S2E14: Creole Culture and The West African Tradition

Before the Blues, there was Legba. Before Legba, there was the slave trade. And before the slave trade scattered the Yoruba and the Fon across the Atlantic, there were shrines at every threshold and a god who controlled every crossroads. In this episode of Pagan America, we follow that god from West Africa to Haiti, from Haiti to New Orleans, from New Orleans to the Mississippi Delta — and ask why his sacred numbers went viral in 2025. This is not a metaphor. This is theology.

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Robert Johnson & The Crossroads

• Wikipedia – "Robert Johnson" (crossroads legend, Harry Hyatt reference, Legba connection): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson

• Wikipedia – "Doot Doot (6 7)" (song history, Dictionary.com Word of the Year, Skrilla background): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doot_Doot_(6_7)

• Wikipedia – "Skrilla" (biography, Santeria references, Orisha connections in music): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skrilla

• Passion of the Weiss – "At the Mall With Skrilla" (profile confirming Santeria practice and Orisha references): https://www.passionweiss.com/2025/07/10/skrilla-interview-philly-doot-doot-6-7/

• AllHipHop – "Rapper Behind '67' Craze Sacrifices Animals To Ring In New Year" (Skrilla New Year ritual, Santeria animal sacrifice documentation): https://allhiphop.com/news/rapper-behind-67-craze-sacrifices-animals-to-ring-in-new-year/

• Charisma Magazine – "The Demonic Secret Behind the Viral '6-7' Trend" (Skrilla podcast interview quotes on Palo and Yoruba): https://mycharisma.com/culture/the-demonic-secret-behind-the-viral-6-7-trend/

• WHYY – "For those still out of the loop, here is what '6-7' means" (Philadelphia local reporting on Skrilla and Santeria background): https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/

Papa Legba / Vodun / Crossroads Theology

• Wikipedia – "Papa Legba" (Legba's role as crossroads deity, Blues connection, Palmer and Bruno Blum references): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Legba

• Wikipedia – "Haitian Vodou" (Legba invoked first in all ceremonies, crossroads as ritual locations, Catholic syncretism): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Vodou

• New Orleans Historical – "Congo Square: Mythology and Music" (primary academic overview, Latrobe 1819 account, Haitian refugee influx): https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/745

• Wikipedia – "Congo Square" (drumming traditions, West African spiritual practice, Code Noir context): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Square

• Smarthistory – "Congo Square, New Orleans" (Latrobe and Cable accounts, suppression of drumming, cultural continuity): https://smarthistory.org/congo-square-new-orleans/

• BlackPast.org – "Congo Square, New Orleans, Louisiana": https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/congo-square-new-orleans-louisiana/

Books for Show Notes (Amazon Affiliate Links — swap in your affiliate tag):

• The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square – Ned Sublette (2009): https://www.amazon.com/World-That-Made-New-Orleans/dp/1569763119

• Haitian Vodou: An Introduction to Haiti's Indigenous Spiritual Tradition – Mambo Chita Tann (2012): https://amzn.to/4rbWNx4 

• A Transatlantic History of Haitian Vodou – Benjamin Hebblethwaite (2022) — strongest academic source on Vodou's African origins and transmission:https://amzn.to/4snqs7k

• Creole Religions of the Caribbean – Fernández Olmos & Paravisini-Gebert (2nd ed., 2011) — covers Vodou, Santeria, Obeah together, very useful for this episode:https://amzn.to/47plUFl

• Santería: The Religion – Migene González-Wippler (1994) — standard reference on Orisha numbers and sacred correspondences:https://amzn.to/4cpy7xl

  Walking with the Night: The Afro-Cuban World of Santería – Raul Canizares (1993)