Browse:"CHANNEL DE WORLD" (Volume 5, entries 10604–13458)
"CHANNEL DE WORLD"
Volume 5, entries 10604–13458. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
1 listed entry is unavailable here.
Entries
Entry 10604
I've heard, once upon a time that if yo' - dere's an old sayin', I seen it established in a book once, that if yo' wants tuh have good luck in gaml bling, is to git a leather-wing bat, wrap it into a piece of flannel an' tie it round yore waist. (They take the whole bat and tie it around the wrist.) No, the heart of the bat. (What was the name of the book?) Well, this book is related to - handing out from a doctor. Ah don't know the name since - it's right help- ful literature. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (983), 1590:3.] [The title of this long division comes from one of the activities of a Jack or Smruel or any name you want to call this personal and living fetish - a divination devise fully described by my MOJO ExPERT on page 1254, one of the great pages of EOODOO. Do not confuse this spirit object with the impersonal ouija and planch- ette, which spell out answers to anyone. Jack belongs to and works for its owner only. Jack can have any shape. Years ago somewhere in HOODOO a man's Jack to find cunjure was a child's mechanical toy! Our Jack here is ball-shaped - hence called Jack-ball - held up in the air by a string. Our operator addresses it as Sqmuel. Any name could be used. The present Jack-ball answers questions by cer- tain movements: trembling, standing still, swinging back and forth, weaving, and hirling in a circle. This latter movement, called channel de world, describes the contents within, a little of everything - a final catch-all. Therefore, inl stead of our former sections and subsections, the following material has been ar- ranged alphabetically, beginning with the letter A and word ABORTION.]
Entry 10605
[Out in the field I rarely if ever asked directly for self-perfor ed abortion rites; what I wanted was miscarriage, delayed birth, malforation or death caused by an enemy's witchcraft. The rite now following is a piece of folk medicine or practice a hoodoo doctor, fortuneteller or wise womas ooeld sggest to a client:] Some green coffee, coffee what you drink, she'll make a tea out of that and put some whiskey in there and turpentine and drink it hot - hot, hot as she can. And take a slop-bucket of hot boiling water and sit over it. Go to the store and buy her a lead pencil, brand- new, have never been used. And take that pencil and open her womb and spill that water. And when that pencil - the mouth of it is closed, you know. She take that pencil and put - she can do that herself better than anybody can, you know. Take that pencil and shove it until the mouth of her womb is open, where the heat can get in there, stay in. When she take the pencil and shove it, well she going to take the end of the pencil and make a little hole to open it, you know. And when - while she's doing that, she still over the bucket. Well, you see, the heat is going in there. You see, that heat hit there, that make the womb open like that and there come all - what was in there, going to come out. You see. Well, now, after hit come - well, it's according to how many months she be. Well, if it be four months, it's a baby. Now, it done come and she got to get that afterbirth out [and if] she can't get nobody [to help her], she take her fist and blow hard as she can. And still stay over that. After while that afterbirth come.
Entry 10606
If you don't want a baby, you understand, you kin taken a chicken gizzard, brown it and put in French brandy, kills it.
Entry 10607
Bluestone taken during pregnancy cures toothache and so [also] blue- stone-water causes abortion. [Richmond, Va., (385), 334:4: from Johnson, for whom See ROOT DOCTOR JOHNSoN, pp.1620-1624, v.2.1
Entry 10608
(What will the husband [or man] do?)
He kin git nine acorns an' bury 'em up undah de step, an' de one [man] dat comes ovah dat, well he'll nevah come back dere no mo'. He'll nevah come back tuh see huh ag'in. (That is all he has to do, bury nine acorns under her step?) Undah huh step. An' as he walk ovah dat, he'll nevah walk back ovah it ag'in. He'll go out de back do', he won't come out de front, an' he'll nevah be worried wit 'er, not in 'er home.
Entry 10609
What you can do for.... Well, you see, you goes and you gets some of this here Eve. Just say, "I want Eve root."
(Eve root?)
Eve root, a she Eve root.
(Wait a minute! She Eve root?)
Yes. Well, it's made something like a peanut. And you take that and you take the biggest one and you put it in your pocket, you take the smallest one, and you use it in your mouth; just like if you'd got an idea that someone Was to do you harm. Well, you take that piece and keep it in your mouth, inside of a small piece of paper or something like that, or either a little piece of clean rag. Then you gets you a glass of water, river water, and a glassful of any other kind of water - rain water like that. And you takes it and you sets it like that and you gets a Durham sack. [Evidently this is the small sack with draw string that had held Durham (trade name) cigarette tobacco.] You carries that Durham sack in nine waters - just like if you washed it once, in one water, you pour that out and you wash it [again 8 times]. After you strain it like that, but continue on pouring the water down in the same place until you gets it like that, about so high. And you leave it setting for nine days. After the nine days... (Wait! You have this Durham sack and you wash it in one water and then you pour this water in a container. Then you get some more water and wash it again, the second time. You wash it nine times. And all this water you save in another container.) You just keep it there.
(I see. All right.)
Until you get it later - until you get a glassful, just in the amount, that amount in nine times. Then you take that water and you puts it inside of a jar, or either a keg, you know.
(Any kind of an old can.)
Just any kind of a can.
(Oh! a can. A can, all right.)
And after that you leave it set for three or five days [odd number of days]. And after you've taken it out from there, you get some this here parchment paper. Parchment paper. And you write your name - 7 - 3 - 5 - [odd numbers] but you write it just coming. Don't write it straight across, just coming cater-corner you write it. And afterwards you take that and you get he Eve roots. Well, then, you takes it and you mash it up. And every morning you wake up, you take some of that, wash your face and head like that, all the way down - just a little on your hands. No way in the world for anybody to move you or do you any kind of harm.
(I see. Where do you get this ''he" Eve root?)
In the drug store.
(And you say it looks just like a peanut?)
Just like peanut and it's got...
(Are there any nuts inside of it?)
No, nothing. And it's just like a peanut but only it got a fine little string, just like a kind of string between there to hold it. Then it's got this she Eve root, you see. And you take this she Eve root and you just mash it up...
