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Sunday, July 17, 2016

Hoodoo

Introduction
Hoodoo was created by Africans in Mississippi.  They belonged to different tribes, so they mix their beliefs together.  The Ewe and Akan may have been the initiators of the creation of Hoodoo.  They also mixed it with American Herbalism and Protestantism. It was created or recreated in 1800's.
                                                                      
History
Hoodoo was a religion now it's just a type magic.  It stopped being a religion in 1860's.  Most of the Africans brought to the Americas during the Transatlantic Slave Trade were Niger-Congo people.  They shared a lot of same beliefs, but they also had many different beliefs as well.  It started off as the religion of my ancestors in Mississipi.  Then it became more magical, after that it became commercialized.

Caroline Dye was one of the greatest Hoodooist of all time.  She helped many people.  She was great @ divination.  There was a great rootworker named Dr. Buzzard.  A lot of other root doctors took on his name because he was so amazing!!!!

There were Rootworker in Memphis, TN.  They cured people of diseases but were persecuted by white people.  White people saw it as criminal until they needed help.  They were afraid of it because it was outside of there paradigm.  Today most people that practice Hoodoo are white, or so it seems.
Beliefs
Practitioners of this religion believed in ancestral spirits and the power of nature.  The Bible is a talisman and Moses is the greatest magician.  They believed certain bible verses had power.  The power is released by reading the verse.

Rituals
They would do the Ring Shout.  It was a common West African practice.  People would sing and dance in a circle.  They took spiritual baths and cleaned a house of negative energy by sweeping and mopping.  There were many other rituals, but it's hard to find information on them, or so it seems.
Conclusion
I love this religion because it was created by ancestors!!!!!!!!!!!  I like the beliefs and rituals.  I like the fact that it is a mixed bag.  It's sweetly simple.  It encouraged my ancestors to endure the hardships of slavery.  It enlivens me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
References
http://www.futurity.org/african-american-hoodoo-more-than-magic/
http://www.odwirafo.com/Akan_Origin_of_the_Term_Hoodoo.pdf
Zora Neale Hurston
Katrina Hazzard-Donald
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(folk_magic)#The_hoodoo_conceptual_system
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3gr1ghQExs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-z-36MO-SI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaymyIeV53Q
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=14

A Secret History of Memphis Hoodoo: Rootworkers, Conjurers & Spirituals

http://www.readersandrootworkers.org/wiki/Association_of_Independent_Readers_and_Rootworkers
http://www.msangelrose.com/index.html


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