History

Obeah

The practice of Obeah is not so much a religious practice as it is a system of beliefs deeply rooted in Creole ideologies of spirituality. It incorporates two very distinct areas of practice, which include spell casting (for good and evil purposes) and traditional African-derived healing practices. The spell casting done in Obeah are most commonly used for protection of self or for the protection of loved ones, a means of bringing about luck or love, or for harming enemies. The African-derived healing practices are based upon an extensive knowledge in both animal and herbal medicinal properties.                                                                                                                                                                                     In order to fully understand the meaning of the term “Obeah,” it is important to examine the actual etymology of the word, which can be traced back to the Ashanti term “Obayifo,” or “obeye” which translates to wizard/witch, or refers to the spiritual beings that claim to reside in witches. The Ashanti were a tribe located in Africa and were one of the major ethnic groups that could be found in central Ghana.  The Ashanti tribes, and similar tribes like them, brought the practice of Obeah to the Caribbean when they were taken as slaves under British colonial rule, where they were shunned by colonial planters who feared their practices and saw them as something dark and foreign as opposed to an organized structure of beliefs.  Many British islands in the Caribbean were home to the practices of Obeah, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, and Antigua, and practices especially became prolific when sugar plantations were established. Obeah was a means of unification for the slaves taken from Africa. It provided them with a sense of identity, social control amongst themselves, and even was a source of medical care.

The growth of Obeah practices in the Caribbean eventually became so strong that it severely threatened British colonial rule, and was therefore outlawed. Certain sanctions were placed upon slaves that limited their spiritual practices, such as the outlawing of drum-beating, congregations for the celebration of feasts, and various other practices that built community among the people. Obeah practitioners were seen as rebellious and were accused of inspiring slaves to lash out against their plantation owners, and were therefore threatened with execution should they chose to continue pursuing their practice. Because Obeah was so openly threatened, many slaves took to practicing these beliefs underground.                                      Obeah essentially lacks the established “liturgy” and organized community rituals that can be found in other Caribbean rituals such as Santería and Vodou, which is why it is commonly sanctioned as “witchcraft” and “magic.” This can cause problems however, when distinctions are made between spiritual practices, and titles such as “official religion” are placed on organized groups and titles such as “primitive” are placed on those that are not. These types of titles cause devision among Caribbean religions and spiritual practices that do not help to foster African culture and unity as a whole.

Practitioners of Obeah are referred to as Obeah man or woman (Myal man or woman). These practitioners are believed to have the power to manipulate spirits, people, and things, and have an extensive supernatural powers. Practitioners often are secluded into an Obeahman hut, which can be found in dark, secluded locations such as a forest or even swamp, and clients would visit them there asking for favors. The services offered by an Obeahman are always given in return for a fee that is almost always connected to the clients ability to pay. He/she gains clout in the community based on his/her ability to fulfill the desires requested of the client at the time of appointment.

An example of Obeah represented in pop culture is the character Tia Dalma, an Obeah practitioner in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. A scene in which she is featured can be found here. Within the first moments of the video, the location of Tia Dalma the Obeahwoman is accurate. Her hut is located in a dark, wet, swamp, and the crew of pirates claim they are visiting her hut because “they need help.” However, Tia Dalma does not make any attempt at helping them before reminding them that she “demands payment,” which she soon receives. Furthermore, inside the hut, Tia Dalma is surrounded by herbs, candles, and elements of animals, all which point to Obeah ritualistic practices. 

Throughout the years, this system of beliefs has been misrepresented, feared, and misunderstood because of a lack of accurate representation in media and pop culture. Obeah, and those who practice it, focus largely on the intervention of spirits, and therefore represented things of the non-material world which was frightening to many people. The Obeahman/woman had the ability to both harm and heal, which is a large reason for the fear the set of beliefs still instills in people today. However, despite the setbacks dictated by the media and pop culture, Obeah continues to be a rich source and representation of African cultural beauty and individuality.

Pukkumina/Kumina 

Pukkumina, also known as Kumina, is a tradition that can be traced back to African indentured workers who were stolen from Africa to work plantations in Jamaica. It is a variation of Jamaican Revivalism, and has strong ties to Myalism in that it shares many of the same African traditions. Practitioners of Kumina are similar to practitioners of Obeah in that they share a deep sense of African nationalism and also are well-versed in the art of healing through medicinal herb means. Pukkumina also makes use of spirit connection and these spirits are said to help lift the colonized African people out of the bonds of white, colonial oppression.

Pukkumina shuns the Bible as the main means of textual authority in worship. Practitioners worship one deity, known as Zambi (King Zambi) and also pay respects and give praise to fallen angels, all which are not elements of Zion religious practices. The deep sense of African nationalism that those who practice Pukkumina feel are akin to the sentiments of Rastafarians, who possess a strong awareness to the trials and tribulations of Africans who were taken as slaves in the Caribbean and forced to work under colonial rule.

 

Kumina worshippers also share close ties to Baptists and Revivalists. Baptists and Revivalists both practice baptism by immersion (the individual’s submersion in water) because the river in African culture is the home of African spirits who are said to protect the devotees of the religion. An interesting fact about the Kumina religion is that the devotees actually deliberately seek for their children to have Christian Baptisms because they believe the ritual allows for an extremely powerful spirit (The Holy Spirit) to protect their child throughout their life. This is proof that this Afro-Jamaican religion has succeeded in interpreting Christianity through an African lens, despite the European colonial rule the devotees were surrounded by. 

Kumina is dedicated to honoring past ancestors of devotees. The human has a spirit that returns to its creator at the time of death, but it also has a spirit known as a kuyu that provides a bridge between the death and the physical world. It is this mediating spirit that the devotee interacts with while worshipping. In Kumina, gods are not summoned as in other religions, but a divine creator known as Zaambi is recognized (also known as Kinzaambi, Zaambi Ampugno, and King Zaambi). Ceremonies of worship are largely centered around dance and community drumbeats, and typically begin at early night and last until almost dawn.   Elements of Kumina can defnitely be traced back to Catholic tradition, especially in the part of their religious ceremony when “table is broken.” During this time, an altar covered with bread, fruit, candles, and cakes, stands at the center of the ceremony and provides nourishment for the gathered congregation, similar to the Holy Communion portion of a Catholic mass. A verse is even read from the Bible before the devotees partake in the meal. 

~Both Obeah and Pukkumina were direct results of the attempts of African slaves to express individuality in their new colonial environments. Although many of these spiritual and religious practices were shunned, despised, and misunderstood by colonial peoples, they survived throughout the centuries and still thrive in the Caribbean today, continually giving respect to the deep roots and elements of African tradition.~

~Aria Laucella