This, however, created fertile ground for a quiet resurgence of an old tradition.
Its a tradition for healing, but I always add harm to that, she says.
It was also a source of defense against whatever affliction slavery brought.
Thats a controversial statement, Dr. Chireau says.
Most hoodoo practitioners today say: We need it just as much as we needed it during slavery.
Private Facebook groups allowed newbie practitioners and elders to speak freely back then, she says.
Juju Bae is the host of A Little Juju Podcast, a popular series that explores hoodoo and African traditional religions.
Its been amazing to witness.
As for this most recent groundswell in popularity, Bae isnt surprised.
Quinetta*, 29, who was raised Christian, says her relationship with hoodoo started during the pandemic.
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
I remember doing that, and answers just started coming.
Quinettas journey toward hoodoo (and away from Christianity) reflects broader trends among millennials.
However, Americans are reassessing their relationship with organized religion.
ThePew Research Centerreports that people with no religious affiliation increased by 6 percent from 2016.
Additionally, the number of self-identified Christians has fallen by about 12 percentage points over the last decade.
Juju Bae is the host of A Little Juju Podcast, a popular series that explores hoodoo and African traditional religions.
Young people are turning away from Christianity, Dr. Chireau says.
But theyre seeking something in their own ancestral lineage.
This connection to their ancestors is something both Bae and Quinetta value in their hoodoo practices.
Some days, Quinetta sits in front of an ancestor altar that features many women in her family.
Sometimes, she reaches for her Bible, she says, looking for a Psalm to soothe her soul.
For Bae, looking to those who came before allows her to see herself more clearly.
Those are my elders.
Literally, those are my grandparents.
Those are my great-grandparents.
So I, quite literally, feel at home because Im honoring who I came from, she says.
Black people have been doing that for a very long time.
That gives me pride.
That makes me feel safe.
That makes me feel comfortable.
[Young people] are re-imagining themselves in the tradition, Dr. Chireau says.
I think, intuitively, thats what people are doing.
They dont have all the pieces, so theyre taking whatever they can, which is entirely appropriate.
However, the improvisation that undergirds hoodoo also makes it vulnerable to appropriation.
Additionally, white people actively discredited the practice.
Practices melded seamlessly into the Black church and Black culture overall.
Elders mightve worked with roots and petitioned ancestors just as easily as they spoke in tongues during Sunday service.
Psalmsa book in the Old Testamentisoften used in hoodoo conjure work.
Quinetta, who is still negotiating her overall relationship with Christianity, says this tension doesnt deter her.
This is why [hoodoo] is ours, Quinetta says.
…
Got it, you’ve been added to our email list.
