"NGANGA"

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. 

At the appropriate time the items are gathered up and placed into a large nganga, which is immediately buried. After that the villagers can finally rest easy. I'm guessing that the grave is unmarked lest some hippie or souvenir collector find it and release the spirit.

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.