Browse:"CHANNEL DE WORLD" (Volume 5, entries 10604–13458)/Part 27
"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 12684
Or either git their picture an' turn it backwards to de wall, face to de wall, in a dark place, without anybody see it, an' they'll return. [Memphis 2675:7.]
Entry 12685
Bury photograph face down to drown [surely it must be buried under shallow water, or where water will soon run over it - the tide here on the East- ern Shore of Maryland.] [Snow Hill 13:8.]
Entry 12686
Yo' take a tintype photograph an' nail it tuh a tree or throw it in de rivah an' dat person will die. [Fayetteville, 2504:8.]
Entry 12687
Photo, over glass of water, under bed, turn it bottom upwards [face down], bring to yo'. [Memphis, hoodoo woman No.960, 1545:15.]
Entry 12688
All right, yo' kin draw de pichure of dat man an' yo' kin git chew a brand-new papah of pins an' write his name on dere an' pin him up. Pin him up ovah de head of de do' where dey transferin' back an' fo'th at, an' yo' kin draw him back. [Memphis - Informant No.1529a who gave No.2101, p.610, v.1, this No.6 probably on same cylinder.]
Entry 12689
(Do what?)
You kin take a pigeon's blood, you know. And you take nine drops of a pigeon's blood an' take you some - just ltke you urinated or somepin like that. You take nine drops of that pigeon's blood and you drop it down in there. See, anywhere what you want me to go that's considered like a woman want a man, you understand. She ketch pigeon's blood and she takes your urinate and put it down in there, an' just do any way she wanta use you. Any Way she wants to do with you, she could do with you. You understand.
(How?)
"Cause she have your name and that blood, you know, all mixed up together with that urinate. See. And then they could take you, with that pigeon's blood again and plant you with that blood. You understand? Put your name and stain it with the pigeon blood and then they tie [that to pigeon and] unloose that pigeon and let that pigeon go. Den see, long as that pigeon flying, you just flying and going with a waverish mind, you understand. That pigeon just flying everywhere but still you don't know what it is all about. You see. And you - they got you tied up with pigeon blood, just long as it fly.
[I turn off machine too quickly.]
(What did you say then?)
See, like the pigeon'll die, yo'll die too.
Entry 12690
De blood from a pigeon - yo' kin take a pigeon an' if yo' wanta kill anybody, yo' kin take a pigeon an' stick him undah his wing an' git de blood. An' git a person name an' go to his do' an' write his 'nitial wit de blood of dat pigeon an' turn de pigeon loose- why it kill him... when he come out [pigeon flies away]. Undah dat pigeon blood, he won't transfer [continue to go as with oldtime streetcar transfers] undah dat pigeon's blood long.
Entry 12691
If a man wanta ketch 'is wife, jes' lak in some act or 'nothah, den yo' takes oak ashes. Take oak ashes an' pine straw [dried needle on ground, also called shatters in the South]. An' yo' take an' put dose oak ashes ovah dem an' yo' puts one hole in de can an' let de can leak aftah yo' puts watah in dere. Den yo' takes oil an' yo' puts oil - po's oil ovah dat an' let de oil run through, an' den as de oil meets wit dis heah straw an' oil an' straw mix wit dis watah dat he has po'd on dere, den dat will cause dis man an' woman tuh go tuhgethah. An' de day he would po' de oil in - see, he done put de watah in dere an' let de watah drip through de straw an' oak ashes. Den he puts de oil in dere, an' den at de minute dat he puts dis oil in dere an' de oil drip through tuh de ashes, den dis heah woman she'll be wantin tuh git tuh dis man, but now de woman she'll have tuh burn dese ashes. See, he'll git huh tuh burn de ashes fo' him. An' den she'll be wantin' tuh git tuh dis othah man, an' whenevah she gits wit him, den he goes where dey's at...tuh fin' dem den. Wheresomevah - if he fin' dem dey'll be tuhgethah.
(Just associating together.)
Yes.
Entry 12692
Yo' heard of de polecat - a skunk. [Informant assumes they are the same animal, but some comment later.] Yo' git dis polecat muss [musk]. Dis [this] muss of a pole- cat is lak a perfume [like the muskox] yo' know. It smell, yo' know - loud yo' know. Git dat an' when he [rent collector or some unwanted person] comes back to yore house de second time - he ben [been] up dere, been dere de first time but he came back de second time. Take dat polecat muss [from an animal's scent bag] an' jes' sprinkle it aroun' - sprinkle it to 'em [sprinkle it away from your house]. Yo' won't be bothered wit him no mo'. [Magically this tremendous odor falls into some of visitor's first-visit footprints, which are still a part of the visitor and will affect him, driving him away if he returns.] (You mean anybody that is bothering you, or collecting bills or anything of that sort?) Take de polecat [musk or scent] an' sprinkle on his [visitor's tracks], why den yo' through wit him fo'evah. [The names polecat (Mustela putorius) an European animal, and skunk (Mephitis mephitis) a North American animal, are frequently in general speech interchange- able in the United States of America. Our animal here is a skunk. I have in- dexed or located it here in the "P" rather than in the "s" division of CHANNEL DE WORLD because it will precede a somewhat similar rite, one about the drop- pings, not any musk scent from the porpoise. Yet to both informants both sub- stances are evacuations.]
Entry 12693
(What are you sup- posed to do with those? A sturgeon?) A porpoise. (Oh a porpoise!) [On the American Atlantic coast probably the bottle- nosed dolphin.] I know what you kin do about some of his filth. You kin take his filth and dry it.
(Of the porpoise?)
Yes. You walk to the seashore an' you find dese little small round balls. That his manure.
(That's his manure?)
Yeah. You take that and you'll dry it till it a dust, sprinkle it in your [victim's] clothes an' you [victim] can't stay in dere.
(Can't do what?)
Can't stay in your clothes. You can't stay in your own clothes, burns you just the same as pepper.
(People do that to somebody to harm them, I suppose. That the idea?)
