Browse:"CHANNEL DE WORLD" (Volume 5, entries 10604–13458)/Part 21
"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 12204
Ah've heard about horseshoe nails. Dey tell me yo' git nine horse- shoe nails dat's mighty good luck. But de way ah've heard about de nine horse- shoe nails, yo' take them nine horseshoe nails an' wrap them up in a piece of flannel cloth. Jes' have de head this way heah, jes' change 'em disaway [informant demonstrates].
(You put one head one way and one the other.)
Yes sir. An' then yo' - after yo' put a piece of cord, yo' tie it tight. An' dey say yo' keep dat in yore house. That's mighty good luck in yore home.
Entry 12205
De horseshoe - git nine horseshoe nails, an' yo' tie 'em head an' tail, an' yo' name 'em, an' put 'em ovah yore do', an' dat's fo' luck.
(What would you name them?)
Well, yo' name 'em fo' jes' whut chew want 'em tuh do.
Entry 12206
If you got a job an' wanta hold it, why yo' go out to any little place where you kin find an old horseshoe. An' take a couple of nails - horseshoe nails - nine of 'em, an' put round dat shoe. Take it back [to place where you work] and bring them with that, an' go under in de east corner of dat place, an' put dat horseshoe down. Put in dere so nobody kin dig it up, so it can't be found, an' leave it dere. Nobody kin have your job. (You find that horseshoe that has nine nails in it and you take that whole horseshoe. You don't take the nails out or anything like that?) No, leave 'em in dere, just as is.
Entry 12207
Sech as ah heard people take horseshoe nails. An' dey take 'em an' make a [finger] rind out of 'em tuh give 'em luck.
(Lucky for what?)
Fo' gamblin' or fo' anything. (A horseshoe-nail ring?) Yes.
Entry 12208
Yo' git a used horseshoe nail if yo' want to an' make a ring. It's good luck to wear for a ring.
Entry 12209
Dey use a horseshoe nail fo' a ring. Dat's good luck, wear it fo' a ring.
Entry 12210
To get a job, he showed me a nut. Keep in pocket when talking to boss. Called a horsenut.
Entry 12211
Dey tell me yo' buy some insane [incense] an' yo' burn dat every Friday, an' Friday nights, an' dat will make yore place come to be lucky. An' some say yo' git dis John de Conkah an' put it in a cloth an' sew it up, an' put it round yore waist an' it makes yore home be happy, an' yore place be lucky an' successful.
Entry 12212
Yo' could burn this incense. Some of 'em burn it befo' twelve a'clock in de day, an' dat will draw in a crowd. (If you are selling anything?) Yes. If yo' sellin' or either if yo' rentin' de rooms, dat will rent dem fo' yo'. Burn de incense befo' twelve a'clock.
Entry 12213
Yo' git some incense an' mix a little sugah with it an' yo' burn dat. Dat's drawin' power, dat draws. An' yo' burn dat at hours, yo' know: lak six a'clock, twelve an' six in de evenin'. Dat draws mo customahs.
Entry 12214
Yo' git some of dis incense and burn it fo' seven mornings. Now, if you know the name of that person, you call the name, but if you do not know the name, yo' jest say, Whosomever stole mah goods, bring 'em. And they will bring them back.
Entry 12215
Ah heard if yo' had a enemy, a unfeeling enemy who was hard an' bit- ter against chew, tuh go out in de morning befo' de sunrise in an open field, an' take salt an' olive oil, ah think it is, an' burn incense. An' take dis salt an' olive oil an' make yore wish, an' throw it toward de sunrise, before it rises, an' dey will feel to [for] yo'.
Entry 12216
Well, yo' goes tuh work an' yo' git chew some incense an' yo' burn it in yore lamp or anywhere, roun' evah mawnin' 'fore de sun rise. An' yo' talk tuh de incense whilst it Smokin' - whilst it burnin' - an' say whut chew want it tuh bring toward yore place, an' dat will bring yo' good luck.
Entry 12217
Well, sometimes yo' kin take incense. Yo' know what dat is. Yo' burn it Thursdays an' Wednesdays. An' yo' take an' wash yore front steps wit dis salt dat chew makes ice cream out of. Den yo' throw de water inside an' let it run outside. Let it run back outside. Den yo' Wash dose things. Ah know dose are lucky.
(Then you wash what?)
Yo' wash yore front out [sidewalk off]. Stand in front an' po' yo' water up [to the building] an' let it run back down [to gutter and] out. An' wash de place all out good an' burn it [incense] Thursdays, Wednesdays an' Mondays.
(Any particular time those days that you burn that incense?)
Well, it's best tuh burn it 'bout five [usually 6] an' twelve.
