#mekhashepha

[melungeonculture]

Children Of The Moon: Documenting Melungeon Oral History and Spirituality

*Children Of The Moon will be an extended series on the Melungeon folk magic practice known as Mekhashepha.

[juliekjohnsonwrites]

Back from my Lent social media hiatus! I’ve been playing with Procreate a lot lately and decided to do these drawings of Melungeon spirits; first is Soluwa, spirit of the moon 🌙 and second is Solu, spirit of the sun ☀️. Soluwa keeps spirits of ancestors as fireflies, and they become the stars during new moon nights. Solu is a spirit of war, but also of renewal and healing in guise of spring and summer. In stories, they are lovers despite being separated eternally by day and night.

[melungeonculture]

Mekhashepha in Melungeon Culture: Breaking it Down

In order to understand Mekhashepha and its ties to Melungeoninity you must first understand some history.  In recent years there has been a lot of push back against cultural Melungeons sharing their traditional culture and practices, with new age Melungeons demonizing and invalidating Melungeon culture in search of something more “mystical” in the form of appropriating Indigenous tribes form which they have no proof of claim. It is no secret that this denial and invalidation is rooted in antisemitism, and denial of Hebrew Melungeons.  It is undeniable that Melungeon (and Appalachian) people have Hebrew influence, whether this influence is ethnic, cultural, religious, or both varies per family.  This can be substantiated by looking at many common Melungeon names (and old Appalachian names), surnames, dialect, and traditions. Examples can be seen in the common Melungeon surname Cohen>Cowen>Gowen>Goin/Goins as well as common Melungeon given names such as Mahala, Nehemiah, Keziah, Hezekiah, Uzziah, Etc.  Melungeon people also have undeniable ties to Spain/Portugal this can also be substantiated by things like surnames (chavis/chavez), traditions, dialect, Oral History, and DNA. Mekhashepha is an ancient Hebrew word, it has been in use since before we existed as Melungeon people, however in the early 1900′s a man named Eliezer Ben Yeuhda, a lexicographer, created the first Hebrew English dictionary, becoming a driving force in the revival of the Hebrew Language, giving terms like Mekhashepha a resurgence, even if temporary at best. Many words coined by Yehuda became part of everyday Hebrew language while others died out or never caught on. The ancient origins of Melungeon people remains unconfirmed today, but it was once a common rumor among colonizers that Melungeon people were born of an affair between The Devil and an Indigenous Woman. This is important to note because this is likely in part why the term Mekhashepha was weaponized against our people. Though Melungeon people are not specifically mentioned, the book “ Religious Authority in the Spanish Renaissance “ by LuAnn Homza notes Nicholas De Lyra’s use of the Onkelos Targum when translating the term Mekhashepha to refer to a female soothsayer, sorceress, or witch, with carnal ties to the Devil.  Mekhashepha originally tended to refer to a title, usually that of a female, and not the name of their religious or spiritual practice, though today, following Yehuda’s dictionary, it seems to be used interchangeably. In the Torah and the Old Testament, the Mekhashepha are also included with "necromancers", "those who cast spells", "those who summon spirits" etc., as "an abomination to Yahweh" in Deuteronomy 18:9-10.  Mekhashepha does however have controversial translations as many scholars debate it may refer to an herbalist, healer, poisoner, or even pharmacist.  In some translations it is said Mekhashepha may be relied on to heal the sick, foretell the future, and predict agricultural outcomes. These are all things that were tied to Melungeon folk and traditional beliefs as well and can be seen still today in practices like faith healing, the man of signs, reading cards, using blood beads, folk remedies, etc. Due to the negative associations between Mekhashepha and Satan, many Melungeon people were not enthusiastic about identifying with the term, however neither were they about identifying as Melungeon.  In recent, with the rise of popularity in witchcraft, natural healing, cultural acceptance, and feminism, many Melungeons have made the decision to reclaim these terms and wear them and identify with them proudly, while others still feel uncomfortably with these terms. For further reading on Mekhashepha: https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/39828/what-was-the-churchs-attitude-to-magic-prior-to-the-15th-century

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliezer_Ben-Yehuda

https://www.academia.edu/33078425/When_a_single_word_matters_The_role_of_Bible_translations_in_the_witch_hunt_in_the_Grand_Duchy_of_Lithuania

https://archive.org/stream/AbrahamAbulafiaAStarterKit/AncientJewishMagic_djvu.txt

[juliekjohnsonwrites]

Two more newspaper articles for the end Melungeon Heritage Month! I don’t know the original publication names or the exact dates, but these articles come from two separate newspapers. The first discusses the use of blood beads and grave houses. 🩸 📿 If you’ve read #themooneyedones you’ll know I got the description of blood beads hella wrong 😂. Blood beads are rosary-like strings of yellow-green or amber glass beads believed to cure blood borne illness as they are chanted or prayed over. It was a common practice among Melungeon communities where doctoring was scarce. The second discusses elder Melungeon women speaking in an unknown language while going to pray to the moon in cemeteries at midnight. 🌕 While society generally depicted Melungeons as “witchy,” we did indeed have practices that may have seemed odd or foreign to outsiders. #melungeon #mekhashepha #machisaba #genealogy #appalachia (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkO1TboPpEZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[melungeonculture]

Welcome to the world of Mekhashepha.

This is a spiritual path practised by a small Melungeon community known as Ridgeminites and other Melungeon communities with heavy Jewish influence, it is not practised by all Melungeon communities, but it is not found outside them.  More commonly spelled Mekhashepha or Machisaba, it is a folkhealing and conjure craft brought to the Appalachian region by Melungeon peoples. It is historically spelled Mekhashepha or Machashabah, roughly translated from Hebrew, it means witchcraft or cunning work. This blog is for educational purposes only, I do not offer any goods, services, or medical advice.  Machisaba should not be used as a replacement for professional health advice.