(Wait! The "she" [or] "he" [Eve] root? You mean a "she" Eve root?)
Yes, then you got the she Eve root. Then you take that and you keep it in your pocket. Now, look, even you could - afterwards, you could come along - after that going on, and if you cause - done want to make anybody drift. (Now, wait a minute! After you've used that "he" Eve root in this water, then yoa would carry that piece of she Eve root in your pocket. I understand nou. Now, you are going to tell me something different now, another story. All right, tell me the next one now.)
Entry 10610
If yo' vanta build up yo' a trade, or somepin lak dat, jes' have a lotta customah. Yo' go tuh work an' take dis sane stuff ah tellin' yo' 'bout, de Adam an' Eve. Take Adam an' Eve an' some bushes dat grows in de woods called de heart leaves [some plant with cordate leaves]. Git some of dat, but don' take de leaves, take de stem - it's got a red stem. Take de stem an' wrap around dat Adam an' Eve an' bring it back ovah to de house dere an' yo' parch dat stem. Aftah parchin' dat stem, yo' pounds it into a powdah, an' carry it an' drop it all ovah dat house. Dat's conkerin' 'em. Drop dat ever' mawnin' 'fore de sun rise. An' yo' buys yo' a lucky star [incense molded into the shape of a star] an' yo' light dat lucky star an' sprinkle a little bit of dat stuff [parched heart leaf stem] ovah it; jes' a little bit, sprinkle it ovah it, 'fore de sunrise. Have it so dat it burn out 'fore de sun rise. An' when it do dat, sweep it on out, an' mo' customah commence comin' in, reg'lah an' reg'lah an' reg'lah. Have to hol' up burnin' it sometime [because you have so many customers].
Entry 10611
Git dis heah Adam an' Eve, an' dis powders from Los Angeles, an' lode- stone, an' put it together. Wrop dat up together an' dat'll make a person, if yo' talk to him an' ask him fo' a job, he can't deny yo'. (What kind of powder is this from Los Ange- les. What do they call it?) It's called.... (It's sand, not a powder from some firm in Los Angeles. What is the name of the firm out there?) Yo' kin git some from de Modden?[or Molden?] Company. Dat's in Los Angeles. Don't know whether it's in Los Angeles or San Jose. It's Chicago, ah think. Yessuh. (What is the name of the company in Los Angeles?)
Entry 10612
If yo' want a job, yo' go down tuh de boss. Well, if dis fellah want- ed a job, didn't have no work an' didn't have nowhere tuh stay, an' everybody dat he went to, had turned him away. An' he went tuh a fellah dat supposed tuh know. De fellah give him three kind of roots: give Adam an' Eve, an' dis blacksnake root an' dis heah devil snakeroot [see later]. He taken dat root.... (Devil snakeroot or devil's shoestring?) Devil's shoestring! Dey called it de devil root. Take dat root an' fix dat root up in a kind of a compound an' he go down dere. When he git dere tuh dat man he take it an' goes an' git him a buckeye an' puts hit in his pocket. An' he wears dat buckeye. De buckeye made out of - dem lit- tle black buckeye lak dat. He takes dat an' he goes down an' he talks to de man. He put all of dat in Hearts Cologne an' he goes down dere to de man an' he gits tuh rubbin' his hand lak dat. An' walks up tuh de man an' started tuh talkin' with de man. De man will tell him, no, but be shore tuh come back de next day. Well, he'll come back de next dat still a-rubbin' dat root. Well, he'll git dat root, every one of 'em, one in each pocket an' one in each foot. An' he gits dere an' de man go tuh talkin' an' he'll have a piece in his mouth chewin'. When he git dere de man go tuh talkin' an' say, "Well, ah guess, if yo' think yo' kin work, ah'll give yo' a job." An' yo' tell de man yo' kin work. Jes' as long as yo' keep dat roots rubbed up an' keep it fulla Hearts Cologne, well de man will nevah fiah yo', but de time dat yo' lose dat root, yo' lose yore job.
Entry 10613
Well, you goes to de woods and you git you a piece of Eve-and-Adam root, you see. Jes' like de time God have drove Eve and Adam from de garden, see. You git a piece of Eve-and-Adam root. After dat you go and git a piece of de root chew call de Amy root, see. [I am unable to identify this root; it may be a hoodoo- store root.] You git a piece of chinaberry root. Well, jes' like you chew dat Eve-and-Adam root dis morning, you'll chew dat chinaberry root about twelve o'clock noon of de day. All right, jes' about six o'clock, you'll chew on dat Amy root, see. You jes' keep chewing dem roots and spit de juice around in your house every time you chew it, you understand, and she couldn't stay dere to save her life.
(This is, if you want to get rid of the woman?)
Yes.
(You break the spell which is holding her there.)
Entry 10614
Yo' kin take a herb called de [High] John de Conkah. yo' understand. Yo' put it into a vial [of white cologne, see later] an' yo' take de vial an yo' use nine drops on a pocket han'ke'cheff. Yo' put in dat bottle: de High John de Conkah, an' de per- fume an' de Eve-an'-Adam. Dat Eve-an'-Adam, dat's a herb. Yo' see, yo' nuse dat into a little vial about so good - jes' enough tuh hol' it; yo' know, about de size of mah finger lak dat, an' den yo' have it in dat white cologne [the perfume mentioned]. Well, yo' nuse it den, nine drops at a time. Yo' see, lak yo' nuse dat aroun', yo' kin take dat up lak dat when yo' step into a room or sompin lak dat, yo' see. Yo' take yore pocket han'ke'cheff out an', yo' see [probably demonstrates] yo' flash it roun dere. An' dat's fo' lovin', yo' see.
Entry 10615
Ah hear'd a fellah said he could take some Adam-an'-Eve an' John de Conkah an' put it in a red bag an' weah it aroun' yuh neck. De foreman he'll have some kinda feelin' or sompin an' let chuh go back tuh work.
Entry 10616
Yo' kin take devil's-shoestring an' Adam-an'-Eve root an' if it's any- body roun' dat chew wanta do somepin, wan' dem tuh leave or somepin, yo' could put it up ovah yore front do'. An' if dey evah walk undah it, anything dat chew tell 'em or say dat chew want 'em tuh do, dey do it. An' yo' don' even have tuh tell 'em.