Yes, but it will make them uneasy and make 'em miserable.
(Are these round balls hard or are they soft, that you find on the shore?)
Well, it depend on how long it had left his bowels.
(Oh, I see. Is it any particular color?)
Black, little round balls about long as that [demonstrates].
(About an inch round.)
Yeah, you take some of them and dry 'em,
Entry 12694
Dey kin throw aigs at chure do' [one way of moving you] an' den yo kin put stamps undah de rug, de stamps yo' put on de lettah, new stamps. Turn 'em bottomside upwards. Yo' put two undah dere - three or fo' stamps is all ah know. (Put them under the rug?) Yessuh, but don't let de folks know yo' put 'em undah dere. Yo' have tuh slip 'em umndah dere when dey not watchin' yo'.
(What is the idea of putting stamps under there?)
Dat'll make 'em move. [Stamps of course mean you are taking a journey. If these stamps had heads, I would say they were pointed to the door. There are the other stamp rites, usually under letters, in HOODOO.]
Entry 12695
[Keeps all harm away. Originally home- made potash was used but in my time Red Devil Lye had become one of the substi- tutes.]
Entry 12696
Mah wife got sick, she^ wuz sick a month. Ah pray tuh God tuh learn me, to teach me dese things. Ah goes an' git - she wuz washing some clothes out dere. Ah wuz goin' wit a woman dat didn't live so fur from dere. Dis woman done put some kinda powder or dust or sompin in mah ole woman's dresses an' dat put a spell on her - paralyzed her, mah wife. Ah pray tuh God tuh teach me in learning dese things.
Entry 12697
If a person done stole somepin from you and you want 'em to bring it back, you kin say the prayers - yo' know, yo' kin git down an' say the Lord's Prayer over many times - and say it about 9 times - the prayer that you pray and they [thief] gets annoyed so with that prayer each night, you'll see 'em [in the dream] and they'll come back to you' and bring whatever they have stole. Say that prayer but say it with the person [in mind] if you got a thought who it is. See, and if you ain't got a thought, the Lord will show yo who the person is. They [thief] will appear in your dream the ninth time that you say it [prayer]. Gotta say that 9 times. Pray for that person to come back and he [Lord] will let you see 'em in yore dreams, whoever you think [it is].
(Do you mean nine times at once or nine different times?)
No, nine different times [nine nights in succession] jest repeat that same prayer over. In that prayer you ask for that. He'll [God will] show 'em to yo'.
Entry 12698
Now, if you start off in time, you use fresh aigs and the best of sherry wine. When you are carrying it... [I turn off machine not looking for ordinary folklore at this time].
(How?)
[I am asking informant to repeat what I missed.]
A boy lays to the left side and a girl lays to the right, and in the front where they push out, a boy sticks out sharp and a girl makes you have a round stomach. [Boy to left nearer to mother's heart. Boy sticking out and girl rounded are sexual images.]
Entry 12699
And then this 109th Psalms. Jest like you know if someone has mis- treated you, and you didn't want to go right to their face to settle it. Well, you pray dis 109th Psalm for 3 days. Then you go and you get you a pint of new wine and put some mustard in there - new mustard - have a new jar - everything new and put it in there. And go to that person's door the fourth night, after you pray the third - the fourth night. Den you go there and put it right cross- Ways of that door, but don't ever let a drap get on you. And so he'll go to the God that gives it [this rite is evidently pow- ered by God!]. [The horizontal bottle, at the foot of the door or steps, does not coml pletely cross vertical door, only symbolically. Moreover the "T" cross is upside down
Entry 12700
Now, for peace and happiness in your home, you read the 138 Psalms [Psalm 138] and the 98th under the word Jah[?].
(Under the word "Jah"?)
Yeah, the 98th Psalms under the word "Jah"[?]. (That's for peace and happiness.) [Psalm 98 is the well known: O Sing unto the Lord a new song: for he hath done marvelous things. It has no word Jah. This latter word may refer to Psalm 119 divided in 22 sections, each named for a letter of Hebrew alphabet, specifically to section or letter 6 called VAU.]
Entry 12701
To have good luck befo' sunrise read the 33rd Psalm - read it befo sunrise. Jes' git up an' light your lantern an' read the 33rd Psalms. Ah do's that now. An' it gives yo very good luck an' blessings through de day.
Entry 12702
(What did you do with that Queen Elizabeth Root?)
Queen Elizabeth [root], you take people [working] for church or anything like that, they totes that. That have control ovah de membership. [Here is a rare rite!] Jest like she [Queen Elizabeth] did when coming ovah to dis country and like dat. Power! Women use mo' 'en [more than] anybody else. She kin control her husband, church or anything with that Queen Elizabeth root.
Entry 12703
It 'sposed tuh be, whut we use, is called quick lightnin' dust, Blue Ridge Mountain an' lodestone.
(What is Blue Ridge Mountain?)
Blue Ridge Mountain is 'sposed tuh be - well, hit's a dust. De quick light nin', de re'lly fac' [fact] about it, hit's a dust. Well, ah guess yo' know whut lodestone are, nog. Well, dose things, re'lly de fac' about it, suh, if yo'uses dose. Jes' lak if yo' puttin' oust medi- cine, or whatevah it is, at de end of a knife - grains. Yo' uses dose accordin' tuh yore fingah. Ah mean fingah an' toes. Re'lly de fac' about it, if yo' wants tuh make a wonderful [something] why yo' goes tuh wortt an' ases, jes' lay dey [anyone] has 10 fingers an' 10 toes. Well, yo' use 10 gralns roun' an'roun', it 'sposed tuh be gen'lly [generally] of dose 3 [fingers]. 3tunes 10 is 'sposed tuh be 30. Dat's a mixture den an' yo' uses it. Yo' goes tuh work with yore [ingredients] an' yo' drops yo' out 30 drops of Hearts Cologne on dat stuff. An' yo' den stitches it up [in cloth] very tight. It supposed tuh be until it a small object lak yore thumb. [And this thumb-like object is called a hand!] An' den jes' place it intuh yore right pocket, an' take it tuh a game, de really fac' 'bout it. An' den about every 10 minutes yo' changes dat thing from right tuh left [pocket] an' shuffle. yore cards den. Dat put chew den in good luck in good standin'. [Quick-lightning dust should be the soil near a tree struck by lightning and Blue Ridge Moumtain dust should be dirt from the Blue Ridge Mountains, these latter covering a great amount of space. The iden- tity of what a doctor uses or a hoodoo shop sells is not always a certainty.]
