
Join us Saturday, November 19th, for a night of Talismans, Amulets and the Material Culture of Ritual.
Explorers Club Fellow Justin Fornal FR’ 11 has spent his career researching and documenting rituals and vanishing cultural traditions. On November 19th he will take guests on a deep dive into his collection of botanical and zoological field samples gathered while studying different traditional spiritual groups around the world.
Justin breaks down how these different objects are activated for both positive and destructive purposes. He will focus on items and traditions practiced by Haitian Vodoun, Tanzanian Mwchawi, Al Bidr Sheikhs, Ethiopian Debtera, and Hoodoo Root Workers. Justin will also present exciting information on the Yibir people of Somalia which he gathered during a recent Explorers Club flag expedition.
Justin has written about his research expeditions for a number of publications including National Geographic, VICE, Whetstone, and the Explorers Journal.
The evening will include a selection of foods used in rituals, live entertainment, and a special house cocktail crafted from Fornal Forest’s Birch Sap Spirit. This locally crafted aperitif, which is a collaboration of Justin and Port Morris Distillery in the Bronx, is a 100-proof spirit that is distilled from fermented birch tree sap.
Dress Code: Macabre formal or traditional funerary clothing is requested, but not required.
Tickets: $15 for members, $30 for non-members
Check-in will begin at 6:00 pm, with a beer and wine reception from 6:00 – 7:00 pm.
TALISMANS, AMULETS, AND THE MATERIAL CULTURE OF RITUAL