COCO MACAQUE

COCO MACAQUE

“The mambo carried her Coco Macaque, which is a magical walking stick carved with a human face near the top. People believe that some, but not all Coco Macaques have spirits that live inside them. A mambo or hougan who possesses one of these can send it on magical errands at night and striking someone with the stick will ensure their deaths within 24 hours.”

Patrick Richard Wilkinson, Cave Vodou in Haiti: The Use of Caves as Sacred Space in Modern Haitian Ritual

“The Coco macaque, or as it is sometimes called a haunted Voodoo Zombie Stick, is said to be magically prepared only on November 1st, and many who know of it's dark magical secrets will tell you that they believe that a ghost or Lwa controls it with unseen hands. Sometimes describes as a heavy jointed or knuckled wooden cane or rough hand carved wooden stick or a simple looking walking stick. They might have a knob as a handle or just be simply tied with strings or strips of red cloth or a goats tanned and dyed hide braided with bones or religious holy medals or voodoo amulets.

Coco macaque is what many refer to as a very real magical Haitian vodou implement or black magicians helping tool. Made of Haitian Coco-macaque palm wood or what ever wood one has at hand it is basically just simple thick 1 to 2 inch wooden palm tree stick, which is supposed to be possessing one of many magical powers, The strangest one is that to be able to stand up and walk on its own. Though it's appearance of walking is described more like a hopping or bouncing action. This Voodoo Magic walking stick is not bound by gravity and is said to bounce off of houses and homes and even roofs as it travels to it's commanded destination. Sometimes many people might refer to them as Voodoo Zombie Canes and swear that by all known accounts and means that they or it is possessed by the spirits of the dead. By all old Haitian accounts many will tell you that it is a simple design or sometimes crudely hand carved by a voodoo black magic priest using what ever found wood is available to them at the time. And it is a cursed or controlled by specific spirit that causes the walking stick to appear to move all by itself.

A real coco macaque is not just a common found skull-topped walking stick that so many people find in large quantities in the New Orleans French Quarter. These sticks are usually for decoration or entertainment purposes only and are often confused with real magical sticks made by the real voodosants of the city. Many people who buy them mistake them for the true magic weapon or wand of old and often pay high prices for theses poor often imported imitations.”

Lisa Lee Harp Waug, The Story Of the Real Ghost Stick

My interest in the coco macaque stems from my interest in cemeteries. My partner and I have always been taphophiles but during the pandemic our interest intensified since visiting cemteries was a cheap, easy and socially distant way to be outside in nature. During our visits we've encountered numerous ritual objects left at graves that seem to be part of Santería cemermonies. My main reference was this coco macaque that was on display in the exhibition Vodou: Sacred Powers of Haiti in the Field Museum. 



One of which was a stick, wrapped in cloth and covered in shells! When we got home I started researching what this could be. It is not a coco macaque, but that search is what led me to them. 



Just to make this all clear; I don't think there's anything wrong with 

Santería, other folk religions or the rituals practiced in cemeteries. I don't think it's disrespectful or malicious and most people's perception is wildly distorted and tainted by the media. I also fully understand that Santería and Voodoo (or Voudon) are not the same but just have some similarities. I personally think it's quite beautiful that people have found new personal uses for cemeteries which, in many cases, are neglected and forgotten.

 Here's a selection of items we've found in our cemetery travels in NY, NJ & PA.