~ Voodoo Priestess Estate ~ ©

 Sterling Silver, Burmese Trade Tigers Eye, Nawab's Bone Skulls and Coober Pedy Djanggawul Black Opal, Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My, Dress Ritual Necklace

Part of Her Custom Made Collection

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This is another of our very long listings with an abundant text and 11 photographs.

So please sit back and read the listing through.  If you have come this far, we feel you will find it was worth the wait.

Nearly twenty-one and a half years have now passed since we were called to do an estate that had been closed up for seventeen years.

 The Voodoo Estate!

This type of call usually gets us excited as they are a treasure trove.  Located here in Florida, there was no electricity or running water so we rigged our own lighting and in we went.  If you have ever seen the Adams Family you will have some idea as to what we were greeted with!  Then the attorney handling the liquidation gave us some background.  The estate had belonged to an alleged powerful Voodoo Priestess/JooJoo Exorcist, grand daughter of a Marie Laveau and favored daughter of a Marie Glapion.

These names meant nothing to us, but the late night talk of Voodoo and exorcism in the old mansion was enough for us to spend the night in a hotel and return in the morning to assess the estate.  The rest is history.

Our research has shown that this woman was what she claimed and was indeed descended from a long line of well known Vodoun family originating in New Orleans in the early 1800's.

 

We were pretty unnerved by this until we discovered they were also devout Catholics!  Although I have to admit this was unlike any Catholic home we have ever been in and some of the items found inside were a little more than unnerving.  There was no feeling of dread or unwelcome in the mansion, however there was quite a bit of contraband and other items we can or will not sell here.

 

This is one of a few pieces from this estate we will be listing this week, so check our other postings!

 

We will, upon the new guardian's request, issue a named Letter of Authenticity with each piece from this estate, complying with the terms set forth to us by the estate's attorney.

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Some Back Story

This is one of the relatively small number of unusual necklaces she and her associates made for ritual use which we found and recovered from her ceremonial wardrobe.  Most of the costumes and accessories we found here were made by her and her staff, under her supervision or that of one of her many household practitioner, followers using materials of particular sources to compliment and enhance each other and their practices.

This necklace was found in her personal ceremonial wardrobe among a collection of pieces she and the 1898 LiDiex used as adornment in the elaborate ritual costumes they were known to wear.  Her journals tell us they are some of the many bead creations made by her associates and staff during their prayer bead and jewelry making sessions.

Los Angeles Indonesian Silver

 

All of the silver used in this necklace is part of a large quantity she purchased from an unnamed, Indonesian/American, practitioner, follower, silversmith and dealer of Los Angeles during a period from 1970 to 1977.

 

This Los Angeles Indonesian, craftswoman had four silversmiths in her employ, she also had family connections in Indonesia who acted as her buyers.

 

Her journals tell us the twelve bear and four lion beads were purchased in her shop from the trays of antique silver she had for sale.  These are alleged to have come from the estate of the actress Billie Burke in 1970, and she immediately took a liking to them.  Unfortunately there is no further provenance of the beads which we are taking an educated guess originated in Germany, circa 1910.

The bears measure approximately 1 3/8" x 15/16" x 5/16" and the lions, 1 1/4" x 1 3/16" x 3/8".  Unmarked, with no maker's or assay marks, all test as .900 Silver Standard.

 

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The Tiger Head pendant also came from the shop's vintage tray and is alleged to be the work of a local unnamed artisan silversmith.

It measures approximately 1" x 15/16" x 1 3/16" (with bale).

It is marked 925 with no maker's or assay marks and tests as .925 Sterling Silver Standard.

It's hollow back is set wit a fine high oval black opal cabochon, further described in detail below.

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The balance of the silver consists of fifty-five assorted rings, hooks, beads and spacers of Indonesian or Bali sterling silver.

These are unmarked, with no maker's or assay marls and test as .925 Sterling Silver Standard.

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Burma Trade Tigers Eye

 Her journals tell us the thirty-four 12.7 mm round and single 6.35 x 12.7 mm rondelle tigers eye beads she chose for this necklace were obtained as trade goods while in Burma in 1946.  She has written of this source of tiger eye with journal entries that read; "the energies from this batch of stone are attuned to the earth and the sun, a link between earth and sky bridging the physical and the spiritual.  An enhancer of psychic ability that has helped me receive information and impressions from the spirit realms."

"A true perception stone that influences the stability and mental clarity needed to manifest on both planes.  This stone is very protective and its energies well grounded.  It dispels the negative energies of this chaotic world."

As was often the case, she would hold and "massage", these stones and in many instances she notes of intentionally pricking her finger, "to draw blood to the stone before drifting off into a meditative state while counting prayer upon it during root work involving blood"

"I feel the warmth of the energies that course through me as it is fed upon my blood.  Digging deeper into this state releases the memories of the blood spirit contained within."

