Abstract
This article investigates the relations between people, land and spirits in the Jacmel region of southern Haiti. The lwa spirits, related to Haitian voudou, build their existence through a profound relationship with the land that they inhabit, as well as with the descendants of the first occupant of the land. As part of a family legacy transmitted down successive generations, they need to be cared for and fed lest they become aggressive, threatening the lives of their heirs and the latter’s immediate family. By reconstructing events involving the relationship between one of these spirits and the family of my hosts, the article recovers feelings, opinions, knowledge and practices in which the lwa are a fundamental part of the social experience of people, affecting them directly and interfering in their destinies, regardless of their religious affiliations.
Key words:
Haiti; Family; Lwa; Voudou