Max Beauvoir
Encyclopedia
Max Gesner Beauvoir is a Haitian biochemist and houngan
.
with a degree in chemistry. He continued his studies at the Sorbonne
from 1959 to 1962, when he graduated with a degree in biochemistry. In 1965, at Cornell Medical Center, he supervised a team in synthesizing metabolic steroids. This led him to a job at an engineering company in northern New Jersey, and later to a period as both a professor at Tufts University
and engineer at Digital Equipment Company in Massachusetts. His interest in steroids led him to experiment with hydrocortisone synthesized from plants; however, the death of his father led him to move back to Haiti in January 1973 and become a voodoo priest.
In 1974, he founded Le Péristyle de Mariani, a Hounfour
in his home (which also served as a village clinic) in the village of Mariani
. He had a troubled relationship with the ruling Duvalier family. While he urged that the do more to meet the medical needs of the poor, his status as a houngan kept him from being subjected to much of the wanton violence exacted by the Tonton Macoutes against critics.
During this period, he founded the Group for Studies and Research on the African Tradition with a group of scholars, and later founded the Bòde Nasyonal in 1986 to counter the effects of the post-Duvalier dechoukaj
violence which had targeted both Vodou practitioners and the Tonton Macoutes paramilitary, both of which had been used by the Duvalier regime to oppress the Haitian people.
In 1996, Beauvoir founded The Temple of Yehwe, a Washington, D.C.
-based non-profit organization for the promotion of education concerning Afro-American religion. In 1997, he became involved with the creation of the KOSANBA
group at the University of California, Santa Barbara
.
Houngan
Houngan is the term for a male priest in the voodoo religion in Haiti . The term is derived from the Fon word "hùn gan". There are two ranks of houngan, houngan asogwe and houngan sur pwen...
.
Career
Beauvoir graduated in 1958 from City College of New YorkCity College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
with a degree in chemistry. He continued his studies at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
from 1959 to 1962, when he graduated with a degree in biochemistry. In 1965, at Cornell Medical Center, he supervised a team in synthesizing metabolic steroids. This led him to a job at an engineering company in northern New Jersey, and later to a period as both a professor at Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
and engineer at Digital Equipment Company in Massachusetts. His interest in steroids led him to experiment with hydrocortisone synthesized from plants; however, the death of his father led him to move back to Haiti in January 1973 and become a voodoo priest.
In 1974, he founded Le Péristyle de Mariani, a Hounfour
Hounfour
The Voodoo temple is called a Hounfour, and the leader of the ceremony is a male priest called a Houngan, or a female priest called a Mambo.At the centre of the temple there is a post used to contact spirits, and a highly decorated altar...
in his home (which also served as a village clinic) in the village of Mariani
Mariani
Mariani is a neighbourhood town of Jorhat City. It is about 17.5 km for Jorhat Railway station. Mariani is in the border of Nagaland. Mariani is famous for the diamonds Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary which is located on the road side on the way to Nakachari from Mariani at a distance of...
. He had a troubled relationship with the ruling Duvalier family. While he urged that the do more to meet the medical needs of the poor, his status as a houngan kept him from being subjected to much of the wanton violence exacted by the Tonton Macoutes against critics.
During this period, he founded the Group for Studies and Research on the African Tradition with a group of scholars, and later founded the Bòde Nasyonal in 1986 to counter the effects of the post-Duvalier dechoukaj
Dechoukaj
Dechoukaj is a Kréyòl term that literally means "uprooting". It is used primarily to refer to the political upheaval in Haiti following the exile of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on February 7, 1986. During the dechoukaj many ordinary Haitian peasants and city dwellers exacted revenge on their...
violence which had targeted both Vodou practitioners and the Tonton Macoutes paramilitary, both of which had been used by the Duvalier regime to oppress the Haitian people.
In 1996, Beauvoir founded The Temple of Yehwe, a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based non-profit organization for the promotion of education concerning Afro-American religion. In 1997, he became involved with the creation of the KOSANBA
KOSANBA
KOSANBA is a scholarly association dedicated to the study of Haitian Vodou. The organization was founded in 1997 at Center for Black Studies of the University of California, Santa Barbara, then under the directorship of Dr Claudine Michel. Thirteen scholars met for a colloquium on Haitian Vodou,...
group at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
.
Involvement with KNVA
In 2005, he launched the , which he later renamed in 2008 as ; he serves as "chef Supreme" or "Ati Nasyonal" of the organization, which is an attempt to organize the defense of Vodou in the country against defamation.In media
- Beauvoir was interviewed in 1982 by Canadian ethnobotanist Wade DavisWade DavisEdmund Wade Davis is a Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author and photographer whose work has focused on worldwide indigenous cultures, especially in North and South America and particularly involving the traditional uses and beliefs associated with psychoactive plants...
for his 1985 book The Serpent and the RainbowThe Serpent and the Rainbow (book)The Serpent and the Rainbow is a book by ethnobotanist and researcher Wade Davis. He investigated Haitian Vodou and the process of making zombies. He studied ethnobotanical poisons, discovering their use in a reported case of a contemporary zombie, Clairvius Narcisse.The book inspired a dramatic...
. - Beauvoir held a patent on the process of obtaining hecogenin from plant leaves until 1993.