Entry 10617
Dey said dat yo' git dis heah lucky lodestone - yo' git de [lup] lodestone powdah - an' John de Conkah ' Adam-an'-Eve an' mix 'em tuhgethah. Well, it make a lucky gamblin' hand.
Entry 10618
Eve-and-Adam root... (Yes, Eve-and-Adam.) [same as Adam-and-Eve.] Eve-and-Adam root. You get a male and female, and you take 'em an' put 'em on top like dat [demonstrates] of each other.
(One on top of the other.)
[Somewhere in HOODOO this is done with wax figures. Candles?]
And if a woman wants her husband bound to her, put it in a new piece of flan- nel and sew it to a new piece, and wear it around her waist with that hanging down in front, and she can content her husband whensomever she want.
(You mean, hanging down in the front?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 10619
Well, if yo' have a person tuh leave yo' an' yo' wanta bring dem back- yo' loves dem. Yo' loved ones gits scattahed off an' yo' wanta bring 'em back tuh yo'. Dere's two roots grows in de woods, ah'm tellin' yo' truth, dey has two leaves. We calls 'em Eve-and-Adam an' de roots of dem roots is got two little knots about little bigger den a coffee bean - two little knots. One of 'em is a woman an' one is a man. Yo' take 'em an' dry 'em on a stove. Put 'em on a stove an' dry 'em dere stiff an' spongy - spongy like a sponge. But chew cut 'em up when dey gits dry an' make a softa powdah outa dem - a soft powdah. If dat woman drinks coffee, tea, or anything dat she drinks, well yo' kin jes' sprinkle jes' a little bit in de bottom of de cup an' den pour on it. Pour a drink in an' den she drink dat she'll be crazy 'bout chew. Ah believe dat's de truth. Ah'm halfway telling yo' by experience. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1008). 1630:3.]
Entry 10620
Yo' take de root - Eve-an'-Adam root an' yo' fix it up. Grind it up an' put it in some coffee an' give it tuh 'im tuh drink. He'll go.
(That will send him away.)
Entry 10621
You kin take Adam-and-Eve in Hearts Cologne an' yo' kin hold your job. Like if you got a boss against yeh, you goin' to work that morning, you take an' put a little [Hearts Cologne] on yuh pocket hankechef. Jes' like I work fer you, I come here [he hems and coughs], "Good mawnin' boss, how yuh feelin'?" Dat stuff [scent] would fill over the house. You [I] keep your [my] job.
Entry 10622
Use Hearts Cologne on Adam-an'-Eve. They git a pair, which is Adam- an'-Eve an' 'noint it with this Hearts Cologne perfume. That is to draw the Woman friend to them in love. (What would they do after they anoint those roots? What would they do with those roots?) They keep those roots into a jar or either a bottle, an' they take this per- fume whut they roots is soakin' in an' 'noint themselves.
(That is to help them [women] get a man?)
Yes.
Entry 10623
De Adam-an'-Eve root, yo' takes de Eve [part] an' yo' takes it an' yo' weah it in yore pocket. If not dat, chew take a lil' root chew call - dat lil' root chuh call Adam. [Adam-and-Eve are on the same root.] Yo' take dis lil' root an' yo' take dese three needles an' yo' break 'em all three in three pieces, each one needle broke in three pieces. Well, dat supposed tuh be nine pieces. Yo' takes dis root an' dese needles an' let 'em stay in dis root three days. Takes dese needles from dis root an' throw it in runnin' watah [I inter- rupt]... (You throw the needles in the running water?) In runnin' watah. Yo' take dis dime an' puts it wit dis root an' tie it back up, an' if yo' goin' out fo' luck or anything, yo' wipes it 'cross yore face - wipes it 'cross yore face an' haid. An' takes de root an' puts it up, keep it from bein' annoyed - [anyone] git atter [get after] dis root - if yo' wanta have any luck.
Entry 10624
Get a Adam-and-Eve root.
(Get an Adam-and-Eve root.)
And fix it and write their name and tie it up in it.
(Write their name on a piece of paper?)
Uh huh, and put it in there with this Adam-and-Eve root, and 'cose, you urinate on that for nine mornings, if you wants a man. You get him that way. (I see. Well, now, what do you wrap that up in?) In a handkerchief. (I see. And you urinate on it.) You be more successful in tying it up in a green handkerchief. (I see. And you tie it up and urinate on it for nine mornings. Then what do you do with the handkerchief?) Just keep it.
(Oh, you keep it and then you'll get the man. I see.)
Entry 10625
You get 'em - two together, you know.
(Oh! It's a root that grows together.)
Two of 'em together; one's Adam, the other Eve. Now those, the things they are used for, will keep a man and woman together - they will keep them together. (Well now, how would they use that?) They go to work and get that Adam-an'-Eve root, get it green [fresh], and you name one Adam and the other one Eve, after you wash it off good. And you put it in a bottle, ay old bottle, and don't break 'em loose. One Adam and the other one is Eve. Dren they put perfume in there.
(Any special kind of perfume?)
No, any kind. Put the perfume in there. They name [one] for the woman and Che other the man, when they are speaking about 'em. They may use chamber lye ad perfume in it. Stop it up. Long as you keep that, you will hold the man if you want to.
Entry 10626
Adam-an'-Eve an' High John, an' make a bag of it, an' put it cal gethah an' put a li'le sagah dd it - a teaspoonful of sugah vid it - or salt wid it. An' mix it tuhgethah an' sew it up an' care it wid joo. To'll git a job dat way.
Entry 10627
To keep de law away? Wal, yo' kin take a red peppah - John de Conkah Peppah dey call [it], got de leaves [picture of pepper and leaf?] on de box of it.
(Where do you get that?)
Kin buy it. Go tuh any drugstore.
(They call it John the Conker Pepper? It looks like red pepper?)
