Priestess Miriam Chamani (born September 10, 1943; Mary Robin Adams,Costonie, Toni (2004) ''Priestess Miriam & The Voodoo Spiritual Temple''. InstantPublisher; pg. 1

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

)Pinn, Anthony B. (1998) ''Varieties of African American Religious Experience''. Fortress Press is the

Mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music *Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particular ...

(Mother/Priestess) and co-founder of the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple.The Pluralism Project: Voodoo Spiritual Temple
/ref>

Biography

Raised in Mississippi, Chamani says she has had visions and mystical experiences since childhood.Sens, Josh

in ''Golf Magazine'', December 01, 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2007 She became a Christian at age eleven, and would often go off by herself to pray and talk to the spirits. In 1975, after living in New York and then Chicago she became interested in the Spiritual church, and left the Baptist faith in which she'd been raised. During this time, she also worked as an operating room technician in a Chicago hospital. In 1982 Chamani was ordained a bishop in the "Angel Angel All Nations Spiritual Church". In 1989 she met Oswan Chamani; they were married in 1990, and would go on to found the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple together. After his death on March 6, 1995, Miriam Chamani continued her husband's Belizan Vodou and

herbalism Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern reme ...

traditions, in addition to her own spiritualist practices. She continues many of the inclusive trends of Black Christian Spiritualism, seeking to serve all peoples regardless of race or belief.National Public Radio feature on Chamani
/ref> She is presently married to environmentalist Allen Villeneuve. Chamani has been featured in numerous documentaries and articles. She has been appeared in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in articles about

Voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

and events in

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Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

,Bragg, Rick
"Jazzy Final Sendoff for Chicken Man"
in ''

'', February 1, 1999. Retrieved 28 December 2007]Kinzer, Stephen
"Interest Surges in Voodoo, and Its Queen"
''

'', November 30, 2003. Retrieved December 28, 2007. as well as features in Spin (magazine), Spin Magazine, in movies, and on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

and commercial TV in America, England and Japan. She was invited by actor

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gu ...

to perform a blessing ceremony during his wedding to

Lisa Marie Presley Lisa Marie Presley (born February 1, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. She is the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, as well as the sole heir to her father's estate. Presley has developed a career ...

, after hiring her as a consultant for his directorial debut film ''Sonny''.Nicolas & Lisa Marie Return to Romance
in IMDb November 17, 2003 On Halloween 1999, a local radio station asked her to perform a ceremony outside the Superdome to help the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

win against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

(which was interrupted by harassment from a Browns fan dressed as a dog).Peter, Josh (staff writer, ''The Times/Picayune''
"Hell to Pay"
archived on Nola.com. Retrieved 28 December 2007 She claims to have had better results helping the Spurs win the NBA championship in 2004.

New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple

The Temple was established in 1990 by Priest Oswan Chamani and Miriam Chamani. It is located in the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Squ ...

next to

Congo Square Congo Square (french: Place Congo) is an open space, now within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The square is famous for its inf ...

, and its rituals are directly connected to those performed on

Marie Laveau Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 – June 15, 1881)''Marie Laveau The Mysterious Voodoo Queen: A Study of Powerful Female Leadership in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans'' by Ina Johanna Fandrich was a Louisiana Creole people, Louisiana ...

and Doctor John.

Partial discography

* ''Voodoo'' - (2004) CD recorded at the Voodoo Spiritual Temple. Jose Suescun Music Distribution

References

External links

Voodoo Spiritual Temple and Cultural CenterNational Public Radio piece on Chamani
in ''The Southerner'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Chamani, Miriam 1943 births Living people People from Jackson, Mississippi American Voodoo practitioners Religious leaders from Louisiana Former Baptists Louisiana Voodoo

Biography

New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple

Partial discography

References

Further reading

External links