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Vodun flag: Brigette

20th century

Sequins and beads combine together to form a glittering surface that honors a deity of Vodun. This flag with a central heart and numerous crosses set against black is devoted to Brigette, who is associated with death and cemeteries. She drinks hot peppers, utters obscenities and is symbolized by a black rooster. Lingering to watch over gravestones, she will protect the burial if their stones are properly marked with a cross. Brigette is partly derived from the Irish saint, Brigid of Kildare.

Drapo are unfurled and paraded in Vodun ceremonies to greet the deity who comes to preside by taking possession of a devotee. They consecrate a ritual space and signal a time when divine energy comes to reside on earth.

Satin cloth with beads and sequins

31 3/4 x 27 in. (80.6 x 68.6cm)

Gift of Patterson Sims and Katy Homans

96.1

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, A Bead Quiz, July 1, 2008 - July 1, 2009.

Published ReferencesCameron, Dan and Pamela McClusky, et al. Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth. Exh. Cat. Seattle, Washington: Seattle Art Museum, 2009; p. 26, reproduced [not in exhibition].

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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