Obeah Lady, Part 2
Before I tell you another incident about an Obeah woman who put dugu on another girl in Jamaica, I will tell you what my mother remembers about what happened in Obeah Lady Part 1. My mother remembers the fire in her bed and also some details, much better than I thought I did.
My mother tells me that she confronted the Obeah woman and asked her if she was the one who tried to put dugu on us (if she started the fire in our house), but she just stared at my mother, in silence. There was such a huge spectacle from my mother's accusation and people from the whole community stared and listened (waiting for an answer too), but the Obeah woman responded in stubborn and arrogant silence. My mother took that silence as enough truth because everyone knew that the woman did it. My mother says that after the Obeah woman denied it (with her silence), everyone became a chorus of slithering whispers; mainly because they couldn't understand why the Obeah woman was so silent. Everyone in the community went to the woman for her advice or to pay her to cast spells. So, why would she keep silent? I don't remember this detail.
My mother testifies that the Obeah woman walked under our house at night (since most of the houses in Belize are on cement stilts that lifts the house 10-20 feet off the ground for safety during the hurricane season). The Obeah woman walked under our house, at night, holding a candle, and whispered to herself. My mother would whisper too, but small prayers. She tried to ignore the Obeah woman and believe that her children would be safe. And so, my mother believes that the Obeah woman started the fire because silence was her answer; silence is an answer.
Either way, we lived in a culture that accepted and believed these types of supernatural phenomenons and it created fear and belief in my mother. Whether or not the Obeah woman tried to hurt us (I won't know for sure because I did not see her do anything), but just the thought that she could hurt us and that her presence was dangerous caused fear (and that silent fear) controlled us. Soon after the incident, we moved and never went back to Dangriga. I haven't been back to Dangriga since it happened. I enjoy the food and music of the Garifuna and I am not trying to assert a stereotype about the people. Some people acknowledge dugu as apart of their culture, some don't; but, I can't forget that within Dangriga lies Obeah and dugu, sometimes waiting to attack.
My friend from Jamaica related a similar story of how Obeah affected some one's life that she knew. The girl's name was Charmaine. Beautiful, curvy, and light skinned, she was the envy of some of her peers. Charmaine would frequently lose her flashy tops or Victoria secret underwear that her American relatives sent to her. Her clothes seemed to blow off the clothes line, but Charmaine knew better. She knew that people were stealing her clothes because they wanted to have what she had. Since, the people in her neighborhood were kind she didn't fuss about the missing clothes.
Something strange happened to Charmaine as she began sleep walking to the local grave yard (at night) and then would sleep there. Her parents discovered that she was missing and searched and searched. Finally, they found her curled up near a tombstone and when they asked her why she was there, she simply said, "Something called me here." This occurred every night for a week and even though the parents tried to stop her, they couldn't. She appeared to be sleep walking to the grave yard and would stop in the same spot, every night.
Her parents thought it could be solved with a doctor visit, but after taking her to the hospital, the doctors found no trace of a physical need to sleep walk or that her body was reacting with sleep problems/deprivation.
Charmaine's visits to the grave yard increased and her hair started falling out and her skin changed into a discolored brown. Patches of dry scales appeared on her arms and legs and she began talking to herself. People thought she was going crazy and so the family asked a spiritual advisor for help.
The spiritual adviser is similar to a person who practices Obeah: they both have knowledge about the potent power of certain plants and the affect it has on the body; but these spiritual advisers usually belong to a church and never practice dark magic (or with any hurtful intent).
With the adviser's help the family was able to go the grave yard and find Charmaine's missing belongings buried under the tombstone. The parents found a glass bottle filled with leaves, pieces of meat, hair, and shreds of Charmaine underwear and flashy tees. This was the spot that Charmaine frequented during the sleep walking.
Soon after, the parents sent Charmaine to live with their relatives in the U.S. Charmaine seemed to heal (her skin softened again), but she was so fearful she didn't leave the house.
After hearing the story I had so many questions. What if Charmaine had put the bottle there herself? She was going to the grave yard every night for a week, right?. What if she really was just sleep walking? And yes, people were jealous of her but why attack her like this? I still had my doubts. But my friend insisted that an Obeah woman did this to Charmaine.
I do believe that knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands; Obeah women have knowledge about supernatural things; spooky things. They are experts in their field, just like doctors they have practicing for years. Doctors know that too much medicine or an allergic reaction can be fatal. And, it makes sense that if one takes too many pain killers, it can hurt the body. Too much of any medicine can hurt you, right? So, is it safe to say that these Obeah women and men have knowledge about nature and its medicines (leaves, barks, swamp slime)? And so, is it safe to say that if they boil a concentrated amount of tea leaves and give you to drink that you could possible hallucinate? Vomit black blood? Faint? or that they can predict and control your actions? Is it safe to say that if they bury your belongings after boiling it in "special" leaves that it won't have an affect on you? They are doctors of their own medicine and study, for years, to get it just right. Of course, I have learned this through meticulous research; however, only the Obeah women truly know the truth about their practice and their victims.
As I prepare for my trip to Belize this summer, I am typing up questions to ask Obeah practitioners. Yes, I will interview Obeah women and men to inquire about their skills and beliefs. Is it fact or fraud, I need to know. I want to know why they practice and if Obeah just has a bad reputation or if it can be used to heal.
Would you want to ask questions? If so, what would they be?
