Talk:Obeah

message: Wiktionary
"Obeah" is not a "derogatory term."  It's an actual religion, separate from but similar to Voodoo. -- Beginning
Obeah (also 'obia') is a term used to describe a myriad of shamanistic practices derived from different regions in Africa and conducted by independent ritual specialists. To my knowledge, there is no derogatory connotation to this term. In fact, research has shown that the term is probably related to the Igbo word, dbia, which refers to an 'adept'/'master' of knowledge and wisdomBrown 2003. Vivitutu (talk) 18:12, 7 May 2016 (UTC)
thread_title: Origins of the term

message: The Obeah article now begins with this: "This article is about West Indian religion and magic. For obeah within the context of Thelema, see Obeah and Wanga."  And it ends with "See also . . . Obeah and Wanga - the phrase 'Obeah and Wanga' as interpreted in [[Thelema]."  These articles are now clearly distinct.  Every book that mentions Obeah cannot be included here.  Hundreds of books, perhaps thousands, discuss Obeah, and we should not lead readers astray by giving a special section to one of those books, which mentions Obeah in one of its passages.  See the newly renovated section on Obeah in fiction and poetry for a more appropriate approach.
What follows below is the previous debate of this issue. Josh a brewer 19:06, 24 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Thelema and Obeah material removed 

message: Why does "valeren" redirect here?  Obeah was used as the name of a discipline for Vampire: The Masquerade, and the discipline had two forms, the other of which was called "Valeren".  It has no connection whatsoever to the religious practice of Obeah.  --138.163.0.44 (talk) 14:07, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Valeren Redirect 

message: From Wikipedia:Neutral point of view-
"Assert facts, including facts about opinions—but do not assert the opinions themselves. By 'fact' we mean 'a piece of information about which there is no serious dispute.'
In "The effects of Obeah'", this article states-
"As with any undeniable metaphysical power the effects of Obeah are very real and have been documented."
This is clearly an opinion, as plenty of things have been documented and have not been real. Also, the use of the term undeniable is not just opinionated but individually opinionated.
In "Myths and Misconceptions", this article states-
"The powers of a true Obeah Man are undeniable, and as such yes he is a force to be reckoned with... He has at his command a full range of tools, and abilities to manipulate metaphysical and spiritual energies at the behest of the deities. This gives him the power to destroy or create. His craft can be deadly, or compassionate."
Oh, come on. I'd call that way above and beyond asserting the opinions themselves. Completely not neutral.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Prettyb0y (talk • contribs) 05:31, 4 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  NPOV dispute [-The effects of Obeah'- and -Myths and Misconceptions-] 

message: One of my friends is from Jamaica, and he told me once that ritual magic in his home country is called obeah, "or some folks call it science."
Is 'science' a way of describing Obeah practices, or does it refer to a related but different set of beliefs and practices(Just as Obeah and Voudun are related but different)? I'm very curious. I hope someone knows.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.167.177.14 (talk) 09:01, 21 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Related to Science? 

message: I wanted to undo the revision (as of 14:13, 29 September 2008), because it simply changed the islands, but there are no citations in this section in either case.  I happen to know that some of the claims are based on fact, but that doesn't make them verifiable.  And these details are not location-based or bound to a single island, couple of islands, or Windward/Leeward portions of the archipelago.  What should be done?  We could remove the section entirely or rename it, but ideally, someone would cite relevant and reliable sources for the information found in the section that is now called "Obeah in Trinidad and Tobago." At the very least, the section should be renamed. Josh a brewer (talk) 23:18, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Specific Locations Should Be Removed 

message: Needs to be badly fixed. It's a mess. Trinis seem to think they the only country have the stilt walkers, which is not true. They appear in other countries, much like Mother Sally.  
Are jumbies seen as Obeah in Trinidad?. Is this true?
In guyana...jumbie just means ghost/spirit, and it is referred to as such by everyone, and has no special connection to obeah. I thought it was the same in the rest of the Caribbean
In Guyana the term obeah is seen a very negative, though people still supposedly do/use it. You would not want to be thought of as "wok obeah" on someone. It is used in talk/ language as doing harm rather that good. In in the rural parts of Guyana the African folk religion was very strong, and some people would have rituals similar to Santeria, (without the cutting of chicken heads) with everyone in white, with drumming, and anyone from the village can go. Spirits would get into people and they would dance. THIS IS NOT CONSIDERED OBEAH...again as obeah is considered to be negative  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Starbwoy (talk • contribs) 07:46, 21 March 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Obeah Trinidad / Guyana 

message: Should this article be in :Category:Shamanism of the Americas?  — SMcCandlish ☺ ☏ ¢ ≽ʌⱷ҅ᴥⱷʌ≼  18:24, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Shamanism category and link 

message: One thing this page fails to highlight is the importance of obeah as a method of agency, especially for Black women. While historic descriptions of this time tend to highlight gender differences in slave cultures, obi women were allowed to transcend gender boundaries, often featured as revolutionary. In many literatures, obi women stood out among other women as capable and independent, separate from other descriptions of women at this time. This page could better highlight the use of obeah and the historic descriptions of the practice of obeah in literature. 
Dhytaylor (talk) 15:02, 7 May 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Obi Women  

message: I created a workspace so that those interested can help improve the article.
Astronyte (talk) 22:21, 14 April 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Article Rewrite 

message: Would it be possible to re categorise this from "Afro-Jamaican into an actually accurate and non Jamaican centric term like British West Indian? Actually most of the articles regarding the British West Indies and pan-caribbean subjects have been defaced to have some sort of pro-Jamaican tinge which has no basis in reality. Obeah was well known in Barbados in the early 1800s as per "Barbados Assembly and Council, 30/18, no. 262, An Act for the Punishment of Such Slaves asShall be Found Practising Obeah, November 4, 1806" from SLAVE MEDICINE AND OBEAH IN BARBADOS, CIRCA 1650 TO 1834 by Jerome S. Handler
In fact according to the same source it was known there from the late 1700s "In the late 1780s, for example,Brathwaite reported the existence of Obeah practitioners, but asserted that during the preceding twenty years their "number has diminished greatly."
In fact Obeah is still practised in Barbados (and all over the West Indies) today http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/16687/voodoo-obeah-popular
This is deeply annoying because it is inaccurate and can only be seen as Jamaican propaganda. It would be great if all West Indian or Caribbean articles (particularly for the British West Indies) could be closely monitored for this kind of vandalism because the problem is extensive. I thought that wikipedia was supposed to be an encyclopedia, I didn't realise it was a brochure for any country to the detriment of facts. Iynx (talk) 22:18, 10 May 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Jamaican?