The term, "water-witch", a.k.a. "well-witcher", etc., means a dowser, a person skilled at finding water and other objects underground. The practice involves the use of a forked stick or branch, though in more modern times metal rods are used.
A "water-witch" is not a witch. According to my grandmother, our family had a lot of water-witches who were paid for their service. They helped locate places to dig wells.
Being a water-witch in no way implies that a person does conjure work. It's a completely separate practice. Also, the practice spread to Native Americans and Black as the Scott-Irish and other Europeans taught them the art or skill.
One more thing, there wasn't the stigma attached to dowsing or being a water-witch as there were to other traditions. Even very educated, professional people, such as people in the oil industry, once used the services of water-witches or dowsers to locate things. I like to think that the reason why there was no stigma attached to the practice and why water-witches were respected is because finding water is a matter of life or death. It's kind of hard to sit there and condemn someone that saved your family's life by locating a source of drinking water.
Hal Hopper, Professional Water-Witch
Water-Witch In Colorado (Note the traditional forked branch.)
Dowser Find Water In The Desert
6 comments:
I remember some older man coming out to our house to show us about it when I was a kid, my sisters and I where so intrigued!! We went around for weeks with forked branches looking for water!!
@ L.M. Tea,
See! You know some of the old ways! I bet you know more!
When we were kids we used to "pretend" dowse with forked sticks but we didn't actually find anything because we had city water and not well water. LOL
We never did either, we where on rural water living in the country, but the pump was still sitting where a well used to be. I grew up with some superstitions, like carrying a buckeye for good luck..my dad and grandpa have both carried a silver dollar do long it's smooth. I heard of people relying heavily on farmers almanacs....now that I've thought of it, but I don't remember any one doing "spells"...just a different way of going about it I guess! Didn't realize it until I thought about it...lol
@ L.M. Tea,
Yes! I totally forgot about the silver dollars!
And you are right. Nobody did "spells". They called them tricks, fixes, works, jobs, or chores, but never "spells"!
I guess I was thinking of it more as I don't remember anyone doing any kinds of tricks:) Just more the superstitions.
@ L.M. Tea,
It's very common for people to not realize tht what their family did was part of hoodoo/rootwor/conjure. I've encountered it several times in talking to people and usually the person always denies it or claims that it is evil and then when you get to know them better they will start telling you some of the tricks they learned from their family and you'll be like, What? You told me that you didn't do no hoodoo! LOL
The woman who taught me to burn sulpher to cleanse a new home started off like that. She told me to my face that "not to mess with that stuff" and then later went on to reveal that trick and lots more to me! It's lik there's this big disconnect with people not realizing what exactly hoodoo/rootwork/conjure is. LOL
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