Vodun flag: Brigette
Date20th century
Maker
Haitian
Label TextSequins 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.
Object number96.1
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, A Bead Quiz, July 1, 2008 - July 1, 2009.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Remember the Rain, August 18, 2023 - October 14, 2024 [on view August 18, 2023 - April 15, 2024].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].Credit LineGift of Patterson Sims and Katy Homans
Dimensions31 3/4 x 27 in. (80.6 x 68.6cm)
MediumSatin cloth with beads and sequins
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