What is the difference of how voodoo dolls are made today and how they were first made?
Essentially, Voodoo dolls/effigies are made in much the same way now as they were in ancient times. A practitioner uses materials which are indigenous to their area and readily available. The materials used to construct the doll are as varied as the many regions in which dolls were and still are constructed. Youll see dolls of clay, cotton, mud, moss, straw, hair (animal & human), and combinations of these and many other materials, depending on where you are in the world. The dolls intended purpose also effects the look of the doll and how it is made; another ancient practice still used today. Ex: A fertility doll will still often have exaggerations of the female form. Basically, the purpose of a doll can, and usually does, effect the practitioners choice of color, look, materials, etc., when creating a doll/effigy. Sometimes, these images are also made for general purposes; so that they can represent a particular person and their many needs and desires, often through a lifetime!
