Have you ever really asked the question, what was the voodoo doll really used for? Now I know most of you will answer that it was some form of effigy that certain religious practitioners made to inset pins into and attempt to inflict pain on their enemies or anyone that caused them harm. But what if I told you that it could have been possible that these small cloth-like figurines were used for something more serious? Something that we today still use, but in a different way?

Before we get to that let’s dig into some history of the doll and the myths that surround it. If you ever travel to New Orleans, Louisiana, you can walk into any shop that are laid out in the rows in the French Quarter or any voodoo shop on Bourbon Street and buy what they call an authentic voodoo doll. The truth be told, there is nothing authentic about it. They are nothing more than pieces of artifacts used in commercializing the religion of Vodun. The truth about the voodoo doll still remains a mystery.

The voodoo doll is based on a mythical magical practice that historically derived from Europe. I know most people believe Haitians incorporated the dolls into their black magic practices, but I have found textual records that claim the voodoo doll first appeared in Britain. As far back as the 18th century in Europe, they had similar dolls they used for magic and witchcraft called a poppet. It was a doll used in the same way as the voodoo doll, but it was used as a kitchen with a cloth-like effigy lodged in fireplaces or chimneys to scare away evil. Witch dolls!

The truth is that there is no prominent place on record where the dolls made their debut. The history of the voodoo doll remains a mystery. But there is one fact that I would like to share. While I was in Louisiana doing research on my newly released novel Jasper Kaine, I spoke to a historian of voodoo and he said something to me that made perfect sense.

He claims that we have it all wrong about the doll. He claims that many years ago when people went to witch doctors for curing or medicine, the doctor would create a doll, put the patient’s name on it and stick a pin on the areas of which he worked; collecting data, a medical record of sorts. This statement made perfect sense to me. How else would practitioners be able to keep record of ailments of his patients in a time when they did not have sophisticated record keeping like we have today?

So does the voodoo have a bad reputation for being an evil effigy used for dark magical powers to do harm against thy enemy or was it just a form of record keeping in a time when they had nothing else and society made it into what it is today for money? Unfortunately, I do not have the correct answers for you. No one does.

So the next time you are in New Orleans…pick one up. Give it a proper home and do not think it is used solely to put bad mojo on people. Or is it?