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Evil Zombie-Making Witch Doctor
This is the last of the Voodoo Witch Doctors. This doll design is now officially retired.
Your exhausting journey has finally taken you to Haiti. You've been in search of the Witch Doctor JuJu Bokor........the most famous zombie-making Witch Doctor in the world.
For many days you've searched various parts of the Caribbean, in graveyards, underground tunnels and catacombs, abandoned mines, swamps, marshes, bayous and now you've reached the gloomy cemetery where it is said that the zombies of JuJu Bokor roam at night.
And if you find the zombies, you'll find JuJu Bokor.
You've also done your homework. Learning about the zombies that JuJu Bokor makes will tell you much about the Witch Doctor himself.
You've studied the known weaknesses and methods of destruction of JuJu zombies, just in case you encounter one.
You know that the JuJu zombies do not express any fear or hesitation in their actions, even when confronted by certain peril. But you are prepared. You have your knife and several books of matches and lighters handy.
A JuJu zombie will protect it's master vehemently.
It is known that the JuJu zombies are highly susceptible to fire. It's the most effective way of destroying them. And even though they do not possess night vision, a characteristic usually common to most undead monsters, they do possess superhuman strength......up to three times greater than what they possessed while alive.
Also, the JuJu zombies are immune to most things in which mortals are very vulnerable. They can't be drowned, suffocated, electrocuted, poisoned, nor could they succumb to drugs. However, JuJu zombies can be dismembered, rendering him immobile. But, if decapitated, the head will 'live'.
You are prepared to fight them with fire, if you need to.
But what you really came for, was the Witch Doctor himself.......JuJu Bokor.
JuJu means magic, or evil spirit. And Bokor is a Voodoo sorcerer or evil Witch Doctor. The JuJu zombie is created through means of ritual Black Magic....usually evil Voodoo.
JuJu zombies are among the lower forms of the undead, and they are made to serve their Bokor in some way; providing effective slave labor, protection, or even in resolving vendettas.
Armed with all your information from hours of diligent study, you are ready to find the evil Witch Doctor.
You find the gloomy cemetery you'd heard so much about, but you stay safely hidden, mumbling prayers of gratitude under your breath for the fact that zombies cannot see well at night. At this moment, that's your biggest cloak of protection.
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, you hear the rustling of grasses.....a swishing sound. Small twigs are snapping and breaking under the weight of something moving slowly.
You draw in your breath......and wait.
Within moments you are nearly blinded by a huge flash of light that quickly settled to a small fire on the ground. As your eyes adjusted, you could barely make out the figure that finally began to show itself in the small firelight.
Chills raced down your spine as you felt yourself pale-out.
It was him.
And standing in front of him was a thin man. He looked rather weak and he was slouching. He seemed to be in pain, but you couldn't be sure.
What was going to happen?
Then the understanding began to seep into your mind.
You thought to yourself, "Oh, my GOD! He's going to turn that poor man into a zombie!"
You were going to witness an actual zombification, also known as Zuvembie.....the Living Dead........the Walking Dead.
You positioned yourself into a more comfortable position behind a raised tomb.
Your eyes were eager to drink in all that stood before you. The legendary Witch Doctor stood a good 33 inches tall, including his feather headdress. His entire body had been made of muslin and he had been completely painted black and sanded down for an aged look.
The headdress was made of heavy black string thread that had been braided. And on each braid was a wooden bead. On top of the mound of wooden beads and braids stood a proud set of black and red feathers. They were majestic and spoke volumes of the Witch doctor's status within the land.
But, however powerful he was, he was also the scourge of the Houngan, which are the Voodoo Priests or good Witch doctors. They are ever vigilant in trying to defend their lands against the threat of those that use Voodoo magic for dark purposes.
In the flickering firelight you could finally see the face of JuJu Bokor. He was an evil, hideous, scary looking man. His hair was dark brown wool with several black thread braids coming down both sides of his face. And on the left side of his face was a strand of old wooden colorful beads.
And flashing the very brightest in the firelight were his earrings. They hung low and down to his neck.
You studied his face, at least as much as you could. His heavy eyelids concealed very white looking antique button eyes. And his nose was very large. There was a golden ring in his nose. And then you saw his generous red potpourri mouth. At this point, he had begun to mumble things in a ritualistic manner.
Snug around the neck of JuJu Bokor was a band of natural Raffia. And hanging from the Raffia were two small skulls.....they looked just like human skulls!
As JuJu Bokor moved around his fire and the weak man, you could hear the tinkle of his old bead necklace. They bore the dull sound of old bones.
Your eyes followed the line of this man. Your eyes were soon drawn to his interesting twine belt along his mid-section.
The movement of the Witch Doctor and the blowing wind that was stirring around moved his Raffia grass skirting very wildly, but at times, you could still see some of his 'wares'.
On both sides of his skirting you could see strips of deep pink coconut that had been attached together with string, and separated by old wooden beads.