(Five when?)
In de evening, twelve in de day.
Entry 12218
Take that incense and put it in a lamp?
(No, to keep the husband from running around, you said?)
To keep the husband from running around?
(Yes.)
Well, if her husband is running around, she burn a lamp on him. See. That's to make him come back to her.
(Tell me the whole thing right [from the beginning]. The whole thing.)
She burn a lamp on him, yes.
(All right.)
She take this incense and put it in the lamp.
(Yes?)
Well, she'll light it and burn it low in the daytime and high at night. Well that's to draw him back to her, you see.
(I see. If he's running around with other women.) [Vicksburg, Miss., (737)
1008:1.]
Entry 12219
Burn incense to get a man's money in the room where he is. [Wilming- ton 114:8+85.]
Entry 12220
Burn incense. Burn that fo' 9 days an' yo'll draw in customers.
[Waycross by No.1172, about cyl.1732.]
Entry 12221
Dey burn incense.
(To keep the law away?)
Yessuh. [Fayetteville 2561:4.]
Entry 12222
Lucky Hearts Incense, 3 cornered square [informant's word for these heart-shaped or triangularly shaped objects to be burned], burn those little numbers in them, get the dust from this incense, put it in your money when play- ing policy [a gambling game], good luck. This is my condensation of a rite from cylinders lost before they could be transcribed. Informant 962, also given elsewhere in HOODOO, good, from 1552:5, Memphis, Tenn.]
Entry 12223
[This may be my first encounter with that casting-of-lots-device - as old as history, in many forms, under many names - the JACK, a personal fetish WHO answers your questions YES or NO. My original transcription in pencil is attached here to manuscript of HOODOO.1 ('Did not copy, will use only in foot- note. On what would have been cylinder 321 etc. Story in which root doctor seems to use a mechanical toy which he calls JACK & to which he [doctor] gives orders. He wound it [perhaps a child's toy!]. [This mechanical object] goes under bed of sick person. Something Wrong with informant's voice [!!!] & badly recorded [nothing wrong with voice but with machine]. Happened in Amelia Co. Va., 1908, in country.) [I have referred to this particular JACK several times in HOODOO. For a good account of this ancient device see THE "JACK-BALL' MAN, pp.1593-1599; als0 MoJ0 EXPERT, pp.1247-1268, v.2.]
Entry 12224
If yo' know fo' certain dat somebody had carried somepin roun' yore house an' yo' didn't wanta git hurt, why it's no way dat dey kin hurt chew den. Well, now de only way dat yo' git hurt by anythin' lak dat is not knowin'; but 'long as yo' have anything on yore mind 'bout anybody trickin' yo' or anything lak dat, it kinnot happen, unless dey git it inside of yo'. [This reminds me of the old saying: Shoot a ghost and you will always draw blood.]
Entry 12225
Yo' supposed tuh use Jockey Club perfume.
(It's Jockey Club or Jack of Clubs.)
Well, ah cain't git it right.
(Jack of Clubs from the deck of cards or the jockey that rides a horse?)
Yeah, jacket dat chew put on yo' Perfume [!!!]. Yo' supposed tuh use dat an' garlic. Keep garlic in yore pocket an' Jack of Clubs in yore pocket, an' yo' supposed tuh have luck in gamblin'. (What do you do, put this perfume on the garlic?) [Is this for real or a piece of concoted witticism of the moment!] Put it on de garlic an' on yore han' when yo' goin' to a game. But keep de garlic in yore pocket an' de Jack of Clubs, jis' po' a little bit out in yore han' an' go into de gamblin', see, an' have yo' garlic in yore pocket.
Entry 12226
Jockey Club and White Rose perfumes rubbed on 3 places for luck in gambling: on hands, forehead and behind ears.
Entry 12227
(When you go to get the job?) You get High John [de Conkah] and hartshorn [this name for an old- fashioned chemical some- times given to Hearts Cologne! Not a confu- sion, but a mispronun- ciation], honey suckle, crabapple [3 perfumes] and you put these in there with a teaspoonful of honey and a teaspoonful of allspice, these ground spices, cloves [other unnamed].
(cloves?)
Yes. (Well, how do they use that? I mean - you put it in this bottle. What do you do with that then, that bottle?) They puts it up on a shelf in the Name of the Lord.... (You put - grind it up and put a spoonful of High John the Conquer in this too. Put it in the bottle and then - what did you say you use the name of, when you [they] put it on themselves and when they go right down and they get the job?) Put it on yourself and you go right down [to see boss]. Course you got the odor on you too. (I see. That odor is on you while you are talking to the boss, so he's likely to give you the job. I see. And you say, In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.) After they do that, they anoint their feet, and then they turn their sock on the wrong side and use that same stuff. And turn the sock from the wrongside out, when they are going down there.
