Juju or ju-ju (french: joujou, lit=plaything) is a spiritual belief system incorporating objects, such as
amulet
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...
s, and spells used in religious practice in
West Africa by the people of
Nigeria,
Benin,
Togo,
Ghana, and
Cameroon. The term has been applied to
traditional African religions, incorporating objects such as
amulet
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...
s, and spells used in spiritual practices, and blood sacrifices.
In a general sense, the term "juju" can be used to refer to magical properties dealing with good luck.
History
This is recorded by
Sir James George Frazer in ''
Folk-Lore'' (Vol. XXVI), under the title,
A Priest-King in Nigeria, a communication received from Mr. P. A. Talbot, District Commissioner in S.
Nigeria. The writer states that the dominant Ju-Ju of
Elele, a town in the N.W. of the
Degema district, is a Priest-King, elected for a term of seven years. "The whole prosperity of the town, especially the fruitfulness of farm, byre, and marriage-bed, was linked with his life. Should he
fall sick, therefore, it entailed famine and grave disaster upon the inhabitants ..."
Le Comte C. N. de Cardi documented its practice, amongst the
Igbos,
Ibibios, and
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba consti ...
peoples of the
Niger Delta, in an 1899 article, and Alan Maxwell Boisragon in a book of 1897.
Practices
Juju is a folk magic in West Africa; within juju, a variety of concepts exist. Juju charms and spells can be used to inflict either bad or good juju. According to some authors, "It is neither good nor bad, but it may be used for constructive purposes as well as for nefarious deeds." Juju charms can at times employ Arabic texts written by
Islamic religious leaders.
A "juju man" is any man vetted by local traditions and well versed in traditional spiritual medicines.
Juju is sometimes used to enforce a contract or ensure compliance. In a typical scenario, the
witch doctor casting the spell requires payment for this service.
The word ''Juju'' is used in the
African Diaspora
The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were e ...
to describe all forms of charms made in
African Diaspora Religions
African diaspora religions are a number of related Pagan beliefs that developed in the Americas in various nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and the Southern United States. They derive from Pagan traditional African religions with some infl ...
and
African Traditional Religions.
19th century venturers, and merchants of the Niger Delta and
Benin documented and published accounts of:
*
Animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...
*
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...
*
Curses
*
Female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...
*
Human Sacrifice, including:
**
Albino sacrifice
** Judicial Sacrifice
** Slave Sacrifice
** Twin Sacrifice
** Widow Sacrifice
Practices that persist to the present.
References
{{Authority control
Traditional African religions
Amulets
Incantation
African witchcraft
Magic (supernatural)
pt:Macumba