Mojo

Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet of African-American hoodoo practice, a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. 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 hand, mojo hand, conjure hand, lucky hand, conjure bag, trick bag, root bag, toby, jomo, and gris-gris bag.

How a mojo bag is made

Even though most Southern Style conjure bags are made out of red flannel material, most seasoned conjurers use color-symbolism. This practice embodies itself within the practice of hoodoo, where green flannel is used for a money mojo, white flannel is used for a baby-blessing mojo, red flannel is used for love mojo, and so on and so forth. West Indians also use mojo bags, but frequently use leather fabric. The contents of each bag vary directly with the aim of the conjurer. For example, a mojo carried for love-drawing will contain different ingredients than one for gambling luck or magical protection. Ingredients can include roots, herbs, animal parts, minerals, coins, crystals, good luck tokens, and carved amulets. The more personalized objects are used to add extra power because of the symbolic value.

Hiding the mojo

Mojos are traditionally made for an individual, and as such, must be carried on the person always out of sight. Men usually keep the trinkets hidden in the pants pocket, while women are more prone to clip it to the brassiere. They are also commonly pinned to clothes below the waist. Depending on the type of mojo, the hiding place will be crucial to its success, as those who make conjure bags to carry love spells sometimes specify that the mojo must be worn next to the skin. A story from the book For My People described the story of Moses, and the task he went through in order to bring his people out of slavery. It described how "Hoodoo Lost his Hand", as Moses' mojo was hidden through his staff. When he turned it into a snake, the pharaoh made his soothsayers and magicians create the same affect. As a result, the Pharaoh's snake was killed by Moses' snake; and that is how Hoodoo lost his hand.

Ideology behind the mojo

Gris Gris is the most commonly known synonym of Mojo, which literally means "fetish" or "charm",thus a gris gris bag is a charm bag.[citation needed] In the Caribbean, an almost identical African - derived bag is called a wanga or oanga bag, but that term is uncommon in the United States. 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. The word "hand" in this context is defined as a combination of ingredients. The term may derive from the use of finger and hand bones of the dead in Mojo bags made for various purposes, or from ingredients such as the Lucky Hand root (used for gamblers)to analogies between mixed ingredients and several cards that make up a "hand" in card games. Mojo reaches as far back as West African culture, where it is said to drive away evil spirits, keep good luck in the household, manipulate a fortune, and lure and persuade lovers. The ideology of the ancestors and the descendants of the Mojo hand used this "prayer in a bag" based on their belief of spiritual inheritance, where the omniscient forefathers of their families would provide protection and favor; especially when they used the Mojo. Through this, a strong belief was placed in the idealism of whomever used Mojo, creating a spiritual trust in the magic itself.