(Both socks or just one of them?)
Both of them.
(Put both of them wrongside out?)
Yes.
(They put the stuff on them that they use to get the job?)
Yes. (When they are going down, just turn their socks wrongside out on them. I see.)
Entry 12228
Wal, yo' kin git dat John de Conker, called de King of de World. Ah've tried dat an' dat's not so good. Wal, yo' take it when yo' git it an' git chew a piece of red flannen, see, an' sew dat up in a piece of red flannen. (Sew this John de Conkah up in this red flannel.) Dat's right an' den git chew some Hearts Perfume [bottle has 2 or more small red hearts on label] an' put chew 9 drops on dere. An' put chew twelve pins in dat, see, right out a bran'-new package of pins. Wear it in yore left pocket every day yo' go. An' in a cer- tain length of time, dat odor - yo' has to perfume it ovah ag'in - dat means every 3 weeks. It'll work fo' yo', too. Ah've tried dat.
(What do you wear this little bag for? What is that supposed to do?)
Well, dat's to keep yore enemies away from yo'. An' if yo' wanta start any business, yo' have success an' good luck after dat - no cops to bother, nuthin atall [at all]. Dey might come to yore place but when dey come to de place dey'll sit down an' talk with yuh.
Entry 12229
They says to have luck: well you know you kin take a piece of lode- stone. You kin take a lodestone an' git choo piece of'High John de Conkah root. An' yo' kin take dat an' put it in a piece of red flannin [flannel], an' take an' sew it up. An' git choo some perfume an' pour it over there. An' you'll have good luck in any games you go in. You will win. That's to draw luck - lodestone would. Jis' bathe [usually feed] it [with the perfume] say about 3 times a week to keep it kin'a mossted [moist]. An' that lodestone will grow. See, that would grow...jis' as long as you keep [feeding it] the larger it be. An' as it grow, little hairs will come out, little teenny hairs. Yo' kin see 'em comin' out. It's a lodestone, look jis' lfke a piece of coal [several places in HOODOO this is called black lodestone]. But only them hairs...an' they will move too. You could take a piece of that an' lay it on this table [between us] in one place, an' then you go back about a half an hour after, it'd be done moved.
Entry 12230
They take that gunpowder and John de Conkah an' put all that together and yo' wrap that all up in a jōhmō, jōmōh in a red piece of flannen an' yo' take that then and yo' git chew some Hearts Cologne and yo' water [feed] 'er nine days, nine mawnin's... (You water [feed] it?) Yes suh. Give it dat Hearts Cologne on it fer 9 mawnin's, and on [after] de 9 mawnin's if there don' be a change, on the ninth mawnin', you throw it away.
(What do you do this for?)
Dey say if anybody trying to do anything to you, that thing will fix [hoodoo] 'em. It will bring them to you.
Entry 12231
Yo' go git chew a piece of root - John de Conkah root - and bury it in de ground 'bout three days. Take it out and git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' a little bit sugah and sew it up tight in a bag. And chew you a piece ob [of] dat John de Conkah root. And when you go an' knock de boss [knock on the door?] fer a job, jest look him right dead in de eye, says, "Captain, I want a job." An' jest look him right in de eye and spit. And he say, "All right, boy, come on heah." He'll give you a job. But look him in de eye, if you want a job - look right in de eye.
Entry 12232
Git you White John de Conkah root - piece of white - piece of white root and it's hard. [Only time I ever heard of white!] You take a knife or hatchet or somepin and cut it. And you put it in your mouth and whilst you goin' round to dose person where you wants a job, you talk to 'um, but you kinda spit real fine and let it get on dere clothes.
(Spit?)
Yes.
[I turn off recording machine but soon restart it.]
(To help you with this, to get that job, you get some lodestone.)
Get some lodestone. You get dat lodestone and put it in de red flannel and you ties it up with a ten cent piece [a silver dime] and needle point. When [then] you wear dat in de pocket separate from anything where no tobacco or noth- in' kin git with it, if you have to make you a little pocket [bag] you just wear it with dat, and you - de person you go to 'em and talk to 'em with dat, why you'll finally draw dere attention and you'll get de job.
Entry 12233
Dat High John de Conkah root by hitself, yo' kin take dat in de mawn- in' an' yo' kin git up 'fore de sun rise, an' dere's a word dat chew have tuh say befo' de sun rise, an' look to de east. Po' a little of it out of de bottle, de liquid offa de root into yore han' an' rub it cross yore face three times. (What will that do?) Dat's to inherit mo' money. (What words do you say?) Jes' say, "So we live, so we die, ' po' a little bit in yore han' an' rub it cross yore face an' look to where de sun risin' in de mawnin'.
