Hoodoo is a set of spiritual practices, traditions, and beliefs that were created by enslaved African Americans in the Southern United States from various traditional African spiritualities, Christianity, and elements of indigenous botanical knowledge). It is a form of hybrid African folk magic that often emphasizes the practical uses of magic for purposes such as money, relationship stress, and even landlords. Practitioners of Hoodoo are called rootworkers, conjure doctors, conjure man or conjure woman, and root doctors). Regional synonyms for Hoodoo include rootwork and conjure).
Hoodoo is not a religion, but rather a set of magical practices. It has no organizational structure and is practiced by individuals who claim to have certain magical powers. Hoodoo practitioners work with a number of tools, such as candles, curios, roots, and herbs. Ancestor veneration is particularly important in Hoodoo. Although not a formal religion, Hoodoo does blend in faith beliefs from different religions into its traditions. For example, practitioners often call upon Roman Catholic saints, biblical characters such as Moses, or even Native American spirits to aid them in casting their spells.
The origin of the word "Hoodoo" is obscure, but some believe it originated as an alteration of the word Voodoo, which has its origin in the Gbe languages such as Ewe language, Adja language, and Fon languages of Ghana Togo and Benin – referring to divinity). The first documentation of the word "Hoodoo" in the English language appeared in 1870). Its roots stem from a combination of West African folk traditions, Native American practices, and European folklore and magick practices.
Todays practitioners of Hoodoo are predominantly Black women, including mothers, daughters, college-aged, and elders. Hoodoo is an African American-based tradition that makes use of natural and supernatural elements to create and effect change in the human experience). It is a unique and powerful form of spiritual practice deeply rooted in African American culture and the ancient ritual of ancestral worship.
