Great post - but I don't know if I agree with you 100% here....
First, let's make sure to differentiate "Louisiana Voodoo," West African "Vodun" and Haitian "Vodu/Vodou."
"Louisiana Voodoo" or just "Voodoo" -- and Haitian "Vodu/Vodou" come from "West African Vodun."
"Louisiana Voodoo" is similar - but not the same as Haitian Vodou." As Lousiana Voodoo is watered down-- and what white people (and a lot of Black ones too) think of when they think of Voodoo dolls and curse, etc.
Speaking on "Hoodoo" and "Conjure" only -- since that is what I know most about -- is rooted in African Traditional beliefs and religions. Many enslaved Africans -
did indeed hold on to their African Religious beliefs --
some just didn't know that they were "African" and that they came from their ancestors who were brought over.
Hoodoo is a mixture of West African beliefs and practices. "Hoodoo
" stems from
Hudu, which is the name of a language and a
Ewe tribe in
Togo and
Ghana.
Yes, Christianity was used and intertwined with "Hoodoo" by many ---- but not everyone uses -- or has used Christian beliefs when practicing "Hoodoo."
Especially, during our ancestors enslavement and after -- as many were not reading the Bible, or repeating Psalms -- or praying to Jesus.
On European Folk Magick:
I am always confused and intrigued when people say "Hoodoo" has "European Folk Magick" -- I don't understand how - when the enslaved had their own beliefs and had to doctor themselves. Those beliefs became "hoodoo."
If you are talking about Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses -- Yes -- it was used and incorporated by many who practiced "hoodoo" later on -- but many didn't used it at all. Cause they couldn't read -- and didn't have access to the book.
Sixth and Seventh Moses was not used by us until the mid/late 1920s-early 30's. That is when Black Spiritualism started to pop off really heavy -- with the help of The Great Migration.
Southern AA's hoodoo - not New Orleans/Louisiana is ROOTED in a mixture of African practices only -- not a specific African religion per say. But, with time the bible was used.
But, New Orleans/Louisiana Voodoo is
syncretized with the Catholic and Francophone culture of New Orleans as a result of the African cultural oppression in the region resulting from the Atlantic slave trade. Louisiana Voodoo is often confused with—but is not completely separable from—Haitian Vodou and Deep Southern Hoodoo. It differs from Haitian Vodou in its emphasis upon gris-gris, Voodoo queens, use of Hoodoo paraphernalia, and Li Grand Zombi. It was through Louisiana Voodoo that such terms as gris-gris (a Wolof term)[citation needed] and "Voodoo dolls"' were introduced into the American lexicon.
And many used "Hoodoo" and called it "Roots" -- or the "Root Doctor" -- as
@King Khufu mentioned. Also, when they used "roots" - as folk-healing/doctoring many went to "Hoodoo" or "Root" doctors and/or "mid-wives" -- for the items - or instructions.
Ms. Hurston acknowledges this:
More on Hoodoo:
According to Carolyn Morrow Long, "At the time of the slave trade, the traditional nature-centered religions of West and Central Africa were characterized by the concept that human well-being is governed by spiritual balance, by devotion to a supreme creator and a pantheon of lesser deities, by veneration and propitiation of the ancestors, and by the use of charms to embody spiritual power. . . . In traditional West African thought, the goal of all human endeavor was to achieve balance." Several African spiritual traditions recognized a genderless supreme being who created the world, was neither good nor evil, and which did not concern itself with the affairs of mankind. Lesser spirits were invoked to gain aid for humanity's problems.[8]
Since the 19th century there has been Christian influence in hoodoo thought.[7] This is particularly evident in relation to God's providence and his role in retributive justice. For example, though there are strong ideas of good versus evil, cursing someone to cause their death might not be considered a malignant act. One practitioner explained it as follows:
"[In h]oodooism, anythin' da' chew do is de plan of God undastan', God have somepin to do wit evah' thin' you do if it's good or bad, He's got somepin to do wit it ... jis what's fo' you, you'll git it."[9]
"([In h]oodooism, anything that you do is the plan of God, understand? God has something to do with everything that you do whether it's good or bad, he's got something to do with it... You'll get what's coming to you)"
Not only is the Yahweh's providence a factor in hoodoo practice, but hoodoo thought understands that deity as the archetypal hoodoo doctor. On this matter Zora Neal Hurston stated, "The way we tell it, hoodoo started way back there before everything. Six days of magic spells and mighty words and the world with its elements above and below was made."[10] From this perspective, biblical figures are often recast as hoodoo doctors and the Bible becomes a source of spells and is, itself, used as a protective talisman.[11] This can be understood as a syncretic adaptation for the religion. By blending the ideas laid out by the Christian Bible, the faith is made more acceptable. This combines the teachings of Christianity that Africans brought to America were given and the traditional beliefs they brought with them.
