[TASMANIANRED]

"A small cache of perforated and disfigured coins was found beneath the floorboards; the people of this mining frontier town likely believed those coins could be transformed into objects of supernatural control. "

Where did this specious piece of information come from. These were American Blacks, as American as any cowboy that roamed the range. They act like these were Hatians straight off the boat with Voodoo trappings. Most of these prosperous blacks were Chrisitans just like 90% of the population.

[Old Professer]

They were more likely tokens used in gaming; having been reduced in mass, they were worth less than the legal tender.

[AnAmericanMother]

The custom of burying things in the foundation of a new structure isn't Voudon . . . it's been going on since the dawn of time all over the globe. You can find 'em in Anglo Saxon castle mounds and Norman castles and bungalows in New Jersey. It's now mostly just a custom although it probably had pagan origins somewhere down the line. (I confess we put a couple of items in the foundation of our new house . . . some coins and holy medals . . . :-D )

But you're right - they're trying to make these guys sound like ignorant ex-slaves with ju-ju medicine. Good grief!

[Servant of the 9]

These were American Blacks, as American as any cowboy that roamed the range. They act like these were Hatians straight off the boat with Voodoo trappings. Most of these prosperous blacks were Chrisitans just like 90% of the population.

To this day, lots of people in South Louisiana don't consider Voodoo and Christianity mutually exclusive. Nor are they all black.

So9