THE BIZANGO

FOUNDED: 18th century, when the French brought thousands of slaves from Africa to Haiti.

STATUS: Still active in rural Haiti, where a belief in zombies persists.

EXCLUSIVITY FACTOR: Inclusion is by invitation only, and members must have some knowledge of sorcery.

SECRECY FACTOR: It is said that members will die before they will tell the secrets of the Bizango, and those who dare speak about it are punished severely.

THREAT FACTOR: High. The Bizango is responsible for policing many rural areas of Haiti, and peasants are reportedly afraid to speak out against this powerful group for fear they will be turned into zombies.

QUIRK FACTOR: The Voodoo religion has been widely spoofed, with caricatures of witch doctors, voodoo dolls, and the like. However, Bizango practices are different from regular Voodoo worship.

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Those who live in fear of the zombie apocalypse best stay out of Haiti. Many believe that this Caribbean country is home to the living dead—people turned into zombies by “magical” means and then forced into slavery.

According to legend (a phrase which should be borne in mind throughout this section), secret societies, collectively known as the Bizango, rule the Haitian countryside. The societies are a legacy of colonial Haiti—composed of modern-day descendants of escaped slaves. They maintain law and order in their communities and dole out justice to wrongdoers. The most horrible punishment they have in their repertoire is zombification—with the fear of such a fate keeping locals from crossing this powerful secret society.

Zombies feature prominently is Haitian folklore. Unlike the terrified folks in Hollywood horror movies who want to defeat the undead, Haitians aren’t afraid of zombies—sometimes, if rescued, a zombified person will actually be taken in and cared for by relatives. Rather, Haitians are scared of becoming zombies—a fear that echoes the days of slavery, when they were helpless to defy their white masters.

So how does one become a zombie? The first step is “dying.” There exists a “zombie powder,” the main psychoactive ingredient of which is Tetrodotoxin, a toxin derived from a puffer fish found in Haitian waters. Additional ingredients are said to be tarantulas and other sea creatures. This powder is transferred to the victim via an open wound, and when the poison gets into the bloodstream, the victim falls ill and “dies” within a matter of hours. . . Except the victim is not truly dead but in a temporary coma-like state of paralysis mimicking death that even doctors have mistaken for the real thing.

In rural Haiti, dead bodies (as well as those believed to be dead) are not embalmed; moreover they are often interred in aboveground crypts—practices that make capturing and creating a zombie easier than they would be in other parts of the world. Some families of the deceased, if they are unsure whether their relative is truly dead, take precautions against this by keeping watch in the cemetery for several days to deter grave robbers. Another solution is cutting open or poisoning bodies to ensure real death. There is also a more Indiana Jones-style method of protecting against crypt creepers: A knife is placed in the right hand of the corpse, and the arm is flexed in such a way that it will spring up to stab whoever disturbs the body.

But if a Bizango zombie-maker or his assistants manage to abscond with a living body, they will wait until the person regains consciousness to administer another drug, a hallucinogen that keeps the victim docile. Then, the “zombie” is often sold to a master and forced to toil on the sugar plantations that still survive on the island. For residents of a country that fought so dearly for freedom from their French oppressors, a life of servitude as a zombie is the ultimate torture.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

No amateur zombie masters need apply: to join the Bizango, one must have some knowledge of sorcery. Prominent figures such as Voodoo priests, chefs de section (local magistrates), and other elected officials may take part, thus strengthening the group’s authority. Membership is voluntary but exclusive—candidates must be invited to join. If an individual is found to be an acceptable candidate, he or she must agree to contribute financially to the group, to respect the hierarchy, and, most importantly, to uphold the secrecy of their magical rituals. Both men and women can hold seats in the complicated hierarchy of the group, which includes positions such as emperor, flag queen, and prefect of discipline. One’s ranking is revealed through subtle manipulation of the fingers while shaking hands to greet another member.

After a candidate masters the secret handshake and other cryptic forms of Bizango communication and proves his or her loyalty, the president of the society may decide to accept the candidate as a permanent member. The induction ceremony requires the initiate to ingest two potions: one bitter and one sweet, embodying the Bizango motto “Sweet as honey, bitter as bile.” Sweet, because the society is good to deserving parties; and bitter, because members must enforce the rules by means that are surely not sweet. The initiate then swears before the society on pain of death not to reveal their secrets and ingests yet another potion—this one much harsher on the system, said to “leave the clothes on your back in shreds.” It’s also alleged that some members receive a tattoo to protect them from black magic spells, though some of the Bizango themselves are in fact bokors, or practitioners of black magic.

INSIDE THE BIZANGO

Another Bizango motto is “Order and respect for the night,” and that is reflected in their nocturnal meetings. One fairly recent account has the Bizango members dressed in red and black robes, meeting in a makeshift temple decorated with images of sinister spirits. The temple is lit by a candle perched on a human skull. (Other centuries-old Bizango art incorporating human skulls has been found, so this morbid detail rings true.)

The robed attendants then dance and sing, praising Voodoo gods called loa. Next, they fall into an ordered line according to Bizango rank and pay their respects to a small black coffin, offering money and other sacrifices. Drumming, dancing, and singing continue on through the night, an indication to others in the village to stay inside so as not to disturb the festivities.

It’s not a party that most villagers wish to attend. If someone dares cross either a member of the society or another person in the community, they can be brought before the Bizango for a trial. A man named Clairvius Narcisse was one such offender. In 1962, he was zombified by the Bizango on account of his failure to support his illegitimate children. A doctor signed his death certificate—but eighteen years later, Narcisse showed up in his home village, very much alive.

