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Concept
Mojo (African-American culture)
Summary
A mojo (ˈmoʊdʒoʊ), in the African-American spiritual practice called Hoodoo, is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is a "prayer in a bag", or a spell that can be carried with or on the host's body. Alternative American names for the mojo bag include gris-gris bag, hand, mojo hand, toby, nation sack, conjure hand, lucky hand, conjure bag, juju bag, trick bag, tricken bag, root bag, and jomo. The word mojo also refers to magic and charms. Mojo containers are bags, gourds, bottles, shells, and other containers. The making of mojo bags in Hoodoo is a system of African-American occult magic. The creation of mojo bags is an esoteric system that involves sometimes housing spirits inside of bags for either protection, healing, or harm and to consult with spirits. Other times mojo bags are created to manifest results in a person's life such as good-luck, money or love.
The word mojo is believed to be derived from the Kikongo word mooyo, meaning "to the spirits that dwelt within magical charms." It refers to the cavity of a nkisi, where magical items are normally stored. Alternative words for mojo, such as gris-gris (primarily used in Louisiana) and wanga (primarily used in the Caribbean) have roots in the Mande language and the Kikongo language, respectively. The word conjure is an ancient alternative to "hoodoo", which is a direct variation of African-American folklore. Because of this, a conjure hand is also considered a hoodoo bag, usually made by a respected community conjure doctor.
Beginning in the twentieth century, the word mojo was appropriated and misused by white Americans in movies and songs to refer to sexuality and virility. White American musicians use the word 'mojo' without knowing its meaning within African-American culture and use the word out of its cultural context. In the Gullah community, the word mojo refers to magic and a conjure bag.
Central and West Africans all practiced the spiritual art of creating conjure bags for protection, healing and to communicate with spirits.
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