Browse:"HER PRIVATE TIME" (Volume 3, entries 3846–3980)
"HER PRIVATE TIME"
Volume 3, entries 3846–3980. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 3846
Yo' take de firs' fingah from de lef' han' an' yo' take a new needle an' yo' stick dis fingah [demonstrates].
(The index finger of the left hand.) Yes, an' yo' git three drops of blood an' it will bring love. (What do you do with that blood after you get it?)
Give it to them in soda watah or whiskey.
Entry 3847
De blood, yo' could take dat an' yo could put dat in a bot- tle. Yo' stop dat up, yo' put dat in a bottle. An' yo' put red peppah, sulphuh an' gunpowdah in dat. An' yo' stop dat up airtight, a person blood, an' dat stop dat blood from trans- mission. Dat stop dere passin' of de blood.
(The blood from any part of the body?)
Yeah.
Entry 3848
I have heard of a class of people who would get a hold of your blood. They get that from any part they can get it: from your finger, your feet or your head. And they would bury it on the shore at ebb tide, an' when the tide came in, that would flow with the tide and make them crazy. [Hampton, Va., (24, informant 8 when Civil War began), by Ediphone.] [The preceding words, all meaning the same thing, are a few of the terms to be found in the following material. White people used the same and other expres- sions. Remember, these names were collected a generation ago (before the present moment, March 1973) and are not exhaustive for their time. A careful examination of HOODOO will show that sex was not gathered for the sake of sex, but as a part of the total study.]
Entry 3849
[Here is one of those rites saying much in few words. Either the briefness of the rite deceived me or I was too tired to react immediately with questions.] (What do you do with the woman's period now?) Take it an' put it on a little piece of cloth, jes' LAK YO' WANTA EXAMINE YO'SELF AN' SEND YORE BLOOD OFF. PUT IT ON A PIECE OF PAPAH WHERE YO' KIN SEE IT, WHERE YO' DON'T SEE BUT NINE PIECES OF IT. Take it an' sew it up in a piece of cloth, an' drop it in runnin' watah. [Informant tells me a woman worried about her condition and wanta examine yo'- self (have yourself examined) can have her blood tested by putting 9 pieces or drops of it on a piece of paper where yo' kin see it and send (or mail) yore blood off. Several times in HOODOO I speak about doctors aping M.D.'s: the old medical kit, diploma on wall, calling themselves doctors, labeling medicine, the bright light, examining urine, etc. In the present instance we have a clever Operator who presumably gives blood tests by mail! Actually he avoids United States postal law by not appearing in the transaction, using a second person who may add another go-between. Or, if he becomes involved, he is a spiritual healer, who answers by letter: The specimen merely means God cures everything. I am working on your case. I cannot accept money for God's work. You feel bet- ter even now and soon will be cured. That will be time to send a thank offer- ing to help God's work along etc.
Entry 3850
[We are so concerned with the ordinary magic rites of walking back- wards, counting, throwing over shoulder, and others, that we seldom think of the rarer magic actions (not omens) such as anger and temper. Here are several examples from FACI 1st ed: "Peppers can be grown only by a person who has a violent temper" (1057); "Unless you are angry while planting peppers, they will not grow" (1058); and "Stop a person's hiccough by making him angry" (5419). The following rite is the rare one of pretended anger:] A woman kin take her sickny [sickness] rag, yo' undahstan'. She kin take dat off it an' put it in 'is rations, an' give it to him to eat. An' whilst he's eatin' it an' befo' he git through eatin' an', she scold at 'im, yo' undah- stan'. Well, jes' anythin' she wanta do den, she got 'im. He be scared of 'er from den on.
(But she must do that while he is eating it?)
Whilst he eatin' it, yassuh. She gotta scold at 'im whilst he eatin' it.
Entry 3851
Ah says, if a man got a woman an' also, if he can't rule de woman, he kin jes' take a woman when a woman's periods rise, an' carry it an' find a big red ants' nest an' bury it direct in dat ants' nest. Dat's all he gotta do wit dat, jes' bury it right in dat ants' nest an' walk off. Back up to ten feet an' turn yore face an' go on about chure business, an' evahthin' is okay den.
(What will that do then?)
Keep her home - yes sir, keep 'er undah yore jurisdiction.
Entry 3852
If a woman wants yo' an' yo' don't want 'er, she'll make yo' follah 'er anywhere in de worl'. Git a piece of yore undahweah an' git some of 'er stuff [menstrual blood] an' put on it, an' she'll weah it right undah heah [demonstrates].
(In her left armpit.) [Wilmington, N. Car., (228),222+85.]
Entry 3853
I've heard dat if a woman leaves home - I mean a man leaves home, an' de woman wants to make him come back. De biggest idea in dealings such as dat, yo' deal wit de pieces yo' wears - de clothes yo' wears. Yo' takes de man's clothes, but yo' must wanta have an' undahpiece dat he wore. Yo' take dat undahshirt or pajama suit or anything dat de man have worn. Yo' takes it - she'll take dat, I heard, an' she will mix dat wit some of 'er personals. Yo' know vhat dat is?
(No.)
Her monthly personals.
(Her monthly personals. All right.)
Her monthly personals, yo' understan', an' she will take his shirt an' she will wrap it, yo' know, aroun' some of 'er personals. See! An' den she will take dat an' she will dig a hole jes' about undah de centah about where de bed sets [a quincunx]. Dat will be up and undah dere house - see, right in de soil. See, dig a hole down dere an' she'll bury dose two pieces togethah an' it's im- possible fo' him to stay away.
Entry 3854
If yore man is well 'way from yo' an' yo' want 'im tuh come home an' yo've evah had anythin' tuh do wit 'im an' yo've nevah washed up de cloth, take it an' wash it an' git de small amount of watah, jis' enough fo' tuh dampen de cloth an' let it soak an' git it out of it. Take it an' put it in a bottle an' put chew jis' about a tea- spoonful of sugah in it. Den yo' set it up ovah de do' where he came in at. Do dat in de evenin' time an' de nex' mawnin' yo' grab de bottle an' call 'is name three times. Shake it up. In 24 hours he'll be at chore residence, if he's anywheres lak he kin git dere. If he don't come in 24 hours, he'll be close enough tuh drop yo' a card an' let chew know he's comin'. [This rite should have gone under IMPoTENCE, following No.3259.]
Entry 3855
Yo' see, an' here's anothah question dat people always say, yo' see, about wimmen people. Yo' know whenevah de period is on 'em dat way, dey say yo' kin take some of dere period, yo' see - in a bottle yo' see - an' stop dat up, yo' see, an' dig a hole, yo' see, an' turn de mouth of it right down into de ground, yo' see. An' dey say as long as dat stay in dere, say dat'll pass dat woman away. An' evah month yo' know 'er period come on 'er, dey claim it won't come er [or] nuthin but jes' reg'lah big clods [clots] of blood. An' it will keep 'er in a way dat she nevah can have intahco'se wit a man, not no mo' in 'er life, unless yo' have to go back dere an' release dat bottle - dig it up.
