How To Protect Yourself With ‘Good JuJu’

Picking up the small burlap pouch, the hoodoo woman placed assortments of carefully gathered herbs, roots, bones, and stones inside it. 

This spell was strong. It would need to be to protect her family members’ raiding of the plantation at dawn.

Gris-Gris bags were small pouches meant to protect their wearer or bring them luck. Items placed in bags varied, but charms, herbs, and roots were commonly used.

Used throughout West Africa, Gris-Gris bags pre-date enslavement and colonization. Our enslaved ancestors preserved the practice, depending on Gris-Gris bags for protection against violent enslavers. 

The term Gris-Gris stems from the Mande language, specifically the term “JuJu” which means “sacred.”

As Gris-Gris bags became popular throughout the South, they influenced slang like “someone has good juju.” New Orleans Voodou Queen Marie Laveau was famous for her powerful juju-infused Gris-Gris bags. 

What would you put in your Gris-Gris bag? 

Even if carrying a Gris-Gris bag isn’t your style, the bag serves as a metaphor, reminding us that how we choose to spiritually protect ourselves matters.

We carry our ancestors' wisdom with us, inclusive of their protective rituals. Because we are the protection of our future generations, ask: how does our work protect and ensure the existence of liberated futures? 

Let’s plant good juju so future generations can reap what we’ve sown. 

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