On the right side of JuJu Bokor's skirting was a small black tapestry bag. Hanging from the bag were two strands of yet more old wooden beads and feathers.
At this moment you could hear JuJu Bokor summon the Loa, which are the Voodoo spirit gods.
Zombification through evil Voodoo is really a form of possession. The JuJu zombies are animated by the Loa that inhabit the JuJu zombie's form and are controlled by the Bokor who summoned them. They are much more powerful than the common zombie, and slightly more intelligent, as well.
Then you watch as JuJu Bokor reaches his hand into the little black tapestry bag. Old stained rags are wound around his wrists.
You now understand what he's doing.
The bag is filled with a special concoction of mystical herbs, in addtion to human and animal parts. You've read of this method of zombification.
JuJu Bokor gets a handful of the special dust and he blows it into the slouched man's face.
The strengthening wind carried some dust over to where you were hiding. You could smell it's odors and it was unlike anything you had ever smelled before. Within moments, the man was rendered immobile and he succumbed to a comatose-like state, very much resembling death.
But you knew he wasn't dead.
Your various studies of this method revealed that the active ingredient that causes this "death-in-life" affect is known as tetrodotoxin.
Very little is known about this drug.
You yourself stayed very quiet and very still, trying to stay hidden away.
Next, you see JuJu Bokor take his Maraca from his belt and chant, while shaking the Maraca to the right and then to the left of the man.
He was beginning the ancient Voodoo rite of taking possession or 'trapping' the man's soul. He would then replace the man's soul with the Loa that JuJu Bokor controls.
Just then, you saw JuJu Bokor take the wooden handled, string-bound knife from his twine belt and cut a small place in the man's thumb. He let the blood drip to the ground. At that moment, he shook his Maraca again and then covered the blood with dirt, using his foot.
JuJu Bokor was very careful not to get the blood on himself. His muslin loin cloth stayed free from his victim's blood.
He then took the knife and ripped a strip of cloth from the man's shirt.
The entire scene made you wince and in your movement of steadying yourself, you cut your hand on the broken corner of the tomb. Your blood began to trickle down the side of the tomb and drip onto the ground.
Your hand begins to bleed badly and you take your handkerchief from your back pocket and wrap your wound. You are trying to be as still as you can, for fear of being discovered.
Then you saw JuJu Bokor reach into his small twig basket and pick through the various interesting objects. It seemed to be a basket full of herbs and other 'wares' of nature.
Then it dawns on you what he was looking for.
He was going to use one of the round 'natural objects' as a container for the man's soul. Once the man's soul has been 'trapped', it's then placed into an unremarkable container. The container is then wrapped in a fragment of the victim's clothing, or some other personal possession owned by the victim in life, and then it's hidden in a place of secrecy known only to the Bokor.
You begin to hear the muffled rumble of distant thunder, and by the light of the full moon, you can see the clouds rushing past very quickly, right over-top of JuJu Bokor.
He begins to chant louder and wave his mystic stick back and forth, from side to side, of the man.
It was a hideous stick of evil, dark magic. There was a sinister black glass skull tied down onto the stick, and hanging on both sides of the skull was a strand of old wooden beads. The wind made them bang together like a wind chime. Feathers were jutting from the top of the glass skull and long stained threads hung below.
Slowly, JuJu Bokor began the hypnotic dance. His long legs formed the ritual steps necessary for invoking the evil spirits to come trap the man's soul into a gourd. You could hear the Raffia grasses swishing as the wind picked up and the dance pace quickened. His legs looked nearly independent of the rest of his body.
There were long pieces of natural Raffia hanging from just below his knees. And the tops were wrapped in the same type of cloth as his wrists.
Upon taking a closer look, you saw two rusty bells and more feathers attached to the cloth that were wrapped around the Raffia.
The sounds from the Maraca, the bells, and the swishing of the grass skirting made for an interesting exotic type of music.
Soon, the man was taking on a blank, expressionless face, with white eyes.
He seemed incapable of speech, but he was beginning to make a moaning sound...a deep guttural sound.
You found yourself doing the same.
He no longer seemed to be in pain.......he was impervious to pain.
Your injured hand stopped hurting, as well.
He stopped breathing.
You stopped breathing.
The process was completed.
He would now be a JuJu zombie and he would be capable of existing for 20 or 30 years before eventual putrefaction would take over.
As those very thoughts entered your mind, they faded away just as your eye-sight was fading.......
Holding a gourd container, JuJu Bokor approached you and smiled.
The process was completed, indeed.
Copyright © January 26, 2003 and August 28, 2003 Cathy Palmer-Scruggs / Catt Alexander
Thanks to Brenda and to Starr.
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In spite of the dolls I create and the stories I write, I do not use recreational drugs, I don't smoke cigarettes, and I don't even drink alcoholic beverages.. I out-grew a lot of things a long time ago.