Honoring the OGs of Hoodoo

This course is meant to be a celebration of our ancestors - the ones whose legacy resides in the magick we live every day. It is meant to be a course of homage, honor, and inspiration. It is meant to reveal the diverse cast of characters from whose knowledge and skills are still found in the fluid, living folk traditions we practice. By the grace of God, we benefit from their lives and struggles, their wisdom and mistakes.

Learning about historical practitioners in Hoodoo history is crucial for preserving African American and Southern folk traditions, recognizing cultural influences, and understanding Hoodoo's development. It's essential to appreciate the contributions of these figures in providing healing, protection, and guidance to their communities, which helps us contextualize modern practices and dispel misconceptions. Studying the who's who in Hoodoo history corrects inaccuracies, inspires practitioners, and fosters a sense of community among those interested in this tradition. Overall, this knowledge ensures the preservation of cultural heritage, connects us to our roots, and empowers us to appreciate the richness of Hoodoo.




Meet the Ancestors

Get to know those who gave us their folk traditions and magick. Learn their stories. Meet them up close and personal. Find your roots.

  • Biographical sketches of each ancestor

  • Learn what type of folk magic or healing tradition they were known for

  • Learn why their contribution is important to cultural preservation, folk magic, and healing traditions today

Course curriculum

All lessons may not be visible.

