An Anglican Minister Observes Obeah in Barbados, 1728/29

Arthur Holt served at the chaplain on the Codrington Estates, the two sugar plantations owned by the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG). Holt's task of converting Black people, he observed, was difficult since enslaved people typically turned more toward traditional forms of African spirituality. Furthermore, he expressed a fear that these ceremonies were used for nefarious reasons again the planter class. If one looks closely, they can have some idea about how the ceremonies looked or sounded.

It is a thing heartily wish’d by all good Christians the sufficient care was taken to refrain the Negroes of the Island and especially those on the Societies Plantations from what they call their plays (frequently performed on the Lord’s Days), in which with their various instruments of horrid music, howling, and dancing about the graves of the dead, they offer victuals and strong liquor to the souls of the deceased, to keep them (as they pretend) from appearing to hurt them; in which sacrifices to the enemies of souls, the Oby Negroes or conjurors are the leaders, to whom they often receive charms to make them successful in any villanies, and too often deadly doses to dispatch out of the world such masters or other persons as they have conceived a dislike of, some sad instances of which have been since I’ve lived in this island; whilst these things are permitted, Christianity is like to make but slow advances.