Entry 3856
Now a woman like me, a female woman, dey would git mah ministration, or cloth, an' wash it an' dreen [drain] it out of dat. Ah've seen dat dug up, an' buried. But now de way dey bury dat, dey bury it like dat [demonstrates], caticornah [catercornered = slanted downward here]. Leave jes' a little hole fo' it to dreen out chew know. An' jes' as dat dreen outa dat bottle, jes' dat way yo'll dreen away.
washing and draining the source-described ministration or cloth. Keep ministration or cloth wording and the later dreen language rather than flattening all menstrual-source alternatives. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 3857
An' dis girl, if it's a girl an' she say whether she's goin' knock fer yo' [knock a nail into your picture against a tree] an' tell yore business, an' [if] yo' could ketch 'er whenevah she, yo' know, stayed dere [at your house], if yo' git hold of one of dose cloths an' put it in a milk bottle, an' let dis but- tahmilk dreen, an' be sure it's buttahmilk an' not sweet milk, an' half put de stoppah on dere, like a papah stoppah, an' let it [have] enough room fer it to dreen out, an' she'll die, too.
Entry 3858
Well, ah'm married, an' people has been tellin' me dat mah husband wus goin' wit a woman. So ah didn't believe it, ah said ah wanted tuh see fo' mah- self. So one night ah were out an' ah went tuh a friend of mine's house an' ah met 'em dere togethah. Co'se ah didn't ack anyway spicious. Ah know whut dey would think. So dis woman dat he wus goin' wit, she wus a friend of mine an' she visited mah house often. An' so one day she came dere an' she happen tuh be ministratin' at de time, an' she ast me did ah have somepin dat she could use. So ah tole her yeah, an' ah gave her a piece. So de piece dat she had on, she gave it tuh me. Ah say, "Yo' give it tuh me an' ah'll throw it away fo' yo', put it in de trash." She said all right. So, since den, ah were out an' ah met 'im an' 'er togethah. So ah tole her, ah SAY, "DE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TELLIN' ME DAT YO' WERE GOIN' WIT MAH HUSBAND, BUT AH DIDN'T BELIEVE IT. NOW AH KNOW IT FO' MAHSELF." AH SAID, "AN' AH WILL FIX YO' IN A WAY DAT YO' WON'T HAVE ANYTHIN' TUH DO WIT MAH HUSBAND AN' NO OTHAH WOMAN'S HUSBAN'.' So whut ah did. De piece dat she left dere, ah got some sulphur an' red pep- pah an' put in it an' burned it. An' in a month's time - ah had tole her dat in a month's time she wouldn't know anyone. So, during dat month aftah ah had burned it, she pined - went tuh pinin' away. An' WHEN DE MONTH WUS UP, DEN SHE DIED.
Entry 3859
If ah had a woman an' ah want 'er tuh stay at home - want 'er tuh stay at home - yo' kin take dat. Yo' know, jes' lak she's ministratin', yo' kin take dat rag an' burn it up - burn it up in de ashes. Take it [ashes] an' carry it to de front yard an' bury it. Dat'll keep 'er at home. Yo' would have to steal it [dat rag].
Entry 3860
Now, yo' kin take - jes' lak if yo' wants tuh make 'em weak, weak- minded an' don' have no good health, jes' bad health all de time. Yo' kin take a rag an' yo' kin put it roun' de pot an' burn it. Put it roun' de pot or eithah put it in de chimley an' burn it. An' take de smoke, jes' lak if yo' ketch de smoke in a bottle an' stop de smoke up in de bottle, an' dat'll make dem weak- minded an' don' have real bright sense - an' bad health. (What do you do with that bottle then after this smoke is stopped up? What do you do with that bottle then?) Well, yo' take dat bottle an' yo' bury it right undah de center of yore house- lak de centah of de room heah. Well, yo' bury it right undah de center of de house by de middle block undah [supporting] de house. [Center of house makes a quincunx.] (Just that cloth, the woman's monthly cloth, get the smoke of it.)
Entry 3861
Ah know oncest it wus [a] woman hurted anothah girl wit some of 'er pah'tic'lah pieces in 'er coz [cloz = clothes]. She wus goin' wit dis woman husban'. An' she took dis coz befo' she washed 'em, an' stole 'em out de house, an' she took 'em an' bur-ried 'em. An' dis girl she goin' aroun', she went to feelin' bad. She didn't know whut wuz de mattah. She didn't pay no 'tention to huhself. An' dis woman she died. Yo' know IF ANYBODY HURT CHOO AN' DE PERSON DIE, YO'LL NEVAH GIT WELL. An' dis girl she jis' stayed sick, sick, sick. An' when dey did find out it wus too late, dat dey had some of huh cloz bur-ried, be- cuz de woman was done dead. An' dis girl she stayed sick, sick, sick. An' she dried to nuthin but jis' skin an' bones. An' she died.
Entry 3862
Well, jes' lak a lady's 'pearance [appearance], yo' know. Well, yo' kin be careless wit dat an' somebody could git dat an' take it an' bury it. Well dat destroy yore whole health. Yo' can't nevah been well, cuz it stop yo' from menistratin' - can't ministrate.
Entry 3863
Take de rag. Yo' take it an' bury it, dey say, an' dat will make a person jis' dry up.
Entry 3864
Well, ah heard dat dey kin take - lak a man wants tuh do sompin wit a woman - he kin take a woman sanitaries an' put it into a black bottle an' bury it an' kill de woman. (He would take the sanitary piece from her and put it in this black bottle and stop it up and bury it and it would kill her.) Put devil vinegah wit it an' some cinnamon an' some steel dust [3 ingredients].
[For black bottle see BLACK BoTTLE, p.523.]
Entry 3865
See, yo' kin take a hen, a black hen see, an' cut 'er see, an' put sulphur in 'er see, an' takes a lady's ministrate see, her monthly period, a woman yo' dislike or anything, an' put it in dere. An' see, sew dat hen back up an' turn 'er loose, an' as dat hen go 'way an' pine 'way an' die, dat person [woman] will do de same thing. She be sickly until she dies like dat.
Entry 3866
Jis' lak yo' kin take a woman's sanitary napkin an' put it in a bucket or a can - anything containin' a top - an' jis' stop it up. An' see, dat stop 'er blood up an' she jis' - cain't no doctah [M.D.] start it. It won't start. Dey won't know whut tuh do about it. An' event'ly [even- tually] she'll go in bad health.