It looks like red peppah. An' put sart [salt] into dat. But doesn't use it fer anything else after dis. Take it and go scatter it all around de place dat you are in. All around de place what chew in and takes a shoe sole - jes' like a shoe. Take de shoe sole an' de Eve-an'-Adam root. Built yo' a fiah in yo' yard an' put dat salt, dat shoe sole an' Eve-to-Adam root in dere an' burn it. Aftah hits burnt, jis' sweep de yard. But yo' let de ashes be neah de fence or street as yo' kin. Ah've never had none to go in yet; nevah had no law to go in no place yet.
Entry 10628
Any time root [roots for special times]. Then ah makes a powder tuh sprinkle yore house wit, it call a holy powder... [Informant starts off at a rapid pace and up in the air.] (Now wait a minute! Now, I'm getting my wife back. Now, I put that right underneath, right under the bed?) Yes sir.
(Then what happens.)
Put Eve-and-Adan root undah yore bed, yuh understand, and make a wish - make yore sign [first] - then make a wish tuh the Lord. Make a wish fo' what yore heart desires, you understand, after you carried it [and put it under the bed] and in thirty days she'll be back there. Don't ca' where she gone. An' if she's sued yo' or lawsued choo fo' alimony, then she'll take it out [call off the suit].
(What was that other root?)
Queen Elizabeth. [Informant continues with rites under Queen Elizabeth root and shame brier.] [Mobile, Ala., (655?0, 857:1.]
Entry 10629
Take Eve-an'-Adam root an' Queen Elizabeth root an' five-finger grass an' bind dem together an' put on [them] whiskey, an' let it soak fo' seven days to abstract dere pow- ers. An' yo' take yore- self: yo' bathe yore body, anoint yore body [with this concotion] an' dey say dat will bring back love an' luck to yore lose ones, put man an' wife back together.
Entry 10630
They have a ginseng root. You take a piece of gingseng root and a he and she Adam-and-Eve. See, the he Adam-and-Eve is just a little ball-like, a little white ball - looks like a ball, but it's a root. Well you takes and you mash 'em [Adam-and-Eve and ginseng] up together.
(What does the she look like?)
The she look the same way only it's more longer, see. Well, then, you take and mash up them he and she, Adam-and-Eve, and the ginseng root and Angelico [for this root see later]. Mash it all up together until it's just a powder, see. Put it on the stove and scorch it. Take flour, mix a little flour - sort of like it's burned, scorch it good - and put it in a sack and just dust arou d there. Dust around your house for nine days.
(What will that do?)
Well, that will - you'll get under control.
(You do what?)
Under control, that controls your house.
(Oh, you do that just so this person comes under your control?)
Yes, sir.
(If there's a woman in the house, she would begin to like you?)
Yes, sir. [The preceding Angelico: originally while reading this I annotated 'angelica the candied "angelique"; but could it be in U. S. A., the roots from the Hercules club?]
Entry 10631
Well, dey claim that the alligatah gall is mo' of a poison den prackly [practically] anything dat choo evah did come across. Take alligatah gall an' trō' [throw] it in de path, or anythin' [any- where] where it won't hurt, an' yo' prackly kin git rid of de whole family.
The report calls alligatah gall a poison. Its asserted strength and effects are unverified, and the bracketed glosses remain editorial.
Entry 10632
I've heard them claim that if you chew a certain root, that root is Ωlligator root, and also High John the Conquer, they claim, and chew that root and spit nine times before leaving the home, and nine time before you get to the place, and nine times after you reach the place, without speaking to anybody each time, and by doing that and just use the words, I want a job - you say that [these words] to yourself - that the individual will get a job. That's what they claim. {Alligator root here may be the root of the alligator tree, given to a sweet gum tree because its rough bark is supposed to look like alligator hide; or this may be any root, a rare one, faintly resembling an alligator. The shape of roots years ago, before my collecting days, played an important part in a doctor's pharmacopoeia.]
Entry 10633
Git a piece of alum an' a piece of saltpeter an' sew it up in a little Nammen rag together, an' dey tell me dat'll make yo' lucky - lucky in gambling. Tote it in yore pocket. [After machine turned off informant adds with Hearts Cologne.] Yes sir.
Entry 10634
"To keep the law away...takes nathin "To keep the law away...takes nuthin but the man's name and a piece of alun, and puts in a bag and tacks it up over his bed... mo keep law away."
Entry 10635
If yo' have a house to rent an' can't have no luck in keeping people i it, probably somecne had tricked yo' with de house, ah could tell yo' bog to Straighten it [out, the problem of renting house]. All right, yo' coald go to de drug store an' buy yo'self a cake of alum, buy yo'self a cake of cpbor gu O dat cake of camphor gum in fo' parts. Put one of those parts under yo' front do'step. Put one of dose parts in de right-hand corner of de house as yo' walk in, an' one of dose parts in de left-hand corner, den put one in dis last corner up heah - dat still is in de left-hand corner [the back-of-the-house left cor- ner as you walk in]. All right, after yo' do dat, yo' take dat alum an' pound it up, with a tablespoonful of alum to each one of dose [parts]. An' if dere any kinda junk [conjure] in dat house dat gives yo' hard luck, dat alum an' stull [camphor gum] will eat it up. [The more usual form of this rite is the four-corners-of-the-house one, it representing the four corners of the world (Revelation of St. John the Divine, 7:1). In the present rite the front doorstep appears as a substitute for the fourth corner. To balance this change the two left-corners are used and the symbolism of the 3 corners (the Three Holy Names) usurps the 4 angels, 4 corners and 4 winds of St. John. The four-corner rite often becomes a quincunx by adding a fifth point in the center.]
Entry 10636
Well, dey say dat if yo' got a ant bed roun' yore house, jes' give 'em sugah an' feed, dey say dat yo'll have luck round dere, 'long as yo' stay dere an' 'long as dat ants' bed dere.
Entry 10637
Go to a ants' nest an' git de dirt from roun' it an' put it in sulphur, red peppah an' table salt, an' wear it in yore pocket; dey say dat gives yo' luck. Brings luck to yore home.
Entry 10638
Take de red ants' nest an' use it with flour an' meal [3 ingredients]. Mix that all up together an' take that an' jes' throw it - jes' throw it chew know roun' in de room 'bout where he sleep at, an' dat would make yo' [him?] lovely kind to ever'body.
