Juju
Juju or Ju-Ju is a word of either West African or French origin[1] used previously by Europeans to describe the traditional West African religion.[2] The term Juju refers to the use of such objects and other things to perform a form of witchcraft.[3]
An object of any kind superstitiously venerated by West African native tribes, and used as a charm, amulet, or means of protection; a fetish. Also the supernatural or magical power attributed to such objects, or the system of observances connected therewith; also a ban or interdiction effected by means of such an object (corresponding to the Polynesian taboo).[4]
The term juju, and the practices associated with it, travelled to the Americas from West Africa with the influx of slaves and still survives in some areas, particularly among the various groups of Maroons, who have tended to preserve their African traditions.
[edit] In popular culture
Juju is the name of Canonical's service orchestration tool.
It is also the title of Siouxsie and the Banshees's fourth studio album.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/juju
- ^ Imperial Africa: the rise, progress and future of the British possessions in Africa, Volume 1 - Google Books
- ^ For a good referenced discussion of the main meanings and origin of the term
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary. (1971). Oxford University Press.
