The Truth About Hoodoo

African slaves came to America and with them they brought their beliefs. They brought with them a system of practices from their mother country of Africa. When the beliefs of the African slaves in the southeast mixed with traditions of the European settlers and the Native American use of herbs, Hoodoo was born.

Hoodoo was practiced primarily in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Most practitioners were African Americans, but there have been some white root doctors along with Natives and Latinos. The word Hoodoo was first documented in the English language in 1875.

Voodoo(which is often mistaken for Hoodoo) originates from a separate region of Africa than the region which birthed the beginnings of Hoodoo. Voodoo is an established religion; the word meaning "god" or "spirit". A similar practice to Voodoo such as Santeria, is often mistaken with Hoodoo. The religion of Santeria comes from the region of Cuba and was adopted in some places in the Untied States.

Religion is the key word here. Hoodoo never has been nor ever will be a religion. Hoodoo is a traditional way of passing magical practices from person to person. The word describes an actual spell or charm. Hoodoo does not have a certain structure. It does not have established theology, clergy, or order of services of its own. Practitioners are often hidden within the Christian community possessing knowledge of magic and conjure.

Conjure or Hoodoo, being of mostly African American cultural influence, is a type of folk magic. Basically it is a combination of several different magical practices and cultures. Hoodoo brings together African American, Native American and European influences. Even Christianity plays a part in the practices of hoodoo. Many of the most famous root work practitioners of the 19th and 20th centuries came from mixed-race families and spoke oflearning about herbs from their "Indian grandma."

Grimoires are one of the major and well known European influences on hoodoo practices. These hoodoo practices put emphasis on personal magical power instead of organized religious beliefs. One of the most popular items that distinguishes hoodoo from other folklore magic is the mojo bag or mojo hand.It is also called a trick bag, toby or jomo. It is usually in then form of a flannel bag filled with roots, herbs, minerals and other various "magical" items. This bag is either carried on the person or hid maybe behind a door. Native Americans called these "fetish bags." The use of an effigy, often called a "voodoo doll" to perform a spell on someone, is documented in African, Native American and European countries. This item holds the essence of the person of whom the conjure is concentrated on. Bits of nail or hair is usually attached to attain the essence of the individual.

Traditions pass home remedies and conjures from one to the other. Over time, small elements may change but the basic system remains intact. Hoodoo has become powerful through it's hybrid origins and remains a mystery to some who have the desire to learn its ways.

And these are some of the many truths of Hoodoo.