Entry 10639
An' den ag'in yo' see where dem little antses come in yore house - yo' see dem antses comin' in yore house, strollin' in lak a little trail. Pret- ty soon yo' goin' move from dere. Dey [law] come an' move yo' out. Yo' goin' leave, too. (When you see the ants com- ing in that way.) In dat house - dey make a trail in dere, de little antses, one right after de othah, some comin' an' some goin'. Dey goin' move yo' out an' yo' goin' go, too.
Entry 10640
Go to a ants' bed an' git dat sand an' sprinkle it round someone's house dat chew didn't like an' dat will also cause trouble. (What kind of trouble?) Like fights an' probably would end up into killin'. Dat's de red ants' nest.
Entry 10641
Red antses - jes' lak if, yo' know, yo' wit 'em an' yo' wanta git rid of dose people, jest anybody. If yo' don't wanta put 'em on de go [become a wanderer] yo' jest git - dey [ants] bores a hole in de ground. An' yo' jest stay right dere an' git jest a weed [or] sompin - not a stick - weed of any kind an' yo' jest continue tuh stir when dey come out dat hole, jest lak dat. An' de person dat chew don't want, yo' jest call dere name as yo' stir. Well, when yo' quit stirring, now when dey come out, if dey comes out an' go dis way or dat way - or dat way, dey ain't comin' back dere any mo'...dey goin' make [a new nest] 'long as dey kin git tuh de church or some place lak dat...but dey goin' tuh leave dat place. See, when dem [ants and] things come out dat hole like dat, see dose people is going.
(Those people whose names you called, that will drive them away.)
Dat's one de easiest way dey'll go den.
(These are big red ants.)
It's a big red ant, it a cow ant.
(Oh! Cow ant. A cow ant?)
Yeah, it made like a cow. When yo' cut his head off de other part will go right on, yo' see, dis part go an' dat part go. Well, yo' take dat an' yo sew it up.
(Sew up what? Sew up the head?)
Dat's right, dat other part will keep agoing.
(And what do you do with that head then?)
Yo' call dat person name an' watch it. See how long he be dere.
(You take this head from it [ant] while you call this person's name.)
You have tuh sew it up an' put it in yore left pocket. (And that person whose name you called will be going the same way that ant's body is going?) Jest lak he's going.
(This is the cow ant? Why do you call them the cow ant?)
Dey made lak a cow. Dey got laigs lak a cow, got a haid lak a cow. Look lak his eyes big as a big head. [Two parts of cow ant working in opposite directions is no more wonderful than the doctor who could see a tombstone rock in section HEADBOARD OF GRAVE ANSWERS DOCTOR GLOVER BY ROCKING, p.2258f., v.3.]
Entry 10642
Left-foot track, mix with sugar and lard, put in red ants bed; when they remove all that, "you'll wander about jes' like de ants."
[Xobile, 841:2.]
Entry 10643
Take red ant an' a dirt dauber an' put it together an' yo' kin make People fight an' leave one 'nothah. Yo' throw 'em right down in de road right in front of dey do'. (What do you mean, the ant itself or his nest?) Git up de ant hisself an' at him up, an' use de dirt-dauber's dirt - his nest.
Entry 10644
Someone is gone an' yo' kin call a person's name three times inde oming at dn smrise [at a nest of] dem big red antses, de big red ones, an' yo' tell dem srses dat yo' want dem to come back, worry dem to come back, an' dey'll come back to yo' by doin' dat [at] de big red antses bed.
Entry 10645
An' den yo' kin take dem big red antses bed an' run a person crazy. Yo' kin go dere in de day when sun rising, jest like yo' go dere fo' 'em tuh come back, only yo' call his name in a different way - calling 'im in de name of[some- body] in de Bible.
(Who?)
Silas[?]. Yo' kin use dat name.
(That will run them crazy?)
Dat will run 'em crazy [to come home].
Entry 10646
Take dose antses, see, ketch 'em, an' dat [ant] bed dey done made - some of dat [ant] bed yo' see, an' yo' git it [some of that ant bed] in a box an' yo' bring it back. An' dey tell me yo' jes' keep dat sittin' ahin' yore bed all de time. See. Well, dey say dat's jes' tuh run yo' crazy - yore mind bad, see.
(You do that at some other person's bed?)
Yeah, doin' othah people harm.
Entry 10648
[Well, if somebody livin' next do' an' yo' wanta make 'em move, yo' go out in de woods an' yo' come to a ole tree wit aplenty of dem big red piss-antses in it, an' ketch as many of 'em as yo' kin. Put 'em in a snuffbox an' carry it an' put it under dere steps. Dey ain't goin' be dere long. Dey gotta go.
(That will run them away.)
Yessuh, shore will leave dere.
Entry 10649
Ah heard if yo' take a ant, if yo' wus tuh take, if yo' could a - jes' lak a ants' nest. Jes' lak yo' go to a ants' den dey have made. Jes' lak if yore husban' or sompin lak dat would wash his feet an' yo' would scrape his feet, well yo' take dis dead skin offa yore husban's feet an' take an' put it in dis ants' nest. Den dat et [eaten] by de ants an' den dat would cause him to walk jes' lak a ants, if yo' wanta do somepin to him or somepin lak dat. Dat would cause de husban' to walk jes' lak de ants.
(What do you mean, run him away or something like that?)
Yeah, jes' gives him de wanderin' an' sturbin' an' all lak dat. Jes' lak he'd love somebody an' yo' thought yo' could break him - yo' know, stop him from lov- in' 'em. Yo' jes' wanta do somepin ill to 'im. See, yo' takes an' wash his feet an' git some of dis heah, yo' know, dead skin off his feet, an' yo' puts it in dis ants' den, an' say den when he starts tuh walkin', he jes' wouldn't be sat- isfied novhere he goes, jes' lak de ants.
Entry 10650
Seek around until yo' find one of dose big red ants' bed jest as near de house as yo' kin find it. Take an' go dere an' mess around dis fellah's house or his table where yo' kin git holt of some of de crumbs dat was cooked fo' dat family. Take dem crumbs an' go an' sprinkle 'em in dat ants' bed. In a few days dat fellah will leave dere - take a notion tuh move if he nevah have thought of movin' - because dem little ants git tuh totin' dem crumbs in an' out de house. He'll git ready an' go tuh movin' jest like dem crumbs - like dem ants is movin' round wit de crumbs- he'll move den. Dat's whut dey tell me.