Entry 12704
Ah told him take quicksilvah, lak mah name would be Goldie[!l. Well, ah tolt him take dat an' put it in a lil' bottle of watah lak dat an' set it up an' have all kinds of luck in yore home. (What kind of luck?) Luck fo' anything. Jes' lak if yo' move in a place an' peoples don' want chew dere an' yo' Want de place an' want tuh stay dere, yo' put it in dere an' nobody kin move yo'. [Quicksilver can be mercury but usually it is scrapings from back of mirror or tinfoil from around tobacco.]
Entry 12705
Take de quick- silver an' melt it up an' put it in a bottle an' put bluein' in dere an' carry it 'long [with you]. Dat's fo' good luck.
(Quicksilver? You mean that paper that comes around plug tobacco?)
Yessuh.
Entry 12706
Then, if any woman that far off, from you, or anything and you wants to see them...
(You say they're far off?)
Yeah - just like - far off - well, they's got a [liquid] which they - we call The Long Long Livest Friend.
(The Long Long Livest Friend.)
Yeah. Well, you go get some of this Long Livest Friend and you take some of this Paris Ennis Oil. It ain't but 25c a bottle.
(Paris what?)
Paris Ennis Oil, and you take it and you put it inside of this bottle with some of this, which we call this here steel dust. You get steel dust and you get some of this here rock salt. And when you put it down, just anything that they ever slept on - any- thing they ever left there - socks, or old shoes, or any bedclothes they laid on, well you just take that and just every morning, you get up, just sprinkle it all over that. Take some of this sugar of lead with this rock salt...
(Sugar of what?)
Sugar of lead - yes, sir, with this rock salt, beat it and put it in the cen- ter of your bed [center of bed = quincunx]. Anywhere, they get at, their mind is rdght back where they come from.
(That's to bring - that's if you want to hear from them or bring them back.)
Yes sir. They coming back, they going to come back in - don't care, inside of chree or five days she'll be back, if there any way for 'em to get there at that time.
Entry 12707
Take quicksilver an' sprinkle round de fiahplace from one corner to de othah an' yo' can't nevah sit to it no mo'. [The bottom of the fireplace is a rectangle. To sprinkle from corner to corner is to sprinkle along the two diagonal lines, creating an "x", crossing up the fireplace. This sprinkling could be along the four outer lines and probably be as effective, but I doubt it here.]
(Why?)
Well, 'cause yo' won' be satisfied, yo'll be restless.
Entry 12708
Ah haven't tried it mahself, but ah always heah dem say, if yo' find where de rabbit's hop in de wood, or eithah out in de field jes' where de rabbit's stop an' yo' find his [manure] balls an' yo' git dose balls an' place dose balls in each cornah of yore house. An' dey tell me dat'll make yo' move. [Rabbit's = rabbit has.] (Well, now, I would get those and put them in the house and that would make that person move out of that house. You get nine of these and you put some
[one] in each cornah of the house, to make them move out of the house?)
Yes, de rabbit dung.
Entry 12709
Dey said go to a rabbit an' git some little rabbit balls an' take them little balls an' bury 'em undah de front do' an' undah de back. Say dat will run 'em away.
(Any number, it doesn't make any difference? Anything like that?)
No suh, no numbah.
(That is to make them move out of the house - this rabbit dung, these balls.)
Entry 12710
If yo' wuz sellin' whiskey an' de law wuz pretty bad, botherin' yo' aroun' yore house an' yo' wanted tuh keep 'em away, why yo' kin take a rabbit - kill a rabbit an' yo' kin kill a chicken. Take de chicken foot an' de rabbit foot an' bury dem tuhget- hah in de gate where yo' come intuh yore front do' at. Put dem in de ground an' bury dem tuhgethah. Den yo' goes back in de house aftah yo' do dat. Yo' goes back in de house an' yo' probably stay in de house ten or fifteen minutes an' den comes back out. Yo' comes back out an' yo' digs dis rabbit foot up an' dis heah chicken foot, an' yo' don' bury 'em tuh- gethah nex' time; yo' bury one on de right-han' side an' one on de left-han' side. De way ah heard it, don' make any difference which one yo' put on de right an' which one on de left. Yo' bury one on de right an' one on de left - on de left side of de do'steps, by de cornah of de do'step. An' yo' takes one of de toes off de chicken foot an' carry it roun' tuh de back do' tuh keep 'em 'way from de back, an' yo' bury dat down dere. An' dey say yo' won' have no trouble wit de law as long as dem feets is solid. An' when dey rot - yo' kin tell when it will rot down dere. Yo' have tuh bury some mo'. An' yo' won' be bothahed wit no law. A lady down heah in town heah, she had a experience wit dat.
Entry 12711
Now, lak if yo' wanta job, yo' git - lotsa people say yo' git rabbit foot. Mah ole grandmother used to say yo' could git rabbit foots an' ah think it's fly root. Anyway ah think it's a fly, ah think she say dey used to git. Hit's a root made up jes' lak a onion. [Fly root having a root like an onion I am unable to identify, but an obs6lete meaning for this word fly spirit or a witch's attendamt - should be a clue for a botanist or person interested in plant lore. Could this plant be the wild onion (sometimes called wild garlic, the Allium vineale about which there is a rite somewhere in HOODOO? Poisonous? Did a witch rub or eat this root for the sensation of flying?] Yo' take it an' yo' tack it on one end - put chew a string around de rabbit foot an' tie it on de other end an' put dat in yore pocket book. She say dat's good fo' tuh git a job anywhere yo' wanta git a job.... Well, nobody else couldn't stay dere but chew. In other words de job would come normal to yo'.
