Browse:"CHANNEL DE WORLD" (Volume 5, entries 10604–13458)/Part 7
"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 11084
Cut off end of shirt tail, tie gunpowder in it, wear close to her 9 mornings. [Wilmington 271:8.]
The brief account explicitly names gunpowder in a shirt-tail instruction. Its count and relative placement remain source details, without established performance or effect.
Entry 11085
Stop up man's shirt tail in bottle, put over door, beeps Ble.
[Wilmington 135:2.]
The brief account names a bottle holding a shirt tail over a door. The final wording remains unresolved, and no performed act or effect is established.
Entry 11086
Cut off man's shirt tail, bury under step. [Wilmington 195:3.]
The account instructs burying the cut shirt tail under a step. It establishes neither an identified place nor an actual burial or effect.
Entry 11087
Put man's shirt tail with Hearts Cologne in bottle in mattress. [Wil- mington 163:5.]
Entry 11088
"She'll git his shirt tail and [to make man stay home] cut it and tie it in jes' about 3 knots, tight as she could git it; take it and bury it under de steps." [Charleston 606:5.]
Entry 11089
"Clip out a piece of end of his shirt, a piece in the shape of a head and place it on the front of her, on her petticoat you might say, or underskirt, and wear that. That will prevent him from going to and fro or coming in contact or having connection with other women in a sexual way." [Vicksburg 1018:2.]
Entry 11090
Tie 9 knots in man's shirt tail, bury, to bring back. [Charleston 602:6.]
The source identifies this clothes collection as condensed rites. Its opening notes attribute unbracketed text to informants; verbatim wording is not established.
Entry 11091
To control person, take his garment, bury it in the middle of a three- pronged road. [Washington, no reference.] [The center of a three-pronged road is rarer than the center of a four-pronged crossroad, this latter with object in center creating a quincunx. I have sometimes called this three-pronged road a "Y" crossroad.]
Entry 11092
Woman takes any soiled clothes of man, such as sweaty underclothes, takes some of hers, wraps together and wears. [Washington 836:2.]
The account names soiled clothes, with sweaty underclothes as an example, combined with some of the woman's clothes. No actual performance or effect is established.
Entry 11093
Wash man's clothes, throw this water under door he uses most, he will stay home. [Wilmington 119:2.]
Entry 11094
Wash man's clothes, throw this water under back door; keeps home.
[Wilmington 118:6.]
Entry 11095
Wash person's clothes, bottle this water, put overhead - over picture or door - keeps person home. [Norfolk 530:3.]
Entry 11096
To hold man, wash sweat from his suspenders[!]. Bottle this water and conceal at foot of her bed. [Petersburg 417:6.]
Entry 11097
Man buries in back yard garment woman wears close to skin, she'll never leave. [Baltimore, no reference.]
Entry 11098
Wash man's right sock and sweaty places under arms of his clothes, bottle; keep, keeps him home. [Baltimore 47:3.]
Entry 11099
Wear man's hat bow around your neck in a bag, or hang any of his garments on the front of the bed or make a pillow of it, and he'll come back.
[Wilmington 123:4.]
Entry 11100
Put man's old dirty underwear or old shoes under bed to bring back.
[Wilmington 115:3.]
Entry 11101
Woman can wear any clothes man left, or put it some place in house, make wishes, he'll come back. [Norfolk 475:3.]
Entry 11102
"She kin take some of his clothes an' bury 'em...he'll either come to 'er or he won't be living" [this may be my only example of this rite]. [Jack- sonville 690:3.]
Entry 11103
Bury piece cut from seat of man's drawers brings him back. [Charles- ton 602:6.]
The source identifies this clothes collection as condensed rites. Its opening notes attribute unbracketed text to informants; verbatim wording is not established.
Entry 11104
"She kin take his underclothes an' wash 'em with hers an' he'll come back to her an' never leave her." [Vicksburg 1059:1.]
Entry 11105
Git piece she wore next to her skin, dress it, bury by her gate, she couldn't stay home. [Wilmington 83:3.]
Entry 11106
Says if yo' go and git a piece of fo'-leaf clover and chew it and spit right down near de boss and talk to him and ask him fer a job and look hin straight in de eye, you would be successful in getting a job. [To look the boss straight in de eye is frequently a part of seeking-jobs rites.]
Entry 11107
Yo' git whut de' call three clover leaf.