Entry 3867
Mah gran'fathah taught me about it - fo' de woman, fo' instan', woman when she has 'er co'ses [courses] on see. Dey take one of dose pieces whut she have - listen well! - if dey hang it up in de chimley where it smokes by de fiah, she will dry up in de smoke. Yo' see women dat git so small an' thin, an' take treatment from de doctor [M.D.] an' don' get any bettah. She dries up. Now, take dat [piece] an' burn it to a powdah. Take a augah [auger] an' bo' a hole in a tree. [Stop that powder up] when dat sap is down, an' when dat sap goes up dat's whut stops [it]. She's biowed [bloated] up. When de sap goes up, she's blowed up, yo' undahstan'.
Entry 3868
I've heard dat dey'll go to work an' git a hold of a woman's blood - yo' undahstan', take de piece, shoo under- stan' - an' bury it in de ground. She'll come so she don't want nobody, see. Dat woman, yo' don't want de use of 'er, yo' say, "Damn yo', woman, I don't want chah, I'll fix yo' so nobody kin git chah." She won't want nobody aftah dat.
Entry 3869
Maybe yo' kin jes' ketch hold of 'em, yo' see, git hold of 'er - her sickness, yo' undahstand what I mean. Ministratin', yo' take dat an' yo' put dat in a bottle. Yo' un- dahstan', piece of it, piece of cloth or whatsomevah she use - cotton, whatevah it be. Take dat an' put it in a bottle. An' git yo' some of dis, de same thin' yo' call devil's-shoe- string see, [and] one of dose bottle of Hearts Cologne, an' one of High John de Conker. An' put dat in dere an' git yo' two nails an' one needle, see. If yo wanta, yo' could put three nails an' two needles, see. Den when yo' put de three nails an' two needles, why one of de nails counts fer de - one fer de Fathah, one fer de Son, an' one fer de Holy Ghost. An' put dat in a bottle togethah an' dem two nails [needles] count fer de conkerin' of de world. Put dat in a bottle to- gethah wit yore urinate, see. An' mix 'em an' stop it up tight, an' bury dat undah yore steps. An' whenevah she kin go; but she won't stay gone, see.
Entry 3870
Ah know it tuh be a fac', if a girl break up - lak if yo' didn't love 'er so good, yo' know, an' if she be sick or sompin othah lak dat. Well, dere's one thin' dat she kin [do], if she's sick, to he'p'er- self. If she kin git yo' tuh eat anythin', or drink watah, den she take a little of 'er sickness, in 'bout a teaspoonfulla watah, an' a li'le bit of red shank, an' boil it intuh de watah. She kin po' dis stuff, jes' 'bout a halfa teaspoonfulla in some watah an' gi' yo' [give you]. Why yo's a fool about 'er, see.
(You put a piece of red shank root into that water?)
Dat right. An' if yo' wanta, dere's a way dat yo' find out dat she did do yo' dat way. Yo' goes in de woods an' gits yo' de devil's shoestring. Den yo' comes back wit dat an' yo' boil it an' take yo' a piece of mullein. Dem [mullein plant] a flat weed sompin lak 'bacca [tobacco], lak a head of 'bacca, yo' know, but it be's somewhut flattah yo' know - it don't be high, yo' know. An' yo' take dat an' yo' take nine strands of dat mullein root an' ball [boil] it, an' two leaves. De way yo' gotta do, yo' git some whiskey an' put on it, on dat, an' git chew a piece of camphor an' put it on it. Well, yo' tote dat in yore pocket fo' 'bout two or three days an' pass 'er do', an' she'll tell yo' she got de headache one day when yo' pass dere. Inside of eight days she'll tell yo' she got de head- ache. Well, yo' jes' say to her, says, "Well, dat's mighty bad but ah got some camphor heah." Well, yo' go ahead by dere an' let 'er rub 'er haid wit it. Yo got 'er an' it's offa yo' den. Well, she git tuh lovin' yo' den. Maybe, if yo' wanta love 'er an' want 'er tuh love yo' - well, it jes' quite natural if a man love a woman, he want 'er tuh love him yo' know.
Entry 3871
Now, dey said if it's a person - if it's mah wife or if ah go an' eat to someone's house, if dey wanta git me tricked, dey take de dishrag when dey ministrate or have dere monthlies on. Dey take an' rub some of dat on an' rub it on mah dish or mah spoon or fo'k or sompin ah nuse [use] an' ah go an' eat wit it. Or eithah put a drop of it in mah food. Well dat will git me.
Eating is explicitly described within a conditional reported account; use is a bracketed editorial insertion.
Entry 3872
She was - yo' know, she'd git someone firs' to git somepin about 'im, some of 'is clothes, his garments, some of 'is undahgarments - yo' know, of de clothes. Yo' know, cut a piece of it an' git some of 'er frien's to git dat. She'd take it an' do what she wanted. [She'd] git some of 'er monthlies, yo' know, an' put on it. An' den she'd bury it undah- neat' de do'step or whutsomevah. An' well, den when he'd come in dere, he'd jis' be crazy about dat woman. He'll come right back jis' like dat.
Entry 3873
If he jis' wants 'em [a woman] to lingah an' die, take a towel wit chew an' GREASE her wit fresh hog lard, wit 'ER CLOTH - A DIRTY ONE dat she jis' used. Grease her [cloth] WIT FRESH HOG LARD an' wrap it up tight an' put it IN A JAR an' bury it UNDER DE STEPS. Dere can't no doctor [M.D.] cure her. She jes' lingah an' lingah an' lingah.
(You mean [grease] her monthly cloth, don't you?)
Yes.
Entry 3874
Well, yo' kin take de ministrate cloth. Yo' take dat an' yo' wet it, jes' enough to wrings de stuff out of it, an' have it real thick. Well, yo' put it in a bottle an' yo' stop dat bottle up an' yo' take it an' bury it. Put it undah yore back do'step. An' dat'll make a woman weak or eithah sickly, or eithah make dem lose dere courage. Jes' lak if a woman goin' wit a man of mine yo' see, an' yo' don't want 'er tuh have no courage. Yo' take it an' put it undah yore back do'step an' have it airtight, an' yore man will stop wit de wo- man. Or eithah she'll won't have no courage fo' him er [or] nuthin lak dat, if he don't stop 'er.
Entry 3875
Dey take de dirt from underneath de fingernails an' place it with periods an' give it to menfolks to cause 'em to love 'em an' give them all their earnings.
Entry 3876
She kin take her sickness an' her fingernails an' cook 'em in 'is food an' he'll stay with her.
Entry 3877
Ah heard of people takin' women's monthlies an' hide it - put it in a tree an' smoke.
(How do you mean smoke it?)
Well, dey build a fiah up undah it an' leave it stay dere. Well, de fiah gotta go out, but den ag'in dat'll kill de tree, an' den it will kill de person. (Where do they put that cloth?) Put it in de hollow of a tree, see. Dey put dat cloth in dere an' when dat rottens, it rotten de tree an' dey rots down an' dey dies.
(How do they smoke it?)
Well, dey smoked it first fo' a purpose.
