Haitian zombies: Science or Myth?

Haiti and the Living Dead? Science and Myth

Stories of zombies have entertained audiences for a long time; in horror movies, images of stooped over, pale people, staggering about, growling incoherently are Hollywood’s depiction of what turned out to be the fate of a handful of unfortunate individuals. With this in mind, one would be surprised to learn, years ago, a Canadian Harvard student learned zombies might be an actual phenomenon on the island Haiti.

The following essay will discuss two documented cases of zombies on the island Haiti, as investigated by ethnobotanist Wade Davis; incidents he believed involved the ingestion of toxins- not necessarily resurrection of the dead.

In April, 1982, Wade flew to Haiti on an assignment a doctor at Harvard University gave him to research (Amazon.ca, 2010, para. 2) He was sent there to look into stories of a drug being used by black magic practitioners to bring dead people back to life. (Amazon.ca, 2010, para. 2) To Wade’s mentor, the formula sounded like something doctors may be able to use as anesthesia on patients, if it’s use was appropriate.(Amazon.ca, 2010, para.2)

The project involved stories of two people who had returned from their graves years after they died. (Amazon.ca, 2010, para.2) One of the two cases Wade investigated was that of a man named Clairvius Narcisse. (B. Corbett, personal communication, March, 1990). In the spring of 1962, Clairvius passed away in a hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti. (B.Corbett, personal communication, March, 1990).He was pronounced dead by hospital staff. (B.Corbett, personal communication, March, 1990).18 years later, in 1980, a person who claimed to be Clairvius walked into his home village, causing a great deal of excitement among the locals (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986).

Wade’s investigation gave him much insight into the occult, including rituals and tribal practices involving voodoo Haitian’s adopted from African culture; (Amazon.ca, 2010, para. 2)Haiti is greatly influenced by African culture and African religions (National Geographic Society, 2010, para. 3 ) Also, he found, Haitians who believe in zombies think a voodoo priest’s sorcery is what creates them. (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 1)

Upon further investigation, Wade discovered the priests who practiced this art used powders made from ground plants and animals (Howstuffworks, 2010, para.2) He was able to gather eight samples of “zombie” powder from four regions of Haiti. (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 2) Seven of these samples had four ingredients in common(Howstuffworks, 2010, para.2) These were one or more species of puffer (blow) fish, which contain a deadly poison in them, a marine toad, which excretes toxic substances, a hyla tree frog, which produces a non-lethal irritant, and human remains. (Howstuffworks, 2010, para.2) In addition, the powders had ground pieces of lizards and spiders in them; some had tiny fragments of glass in them, too (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 5)

Wade was interested in the use of puffer fish in these powders (Howstuffworks, 2010, para.5) A toxic substance in the fish causes paralysis and death. (Howstuffworks, 2010, para.5) People who have it in their systems become paralyzed, unable to respond to stimuli, and are usually conscious until the moment before death (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 5) However, doctors have reported cases in which people who ingested the substance seemed dead but would recover completely after some time (Howstuffworks, 2010, para.6)

Wade had a theory about this. (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 6) He thought it was possible that the powder broke down a person’s skin after being applied; the toxin would then go into the bloodstream and paralyze the person, making it look like he was dead. (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 6) The person’s family would bury him and the priest would later remove the body from the grave. (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 6) The effect of the poison would wear off and the person in question would believe he’s a zombie. (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 6)

According to Wade, it is Haitian culture and belief that causes people to think they are zombies, when they are actually poisoned by individuals they perceived to be sorcerers (Howstuffworks, 2010, para. 8)

In an interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Peter Gzowski in January 24, 1986, Wade explained zombies have been considered a figment of Haitian folklore for a long time, the so called “living dead”- individuals that are supposedly killed and brought back to life.(W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986)“ What it (the drug) could do is allow a person to be misdiagnosed as dead and, in fact, buried alive...the drug works together with a set of cultural expectations to create the zombie,” he said (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986).

Wade explained, people in Western society seem to have forgotten that medicine largely comes from the earth’s resources (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986) Many of these resources were discovered by Native Americans before others(W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986) Furthermore, while magic may have elements of mysticism in it in some parts of the world, those who practice magic make “magical” powders and potions containing some, but not all, of the same ingredients used by pharmaceutical companies in the West (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986).

Wade found no ingredients in the Haitian voodoo formulas suitable to be used for medical purposes in America (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986). He said, in his opinion, the powder voodoo priests use to bring people back to life is actually a form of restraint; a form of discipline to deter people from going against societies practising magic, just as capital punishment is used to prevent criminal behaviour in the public in the United States of America (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986).

Wade’s investigation revealed, despite stories of a drug that could bring dead people back to life, there was no evidence that the powder used by Haitian voodoo priests actually resurrected people from the dead.(W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986). After six hours, people who had ingested it either lived or died. (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986).However, those who survived recovered quite well. (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986).Wade theorized, if a person’s metabolism is slowed down enough by the drug in his system, the person can survive several hours on the limited amount of oxygen in his coffin while buried under the ground. (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986).

Still, there was something that intrigued Wade. (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986). When those who survived were brought out of their graves, they were given the paste of a plant Haitians call konko zombi which means “the zombie’s cucumber.” (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986). The plant is called datura stramonium, a powerful, mind-altering agent that causes disorientation and confusion. (W. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1986).

Persons in Haiti who think sorcerers are casting magical spells on them, and bringing them good luck, fame and fortune by doing so are being misled by those who practice voodoo. These simple minded people lack the education and the knowledge to judge the ulterior motives of others. Because of this, they are often manipulated, tricked and taken for a ride; they fall victim to dishonest individuals skilled at playing on emotions. Weak-willed, weak-spirited and week-minded, these individuals seem to have nothing but the mystique of magic to look to for help and guidance.






References
Howstuffworks. How Zombies
Work, 2010. Retrieved from
http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/zombie.htm
National Geographic Daily News: Haiti Earthquake & Voodoo: Myths, Ritual, and
Robertson, 2010. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/01/100125-haiti-earthquake-voodoo-p...
Amazon.ca. (2008-2010). [Review of the book The Serpent
And the Rainbow by W. Davis] Retrieved from
http://www.amazon.ca/Serpent-Rainbow-Wade-Davis/dp/0684839296
Bob Corbett. (1990). [Review of the book Passage of
Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie by Wade Davis] Retrieved from
http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/bookreviews/davis1.htm
CBC Digital Archives. (2009) Wade Davis on
Haitian Zombies [Radio Interview] Retrieved from CBC: http://archives.cbc.ca/science_technology/natural_science/clips/17209/