(One three-clover leaf or three different leaves?)
One leaf but three different leaves on it. It's all in one - three clover leaves. All right, chew name dose leaves de days yo' goin' tuh see yore boss an' use de same perfume on it - Hearts Perfume - use dat on it, an' tie that up in a red flannel with a needle, and put a little ashes an' salt, an' dat'll give yo' - use dat fo' luck. Ah have done it. (When you go before the boss to give you a job?) Yes sir, ah wus three days in gittin' a job, yo' see. Yo' see yo' name it de days yo' go. [If you go for a job on Monday, name the hand Monday. "Monday, I want you to get this job for me today, etc."]
Entry 11108
Now, if a man likes a woman and she don't like him. All he have to do is go down to the drug store and get him some Oil of Clover. They got a per- fume they call Oil of clo- ver. And get some powder they call Love Powder, and mix that together, you un- derstand. And put it on him, and go out in the woods and get him - pass anywheres they grows up on the [something? bayous?] some weeds they call bloodweeds. [Bloodweed can be a number of plants.] You understand? Take these bloodweeds and cut him four pieces off of it. See? And put 'em in his pocket, and pour all this stuff on there. You umderstand? This powder, put it on there. And every time he pass her, he have some on his hands. You understand? And he'd hit - you know, just touch her and put it [on her]. Well, she go anywhere he want her to go. Tame her right down to him.
Entry 11109
De cloves, take it an' beat it up fine, an' tie it up in a little piece of new cloth an' wear it in yore pocket. Dey say dat will make 'em give yo' a job.
Entry 11110
They couldn't harm you with your handwriting. If you left finger- prlnts upon the table on which you had been writing, they could not harm you with the writing, but they could with the fingerprints. Well, like if you had a little bit of dirt or dust or something on your finger, well that is more harm than the writing. They will take that dust off there and put that in a [small] bottle, and they put that in a coconut and throw that in the river sbere it floats. And it won't be long before you be right in that river with that coconut.
Entry 11111
But they's got to have more to go with that skin to do you harm, besides just the skin off you feet. They can take the skin off the bottom of your feet and if they can get some of your hair, take that skin and some of your hair, and take a coconut, or either a bottle, and fill it up with vinegar, and throw it in the water where it will run and you start going and you'll never go back home again. In a bot- tle or coconut, but you gotta stop it up so it don't come out.
Entry 11112
They take a bath and leave the bath water. They [an enemy kin take that water and get war water from the pharmacy and mix it into that water. Take it and stop it up in a bottle or a coconut - anything that is air- tight - throwing it in the Mississippi River, in a flowing stream, and just as it flow away, just as you'll drift away from town to town.
(I see.)
With that dirty [bath] water.
Entry 11113
A coconut, jug [punch] one of them eyes out and pour that juice out the coconut and let the coconut dry. Then you go behind him in soft dirt and get his track and put it in that coconut, mix it, get cork stopper and put in stopper and throw it in [river] and just as long as that coconut float, he'll walk [for walking also see No.11114].
(Just one of them?)
Just one of them - left track.
Entry 11114
[Woman's] stocking, or the man's sock, you kin put 'em on a drift [not adrift] whereby taking the stocking and rinsing it, and getting the water from the stocking, and put it in a coconut with some turpentine, stopping the coconut tight and throwing it in the Mississippi River or any flowing stream - that'll give her a walking ambition. [For walking in connection with flowing river see No.lll13.]
(What's a cuckiner?)
Oh, one of those coconut what grows in Africa.
(Oh, a coconut! Oh! I see.)
Yeah.
Entry 11115
Yo' fix a coconut jis' lak yo' would as ah wuz tellin' yo' 'bout tuh make 'em come home, but chew put - dat depend on how yo' want it fixed; if it's fo' good or fo' bad. If yo' want it fo' bad, well yo' use dem hot ingredients [red pepper, wr water, etc.] an' yo' put 'em in dat coconut an' stop it up, an' throw it in de rivah. Well, dat coconut keep a-rollin' an' make yo' keep a-rollin'. See, de watah goes down [de river].
Entry 11116
Take dat coconut if it's a bad person aroun' yo' somewhere an' yo' jes' don't wanta run him away or yo' jes' don't wanta hurt him, but chew jes' take dat coconut yo' know an' jes' whip it, jes' keep awhippin' it, an' he'll git a whippin' from someone but it won't be from yo'. An' den aftah yo' whip it good, den yo' git it tuh somebody. Don't chew bust it; don't chew eat it. Give it tuh someone else.
