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Mojo

Encyclopedia : M : MO : MOJ : Mojo

For other uses, such as Mojo sauce, see Mojo (disambiguation).
Mojo (pronounced: 'mO-"jO) is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is a small bag, a type of magic charm, often of red flannel cloth and tied with a drawstring, containing botanical, zoological, and/or mineral curios, petition papers, and the like. It is typically worn by a person under the clothes.

Contents

Terminology and manner of use

The word Mojo traces its origins to Africa and entered the English language during the era of slavery in the USA. It has been widely known from the 19th century and early 20th century to the present. Other regional names for mojo bags, or for specific types of mojos, include gree-gree (a Bantu word typically spelled gris-gris by those who come from France), mojo hand, conjure bag, conjure hand, toby, jomo, and nation sack. In Haiti, the usual name for this sort of charm bag among those of African descent is a wanga, oanga, or wanger.

Mojo hands are carried for their supernatural powers, such as protecting from evil or crossed conditions, drawing love, or bringing good luck or success in gambling and other money matters. A mojo bag can also be prepared for use in more nefarious spell-craft, such as to render a man impotent by tying his nature. The mojo bag usually contains a mix of herbs, powders, personal concerns such as a hair or fingernail clippings, sometimes a coin or dice, a lodestone, a petition paper or prayer, and other objects thought to promote supernatural action or protection. The tying of the bag is an important part of its making, as this keeps within it the spirit whose aid is being sought. Once thus fixed and prepared, the mojo is fed to keep it working, generally with a liquid, such as a perfume, an anointing oil, or, in some cases, a drop of urine.

References to mojos, nation sacks, and tobies are common in 20th century rural and urban blues songs by musicians such as Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, the Memphis Jug Band, and Lightnin' Hopkins. Some of the earlier blues tunes were covered by white rock & roll bands in the 1960s. The tunes thus reached audiences unfamiliar with the African-American folk beliefs referred to in the lyrics of the songs.

The exposure of uninformed audiences to the word mojo led to misunderstanding and additional uses of the word, usually to refer to male virility, libido, or the penis. This misunderstanding was popularized by Jim Morrison of The Doors, who named himself "Mr. Mojo Risin" — an anagram of Jim Morrison — in the song "L.A. Woman". This usage of the word was turned to comedy in the 1999 film , in which the title character has his mojo stolen, and loses his confidence and sexual prowess.

Some other slang meanings of mojo in common use include: charisma, karma, cocaine and thing (as in "Gimme that mojo!").

Despite these variant usages, the word mojo continues to be widely used to mean what it always has meant in the African-American community -- namely, a conjure hand.

The many types of mojo hands

Mojos are made for all sorts of purposes, many of them documented in blues music:

References in popular music

See also

External links

External source

 

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