Guide to Afro-Cuban Herbalism is aimed to serve as a reference tool for practitioners of the various african based traditions such as Afro-Cuban Orisha/Ifa Worship, Vodou, Camdomble, et al. This book provides extensive information on the medicinal, religious and magical uses of 700 plants.

In the early 19th century, Cuba emerged as the world’s largest producer of sugar and the United States its most important buyer. Barely documented today, there was a close commercial relationship between Cuba and the Rhode Island coastal town of Bristol. The citizens of Bristol were heavily involved in the slavery trade and owned sugarcane plantations in Cuba and also served as staff workers at these facilities. Available in print for the first time is a diary that sheds light on this connection. Mr. George Howe, Esquire (1791–1837), documented his tasks at a Bristolian-owned plantation called New Hope, which was owned by well-known Bristol merchant, slave trader, and US senator James DeWolf (1764–1837). Howe expressed mixed personal feelings about local slavery work practices. He felt lucky to be employed and was determined to do his job well, in spite of the harsh conditions operating at New Hope, but he also struggled with his personal feelings regarding slavery. Though an oppressive system, it was at the core of New Hope’s financial success and, therefore, Howe’s well-being as an employee. This book examines Howe’s diary entries in the thematic context of the local Costumbrista literary production. Costumbrismo both documented local customs and critically analyzed social ills. In his letters to relatives and friends Howe depicted a more personal reaction to the underpinnings of slavery practices, a reaction reflecting early abolitionist sentiments.

The Ritual Use of Plants in Lucumi Tradition is an in depth look at the importance of plants for the Lucumi community. Explains why certain plants have hierarchical position and power for healing and why they are essential for the completion of Lucumi rituals.Includes translations of over thirty patakins, with the English, Spanish, Anago and Latin scientific names and sixteen black and white photos. A CD with color photos of over fifty plants is available at www.oggunbemi.com. The author, Maria Oggunbemi is a student of Lucumi tradition, Osainista and Oba Oriate. She has extensively researched the language and the ethno-botany of the Lucumi religion as it is practiced in Cuba and the diaspora. Her first book, The Anago Language of Cuba focused on the language used in Lucumi rituals for songs, prayers, rituals of consecration, initiation healing and celebration."

In Caribbean history, the European colonial plantocracy created a cultural diaspora in which African slaves were torn from their ancestral homeland. In order to maintain vital links to their traditions and culture, slaves retained certain customs and nurtured them in the Caribbean. The creation of lace-bark cloth from the lagetta tree was a practice that enabled slave women to fashion their own clothing, an exercise that was both a necessity, as clothing provisions for slaves were poor, and empowering, as it allowed women who participated in the industry to achieve some financial independence. This is the first book on the subject and, through close collaboration with experts in the field including Maroon descendants, scientists and conservationists, it offers a pioneering perspective on the material culture of Caribbean slaves, bringing into focus the dynamics of race, class and gender. Focussing on the time period from the 1660s to the 1920s, it examines how the industry developed, the types of clothes made, and the people who wore them. The study asks crucial questions about the social roles that bark cloth production played in the plantation economy and colonial society, and in particular explores the relationship between bark cloth production and identity amongst slave women.

Delve into the world of witchcraft, communicate with your ancestors, and perform spiritual cleansings while celebrating culture and tradition. This is not your abuela’s brujería. This modern take on traditional witchcraft will introduce newcomers to the unique and vibrant traditions of magical practice. Drawing inspiration from Latin American and Afro-Caribbean regions, The Modern Art of Brujería takes readers on a journey through spirituality. Touching on historical colonial impact, this book offers new approaches to practicing traditional magic that support and uplift cultures that were once oppressed for their beliefs. Inside you’ll find: Tips for ancestral communication Instruction for limpias or spiritual cleansings Different types of candle magic And much more! Let The Modern Art of Brujería be your guidebook as you delve into the complex world of witchcraft. “This was a really interesting book that glimpses into Mexican cultural lore and traditional folk magic. Packed full of recipes and prayers, this book is essential for witches of all paths . . . If you feel a pull back to the magic of your ancestors, this book is written for you.” —Roses and Reviews “You will find inspiration here from Latin American and Afro-Caribbean regions written in a very readable style. There are tips for ancestral communication, instruction for spiritual cleansing, various types of candle magic, and oh so much more!” —PaganPages.org

