language of trees and plants, a skill that baffled
even his healing colleagues. The plants would tell
him which ones to use to cure illnesses, how and
when to prepare them, and which to avoid. Plants
have supernatural powers; the leaf is the manifes-
tation of the divine life force. It can be a lifelong
study to learn how to access and apply it properly.
Denise MartinSeealsoGod; Healing; Medicine
Further Readings
Konadu, K. (2007).Indigenous Medicine and Knowledge
in African Society.New York: Routledge.
Onyefulu, I. (1998).My Grandfather Is a Magician:
Work and Wisdom in an African Village. Brookfield,
CT: Millbrook Press.
Pelikan, W. (1997).Healing Plants:Insights Through
Spiritual Science. Spring Valley, NY: Mercury Press.
POCOMANIA
Pocomania, sometimes referred to as Revivalism,
is more than 200 years old in Jamaica. This is an
African form of religion with elements of other
religious traditions. Enslaved Africans brought
this form of religious practice to the Caribbean
region. In the rural areas of Jamaica, the influence
of African heritage is more noticeably present in
the Revival movement than it is in urban settings.
Pocomania is viewed by many as a form of rebel-
lion and protest against European religions and
the political status quo.
There are now two types of Pocomania. A
reformed version is called Revival Zion. The orig-
inal form is still referred to as Pocomania or
Pukumania. Pocomania is a more African form,
whereas Revival Zion is a more European-
oriented form of religion. The wordPocomania
comes from the Spanish for “small madness.”
Pocomania is a Jamaican spiritist religion whose
worship services are characterized by singing,
dancing, spirit possession, speaking in tongues,
and healing rituals.
In Pocomania, the leader is always a man who
is known as the Shepherd, whereas in Revival
Zion, the leader can be either a man or a woman.
In the Revival Zion movement, the male leader is
referred to as Captain, whereas the female leader
is called the Mother or Madda.
Women play an important role in Pocomania.
They serve as members, healers, and preachers.
They act as recruiters for the religion and as lead-
ers of small groups interested in learning about the
religion. They remain the backbone, that is, the
strength of many African traditions in the religion.
Pocomania worship revolves around music and
spirit possession. In addition, the worship service
combines moral teaching, singing, and movements
invoking the spirits to enter the ceremony. Along
with teaching values and morals, and the singing
of hymns and choruses, a large part of the wor-
ship is devoted to tramping or trumping. As an
essential part of the Pocomania meeting or wor-
ship, “tramping” is an African inspired dance that
is accompanied by the playing of cymbals or tam-
bourines. Tramping occurs after the singing has
become intense and the percussive element has
reached a peak. The members of the Pocomania
group move around in a circle, counterclockwise,
each using forward-stepping motions with a
forward bend of the body. This is much like the
ancient ring-shout form often seen in the Gullah
regions of Georgia and South Carolina.
Typically, members of the Pocomania meeting
are dressed in white robes, heads wrapped in blue,
red, white, or green colors, as they chant and
move to the rhythm of drums and tambourines.
The music is hypnotic, inducing hips to gyrate to
its steady beat. This is an individual form of self-
expression, where the participants’ minds are
attuned to sounds only they can hear.
Pocomania follows the African pattern of not
dividing the present world from that of the after-
life. All things are circular and reciprocal. In fact,
the living and the Dead are part of the same mov-
ing force in the universe. Those who have passed
away have merely gone to another part of the
same community. Thus, the deity expresses love
and justice in the present life, not only in the after-
life. The followers of Pocomania believe that God
is everywhere and so are the spirits of their ances-
tors. In addition, they believe that the spiritual
world is experienced through the natural physical
world. Invoking the spirit is an integral part of
Pocomania. Votarists often go into trances wherePocomania 531