    1. Copyright Agreement

    2. Welcome to Class!

    3. How to Use this Course

    4. Why this Course?

    5. Questions?

    6. Before we begin...

    7. Hoodoo: A Window into the Rich Tradition of African American Folk Magick

    8. Presentation: Conjure Doctors, Voudou Doctors, Rootdoctors, and Hoodoos

    9. Conjure Doctors, Voudou Doctors, Rootdoctors, and Hoodoos

    10. Conjure Doctors: An Exploration

    11. Conjuring and Conjure Doctors

    12. Test your learning

    1. Presentation: Unveiling the Mysteries of Conjure Doctors

    2. Profile: Benjamin Herman Rucker aka Black Herman

    3. Black Herman's Hoodoo

    4. Scandals and Scurrilous Affairs

    5. Black Herman Wins Freedom from Charge of Fortune Telling

    6. Black Herman's Wife Takes in Three of His Babies by Another Woman

    7. Black Herman's Obituary

    8. Black Herman's Secrets of Magic, Mystery and Legerdemain

    9. Test your learning

    10. Profile: Elisha Broadeaux aka "Lige Broad Ax"

    11. Presentation: Elisha Broadeaux aka Lige Broad Ax

    12. A Kentucky Voudou Speaks

    13. A Kentucky Voodoo Priest

    14. Profile: William Wells Brown

    15. Presentation: William Wells Brown

    16. Brown Speaks on Uncle Frank, the Voudou Queen, and Dinkie, the Conjure Doctor

    17. The Moral Condition of Blacks

    18. William Wells Brown Obituary

    19. My Southern Home

    20. Profile: High John the Conqueror

    21. Presentation: High John de Conquer

    22. Working the Root

    23. John the Conqueror's Morning Glory

    24. Zora Neale Hurston on High John de Conquer

    25. High John de Conker - Zora Neale Hurston

    26. From Folklore to Cultural Appropriation

    27. Test Your Learning

    28. Profile: Doctor John Montenée

    29. Presentation: Doctor John Montenée

    30. Doctor John's Gris Gris

    31. Laid to Rest

    32. Last of the Voodous - Doctor John's Obituary

    33. Dr. John Montenée: A Grimoire by Louie Martinie

    34. Profile: Fred Staten aka Prince Keeyama aka Chicken Man

    35. Presentation: Prince Keeyama aka "Chicken Man"

    36. Prince Keeyama's Voodoo and Conjure

    37. Chicken Man in the News

    38. Chicken Man's Remains

    39. Dope is Death

    40. Chicken Man Goes Out with a Jazz Funeral

    41. A Jazzed Up Farewell

    42. Test Your Learning: Doctor John and Chicken Man

    43. Profile: Congo Ben

    44. Presentation: Congo Ben

    45. The Wanderer

    46. Survivors from the Cargo of the Slave Ship Wanderer

    47. History of the African Slave Trade

    48. Facial Scarification Among the Congolese in the 1800s

    49. Snake Charmer and Fetich Maker

    50. Congo Ben's Journey from the Wanderer to Bayou Teche

    51. Test Your Learning: Congo Ben

    52. Profile: Gullah Jack, A Legacy of Courage, Resistance, and African Culture

    53. Presentation: Gullah Jack

    54. Archives Shed New Light on Gullah Jack

    55. Long Time Ago

    56. A Story of the Martyrs of 1822

    57. Your Altars and your Gods Have Sunk Together in the Dust: The Sentencing of Gullah Jack

    58. Test Your Learning: Gullah Jack

    59. Nathanial Turner

    60. Profile: Nat Turner

    61. Presentation: Nathanial Turner

    62. Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion

    63. Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion with its Horrors Recalled