Entry 3878
Ah heard dem talk about usin' a fish. Now yo' take a fish. Well, now, yo' take a fish. See, jis' lak if a man an' a woman love one anothah, dey'll [a woman will] go to work an' take a fish, an' she'll cut 'im right straight down 'is back. Cut dat fish down 'is back an' she'll put in dat fish sompin lak black peppah. She split 'im down de back an' she'll put a little black peppah in 'im, an' she put buttah in 'i - cow buttah. She'll put dat in 'im [fish]. She'll go to work den an' she'll git some of her ministrate an' smear in dere. An' jes' by - say whut chew call a baked fish, see she'll bake it. See, dat makes somepin go all through it. When he [fish] git come, lay it on one side. Well de suction will go in dere. Well now, fish is special fo' one person. Well, now when he eat dat one fish - he eat dat fish, why regardless to who it [he] is, an' who it [she] is, dey goin' be togethah unless one 'tuthah [or the other] of 'em dies. Dere ain't no way fo' to keep 'em from bein' to- gethah.
Entry 3879
Mah husban' lef' [left] me an' he lef' me sick an' ah couldn't undah- stan', but de Woman had 'im crossed yo' know. AN' SO BY HIM LEAVIN', HE COULDN'T HE'P IT. Firs', ah went tuh lady dat she read cards, an' so she tole me tuh git 'is sock an' bury it. An' when ah buried 'is sock, he wrote a lettah back home, but he didn't write it tuh me. He wrote tuh someone de rest of mah fren's. An' ast 'em tuh come in heah an' talk wit me tuh see would ah let 'im come back home. An' den aftahwards ah went ovah heah tuh Jefferson, Ark., tuh Mr. DeHorn, an' in three weeks aftah ah went ovah dere tuh him, mah husban' came home. Ah went tuh Mr. DeHorn.
(How did this woman have your husband crossed, do you know?)
Well, she feedin' 'er, yo'know.
(Her monthly?)
Yessuh, in sompin tuh eat yo' know, an' givin' 'im a little powdah an' stuff lak dat. An' so Doctor DeHorn had tuh stop 'im from eatin'. It looks funny tuh stop a man from eatin', but it stopped 'im from eatin' 'er cookin', an' he came home. [See remarkable story about a woman who was unaccountable for being an alcoholic, because a drinking spell had been put on her by someone who wanted her husband (75, p.33).]
Entry 3880
So well, dey do so much wit chure footprints. Now, dey say perhaps, if dey wanted to git aftah yuh sure 'nuff [enough], dey would have to git sompin inside of yuh. Dey would have to git sompin othah inside of yuh to make it work, to make it take well. Now, dey go to work to get somepin othah in yuh now. Ah tell yuh how it is. Dere's nuthin too low fer some wimmin to do's - nuthin in de world. Now, ah've seen wimmin, ah've known wimmin, dey even totes livah undah dere dress, all-like dis mawnin' until prob'bly time fer yuh [a man] to come in [to eat]. An' cook it an' a little of dere, yo' know, in wit it an' season it up wit onion. An' yo' eat dat, why dey hardly [= strongly here] got chew fixed dere way.
Entry 3881
A woman, she take an' give yo' a drop of blood, if she's ministratin'. Dey say if she give yo' any of dat, say as long as she live dat yo's goin' be wit 'er. If she evah git dat an' give it to yo' in coffee or molasses bread, or any- thing lak dat, says yo'all will die togethah or kill one 'nothah or sompin lak dat. If she evah give yo' anything lak dat, if she wanta quit chew an' do yo' lak dat, says she kin go 'head on somewheres an' yo' gonna always be behin' 'er, be on her track, until she kill yo' or somebody else [kills you].
Entry 3882
Dey do dat lotsa times. Well, ah tell yo', dey takes dere monthly due an' dey fix it - prepare it in de man's meals. Well, it's no way in de world dat he kin git away. She'll have destroy - break away from 'im, he can't git away from 'er.
Entry 3883
Ah have heard about dat, de way yo' takes it. An' jes' like a woman's blood, yo' takes it an' strain it. Jes' put de cloth in a pan or sompin an' strain it out an' give it to 'em, jes' whomsoevah yo' wanta love yo'. Jes' take it an' put it in dere sompin tuh eat.
Entry 3884
Ah do know things that will make a man stay at home an' ah know he will give yo' all he has. Yo' kin give him yore periods once a month. Git it as natural an' as fresh as yo' kin. An' even aftah yo' quit 'im fo' a yeah or two, dey jis' hang to yo'. Once a month.
Entry 3885
Well, she could jes' give him a little of her periods every month, but give it to him on de last day. See, on de last day yo' know, dat's de bad part of it. Give it to him on de last day, dat'll always keep him home wit chew. Ah know dat's de best.
Entry 3886
Ah've been told dat at 'er monthly periods dat she kin use dat some way in 'is food. He'll nevah leave her.
Entry 3887
A woman kin jes' take her periods, ketch some of it an' kin give yo' [him] jes' a drop every time she want yo' [him] break off drinkin', see. Jes' give him a drop in de whiskey. An' ah don't care how good he love whiskey, he will break off from it. HE WOULDN'T BREAK OFF FROM IT RIGHT JES' DAT MINUTE.
Entry 3888
Go to the fork of the road - people go there specifically for this reason: They go there for matrimony more than they do anything else. And for matrimonial trouble, they go there mostly for that - to unite or to separate somebody in matrimony. (How do they do that, do you know?) Now, if you got a person that's married, and you wants to separate that particular individual. Now, the best way you do, you've got t get a close piece on the woman. You've got to get a menistration piece that she has used, and bury that there. And she have - there is no way on earth she could stay with her husband 'cuz she have no sexual nature that give satisfaction to him. [This is perhaps the only example of the word nature preceded by the word sexual.] It would almost take her nature from her completely. And after that is achieved, you can even take that up if you want to do so; and if they went back together again, use the same thing again - bury that against her. That's one thing about a woman, if you take that and bury that in that particular way where it's passed over by anything, even a horse, or a person, or any way, it takes the natural sex power over her through her nature.
Entry 3889
Lak a lady, yo' know, could take yo' periods lak dat an' carry dat to de cemetery an' bury it. Jes' stop it up tight an' it would kill yo'. Dat's all dat ah heard.
Entry 3890
Once a woman come to mah sistah's house from a hoodoo. De hoodoo sent 'er dere to take mah sistah's menistration piece. Mah sistah stop menistratina. She menistrate through 'er bowels 'fore she died. Evah mawnin'-time fo' her to pass, she'd have pains in 'er stomick an' she couldn't. A woman tooked 'er piece an' carried it to de graveyard in de fo' cornahs an' buried it, an' when she - when dat piece rotted, mah sistah died.
(What do you mean, the four corners of the graveyard?)
De fo' cornahs, lak, yo' know, it's got fo' cornahs of dis house, yo' know?
(Yes.)
