Better think twice before reading this post, because the subject is downright creepy. It concerns an artifact found in parts of Central and South America called "nganga." If you haven't heard of it, and you're willing to risk being creeped out, then I recommend watching the above video, starting at the 2:50 mark.
Oh, and a caveat...I know next to nothing about the subject, so if I write something misleading I hope a reader will correct me.
If you've seen the video then you know that ngangas are carefully sealed iron cauldrons which contain evil spirits. Everything the owner had which contains a bad vibe or an evil spirit is put into a heavy iron pot and buried. Just to make sure the spirit doesn't get out, the container is packed with sharp nails, knives, bullets, hangman's nooses, etc. After that, the entire thing is sealed and wrapped tight with thick iron chains and heavy padlocks.
Apparently there's such a thing as a communal nganga. A place is set aside where the whole community can get rid of their voodoo dolls, hex paraphernalia, items owned by deceased trouble makers, etc. Maybe voodoo dolls retain their potency after use and have to be decommissioned this way.
Interesting, huh?
BTW: Two commenters who seem to know about the subject say that Nganga has nothing to do with Voodoo, and that it can contain either bad or good influences depending on the intention of the person who put it together.
8 comments:
I meant to say,“Oddities” is a guilty pleasure of mine. I’m always surprised by the clientele and the money they seem to have for arguably collectable objects. The Nganga is fascinating as anthropology but I’m finding the things happening today such as this article on DARPA scare me more than evil spirits. http://www.infowars.com/pentagon-developing-autonomous-humanoid-robots-to-perform-evacuation-operations/
Weird and interesting. Perhaps a good scenario for a new Ren and Stimpy cartoon, assuming any new R & S cartoons ever get off the starting block.
Someday we'll use nganga technology to bury decommissioned killbots.
Eddie, do you know about this?
The Antikythera mechanism
EDDIE BETTER STICK TO SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE VOODOO DOLLS AND NGANGAS ARE TO DIFFERENT THINS.AT THE SAME TIME I AM GLAD THAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT BECAUSE JUST IMAGINE IF A NGANGA END UP IN THE WRONG HANDS...
This is all very misleading. Nganga does not contain evil spirits. The nganga is a universe condensed into a sacred vessel. It is a power object that can be used to heal or harm. The will is that of the keeper . Voodoo has nothing to do with nganga.
Anon, Anon: Thanks much for the correction. I'll see if I can add one of these notes to the article.
La ngaga es un consagracion de palo mayombe. El espiritu q esta dentro esta alli porque el quiso estar alli. Los medium espirituales entran en comunicacion con el ente y este les comunica si quiere o no estar alli. Y no es malo ni bueno. Ninguna persona viva o muerta es mala o buena. Por eso puede ser usada para ambos fines... es una cultura aforocubana. La mejor forma de salir de la ignorancia es investigando
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