(What kind of liquid do you put in the bottle?)
Yo' kin put gin whiskey on it, or eithah Hearts Cologne - nuthin excusin' dat. Hearts Cologne or eithah pure gin whiskey [gin or white whiskey].
Entry 12234
If you is gambling and you wants luck, well you'll git you some steel dust. See. You git you a dime - a silver dime. Git that dime and you put it in a piece of flannel, and you take it and you git a piece of John de Conkah root. See, that John de Conkah root. You takes all that and you put it down in there. Steel dust, and then you get you some of that cinnamon powder. You understand. And you takes that down [from shelf] and put it in there, and then you git you some Van- van. You ever heard of that. Or some good Jockey Club Perfume. And you put it [flannel package or hand] in your pocket. See, that steel dust draws. Then you put it in your pocket and every time you wants to gamble with somebody, you take it and rub it like that in your hand. You see. Take it and rub it in your hand but don't let 'em see you. And whatever you doing, you going to be lucky.
Entry 12235
I've heard talk an' I've known it done, gettin' a root they call John de Conkah. An' she taken an' put it in a bottle an' tote [carried] it with her fo' 10 mawnin's. When she get up...dey go to de risin' of de sun fo ten mawnin's an' have dat [bottle] in her right hand by her right side, an' give it throw-off like that [makes a motion of throwing the root towards the sunl. Regain her husband.
Entry 12236
Say take John de Conker. It's in de woods, it's a weed, yo' take hit. It's got a whole lotta spring to it. An' put it in a bottle an' feed it, feed it with cologne or whiskey. Yo' feed it ever' time yo' eat, or ever' time yo' go tuh gamblin'. Feed it an' dey say hit's lucky.
Entry 12237
Dey got a lodestone dat's pretty good an' it's oil of cinnamon, an' yo' kin git - if yo' kin git John de Conkah - dat's good to use in spittin' when yo' go in, yo' know.
(To get a job?)
Yes.
Entry 12238
Git a piece of lodestone an' a piece of John de Conkah root an' a piece of Eve-an'-Adam root [Adam and Eve] root an' sew it up in a red piece of flannel an' wear dat. Dat's fo' luck an' jobs.
Entry 12239
Take Hearts Perfme an yo' take dis blacksnake root an' take de John de Conkah an' yo' put it in dis perfume an' let it stay fo' twenty-fo' hours an' in twenty-fo' hours, yo' put dat perfume on yo' an' yo' go down an' as yo' ask 'im fo' a job, yo' take dis perfume on yore han'ke'ch'ef an' yo' wavin' it lak dis [demon- strates].
(Just wave it around.)
Jes' wave an' dat'll change his mind an' he'll give yo' a job, even if yo' quit, an' he'll send back fo' yo'.
Entry 12240
I would get me a snakeroot and I would put that in a piece of red flannel, and I would put that in my pocket, and I would get me a he John de Conkah, and I would take it and chew it, and I would spit it, just like I spit on this Way [demon- strates] on this side of him, and I would spit it in front of him, and I would ask him for a job. [A "he" John de Conkah is rare, this may be the only one. Is there also a "she?"]
Entry 12241
Well, you use John the Conkah root, just take it and put it in your mouth and chew it. And just like I wanted a favor out of you, I'd just keep achewing it and spit while I be talking to you, and that'll make it all right.
(Especially if you want a job.)
Yes sir.
Entry 12242
If you get holt of a piece of a root - what they call dis root? John de Conker. See. They'll put that in their mouth and they chew it, see, and they spit it in their hand. The juice from that root, they'll spit it in their hand and then they'll rub it on their face. And then they go and talk right in- to the man's face, and whenever he gets a scent of that, why then he'll have to either do one way or tuther [the other]. Tell you to come back or tell you not to come back - one of the two.
Entry 12243
John de Conkah, dey say, an' yo' put it in yuh mouth on de lef' side, an' spit aroun' 'im [boss]. Don't let 'im know you got de root in yuh an' he'll do anything in [the] verl [world] fah yah. [Also see following root for another chewing method.]
Entry 12244
(Now you are going into the woods to: do some- thing. What do you do in the woods?) Well, if yo' didn't wanta do dat, yo' could go in de woods an' git some King over King. Hit's a leaf, it's a leafy hair [ leaf with hairs?]. Well, yo' could put it - jes' lak yo' wus comin' behin' me fo' a job, yo' could divide it. Yo' could [put] one part in yore bottom lip an' another part in yore top lip, an' spit in yuh han' an' tap it on yuh fo'head an' jes' say, "Well, ah Want chew to do so-an'-so an' sich an' sich a thing." All right, ah spit [it out of my mouth] jes' so ah [you] could git de wind of yuh breath.
