Boy Scouts find voodoo dolls

Published: May 15, 2008 at 9:45 PM

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 15 (UPI) -- Members of a Boy Scout troop that agreed to help clean a historic cemetery in St. Petersburg, Fla., found three voodoo dolls hanging from a tree.

The dolls, which were hung in a vertical line on the tree's bark, had rusty pins stuck in their faceless heads, arms and legs, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday.

"They were kind of like ugly creatures that would eat you alive," said 10-year-old Kevin McDonough, a Webelos Cub Scout.

The Greenwood Cemetery, where the dolls were found, has buried on its grounds dozens of Civil War veterans, Union and Confederate, buried on opposite sides of the grounds.

University of South Florida religion Professor Mozella Mitchell, who studies Caribbean faiths, said the dolls are associated with many African-derived religions. They're common among people of Haitian, Cuban and Caribbean descent, she said.

Believers often use the dolls as sacred objects to connect with the supernatural, not typically for evil purposes, Mitchell was quoted as saying.

"I'd say certain sects might work a trick on somebody," she added. "But that's a very minor aspect of the religion."

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
Researcher: Wikipedia losing editors (13 min)
Fund manager linked to alleged scheme (17 min)
Airline tackles toilet troubles (18 min)
Figurines depict women in life of PM (23 min)
Russia: H1N1 flu down in Moscow (40 min)
Couple's sex in a clock tower draws crowd (47 min)
Stafford named top NFC Offensive player (51 min)
fark
Spotted cow removed from Mad River in NY. The image in your mind's eye is wrong
This is why you can't have nice things, America: "rather than a retelling of the Nativity story...
Canadian judge rules that the Happy Gilmore golf swing is wrong, biatch
News media reports that Obama has pardoned his first turkey. AIG and GM beg to differ
It's the Fark Annual Thanksgiving Eve Draw A Hand Turkey For Mom Contest. Past losers include Jerry...
Man smokes pack of cigarettes then hangs himself. See, those things will kill you