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These are vintage handmade beads that are far from gem quality that we feel were chosen for their perceived energy as she certainly had high quality beads that displayed a brilliant golden chatoyance or flicker at her disposal, which these beads, generally do not.

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Nawab's Bone Skulls

Her journaled inventory goes on to tell us the eighteen skull beads used in this necklace are, “Nawab's bone" and are part of a lot of human bone artifacts brought to the estate by the Ayurvedic Kundalini Yogi.

 

The Ayurvedic Kundalini Yogi

 

Her journals and inventory go on to tell us "these were bequeathed to us by Bhai Singh Sahib."  The first journal entry concerning this Yogi she names as, "Bhai Singh Sahib" is dated July 13th., 1929 and tells of a young Sikh forced to flee his homeland for religious persecution.  He was a Hindu, who was thought to have killed a Nawab.

 

It is not clear where their introduction was made.  Perhaps in her travels or through an associate, but we can not find any previous mention of, "The Ayurvedic Kundalini Yogi" as he is named in later entries.

 

The journal entries concerning Sahib span the four decade period he essentially spent in exile with those associated with this estate until the time of his death.  "Drawn to our ways he has added his Sikh blood to our line," according to one entry, which indicates to us that he took a mistress or wife that bore children during this time, but this section of journal is badly water damaged and illegible.

Little detail was found concerning his life prior to shutting himself in this estate for forty years for the most part.  There are numerous reference to his having been taught by Sant Hazara Singh of fame, but we have not been able to corroborate this.  In a detailed journal entry that pertains to his exile she relates his story she claims had been told to her directly from Sahib.  It began in December of 1928 and ended in the Himalayas of Northern India in January, of 1929.

"The eldest son of the Nawab had kidnapped, raped and murdered my sister, but vengeance was not to be mine.  He fled into the mountains with a small retainer that I managed to kill in three ambushes, yet in each instance the young Nawab escaped.  This vendetta fueled chase took us deep into the mountains and sixteen days had now elapsed when I spotted his campfire in the valley below.  Taking refuge in a cave I prepared myself for the final pre-dawn assault in which I meant to take his life.  I would estimate no more than three hours had elapsed when I heard his screams in the night which I assumed to be his night terrors caused by his insidious deeds.  As it played out I was not far from wrong.  A Red Bear bore on his camp and dragged him away screaming which was the commotion I heard.  It took three days to find where the bear had cached his remains in the snow having first eaten nearly the entire trunk and the face of the Nawab.  I scavenged the sight taking his flesh meat, bone, his misbaha, rings and his knife. I am of course now hunted in exile for the bear's work."

 

She goes on to note that he claims to have eaten the flesh and fashioned the bone of the young Nawab into talisman, and that the lapis lazuli beads taken from the three misbaha recovered from the scene by Sahib were later used in many of their prayer bead bracelets.  The bone pieces were fashioned into these unusual skull beads made from the knuckles, elbows and femurs of the Nawab.

 

We're sure he fit right in!

 

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There is also strong indication that this Yogi was a member of her "Zuvembie," a secret, in house sect of what were essentially thugs or assassins she gathered to do her will.

 

They obviously thought highly of him as his funeral ceremony is detailed from the bathing and clothing of his body to the cremation ceremony where, "Kirtan Sohila, the nighttime prayer was recited and Ardas offered which induced a feeling of detachment as the flames took his body", to the ashes being disposed of by immersing them in the Miami River and the non continuous reading of the entire Sri Guru Granth Sahib that was timed to conclude on the tenth day marking the end of the mourning period.

Another entry reads, "he was a passionate healer whose works stimulate the Kundalini through the activation of the Coccygeal Chakra."

The skulls are of fine grind and polish, and measure approximately 9.525 x 7.9375 x 7.9375 mm.

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The Coober Pedy Djanggawul Black Opal

Her journals and inventory tell us the cabochon mounted in the back of the tiger pendant was part of a group ground for her by an unnamed Mexico City, practitioner, follower and lapidary, from opal rough obtained in 1958 from a young man who claimed to be a holy man with sacred stones to sell.  "He was actually a Kupa Piti miner with raw opals to sell," she writes in one entry, and in another she tells us this bizarre story; "The Djanggawul were brother and sisters, two girls, one boy, who created Australia.  They came from Beralku and made the sacrad talisman opal by breaking off pieces of their vulvas."

