Voodoo, Hoodoo, and Conjure

Voodoo, Hoodoo, and Conjure

References

"American Horror Story Season 3: Exclusive Inside the Coven: "Voodoo in New Orleans" [HD]." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Anderson, Jeffrey E. Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Conjure: A Handbook. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2008. Print.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Hoodoo in America. Boston: American Folk-lore Society, 1931. Print.

"Voodoo Drum Music." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Dec. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

"Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo." Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Chireau, Yvonne Patricia. Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2003. Print.

• Because the slaves had brought nothing with them from their old world, they were obliged to draw on their own memory to re-create their music, and to utilize everyday items to craft new instruments. Slaves had to vent their anger and frustration in their music.

• Blues and other rythmic backgrounds where the background to music surrounding Voodoo

• To keep their oral traditions alive and lift their spirits in the face of this immense suffering, they turned to the music that had been an integral part of their everyday lives in Africa – and which was, itself, steeped in magical ritual and voodoo.

• Rituals and dances are done in French Haitian Creole

Music in Voodoo

Drums 11:57-14:10

American Horror Story:

Inside the Coven - Voodoo

Photos of Charms

Voodoo

Hoodoo

• Voodoo is an African creole religion. A faith that began in Africa and adapted to new American conditions. Differs from Haitian Vodou because of their spells and magic

• it is said that Voodoo was imported from St. Domingue - modern Haiti - to Louisiana by refugees fleeing revolution during the eighteenth and nineteenth century

• Known as a fixture of New Orleans

• Women were just as necessary as men; both sexes lead initiations and trained future generations

• Catholicism is closely related to the Voodoo relgion

Conjure

• Hoodoo is a form of traditional African-American folk magic that developed from a combination of beliefs of a number of separate African cultures after they came to the United States during the slave trade

• It is not to be confused with Voodoo or Vodoun, a West African religion

• Although Hoodoo began as a religion it lost its religious status after the 1880s

Voodoo

• Conjure-African American magic which denotes “calling-up” or controlling spirits.

• Professional practitioners are called Two-headed or double headed doctors referring to the practitioner being possessed by both the natural and supernatural world.

• Conjures use over 50 natural herbs as a part of their practices. (Herbalist)

• Connection with these spirits can be achieved through dance, music, singing, and the use of snakes, which represent Legba, Voodoo's "main spirit conduit to all others."

• The main focus of Louisiana Voodoo today is to serve others and influence the outcome of life events through the connection with nature, spirits, and ancestors.

• Unlike popular belief, voodoo dolls are not meant for the harm of people. instead they are for healing or to serve a loa

• Marie Laveau, the most well known Voodoo queen of New Orleans.

• Rhythm and dance are some of many

ways used to enter and communicate with spiritual bodies

Modern Day Voodoo

Real Voodoo Dolls

Charms of Conjure

Cat Bones (negative)

• Allow their possessors to become invisible, typically for criminal pursuits.

• Those wishing to find the right bone have to boil the cat alive at midnight until the flesh falls from the bones.

• the magical bone will be the one that comes to rest on top of the others. The possessor should then place it under his or her tongue in order to disappear

High John root (positive)

• High John was in use by the late nineteenth century

and probably before.

• Source of power and is almost always used for positive ends.

• Among its many uses are drawing money to its possessor, building personal power, and conquering enemies.

• likely that a root carried by slaves to protect them from whipping was a version of High John

Goopher dust or ghost dust (negative & positive)

• usually described as dirt taken from graves

• Compound goopher dust is usually a harmful agent and can be used to kill or otherwise harm enemies EX: practitioners sometimes sprinkle it in the shoes of unwitting victims as part of spells designed to kill them.

Herb Examples

Basil:Powerful herb of great importance. Used to bring in money and prosperity, encourages a happy family life, peaceful home and wards against evil.

Rituals

Candle Ritual: Candle burning has roots stretching back to ancient times as a part of both religious ceremonies and magical rites. Most hoodoo practitioners and rootworkers, like other folk magicians, burn candles for magical effect, spell-casting, and as an adjunct to prayer.

Mullien:Powerful herb used in crossing, hexing and tricking magicks. Used in place of graveyard dirt. Burned as an incense to "wake" the spirits of the dead.

Water Cleansing: If a bath is intended to draw in good luck, it is common for the conjure to tell the bather to rub the body only in an upward direction after pouring the bath. If the bath is for the removal of evil conditions, the client may be told to bathe by rubbing in a downward direction only.

Allspice: mostly used for an increase in money

Cinnamon: used for the power of love and growth in money

New Orleans

Water

Hoodoo Ritual

Rosemary: Used as protection against evil; used to cleanse, to ensure faithfulness and give women control in the household.