Entry 12245
Now yo'd haf tuh [have to] - yo' kin git a piece of High John de Conkah an' yo' put dat in yore mout' when it's green [see comment later], ef yo' git done [down?] dere when it's [plant is] green an' yo' kin be standin' way ovah yondah [down?]. Yo' ain't gotta git right upon dem, jest stay anywhere de air is stir- rin'. An' yo' got that in yo' [your mouth] an' yo' breathin' an' he's [boss is] standin' up dere on dat stand [platform] an' he'll look ovah all dat crowd an' he'll call yo' jest like dat [demonstrates] with his finger. (And he's got [you have] the job.) [This same informant mentions green John de Conkah, the plant in season, in No.9077, p.3679, v.4.]
Entry 12246
You git you a assafidadee [asafetida] see, an' beat it up fine, an' put some turpentine in it, some Hearts Cologne. And git chew a piece of John de Conkah root, and cut dat up fine and sew it up tight, and wear it right around yo' neck, an' leave it lay right on yo' chest, and nothin' kin nevah harm yo', if somebody goin' poison you.
(Nothing will ever harm you, I see.)
Even if somebody give you [him] sompin to eat, it couldn't go into his stomach. His stomach like a stone.
Entry 12247
Well, yo' git a piece an' put it in yore pocket. The best way, though, tuh use it is tuh pound it up. [To use pounded-up John de Conqueror is unusual.] (The High John the Con- queror.) Yo' kin kinda strike [cut off] a little edge of it, yo' know, if there's time, yo' know, an' they [victim] won't notice. Put a little in yore mouth yo' know, every time yo' goin' places, an' yo' [other person] cain't see it, but chew kin kinda...
(To get a job if you are going in to the boss?)
Yes.
Entry 12248
That High John de Conkah or sulphur and salt, that'll keep 'em [law] off to a certain extent; but mostly the way that a person kin do that, you kin keep 'em off all right and a person don't really have to be a stooly pigeon [see comment later]. But you kin meet around them [the law] with the right herbs, such as High John de Conkah and Adam-and-Eve, and have it [roots] dressed. If you have it dressed, well, you kin dress it with any kind of perfume. But have it roun' your do'r, and dey come in, won't never look.
(They come and won't do anything?)
Yes. They come and there will always be harmony wit yuh. They won't hardly ever look for nothing. They walk right over the stuff [bootleg alcohol] and won't find it. [Here my informant says police will scarcely bother a stool pigeon, a police informer, who is selling a few bootleg liquor drinks. That is how seller keeps in touch with the underworld. Stool pigeons occasionally came in to see what I was doing. Usually my local helpers informed us, occasion- ally I myself spotted one, as I explain somewhere in the text. Fortunately I never did anything to cause police action, though twice I was mistakenly raided.]
[Norfolk, Va., (472).484:2.]
Entry 12249
Well, de fac' about it, suh, yo' uses whut root dey call High John de Conker root. Yo' see, yo' goes tuh work an' yo' put a piece of dat root in yore mouth when yo' goin' tuh be tried. Yo' chews it an' hold yore breath [before speaking] an' be slow in speakin' - be very slow in speakin'.
(And the judge will let you go?)
He will absolutely, de really fac' about it - have [you be] sent away [case dismissed].
Entry 12250
It have to be Red Devil Lye, de same lye dat dey use for scrubbing porches. You buy Red Devil lye in de groc'ry store, you see, but it's more... [expensive in hoodoo shops?]. Now, you git dis Red Devil Lye and after cut- ting [making an opening in] dis can, you understand, you turns it upside down [a number of "up- side down lye cans have been given in text] you see. And dere's some kind of root dey get. John de Conkah is one and it's another one. You see [there are] several of them, but I do not [remember?] even enough to know each and every one of them. And get some of dis Dragon's Blood and you sprinkle it around dere [the door]. De law will come to de door but dey will never be able enough to enter.
(Well, what do you do after you get that can open?)
Dat can - when you get dat can open you put dat can in de earth upside down, you see how it is, and cover it right back up and leave it stay dere, but it must be right to your front, de leading door dat comes in.
(What do you do with these roots then?)
Well, dose roots, well dose roots dey'll have to be right side de can. John Ce Conkah you have cause dat will conquer everything.
