Uncle
Monday was a medicine man from Africa, brought over with the slave
trade to South Carolina where he escaped and went to Florida to live
among the Seminoles and maroons. He brought his crocodile medicine with
him. We know the Seminoles hold the alligator very sacred as well and
like Uncle Monday’s crocodile medicine, they have their alligator
medicine.
Legend says that Uncle Monday refused to surrender to
the whites, even though he said the spirits told him resistance was
futile. But he swore he would never submit to slavery or death at the
hands of whites and said he would change himself into an alligator until
the wars were over. Then he would come forth from the waters in peace.
So the Seminoles held a ceremony for his transformation. As he
danced to the drum beats, his legs began to become shorter and his face
longer, his skin became scaly and his voice changed to thunder. He began
to bellow, and in response hundreds of gators bellowed and came up from
the swamp…thousands of gators actually, so the story goes. They lined
up in two lines leaving a space between them.
Uncle Monday
turned into the biggest gator of them all and he sauntered in between
the two rows of gators and slid right into the water. As he let out the
loudest bellow, all of the other gators slid into the water after him.
And that's how Uncle Monday changed himself into an alligator.
They say he still lives in the swamps and every now and again he comes
from the water and changes back into a man, walking among the living
casting all sorts of spells—good and bad.
Now, there was this
old lady name Judy Bronson, she went around bragging that Uncle Monday
was no better a hoodoo doctor than she was. She said she could not only
undo any spell he cast, but she could throw it right back at him.
Uncle Monday heard about her bragging and said "The foolishness of tongues is higher than mountains!"
One day, Judy wanted to go fishing at Blue Sink, which is the lake
where Uncle Monday had been seen and was believed to live. Folks warned
her about going there because they say Blue Sink is bottomless and a
dangerous place. But, being the arrogant old lady she was, she insisted
on going. So, she got to Blue Sink at sundown and tossed in her baited
pole. No sooner did it hit the water than did she feel a pull on it. A
BIG pull. So BIG she was scared as a cat in a dog pound and paralyzed
with fear.
Old Judy's biggest fears were the dark and the
water—and there she was at sundown, near the water, being pulled in by a
force she couldn’t resist. She couldn't move - her legs were frozen. Somehow she found the strength to scream and
as she did, a bright beam of light shone upon her. At this point, you
may think that the light helped others find her and rescue her…BUT… No
such luck.
Old Judy looked up and as she did, she saw Uncle
Monday walking across the water like Jesus, dressed in flowing robes and
marching right towards her with an army of gators behind him. He walked
up to her and said "I brought you here, and here you will stay until
you get off your high horse and admit that you can't do no such magic as
me."
Soon, the light faded and it was black as night. Uncle
Monday and his army of gators slid back into the water, leaving one
gator behind to stand guard with Judy. He edged right up to her so she
could feel his scaly skin. She couldn't help but touch him with every
breath she took.
Old Judy hated more than anything—even more
than the dark and the water at this point—to give in to Uncle Monday's
challenge. But she was too scared to let her pride get in the way. So,
first she admitted to herself that she was not as big and bad a hoodoo
doctor as Uncle Monday. Then, she shouted it out loud: “I AIN’T AS BIG
AND BAD A HOODOO DOCTOR AS UNCLE MONDAY!”
As soon as she said
it out loud, the gator that was on guard quickly swam off into the
darkness and that’s when Old Judy heard her grandma calling for her.
Within a few minutes, some of the locals found her and lifted her out of
the water and carried her home. The people tried to tell her that she
fell and had a stroke; but, Old Judy, she knew differently, of course.
Well, after that swamp scrape Old Judy threw away all of her
Voodoo and hoodoo stuff. From them on she said she had Uncle Monday to
thank for being able to walk again.
Uncle Monday still walks
through the countryside as a man, but he always changes back to a gator
and swims in the waters, keeping an eye on things, especially arrogant
folks.
When he goes back into the waters, all of the other
gators start to bellowing and carrying on... and when the people hear
that, they know Uncle Monday has returned to the waters and they can
breathe a sigh of relief again.
~Oral tradition
Copyright 2010-2012 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Please ask if you would like to repost this article.