(Do you do anything with that coconut before you whip it?)
Yo' don't do anything but jes' git it out de sto' an' start tuh uhippin' on it, yo' know, in a private place.
Entry 11117
Some people dat suppose tuh be poisoned, yo' know, dey'd drink dat coconut watah - not de coconut itself but de watah [or liquid in unopened coco- nut]; an' dey suppose tuh drink it fo' a certain ml ber of days an' nuthin else, no food or anything else, an' dat jes' kills de poison. [Poison here is boodoo, not chemical poison.]
Entry 11118
Yo' take de oil of a coconut an' put dat up intuh a little jar an' bury dat at de no'th side of de house. Dat's supposed tuh keep yore husband at home or yore wife at home. [Originally I considered this oil of a coconut as the usual pharmaceutical coconut oil, but it could be the coconut water or coconut milk, which confined in a coconut would have confining qualities in hoodoo. This could also be said about coconut 011.
Entry 11119
You kin take an' draw a coffin, you understand, see, an' make you a wish on it, an' cross it up so many times - put about 3 crosses on it, an' make you a wish. An' bare [bury] it under their doorsteps or either you kin put it in front of their door. See, you kin jis' throw it in there. Wrap it up, fold it up, write it [name of person on]. An' throw it in the front of their door. An' put the [word] devil on top of it, write the devil on top of it, see right up on top. Either [instead of writing devil] you kin draw one you know, you understand, see like that. They'll die.
Entry 11120
[Make the coffin] first, and they they get a piece of wood and of course they cut out what you call a little statue. And that's in imitation of the person they made the cof- fin for. When they make this little coffin - of course, I'm supposed to be your friend and you did me something [wronged speaker] and I want to get even with you. I could git it in your home better than anybody else. [After you] make this coffin, make a little statue. That statue supposed to be you. And when I get it made I bring it and put it any- where around in that house. But I put some graveyard dirt in that coffin with that little statue, you understand, and I get it - if I ever get in your bopse, [I] put in some secret place. Or if not, I put it under the steps and you aalk on it. It's just the same. It'll cause you to go crazy.
Entry 11121
Jis' like you have a funeral for a person, take picture, graveyard dirt and salt, saltpeter [3 ingredients], mash 3 eggs together, put into a little shroud [black piece of cloth], make a casket [coffin], go to cemetery, bary, says Lord's Prayer backwards.
Entry 11122
Draw a coffin, draw the person image in the cof- fin they want to die, then call [victim], then write their name, burn under incense smoke.
Entry 11123
If someone dies, a person whom you have mistreated, put a piece of money in the coffin and he or she cannot come back to hant you. Must stay and guard the money.
Entry 11124
Dey take de rule, de pocket rule.
(What do they do then?)
And say dey take dis to de crossroads and dey fix it. Dey fix it so and when you come along dey'll make you fall. Yes, sir. [I] hear: 'em tell dat, at de crossroads where you go down, and de roads comes across like dat [demonstrates] and dey fixes it. (I see. What would they fix there? I mean what would they put there?) Dey say dey'll get - dey'll get a scorpion, a red-headed scorpion. (A red-headed scorpion?) Yes, sir. Fix him and dey put him - make sompin like a coffin and dey'll put him down in de middle of dat fo'k, yes, sir. Yes, sir, in middle of de fo'k.
(In the middle of the fork?)
[The center of two roads crossing is the center of a square or a quincunx rite.] Yes, sir, in de middle of de fo'k and you git dere and you won't know it, but you commence having swimming 'bout de head. Head commence swimming, feeling bad; yes sir, and make you fall. I hear say dey tell dat.
(They put this scorpion in sort of a little coffin-like?)
It is a coffin. What I mean, sompin dey makes like a coffin. Dat what dey tole me. And dey'll put him in dere alive and when dey fixes him, it make you tremble, you know. And he'll die. Dey'll fix him dataway.
(I see.)
The informant reports a pocket rule and then a red-headed scorpion in a constructed coffin at the middle of crossing roads, with claimed dizziness and falling. Questions clarify these objects and the middle location; Hyatt supplies a square or quincunx interpretation. No unstated relation between the pocket rule and scorpion is invented.
