Editing Mojo (African-American culture) (section)

== Etymology ==
The word ''mojo'' is believed to be derived from the [[Kongo language|Kikongo]] word ''mooyo'', meaning "to the spirits that dwelt within magical charms."<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=McCurnin |first=Mary |date=2010 |title=From the Old to the New World: The Transformation of Kongo Minkisi in African American Art |journal=VCU Scholars Compass |pages=43–52}}</ref> It refers to the cavity of a [[nkisi]], where magical items are normally stored''.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jacobson-Widding |first=Anita |title=Red-White-Black as a Mode of Thought: Study of Triadic Classification by Colours in the Ritual Symbolism and Cognitive Thought of the Peoples of the Lower Congo |publisher=Almqvist & Wiksell international |year=1979 |isbn=9789155408688 |edition=1st |pages=307–24}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Alternative words for mojo, such as ''[[Gris-gris (talisman)|gris-gris]]'' (primarily used in Louisiana) and ''wanga'' (primarily used in the Caribbean) have roots in the [[Mande languages|Mande]] language and the [[Kongo language|Kikongo language]], respectively. The word ''conjure'' is an ancient alternative to "hoodoo", which is a direct variation of [[African-American |African-American folklore]]. Because of this, a conjure hand is also considered a hoodoo bag, usually made by a respected community conjure doctor.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rose Bird |first1=Stephanie |title=The Big Book of Soul: The Ultimate Guide to the African American Spirit |date=2010 |publisher=Hampton and Roads Publishing Company |isbn=9781571745996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXIO7kjPUcoC&dq=nkisi+mojo+bag&pg=PT14}}</ref><ref name="d506">{{cite news | title="Hoodoo" Bag valued highly by negro boy|work= The Pensacola journal|location=Pensacola, Florida| via=The Library of Congress | date=19 December 1909 | url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn87062268/1909-12-19/ed-1/?sp=6&q=hoodoo&r=0.005,0.05,0.298,0.106,0 | access-date=20 December 2024}}</ref>

=== Semantic change of the word ===
Beginning in the twentieth century, the word mojo underwent semantic change in American culture in movies and songs and came to refer to sexuality and virility. Musicians use the word 'mojo' outside of its meaning within African-American culture and use the word out of its cultural context. Mojo has also come to mean motivation in general. In the [[Gullah|Gullah community]], the word mojo refers to magic and a conjure bag.<ref name="The University of California"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Young |first1=James |title=Art, Authenticity and Appropriation |journal=Frontiers of Philosophy in China |date=2006 |volume=1 |issue=3 |page=471 |doi=10.1007/s11466-006-0019-2 |jstor=30209982 |s2cid=144400385 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30209982 |access-date=22 June 2023}}</ref>