Well now, jes' lak ah'd come in dis do'. Well, ah'd go jes' lak dis [demon- strates]. Yo' see, ah'd put a piece dere, a piece dere, a piece dere, an' a piece dere. (Oh! YOu PUT A PIECE OF THIS CLOTH IN EACH OF THE FOUR CORNERS - a pieCe in each corner.) Yeah. Yeah, dat's what she did an' mah sistah, she went away. Mah mothah take her to a hoodoo an' de hoodoo say, "Well, your daughter is hurted. Someone taken 'er piece." Mah mothah say, "Well how did she do it." An' she [hoodoo] tole mah mothah how she take it. She say, "By yore daughtah havin' a frien', a trustin' frien'." She say, "Her enemy couldn't take it. She pull 'er piece off an' put it in away in de cornah or sompin. An' aftah while she have her frien' an' she come an' take it, an' give it to her frien', an' her frien' give it to her frien'. Dat's how she did to get it away."
Entry 3891
Take a cloth, yo' know lak a woman menstrate, an' yo' kin take dat cloth an' get [go to] a fresh-dug grave, an' wrap dat cloth in dat. An' dig dat dust up, an' put dat cloth in dere, an' put dat dust back down on dat cloth, see. When dis cloth rots undah dis dust, dat person will pine away to nuthin.
The source links the cloth to menstruation in the instruction; the later pining-away statement is a claim. [go to] remains editorial.
Entry 3892
Yo' git dat graveyard dust an' yo' mix dat in, yo' mix dat wit de live - what de man or de woman does. Yo' goes dere an' git de graveyard dust an' git some of dat piece from jes who yo' wanta hurt. Git dat an' mix wit dat graveyard dust an' put it wit 'er toenails. Yo' see, yo' kin git dere toenails. Dey tell, "Well, ah Want cha to cut all of my toenails off." She was dat shweethearty. All right den when yo' cut all de toenails, an' some diff'ren' strands on de floor an' den cut 'er slips - stained piece of 'er slips - cut dat an' pull all dat togethah wit dat grave dust, wit a piece of hair out of de head. An' jes' take all dat an' mix all dat togethah an' yo' put dat an' yo' sew it up in a bag. Yo' see, yo' make a little bag, yo' know, an' sew it up an' throw it undah de step. Dat's to keep you down.
Entry 3893
Yo' could take a person's monthly cloth, take it an' stop it up. Bury it in de graveyard. An' yo' kin go to dat place fo' nine mawnin's an' do de same way each time dat chew go dere. Do de same thing each time dat yo' go dere. Evah time yo' go dere, why yo' put a little bit mo' dirt on it - each time, fo' nine mawnin's. An' dey'll nevah do nuthin in dis worl' no mo'. [Here we have the symbolic grave mound, made by the magic of in- creasing amount, the opposite of magic of decreasing amount.]
Entry 3894
Takes it [blood], buries it. Aftah yo' puts graveyard dirt wit it an' cayenne peppah, dey buries it; an' aftah dey buries it, why it molts away. Why yo' molts away wit it. (What sort of blood do they get?) Why dey use, yo' know, dis women's from de soiled clothes. Yo' see, when dey lay aroun' why dey get 'em.
Entry 3895
Dey say yo' kin take a woman's piece to de cemetery an' put [on it] some saltpetah, some cayenne peppah an' some turpen- tine an' bury it. Put it in a piece of papah an' bury it an' it will rot. When it rots it'll turn yo'. It rots in yo', yo' won't be no mo' good fo' nuthin.
(What will it do?)
It'll rot chew down heah.
(It rots you and the doctor has to operate?)
Yeah, see, yo' won' have no mo' mens, it turn yo' outside.
(It turns them inside out.)
Entry 3896
Dis is true. I've seen dis experienced. If yo' wan'a hurt some woman, when 'er sickness come on 'er, yo' git one piece of 'er sickness, dig a hole in de groun', put dis graveyard dirt on top of it an' bury de piece, dirty piece, cover it up, put zher own chamber lye on five mawnin'. She'll jis' drinel [dwin- dle] away. If you'd - when dat rotten, when dat grown [grows] rotten, she's gone - when dat cloth'll rotten in dat groun'. She may leeve [live] - it may take a year, it may take it a couple of years to rotten, but she won't be worth nuthin - but she won't be worth nuthin. Evahbody says she's gone into bad health. It's jes' dirty work dat done to her.
Entry 3897
Tole yo' 'bout dey mon'ses [= monthses = months], yo' know. (If a person is tricked with this blood, menstrual blood, how can you cure it then?) Well dey drunk gunpowdah an' sweet milk.
(How would they do that?)
How dey use de gunpowdah an' sweet milk? Yo' git black gunpowdah, yo' know, an' yo' use - put aboot [about] a teaspoonfulla to a pint of milk.. "Solve [dis- solve] it well an' drink it fer nine mawnin's - a watah glassful fer nine maw- nin's. Dat will really cure yo'.
(If that man has been tricked by a woman putting blood into his food.)
DEN YO' KIN COME TO - BUT DE WAY YOU FIND OUT DE WOMAN DAT ACT'LY [ACTUALLY] DID IT, YOU'LL HAVE TO GO DE SAME ROUND OF WIMMINS DAT YO' KNOW [MAKE A TOUR OF THE KNOWN WOMEN] AN' DE ONE DAT YO' KIN ACT'LY IN- TAHCO'SE WIT, DAT'S DE ONE DAT ACT'LY DID DE TRICK, yo' see. Den if yo' can't recovah dis bottle, den milk an' gunpowdah, but not to de extent dat yo'd taken it before. See, gunpowdah an' milk is act'ly de cure fo' it jes' de same as befo'; but den if instead of puttin' one teaspoonfulla tuh a pint of watah, ah mean of milk, yo' put two of black gunpowdah - de same gunpowdah. (That is, if this woman tricked a man with her urine [mon'ses] - that is, by hiding this bottle of urine [mon'ses] under the doorsill or the mattress?) Dat's right.
Entry 3898
If it's a woman, yo' kin git some of 'er sanitary things of hers an' keep 'em yo' know. Jes' keep 'em in a close place an' put - either jes' wash 'em an' put de water in a little bottle or somepin, an' mix it wit dis Heart Cologne. An' den if yo' kin git some of de hair, put it in dere an' keep it. She goin' come back.
Entry 3899
Dey said dat a person take yore hair. Dey could take yore hair an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' keep it an' yo'll always think swell of 'em. An' ah heard dat a person could take yore hair an', or part of yore ministration rag, an' put it togethah an' one yore dirty socks, an' throw it ovahbo'd an' yo'll go crazy.
(Now somebody would do that to a woman. Take her hair and what else?)
Her ministration rag.
(And her sock. All these things [three things] belong to her?)
Yeah. Yore dirty socks definitely belongs to the woman; the man not adding his own sock to her hair and blood. He would also have driven himself away!]