Entry 11125
(If your business is dull?)
If business is dull, yo' see, an' he wants success in business. He wants his business tuh improve yo' see. He wants tuh make mo' money. Yo' take a 25 cents piece [a quarter], if it's a ole piece, see. [You want money that has passed through many hands!] It don' have tuh be a real United States real good coin, yo' see. Yo' kin take an ole piece. Yo' kin take a 50 cents [piece] French, Geman or Belgian [any] kinda money, 'long as it's silver coin. [Remember, we are in New Orleans, a great seaport.] Take one dose big pennies - copper, see. [Some of these big pennies are commemoration or festival medals; I was given one.] Yo' nail dose pieces on de counter right whar de customers comin' in at. Befo' yo' put dose pieces dere, yo' take a piece of lodestone, a he an' a piece of she. Yo' put dose two piece tuhgether undah de first one. Yo' put two pieces undah de second one, an' two pieces undah de third one. See. Well, it's two developed in dat coin. Dat's tuh draw trade in dat business. She wash or scrub her place out wit lye, see, twice a week. She'll take Monday an' Fridays, an' - Hoodoo - Conjuraticn - Witchcraft - Rootwork - scrub every corner out. Scrubs everywhah she kin git dat lye. Dat prevents de cross if people have crossed de place - if de place is crossed. Dat lye eats it up. (That is to keep anybody from crossing up your busi- ness.) Dat lye eats up de stuff. De lye eats up dat evil uhut crossin' yore business. When yo' puts dat dere de fellah whut comes in whut tryin' [to] keep yo' in bad, in bad business, dat lye prevents dat. Dat bluestone [lodestone] an' dat coin is always tuh develop an' bringing in mo' success. (You don't use the coins on top of the counter, do you, where people can see them?) Yeah, put it right on top [nailed], let it stay dere an' draw attention to dat. Jis' put 'em right where everybody see it. Jis' nail 'em down. Jis' nail 'em. Yo' see yo' nail 'em wit dat lodestone undah it, right on top de counter, whar de people put dere han' on it. All right, it's no germ goin' through dat coin, but dey kin throw it aroun' on de flo'. Now, dat brings yore business up. Fo' luck ag'in, if yo' wanta scrub out, yo' take some van-van powder. Yo' kin put dat wit dat, scrub wit it aftah yore lye. See. Rinse off wit dis van- van powder, an' outside on de banquette, scrub wit it. It's got an odor to it, see.] Dat draws de people in. An' scrub outside. It's got a strong odor. It smells sweet an' it draws de people in. Van-van's a drawin' powder. Jis' ask fo' van-van. Any drug sto' don' handle [it] but it's from de grocery sto'.
Entry 11126
(Well, what do they go down there [forks of the road] for? What have you heard?) Go to de fo'ks of de road. An' get [take along] corn or somepin like dat. Dey got [a] corn [wart] growin' dere [on the hands]. Pick one of dem dere an' rub corn on it an' rub it up [into air, not down]. An' go to de fo'ks of de road an' make a wish [to be rid of the Warts] throw it [corn] ovah de left shouldah an' go on. Nevah look back. Ah've tried dat, mahself.
(Did it work?)
No.
Entry 11127
Make 'em come back, dey says yo' take meal, corn meal, an' give it to yore personally friend. Yo' know, jes' lak ah have a friend, an' ah voald del liver it to them an' they would give it to then. an' in five days, they'll eicher come back or either go fur- ther, go further away or either come back to 'em home. [This coafusloa I nov try to straighten out.] (In other words, if you wanted to bring back your husband, you would take this meal and give it to some friend of yours, and that friend of yours would have to give it to your husband; and if he accepted that gift of the corn meal, he would come back to you?) Come back to me.
(You only make one gift of corn meal?)
Yessuh.
