introduction | 19th century hoodoo | 20th century hoodoo | 21st century hoodoo
African American Spirituality has taken diverse forms over the years. Much has been written about Black Churches and the African religious traditions of the diaspora. Less, however, is available on the subject of Black magical spirituality, as exemplified in Hoodoo, Conjure, Rootwork, and Candle Burning.
Southern Spirits brings the ghost-voices of our magical past into the modern age. These are our spiritual ancestors speaking -- both as others heard them and as they told the world about themselves. Listen!
The material at this site was gathered from a variety of sources, including old books, magazine articles, newspapers, and even fragments extracted from novels and short stories. It is heavily annotated with interpretive and comparative notes, especially distinguishing between narratives told *by* practitioners and narratives *about* them, particularly when the latter are recounted by derogatory or "amused" white observers.
These texts are intended to function as a factual resource for scholars and students, and to serve as an adjunct to my online books "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice" and "Hoodoo and Blues Lyrics," as well as my in-print book "Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic, a Materia Magica of African-American Conjure." They are also recommended reading for students taking my practical Correspondence Course in Hoodoo Rootwork Magic Course.
WARNING: Some material at this web site was written by
European-Americans who were describing African-American
spirituality as outsiders. Some of these authors were racist
or race-derogatory and the conclusions they drew while
writing their eye-witness accounts are grossly offensive.
However, their texts are included in full because they
accurately describe practices and customs of the
African-American South during the 19th century (albeit not
always with complete understanding) -- and they also serve as
a political reminder of how far we have some in our struggle
for race equality and respect in the ensuing years. Read
with caution and compassion. All pages that are potentially
offensive will contain this WARNING NOTICE.
I would like to thank the following people for their help in locating, loaning,
photocopying, and/or typing material for this archive:
Jeff Anderson, Eoghan Ballard, Ilya Davidovich, C. L. Green, Jon Hughett,
Chris "Out Skerries" Smith, nagasiva yronwode --
-- and the keepers of other internet archives, credited on their respective pages,
who have allowed me to copy material from their general-purpose electronic files
and annotate it here for the present specialized purposes
The material collected at this site is in the public domain or is used by permission;
the format, editing, illustrations, annotations, html,
and layout are protected by copyright and may not be
mirrored to another site. Please respect the time it took to
create this archive and do not copy the pages; rather,
please link your own site to
Thank you.
ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAGIC AND SPIRITUALITY
Hag-Riding and Witchcraft
from "Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave" (1825).
Uncle Frank, a Fortune Teller Slave in Missouri
from "Narrative of William W. Brown, An American Slave" (1847).
On the Use of Roots and Powders Among the Slaves
from "Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave" (1849).
A 19th century African-American Spiritualist and Rosicrucian describes Hoodoo and Voodoo
from "Seership! The Magnetic Mirror" (1870).
"Voudooism -- African Fetich Worship Among The Memphis Negroes"
from "The Memphis Appeal" [newspaper] (circa 1865 - 1867, cited by P. B. Randolph, 1870).
"Negro Superstitions"
from "Lippincott's Magazine" #6 (1870).
A Hoodoo Charm From Baltimore
from "Catholic World" [magazine] (June 1886).
"New Orleans Superstitions"
from "Harper's Weekly" [magazine] (December 1886).
"Voodooism in Philadelphia"
from The Journal of American Folklore [magazine] (April - June, 1889)
"Voodooism in Tennessee"
from "The Atlantic Monthly" [magazine] (September 1889).
Luck-Balls (Jack Balls)
from "Voodoo Tales as Told Among the Negroes of the Southwest,
Collected from Original Sources" (1893).
Ignorance, Superstition, and Voodooism of the Colored People
from "The New Man: Twenty-Nine Years a Slave, Twenty-Nine Years a Free Man" (1895).
"Dr. Sam"
from "Songs and Other Verse" (1896).
ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAGIC AND SPIRITUALITY
"Seize Price Lists Of Voodoo Doctor": List of Spiritual Supplies sold by D. Alexander of Brooklyn, NY
from "The New York Times" [newspaper], August 14, 1925.
Silver Dime For Protection, from "Oklahoma Slave Narratives"
Interview conducted for the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration, circa 1936.
Tales of Conjure and Luck, from "Georgia Slave Narratives"
Two interviews conducted by Minnie B. Ross for the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration, 1936, 1937.
Live Things In You, from "Arkansas Slave Narratives"
Two interviews conducted by S. S. Taylow for the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration, 1937.
Live Things in You, from "Indiana Slave Narratives"
Interview conducted by Lauana Creel for the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration, 1937.
Hoodoo in New Orleans, Court Case Spell, Madame Papaloose
Interview conducted by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress, 1938.
Live Things in You and Seeing Ghosts, from "Texas Slave Narratives"
Interview conducted for the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration, circa 1939.
Hoodoo in South-Western Tennessee, from "Mississippi Slave Narratives"
Interview conducted for the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration, circa 1939.
The "Joe Mow" in Florida
Interviews conducted by Stetson Kennedy for the Works Progress Administration, August 19, 1939.
"Holy Oil": List of Spiritual Supplies sold by Rev. Charles P. Colbert of Detroit, MI
from "Time" [magazine], September 25, 1939.
"Ancient Beliefs Still Alive In Georgia": Rootworkers and Candle Shops in the Macon Area
from "The Macon [GA] Telegraph" [newspaper] circa 2000.
ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAGIC AND SPIRITUALITY
"Hoodoo Highway": Bottle Spells to Reverse Witchcraft in Lafayette, LA.
from "The [Baton Rouge, LA] Advocate" [newspaper] Friday, September 3, 2004.
Illustrated with a photo by Bryan Tuck.
"An Annotated Bibliography of Hoodoo Source Material"
from "Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic" (Lucky Mojo Curio Co., 2002)
Hoodoo rootwork revealed in the lyrics of 20th century rural acoustic blues music.
collected and transcribed by catherine yronwode and friends
An online book teaching the history and practice of conjure rootwork.
written by catherine yronwode
Detailed lists of herbs and roots used in conjure and herb magic, with spells.
written by catherine yronwode
Usenet articles about African-American folk magic.
collected by nagasiva yronwode
Hoodoo is a living craft; this shop supplies spiritual workers around the world.
mail-order retail and wholesale. 6632 Covey Road, Forestville, CA 95436. (707) 887-1521.
The archivist of Southern Spirits.
author, teacher, proprietor of the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
is copyright © 2004 by catherine yronwode. All rights reserved.
Southern Spirits -- http://www.southern-spirits.com