Entry 3900
If a man got a woman an' he wanta keep her down, ah heard dat he'd take a piece of 'er ministration rag, an' de hair from underneat' 'er ahm [arm], an' a dirty sock, an' a piece outa huh haid, an' sew it up in a bag an' nail it 'cross de do', an' she could nevah go 'way.
(Could never leave.)
Entry 3901
Dey'll take one of de cloths dat she uses. Yo' know, her sickness, yes sir. Dey take dis cloth while she's - it dirty yo' know while she's got dat on 'er. An' den dey'll take dis an' put it in a bottle, in a small bottle. An' take dis cloth - but dis heah cloth will fill it up, make it plumb full. An' den dey'll take dat an' dey'll go tuh her house, wherevah she lives, an' put it up anywhere ovah her haid - up ovah her haid. An' den dey'll put a tight stoppah in dere an' put some watah in dere. An' put some watah in dere wit it, put a tight stoppah in dere wit dis cloth whilst it in dere. An' dey say dat'll stop 'er sickness from coming down on 'er; jes' keep it dere till it kills 'er, if dey don't nevah pull dis stoppah out. [For this folk-medicine condition, see comment in bracket later.] But when dey evah did pull dis stoppah out, if dey gits de evil dat dey got agains' 'er off an' wants tuh let 'er go free, why den dey take dis out an' let dis watah out an' den she'll live; but if dey don't, it'll kill 'er. [The preceding rite illustrates one of the great pairs of complementary rites in hoodoo; here of opposites, above and below - the walking under or over some- thing belonging to your body or having been touched by your body. In either case your spirit is divided. The menstrual blood over your head in the present rite, keeps the menstrual blood still in the body from going down. Is menstrual blood different from other blood in the body? Presumably so in folklore, for: Menstru- al blood is poisonous (FACI, 1st ed., p.248, No.5103). The term going down - coming down used in present rite - belongs to folk medicine: "When my mother was about twelve [1845] [[in or near Quincy, Ill.]], an old Indian doctor told them to wear black beads around their neck to keep the blood from going to the brain. All the girls in that time wore black beads all the time to get their monthly to come when coming into womanhood, for it made the blood come down." (FACI, 2nd ed., P.219, No.4969.] [After writing the preceding bracket, I happened to be watching the University of Michigan television program, which for us appears off and on, and comes just before my 7AM news. This was probably towards the end of 1972. A group of women were talking about the problems confronting the first American college women. One woman spoke of a Harvard professor, M.D., who in 1873 wrote a book condemning brain work for women. He maintained that mental effort by a woman made the blood rush to her head, a condition that could dry up her ovaries!]
Entry 3902
[The following rite is good illustration of one of the many headaches of hoodoo field work.] Dey feed 'im on dey period... [Three dots show that I had heard dey feed 'im on dey period so often, I turned off my machine. Informant continues talking, until I restart machine after ask- ing, How can a man get rid of that?] Well, yo' takes tuh git rid of dat, a man quit eatin' - don't eat fro 'em, an' when yo' do eat... [Again I stop machine until informant begins a cure. Just before restarting machine I ask for a repetition of the lost words:] He gits a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' evah time he eat from her, he'll take a little bit of dat, jes' [demonstrates] like, an' wipe down in his body, an' dat kill evah bit of it.
(If she is using some of her monthly?)
Yes, kill all of it.
Entry 3903
Yo' kin [take] anybody's - jes' lak a woman ministratin', yo' kin jes' take dat an' stop it up in a bottle an' bury it roun' undahneat' of 'er house.
(What will that do?)
Dat'll run 'er crazy.
Entry 3904
Well, ah have 'sperlence yo' know dealin' wit wimmins an' makin' 'em love yuh. An' so ah have, yo' know, got dere sick rags, yo' know. Yeah, ah have got dem an' den ah got some halr outa dere heads. An' so when ah put it undah de cornah of dere house where dey sleep - yo' see, right undah de cor- nah - an' when hit [sick rags] come to die [rot], well dey'll die dereselfs. When it rots dey'll die dereselfs. (Walt a minute! Did you bury both the sick rag and the hair together, or do you do that separately?) Aw, ah bury both of dem togethah, yeah. See, when it rotten, well time hit rotten well den dey'll come tuh die.
Entry 3905
Well, yo' know when de month's on, why she ministratin' like dat, he kin git dem pieces an' carry it tuh de no'th cornah of de kitchen an' bury it, run her stone crazy. (The north corner - outside of the kitchen?) Yes, dig a little hole an' put 'em right down in dere, an' de nex' three or fo' hours she be crazy as a lunatic.
Entry 3906
De only thing ah heard of 'em usin' a person's blood is fo' love. Dey generally use dat an' take nine ole keys, an' sprinkle it ovah dose nine ole keys an' tie it up with a cloth, an' put it undah yore bedhead. Yo' usually git 'long wit dat person quiet [quite] well. (Where do you get this blood?) Where do yo' git it? Easy enough. All yo' gotta do, yo' know, de womens - from dey periods.
(Put it on the nine keys. Well, what is that supposed to do?)
Dat supposed tuh make a woman [man] love yo'.
Entry 3907
Get menstrual cloth [one of her old ones], write [a note into it], "1 don't want choo to deliver this baby." Then yo' tie knot in it an' twist. Bury.
Entry 3908
Git a string an' tie three knots, a man would do dis, an' git a drop or two of blood from a woman an' wear it aroun' 'is waist, an' he'll be able tuh hold dat woman. (Where would he get the blood from her?) Durin' de time of 'er ministration.
Entry 3909
He'd [author's contact man Carter] ask me if yo' wanta woman to stay wit yuh, how coot [could] cha make 'em stay wit yo'. Well, ah've been tole, see. Now jes' like she's - jes' like she goes an' have her, yo' know what I mean by dat. Well, yo' git dat rag an' yo' wrop it up into anothah rag, see, an' yo' tie it longways an' yo' bring it across [demonstrates]. Yo' put three knots in it, see. Bury in yore yard. Well, she couldn't leave yo' fer nuthin in de world. She goes, but she will have to come back. (Here's her rag, and you put it here and wrap it up. You have another rag there.) De longways first, one knot. No, don't put no knot longways. Yo' jes' - jes' like yo' tie a package, yo' see. Tie it longwise, an' come an' tie it across.
[Tying this package longwise and across makes sign of the cross.]
(You tie the string.)
Yes.
(I see.)
Sure, an' yo' put three knots in it.
(Three knots into that.)
Three knots onto dat cloth yo' tie up de rag in.
Entry 3910
Well, yo' kin take nine knots, yo' know. A woman kin take dat rag, yo' know, an' tie nine knots in it an' [or] she'll take a string an' tie nine knots in it, yo' know. An' when she make yo' coffee, see, she drop dat string in yo' coffee fo' about sev'ral mawnin's an' yo' become, yo' can't hardly bear 'er out of yore sight.
