oungan

oungan, in Vodou, a male priest who serves as a leader of rituals and ceremonies. A woman of the same position is referred to as a manbo.

It is believed that oungans obtain their positions through dreamlike encounters with a lwa (spirit). During such visions, individuals are chosen to be servants of the religion; as such, they are expected to oversee burials, childbirth, healing and cleansing rituals, and other ceremonies. The oungans also perform and lead ritual dances, songs, and chants to evoke a lwa. It is a common belief among Vodou followers that if a person is visited by a particular lwa but does not wish to become an oungan, he will be threatened with sickness and perhaps death until he submits to the lwa and serves the religion.

The oungans’ role within Vodou is to ward off bad influences. Traditionally, oungans do not view themselves as healers or as wielders of magic; they are rather intercessors between followers of Vodou and God (Bondye).