Author Archives: Andria Toloraia

Bad Juju

Interviewer: Did your family ever warn you against any supernatural beliefs such as ghosts or evil spirits? 

E: I guess Nigerian is a very spiritual culture, so we have things like juju.

Interviewer: What’s juju? 

E: It’s a spiritual system of belief, I guess. My relatives used to tell me that some people have certain capabilities that they can use for evil.

Interviewer: Have you ever been warned to be careful so that somebody doesn’t use their capabilities against you? 

E: Absolutely. It was always vague and never fully described to me how somebody might hex me, but it sure did scare me as a kid. I guess it’s a good thing because I was extra careful with strangers. 

Context: The informant is a student at the University of Southern California, majoring in business of cinematic arts. Her family is Nigerian, but she grew up in England. 

Analysis:

Juju is a supernatural worldview that involves using charms and spells that are believed to hold power. The informant didn’t grow up in Nigeria, so her relationship with this belief was limited to her family. An interesting thing that she mentioned during the interview was that it deterred her from interacting with strangers. This belief functions as a form of protection. Warnings about possible bad juju might have protected her from trusting strangers. Folk belief can function as a way of enforcing social norms.

Thai Yellow Balm

Interviewer: So does your family have any special home remedies for when you have a cold? 

KB: Do you mean something not necessarily medically accepted? 

Interviewer: Something traditional that may be passed down in your family. Have you yourself inherited any such practices, or do you remember any from your childhood? 

KB: Let me think about that … Oh, I know, the yellow balm my grandma always uses. 

Interviewer: The yellow balm? 

KB: Yeah, it’s a Thai thing that my entire Thai side of the family swears by. 

Interviewer: Oh, interesting! How is it used?

KB: It’s basically a panacea, at least according to my grandma. Any time I hurt myself as a kid or had a flu of some sort, my grandma used to apply this balm to my chest or anywhere I had hurt myself. 

Interviewer: Do you use it to this day? 

KB: Not really. I doubt it does anything, but as a kid I actually kind of liked it when my grandma made me apply it because it smelled nice. 

Context:

The informant is of half Indian and half Thai descent. She described her childhood experience with a popular Thai medicine made from Zingiber cassumunar (Plai), turmeric, and menthol.

Analysis:

We find this trope of a “cure-all” balm with often secretive recipes in many cultures around the world. More often than not, they are made from herbs that have a long history of use in folk medicine. I remember my Georgian grandma had a version of her own, and she insisted my mom, who is very skeptical towards these sorts of things, keep it in the house for emergencies. Despite traditional medicine, such as yellow balm, having questionable medical properties it still plays a significant role as tradition-bearer practices.

How to Turn a Common weed Into a Weapon

Ribwort Plantain Gun

context:

This is a techniques of turning a common Ribwort Plantain into a catapult. This technique was collected form my grandfather who grew up in Georgia and how to do this when he was very young.

Text:

This is the ribwort plantain, and it is very common in Georgia, where I grew up. My grandfather taught me how to turn one of these into a gun by folding the stem over itself and pulling hard to launch the bulb at the very top. My sister and I had full-on wars where our only artillery was this common weed. My grandpa told me that he himself learned it from his grandfather, so I assume this simple trick is very old. The origin of this practice is unknown, but I assume it exists in most places where this plant grow

A Georgian Healing Lullaby

იავნანა, ბატონებო, ვარდო ბატონებო, | o violetnana, o spirit lords, o rosenana, o spirit lords,
იავნანა, ბატონებო, ვარდო ბატონებო, | o violetnana, o spirit lords, o rosenana, o spirit lords,
დატკბით, დატკბით, დაშოშინდით, ვარდო ბატონებო | Enjoy, be calm, o rosenana, o spirit lords,
დატკბით, დატკბით, დაშოშინდით, ვარდო ბატონებო | Enjoy, be calm, o rosenana, o spirit lords.

Context:

This Healing lullaby was collected form an informant who grew up in Georgia. It is only performed when a child is very sick and only by female family members, usually the mother.

Analysis:

In ancient Georgian belief, measles were caused by angry spirits called “ბატონები”. Once a child is
visited by spirits they must be pleaded with to leave. This lullaby contains many religious artifacts from a time when Georgians worshiped pagan gods. Their names remain in Georgian folklore as vocables. For
examples the vocable “ნანა” is through to be derived from a name of a pagan mother goddess. These
vocables, combined with common flowers in Georgian culture such as violets and roses, are used to
decorate the spirits’ names. Combined with this lullaby the child’s room is decorated with flowers and
various fruits. When used in this context we can think of the lullaby as a healing spell to ward off evil
spirits and sway the child into a peaceful sleep. This Georgian lullaby is passed down the
maternal line. The healing ritual is only performed by women and highlights the traditional role of a
maternal figure in Georgian culture as a caretaker.