Entry 10651
Jes' take it ovah heah. Yo' know where dey [ants] make a bed, yo know. An' yo' go dere an' git dat bed. Gotta sift de ants, not let 'em be in dere. An' git some watah an' make 'bout enough lak yo' make corn bread, yo' know, an' lay it out somewhere in de sun an' let it bake, git hard. An' den yo' take it up an' break off a piece of dat dirt, an' lak yo' wrap it up in a papah heah, an' yo' takes dis man, whoevah 'tis, not let him see it, an' tro' it where he live at. Why he couldn't rest, yo' know, jes' lak de antses, he couldn't rest nowhere he'd be, aftah dat place. (You simply take this ant's [nest dirt] after you dry it up and scatter it around his house, to make him all upset like the ants. And he has to leave?) Yes.
Entry 10652
Dey jes' take de red ants an' make a tea, yo' see. Well, yo' don't know nuthin about it. Yo' know, dey may make some iced tea or lemon tea or somepin lak dat an' give it to yo', or coffee. Yo' don't know when yo' got it, but it will come to really kill yo' - stop yo' from makin' watah, see.
(That will stop you from making water.)
Yo' can't make no mo' watah.
Entry 10653
Live ants put in person [probably done by putting ants in food] [Wilmington, 75:7+85].
Entry 10654
If yore daughter mā'ys a man dat chew don't want her mā'y him, if yo' don't [want] him tuh have her, an' she goin' do it anyhow, ovah yore control, yo' go tuh a great big red ant nest. Dem big red ants, on a sand hill where dey be - a big red ant bed. Yo' ketch up a bottle of 'em or a buck- et of 'em, whut [whatever] yo' kin git 'em in, where dey can't git out. Den go tuh a young dogwood tree dat grows, a young dogwood tree, jes' one, one or two yeahs ole - a lil' young one dat Sprout up. Yo' goes an' take yo' a long white thread-string an' tie yo' nine knots in it, jes' lak dat. Yo' go tuh a young dogwood tree at chure farn. Yo' meedn't bother tuh cut it up. Take dat thread-string an' goes roun' an' roan' an' roun' down tuh de root. Wrap it roun' dere an' draw it tight, roun' an' rou' Tie it dere. Take dem ants an' come back an' go up tuh de house wit dem ants, an' &sys, if yo' want de man tuh leave, yo' says, "Ah means fo' dis man tuh leave yo' in a mng, as fast as dese ants is crawlin' on de ground." Dem ants done go oeg dere at once. An' if not, yo' kin say, "Ah want chew tuh come back home tuh mah booe, Mhere yo' left out of, as fast as dese ants is runnin' on de ground. Ah mean yo' not tuh walk back. Ah mean fo' yo' tuh run back." Yo' let dem ants out. Let dem ants out dere in de yards, an' first thing yo' know, dem ants goin' tear right Off [run away as fast as possible]. Yo' kin watch 'em, see 'em, tear right outen de house, leavin' dat way, goin'. Dey ain't goin' undah de house. Dey goin' from de house, every time. Well, den yo' turn loose dem ants an' do dat way lak dat, an' in about six, seven or eight days, natchly [naturally] see, somepin git wrong in de house an' she git dissatisfied, she gather up her clothes an' come back home. An' if not - now if yo' mean fo' him tuh go, he'll slip off de house an' he'll go tuh his home. He's gone. An' de dogwood tree wit dem nine knots an' de strings, dat's is down on him. Dat dogwood tree dat yo' go out dere, an' dem nine knots in dat white string dat chew wrap round dere tight an' tie it round dat dogwood, dat dogwood is fo' him, dat's down on him. Yo' ain't gotta do dat fo' her, if yo' daughter come back. Yo' go ahead an' talk tuh 'em [ants] when yo' git dem ants bed, turn 'em loose in de house an' say, "Ah want chew come back home fast dese ants is runnin' way from dis house."
(In other words, you are sending the man away and bringing your daughter back?)
Yo' send de man away, understand, an' let her stay dere if yo' wanta. Yo' make him leave her.
Entry 10655
Mah paw [father] said you could go to a hot [busy] red ants' bed an' get dem red antses an' bake it in some bread an' give it to a houn' dwag an' make im tree possum. [This is general folklore, not hoo- doo, but it was too good to omit! Besides maybe the hound was hoodooed! For another rite to make dog hunt better by feeding him ants, see the following rite, No.
(Your father told you that.)
Entry 10656
Yo' take dat an' pound it up an' put it in his ratchet [rations]. Take dat big ants, ketch three of 'em, an' pound it up an' give him [hunting dog] a little bit every three time a day to each meal, an' he'll hunt an' search every place jes' lak dat ants will do. Go in every little hole an' corner. He don't stay long at one place.
(What kind of ants do they use? Did you say?)
Dey call 'em de horse ants, great big ole horse ants. Dey's red an' black. [A large red ant or a large black ant is called a horse ant.]
Entry 10657
Ah tell yo' 'bout a red ant's bed. If yo' got a dog in yore yard an' want him tuh be bad, yo' kin put nine red ants' in some bread an' give 'im. Yo' couldn't even come in dat yard where he wus. Dat dog would tear yo' up.
Entry 10658
Go to a big ants bed an git nine antses an' put 'em in some likker, an' let 'em 'solve [dissolve] in dat likker, an' give it to a man an' he'll stay vid chew an' give yo' all his money.
Entry 10659
Yo' ketch one dese big ones - big red ones - an' yo' take three of 'em an' put it [them] in a bottle, dese red antses. Yo' put 'em in a bottle, three, an' buries it tuh de steps. Dat's tuh broke up de house an' family an' make dem move out.
Entry 10660
Jes' lak ah wants tuh rent dis home, yo' see, an' yo' wants tuh rent it. Well, yo' got de most money. Well, ah haven't got very much money. Well, yo' go tuh a ant bed an' git about nine of dose ants, an yo' slip it in dis empty buildin', see, unbeknowst tuh me. An' den yo'll rent it an' ah won't.