Entry 11128
Yo' takes a cow horn, burn it, an' then, when it parches up it'll burn jest like gutta percha, somepin othah. Yo' know, parch it up, an' yo' kin git chew some prepared alum, already powdered alum. Dat's simple but it's a fact. Ah ain't nevah lost a job yet. An' mix dat cow horn tuhget- her wit dat an' Hearts Colo- gne an' rub it in yore hand. If yo' kin git tuh git his [boss] glove or anything, jest let de scent of dat git on it - de scent from your hand git on his glove. An' have yo' a piece of union 'erb. It grows in de woods. It's a little root about dat long an' it's got a top on it jest like a - yo' seen a carrot top. It grows sorta like a carrot top. An' have yo' a piece of ABC root [a root that has the letters of the alphabet!], dat grows like a fern, an' jest cut it. Cut until yol cut de first letter of yore name, an' yo' take dat an' put it in yore left hip pocket. Yo' take dat union herb an' put it in yore mouth an' chew it whilst yo' talkin' to him [boss] or makin' yo'self acquainted wit him, while de wind of yore breath is goin' in his face, an' de scent of dat cow horn an' alum is on his hand. He'll give yo' a job. Jest whatsomevah yo' require him tuh pay a day, he'll pay it.
(Do you use all these things together?)
Put de ABC root in yore left pocket, yo' have dis heah burnt cow horn an' alum on de hands. Rub it on yore hands an' have [it there].
Entry 11129
Dey scrape it off a black cow horn, dey say, if anybody is bothahin' yo', to mix some John de Conker wit it an' some kinda dust. Mix dat togethah. Ah fo'got whut kinda dust dey call it. Ah cain't rem- embah de name of dat dust, but anyhow yo' put dose three things togethah an' dey say put it 'roun' yore do'step an' in de cornah of yore house. Say nobody can't hurt chew. [Four corners of house and door the fifth point, rite which occurs frequently, is a type of quincunx.]
Entry 11130
(What do you use this cow manure for?)
Well, I use that for to heal any kind of an itch, or any kind of running sore, in epidemic form, yeah. Cow manure is good. There you are. And cow manure, you dry up cow manure and give it to your kinds [clients?] in a tea. It cure any ohooping cough in de world. There you are.
Entry 11131
Yo' take dat in yore home an' burn it. (This cow manure?) Yessuh. An' lotta people burn it because even tuh keep de law from gittin' 'em, or tuh keep dey enemies from upsettin' 'em. Burn dat in dey home.
Entry 11132
( Cow manure, red pep- per and salt put in bucket and burn at night. Any ene- mies around you, they can't stay around you.
Entry 11133
Reach arm as far as possible in wicked per- son's grave, mix with bull dung, sprinkle at house, causes confusion.
Entry 11134
Take it [manure] from a bull and yo' mix cayenne pepper and salt and saltpeter together, and carry it tuh someone's home dat you dislike. Yo' mix it all together and you put it out and let it dry. After it dries you crumble it up and powder it. Jest like someone would live here. You wouldn't want all tuh come out; jest want one person tuh leave dis place. Well, you would take it den and go and sprinkle in de yard and around de do' and call dis person's name. Dey can't stay dere. Dey'll have to move out, go some- where. Dey can't stay dere.
Entry 11135
That's to keep you from [leaving the house]. (How do they do that?) Dey put it [cow manure] out and let it get dry. [I shut off machine too soon.]
(Crumble it up?)
Yes, sir, crumble it up, dry out and sprinkle it into your house. That will harm you, that will put chew in bad luck.
Entry 11136
Not a milk cow, but git de whut-dey-call-it cow.
(The bull?)
Yes. If yo' kin git dat, den yo'll take dat an' a white dog's nunbah two. Dat [these two] be made up in a powdah an' yo'll sprinkle dat anywhere yo' passes an' de people pass, an' de' cain't git a job no way. Dey cain't git a job noway. But chew put peppah an' yo' put dat salt an' anything lak dat an' yo' put dem hot things in dere. Dat'll keep 'en aigoin'
[Number two = dung.]
Entry 11137
Yo' see now when yo' use that, that's somepin like a [something guard or hand] you mix that thing [cow manure] with black mulasses. I've got somepin [like] that with black molasses all now [right now]. You mix that with black molasses, see, and it gets real hard. It's nothing but hard [like] corn meal. And you make little balls of it, cut it up and make little balls. Anybody [patient] come to you [I am considered a doctor] give 'em one of those balls [pills]. That keeps away harm. No harm, anything, nothing kin come in [your house].
(Well, suppose you gave me one of those, what would I do with that then?)
You keep it off of here [your place] you [it] keep off [yourself]. [For animal manure against witches see FACI, 2ed., No.16487, etc.]