Narcisse told the horrible story of the years he spent in zombie servitude. He was given the zombie powder and subsequently “died.” While others gathered round his deathbed, he was completely cognizant but unable to express this to anyone. Then, to his horror, he was buried alive. Less than twenty-four hours later, Narcisse was removed from his grave by a bokor and his assistants, who beat him violently. Traumatized, Narcisse was then given another drug that possibly helped to erase his memory and keep him subservient. The zombie makers then led him to labor in the fields on a remote part of the island where he would not be recognized.

Continued doses of the drug kept Narcisse docile and passive for years— but when his zombie master died and could no longer administer the toxin, its effect eventually wore off, and Narcisse wandered back home. He had a scar on his cheek, said to be from a nail driven into his coffin.

Creating and transporting zombies is serious business for the Bizango. They are authorized to issue a paper called a laissez-passer, and seizing a zombie is illegal without an official transfer of the document. Their control over the zombie population is what keeps the communities they preside over obedient. If someone dares go to higher authorities with accusations against the Bizango, the charges may not be pursued—and for the accuser, there may be hell to pay. Even some more educated, urban Haitians are reluctant to meddle in the society’s affairs for fear of being turned into zombies themselves.

And for Bizango members who break the code of secrecy, there is severe punishment in store. Death (real death) seems preferable to this terrifying scenario: In one society, wrongdoers are taken out in a boat and, when far from land, are beaten and poisoned with the zombie potion. While still conscious, the traitor is pushed overboard, knowing that once the poison sets in, he’ll be helpless and unable to swim to shore.

And for Bizango members who break the code of secrecy, there is severe punishment in store. In one society, wrongdoers are taken out in a boat and, when far from land, are beaten and poisoned with the zombie potion. While still conscious, the traitor is pushed overboard, knowing that once the poison sets in, he’ll be helpless and unable to swim to shore. Death (real death) seems preferable to this terrifying scenario—even if it is just another part of the Bizango myth.

SMILE, YOU’RE ON UNDEAD CAMERA!

There have been dozens of films, TV shows, and video games about zombies—the fake Hollywood kind. But it was author Zora Neale Hurston who was reportedly the first person to catch a real Haitian zombie on film. In the 1920s, Hurston was at the center of the Harlem Renaissance, and became most famous for her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston also undertook anthropological work, traveling to Jamaica and Haiti in the mid-1930s to observe the culture and Voodoo practices. In her book Tell My Horse, she recorded what little firsthand ethnography of zombies is available to this day.

In Haiti, Hurston heard many chilling accounts of zombies, and experienced for herself the fear of these creatures that permeated the culture. Wary Haitians warned Hurston against associating with zombies and their makers, but the curious author persisted. A zombified woman had been taken to a hospital, where Hurston took her famous photo. Hurston said:

I had the rare opportunity to see and touch an authentic case. I listened to the broken noises in its throat, and then, I did what no one else had ever done, I photographed it. . . . I took her first in the position that she assumed herself whenever left alone. That is, cringing against the wall with the cloth hiding her face and head. Then in other positions. Finally the doctor forcibly uncovered her and held her so that I could take her face. And the sight was dreadful. That blank face with the dead eyes. The eyelids were white all around the eyes as if they had been burned with acid. It was pronounced enough to come out in the picture. There was nothing that you could say to her or get from her except by looking at her, and the sight of this wreckage was too much to endure for long.

The woman’s name was Felicia Felix-Mentor, and records show she died and was buried in 1907. Then, in 1936, she was found wandering naked to a farm where she had once lived. Her brother recognized her as his sister who died 29 years earlier. Though the zombie woman’s state was surely drug-induced, Hurston was shaken by the encounter:

If I had not experienced all of this in the strong sunlight of a hospital yard, I might have come away from Haiti interested but doubtful. But I saw this case of Felicia Felix-Mentor, which was vouched for by the highest authority. So I know that there are zombies in Haiti.

GHOULS ON FILM

The zombies in the movies aren’t nearly as scary as the real-life victims of the Bizango—and are much more entertaining. Check out these fearsome flicks.

WHITE ZOMBIE, 1932

Considered the first film of the zombie genre, Béla Lugosi stars as a nefarious Voodoo priest who turns an innocent young woman into a zombie.

I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, 1943

A young nurse is summoned to a Caribbean island to care for a plantation owner’s ailing wife, who she suspects might be a zombie.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, 1968

In this classic of the genre, reanimated corpses leave their graves and attack an isolated farmhouse in search of human flesh.

THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW, 1988

One of the few zombie movies that take place in Haiti, this film is loosely based on the nonfiction book of the same name by ethnobotanist Wade Davis.

ARMY OF DARKNESS, 1992

In this horror comedy, a time-traveling hero battles Dark Age zombies called “deadites.”

DEAD ALIVE, 1992

Rat-monkey hybrids carry a deadly virus that turns people into zombies in this gory cult classic.

28 DAYS LATER, 2002

A highly contagious virus sweeps through the world, leaving most of the population zombified—and four British survivors must battle their way to safety.

DAWN OF THE DEAD, 2004

This remake of George Romero’s 1978 film of the same name is full of scares as fast-moving zombies take over a shopping mall.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD, 2004

In this zombie comedy, a doltish Londoner must rise to the occasion and fight when the living dead take over his town.

I AM LEGEND, 2007

In a zombie-ridden New York City, a virologist played by Will Smith scrambles to find an antidote to their virus, with only his dog for company.

ZOMBIELAND, 2009

Teens go on a gleeful zombie-killing road trip that’s far more fun than it is scary.