Denise Alvarado www.planetvoodoo.com,
www.crossroadsuniversity.com, published author, Educated, artist, internet. I`ll
endeavor to remove any and all negative comments I`ve made about her and her
businesses or work. The truth is that I do admire Denise`s artistic talents, and
I`ve always found her to be an intelligent and congenial person. I do not want
to feel this kind of anger or pain any longer, and I don`t want to block
Denise`s ability to make a living. And so I would urge others to go ahead and
order from her. I regret this whole experience and I will do whatever I can to
heal the hurt of it.
Copyright 2012, Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide.
The gris gris tradition first arrived in New Orleans in the 1720s with
the arrival of the first Senegambian slaves. It is a unique
characteristic of New Orleans Voodoo and an interesting and important
facet of New Orleans' cultural history. The knowledge of making charms,
amulets, wangas, and poisons - all part of New Orleans gris gris - was
brought to New Orleans by the Muslim marabouts and by traditional
Africans from Central Africa.
Gris gris is mostly known as akin to a mojo bag, but as I have written about in Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly, on my various blogs and Examiner.com column and in the Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook, it comes in many forms. "Gris gris" can be a noun and a verb just like the word "hoodoo". Gris gris can consist of animal parts, powdered insects and herbs, can be placed in a bag or a toby and can be deployed in foot track magic. It can smeared on door knobs, sprinkled on floors, sheets, and clothing, and blown in the face to be inhaled by some unfortunate target. Gris gris can be made and used as a tool using the principles of
sympathetic and contagious magic, and it can be made to house a spirit.
As such it is alive upon the completion of its creation. Gris gris can be used for positive works such as healing and relationships, drawing money and self empowerment, and it can be used for more nefarious purposes like revenge and harm. It even has a history as being used as a weapon of war (see Diouf, 1998; Hall, 1992; and Walter & Friedman, 2004 for more historical discussion about gris gris used defensively).
One form gris gris takes that is never written about is its use in liquid form. In the past, when gris gris was used as a means of self defense against cruel slave masters, or as a weapon of war, it was made into a potion or liquid. One formula included snake venom mixed with copper and clay into which talons of birds of prey were dipped and used as a weapon. Another way consisted of writing words of power onto a smooth surface and then washing them off with water into a cup and clandestinely given to a target. Its use as a poison is no longer practiced but there are documented
cases of its use in such a fashion dating as far back as the early 1720s
(Superior Council, 1729).
I love this liquid means of deployment - how ingenious! I like it so much I have adapted the method for putting the gris gris on a lover who consents to it. Check it out.
Liquid Gris Gris
This gris gris should only be done with the express consent of the target person. It can be used in a lover's pact to profess one's commitment to the relationship, for example.
First, you have to make an edible ink. To do this, use a cup of the juice of blackberries or pomegranates and cook it down on the stove on low heat with a bit of sugar. Place the liquid in a saucepan and cover it, cook on medium heat and slowly bring to a boil. Then, simmer it and stir the liquid uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it reduces down to approximately 2 tablespoons of a syrupy consistency. This takes quite some time to do so be patient...but it also gives you time to pray your intention over the ink and to focus. If your partner is present when you are making the ink, which I highly recommend - both parties should be part of the process - take turns stirring the potion and speaking kind and loving words to each other, and speak of the improvements in your relationship you would like to make.
Once the potion is of a thick consistency take a chopstick and dip it into the ink and write on a mirror an agreed upon pact, such as "forever faithful, honest and supportive". This pact can be written in Theban (the Witch's Alphabet) to enhance the magical quality of the work. In the past, passages from the Koran would be used, or the words would be written in Arabic, or in symbols of the particular African tradition. In New Orleans, this has been replaced by some practitioners with the use of the Theban Alphabet. Allow the pact to harden.
Using the juice of a pomegranate or red wine, gently wash the words off of the mirror into a glass. Take turns sipping from the love gris gris you have just made together. The pact has been internalized both spiritually and physically and will have a profoundly positive psychological effect on the relationship as a result.
Copyright 2010-2012 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Please ask if you would like to repost this article.