My mother tells me that she confronted the Obeah woman and asked her if she was the one who tried to put dugu on us (if she started the fire in our house), but she just stared at my mother, in silence. There was such a huge spectacle from my mother's accusation and people from the whole community stared and listened (waiting for an answer too), but the Obeah woman responded in stubborn and arrogant silence. My mother took that silence as enough truth because everyone knew that the woman did it. My mother says that after the Obeah woman denied it (with her silence), everyone became a chorus of slithering whispers; mainly because they couldn't understand why the Obeah woman was so silent. Everyone in the community went to the woman for her advice or to pay her to cast spells. So, why would she keep silent? I don't remember this detail.
My mother testifies that the Obeah woman walked under our house at night (since most of the houses in Belize are on cement stilts that lifts the house 10-20 feet off the ground for safety during the hurricane season). The Obeah woman walked under our house, at night, holding a candle, and whispered to herself. My mother would whisper too, but small prayers. She tried to ignore the Obeah woman and believe that her children would be safe. And so, my mother believes that the Obeah woman started the fire because silence was her answer; silence is an answer.
Either way, we lived in a culture that accepted and believed these types of supernatural phenomenons and it created fear and belief in my mother. Whether or not the Obeah woman tried to hurt us (I won't know for sure because I did not see her do anything), but just the thought that she could hurt us and that her presence was dangerous caused fear (and that silent fear) controlled us. Soon after the incident, we moved and never went back to Dangriga. I haven't been back to Dangriga since it happened. I enjoy the food and music of the Garifuna and I am not trying to assert a stereotype about the people. Some people acknowledge dugu as apart of their culture, some don't; but, I can't forget that within Dangriga lies Obeah and dugu, sometimes waiting to attack.
My friend from Jamaica related a similar story of how Obeah affected some one's life that she knew. The girl's name was Charmaine. Beautiful, curvy, and light skinned, she was the envy of some of her peers. Charmaine would frequently lose her flashy tops or Victoria secret underwear that her American relatives sent to her. Her clothes seemed to blow off the clothes line, but Charmaine knew better. She knew that people were stealing her clothes because they wanted to have what she had. Since, the people in her neighborhood were kind she didn't fuss about the missing clothes.
Something strange happened to Charmaine as she began sleep walking to the local grave yard (at night) and then would sleep there. Her parents discovered that she was missing and searched and searched. Finally, they found her curled up near a tombstone and when they asked her why she was there, she simply said, "Something called me here." This occurred every night for a week and even though the parents tried to stop her, they couldn't. She appeared to be sleep walking to the grave yard and would stop in the same spot, every night.
Her parents thought it could be solved with a doctor visit, but after taking her to the hospital, the doctors found no trace of a physical need to sleep walk or that her body was reacting with sleep problems/deprivation.
Charmaine's visits to the grave yard increased and her hair started falling out and her skin changed into a discolored brown. Patches of dry scales appeared on her arms and legs and she began talking to herself. People thought she was going crazy and so the family asked a spiritual advisor for help.
The spiritual adviser is similar to a person who practices Obeah: they both have knowledge about the potent power of certain plants and the affect it has on the body; but these spiritual advisers usually belong to a church and never practice dark magic (or with any hurtful intent).
With the adviser's help the family was able to go the grave yard and find Charmaine's missing belongings buried under the tombstone. The parents found a glass bottle filled with leaves, pieces of meat, hair, and shreds of Charmaine underwear and flashy tees. This was the spot that Charmaine frequented during the sleep walking.
Soon after, the parents sent Charmaine to live with their relatives in the U.S. Charmaine seemed to heal (her skin softened again), but she was so fearful she didn't leave the house.
After hearing the story I had so many questions. What if Charmaine had put the bottle there herself? She was going to the grave yard every night for a week, right?. What if she really was just sleep walking? And yes, people were jealous of her but why attack her like this? I still had my doubts. But my friend insisted that an Obeah woman did this to Charmaine.
I do believe that knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands; Obeah women have knowledge about supernatural things; spooky things. They are experts in their field, just like doctors they have practicing for years. Doctors know that too much medicine or an allergic reaction can be fatal. And, it makes sense that if one takes too many pain killers, it can hurt the body. Too much of any medicine can hurt you, right? So, is it safe to say that these Obeah women and men have knowledge about nature and its medicines (leaves, barks, swamp slime)? And so, is it safe to say that if they boil a concentrated amount of tea leaves and give you to drink that you could possible hallucinate? Vomit black blood? Faint? or that they can predict and control your actions? Is it safe to say that if they bury your belongings after boiling it in "special" leaves that it won't have an affect on you? They are doctors of their own medicine and study, for years, to get it just right. Of course, I have learned this through meticulous research; however, only the Obeah women truly know the truth about their practice and their victims.
As I prepare for my trip to Belize this summer, I am typing up questions to ask Obeah practitioners. Yes, I will interview Obeah women and men to inquire about their skills and beliefs. Is it fact or fraud, I need to know. I want to know why they practice and if Obeah just has a bad reputation or if it can be used to heal.
Would you want to ask questions? If so, what would they be?
Maryam, this is fascinating. I especially love the story about the girl. I'd love to hear more of your personal stories about people you know who have been affected--or have they? It's interesting to write about things that seems supernatural and still speak to a skeptical audience. I'd like to see how you do that in a larger piece on this--great material.
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