The obscure past of zombies - Christopher M. Moreman episode artwork

EPISODE · May 18, 2026 · 6 MIN

The obscure past of zombies - Christopher M. Moreman

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Trace the origins of zombies from the Afro-Haitian religion of vodou, and discover how zombification was a reflection of slavery.--Zombies have a distinct lineage— one that traces back to Equatorial and Central Africa. For three centuries, African people were enslaved and brought to the Caribbean Islands. There, a religion known as vodou developed, along with the belief that a person’s soul can be captured and stored, becoming a body-less zombie. Christopher M. Moreman uncovers the true origins of the undead.Lesson by Christopher M. Moreman, directed by Kaspar Jancis.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-zombies-christopher-m-moremanDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-zombies-christopher-m-moreman#digdeeper----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! David Yastremski, Noah Webb, B, Erica Guerrero, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Milo Vermeulen, Ryan Weiler, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Zongpu Kou, Cameron Chakraverty, Petr Vacek, Rhys Patterson, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Katrina Adams, Regina Post, Mary Collins, Kari Teffeau, clumsybunnie, Adam Leos, Cindy Lai, Liz, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Isorn Sookwanish, Iryna Panasiuk, Diane Gallin, Aaron Torres, Vasundhar, Eric Braun, Denka Wee, Sonja Worzewski, Amy, Michael Clement, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano and Ron Kakar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trace the origins of zombies from the Afro-Haitian religion of vodou, and discover how zombification was a reflection of slavery.--Zombies have a distinct lineage— one that traces back to Equatorial and Central Africa. For three centuries, African people were enslaved and brought to the Caribbean Islands. There, a religion known as vodou developed, along with the belief that a person’s soul can be captured and stored, becoming a body-less zombie. Christopher M. Moreman uncovers the true origins of the undead.Lesson by Christopher M. Moreman, directed by Kaspar Jancis.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-zombies-christopher-m-moremanDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-zombies-christopher-m-moreman#digdeeper----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! David Yastremski, Noah Webb, B, Erica Guerrero, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Milo Vermeulen, Ryan Weiler, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Zongpu Kou, Cameron Chakraverty, Petr Vacek, Rhys Patterson, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Katrina Adams, Regina Post, Mary Collins, Kari Teffeau, clumsybunnie, Adam Leos, Cindy Lai, Liz, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Isorn Sookwanish, Iryna Panasiuk, Diane Gallin, Aaron Torres, Vasundhar, Eric Braun, Denka Wee, Sonja Worzewski, Amy, Michael Clement, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano and Ron Kakar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The obscure past of zombies - Christopher M. Moreman

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This episode was published on May 18, 2026.

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Trace the origins of zombies from the Afro-Haitian religion of vodou, and discover how zombification was a reflection of slavery.--Zombies have a distinct lineage— one that traces back to Equatorial and Central Africa. For three centuries, African...

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