Entry 12251
Ah ain't goin' [tell] yo' no lie. Ah'll tell yo' de truth now, but ah'm goin' tell yo' 'bout dis. Now, ah'm goin' [tell] whut ah knows an' whut ah don't know ah won't tell yo', 'c'use ah don' ca' fo' no foolishness. Well, all right. Now, ah have had people roomin' wit me. Ah have rn a roomin' house. Co'se ah haven't run one lately. Fifteen yeahs ago heah in dis coum an' people heah dat wouldn't pay me, an' ah wanted dem tuh stay, an' dey uouldn't stay 'way from mah house. Ah wanted 'em tuh stay 'way. Ah sprinkle Salt dere. Ah had tuh sprinkle salt down. An' now John de Conkah is a straight Sring, is a straight fact, it won't die. John de Conkah root will not. Yo' boils hit an' strains it through a thin white rag, an' git all dem herbs an' trash in through de rag, an' take dat tea an' sprinkle it an' sweep yore flo' wit it. Sprinkle salt behin' dere an' sweep it out, jes' anybody dat go out. Jes' have it in a bottle an' anybody dat go out, jes' sprinkle salt on de floor an' sprinkle dat root of medicine on de flo' an' sweep it out behin' 'em. Ah'll guarantee dey ain' t comin' back dere no mo'.
Entry 12252
John de Conkah root.
(You call that John the Conquer root.)
It's a little thing like that, supposed to conquer anything that - anything around you: people sneezing and doing like that. Why you supposed to take that and tote it along with you, keep things like that away from you. No evil things - anybody can't do things like that way.
Entry 12253
Yo' takes - it's sompin yo' chews - it's whut chew might call a Spanish Root, ah think, dat way. Yo' takes it an' yo' chew it an' yo' spits. An' jes' wheresomevah he stay or where his office or anythin lak dat, well it's best tuh go whah he live. Ketch him at home whah yo' kin stand in de house whah yo' kin jes' spit, chew know, an' talk tuh him jes' lak dat wit dat stuff in yore mouth. Well if yo' kin, git up close enough tuh him, close enough tuh him tuh jes' talk wit him. An' yo' know a person kinda do dat. Yo' do dat. An' if he got anythin' fo' yo' tuh do, he'll give yo' a job; an' if he ain't, he will git chew a job. Jes' chew it.
(What is the name of that root?)
It's Spanish, jes' name of a Spanish Root. Yo' orders it. [This shows an influence from the Cuban population in nearby Tampa, a cigar-making place in those days.]
Entry 12254
High John de Conkah, yo' know, an' chew it up, yo' know, an' spittin' in yuh hand an' rub yuh hand. An' be a-spittin' all around while yo' talkin' tuh 'im. Yo' kin git job. [Elizabeth City 393:1.]
Entry 12255
Spit John de Conkah before speaking to the boss for a job. [Richmond 330:9.]
Entry 12256
Chew John de Conkah and rub on your hands for gamblin'. [New Orleans 1263:2.]
Entry 12257
Well, this is another. Yo' take de High John de Conkah an' dis same Hearts Cologne, an' yo' put it on yore person, an' yo' more den apt to git de job.
Entry 12258
You can get High John de Conkah or Eve-and-Adam [frequently called this but the name is Adam-and-Eve] or Samson's snakeroot and keep chewing it and spitting around, and make the wishes. And they say that'll keep the law from them. [Elizabeth City 558:11.]
Entry 12259
Yo' kin take John de Conkah an' take advantage of any woman dat chew want, if yo' jest rub it. Jest rub yore hand wit it an' put chure hands on it. Why yo' kin carry her yore way - any way.
(That's to conquer the woman.) [Waycross 1727:8.]
Entry 12260
Tuh have luck in gamblin', why yo' git dat root, dey call it John de Conkah, an' yo' chews dat root while yore gamblin', yo' see. An' in chewin' dat root, yo' have tuh spit. Yo' spit three or fo' times lak dat in yore han's. Well, den dat gives yo' luck. [Algiers 2898:12.]
Entry 12261
(Anything else they use for luck in gambling?)
Well, use de High John de Conkah root, it's mighty good.
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey carry it in dere pocket mostly, jes' keep anybody from passin' yo'.
[Waycross 1975:2.]
Entry 12262
Use de John de Conkah root.
(You use the same thing when you go to get a job?)
Yeah. An' then yo' kin take Hearts Cologne an' po' that on there an' go down an' ask fo' a job. [Fayetteville 2558:2.]
Entry 12263
I have heard that if anyone goin' down here to git a job or anything like that, they say that choo take you some John de Conkah root they call it. And use that as you are talking to the' person, that you are asking for a favor. An' yo' going to court fo' so many days until your favor is granted.
