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SEDr. Buzzard, born Stepheney Robinson (c. 1864–1947), was one of the most well-known Hoodoo practitioners of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Operating primarily on St. Helena Island and surrounding Sea Islands, he became renowned as a powerful root doctor whose work centered on protection, justice, and spiritual defense for Black communities living under Jim Crow terror.
Dr. Buzzard was especially sought out for court case work, enemy reversal, and protection from violence. His reputation reached far beyond the Gullah Geechee community—judges, lawyers, and outsiders believed his spiritual work could influence legal outcomes. Whether mythologized or feared, his name alone carried weight, which in itself was a form of power in a time when Black people had little legal protection.
His practice reflected classic Hoodoo foundations: rootwork, graveyard dirt, personal concerns, prayer, and strategic spiritual placement. Dr. Buzzard understood Hoodoo not as superstition, but as a survival technology—one that helped people navigate systems designed to harm them. His work was quiet, intentional, and deeply rooted in land-based knowledge.
Dr. Buzzard’s legacy reminds us that Hoodoo practitioners were not only healers, but strategists. They used spiritual knowledge to create safety, influence outcomes, and preserve dignity. In the Lowcountry, his name is still spoken with respect—because protection is a form of love, and Hoodoo was how many survived.
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