(What does she do with that string first?)
What she do wit de string, she take de string - yo' know whut wimmins have while dey be - an' git dat on de string yo' know, an' den put nine knots in it an' put it in de coffee. (That is from her monthly cloth. She puts nine knots in that and then puts it into your coffee.) Yo' drink of dat, see, an' yo' come to - yo' can't do wit'out 'er.
Entry 3911
I've heard dis-like, it seems purtty bad. I don't guess it would suit yore occasion. Now I heard talk of lotsa men an' girls dat I really been roun', an' said dat dey really did it, an' a boy couldn't go no place wit'out dey'd be right - yo' know, she couldn't go anywhere wit'out 'er husban' or man or fellah or whutsoevah it might be, be right where she wus. Yo' know, jis' like sometime a woman have periods, she would go to de stores an' buy some kin'a red meat, choo know, dat produce a lot of blood - sompin like livah or steak or sompin like dat. An' she said dat she'd taken dis steak [or liver] an' beat it up an' taken one dem things [menstrual cloth], yo' know, from roun' 'er concern, an' wrap dat thing up in dere, an' wore it jes about a half of day an' taken it right off. An' when 'er husban' come in she, yo' know, cooked it fo' 'i. An' he went on an' et [ate] it. An' she said dat she cain't even git rid of 'im, an' she don't wan'a stay wit 'im, or cain't git rid of 'im. Yo' know, some witchcraft tole her about it. An' she says [saz not sez] it really happens fo' a fac' [fact]. An' I do know dat he's stays tuh wery lovin'. But anothah man stay wit 'er right now. But 'er husban' cain't stay away from dere. He's goin' dere to care [carry] 'er some money dis aftahnoon. He tole me so. He gon'a bring 'er some money fer 'er an' 'er baby.
Entry 3912
[There is a fair amount of material about woman and de change of de moon (HOODOO p.946, line 40; p.359, Nos.956-957; also FACI, 2nd ed., p.220, No.4985, etc.).] Yo' take a woman, if yo' wanta change her periodic time, yo' kin change dat on 'er against de moon. Yo' kin take somepin [some of her blood], if yo' vanta put 'er in bad health on account of 'er periodic time. De firs' time yo' git one of 'er pieces, when she's menistratin' on de change of de moon, yo' bury it. De las' piece dat yo' got from 'er, from 'er las' ministration, bury it on de change of de moon - when de moon is fading away.
(When the moon is fading away.)
De moon is about to make its descent, yo' [can] see dat. Dey has got to de full moon an' dey come on down to de las' quartah. When de moon is about to make its nex' change, den yo' bury dis piece when de moon is changin'. Yo' bury dat pahtic'lah piece from 'er las' menstration an' she'll nevah menstrate propahly aftah dat long as she live. When dat's buried.
Entry 3913
On de changes of de moon, her sick time, she'll ketch dat. She'll git dat out de cloth an' she put dat into sompin, into anythin' yo' know. Some time she makes bread, sweetbread, she'll pour dis in dere. Dat'll run 'im crazy about 'er. As long as she keeps dat up, he'll be crazy about 'er.
(But it has to be done on the change of the moon?)
Oh, yes.
(Why the change of the moon?)
Well, yo' see dat's de time women wanta be roun' like dat, yo' know.
Entry 3914
(What do they say about that?)
Dey say dey kin take de dirt out from undah yore toenails, an' de dirt out from undah yore fingahnails, some hair outa yore haid, an' wit de lady people, yo' know, wit de changes of de moon. An' put all togethah an' put hit in a bottle an' stop it up, an' as hit grow old as dey fade away. (As it grows old they fade away. I see. Do you mean, get hold of a woman's monthly cloth?)
[I am asking for the meaning of his de changes of de moon.]
Yes, sir.
Entry 3915
I hears dis here now, on de change of de moon - accordin' to de moon change. Dey say if yo' wan'a woman to con [continue] stay wit choo, yo' git 'er nachure [nature, here her menstrual blood but some- time potency, sexual feeling, etc.] an' git 'er shimmy. An' when she minestratin' - she minastrate by de moon, see. An' dey take dis all an' work it up in boilin'-hot watah, an' make 'er sleep on it fah' five days - whut I mean, five nights - wit salt, table salt [not cattle salt] an' it conkers 'er in 'er minastrate. She don't wan'a bothah wit nobody. [This is a cause of sexual impotence but I have placed it here for the moon belief.]
Entry 3916
Ah'm goin' tell yo' somepin dat I saw here in '23 - was in '23. Ah wus workin' fo' Halstrom Brothers. An' my firs' wife - it was a girl lived right side of us named Theresa Jackson, an' my firs' wife helped to raise dis girl. Well, dis girl, she was a stout girl, an' she was workin' fo' Dr. Knox[?]. All at once she'd taken sick an' we couldn't undahstan' why she wus sick all de time. An' ah says to her, say, "You're workin' fo' dat doctah, say, "whyn't yo' tell de doc- tah 'bout it, how bad yo' feel?" Well, dere she would go to work an' have to leave work to come home. An' she tole de doctah 'bout it. Well, de doctah say he couldn't fin' no trouble - yo' know, what was 'er complaint. So she wus off on 'er off-day an' she said, "Ah'm goin' clean up my house. Ah'm goin' from de stern-wheel to de rudder" [surely an old Mississippi River expression]. Says, "All right." Ah was layin' down sleepin'. Ah been workin' at night. An' dis girl goin' to clean up 'er house. An' right behind de middle door, she found a bottle an' a little bag. Well, when she found dis bottle an' little bag, she brought it an' showed it to my wife. My wife said to her, "Ah'm goin' to wake Steve up an' tell 'im 'bout it." Which she did wake me up. When she woke me up, ah took it an' ah looked at it, say, "Dis looks mighty funny to me. I said, give me a knife." I said, "I'm goin' open dis bag." Ah opened de bag. It had a plat of 'er hair, outa her head. It had three pieces outa her pieces, yo' know, about dat size.
(Out of her monthly clothes?)
Yes. An' it had some lodestone in dere an' it had some needles an' some pins crossed dataway [demonstrates], see.
(Held that way with two crosses in it?)
Yes, sir. An' it had dat hair undah dere an' jes' like - jes' like my thumb is de hair, an' right along dere was de lodestone, see, into dis piece, an' dey had it sewed up. See. And he [the man who had tricked her] had de bottle wit 'er mon'ses [months] in hit.
(Which?)
[I either did not grasp mon'ses or wanted a fuller explanation.]
It had, yo' know, change over de moon in de bottle.
(I see.)
An' I opened it an' taked de stoppah outa de bottle an' it was jes' worsen [worse than] anythin' yo' evah smelled in yore life. Ah says to her, ah says, "Yo' take dis out dere" - ah always heard my ole uncle say dese things - ah say, "and throw it in dat runnin' watah." Dere was a little bayou - part of de bayou right back dere - part of de bridge an' de little bayou run undahneat' dere.