Entry 12712
An' if dey wanta run yuh, dey take yore hair, cut hair out de mole [mold] of yore head. And sometime dey do be's fortunate enough to ketch a rab- bit live, split his hide, his skin, and put dat hair in dere. And sew it up in dere and turn him loose an' he [rabbit] run to briar. When dey fin' you [your hair in the rabbit], yo be having yo' head stuck in a briar patch.
Entry 12713
Take a rabbit's brains an' dis ole Hearts Cologne an' dry de brains. Dust 'em [make a dust of them] an' den put dem in dat Hearts Own Cologne, in de bottle an' stop it. An' dey tote dat an' yo' can't see 'im. [The person becomes invisible.] Dat's whut dey tells me.
(You can't see him?)
No, sir, he'll disappear. Yo' see him an' he'll go to nuthin. Well, dey tells me dat's whut dey has.
(Who would do this?)
De man dat's into trouble. (You said they also use this "getaway powder, " use that and they can't catch them?) Dat's right. Now ah've knowed of 'em using [that]. Dey'd git away wit it, too.
Entry 12714
Ah say yo' kin take a rabbit if a person - jes' like if it's a man or a woman, yo' kin take de lef' hin' feet [foot] of a rabbit after yo' done killed him. Yo' take dat lef' hin' feet of dat rabbit an' if yo' wear it in yore pocket or yore purse or sompin [MAY BE ONLY MENTION OF PULLING TENDON - TO IMPRESS?] like that, whoever yo' Want tuh [be] round or sompin, well yo' jes' take that if yo' keep that rabbit foot bathed in dis heah Hearts Perfume - if yo' keep it bathed in Hearts Perfume and git chew some dragons blood and sprin- kle on it, and wherevah yo' go, yo' know it's a little cord in dat rabbit's feet, yo' kin pull it an' it seem like it's alive. [Pulling tendon of rabbit foot is rare in rites.] And if yo' go round wherevah yo' go, if yo' take dat piece of root out of yo' pocket or either yore pocketbook, and if yo' jes' touch de person whoevah yo' want or sompin like dat, yo' kin get 'em. With the lef' feet of de rabbit. (Do you touch them with your hand or must you touch them with the rabbit foot?) With de rabbit foot. (And what do you do with that cord [tendon]? Yo' pull it.
(When do you pull it?)
Whenever yo' git aroun' 'em. See dat [tendon] work duh foot.
(Oh, you must pull it when you touch them, you mean?)
Yeah, see, when yo' go in yo' jes' pull it, see. That means yore workin', yo' know, de rabbit's foot - dat little piece of cord dat's in it, yo' know - little stringlike yo' could put it and: it will work. It come out of de feet chew know, piece of de flesh - whatevah it is - when yo' cut it off. Dat's de lef' hin' foot of de rabbit.
Entry 12715
If yo' in a place an' sellin' whiskey - listen good den - yo' git a rabbit foot, yo' understand. An' when yo' git dat rabbit foot - understan' ah don' care if he jes' now got shot. Now, ah'm goin' jes' tell yo'. Yo' have de rabbit live. Ketch him in a box, a trap box [figure 4 trap?]. Yo' don't have tuh set it. If yo' git dat rabbit an' yo' git de left foot. Ah don' mean de right foot - mean de left foot, back foot. All right, yo' git dat rabbit, yo' understan', an' yo' go dere tuh de drugsto' lak ah tell yo' an' git yo' some Heart's Cologne - cost ten cents a bottle [during Great Depression] - jes' a bottle about dis big [demonstrates tiny bottle]. It smell lak a perfume. All right, yo' take dat rabbit's foot an' soak it in it all dat day - yo' under- stan', yo' soak it all dat day. De next day, don' care whut man yo' know, law or no law, yo' go on, go out there, say, "Ah think ah'll open up a likkah joint" - jes' lak dat yo' undahstan'. "Yo' know ah'm de law."
Entry 12716
Well, you ketch you a live rabbit and cut his left-hind foot off before you kill 'em, and take it and put it in a bag. Get you brick [make it into] dust - make dust out of it, and take the hairpins of whatever vosl en you want this to be, just take the hairpins she been using in her haid and put it in that and tie it up, and tote it in your left pocket. And as long as you do she can't leave you, she be right there all the time.
(I see, that's to hold a woman.)
Yes.
Entry 12717
Take graveyard dirt an' dey would go an' git it an' put it in a bag. Co to de head of a sinner's grave, dat is someone in hard luck [goes]. Dey go to de head of dis sinner grave an' dig down to de marshy dirt. Yo see dat on top is dry an' den why when you dig down in de ground it's marshy. An' dey dig down an' git some of dis marshy dirt off of a sinner grave from de head. An den dey would put it in a bag an' git whut dey call a rabbit foot an' put in dere with it, an' dat would cause to bring good luck. (If you are out of luck, you wear it or carry that. What foot do you get from the rabbit?) De left foot, de back.
Entry 12718
Get a rabbit leg. Go to the graveyard and get the left-hind foot of a rabbit and get some of that graveyard dust and put it in a sack and mix some - ah forget what the man did. But dey mixed it in with it. And you know, you'll die. You'll go crazy and be buried at de same graveyard where dey go - to a colored graveyard or white graveyard. Go to a colored graveyard for colored and go to a white graveyard for a white person [and do this] and you'll die. But I don't believe that. (But they have to catch this rabbit in the graveyard?) [This catching and blood mentioned later came before recording or while machine stopped.] Yes, sir.
(And what else did they put there besides the graveyard dust? What?)
And that little - three drops of blood.
(Of what?)
Rabbit's blood, you know, gotta ketch de rabbit.
(Oh, of the rabbit?)