    64. Did Nat Turner's Revolt Succeed?

    65. The Capture and Hanging of Nat Turner

    66. The Birth of a Nation

    67. James Baldwin on the Confessions of Nat Turner

    68. Nat Turner's Bible

    69. Erasure and Remembrance

    70. Test Your Learning: Nat Turner

    71. Profile: Guinea Sam Nightingale: Conjurer and Revolutionary

    72. Presentation: Guinea Sam Nightingale

    73. What's in a Name?

    74. Conjuring, Voudou, and Healing

    75. Superstitious Sam

    76. Revolutionary Intersections

    77. Guinea Sam

    78. Guinea Sam Nightingale Obituary

    79. Presentation: The Flying Africans

    80. Profile: George Noble, Snake Charmer and Voudou Doctor

    81. Presentation: George Noble, Obeah Man and Voudou Doctor

    82. Obeah: The Resurgence of Jamaican Voudou

    83. The Shadow Killers of Jamaican Obeah

    84. Profile: Raphael, Singer at Marie Laveau's Ceremonies

    85. Profile: Dr. Jim Jordan

    86. Profile: Dr. Jim Jordan

    87. Jim Jordan's Goofer Practice

    88. Jim Jordan's Herbal Remedies

    89. A True Story about the Fabled Doctor Jim Jordan

    90. Doctor Jim Jordan Relied on the Bible

    91. Conjurer becomes Part of Local History

    92. Chapter Quiz: Conjure Doctors

    1. Voudou Queens and Conjure Women: The Pillars of Hoodoo History

    2. Persecution of Voudou Practitioners: Women at the Conjure Crossroads

    3. Aunt Caroline Dye

    4. Working with Aunt Caroline Dye as a Spirit Guide

    5. Test Your Learning: Aunt Caroline Dye

    6. Betsy Toledano

    7. Test Your Learning: Betsy Toledano

    8. The Broomstick Equestrian of Congo Square

    9. Test Your Learning: Broomstick Equestrian of Congo Square

    10. Profile: Zora Neale Hurston

    11. Jump at da Sun

    12. Zora Neal Hurston: Genius of the Harlem Rennaissance

    13. That's Livin! The Zora Neale Hurston Story

    14. Test Your Learning: Zora Neale Hurston

    15. Profile: Laura "Lala" Hopkins

    16. Pages From Lala's Grimoire

    17. Five Finguhs Come

    18. Test Your Learning: Lala Hopkins

    19. Marie Comtesse

    20. Test Your Learning: Marie Comtesse

    21. Mamma Phemie

    22. Test Your Learning: Mamma Phemie

    23. Julia Jackson

    24. Test Your Learning: Julia Jackson

    25. Sanité Dédé

    26. Test Your Learning: Sanité Dédé

    27. Marie Laveau

    28. The Birth of a Queen

    29. Marie Laveau's Influence on New Orleans Culture

    30. The Slave Owner

    31. The Hairdresser

    32. The Devout Catholic

    33. Nursing the Saffron Scourge

    34. Test Your Learning: Marie Laveau

    35. Malvina Latour

    36. Test Your Learning: Malvina Latour

    37. Patsy Moses

    38. Patsy Moses’ Book of Magick, Signs, and Significations

    39. Test Your Knowledge: Patsy Moses

    40. Madame Lott

    41. Test Your Knowledge: Madame Lott

    42. Rose Nicaud

    43. Test Your Knowledge: Rose Nicaud

    44. Harriet Tubman: They Called Her Moses

    45. Harriet Tubman aka Mama Moses

    46. Mama Moses and the Spirits of the Underground Railroad

    47. Test Your Learning: Harriet Tubman

    48. Zourinous and the Haunted Voodoo Tree of Congo Square

    49. Zozo La Brique, Peddler of Red Brick Dust

    50. Test Your Learning: Zozo LaBrique

    51. Eliza Nicaux

    52. Voudouism

    53. Mary Washington, Hoodoo Queen

    54. Hattie Harris, Conjure Woman and Midwife

    55. Chapter Quiz: Voudou Queens

    1. Spiritualist Mothers, Reverend Doctors, and Creole Mediums

    2. Reverend Doctors, Spiritualist Mothers, and Creole Mediums: Icons of Faith and Healing

    3. Afro-Creole Spiritualism, Kardecian Spiritism, and the Spiritual Churches of New Orleans

    4. Thomas Lake Harris

    5. Pere Ambroise, Noted Creole Spiritualist Entity

    6. Mother Leafy Anderson

    7. Spiritualists to Operate in City, 1922

    8. Leafy Anderson and Black Hawk

    9. Last Respects: Leafy Anderson's Obituary

    10. In Memoria: Unveiling Leafy Anderson's Statue

    11. Mother Catherine Seals

    12. Mother Dora Tyson

    13. "Blind Alexander" Augustin, Spiritualist

    14. Charles Harrison "C.H." Mason

    15. Henry Louis Rey and his Cercle Harmonique

    16. Henry Louis Rey, Spiritualism, and Creoles of Color in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans

    17. Chapter Quiz: Spiritualist Mothers, Reverend Doctors, and Creole Mediums

    1. Cajun Traiteurs

    2. Louisiana Traiteurs

    3. An Overview of Louisiana's Traditional Cultures

    4. French Louisiana Traiteurs

    5. Faith Healing and Traiteurs

    6. Becca Begnaud

    7. Healing with Faith

    8. Doris Bergeron

    9. Area Faith Healers Shrouded in Well-Known Secret

    10. Chapter Quiz: Louisiana Traiteurs

    1. Potions and Purgatives

    2. Granny Marr

    3. Granny's Secret Conjury

    4. Signs, Cures, and Witchery

    5. Cove Witches and Curanderas

    6. Traditional Medicines

    7. Jeanne Wallace, Witch of the Ozarks and Maid of Roaring River

    8. Fire Ends the Strange Life of the Witch of the Ozarks

    9. Folk Remedies of South Louisiana

    10. Granny Gore

    11. The Ozark Folk Medicine of Granny Gore

    12. Good for What Ails You

    13. Jule Oleander Graves

    14. Video: Mountain Witches of Appalachia

    15. Chapter Quiz: Granny Women Profiles

About this course

  • $150.00
  • 251 lessons
  • Lifetime access
  • Certificate of completion

Instructor

Denise Alvarado

Founder/Instructor

Denise Alvarado was born and raised in the unique culture of New Orleans, Louisiana, and has studied Indigenous healing traditions from both personal and academic perspectives for over four decades. A cultural anthropologist, author, artist, and tradition-keeper, Denise is a member of the American Anthropological Association, the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists, and the Association of Latina/o & Latinx Anthropologists. She is the author of Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits and Hoodoo Saints, The Magic of Marie Laveau, The Conjurer’s Guide to St. Expedite, the Hoodoo Almanacs, and more than twenty books exploring Southern folk magic and Creole spirituality. Her work has been featured in National Geographic’s Taboo, The Originals, and Blue Bloods. As a rootworker and spiritual artist, Denise continues to share her knowledge to preserve ancestral traditions and guide new generations of seekers on their path of discovery.

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