Entry 11138
They put cow manure in your tea and it will make you love 'em. Like you have your wife and she can't [stay home and is running around] you kin use cow manure and it will make her stay with you, love you more. [The theory here is that someone has bewitched her, manure is a cure.]
(I see.)
Entry 11139
She take de shell off de crab an' hullin' [hulls] dat crab out. Den she will take a ole [shoe]string dat individual [the victim] generally weahs an' windin' [winds] dat shoe- string up dat way [demon- strates]. Aftah windin' dat shoestring up dat way, shove one end [point] of needle through it [folded shoestring] dat way [demonstrates] an' de othah one [needle] dis way [demonstrates] yo' see, makin' a cross - one shoestring makin' a cross. De shoestring, wind it up lak de crab is dataway. [You wind this shoe- string back and forth because a crab goes backwards and forwards.] [Take de shoe- string an' wind it dat way.
(It is sort of an "x"?)
[The shoestring is laid into the crab shell in one continuous movement, a weaving, to form an "x'. See illustration above.] Yes, one dat way an' de othah one dis way [demonstrates] shovin' one dat way an' de othah one dis way. An' de fellah [owner of the shoestring] he would nevah git no woman, yo' understand, tuh treat him as he wish tuh be treated. See, dis string be weak [at the beginning we were told this shoestring was old] an' de othah one [what? see later] be weak, yo' see, 'cuz it be backin' up always, yo see [like the crab moving backward].
[I now repeat rite to make sure I have it:]
(You put one needle like that [I demonstrate] and one this other way [I demon- strate], one horizontal and one coming down, vertical, down through it - this shoestring that you have in the crab. What do you do with the crab shell after you fix [magically prepare] it up?) Take de shell and bury it. [The preceding rite, my only example of it, comes from a hoodoo doctor. In it a woman makes certain that the man does not find another woman. To accomplish this trick, she cooks a crab, hulls it - takes out the meat - and refills the cavity by winding into it an old shoestring of the man's so that it looks like an 'X or a cross. This latter is held in place by two needles, one horizontally through an arm of the cross, the other pushed down vertically through the center of the cross. Here we have two crosses; one of stocking, other of needles - a doublecross! See the diagram. The twisting and flaccid lines of the shoestring cross represent the man's own string, not shoestring. This is an important rite!]
Entry 11140
Dere several ways dat chew kin move a person. Yo' kin move a person outa de house by jes' goin' to dere house an' usin' a cross right in front of dere gate like dat. Yo' kin put a cross right in front of dere gate like dat an' dey'll move out. Or yo' kin go to dere house at night when yo' are not seen an' yo' kin stand to dere gate like dis an' put dose two thumbs on dere an' jes' say, "Yo' shall not have dis house." Yo' use dose words. (Put a thumb on each gatepost?) Jes' de thumb but use de two thumbs. Jes' put de two thumbs on de gate like dat an' say, "Yo' shall not have dis house, " or "Yo' shall move out of dis house." An' it will soon be de way yo' wanta an' dey'll come out.
Entry 11141
When the landlord gives you a notice, you take that notice and you fold it in the shape of a bouquet - like a come. You get up over the front door and make a cross up there. You take that notice and if there is any way to hide it, like up here [points], up over here, that nobody can see it. Make that cross up there and take that notice and cross and nail it up there. Put nine tacks in it so that nobody won't detect it up there, and he you] will never come in. That's to cross the landlord.
Entry 11142
They use a kind of a weed - jis' like a ole weed, yo' know, jis' growin' around. Well, they'll take this weed an' they cut this weed down. Well, they take that stick an' make a little cross like that. An' then about time that it git about just dark, they'll take that [cross] an' plant it to your back door; set it right up at chore back door. An' then at night round about twelve o'clock, they'd come back an' git it an' pick that stick [cross] up an' turn it over [turn it upside down], an' leave it there to daybreak. An' then they'll come back an' take it. An' then tomorrow you'll be arguin' all day long wit chore wife.
Entry 11143
They jes' git down there and make a cross mark on de road, and if you come along and step over that mark, they got you. They done seen you goin' come there and they'll put it right where you can't help from stepping on it. And you'll have trouble.
Entry 11144
All yo' gotta do, go to yo' do' and make a cross on it.
(Cross on it like an "x".)
Yeah, an' put some joint grass in both sides.
(What?)
Joint grass.
(Joint grass.)