Yes, sir.
(And did they put something else in it too or was that all?)
That's all I knows they put in it. That's all I've heard them say. I've never tried that. (Now, they use this graveyard dirt and this left rabbit foot. The hind or the front leg?) The hind left foot of a rabbit.
(And three drops of his blood. And then you put in - a sack or what?)
In a sack.
(And then you just bury it out there?)
Bury it at the person's doorstep. But they must go either to a colored or white grave, according to whether you are a colored or a white person?) Yes, sir.
Entry 12719
(You get a rabbit foot you say?)
Git a rabbit foot an' cut de hair out de knee of de foot an' bury dat an' carry dat an' yo'll have good luck in gamblin'.
(What foot from the rabbit?)
De left.
(Which left? There are two left feet.)
So - a rabbit ain't got but one left, one right, fo' [four] feet.
(All right, which do you Want, the front left or the back left?)
De front.
(The left front.)
Entry 12720
Well, dey tell me fo' luck in gamblin', dey'll go out an' dey'll git 'em a rabbit foot. An' dey cut it off jes' right above de - right above de knee up dere, de left knee. An' dey take dat dere rabbit foot an' dey dress it. Dey dress it with lodestone an' keep it dissolved [fed] in Hearts Cologne. An' dey tote dat in dey watch pocket, an' if dey go out den dey kin win. (You say they use the left hind leg?) [Left hind leg must have been given before recording began.] De left hind one. (And they keep that in this Hearts Cologne so they will win in a gambling game? Yes.
Entry 12721
An' anothah thing, yo' ketch a rabbit an' yo' cut his foot off, his left foot, an' turn him loose an' let him go. An' git chew a piece of devil's- shoestrings an' a piece of five-finger root. An' yo' put them three things tol gethah. An' yo' jes' take it an' wrap dat devil's-shoestrings round dat rabbit foot, an' yo' sew it up in a piece of red cloth, an' yo' make a sack out of it, bag-like, an' yo' feed hit on Hearts Col Ogne. An' dat's anothah thing fo' a job - good luck. Long as yo' tote dat yo'll git a job anywhere.
(You get the left foot. Which one? He had two left feet.)
De left front feet.
Entry 12722
Take an' wear dat [rabbit foot].
(From which foot?)
De left foot.
(Which one, front or back?)
De front 'cause de back is longer, de front is a little short foot. Dey take an' run a string - yo' bo' a hole in it if yo' kin, an' yo' wear it round yore waist or either round yore neck. All right, yo' got a rabbit foot den, an' whoever yo' wearin' dat foot fo', 'cause den yo' be dealin' wit dat person an' yo' goin' keep dat foot rubbed up fo' dem.
(How do they rub it up?)
Hearts Cologne.
(What will that rabbit foot do for them?)
Aw, that's luck, sech as gamblin' an' all, playing bolito...
Entry 12723
Then yo' take - now if yo' a gamblin' man, yo' kin take a rabbit an' ketch him. Take his left front feet an' cut it off right in de knee joint dere, an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne am' put on it. Keep it up tlll it git dry, yo' take it an' put it right in yore fob pocket up heah on yore pants, an' go to a gae an' rub it in yore han' lak dat [demonstrates]. Rub it in dere. Go in dere am' vin whut chew wanta win. Dat de way ah did.
Entry 12724
(Are they different from any other kind of rabbit or not?)
Jest looks de same.
(And where do you catch them then?)
Well, yo' kin catch 'em round the graveyard some place.
(And then what would you do with that?)
You will take his front right foot...
(Front right foot?)
Yes, an' wear it in your pocket.
(Do you kill the rabbit or what?)
Well, try to ketch him alive and take dat foot off an' turn him loose...dat's more better.
(Oh, I see. You don't kill him, just cut that foot while he is alive?)
And turn him loose.
(And now what did you say you put with that?)
You puts a little of dat High John de Conkah and a little of dat perfume and wear it in your pocket amongst your money. Them things supposed to be very lucky.
Entry 12725
Ah've heard 'em say, some of 'em gambling, say when dey want a good lucky hand, why gits a - git 'em a rabbit foot an' put in dere [the hand] - a rabbit's right foot. An' some of 'em gits a mole foot. Ah know mahself a mole foot is pretty lucky.
(What foot do they get of the mole?)
De right foot, de front one.
(Which right foot do they get of the rabbit?)
De right front foot.
Entry 12726
Them goes to work and git a rabbit - a wood rabbit foot - and put salt on it and wrop it up tight and he nevah tell you no. (The boss won't.) No. You must go de same day [you catch rabbit]. If you kin know de day yo' birth, dey bery day yo' birth, go dat day. President Roosevelt can't tell you no. [Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt could not refuse you.]
(What foot do you take?)
Right one.
(Which one, front or back?)
De one in de front, de front foot.
Entry 12727
Yo' could take a rabbit foot - cut de rabbit's left foot off an' tote it in yore pocket, in yore left pocket, an' dey say that would cause yo' tuh win. Keep yo' lucky.
(The left foot - either one?)
Yessuh, the back foot. [Fayetteville 2497:1.]
Entry 12728
Left-hind foot of rabbit carry in pocket, lucky in gambling. [Mobile 891:6.]
The source presents this as a short instruction. Its opening notes attribute unbracketed text to informants; verbatim wording is not established.
Entry 12729
Left-hind foot of rabbit and hawk foot, dressed in urinate and Hearts Cologne; that keeps anyone from hurtin' yuh, all enemies away, an' give her good luck." [Wilmington 249:2.]
The item attributes protection from being hurt to a described preparation; the source also mentions enemies and luck without establishing those effects.
Entry 12730
Git de left-hin' laig of a rabbit foot and you git all de good luck de worl' you want. [Jacksonville 696:8.]
Entry 12731
Either [you can] take a rabbit tail an' it would make yo' lucky.
(Lucky for what?)
Oh, dat's jes' lucky fo' gambling or anythin' lak dat. [Fayetteville 2534:4.]
