Case file · Folklore / legend
The bacá
Along the Dominican-Haitian border the bacá is a spirit, often in the form of a black dog, cat or bull, bought from a sorcerer to guard wealth in exchange for the souls of family members.
1950 CE · 18.80, -71.20 · status: legend
The account
Stories tell of farmers who grow suddenly rich and of relatives who sicken one by one. The idea is shared with Haitian Vodou, where the baka is a malevolent being. The year is approximate: the belief is documented in Dominican ethnography by the mid-20th century.