Hoodoo

:Alternate use: hoodoo (geology)

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Hoodoo is a traditional folk magic which originated in the southern United States. The goal of hoodoo is to allow people access to supernatural forces to influence their daily lives.

Related Topics:
Magic - United States - Supernatural

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Hoodoo is believed to have influence in many areas, including gambling, love, divination, cursing one's enemies, treatment of disease, employment, and necromancy. Many patent medicines were aimed at hoodoo practitioners. Significant use is made of various home-made potions and charms, but there are also many successful commercial companies selling various hoodoo components.

Related Topics:
Gambling - Divination - Disease - Necromancy - Patent medicine

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Hoodoo and Voodoo share some elements: the latter probably influencing the former, and the terms may have a common etymology. The terms generally refer to different beliefs and practices, however: hoodoo is very informal, largely based on traditional African practices, though it drew significantly from Native American folklore, especially the use of herbs and other botanical elements. Elements of various Christian, Jewish and European folk practices found their way into hoodoo. Voodoo is an established religion. Hoodoo is the magic without the religion. If Voodoo and Santeria can be said to be influenced by Catholicism then hoodoo has been influenced by Protestantism and Southern Evangelical movements.

Related Topics:
Voodoo - Etymology - Africa - Native American - Herb - Botanical - Christian - Jew - Europe - Santeria - Protestantism - Evangelical

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Most adherents have been African American, but Caucasians and Native Americans also use hoodoo.

Related Topics:
African American - Native American

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Hoodoo is used as a noun to describe a magic spell or potion, as a descriptor for a practitioner (hoodoo doctor, hoodoo man or hoodoo woman), or as an adjective or verb depending upon context. The word can be dated at least as early as 1891. Some practitioners prefer the term hoodooism, but this has mostly fallen out of use. Synonyms include conjuration, witchcraft, or rootwork. The latter demonstrates the importance of various roots in the making of charms and casting spells. An amulet characteristic of hoodoo is the mojo, often called a mojo bag, mojo hand, or toby; this is a small sack filled with herbs, coins, sometimes a lodestone, and various other objects of magical power.

Related Topics:
Noun - Magic - Adjective - Verb - 1891 - Synonym - Witchcraft - Root - Amulet - Mojo

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Due to hoodoo's great emphasis on an individual's magical power, practices are easily adapted based on one's desires, inclination and habits. Knowledge is passed person to person; there is no structured hierarchy.

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Like many other folk magics, great emphasis is placed on herbs, minerals, parts of animals' bodies, an individual's possessions, and bodily fluids, especially menstrual blood, urine and semen.

Related Topics:
Herb - Mineral - Menstrual blood - Urine - Semen

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Many blues musicians referred to hoodoo in their songs, and such elements have become important to the music.

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Zora Neale Hurston recorded many hoodoo practices and tales.

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The first Battleship of the United States Navy, the USS Texas, commissioned in 1895, was referred to by nickname as the "Old Hoodoo" due to a series of incidents that occurred after she was commissioned that gave her a reputation as an unlucky ship. The code letter "H" that was assigned to the Texas at that time may have also contributed to the inspiration. At the battle of Santiago, Cuba on July 3, 1898, the "Old Hoodoo", in the words of a contemporary New York Sun article published shortly after the battle, became the "Old Hero".

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The Skeleton Key, a film released in 2005, centers around the practice of hoodoo.

Related Topics:
The Skeleton Key - Film - 2005

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