Entry 12732
I have heard of a fellow getting a 'coon [racoon] and taking his privates and wrapping it up in a bag, and keep that in his pocket, and he would go and take the private advantage of a woman. [Hampton, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 12733
If yo' take dis heah railroad spike an' nail it down at de do'step, an' when she dig it out she commence crampin'in her laig so she git so she cain't walk [she'll get] see, sompin lak de rheuma- tism. (You would do that at the door, that is, if that [she] were your enemy, and that would give her those pains?) Yes.
Entry 12734
Ah've heard where yo' could wreck a train or somepin lak dat. Dat whut yo' speakin' about? Well, dey tell me dat de way yo'd wreck de train, yo drive a iron [railroad] spike - lak dere be some- body on de train dat chew wanta git hurt or somepin lak dat. Yo' jes' take an' drive a iron spike in between de track an' den when de train git tuh it, well, quite natchly it would wreck it, dey not bein' able tuh see it.
(Drive the spike in between the track?)
Yeah, jes' a long spike - anything yo' know tuh stop dat killer dere from goin'. See, dat'll wreck de train. [Somewhere in HOODOO a woman stops a train at a railroad crossing by magic means.]
Entry 12735
I've heard tell of 'em takin' soak and soapin' the track. Well, that's to hold down trains and - the same as zhor girl had lef' from here. You want her even to come back or be dis-successful w'ere she is. Then you take that soap and slick on the side of the track [the one she travels over when leaving you] on the rail, top of the ball [top surface of the rail]. And it say the way she went, she will come back - come back to you.
Entry 12736
Well yo' know dese little rats [mice?] be's in de house. Well, yo' git one of dose an' buy yo' some mo' whiskey, see. Jes' git half a pint or a pint, but put it in jah where yo' kin put dat rat in it, see. Put him in dere 'live an' shet it down an' set it in a cornah till dat rat drown, see. An' yo' git all his strength in dat whiskey. Yo' take dat rat out an' throw him away or eithah barn him up in de fireplace. It would be best fo' yo' tuh burn him up, see. Den yo' take dat whiskey - don't strain it or nuthin, jes' put it back in a pint bottle, see. See, jes' lak yo' ole lady come in, see, an' she wanta drink, she say, "Well, yo' know ah so wished ah had a drink." Yo' say, "Ah think d've got a little drink." Yo' still continually give her a drink out of dat. Hit'll make hah sick but when she git bettah of dat sickness, she won't nevah Ak anothah drink of whiskey.
Entry 12737
You go an' get you a rat, a rat an' jes' fry the hind leg, an' give de child to eat, an' make your wish while they eatin' it. [Cure for wetting bed.]
Entry 12738
To bring to your house, go to man's house, get tail of [his] old shirt, cut it off, take home, [put on it] Lucky Heart perfume, put rat manure in this and lodestone, go to east corner of house [a house has an east side but two east corners] and bury it, to [bring] him there. [Why the rat manure?]
Entry 12739
Ah say yo' kin make a family break up easy if yo' want tuh. Jes' lak ah wanta git rid of Doc an' his wife, make 'em fuss. Git some rattan root or bush an' tie it up together an' put it to dere house, or either hide it jes' anywhere in de house. Every time dey come in dey'll be fightin' an' fussin'.
(Rattan. What does it look like?)
Yo' know de rattan. It's sompin dat bends so [demonstrates an arch] in de woods. Yo' know how it bends an' twists, yo' know. Grow in de swamps.
(Do they make baskets out of that?)
Some people do, yes sir. Now, it'll break up any home in de world if yo' cut up dat. Git de root of dat an' put it in de house, dey shore goin' tuh squabble. [I am unable to identify informant's rattan.]
Entry 12740
Get a rattlesnake - ah heard yo' take de rattles, yo' know, an' keep 'em in yore trunk till yo' git ten years of age, an' den yo' become wealthy. Cut de rattles off of 'im an' put dem in a trunk, put dem in jes' where de air can't strike it. Yo' see whut ah mean. Fo' ten years yo'll be a wealthy man. (You keep them in there ten years before you are a wealthy man.)
Entry 12741
Ah have tote 'em fo' protection.
(Those rattlesnake buttons? For what?)
Ah have tote 'em fo' protection, fo' workin' 'mongst mens. Now, ah'm a man an' mah bossman - make 'em think that he's workin'. An' yo' can't run me off.
(That is if you want to hold a job?)
If ah wanta hold it.
Entry 12742
Dey kin take yore shoes dat chew wear every day, if dey kin git holt of it an' if dey kin git a rattlesnake. Git de haid. Git him mad an' git dat rattlesnake haid an' dry it. Let it come so yol kin jes' compound it up. Understand, compound it up good an' put it in somewhere - inside de linin' of his shoe. It got linin' in dere, an' it surely runs yo' off. Or yo' kin put it in de band of yore hat. Either one. Den yo' can't see. It will blind yo', cause yo' know yo' sheds yore skin, an' yo' kin git blind from it. Jes' as shure as....
Entry 12743
I have heard that in some parts of South Carolina - of course it seems as though they have quite a...something against South Carolina - that you crush snake heads. One woman would pay so much for rattlesnake heads, just cut this rattlesnake head off and make a powder from then. And they would send these to the people who were envious towards the others, and that would cause snakes to come in their bodies. I imagine this povder they put in their food.
Entry 12744
Rattlesnake mahrster [master] why yo' git dat herb an' it has - it grows kinds about lak mah finger, de bottom of it. De root is large, sometime it dat long [demonstrates]. Well, yo' git dat. Ah mean yo' pull dat up, an' den all around dere it's different colors - dis root [ex- plains it] dey sprinkles out dere like dat, an' dis heah at de bottom of it, dat's de root down dere, an' dese grows all around dere. Well, now dat's de lucky root. Yo' put dat in yore pocket an' use with dese things. Den sometime yo' kin take one of dose [roots] an' put it in yore mouth an' chew it yo' know - when yo' around like dat kind [boss?], yo' know [he spits] dere [in his presence] a little bit an' dat help yo' out a whole lots.
