The term Obeah itself came from the Ashanti tribe and they were originally located in the gold coast of Africa. The word’s literal meaning is “…wizard or witch” (Olmos131). Britain had a colony there until years later when the colony gained its independence as the country Ghana. This colony was in West Africa (Olmos131).
The Ashanti’s came to the Caribbean as slaves. They were located in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Antigua, and Barbados (Olmos131). The religion itself is based on “healing practices” and “protection” for ones self, family property, etc (Olmos131). It is a more independently practiced religion and not one practiced by a group together. When in the Caribbean the religion was feared by the British so it had to be done discreetly. It was thought that the religion would use its “witchcraft” to make the slaves rebel (Olmos132).
This is not a map but a relevant image because it shows the hut of a Obeahman. This could be either male or female but they were the “doctor” to performing rituals (Olmos133). They have different names in different countries in the Caribbean. This is where the healing processes were done. It is a discreet place and the man portrayed is the Obeahman who does the process (Olmos136). The hut holds the natural elements needed to perform the rituals such as “…dog’s teeth…grave dirt, rum, and egg shells” (Olmos136).
“The Great Revival , the movement of religious enthusiasm that again swept Jamaica ” (Olmos147) from which came two new religions Pukkumina and Myalism. Pukkumina is the religion in Jamaica that originated from slaves brought in from Central Africa in the Congo area.The religion focuses on healing processes to heal the people from their “history of dispossession” (Olmos149). It does not focus on the bible for “textual authority” (Olmos149).
Pukkumina does not shun Christianity completely. “Kumina members profess a special attachment to Baptists and Revivalists who practices baptism by immersion in the river” (Olmos150). For them the water houses African spirits (Olmos150) therefore the element of water is important to them.
~Zarin Islam
The Classics of Caribbean Literature 