Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-03
VAUDOOISM.
African Fetish Worship Among
the Memphis Negroes.
Remarkable Case Of HOOdOOlng.
From ths Memphis App.al. ort. 8.

The word Hoodoo, or Voudoo, is one o
the names used in the different African
dialects for the practice of the myste
ries of the Obi, ian African word signi.
flying a species of sorcery and witchcraf
common among the wo-shipers of the
fetish). In the West Indies the word
"Obi'' is universally used to designate
the priests or practieers Of this art, who
are called "Obi' men and "0bi' women
In the Southern portion Of the United
States, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi,
South Carolina and Georgia, where the
same rites are extensively praetieed
among the negroes, and where, under
the humanizing and Outstanding indu
ence of the blessed state Of freedom and
idleness in which they now exist, and are
encouraged in by the FrOedmen's Bureau
the religion is rapidly spreading; itgoes
under the name of Voodooism, or Hoo
dOoism- The practicers of the art, who
are always native Africans, are called
HOOdOo men or women, and are held in
great dread by the negroes, who apply to
them for the cure Of diseases, to obtain
revenge for injuries, and to discover and
punish their enemies The mode Of
operations is to prepare fetish, which,
being placed near or in the dwelling Of
the person to be worked upon (under the
door step, or in any snug portion of the
furniture), is supposed TO produce the
most dire and terrible effects upon the
women, both physically and mentally.
Among the materials used for the fetish
are feathers of various eOlors, blood,
dogs and cats teeth, clay from graves,
egg shells, beads and broken bits of
glass. The clay is made into ball with
hair and rags, bound with Irvine, with
feathers and human, alligators' or dogs
teeth, so arranged as to make the whole
bear a fancied resemblance to an animal
of some sort
The person to be hoOdooed is general
" made aware that the hUOdoo is "set'
for him, and the terror created in his
mind by this knowledge is generally suf-
fcient to cause him to fall sick, and, 1t is
curious fact, almost always 70 die in a
species of decline The intimate knowl-
edge Of the Hoodoos of the insidious
vegetable poisons that abound in the
swamp3 of the South, enables them to
use these with great effect in most in
stances.
With the above as Introductory, our
readers will better understand the follow
ing, which we vOuch for as strictly true,
in every particular. Names and the ex
act locality (although we will say that it
occurred within few miles of this city,
are withheld, at the request Of the lady,
whom we call Mrs A:
Some months since the only child, a
little daughter of Mrs A, who had been
left a widow by the war, was taken i'll
with what was then thought a slow mall
ariOus fever. The family physician was
called in and prescribed for her, but in
spite Of his attentions she grew gradual
ly worse and seemed to be slowly but
surely sinking and wasting away. Every
thing that medical skill could think OF
was done, but in vain.
One evening, while Mrs A was watehs
ing by the bedside Of the little sufferer,
an old negro woman, who had been many
years in the family, expressed her belle.
that the child had been "HoodoOed. F"
Mrs. A was Creole of Louisiana, and
having been from her earliest infancy
among the negroes, was familiar with,
and had imbibed not a few of their ST.
perstitiOnS. In despair of deriving any
benefit from the doctors, and completely
baftled and worn out with the peculiar
lingering nature of her child's illness,
the suggestion of the woman made
great impression on her mind
In the neighborhoOd were two negroes
who bore the reputation of being HoOdOO
men. They were both COngees, and were
4 portion Of the cargo of slaves that had
been run into Mobile bay in 1860 or 1861.
As usual with their more civilized prOs
fessional brethren, these two hoodOos
were deadly enemies, AMI worked against
each other in every possible way. Each
had his own particular crowd of adher'
ents, who believed him to be able TO make
the powerful grigrts
One Of these HOodOCs lived on or near
Mrs. As place, and although she was
ashamed of the superstition which led her
| to do so, she sent for him Immediately to
/ come over and see her child. The mes
| senger returned and said that Finnev
| (that was the sOrcerer's nancy would
| come, but that Mrs A. mast first send
him chicken cock, three eOnch shells
and piece of money with hole in it.
She complied with his demands, and he
shortly afterward appeared with the cock
| under his arm, fancifully decorated with
| stripes Of yellow, red and blue flannel,
and the three conches rugged up pretty
| much in the same manner Placing the
| cOnches on the floor in the shape of iris
| angle, he laid the cock down in the cen
ter of them, on its side. He then drew
| his hand around it In the same direction,
three or four times On leaving it the
| cock lay quiet and did not attempt to
move, although it was loose and appar-
emily could have done so had it wished.
| After these preliminaries, he examined
the sick child from head to foot, and
after doing so, broke out into a loud
laugh, muttering words to himself in an
African dialect. Turning to Mrs. A, who
was all anxiety, he told her that the child
was hoodooed; that he had found the
marks of the hOOdOO, and 1t was being
done by his rival (who lived some miles
Oft, although considered in tae sams
| neighbUrhoOd) and that he (Fiuney) inc
tended to show him. that he could moi
come into his district hoOdOOing without
his permission. He then called the ser.
wants and every one about the place up,
and ordered them to appear one by on'
before him. So great was the respect ans
terror with which they regarded him
that, although many of them obViOusl,
did so with reluctance, not one failed &c
obey the summons. He regarded eacl
one closely and infinitely, and asked if h
or she had seen either a strange rooster
dog or cat around the house in the pas
few days, to which questions they mad.
| various answers. The chambermaid
| who attended the room in which the
| child Law, was one of those who were par
ticularl7 reluctant to appear before him
or to answer his questions. He remarked
this, and grinning so as to show hi
sharply filed teeth nearly from ear to ear
he said, ala, gal, better me find yo1
; out than the buckra"
This was late at night, and after max
| ing his reconnaissance he picked up hi
conches and the cock, and prepared T.
20, telling Mrs A to move the little sui
| ferer into another room and bed. Prom
, ising that he would be back early in tn
. morning, he left tho house. At an earl,
hour next morning he returned with
large bundle of herbs, which, with pc
: culIar incantations, he made into bath
r into which he placed the child, and froI
3 that hour it began to recover rapidly.
, He, however, did net stop here, Ii
q determined to fiRd out the "hOOdOO," an
how il had been used; so, after askin
e permission, he ripped open the pillow
: and the bed in which the child had lair
) and in them he found and brought fort
e -1toc f,t;s6oe roada Of feathers hnunt