Pow-wow is a system of American folk religion and magic associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. It comes from the book Pow-wows, or, The Long Lost Friend, written by John George Hohman and first published in German as Der Lange Verborgene Freund in 1820. Despite the Native name, the collection is actually a very traditional collection of European magic spells, recipes, and folk remedies, of a type familiar to students of folklore. They mix Roman Catholic prayers, magic words, and simple rituals to cure simple domestic ailments and rural troubles. Once these charms and spells were written down in English, they escaped the Pennsylvania German community and influenced hoodoo and other forms of folk magic and folk religion in the United States.
The tradition is also called hex or hex work, or Speilwerk in Pennsylvania German; its adepts are hexenmeisters. The tradition of hex signs painted on Pennsylvania barnss in some areas originally relates to this tradition, as the symbols were pentagrams thought to have talismanic properties; though many current hex signs are made simply for decoration.
Also important to the pow-wow practitioner were the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, books brought to the United States from Germany, containing cabalistic magic, claiming to be the magical arts by which Moses obtained his powers and commanded spirits. Actually, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses were apparently compiled by Johann Scheibel in eighteenth century Germany.
Another characteristic practice of pow-wow magic is the Himmelsbrief, a "heaven's letter" which are basically engrossed letters containing Bible verses and other charms which contain assurances that their owners would be protected from death, injury, and other misfortune. The text of these letters is occasionally reminiscent of some contemporary chain letters. Pow-wow practitioners charged handsome sums for these magical letters; the price they commanded depended on the reputation of the practitioner. Other sources mention a Teufelsbrief, a "devil's letter," which presumably is meant to bestow a curse. Significantly, the Long Lost Friend assures its owner that:
- Whoever carries this book with him, is safe from all his enemies, visible or invisible; and whoever has this book with him cannot die without the holy corpse of Jesus Christ, nor drowned in any water, nor burn up in any fire, nor can any unjust sentence be passed upon him. So help me.
Table of contents |
2 CURE FOR THE HEADACHE 3 TO REMOVE BRUISES AND PAINS 4 TO MAKE GOOD BEER 5 External links: |
Quotations:
CURE FOR THE HEADACHE
TO REMOVE BRUISES AND PAINS
TO MAKE GOOD BEER
External links:
See also: Pow-wow, a gathering of Native Americans.