(You mean you'll get the house and I won't get it? Or what?)
[My question shows he has the cart before the horse!]
Dat's right. Ah'll rent de house an' yo' won't. But chew got chure money, but ah haven't got it [my money]. [My informant puts ants into the house, I see them and do not rent the building, unless I consider ants in the house lucky. I keep my money, he spends his on rent.]
Entry 10661
Anyone dat have a weak blad- der dataway or bad kidneys lak dat, use dere chamber lye to de ant nest fo' nine mawnin's an' it would stop. Dat big red ant nest.
Entry 10662
Anvil dust mixed with guicksilver [often tinfoil, sometimes the scrap- ings from back of mirror, rarely real quicksilver] worn in pocket for gambling luck.
Entry 10663
Write names of 12 Apost- les, pin them on you, and also write Psalm 70. Write them every time the moon changes. Take off the old one and put on the new ones for protection. [Since the moon is new, the charm must be renewed.]
Entry 10664
I heard a old person say one time you take a crab apple and rub the tube or the barrel of anyone's gun, it will not shoot directly as it has been [= it will not shoot straight].
Entry 10665
Git chew a apple, one dese big delicious apple. Hull it out. Aftah hullin' dis apple out, git some oil of clover, oil of verbena, Florida watah [trade name], puttin' it down on dat dere apple wit some honey an' his name on de parchment papah, an' put dat in a flower pot - one dose flover pot whut chew see on de po'ch. An' plantin' de flower in dat, an' set- tin' de flower in dat apple, an' as hit grows, yo'll [husband or man] fin'lly come back home.
Entry 10666
Yo' done used de coffee whut's in it [can], chew know, er [or] dump dat coffee out an' git chew a large apple. Hull it out, hull de core out of it, yo' understand an' den yo' git chew some honey, some cinnamon, an' parchment paper an' write chure name on dat. Brite whosomevah name on it yo' wants tuh send de apple tuh. Take dat box [can] an' close dat, er [or] pore dat honey right down in dat hole where dat parchment paper is, yo' understand, an' cover dat box [can] up an' put it down in a trunk or somewhere safe yo' know, so's [so as] ah can't find it. An' yo' kin carry me all ovah de country with dat thing. Ah'll follow yo' anywhere in de world yo' go. Ah don't ca' where yo' goes, ah'll follow yo', yo' understand. (You cut this hole in this apple, and then you write my name on this parchment, and you put that parchment in the hole in the apple?) Yessuh.
(Then you pour the honey down in there?)
Yes, den yo' pore de cinnamon down in dere, an' den yo' pore de honey down.
(Do you stop it up in any Way?)
No, sir. Den yo' take de top of de can an' yo' know... [demonstrates]. (You put the apple in the tin can and then you put the top on the tin can. That is all you do to it?) Den you put it in a trunk or drawer, somewhere yo' know in yore room, yo' understand, an' man, ah'll follah yo' anywheres yo' go. Ah can't git away from yo' no way in de world.
Entry 10667
Well, for instance, there is two parties together, like you would have a daughter and her husband and the husband and her didn't look like they were getting along well, and you want them to be together. You get a delicious apple and you will sign his name at the bottom and her name on top on parchment paper.[Core the apple.] You fill that apple full of granulated sugar. You fill that apple full of syrup or honey. The sweeter it is the better it is. You get you some holy water, you put that fern down in that apple after you hull it out. You see, hull the delicious apple out. You put that fern down in there. And then after that you pour the holy water on top that water in that flower pot. Now, as that fern grow, their love grow. Well, that fern, that put them together after signing their name to it, you see. Take a delicious apple, hull it out well, take the fern and put down in there, in the hollow apple. After putting it in the hollow apple, then you git you granulated sugar, pour it down in there, then you put your syrup, here come de holy water, then the dirt back on the fern, you see. You see no apple at all, it is at the bottom. Well, if the fern grow, their love grow; they get along like two birds in one nest. (They put the hollowed-out apple in the flower pot, and the names on, they put that there too. That brings this man and woman together.)
Entry 10668
(How do you use an apple or orange?) An apple is to create love. (How do you do that?) Taking an apple, a delicious apple, hulling it out; taking any kind of fern and putting down into the bottom of that apple.
(The plant, the fern - f-e-r-n?)
Absolutely, putting it down in the apple and getting some honey - making it as sweet as possible - granulated sugar, holy water from the Catholic Church, pouring down in that, pressing the flowerpot up with mud, putting the individual name there that you want into that apple and as the fern grow, as the love grow.
(I see.)
Entry 10669
To hold man, cut a piece of the shirt from under his arm. "Or cut it under his arm w'are [where] his strength lays. A man strength lays into his arm, under his arm. That's w'are all his, your odor come from, from de strength from his arm." [In this same item as an illustration of the above: a bull put near a cut steer will kill the latter because the bull's odor is too strong for the steer.
Entry 10670
( Git de bone from a dead person an' it's lucky to yuh, 'cordin' tuh whut kinda luck yo' want. Jes' lak if yo' wanta, yo' gotta git a diff'ren' kind of bone, a certain part of bone from a person. Yo' kin use a person's teeth from de [dead] body fo' luck, but it's gotta be ground. Co'se [of course] doctors will grind 'em [bones from the dead] fo' yo' but yo' know dey kinda scared on 'counta de laws about dat, but chew kin git a bone from de wrist. Dat's whut dey call a article bone [article is obsolete word for a "joint of the body"]. Dey kin use dat an' wrap it up in flannel, but yo' gotta use all dese diff'ren' things. Wrap it up in flannel an' carry it around in yore pocket. Yo' don' use anything on dat [wristbone] fo' luck. An' den yo' kin git a bone from de laig. Dat's de smaller bone, de front bone. Yo' kin git a smaller bone from a person's laig an' use it an' it's fo' bad luck fo' yo' enemies things. [This should have been placed under BONES FROM THE DEAD pp.3407-3419, v.3.]
