Under the direction of Haitian artist Erol Josué, Hougan and Director General of the National Bureau of Ethnology (BNE), a BNE delegation conducted an exploration of four sites of great historical, museum, and cultural importance in the commune of Limbé : the Guahaba Museum; the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; the Church of Mount Carmel; and Boran in Bas Limbe.

The Guahaba Museum houses one of Haiti’s most important archaeological collections, originating from excavations carried out at Amerindian sites (Arawak, Taíno) in Bas Saline between 1979 and 1986. The museum was established in 1983 at the initiative of an American missionary, William H. Hodges, using objects he had collected during his excavations, particularly in the Fort de la Nativité and Puerto Real areas.

Today, civil society in Limbé has issued a warning to save this heritage. The BNE technical team decided to explore the site to identify the work needed to save this cultural treasure. The Guahaba Museum is located opposite the Bon Samaritain Hospital, on National Route 1, 30 kilometers from the city of Cap-Haitien.

The Mount Carmel Church in Bas Limbé is a key pilgrimage site in Haiti's Northern Department. Every July 16th, several thousand pilgrims gather there. The site also includes an extraordinary place often called the Bas Limbé Waterfall. This is the resting place of a great "Lwa" (spirit) in the Haitian Vodou tradition, called Boran. Pilgrims visit this site every Tuesday and Saturday to make requests, bathe, and offer gifts. The sacred site includes a main temple, a waterfall, several pools, and numerous smaller ceremonial spaces.

The Boran festival is part of the country's mystical calendar. It has become a site that the National Heritage Bureau (BNE) is currently cataloging for inclusion in the Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Haiti, thanks to the miracles it performs for pilgrims

IH/ iciHaiti