Yeah. Put one so, and one so. Cover 'em up. Nevah go dere.
(Under your door?)
Yeah.
(Where do you make this crossmark? On the door or doorsill?)
No, on de ground, in de dirt. You put it in de dirt, dat way, den yoa pat one dat way and covah it up like nuth [is there].
(Where do you put this grass?)
Right front of yo' do'. Den throw some night watah [urine] on it and it's okay, or some green moss, and [or] cow manure. (The law won't be able to come in then?) No, they won't find you. You'd walk right by 'em and he wouldn't bothah you. (You don't cover up this grass?) Yeah, cover 'em up. (You bury the grass, I see.) Nobody see you.
Entry 11145
Well, I've heard of that but it's at night in- stead of daytime, at twelve o'clock in the night. Take a black hen, find one that crows, you go to the fork of that road and at midnight that hen will crow. Go there for nine nights though and go to that fork of the road every night at twelve o'clock and that hen crows, that will bring what you call you - you call, kin call, the devil. That's what I understand. But you gotta read the Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses and just what you desire at the fork of the road after you read that Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses, you get your desire. That is how they sell themselves to the devil. And he will meet you at the fork of that road and just what you want to learn and what you want to do, that's where you get them - out there. You have to read the book while you are out there, and have your mind on your desires.
(When does the devil appear, on the first night?)
No, on the third night, but you gotta go for nine nights to get what you desire.
Entry 11146
Go tuh de fo'ks of de road, fo' [to make] a man tuh go in a diff'- ren' d'rection. Take a lookin'glass an' dey beat dat up right fine, an' if he's goin' tuh de fo'k of de road, yo' take dat an' jes' throw it in de fo'k of de road 'bout sunset - 'tween dak [dark] an' sunset, an' he won' go dat way no mo'. He'll turn roun' an' go back. Yo' do dat tuh stop him from goin' dat way. He won' go dat way no mo'. He tu'n [turn] his back.
(If he's running away after some other women or something?)
Yes.
Entry 11147
I've heard tha' choo kin remove the sty from yo' eye. Go to the crossroad and take that dirt at the crossroad and rub on your eye and say: Sty, sty, leave my eye. [Had this been any ordinary cure from folk medicine I would have omitted it, but here vas something special. It does not appear in Folklore from Adams County, Illin- Ois, 2nd ed., though there a sty cure where 3 roads meet (No.5499) and a cross- roads cure (No.5500). Does this rite go back to executions at the crossroads? A shrine? The ancient spirit of the crossroad?]
Entry 11148
Go out to de crossroads an' cross it nine times backwards an' far- wards an' make a vish in [facing] de east, an' [say]: Our Father, please move mah enemies away, an' bring mah fren's near tuh me an' close by me, an' make peace. (How do you cross that crossroads?) Heah are de crossroads [dem- onstrates], dere's de cross [the central square created by the 4 roads]. Yo' run across lak dat, when yo' git middleways of dis cross, den yo' go to dat end of a cross an' yo' come back across this Way, back dere, an' make yore wish in [facing] de east. [This rite concerns a square, its 4 corners and center; 5 terminal points, the reason why in HOODOO I call these five-point rites, quincunx rites = cross- roads and centers of house, room, bed, etc. Here our two roads crossing each other form a square informant calls cross instead of crossing. We should also remember, despite this rite having been collected in Memphis, our original crossroad was one wagon road crossing another. Now to act out our present rite. If we are walking east, let us stop at the center of the west side of the cross- ing. We now run across the crossing through its center to the center of the east side; turn round and retrace our steps to the west side. After making this roundtrip 4 times, we have run back and forth across the crossing 8 times. For our ninth crossing we run to the east side once more where we repeat our incan- tation and continue our journey or return home avoiding the crossroad.]
Entry 11149
An' den if de law take a habit of comin' to yore house, yo' know whut chew do. Takes black peppah an' salt an' mix it together, an' when dey come to yore house, sompin lak dat, yo' sprinkle de salt in back of 'em. Try tuh throw some right on dey back. Try tuh throw some of it when dey goin' out. Always have it prepared an' throw some of dat in dere back. An' den yo' sprinkle it on de floor right where he walk. Jes' lak ah walk in heah an' yo' sweep behin' 'em an' say, "Yo' damn son-of-a-bitch, yo' stay 'way from heah."