Entry 12264
They says if you wants a job, you kin git pieces of dis John de Conkah root and put it in your pocket; and that root will conquer him, make him be humble, make him so you kin git a job.
(When you work for [from] the boss.) [Newport News 503:2.]
Entry 12265
Dey's some kind of root in de woods, or you could order it, dey call it John de Conkah's root; and put a little piece in your mouth, and when yo're talking to a person jis' keep chewin' on it. An' dey said dey couldn't turn you down for nothin' in de world, if you want a job. [Wilmington 168:11+85.]
Entry 12266
Yo' git a piece of root, John de Conkah, an' put a little bit of this cologne on de John de Conkah, an' have it in a little bag in yore bosom. Yo' go down dere an' talk to 'em an' dis odor will adhere to him. Dat's how...
(You'll get a job?)
Yeah. [Florence 2265:11.]
Entry 12267
( Git a piece of High John de Conkah an' put it in yore pocket an' vhilst yo' go up tuh ask fo' de job, jes', yo' know, have yore han' in yore Pocket an' be rubbin' it, feelin' aroun' yo' know, in yore han', an' yo' mo' den apt tuh git one [a job]. [Savannah 2174:6.]
Entry 12268
They say they kin take some High John [de Conkah] and chew it and spit and they get a fellow [boss] to give dere job back. I've heard that too. [This is to get your job back after you have been laid off or fired.]
Entry 12269
Git some High John de Conkah root an' chew it as yo' talkin' to the bOSS an' HE'LL NEVAH NOTICE THAT YORE CHEWIN' SOMETHIN' TUH CAUSE YO' LUCK, an' when yo' git ready to walk out why yo' jis' spit dat root whut yo' chew right round his feet. [Memphis 1517:6.]
Entry 12270
They can put a kettle of water outside the door, that'll drown the noises in the house. If they [policemen] come there, they can't hear it. [This belief evidently comes down from slavery-time when a kettle upside down gas supposed to reduce or eliminate noises, if a secret meeting was being held.]
Entry 12271
If you jes' fin' a key - if yo' fin' one, dey say it's good luck if yo' keep it. [Florence 2198:13.]
Entry 12272
A good luck key or luck key, these are sold everywhere, carry in pocket or purse. [Wilmington 243:7+85.]
Entry 12273
"[Keys are much more in HOODOO than the preceding lucky objects, they are important rites: Nos.8882-8901, Pp.3611-3618, v.4; especially the Key of Si. Peter, two keys crossed (No.8900).]
Entry 12274
Tis a root that you kin git that is called King Solomon - King Solo- mon root. Will make you love 'em.
(What do they do with that root?. How do they use that?)
You will take King Solomon root - it has very fine small ji'nts [joints] in it. You takes that King Solomon root with a needle and hold it [root] on a apple or peach, anything for to eat. This is to take advantage of 'em, and stick a hole in it [through the root and into fruit] and tell it, each hole, that you sticks through with this needle into this fruit- stick it through, and tell it at each hole what you want it to do. At each hole. (How many times do you do that [stick needle into a fruit]? Any number of times?) Do that jes' the once. Stick it through there and tell it what you want it to do, and give them the fruit, you see. Make them a present of the fruit. I've done that myself.
(Well, now, what would that make that person do? That eats the fruit then?)
Make 'em love you. Make 'em do anything that you ask 'em to. [For another example of King Solomon Root, from Washington, D. C., see No.2045, p.597, v.1.]
Entry 12275
Yo' kin take a file or a knife an' go to de corner of yo' place an' yo' stick it down in de left-han' side an' name it. An' ever' day go dere an' push it down a little bit, an' when it git down to de last, whosomevah dey name is yo' goin' fix dat fo', dey'll fall. Dey'll fall lak dat. When it git down to de last it will fall. Dey'll nevah git ovah it.
Entry 12276
Lak dere's a boy comin' tuh see a girl heah an' yo' wants tuh go see her, an' den she wants him tuh quit. Yo' take a pocketknife right aroun' dere [begin to demonstrate]. Yo' know, take yore pocket- knife, silk han'ke'ch'ef an' wrap roun' an' run [and bury] it roun' yore do'step. (Take a silk pocket handker- chief and wrap it around your own knife? And bury it under the doorstep?) Yessuh. An' den yo' rap on dat do'step, [do] dat 'fo' [before] mawnin'. Aftah yo' makes three trips dere, why he cut intuh dere.
(He'll live with her?)
Yes.