She goes on to write, "little did this thief know how close this was to the truth."  She had this group of opal ground and cut into cabochons and gems, then induced them with spells or "charged" them, as she called it.  She goes on to attribute these opals in a journal entry that reads; "these are wonderful energies that awaken psychic and mystical awareness.  Gaze upon them, and into them.  This strengthens ones memory and has proven to be a powerful dream aid.  When worn, flashes of psychic and magical insight have always been perceived.  These energies will cause change to one's life so it is best to be prepared for this as opportunities for spiritual and material growth arrive quickly when exposed to them."

"Bathe the stone in the light of the full moon before wearing it in youthful regeneration."

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This black opal oval cabochon was ground and polished from natural crystal opal rough that was mined in the Coober Pedy.

 Coober Pedy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for the most part...

Coober Pedy is located in South Australia.  In the 2016 Census, there were 1,762 people in Coober Pedy.  Of these 962 were male and 801 were female.  There were 302 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people that made up 17.1% of the population.  The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there.

Coober Pedy is renowned for its below-ground residences, called "dugouts," which are built in this fashion due to the scorching daytime heat.  The name "Coober Pedy" comes from the local Aboriginal term kupa-piti, which means "boys’ waterhole."

The first opal was found in Coober Pedy on 1 February 1915; since then the town has been supplying most of the world's gem-quality opal.  Coober Pedy today relies as much on tourism as the opal mining industry to provide the community with employment and sustainability.  Coober Pedy has over 70 opal fields and is the largest opal mining area in the world.  Aboriginal people have a long-standing connection with the area.

The first European explorer to pass near the site of Coober Pedy was Scottish-born John McDouall Stuart in 1858.  The town was not established until after 1915, when opal was discovered by Wille Hutchison.  Miners first moved in about 1916.

By 1999, there were more than 250,000 mine shaft entrances in the area and a law discouraged large-scale mining by allowing each prospector a 165-square-foot (15.3 m2) claim.  The harsh summer desert temperatures mean that many residents prefer to live in caves bored into the hillsides ("dugouts").

A standard three-bedroom cave home with lounge, kitchen, and bathroom can be excavated out of the rock in the hillside for a similar price to building a house on the surface.  However, dugouts remain at a constant temperature, while surface buildings need air conditioning, especially during the summer months, when temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F).  The relative humidity rarely gets over 20% on these hot days, and the skies are usually cloud-free.  The average maximum temperature is 30–32 °C (86–90 °F), but it can get quite cool in the winter.

Coober Pedy is a very small town, about halfway between Adelaide and Alice Springs.  It has become a popular stopover point and tourist destination, especially since 1987, when the sealing of the Stuart Highway was completed.  Visitors attractions in Coober Pedy include the mines, the graveyard and the underground churches (the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church).  There are several motels offering underground accommodation, ranging from a few rooms to the entire motel being a dug-out.

The first tree ever seen in the town was welded together from scrap iron.  It still sits on a hilltop overlooking the town.

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This Opal

This high oval opal cabochon is of fine grind and polish.  It has a decidedly blue hue with internal flashes of predominantly blue red, gold and green color play inside the stone when exposed to a single sourced light that has not been adequately captured by the photographer.  The cabochon measures approximately 14.2875 x 11.1125 x 5.2 mm, 4.70 ct.  We estimate the value of this cabochon at $113 ct., $531.10.

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All of these have been hand knotted and strung with black yak sinew to form this ritual mala necklace measuring approximately 47" in overall length for a 24" drop.

The necklace weighs 166.1 grams.

 

It is certainly an unusual vintage ritual necklace with an extraordinary provenance, that is much nicer then the photographs have been able to depict.

 

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We have been contacted and visited by a number of people who were interested in the items from this estate since our first batch was listed.  Among the buyers have been known psychics and practitioners.  More than one, after adorning themselves or handling their purchase, stated "this is a woman of power!"  Many of our customers, after receiving items from this estate have reported dream contacts and other unexplained phenomenon.

 

Unusual, authentic Voodoo Priestess Estate piece and at a bargain price!

 

This is truly a rare opportunity to own anything with attributes to this estate.  The majority of this estate is now gone.  The pieces offered and sold here are some of the few remaining pieces that will ever be offered to the public.

 

Nice addition to any collection, altar, wardrobe or decor, displays really well.

 

Really doesn't get any better than this.

 

There are 11 photographs to tell the rest of this tale.

 

Buyer to pay $12.85 for Insured Priority Mail with USPS Tracking and handling with lagniappe.

We Combine Shipping.

Rest assured your order will be carefully packed to withstand the onslaught of the most deranged of Postal Workers.

 

International Buyer's, Please email us for a Shipping Quote.

 Payment is due at listing end.

Check our other posting's and sign up for our newsletter as new items are usually listed daily.

©Text and Photos Copyright 2001-2023 bushidobuce, all rights reserved.

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