The Calling: Hoodoo's communion with the ancestors
Firstly, I'd like to give thanks to the ancestors for all they've done before the gathering, during, and after it.
Secondly, I'd like to give my greatest appreciations to the Hoodoo practitioners Jeida K. Storey and Saint Xolani, also known as the Twin Hoodoo Muthas, who booked me to document this sacred gathering.
On April 13th of this year, I took part in and made images of a Hoodoo gathering at Durham, North Carolina's Eno River called "The Calling: A Hoodoo Homecoming". This was my first conscious experience (because the ancestors BEEN workin') with Hoodoo and life changing is an understatement. In the words of Saint Xolani themself, "Hoodoo is a Black folk spiritual-medicinal tradition formed from the wisdom retained from the Atlantic slave trade and cultivated by Black-Americans and Afro-Diasporic peoples. It centers a Black person's humanity and wholeness. It reinforces their identity through the support of God, the ancestors, the land, and community."
We laughed, we cried, we celebrated, we honored the ancestors.
Time escaped us.
Tapping into the spiritual practices of our ancestors felt so right and I didn't realize how much I needed this until I was in it.
I gained a new community and extended family. I gained an even deeper appreciation for our ancestors. I gained more than I can put into words.
Seldom do I make images of myself during a booking, but I was more than just a documentarian in this space; I was apart of this, I am apart of this and I needed my presence remembered alongside this Hoodoo family.
Such Black Power was felt and represented when we, a group of 26 Black people dressed in all white, arrived at Durham, North Carolina's Eno River State Park to communicate with our ancestors and practice Hoodoo.
During a moment we shared, Jeida blessed me with a message that I always subconsciously knew, but having it verbalized gave it a new strength. She told me with any image I make, any person I make images of, I am documenting the lineage of that African person as well.
That statement is in all bold at the front of my brain now whenever the shutter button on any of my cameras is pressed.
It feels amazing to know my ancestors are present, proud, and will continue to guide me.
All of my ancestors (as a direct descendant and communal descendant), especially the Maroons of Jamaica, stand strong beside me.
Digital Photographs
All images made in 2024