Entry 12277
Why yo' jes' take de knife an' de fo'k an' yo' cross dem, an' dere's a verse in de Bible, an' yo' jes' say, In Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' put 'em in de mattress an' let de person sleep on dat, an' 'cos' if dis man is used tuh visitin' yo'...yo' jes' keep dis in yore mattress. (What will that do?) Well, dat will jes' make de man stick aroum' yo' mo' so.
Entry 12278
Ah tell yo' whut chew kin do, yo' kin take a fo'k an' a knife an' wipe dat plate. Git chew a clean rag an' wipe dat plate, his plate, or his fo'k or her fo'k, an' let him eat out it aftah yo' wipe wit it, ev'ry mawnin' fo' 9 mawnin's. An' if he don' stay dere, he'll come tuh stay. (What do you wipe that plate with?) With a clean cloth. Yo' wipe yo'self in heah umndah yore arms, undah both arms, an' in heah, an' den yo' take an' wipe yore plate. An' always yo' wipe it tuh yo' [demonstrates].
(With a circular motion?)
Yassuh, wipe it tuh yo' lak dat. He'll come tuh yo' if he's not staying dere.
(You don't do anything with that knife and fork then?)
Nuthin but wipe it tuh yo', jes' when yo' wipe dat fo'k yo' wipe it dataway. An' yo' wipe it up. (You have to wipe the fork the same as the plate, to you? You wipe the plate and the knife and the fork?) Yassuh, wipe all three of 'em.
Entry 12279
De' take de gunpowder an' de sulphur dust - dat not de lump sulphur - an' mix it together an' put it in a quill or some fish-pole. An' go by a per- son's house an' go dat- away three times. (Knocking three times.) [Also blowing 3 times.] An' de persons in dat yard, dey goin' have a uproar in dere. It will make a confusion between everybody. See, somebody in dere is gotta move out. If dere some enemies in dere, well dey gotta git out. [It would probably be safer to try this rite during day when no one was home. There are similar blowing through tube rites in HOODOO.1
Entry 12280
Yo' kin tie a knot in a rope or either in a pocket han'ke'ch'ef or sompin lak dat an' yo' kin use it. Dat's whut dey call a jinx to peoples. Ah could tie a knot in yore pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' dat could be a jinx to yo'. An' aftah [that] ah wash it an' den pressed it out. Dat's ohut dey call a jinx to a person. It's no luck to nobody, a pocket han'ke'ch'ef wit knots in it. Or either some peoples passes by yo' might seen clothes line hangin' out. Peoples could put knots in dat fo' a jinx to peoples which dey call bad luck. An' den dey kin fix it in dere fo' luck fo' peoples. It's a certain way dey tie it. Some of 'em tie it in a bow knot an' some they call it in de crawfish oot an'....
Entry 12281
Yo' kin during so many days tie knots in a string an' dey say dere a way of dressing dat. Git chure clothes an' put [knots] in dat an' bury it. When dem 9 days out yo'll be a corpse. (How would you dress those strings, those knots?) Dey dress with whut chew call - it's a root dey call a ~uampole root." It grows lak a great big white onion...
[I turned off machine and turned it on again.]
(It's a bitter weed, you say.)
[Is informant talking about wild onion?]
Yes sir, a hog loves it, de bitterest in de world. He scream when eatin' it. [This screaming sounds like folklore.] An' if yo' bite it an' swallow dat, it Will tie yo' up inside an' kill yo'. [Is this based upon pigs hunting for truf- fles, the pig being hit on the nose when he finds one (the cause of the squeal) so that he does not eat it?]
(Constipate you?)
Yo' kin bite it but don't swallow it.
(That's warpole root?)
Yes, wampole root. Dey takes dat string an' de salt[?] outa wampole root until dat thing git wet through an' through an' put dem knots in it. It will tie yo' up jes' lak...
(That is to tie your bowels up?)
Yes sir. Yo' heard of people wit locked bowels from dat. (What do they do with this string first? Do they have to get it out of your clothing or something?) Dey git chure clothing an' wrap dat string wit it. (Oh, you wrap that string around your piece of clothing.)
Entry 12282
Well, whenevah yo' wanta tie up a person, yo' don't want 'em to have success, yo' put so many knots in a raw cotton thread an' put turpentine on it, an' yo' read ovah it de 22nd Psalms. Read ovah it nine days an' then yo' put that string right behin' there [points to door]. (Behind the door?) Yes.
Entry 12283
I've heard that they take a string, one that you've worn, and take it and get hold of it, and tie a knot in it and name the knot, and ever knot is named, and they tie so many knots in that string; and then they take those knots and put them down where the individual has to walk over them. And after he's walked over 'em as many times as there are knots in that string, then that individual will become confused in his busi- ness affairs and also in any kind of work that he has to do, and he gits so he can't do it.