(In what?)
In gittin' jobs, gittin' favors...
Entry 12745
Dey tells me of a root - dat's a rattlesnake master. Yo' use dat an' put it in de whiskey an' stroke his step down different ways wit dat, an' den point de way to yore house. Dat'll [that] man will walk ovah dere, he'll go an' git dem things, an' come back to you wit it. (You don't give this man any whiskey to drink?) No sir. (You just soak the root in the whiskey.) Den take it an' go to his doorstep an' wipe it on dere an' point [the root] de way to yore house. He come out dat do' de next mawnin', his mind will git so fuddled, he'll go back an' git dem things an' bring dem to you.
Entry 12746
Rattlesnake marster like dat is good. Jes' take it yo' know an' wear it chew know in a piece of cloth yo' know. An' den every mawnin' yo' take an' rub it in yore han' jes' like dis heah [demon- strates], an' den rub it ovah yore face.
(What will that do for you?)
Git a job.
Entry 12747
Yo' kin take rattlesnake marster, spice an' yo' kin take Hearts Own Cologne an' alum an' yo' put dat in a little bag an' yo' kin carry it 'long wit chew in yore pocket, but chew wanta have yo' some Hearts Own Cologne aloag, yo' know, to 'noint it wit, yo' know, an' keep dat liven up. [Dressing or feeding a hand as here gives it life, power.] An' yo kin go an' yo' kin git a job most anywhere. An' when yo' git it chew be de last one to be cut off practically, if de [dey or dere] be any cutting off being done.
(You would be the last one fired.)
Entry 12748
Get yo' a piece of rattlesnake marster - git chew a piece of rattle- Snake marster an' some devil's-shoestring an' put it dere in yore house, on yo'. an' yo' kin stay dere [in the house] long as yo' want am' be won't bother yo' - de rent man von' t bother you.
[Wavcross. Ga., (1126). 1832:2.]
Entry 12749
Yo' take dat...an' yo' puts a piece of rattlesnake master, put a leaf of dat fern.
(Leaf of that fern.)
An' chip off from rattlesnake master an' put it into a bottle an' dat's fo good luck. Dat'll make yo' peaceful at home. Dat'll keep yo' in peace at home.
Entry 12750
Ah hear dat if a man wanted a job an' he couldn't git none no way, he go an' git one - ah ain't nevah tried it but ah hear de fact of it. Ah don't know whether yo' ever hear tell of dis rattlesnake marster root an' burn it into a powder, an' yo' take dat powder, jest lak dis is yore job heah. Well, ah come to de job an' ah sprinkle dat powder round dere. Den ah git me some of dis shame brier root, a little brier dat grows dey call de shame brier. Ah don't know whether yo' evah hear tell of it. [For shame brier and its various names, see No.2290, p.646f., v.1, and elsewhere.] An' ah'll take dat shame brier root an' den ah'll chew it, lak ah'm talkin' wid chew, [and say] "Ah wants a job, Captain." Why all de time dat me an' yo' talkin ah be chewin' dat root an' spittin'. Dey tell me if yo' do dat, why he'll do jest 'xactly whut chew tell 'im to do. He'll give yo' a job. Or if yo' wants money, yo' take dat shame brier root an' dat rattlesnake marster dust, after yo' pound dat root up, an' keep it in yore pocket whilst yo' talkin' [to boss]. Spit an' chew it an' have dat dust - throwin' dat dust out, yo' know.
Entry 12751
Well de first thing would be if yo' wanted a job. An' dat go fo' a job, a favor or money or anything. Dat chew would git chew some of dis root whut de' [they] call rat- tlesnake marster, an' spice. An' yo' take dat root an' yo' chew dat rat- tlesnake marster, but chew have [hold] de spice in yore mouth. An' yo' spit dat when yo' speakin' tuh him. "Fore yo' consult him yo' spit from him an' nevah spit tuh him. Den he cannot turn yo' down even [whether] it's money or job or whut. If he don't place yo den, he will place yo' [later], but don't nevah spit, jes' spit tuh him but [when] chew spit jes' turn away from him, turn yore haid from him an' spit.
Entry 12752
Git a root dey call de rattlesnake marster, an' spice, an' yo' kin put dat in yore mouth an' chew dat. If yo' wants a favah done or anything like dat, spit toward de person yo' be talkin' to an' he'll - can't not hardly turn yo' down. [This informant is separated from preceding informant by 58 infor- mants and considerable time.]
Entry 12753
De rattlesnake master [plant not snake] hit got dust in it dat will blind a person. Well, yo' see, keep it till it git dry. When it git dry jes' shake dat dust out of it into sompin an' den when yo' shake it into sompin, yo' gi' where somebody wanta blin' somebody wit it. Throw it at 'em, throw it in his face. [Whether rattlesnake master powder actually blinds, I do not know. Anything into eyes would be dangerous. There are a number of these throwing- into-the eyes rites in HOODOO.]
Entry 12754
Ah heard dat chew could [take] a raven's aig. Go find his nest an' take de aigs outs his nest an' boil 'em. Say, cook 'em, an' return 'em back to dat nest, an' dat raven would go somevhere an' git a stone, an' bring it back an' jes' put it in dat nest. Den yo' go dere an' git dat stone, an' yo' have all de luck yo' wanta fo' anything. [This egg-substitution rite in various forms is told about different birds in HOODOO.]
Entry 12755
Yo' could take a razor an' put it in de center of yore bed crossways. An' if yo' was angry with a person an' yo' couldn't git to them yourself, yo' could write their name [on a large sheet of paper] an' wrap this razor in it, an' put it in de center of yore bed crossways an' yo' go tuh bed on it that night. It be between two mattresses or either under one mattress on de springs. An' it would cause them tuh git cut. But yo' would- n't be doin' anything, yo' jes' be there only; but by his name being wrapped in dis razor, yo' could harm dem that way.
