Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica

Hurston begins her exploration of Jamaican culture by introducing “Pocomania,” the folk religion of its peasant class. Pocomania is a blend of traditional West African religious practices with elements of Protestant Christianity. There is no centralized ecclesiastical hierarchy; religious leaders guide local communities of believers and preside over “Balm Yards” where they diagnose and treat both physiological and spiritual ailments. These leaders prescribe rituals for luck and protection during important life events such as death and birth, and liaise between supplicants and their gods. They frequently host religious celebrations and ceremonies, many of which Hurston witnessed or participated in. These celebrations involve open air processions, candlelit offerings, healing rituals, and music and dancing.

The vast majority of Jamaica’s inhabitants are descended from African enslaved persons brought to work on English-owned plantations during the colonial era (See: Background). Only 2% of the population is white at the time of Hurston’s writing, with the remainder being Black or mixed race. There is a strict racial hierarchy wherein proximity to whiteness equates to social status, leading many so-called “census white” Jamaicans to have themselves declared legally white despite actually being mixed race. This contrasts with the reported tendency in the USA of considering anyone with Black ancestors to be African American regardless of their skin