Poto mitan — ritual central axis

Peristil post and embodied orientation

The poto mitan is the central post of the peristil around which ritual action is organised, and it is often described as a vertical route joining human and spirit domains. The point is placed on the torso as a symbolic anchor for ceremony; it is not an anatomical structure inside the devotee.

Tèt / konesans — head of awarenessPoto mitan — ritual central axisPoto mitan — ritual central axisGòj / voice — possessed speechKè — heart of relationshipVant — belly of entryMen — hands of servicePye — feet of danse

Point 2 of 7 in Haitian Vodou — Lwa Possession Body Sites

Cross-tradition overlaps

No overlapping points are registered for this point.

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Sources

Alfred Métraux, Voodoo in Haiti (scholarly_modern)

Descriptions of the peristil, ritual performance, and central post support the poto mitan as a ceremonial axis; the body projection is editorial.

Karen McCarthy Brown, Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn (scholarly_modern)

The ethnography documents the ritual house, altar relations, and movement around the central post, supporting an orientation marker rather than an organ claim.

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