I have gotten quite a bit of flack for putting forth the question, Is Hoodoo still Hoodoo without the Bible? The flack comes from folks who are of the mindset that they "know" the true rootwork and Hoodoo tradition and that it MUST include the Bible in order to be "real" rootwork/conjure/Hoodoo. I reject that notion. I have always rejected that notion and I reject it more today than ever.
My point is that Africans did not come to these shores with Bibles in their hands. They came with their crude wooden fetishes, their gris gris, their bilongo. Some came with the Koran. A minority may have been converted to Christianity while still in Africa, but was the conversion natural? I mean, were Africans willing and wanting to convert from their traditional religions? Or were they, as the man in the clip below states, "converted at the end of a whip?"
Recently, there was a person subscribed to the Crossroads University email list who quit that list because she interpreted my stance as being antiChristian. This is the text from the Crossroads University website from which an email was excerpted that offended the individual:
"Our curriculum does not focus on Christian aspects of Hoodoo and conjure; rather, we focus on the spiritual and healing technologies of our ancestors as they were prior to Christian influences. Christianity is explored in its appropriate cultural context as a mechanism of colonization and cultural genocide. The adaptation of Christian precepts to Southern conjure is a phenomenon that occurred as a direct result of colonization, a process deserving of much needed attention...To teach indigenous spiritual and healing technologies without examining the historical contexts in which they are situated, however, is tantamount to cultural appropriation, evidence of ongoing colonial institutionalization and the perpetuation of a current narrative that is defined by nonindigenous and non African-descended people. We reject the notion that Hoodoo is not Hoodoo without the Bible. On the contrary, it is much, much more."
You can read more of our philosophy on our website.
This person, no doubt a Christian, was offended, apparently. Okay, that's fine, they are entitled to their feelings. I am also however, entitled to speak the truth based on historical facts and if history offends you, then well it should.
Stating the facts is not being antiChristian. It is bringing to light the historical truth. The truth is that there is an ugly history with regards to Christianity and Hoodoo and my point is that if you want to learn from Crossroads University, you will also learn about this history. Those of you who are students know that we do not bad mouth the Bible or Christianity in any of our courses and in fact, we teach about the Saints and the psalms and Catholic elements quite a bit because Catholicism is deeply intertwined with Voodoo and Hoodoo in New Orleans. A direct result of the Black Code ( a perfect example of institutionalized colonization); but deeply connected nonetheless. And yes, as a student you will also see that we explore Protestant characteristics and the presence of the prophets in present day Hoodoo as well.
Over time, many folks adapted and adopted Christian concepts to the original indigenous beliefs and practices. Many...but not all. I have mixed feelings about this; on the one hand, it speaks to the resiliency of Africans and Native Americans (who suffered similarly) which I completely honor and respect. On the other hand, it makes me very sad to know that my ancestors were forced to practice a religion they did not want to practice and many suffered and died as a result.
Ninety-eight percent of the people online who are the most vocal about the absolute role of Christianity in Hoodoo are White. Since when did White folks get the front seat on the narrative of an indigenous tradition? Well, since the advent of colonization...that's how it goes. Back then, our ancestors didn't have a choice - they had no voice. Today is different. We have a voice and it is our responsibility to give voice to our ancestors.
Some of you reading this may think I am coming across as a bit racist. Not so. There is the issue of race in our history and its time we talked about it since everyone and their brother is selling our tradition and taking license to redefine it for us. Some of you will no doubt say color doesn't matter, that Hoodoo is a multicultural and multiracial tradition. Tell that to the young black man walking down the street in a hoodie nowadays. Tell that to the Native American whose sacrament is still considered illegal in many respects and possession of it is considered a crime. Color does matter; why do we take great pains to describe Hoodoo as multicultural if it doesn't?
It is out of respect that I bring this discussion to the forefront yet again. I do not deny the role of Christianity in Hoodoo and rootwork as we know it today. It's time for others to quit denying the ugly truth of the historical evolution of the tradition as well.
A few months ago I saw a clip from a new documentary "Ancestral Voices" that really resonated with me. Here is a clip from that documentary that I will be reviewing in an upcoming issue of Hoodoo and Conjure Magazine that speaks to the ideas I present in this article.
Copyright 2010-2012 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Please ask if you would like to repost this article.