(And they won't come back?)
Dey ain't comin' back.
Entry 11150
I have heard of people meeting ghosts and they didn't want to meet them and they would say curse words and they would leave. [Ocean City, Md., informant 20 by Ediphone.]
Entry 11151
Make people move out of a room, if de landlady makin' yo' move. After yo' gits everything outa dere, yo' turns roun' an' walk back in dis house an' walk to all fo' cor- ners an' curse it, dey says, an' walk out. Don' look back at it. Dey says she'll nevah be able toh keep anybody else in dere.
Entry 11152
Dead man's finger, keep rolled up in flannel, blow on and rub, put back in pocket, for luck when gambling. [Petersburg, 2nd trip 419:6.]
Entry 11154
Any finger, not the thumb, fre a dead man's left hand, called a taslem [talisman] or a gambling hoond, y be car- ried by a gambler for luck. [Only example of word talismgr.] [Vicksburg 1067:5.]
The short account specifies 'Any finger, not the thumb' and a dead man's left hand; surrounding wording remains unclear.
Entry 11155
A piece of skull bone or dust ground from skull bone is pat in a bag with roots: John de Conkah, St. Elizabeth root, devil's shoestring, etc.; and kept wet with Hearts Cologne for gambling luck. [Charleston 609:10.]
Entry 11156
Left shoe.
(You take the left shoe.)
Uh huh. And after taking that left, then ah take that [inner] sole out of the shoe. Hits nothing they can do with just a shoe. But they fix it [insole] and get - put it back [in shoe] for you. If they take that shoe and get some devil dust and put up in the toe of his shoe and put it [insole] back there, when you put the shoe on your toes will take with an itch.
(An itch?)
Yeah.
Entry 11157
Now, if yo' don' wanta take an' do dat, chew kin git chew some devil heart watah [hoodoo store preparation?] an' bluein' an' shake dat up an' bust dat bottle. Git de devil heart watah an' put it into dat bottle; den yo' git chew some bluein' an' put it into dat bottle. An' take dat bottle an' shake it up an' wherevah de person livin' at, yo' bust dat bottle in front dey do' an' dat make 'em move.
Entry 11158
Now, I have heard that you can take a piece of devil's-shoestring; that is, you take the root. Some calls it the lady slipper, some calls it lady's tail: that's because the flow- er [blossom] looks like a tail [the orifice of the vagina]. And you can take that, the root, and put it in whiskey or cologne. You put this liquid in your hand and you rub it over the woman some place, and you can handle that woman whatever way you please. [Hoodoo and root doctors normally used the word devil's-shoestring as a singular. If I have iden- tified the plant correctly, botanists have named it Tephrosia virginiana - com- monly called catqut, a good description of its qualities - qoats-rue and wild sweet pea. This plant of eastern North America, especially in the South, is a herb almost prostrate with long wiry roots. The flowers are yellowish purple.]
[Berlin, Md., by Ediphone.]
Entry 11159
Ah saw in there [in a book?]. It says if yo' take a piece of devil's- shoestring an' put it in de Bible, an' let it stay ovahnight, an' put it in a man's path where he walk, he won't have any mo' money - yo' know, jes' as yo' tell 'em to go, he'll go an' do. [Reference lost!]
Entry 11160
For pain in the stomach, boil devil's shoe- string and drop in two [silver] dimes while boiling, strain and let patient drink.
Entry 11161
Tuh make a person love yuh, dey'll gits a devil's-shoestring. If yo' wants tuh make love wit a girl, git chew a devil's-shoestring. Take a piece of it an' yo' put it in yore mouth an' chew it an' be talkin' tuh her; jest whut she agree upon, dat's love. Dat brings in love, devil's-shoestring. [See also following rites in which root is chewed for a job.]
Entry 11162
An' a little devil's-shoestring, yo' wear it or carry it on yore person, an' dey say yo'll have luck in gambling - most any games dat chew go to. And it brings love also.
Entry 11163
Devil's-shoestring keep confusion in a house until yo' break up; yo' gotta move, yo' can't stay dere. (How would you use that devil's-shoestring?) Well, yo' have to cake dat whilst it's green [fresh] and stick it roun' anywhere in de house an' de older it git, de longer it stay dere, de quicker dat's going to happen.
(This confusion in the house?)
Yes sir, it keep confusion - somebody gotta go.