What Is An Elder In Hoodoo?
All you have to do is open any social media app and you'll be bombarded with a plethora of people claiming authority in Hoodoo. Sometimes it's as innocuous as an account sharing tips and images. In its most harmful form, people are calling themselves leaders and elders who haven't earned the title, and they are from exhibiting the traits of a valid Hoodoo elder.
But what exactly is an elder and how do you find a legit one?
I'm glad you asked.
Here's the TLDR version: Elders are family and community leaders who have wisdom, expertise, and honorable character. They are chosen by the community, not self-titled.
Let's get into it.
What is an elder?
In the Black community, we know who are elders are and we know it's far more than an age-driven title. We may not have had a specific conversation outlining the criteria, but our instinct and experience tell which respected person fits the bill.
(Here's a hint, Kinfolk. That instinct and feeling have a name. It's your OrÍ. More on that later).
I've taken the liberty to put into words what our intuition and just "knowing" say about what makes a person an elder.
An elder is a respected, older person with experience and wisdom that provides guidance.
They provide direct instruction or demonstrate what to do/how to be through their modeling.
They demonstrate good character.
They provide wise counsel.
They are the conduits of ancestral wisdom.
They have mastered their area of expertise regardless of how mundane or how esoteric
They possess a connection to the spirit world that allows them to offer guidance, healing, and protection to those who seek their assistance
They're keepers of sacred knowledge, passed down through generations, and are held in high esteem for their abilities to provide insight, solutions, and blessings.
Protectors and guardians of the community
When you look at this list, which people in your immediate family and community (digital counts too, to an extent) come to mind? Can you see the difference between an older person and an elder? Can you tell why some people who call themselves an elder don't fit the bill?
Now let's dig into some of the big four questions that people in Hoodoo often ask.
Here are the 4 big questions that people often ask.
Does age matter?
Yes and no. Age is usually related to wisdom and experience, with the belief that the older people are, the more wisdom and experience they have. Wisdom requires insight and self-reflection, along with the ability to influence those same qualities in others. Therefore, older people can have a lot of experience, but not a lot of wisdom.
On the flip side, younger people can have a lot of wisdom, but not a lot of experience. For those folks, I would call them leaders, but not yet elders. They are on the road to eldership and might be Big Cuz, Auntie, Unc, etc. Those titles definitely overlap with eldership, so I suggest you trust your gut (OrÍ) about who you call an elder. You know when you know, leading us to the next question.
How does one become an elder?
The family and community decide when a person is an elder. Each family and community has their own rituals and practices for determining eldership, even when they aren't consciously aware. Perhaps, a person has been deemed an elder when they're asked to lead the family prayer. Maybe they're the ones everyone consults for a big decision. They're the one that holds the family stories. Or maybe they're the ones you go to for prayer and laying on of hands.
In the community, there are other signs of a person crossing into Eldership. They are moved to the Mother Board, either church-based or community-based. They are the ones who bless the new babies and who are consulted about community matters. They are the ones who have the last say and people naturally defer to them because of their wisdom not out of fear. They usually have a title that everyone addresses them as, kin or not. They are Mother Moore or Mama Harriet. They are Mister Roy or Deacon Brown. You get the point.
The key is an elder is one who the community and family elevate; It's not the self-designated person. Usually, those who call themselves an elder before being promoted by the community are signaling inflated egos, which are contrary to leadership.
What if they don't consider themselves Hoodoo? Are they still an elder?
Hoodoo is woven into the fabric of African-Americanness. It was our culture and religion before being syncretized with Christianity, and it's the way we do things even if we don't know why. Because of that, we all practice Hoodoo in some style even when we don't realize it.
With that being said, here are four categories of Hoodoo practice, each with infinite offshoots.
Rootwork and healing (herbs, agriculture, medicine, midwifery, etc)
Divination (prayer, prophecy reading cards or bones, bibliomancy, etc)
Dance and language (ring shouts, jook joints, footwork, line dances, etc)
Spirit possession and water immersion (catching the Spirit, baptism, etc)
These are just some of the traditional components of Hoodoo. There are so many more. Your elders may have expertise in these domains and others. Even if they don't publicly or consciously ascribe to Hoodoo, they still have gifts and wisdom in their areas of expertise that you can learn from and apply.
Where do I find elders?
What's the common theme you've been reading so far? Community and family. Those are always the first place for you to seek out elders, even if they don't call themselves Hoodoo. They are the place where you learn about making tinctures for your sick baby or what your Great-Granny 'nem used to do at funerals. However, I realize everyone doesn't have the luxury of close kinship ties or connections with their family. This is where you get creative and do the work of connecting with a community, digital or in-person. You will need to get out of your comfort zone and start connecting with your neighbors, visiting the community garden, volunteering at the senior center, and making yourself available for an elder to show themselves. As the saying goes, growth happens outside of your comfort zone.
As a special note, remember that in the Black community, family is not just your blood relatives. It's the people that call themselves family, whether it's your play cousin or the neighborhood lady that used to take care of everyone's babies.
Take the Next Step
Hopefully, this article has cleared up the lingering questions you've had about Hoodoo Elders and why we put respect on their names. I hope it's also alleviated any anxiety you've had about having access to these community treasures and has sparked a nudge in you to seek out their wisdom and expertise.
If you are ready to dive deeper, I encourage you to take the "Who Is Your Hoodoo Spirit Guide" quiz and schedule a spiritual reading with me to get clear about your life path.
Further Recommended Reads and Resources:
"Favorite Books about Black Spirituality and Deconstructing Faith"
"Black folks have always partaken in African Traditional Religion, even when we didn’t know it."
"Roots, Hoodoo and Conjuration: The First African American Religion"
"Hoodoo is a Sovereign ATR and Must be Respected as Such or Else"
