Obeah

Obeah (sometimes spelled Obi, Obea, or Obia), is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic, sorcery, and religious practices developed among West African slaves, specifically of Igbo origin. Obeah is similar to other Afro-American religions including Palo, Vodou, Santería, and Hoodoo. Obeah is practiced in Suriname, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Belize, The Bahamas, and other Caribbean nations.

Obeah is associated with both benign and malignant magic, charms, luck, and with mysticism in general. In some Caribbean nations, Obeah refers to folk religions of the African diaspora. In some cases, aspects of these folk religions have survived through syncretism with Christian symbolism and practice introduced by European colonials and slave owners. Casual observation may conclude that Christian symbolism is incorporated into Obeah worship, but in fact may represent clandestine worship and religious protest.

During slavery, Obeah was directed against the European slave masters. However, with the end of slavery, Obeah became considered taboo, and the term has pejorative associations.

Obeah (horse)

Obeah (1965–1993) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse for whom the Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park Racetrack is named. Bred in Kentucky by Bertram N. Linder, she was sired by 1961 Futurity Stakes winner, Cyane. Her dam was Book of Verse, a daughter of 1952 American Horse of the Year, One Count. Obeah was bought for just $10,000 at the 1966 Saratoga yearling auction by Harry and Jane Lunger who owned her sire and who felt the filly was being bid too low.

Trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Henry Clark, Obeah raced under the colors of the Lungers' Christiana Stables. Racing at age two in 1967, Obeah won the Blue Hen Stakes at her Delaware Park Racetrack home base. Going around two turns, she ran 3rd in the Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park and second by a nose in the Jeanne d'Arc at Narragansett Park.

At age three, her best result in a major race was a second in the Firenze Handicap. But at age four she won the 1969 Delaware Handicap in early August and then captured October's Vineland Handicap at Garden State Park.

Obeah and Wanga

The terms Obeah and Wanga are African diasporic words that occur in The Book of the Law (the sacred text of Thelema, written by English author and occultist Aleister Crowley in 1904):

Obeah is a folk religion and folk magic found among those of African descent in the West Indies. It is derived from West African Igbo sources and has a close North American parallel in African American conjure or hoodoo.

A wanga (sometimes spelled oanga or wanger) is a magical charm packet found in the folk magic practices of Haiti, and as such it is connected to the West African religion of Vodun, which in turn derives from the Fon people of what is now Benin.

In his Commentaries, Crowley explains:

It is possible that Crowley was not referring to literal Jamaica Obeah practices or to actual wanga.

He goes on to say:

See also

References