This Samhain I visited New Orleans and so in honor of my trip, I thought I would do a post on Voodoo and Hoodoo and many of the misunderstandings that follow them.
Voodoo seems best known for Voodoo dolls, or fetish poppets used in the likeness of another in order to work magic on that person. Voodoo dolls are in movies, books, video games, escape rooms, and more. But usually that is all that is ever really portrayed of Voodoo and usually it is in a negative connotation thereby giving the religion a dark and evil feeling. However, there is so much more to Voodoo than that. Voodoo is an intricate and fascinating religion with its own system of gods, rituals, and magic and its devotees are very passionate about their practice. Unfortunately, all most people ever see are the negative aspects due to misinformation or Hollywood portrayals and so that is all the general populace know about them.
Both Voodoo and Hoodoo are a melting pot of different beliefs, practices and religious elements; both have roots in Africa with aspects of ancient worship. This is where their similarities cease. Although Hoodoo and Voodoo sound similar, their meaning is different and relates to how the practice is slightly altered. The main difference between these magic practices is that the Voodoo is actually a religion followed by many people while Hoodoo is considered folk magic.
Voodoo is a religion that has two markedly different branches – New Orleans/Louisiana Voodoo and Haitan Vodou. The word Voodoo has African origins, meaning “God” or “spirit”. Voodoo, as a religion, is an organized institution with established practices like religious representatives or leaders, teachings, and religious services or rituals. It’s this organization that makes Voodoo and Hoodoo different. Hoodoo has its base in folk magic and folk traditions calling on Loas (gods/spirits) using the saints from Roman Catholicism; whereas Voodoo invoke Loas using African deities. If you are ever in doubt, Voodoo practitioners don’t worship through the Catholic Saints and that will be the difference you look look for. The specific term ascribed to a Voodoo practitioner is a Vodouisant, while Hoodoo practitioners are often referred to as root doctors or healers. Aside from being a religion, voodoo is also a culture and a way of life. Hoodoo often specializes only in magic powers and the benefits that the magic can bring. Hoodoo can also be practiced as a hobby, an economic income, or a charity act.
Louisiana Voodoo is often confused with Haitian Vodou and Deep Southern Hoodoo, but, while related to these forms of the religion, is a belief system of its own. 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 and voodoo dolls were introduced to American. Voodoo is essentially the root from which Hoodoo grew because of the persecution of followers, but for those who are followers of Voodoo it’s more than just a religion, it’s a way of life, a core facet of their daily lives. Voodoo is very popular in areas like Mississippi and Louisiana, being most famously noted in New Orleans. Voodoo was brought to the US from Haiti which was a former French colony. Hoodoo however, was brought by those who were bound into servitude from Africa. Voodoo is a structured and established Haitian religion and represents an important part of the Haitian culture. Voodoo is a religion, and like most religions, it has many different variations and differing practices. There is Louisianan Voodoo, Haitian Vodou, West African Vodun, and Dominican Vudu’. When Africans were brought to America for slave trade, they didn’t leave their religions at home, all of their practices and beliefs stayed with them. However, they were not allowed to practice their own religions in the new world so the traditional African religions were blended with the religious practices of slave owners, as to escape scrutiny but still show loyalty to their roots. The French occupied area of Louisiana was ruled by Catholicism, which is similar in many ways to the traditional African religions, which allowed a sort of ‘blending’ of the two. African deities were paired with Catholic Saints, to secretly still practice traditional religions. Thus, Louisiana Voodoo was born.
Voodoo is sometimes considered to be purer than Hoodoo, but Hoodoo is actually a denomination of Voodoo – like Catholicism is a denomination of Christianity. Voodoo influences so many areas of society from music and art to justice and language and from medicine to spirituality. It reaches far and deep into people’s lives whereas Hoodoo is only a small part of Voodoo and tends to focus on the spiritual aspect more than anything else.
Hoodoo is a form of magic, NOT a religion, and rather a set of practices that draw heavily from folk magic, especially those which originated on West Africa and tends to be practiced in Louisiana, though its practice is not exclusive to that region. It is a folk magic that lacks religious organization and foundation. Hoodoo, also known as Lowcountry Voodoo, is a traditional African American spirituality that developed from a number of West African spiritual traditions and beliefs. The word Hoodoo stems from Hudu, which is the name of a language and a Ewe tribe in Togo and Ghana. The Hoodoo could be manifest in a healing potion, or in the exercise of a para-psychological power, or as the cause of harm which befalls the targeted victim. In African-American English, Hoodoo is often used to refer to a paranormal consciousness or spiritual hypnosis, a spell, but Hoodoo may also be used as an adjective for a practitioner, such as “Hoodoo man”. Hoodoo believers invoke the Lord by using Catholic saints or ancestors. Hoodoo is practiced mostly by Roman Catholics who believe in both the Catholic saints and the African concept of gods. Those who practice Hoodoo are also followers of a deep spiritualism. Many Hoodoo practitioners are often drawn to other spiritual practices or traditions too. The purpose of Hoodoo was to allow people access to supernatural forces to improve their lives. Known Hoodoo spells date back to the 1800s. Spells are dependent on the intention of the practitioner and reading or interpretation of the client. As in many other spiritual and medical folk practices, extensive use is made of herbs, minerals, parts of animals’ bodies, an individual’s possessions and bodily fluids, especially menstrual blood, urine, saliva, and semen. Hoodoo is practiced based on the person’s inclinations, desires and intentions. With access to the Loas the Hoodoo practitioner can access the knowledge of the Gods and other supernatural beings to help in a wide range of areas in their life – from love, abundance and luck to banishing, protection, and warding. Contact with ancestors or other spirits of the dead is an important practice within the conjure tradition and the recitation of psalms from the Bible is also considered spiritually influential in Hoodoo. Due to Hoodoo’s great emphasis on an individual’s spiritual power to effect desired change in the course of events, Hoodoo’s principles are believed to be accessible for use by any individual of faith. Hoodoo practice does not require a formally designated minister.
However, both Voodoo and Hoodoo are expansively performed and have similar roots and elements in Africa. Voodoo is the original religion, while the Hoodoo remains as a result of religious oppression. Hoodoo is a spiritual blending mix of foreign beliefs and religion with African roots created to hide the Pagan origins which were is seen as unacceptable in a society lead by the Christians.
I hope this has been informative for anyone interested these practices or just helpful in case you weren’t aware!
From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,