Mineral wealth from the Americas underwrote and undergirded European colonization of the New World; American gold and silver enriched Spain, funded the slave trade, and spurred Spain's northern European competitors to become Atlantic powers. Building upon works that have narrated this global history of American mining in economic and labor terms, Mining Language is the first book-length study of the technical and scientific vocabularies that miners developed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as they engaged with metallic materials. This language-centric focus enables Allison Bigelow to document the crucial intellectual contributions Indigenous and African miners made to the very engine of European colonialism. By carefully parsing the writings of well-known figures such as Cristobal Colon and Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes and lesser-known writers such Alvaro Alonso Barba, a Spanish priest who spent most of his life in the Andes, Bigelow uncovers the ways in which Indigenous and African metallurgists aided or resisted imperial mining endeavors, shaped critical scientific practices, and offered imaginative visions of metalwork. Her creative linguistic and visual analyses of archival fragments, images, and texts in languages as diverse as Spanish and Quechua also allow her to reconstruct the processes that led to the silencing of these voices in European print culture.

“Voodoo Hoodoo” is the unique variety of Creole Voodoo found in New Orleans. The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is a rich compendium of more than 300 authentic Voodoo and Hoodoo recipes, rituals, and spells for love, justice, gambling luck, prosperity, health, and success. Cultural psychologist and root worker Denise Alvarado, who grew up in New Orleans, draws from a lifetime of recipes and spells learned from family, friends, and local practitioners. She traces the history of the African-based folk magic brought by slaves to New Orleans, and shows how it evolved over time to include influences from Native American spirituality, Catholicism, and Pentecostalism. She shares her research into folklore collections and 19th- and 20th- century formularies along with her own magical arts. The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook includes more than 100 spells for Banishing, Binding, Fertility, Luck, Protection, Money, and more. Alvarado introduces readers to the Pantheon of Voodoo Spirits, the Seven African Powers, important Loas, Prayers, Novenas, and Psalms, and much, much more, including:Oils and Potions: Attraction Love Oil, Dream Potion, Gambler’s Luck Oil, Blessing OilHoodoo Powders and Gris Gris: Algier’s Fast Luck Powder, Controlling Powder, Money Drawing PowderTalismans and Candle MagicCurses and Hexes

LINK-UP 2 LIFT-UP: Sorting through Our Culture Kingdom for Our Future Generations is written using emic perspectives to respond to the problems that still negatively impact descendants of slaves in the United States of America. This short and sweet like candy “WOKEbook” will keep our engaged and intellectually energized people working to abolish institutional racism; while simultaneously creating an institution of pluralism for every citizen. LINK-UP 2 LIFT-UP: Sorting through Our Culture Kingdom for Our Future Generations shares integrative approaches, ecological models, universalistic perspectives in interpreting our problems. This book boldly offers a humble route towards mental liberation and total independence for citizen Africans in the United States; as was aspoused by Thomas Jefferson; in his ideological Declaration of Independence.

In this groundbreaking book that places Rootwork in its rightful spot among other magickal traditions, Tayannah Lee McQuillar offers a fun and practical guide to improving your life with the help of African American folk magick. Rootwork begins with the basics, from explanations about the magickal powers of the four elements (air, earth, fire, and water) to instructions on creating talismans, charms, and mojo bags. Also included are spells to help you: find your soul mate spice up your sex life get a new job improve your health discover your inner muse Accessible and easy to use, Rootwork offers the insights of a time-honored tradition as a means of self-empowerment and spiritual growth.