Voodoos and Obeahs examines the history of these beliefs and traditions in the Caribbean, specifically in Jamaica and Haiti. It also traces them back to their roots in Africa and discusses the influence that imperialism, slavery, and racism had on their development.

This book examines the history of voodoo and obeah in the Caribbean, specifically in Jamaica and Haiti, traces them back to their roots in Africa and discusses the influence imperialism, slavery and racism had on their development.

Just as fetishism was for a long time accepted as a generic term covering all that was nefarious in the customs of the West African tribes, so in the popular mind today, Voodoo and Obeah are interchangeable and signify alike whatever is weird and eerie in the practices of the descendants of these same tribes as they are Just as fetishism was for a long time accepted as a generic term covering all that was nefarious in the customs of the West African tribes, so in the popular mind today, Voodoo and Obeah are interchangeable and signify alike whatever is weird and eerie in the practices of the descendants of these same tribes as they are.

Voodoo and obeah are distinct from one another, both in origin and practice, and to understand the force and influence they originally exercised over their devotees, we must disassociate them from the myriad of other forms of magic that have impinged themselves upon them. The author spent a vast amount of time in Jamaica, studying the people, seeking out practitioners and sought to extend his knowledge. He has spent nearly twenty-five years culling the works of others, gleaning the facts from the fiction. This volume is a result of his research and observations.