The word hand in this context is defined as a combination of ingredients. Because of this, a conjure hand is also considered a hoodoo bag, usually made by a respected community conjure doctor. The word conjure is an ancient alternative to "hoodoo", which is a direct variation of African-American folklore. 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 most common synonym for the word mojo is gris-gris, which literally means "fetish" or "charm" thus a gris-gris bag is a charm bag. The word mojo comes from the West African word mojuba. The word wanga (another word for mojo bag) comes from the Kikongo language. For example, in West Africa the word gris-gris (a conjure bag) is a Mande word. Īccording to scholars, the origin of the word hoodoo and other words associated with the practice were traced to the Bight of Benin and Senegambia.
These nkisi and minkisi bundles became the conjure bags in Hoodoo. Historians and archeologists found Kongo related artifacts at the African Burial Ground such as minkisi and nkisi conjure bundles buried with African remains. In addition, archeologists in New York discovered continued West-Central African burial practices in a section of Lower Manhattan, New York City which is now the location of the African Burial Ground National Monument. The Bakongo people's Nkisi Nkubulu looks similar to the mojo bags in Hoodoo. These spirits are contained in a bag, gourd, shells and other containers. For example, the minkisi and nkisi are spirit containers made by hand from a root doctor. There is also a Central African influence of the mojo bag in African-American Hoodoo. Minkisi (Kongo), World Museum Liverpool - Minkisi cloth bundles were found on slave plantations in the United States in the Deep South. When Yoruba and Bakongo people were enslaved in the United States, the practice of using feathers, animal parts, animal and human bones, and other ingredients to create mojo bags continued in African-American communities in the tradition of Hoodoo. In West-Central Africa, Bakongo and Yoruba people created medicine bags using leather or cloth and placed feathers, animal parts, roots, herbs and other ingredients for protection. Enslaved people went to enslaved black Muslims for conjure services requesting them to make gris-gris bags (mojo bags) for protection against their enslavers. Some of the Mandingo people were able to carry their gris-gris bags with them when they boarded slave ships heading to the Americas bringing the practice to the United States. Mandingo people were known for their powerful conjure bags called gris-gris (later called mojo bags in the United States). The Mandigo (Mandinka) were the first Muslim ethnic group imported from Sierra Leone in West Africa to the Americas. Gullah Jack was known to carry a conjure bag with him at all times for his spiritual protection. For example, Gullah Jack was an African from Angola who carried a conjure bag (mojo bag) onto a slave ship leaving Angola for the United States. During the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, a few enslaved Africans were able to conceal their conjure bags when they boarded slave ships heading to the Americas. The practice of using gris-gris, though originating in Africa, came to the United States with enslaved Africans and was quickly adopted by practitioners of Louisiana Voodoo and Hoodoo in the United States, and Vodou in Haiti. Historians of the time noted that they were frequently worn by non-believers and believers alike, and were also found attached to buildings. Originally the gris-gris was adorned with Islamic scripture and was used to ward off evil spirits (evil djinn) or bad luck. The gris-gris originated in Dagomba in Ghana and was associated with Islamic traditions. West and Central Africans all practiced the spiritual art of creating conjure bags for protection, healing and to communicate with spirits.
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