(Where?)
Little bayou right out chere on Rogers Street. An' she - ah say, "Now, you throw dat ovah yore left shoulder an' don't look back." An' she went out dere an' throwed it ovah her lef' shouldah in dat runnin' watah. An' he left. Dat fellow come home, but when he come home he rushed right on in de house. He says to her, "What yo' been doin' here?" She say, "Ah been cleanin' up." He say, "Yo' don't nevah clean up." He said, "Did yo' find anything of mine?" She said, "No, I find somepin of mine." He says, "What wus it?" Ah says, "If he hits yo today, I'm goin' woop 'im an' [or] he gon'a woop me eithah one." So he hauled away an' he hit 'er, an' when he hit 'er, I grabbed 'im. An' he lef' an' went to Paducah, Ky. He lef' dere an' went to Oil City, Ill. He lef' dere an' come back here to her an' stayed three days, an' went to Natchez an' she ain't been worried wit 'im since. An' she's married an' she is jes' as stout as she evah wus, an' de mothah of a child.
(She got rid of him, got rid of the fellow.)
Entry 3917
Take dey sanitary cloth an' roll it up aroun' dat hair wit de quick- silvah in it, an' den yo' stick dose needles in dere, yo' see, an' yo' put it in a secret place somewhere. An' dey'll be worried to death wit dat, an' natchly [naturally] it will run 'em crazy. (You told me something a while ago. How does it make them feel, you say?) Oh! it makes 'em feel lak pins is stickin' in 'em - in dey flesh or somepin all de while.
Entry 3918
I can send 'em away in dis mannah. Now, if I would - say fo' ninstance if I wanted to kill a person or somepin of dat sort, why den, man or woman. If it wus a woman, I could take an' - I'd take her pieces, yo' know, when dey dirty. I'd fold 'em up an' put nine needles in 'em. I'd take an' I'd go to de riv- ah, but when I get to de rivah, when I gets jes' about twenty feets of de end of de walk where I'm goin' to stand at - dere's de wall [of the room] heah, when I get jes' about twenty feets right heah, I'd back myself back to dat, see. An I wouldn't look back, jes' back up to dere. When I gets dere I throws dat over mah left shouldah. When I throw dat in de rivah ovah mah left shouldah. I throws a silvah dime behind me, an' dat'll make her drift. She'll pine away to nuthin an' when yo' look again, why she'll be in de cemetery.
(Well, what do you throw over your shoulder?)
[I know, but I am continuing for the dime later.]
I throw 'er pieces ovah my shouldah.
(Oh! What do you mean, her monthly pieces?)
Yes, sir.
(Her monthly pieces?)
Yes.
(Well, why do you throw that dime over your shoulder?)
Dat dime is fo' death. Dat dime is to carry her on - see, dat dime is to carry her on. She's got to go.
(Does anybody get that dime? Pay her?)
[Informant already has said that dime is: for death, but I am trying to obtain a fuller statement without suggesting what I want - the dime pays the spirit for doing the desired work.] No, no, sir, nobody gets dat dime. Dat dime goes in de rivah. Nobody gets dat dime.
Entry 3919
[HERE IS VERSION ONE OF THE RITE:]
Well, she goin' bring 'im home an' make 'im stay dere wit 'er. She'll take dat [sanitary] cloth an' take dem needles, dem nine needles an' cross 'em, take a silvah dime from 'i血m if she kin git it, an' take a piece of 'is hair outa his haid an' tie it, an' sew it all up in dat cloth togethah, an' cross it - crosses dose needles lak dat [demonstrates] - dat way. [The crossing of needles or pins in a cloth is a frequent magic act. Each needle or pin is stuck into the cloth so that it crosses over one or more needle or pin.] Well, aftah she do dat, she takes it an' puts it in 'er pocket. If it's nec- essary she wears it all de time.
Entry 3920
[HERE IS VERSION TWO OF THE RITE:]
Dey kin take yore hair an' put it into a cloth an' put some mo' things wit it. Put needle in dere. Take two or three gold-eye needles, take yore hair an' take a sanitary cloth, an' sew it all up in dere togethah an' a silvah dime. Git a silvah dime from me [a man] an' sew dat all up dere togethah, an cross dem nee- dles in dere an' keep 'em. Well, yo' would always be crossed. (Someone would do this to a woman. You said you put a sanitary cloth. Where Would you get this sanitary cloth? You mean her monthly cloth. Well, you Would have to be doing this to a woman then?) Yeah, yo' doin' it to a woman, or eithah to a man.
(How Would you do it to the man?)
Dat's whut ah'm tellin' yo' now, dat's de way yo' would do to a man.
Entry 3921
An' den a woman tole me dat she take an' she trick 'er husban' wit 'er periods. She take it an' she feed 'im wit fo' nine mawnin's. An' aftah dat nine mawnin's he would do anythin' dat she want 'im tuh do.[ When she tell 'im, "Yo' not goin' go no place, " he'd stay at home. She'd be able tuh change his mind.
Entry 3922
Yo' kin take a chicken gizzard an' take it an' let it dry up, jis' let it dry up an' make a powdah outa it. An' jis' lak if yo' wanta make yore husban' crazy about chew, well yo' take dat chicken gizzard an' git some of yore mon'ses [= month- ses = months] an' mix it wit dat chicken giz- zard an' - see, yo' put chure monthlies on dat chicken gizzard whilst it's green an' let it dry up. An' den jis' lak yo' make a pie or sompin else, yo' pound dat up into a powdah an' sprinkle it in 'is coffee or bread or anything, an' he'll jis' be crazy about chew an' follah yo' evahwhere yo' go. AN' EVAH TIME HE SEE A MAN WIT CHEW HE JUMP ON YO' AN' BEAT CHEW.
(Whowill?)
Yore husban' or any man yo' goin' wit.
Entry 3923
De othah way dey do dat, jes' lak a woman when she be's ministratin', she takes dat an' she puts it in a cake. An' she 'solve [dissolve] dat intuh dat cake, see. He eat dat an' he stop runnin' roun' wit evahbody else but.'er.
Entry 3924
I have heard dat dey kin take yore - take a sanitary cloth, rinsin' [it], put it in cake. Cook it in cake an' give it tuh whomsomevah yo' wants tuh love yuh. An' yo' give it tuh 'em de firs' time, hit takes effect; an' if yo' give it tuh dem de secon' time, if yo' want 'em tuh marry yuh, why dey'll marry yuh.
The informant reports hearing about a sanitary cloth in a cake account. The claimed love and marriage effects are unverified.
Entry 3925
An' dere anothah one. She kin take her monthlies an' if yo's eatin' dere, an' put it in a li'le bread, an' yo' go wit nobody else but 'er. It make no diff'rence how many wimmins or whut dey got, yo' don't care fo' nobody but 'er.