illusions to Mbaka, little red figures thought to be messengers from the dead among the Kongo.' They look like the small Kongo reliquaries, and one sees examples in Haitian paintings; in Haiti and Cuba they are called Baka." In the United States, these African and African-Caribbean cloth charm traditions evolve into several new forms. One is the Vodun doll, which can be traced from New Orleans to the Haitian Pacquet Congo and the Baka of Cuba and Haiti, to the Kongo red mummy, the Kongo wooden Nkisi with nails, and other Kongo cloth charms. An example of a Vodun doll was found on the Melrose plantation in Louisiana. Often these dolls are made with pins to activate them, just as Kongo wooden charms are activated by nails. A black cloth doll made in 1950 was recently discovered in Alabama, with mismatched socks to confuse and thwart malevolent spirits." The AfricanAmerican folk painters Nellie Mae
Rowe and Lizzie Wilkerson more recently made dolls with red arms and legs, but neither woman would explain why she used red cloth." For some quilters, the protective symbolism of Vodun dolls may have been forgotten but they continue to use the form in new ways. Two Mississippi quilters appliqué designs featuring red figures reminiscent of Vodun dolls on their quilts and pillows. They refer to their patterns as "Men'? "Dolly Dingle Dolls' "Cowboys" and "Fashionable Ladies'? The term "mojo" comes from the Kikongo word Mooyo, referring to the soul, spiritual spark or force in Kongo charms." The African-American term Mojo refers to a hex or spell, healing medicine,and the charm or amulet used to lift a spell or protect one from evil forces, as in the folksong "Got My Mojo Working',' popularized by blues singer Muddy Waters." A small square red African-American cloth charm is called a "mojo:' or a "hand" (in the
sense that a charm is a helping hand) and it fuses West African and Central African charm concepts. Graphic hands are seen on the houses of West African priests as well as protective shapes in many cultures." In Brazil, one finds carved wooden hands sometimes worn as charms, as on a doll dressed as a Brazilian Yoruba priestess, collected by Frances Herskovits. Zora Neal Hurston collected this information about a "hand": Take a piece of the fig leaf, sycamore bark, John de Conquer root, John de Conquer vine, three paradise seeds. Take a piece of paper and draw a square and let the party write his wishes. Begin, "I want to be successful in all my undertakings': Then cut the paper from around the square and let him tear it up fine and throw it in front of the business place or house of wherever he wants. Put the square in the "hand"and sew it all up in red flannel. Sew with a strong thread and when seams are closed, pass the
Mermaid Quilt;Sarah Mary Taylor; Mississippi; 1980; 78 x 727In addition to the hand appliqués, red squares ofthe same size, shape and color as the African-American "mojo" or "hand" reaffirm a knowledge ofAfrican-American charms.
thread back and forth through the bag 'til all the thread is used up. To pour on "hand:" oil of anise, oil of rose geranium, violet perfume, oil of lavender, verbena, bay rum. "Hand must be renewed every six months:'" Many African-American quilters prefer patterns, such as the "Nine Patch',' which incorporate small red squares which look like a "mojo:' An 1895 album quilt by Josie Covington is significant because it incorporates so many protective African concepts. The quilt has been pieced together in large complex squares which are hard to see because of the protective multiple patterning (like newspapers on walls to slow down evil spirits), and the center features an appliquéd hand, which Josie Covington made by tracing the hand of her son, Sercy, when he was three." There are also many small red squares. 42
The Clarion