Manual Gagneux is very direct in how he approaches the question. Like the traditional spirituals and blues we're familiar with, the subject matter is very dark. It captures the horrors of slavery and the resulting chaotic aftermath of the Jim Crow era. "Gravedigger's Chant" was the first single off of the most recent album, "Stranger Fruit," a play on Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," which dealt with the prevalence of lynching in the South, even as recently as the late 1960s. Some would argue we still have lynchings today, they've just taken on a different form.
Bring the dead body down to the graveyard now
Bring the dead down low, down low
Bring the dead body down to the graveyard, sir
Bring the dead down low, down low
I've been blessed to have grown up and live in a time where there are many open witches of color, who are proud of their heritage, whether it be Native American, African, Latinx, Middle Eastern, or Asian. The issue that is coming to the forefront now is recognizing how much of pagan/new age culture was appropriated from minority practices. Some are obvious - like calling any smoke cleansing "smudging" (it's important to note that the act of smoke cleansing itself is not appropriative, but "smudging" refers to a specific Native American ritual). Others are more subtle, like using symbols for logos that have significant meanings to certain minority groups. Particularly, as a Latina, I find more and more people are calling themselves a bruja (that's the popular thing to do) without understanding the culture that brujeria evolved in or even practicing elements of brujeria. And I'm not certain how I feel about what Dia de los Muertos is evolving into, because what I'm increasingly seeing that people view it purely as an aesthetic, without knowing the cultural/religious meaning behind it. It's a weird feeling - I believe it's a beautiful tradition and I'm happy to explain the significance/let others join in, but it should also be given respect. As a result, I'm also seeing a disturbing trend in people screaming "cultural appropriation" even when it's not. So let's talk definitions - Cultural Appropriation is when someone adopts elements from a culture that is not their own. Going even further, it's usually in an exploitative way that also manages to exclude people from the culture they're taking from and without their permission.
For example, one of the most well-known instances of cultural appropriation is one most people won't recognize - Rock 'n' Roll. Rock actually developed out of the blues and jazz culture, which was generally a space for black people. It didn't become popular until Elvis Presley adopted the style and brought it to the masses. A modern equivalent would be rap and hip-hop, forms of which have been exported all over the world. Ironically, these styles have become popular in countries where the general populace harbors somewhat racist views on black people. Another somewhat controversial example would be the commercialization of yoga. It's important to note that many South Asian teachers in the 1960s actively pursued bringing yogic practices and teachings to America. However, the problems start when yoga becomes divorced from its spiritual relevance, cultural significance (the British tried to ban yogic practice during their occupation of India precisely because it separated Indians from something that united them- their cultural and spiritual identity), and the yogic spaces/benefits begin to exclude South Asians and other minorities (i.e., the American view of a yoga practitioner is a middle-aged white woman trying to stay fit). As an avid practitioner of yoga, I'm not saying stop doing yoga - I'm saying ensure you're doing it in a way that is not culturally appropriative. This article has some general guidelines to follow.
I know this rant has gone long but there's one final issue to bring up and that is the issue of "black magic." Don't call it that. There's no such thing as black magic or white magic, and that terminology has racist/colorist roots. This has wider impact on the minority pagan population. For example, practices and beliefs from Black and (increasingly) Latinx cultures, such as Hoodoo, Vodun, Brujeria, Santeria, and Candomble have the common perception that they are "evil." This is a popular trope in horror films, where the protagonist has to combat an evil entity that was called forth from one of these belief systems. The real world consequences is that practicing elements of these cultures has been banned in some communities. Additionally, the terminology is based on the concept that black = bad/white = good, which is the entire justification for racism. When it comes to magic, practices aren't good or bad, it's the intentions behind them. Darkness isn't inherently bad and light isn't inherently good - it's how you use these elements within your practice that makes the difference. If you're interested in understanding more, there's some great perspective in this article. Unfortunately, on the opposite end of this dynamic, you have white supremacists co-opting pagan beliefs that have European roots, such as Celtic, Druidic, Heathen, and Nordic traditions. For those non-racist practitioners, this can have the highly undesirable side-effect of people assuming they hold white supremacist views simply for displaying symbols of their faith. The Atlantic published a fantastic piece on this issue a few years ago.
In summation, as paganism and witchcraft become more popular (and I foresee this wave continuing for a while, based on what I've seen of the younger generations), there's still some kinks to work out. As you may have guessed, the remedy for a lot of these questions is more research, understanding, and openness. Especially when it comes to the occult, it's always best to learn as much as you can before jumping into things.
"Gravedigger's Chant" Video
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