Stories of Rootworkers & Hoodoo in the Mid-South
Separate fact from fiction in this history of African healers, spiritualists, and conjurers in the mid-southern United States.

Men and women who carried the mantle of African healing and spirituality in the Mid-South were frequently accused and attacked for their misunderstood culture. The same healers and spiritual workers feared by outsiders were embraced and revered by families who survived because of their presence. From Tennessee to Mississippi, ancient formulas and potions were integral parts of the African American community. Follow author Tony Kail as he takes us down the back roads of rural counties, where healers formulated miracles in mojo bags, and into the cities, where conjurers spoke to the spirits of the dead.

“If true mystery and fascinating cultures move you, you'll be thunderstruck by this book . . . . Vast numbers of Africans were brought to this region in chains from their native lands, moved cross country from the Atlantic coast, and inland from Jamaica, Haiti, and the Caribbean. They brought with them their religious and faith healing practices. Tony Kail, cultural anthropologist and ethnographer, writer and lecturer, brings his nearly three decades of study of ancient faith healing (hoodoo) and herbal beliefs to bear in this remarkable work.” —Decatur Daily
1131628010
Stories of Rootworkers & Hoodoo in the Mid-South
Separate fact from fiction in this history of African healers, spiritualists, and conjurers in the mid-southern United States.

Men and women who carried the mantle of African healing and spirituality in the Mid-South were frequently accused and attacked for their misunderstood culture. The same healers and spiritual workers feared by outsiders were embraced and revered by families who survived because of their presence. From Tennessee to Mississippi, ancient formulas and potions were integral parts of the African American community. Follow author Tony Kail as he takes us down the back roads of rural counties, where healers formulated miracles in mojo bags, and into the cities, where conjurers spoke to the spirits of the dead.

“If true mystery and fascinating cultures move you, you'll be thunderstruck by this book . . . . Vast numbers of Africans were brought to this region in chains from their native lands, moved cross country from the Atlantic coast, and inland from Jamaica, Haiti, and the Caribbean. They brought with them their religious and faith healing practices. Tony Kail, cultural anthropologist and ethnographer, writer and lecturer, brings his nearly three decades of study of ancient faith healing (hoodoo) and herbal beliefs to bear in this remarkable work.” —Decatur Daily
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Stories of Rootworkers & Hoodoo in the Mid-South

Stories of Rootworkers & Hoodoo in the Mid-South

by Tony Kail
Stories of Rootworkers & Hoodoo in the Mid-South

Stories of Rootworkers & Hoodoo in the Mid-South

by Tony Kail

eBook

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Overview

Separate fact from fiction in this history of African healers, spiritualists, and conjurers in the mid-southern United States.

Men and women who carried the mantle of African healing and spirituality in the Mid-South were frequently accused and attacked for their misunderstood culture. The same healers and spiritual workers feared by outsiders were embraced and revered by families who survived because of their presence. From Tennessee to Mississippi, ancient formulas and potions were integral parts of the African American community. Follow author Tony Kail as he takes us down the back roads of rural counties, where healers formulated miracles in mojo bags, and into the cities, where conjurers spoke to the spirits of the dead.

“If true mystery and fascinating cultures move you, you'll be thunderstruck by this book . . . . Vast numbers of Africans were brought to this region in chains from their native lands, moved cross country from the Atlantic coast, and inland from Jamaica, Haiti, and the Caribbean. They brought with them their religious and faith healing practices. Tony Kail, cultural anthropologist and ethnographer, writer and lecturer, brings his nearly three decades of study of ancient faith healing (hoodoo) and herbal beliefs to bear in this remarkable work.” —Decatur Daily

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781439668276
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date: 04/13/2021
Series: American Heritage
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 226
Sales rank: 340,358
File size: 4 MB

About the Author

Tony Kail is an ethnographer and writer. He holds a degree in cultural anthropology and has researched ethnic cultures for more than twenty-five years. His work has taken him from voodoo ceremonies in New Orleans to Haitian Botanicas in Harlem and Spiritual Churches in East Africa. He has lectured at more than one hundred universities, hospitals and public safety agencies. Kail has been featured on CNN Online, the History Channel and numerous radio, television and print outlets. A resident of Humboldt, Tennessee, Kail was raised in Memphis and calls it his second home.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9

1 The Secret Institution 13

2 Traditional Remedies and Rituals 45

3 Healers, Rootworkers and Doctors 75

4 Stories of the Elders 101

5 The Business of Hoodoo: Pharmacies, Shops and Markets 109

6 As the Root Grows 145

Bibliography 151

About the Author 157

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