Pirates of the Timestream Read Online Free PDF Page A

imperishable material for a message locally was the first. The location of the drop was the second; without being too inconvenient for the time travelers to reach, it had to be so out-of-the-way as to escape all notice for all of subsequent history, so as to avoid running afoul of the “Observer Effect.” Even so, the fact that the technique could be used at all—and that the message was not there before the moment in the linear present when the time travelers left it there—had caused profound philosophical shock waves, for it had been the first incontrovertible proof that the past could be changed, with all the mind-destroying implications thereof. Even more disturbing was the way something had always seemed to prevent any attempt to observe the message drop location at that precise moment in the linear present. All such attempts had long since been abandoned, and Temporal Service personnel preferred not to dwell on it.
    “Yes, he and the rest of his expedition are fine, as far as we know,” Rutherford soothed. “As you are aware, their objective was to verify our received ideas about the origins of the Haitian revolution against the French, which resulted in the founding of the second independent nation in the Americas.”
    “I remember Sam Asamoa telling me about it before I left, but I was never entirely clear on it. Something about Voodoo, as I recall.” Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Boyer wince.
    “No doubt Dr. Boyer can clarify matters for you, as this involves his field of expertise. Indeed, he is of Haitian ancestry, and he was barely edged out for a position on Asamoa’s expedition. Dr. Boyer, if you would be so kind?”
    “The word voodoo ,” Boyer began, “has become a generic term for the Afro-Caribbean syncretic religions—and I can’t deny that such an awkward name cries out for a convenience label, so we may as well go on using it. But it’s an unfortunate one. For one thing, it has, over the centuries, acquired some unsavory connotations due to misconceptions and sensationalism. At the same time, it is too narrow and specific, being an Anglicized version of the Haitian manifestation of this religious impulse: Vodou .” The difference in pronunciation was subtle but definite. “In fact, there are numerous manifestations, including Shango in Trinidad, Santería in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and others, wherever large numbers of African slaves were brought into Catholic colonial societies in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. You see, all those slaves came from Western and Central Africa—the Fon, Ewe and Yoruba peoples. They all shared the worship of a supreme creator-god named Damballah or Nana Buluku who did not intervene directly in human affairs but left the running of the world to a vast and complex pantheon of lesser spirits called vodun . In the New world, these religions blended with Roman Catholicism. In fact, Damballah is often called Bondye, a Creole form of the French Bon Dieu. ”
    “I imagine the Catholic belief in intercession by saints and angels lent itself to that kind of syncretism,” Jason opined.
    “Very astute, Commander. There was also an element of sheer practicality: the only religious imagery the slaves could obtain was Catholic, so they tended to use the closest matches they could find. For example, Damballah was associated with the snake, so images of St. Patrick banishing the snakes from Ireland were used for him simply because those images had snakes in them—even though I assure you he was not in any degree Irish!” Boyer chuckled. “But as time went on, the syncretism went further. Biblical characters, historical figures and even popular-culture icons were incorporated as loa , spirits which can temporarily possess and speak through a worshiper—the ‘horse’—who is deprived of free will. And unlike Catholic saints, the loa are morally neutral, with complex personalities that are neither entirely good nor entirely evil. A worshiper