Entry 10671
Put red peppah in dere shoes; it's gotta be pod peppah. If yo' can't put red peppah in dere shoes [shoes guarded too well], yo' kin git chew some of dis asafitidy [asafetida]. Dat's plain asafitidy an' dis heah bor- acic watah, an' use it an' sprinkle it aroun' anywhere dat dey have tuh cross, anywhere in dere path. Yo' kin use dat to make 'em lose out [lose a job or have bad luck].
Entry 10672
Asfitadee in bag; stick two goldeyed needles in crossways for luck in gambling.
Entry 10673
Take some cayenne pepper and asafeda- tee and sulphur, and as soon as you get a chance, put it in each four corners of the room, and they'll have to move out. Can't stay there.
Entry 10674
Asafetida in red flannel [bag, or hand or mojo]. Urinate on that [from time to time to feed it, give it power]. Keep it. Lucky in gambling.
Entry 10675
Why yo' take de axe an' de cyclone con in', an' yo' stick it in de groun' an' dat'll turn it.
Entry 10676
Ah hear'd dey take a axe an' carry it down tuh de fo'ks of de road an' throu it back ovah yuh haid, ovah yuh shouldah, an' don't nevah even look back at it. Clain den dat'll dhmge yuh luck.
Entry 10677
And if she can have the baby, they'll fix her so she'll tie. Well, she'll go with her husband - make her go with her husband like that - and make it cross. All they do is they put somepin on her husband and it get on her. She'd have to carry that baby overtime. She carry that baby overtime and that baby'll get all up in a knot and get all doubled up; it can't come. If it will start to come, it comes foot foremost - the butt will come out first. Well, she crossed. You see, the butt shove out first. Well, she's done crossed and the doctor have to take his tools and cut the baby up to save her; to get it out, you see. [This woman, whose baby was cut from her, was fixed by another woman who put something on the baby's father to carry home to cross his wife, so that the baby would be tied!]
Entry 10678
Yo' got a girl friend an' yo' like her. Yo' tie nine knots in a string an' pin it in her back [on her clothes in back] while yo' lovin' her. Pin it in de back. Tie nine knots in it an' pin it in her back while yo' lovin' her, be huggin' an' kissin' her.
(What will that do?)
That will make her love yo'.
(You yourself take the string?)
Yes sir, tie nine knots in it an' pin it in de back like yo' got chure arm around her. (You have to pin it on her back clothing, and that's to make her love you. How do you mean make her love you?) Well, that makes happiness wit yo' an' her. [For woman to tie a silver dol- lar into a man's shirttail while he is loving her, compare, p., v.]
Entry 10679
Well, ah take dat [foot] track now, and ah put it in de bottle, see. Ah taken a 'leven birdshot.
(Number 11?)
"Leven birdshot, dat [is] little shot.
(Eleven of them.)
Dat's to weight 'em down. Ah come here tomorrow and bring you my bottle, ah show you. Ah put eleven in dere an' ah takes, gets some needles. [Ah] take, [ah] put in, see. Dat [is] two parts of one... listen now, ah takes a piece of wheat straw. Ah put two needles in one straw an' ah name dat him. (You put a needle in the wheat straw?) Naw, sir. Ah put dem two straws in dat needle dis way [demonstrates]. (You put the needles into the straws.) Yes. First, ah want to put two straws together. Ah put one edge together, see, just like dat [demonstrates]. Then ah write his name three times. Ah write it down on dat straw[!] three times, see now. Write it down on dat straw and ah say, "Listen, now..." Ah don't put no curse on 'em. Say, "Ah kin give you fourteen years or twenty-one years. See, just what your time, ah give you traveling years." When dat twenty-one years, after dat twenty- one years, you coming back. And [I] name de day he coming back. See. And ah put dat name dere. Dat shot holds 'em down in dat bottle with de cork shut tight. Ah takes some paste and ah just paste on dat stopper. An' dis man, well he's a gone boy. He's gone away from here. If he don't move inside of nine days, den ah'll take an' look to his house. If he's dere, ah'll take my gun along with nine buckshot an' ah shoot him loose. Ah'll break dat glass [bottle]. Den when ah break dat glass, he go anyhow. See, dere's certain things we use on a man sometime; but [if] you can't do much with him, you can't move him, you...
(What sort of gun do you trick him with? Just an ordinary gun?)
Yes, ordinary gun, but ah wanta show you how ah load it. You see, when ah come back here, ah bring you 3-4 [3 or 4] things - show you all ah do. Get all and bring more too. Ah kin shoot a man away and ah kin bring him back. Ah kin bring a man back, now. Ah takes three peppers. You see, when you want to bring a man back, you take one box of red pepper and bring...folks back... don't care how long dey gone. Well, if you take a little glass [mirror or glass tumbler?l and you see how dat man's track in dere and he been gone for so many years, you kin break dat glass and he'll come. Get de idea? Take dat paper and write de name nine times [on the paper] and you put nine pieces of dat pep- per in dere [the paper] 'fore sunrise, and you roll dat [paper] to you, and you tie it [rolled paper] tight, an' 'fore sunrise you burn it up. Ah guarantee he'll come right dere.
Entry 10680
Well, jes' lak if somebody poison yo' an' yo' puttin' stuff down [to counteract it] yo' jes' put it down an' walk backwards.
Entry 10681
Dey say when yo' go tuh put down sompin to a person's house, yo' kin go backwards three steps or nine steps an' jes' put it down an' make yore wish an' walk away from it an' don't look back until yo' git to where yo' live. (That is if you are putting down some- thing for a person to walk over?) Yeah an' harm 'em. Dat evil work.
Entry 10682
If yo' git up in de mawnin' befo' sunrise an' walk out chure do' back- vards fo' nine steps an' make a wish to that effect fo' whut chew want done, it will come true. Come in de house an' nevah look back. Jes' come right straight far- wards back in de house an' nevah look back fo' nine mawn- in's. Yo' gotta do dat fo' nine mawnin's.
Entry 10683
They just shake their finger a' chah and you'll have bad luck as long as you live, if you act impudent to an old person. They call that putting a bad mouth on you. [For other bad mouth express- ions, see margin title BAD MoUTH, Pp.255-257, v.1.]