Houngan

Houngan is the term for a male (as opposed to the mambo, or female) High Priest in the Voodoo religion in Haiti. The term is derived from the Bantu word "nganga". Houngans are the highest form of clergy in the religion, whose responsibility it is to preserve the rituals and songs and maintain the relationship between the spirits and the community as a whole (though some of this is the responsibility of the whole community as well). They are entrusted with leading the service of all of the spirits of their lineage. Sometimes they may also be bokor. They are also roots, the Haiti version of the Adam and Eve root, often used by Druids in cleansing rituals on the self, to rid the soul of any negataive energy that has been sent. This negative energy, if not cleansed, can build up, causing illness. A bath in Houngan and Mambo water can help to cleanse the body and soul of these negative energies.