definition by Webster 1913
"species of sorcery... among the negroes..."
SOMEbody forgot their politically correct handbook, didn't they???
Obeah = Obi
Obeah is an Afro-Caribbean Shamanistic practice. It is shrouded in secrecy. The Jamaican government has outlawed the practice of Obeah.
"...and it was said the tree was cursed by an Obeahman. A man came along and ate a fruit from that tree, and died the next morning."
Obeah is considered the knowledge-power (see: Joriki). It is based on the concept of equilibrium. A man uses magic to kill another man, they unbalanced the scale. The scale will then balance. What goes around comes around.
This is a very mysterious religion, and is widely feared. Certain forms of Obeah have made as far as Islamic-Muslim East Asia.