(How do you mean crossways in the bed?)
If it's a long razor...
[I interrupt and demonstrate.]
(Here's the bed. Do you put it this way or that way?)
Put it that way - crossways. (You put it across the width of the bed. That would cause them [him] to get cut?) Yes, yes. [There are other rites in HOODOO causing a man to be cut, shot, arrested, etc.]
Entry 12756
Yo' git chew some red peppahs an' not no white beans, [but] red beans, an' jis' throw dem underneat' de house where dey gotta come out...underneat' de steps fo' 9 mawnin's, an' den de nex' [morning] aftah dem 9 mawnin's dey gotta Bove.
Entry 12757
Yo'.git red beans an' yo' git gumbo file an' yo' soak them beans in that gumbo filé an' peppah, but yo' jis' put the least watah that they'll jis' swell up, yo' understan', in that file, enough to jis' git chure han in de can or somepin...otuc chew got 'em in. An' jis' stir 'en up an' throw 'em undah de step or in front dey do' - anywhere so loag as dey roll. [This is a rolling rite.] That'll move 'em.
(Do you take any number of red beans or just a handful or...?)
No, yo' git only a nickel's worth or half-a-nickel. Yo' gotta have plenty, dey gotta have movin' power. [That half-a-nickel was and still is a ney eri pression to me. A gumbo is many kinds of a thick stew in New Orleams - see The Original Picayune Creole Cook Book, pp.26-30, the 1938 editioa, de ove I bought in New Orleans that year. File, not filet, is a powder, a seasoning made from tender sassafras leaves. Gumbo filé is a special type of gcg. Be have several other red-bean rites in HOoDO0.]
Entry 12758
How, [of] course I Was bootlegging myself and I had a powder that I used to use. Of course, this pow- der come from Germany [which may nor have been true]. (What was it called?) Well, I don't know the name of the powder, but it was mixed up with a simple thing, some Gretna. (Oh, you called it Gretna?) [This could be something sold by someone in Gretna back in 1938.] Gre tna.
[I turn off machine but restart it at word sugar.]
(Yes, and you mixed it with sugar, you say?)
Mix it with sugar.
(And it turned what?)
It would turn red, and after [that] you would burn it, you'd have to burn it With solid white paper. And after you would burn this, about ten minutes after that, you wouldn't have to worry. You could be sitting down and people would come from all, every direction, to your place to buy stuff there.
(How much did you pay for that?)
One dollar.
(One dollar, I see.)
Yes, sir.
(They made it in Germany. What color powder was it?)
It was a red powder. [This is an interesting illustration of hundreds of special or isolated mixtures floating about, compounds that never came into general use. I am guessing that this Was a cheap incense, though a dollar dur- ing the Great Depression Was money!]
Entry 12759
Yo' see lak yo' wanta break up a man an' his wife, why yo' kin git some of dis red shank root. Ah don't [use] it but ah'd know de bush, but ah know what root it is. See. Yo' git dat red shank an' dey tell me, if yo' cut it up fine... Yo' git up every morning befo' day an' jes' go up an' slip [stealthily leave] some of it on de porch. Long as yo' do dat, dey never git 'long and so finally jest have to [leave each other]. [Red shank root appears in several other rites but I am unable to identify the plant. It may be several different plants in different parts of the country.]
Entry 12760
Yo' kin take dis heah bush yo' call rhubarb. Dere's a root chew call rhubarb bush. Yo' kin take dat bush an' maybe ah know yore mad wit me. Ah'll take dat bush an' ah'll carry it to mah house an' ah'll put it right down at mah gate. Yo' might done sont [sent] me word dat chew comin' ovah dere an' run me aWay: Or do SOmepin to me. AH'LL GIT DAT ROOT AN' AH'LL PUT IT DOWN AT MY GATE, AN' WHEN YO' COME IN DERE, YO'LL BE JEST AS FRIENDLY WIT ME AS YO' IS NOW. Now, ah done seen dat tried.
[A compliment out of the past for the author!]
A man sent de word by me to anothah individual dat he was gwine come ovah dere an' beat him or kill him, an' ah run back an' tole dis fellah an' he tole me, "Well, ah'm gwin [going to] stop him." He runs out an' git dat, kept it ovah in de new ground, an' got a piece of dat rhubarb root an' buried it down at de gate. Mr. Wade, he come - a white man couldn't - Mr. Wade come up dere - found out about it so dis fellah wouldn't be caught, some scandal come to a head. An' Mr. Wade got dere. Dis fellah he went an' got dat rhubarb root an' put it down at de gate. Mr. Wade drive ovah dere, got down an' come in de house, say, "Well, Sam, how come yo' pick that [cotton or tobacca?]? He say, "Well." An' say, "Ah tlecided ah wouldn't fool with dat." Now, he done tole me up dere to his house [before] he come down here an' whup him or kill him. But he walked in de gate jest pleasant as he wus wit me.
Entry 12761
[Roots of course are everywhere in HOODOO, though they are arranged under various other headings. Very interesting among them are shapes such as a root in the shape of a woman cooked for [female trouble], whatever that means (cylinder 702, informant 564, Jacksonville, Fla.); and a root in the shape of a lizard, cooked and administered to remove lizard in a person (same reference on cylin- der 703). Root shapes I did not explore very well. The same thing was true of candle shapes. You are held in check by fear of leading questions.]
Entry 12762
Informant showed me 2 hands, a white one [small package] for luck and a red one for a job. These hands were called mojohs, the one for job cost- ing $3. OO - real money during the Great Depression. These hands came from per- son informant called a root worker. Long story not worth transcribing.
Entry 12763
Someone sends patients South [from here], woman root doctor meets them and says, "You are in serious trouble." She gives patient some roots to chew and spirit round the bed. This man, his boy in hospital at Raleigh, [N. Car.]. The roots [3 of them] were: sweet gum, pine and sassafras. Not much of story.