoun religion of Haiti is as much a political structure as it is a religious one. Part of the magic dealt by bokers and houngan of the Bizango societies of that of law and order, and sometimes punishment is dealt to the guilty in the form of zombification.

However, in Haiti, and juxtaposed to foreign concepts of zombies, the people actually fear becoming zombies, not being attacked by them. This is because the pariahs of society, the criminals, repeat thieves, rapists, those who take advantage of others for their own gain, those who don't properly share land with kin according to need and family size, are those who will be targeted for zombification. Zombification is not dealt out on a whim by evil sorcerers. It is only dealt after and public tribunal and hearing in which a member of the group is found guilty.

Davis here lays down the foundation of exactly how these zombies are created. A houngan or boker is appointed executioner by the Bizango society. These are people who have great knowledge of plant irritants and animal poisons such as tetrodotoxin of various puffer fish species (also known as fugu), frogs, etc. The guilty person is then, and often unknowingly slowly poisoned with a mixture of these deadly toxins. Depending on the sentence dealt by Bizango, if the sentence isn't death by poisoning, then it's often zombification. The poison places the victim in a catatonic state where heart rate slows, breath is almost non-existent, and to the best medical experts, the victim eventually appears dead. Due to the warm tropical climate of Haiti, the dead are normally buried within 24 hours. The victim in his catatonic state is buried (while fully conscious) in a coffin where the houngan who "killed" him will dig him up within a few days. He will cart the victim off while dazed to another location where the victim is forced to eat Datura for long periods to further confuse, disorientate, and scramble the mind of the victim who will then typically be enslaved - a true zombie.

The practice of the Vodoun religion is here shown as a sound, practical and important part of Haitian society and political self determination. Vodoun is here proven as a practice that has brought these people their well earned freedom and self determination for over 200 years, and will hopefully continue to do so with the present onslaught of colonialist invaders.

An important side note here is the fantastic information within this book on the secret societies themselves. This information is certainly important for anthropological examination of the origins of other secret societies.

Five stars!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, but why no follow up, February 22, 1997

By A Customer

This is an excellent well written and well researched book that gripped my like few non-fiction books ever have, yet, it leaves science minded people hanging. After all the research Davis conducted it makes no sense that he failed to follow up with experimentation using tetrodotoxin in a laboratory setting. It seems that he comes so close to finding a new use for this sodium blocking drug but fails to follow up. Maybe he has and I just haven't been able to find it despite extensive efforts. If you know of any follow-up please e-mail me