▁Europe ans ▁encountered ▁these ▁West ▁African ▁soci eties , ▁they ▁wrong ly ▁believed ▁that ▁the ▁fet iche ▁was ▁an ▁ind igen ous ▁African ▁term ▁rather ▁than ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁earlier ▁inter - cont inental ▁enc oun ters . ▁Sometimes , ▁colon ised ▁populations ▁themselves ▁adopted ▁these ▁European ▁concepts ▁for ▁their ▁own ▁purposes . ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁nin ete enth ▁century , ▁the ▁newly ▁independent ▁H ait ian ▁government ▁of ▁Jean - Jac ques ▁D ess al ines ▁began ▁to ▁suppress ▁the ▁practice ▁of ▁V od ou , ▁and ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 5 ▁H ait ain ▁law - codes ▁categor ised ▁all ▁V od ou ▁practices ▁as ▁sort il ège ▁( s or c ery / w itch craft ), ▁suggesting ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁all ▁conducted ▁with ▁harm ful ▁intent , ▁whereas ▁among ▁V od ou ▁pract ition ers ▁the ▁performance ▁of ▁harm ful ▁r ites ▁was ▁already ▁given ▁a ▁separate ▁and ▁distinct ▁category , ▁known ▁as ▁ma ji . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century , ▁European ▁intellect uals ▁no ▁longer ▁saw ▁the ▁practice ▁of ▁magic ▁through ▁the ▁framework ▁of ▁sin ▁and ▁instead ▁regarded ▁mag ical ▁practices ▁and ▁belief s ▁as ▁" an ▁aber r ational ▁mode ▁of ▁thought ▁ant ith et ical ▁to ▁the ▁dominant ▁cultural ▁logic ▁– ▁a ▁sign ▁of ▁psych ological ▁imp air ment ▁and ▁marker ▁of ▁ra cial ▁or ▁cultural ▁inferior ity ". ▁ ▁As ▁educated ▁el ites ▁in ▁Western ▁soci eties ▁increasing ly ▁rejected ▁the ▁effic acy ▁of ▁mag ical ▁practices , ▁legal ▁systems ▁ceased