Dr. Buzzard. Art by Katelan V. Foisy, from The Hoodoo Tarot.
And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
— Ezekial 25:17
Plant: Galangal Root (Alpinia galanga)
The Image
Dr. Guzzard is standing in front of a courthouse, laughing joyously after winning a case for a client. Behind him is Lady Justice, wearing a Kongo witchdoctor mask, similar to the one Dr. Buzzard’s father would have worn in Africa. THis symbolizes domination and being a law unto oneself. Instead of the swords, Lady Justice is holding a bouquet of galangal (the common name for Chewing John root), because she now works for Dr. Buzzard and that is his weapon. He is showing you a piece of the root. In the other hand, in which Lady Justice usually holds the scales, there is nothing, because his way is the only option. Instead, the scales are put to better use collecting Dr. Buzzard’s cigarette ashes.
Stephen Robinson (1860-1947), a.k.a. Dr. Buzzard, was a famous rootworker from St. Helena Island, South Carolina. His specialty was “chewing the root” in court, a practice designed to protect criminal defendants from guilty verdicts or harsh sentences. This practice brought Robinson in conflict with J. E. McTeer, sheriff of Beaufort County. McTeer attempted to charge Robinson with practicing medicine without a license but failed when his primary witness went into convulsions on the witness stand. McTeer’s subsequent attempts to convict Robinson failed.
Dr. Buzzard attracted clients, both locally and from around the country, until his death in early 1947. According to legend, Robinson’s father was a witchdoctor who had been brought directly to St. Helena from West Africa. Robinson was said to have wielded enormous spiritual power and was sought out by Southerners of all racial and socio-economic backgrounds.
Meaning
Justice, like everything else, is a social construct that is defined by those in power. To the majority of Americans, justice is equated with courts, law enforcement, politicians, or maybe even karma. This is not the case for rootworkers as, historically, when Black Americans have sought justice, all they find are “just us,” as the old saying goes. So, if someone had a problem, they sought out a rootworker to help them solve it. While usually rootworkers believe in God or some other higher power, they do not consider revenge for a genuinely offensive action to be a bad thing. That’s if they consider “good” or “bad” at all, since such dualities didn’t traditionally exist in African or Indigenous culture in quite the same way as European societies. Therefore, it is not considered immoral to root someone who hurt you or someone you love. There is no sentient creature on this Earth that will sacrifice life, food, or the well-being of themselves and their families without a vicious fight. Nor are there any who will voluntarily suffer so that the offender or hunter does not. There is no negative karma for the bull goring the matador. The rootworker understands this.
If you receive Dr. Buzzard in a reading, consider the following:
• What would be a fair way to resolve this conflict?
• Did you do something wrong? If no, don’t worry about it. If yes, then you’re about to pay the price.
• Did someone do something wrong to you? If no, don’t worry about it. If yes, then they’ve set the wheel of justice in motion against themselves.
• Have you taken responsibility for all the choices you’ve made?
• If something is forgivable, then forgive. If not, now what?
• If revenge is taken for an offense, will you regret that you did it once you’ve calmed down? If so, then chill out and move on.
Text by Tayannah Lee McQuillar.
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