Browse:ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS (Volume 5, entries 9441–10605)/Part 4
ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS
Volume 5, entries 9441–10605. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 9681
An' tuh avoid thin's lak dat tuh keep people away from yore house, lak dat - yo' kin take a piece of quicksilvah an' some table salt. An' mix it in, if yo' kin git somepin from 'em, a piece of deres. An' throw it away tuhward dey house an' dey won't nevah One tuh yore house any mo'.
Entry 9682
You take some salt, get you some soda and some rainwater. You understand, that's about the best. All right, you get up there and you mop good, and anywhere those people wants to make you move, then they cn't make you move.
(You do that so that they can't make you move?)
Sure, ah knows that positively.
Entry 9683
They say that if a person doesn't like you, they'll draw a ring in the road right at your house and they'll sprinkle salt, soda, ashes, lime, other chemicals, sulphur. That will keep you from being an enemy against him. SPRINKLE IN IT: ASHES - LIME - SALT - SODA - SULPHUR
Entry 9684
Jis' like if your husband was goin' with someone else, [I know] of a remedy that would break that up, and that is one heaping tablespoonful of salt. You dip up this here, a tablespoonful of salt, pick it up, an' you take yuh hand an' brush it off [level the salt]. An' you pour that over there on the Papah. Then do the same with de sulphur. An' you brush that off [take a table- Spoon level-full of sulphur] an' pour it into this [salt]. Then take one pinch of saltpeter an' you put this into this [salt and sulphur]. Then you make [mix] it up real good an' start from the front door, go upstairs, you go backwards, sprinkle this. An' they say when he walks over this, it'll break 'em up.
Entry 9685
An' if yo' don't want 'em tuh come tuh yore house, yo' take table salt an' snake dust - cos' [of course] snake dust will kill yo'. Dey throw it at chew when yo' goin' tuh de house. Yo' take dat an' chunk it. Dey call it throwin' it at chew, but dey don't throw it at chew, dey put it down fo' yo' tuh walk ovah it. But if dey don't want chew tuh come tuh de house, yo' take one of yore right-foot shoes, an' sweep dat shoe, dirt an' all out de do', an' den dey'll walk backward from dat shoe in de house. Dey ain't comin' back no mo'.
(Whose shoe do they put out there?)
Yores. Jes' put a little table salt in dere. Dat will carry dem away.
(What do you do with the snake dust?)
Dat snake dust? Well, now, dat's tuh kill yo'. Dey won' do nuthin but jes' pur dat down, right down in yore pathway.
(Where you can walk over it?)
Yessuh, an' yo' walk ovah it. (But if they want to get rid of you, they just put that salt in your shoe and seep it out?) Yessuh. But dat snake dust, if yo' walks ovah dat snake dust an' dey got it in dere, why dat'll git chew, see, 'cuz dey got dat lodestone in it, yo' see.
Entry 9686
Tuh keep de policemens away from de house ag'in, yo' kin git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some salt an' soda an' mix it all tuhgethah. An' git up evah mawnin' about five a'clock an' put it in each cornah of yuh house, each cornah fo' nine mawnin's, an' dat will shore keep 'em away from yuh house.
Entry 9687
If yo' don't want no one in yore house, in yore room, an' when dey leave out, yo' take de salt an' sprinkle it in behin' 'em an' sweep, an' den spit init. Dey'll nevah come in yore house ag'in.
Entry 9688
If they don't like you and want you out of the way, the way they do, they goes to the [hoodoo] drug store and they buys some steel dust and lodestone. And they put black pepper and salt in it, and they sprinkle it around your step, see. And when they sprinkle it around your step, that'll move you.
Entry 9689
Well, you take that and say: Sugar, you is de sweetening of all things. I want you to sweeten dis man for me. Salt, [you] gives peace of all things. I want you to keep this man for me personally free from any other woman. Then you mix it all up together and take it like that in nine pinches. Then put it on the red-hot stove and burn it. And your home will be happy. (That is, you burn both the salt and the sugar together.)
Entry 9690
Now, if yuh wife runnin' aroun' an' yo' wanta stop 'er, yo' git chew some sugah, table salt an' sulphuh an' put it in - take a saucah an' mix it up, lak dat, an' evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's - yo' got a woman an' she got a man, an' yo' wanta break 'em up. Yo' take an' put dat in de cornah of yuh house. Jes' take a pinch of it an' put it, In de Name of de Lord, ah wish yo'd quit runnin' round. Evah time yo' put it down in de cornah of de house.
(Put it in the four corners?)
Yassuh, de fo' cornahs of de house, put it in dere, an' dat'll stop 'er from runnin' roun'.
Entry 9691
Well, yo' kin burn shoes fo' luck. Jis' put 'em in de stove an' burn 'em. Sprinkle salt an' sugah on 'em fo' luck.
Entry 9692
Jes' lak if ah had a husban' an' he don' nevah stay at home, an' ah wanted tuh keep 'im at home. Well, ah kin jes' take table sugah an' salt an' mix a little of it tuhgethah an' weah it undah mah ahms. Well, dat'll make 'im draw, love yo'; yo' know, make 'im git close tuh yo'.
Entry 9693
Jis' lak he move intuh yuh house an' yo' want 'im outa dis house. Yo' take an' git chew some salt an' sugah an' put in dere an' he'll leave jis' fo' dat [sugar and salt. He leaves because he thinks some enemy is "throwing" for him].
Entry 9694
Anyone take salt an' li'l' sugah an' sprinkle it rom', an' dat brings luck tuh yo'. Dat's tuh keep a job, so no man kin mow yo' doon - tuh hold a job.
Entry 9695
Git some sulphur an' some table salt - not physic salt - table salt, an' lay it in yore shoe when yo' certain... [informant is re- peating].
(They can't put anything down for you to walk over it.)
No sir, dat sulphur an' salt supposed tuh...
Entry 9696
One of the greatest things for luck, you get a little sulphur an' a little lard an' a little salt, an' put that together an' wear that in a bag around your neck. That will keep all hoodoos, all cunjures and all evils away from you.
Entry 9697
Now in case yo' want a job, yo' coming on de job [you are at the place where you want the job], put de footprint of yuh boss between dis sulphuh an'black peppah. Yo' will make a bag out'a it an' keeps it aroun' yuh neck, yo see, an' de spirit of yuh boss will always be along wit chew; yo' see. An' fer dat reason, he will nevah have yuh runned aay, as long as he have any incidental business [usually called odd jobs] at aWl. An' now, in ordah tuh fin' dout [find out] from any man de truth about dese chings. It's nuthin but such a simple thing as sulphuh an' salt, dat chew'll put In yuh pocket. An' if he [boss] wants yuh aroun', he will tell yuh; an' if not, dy he'll run yuh out'a dere.
(That's if you are hunting a job?)
Yes. No suh! Dat in case dat chew huntin' one: jes' de same uh [as] many as [men], yo' know, goin' aftah a job an' dey [boss] always puttin' yo'off puttin' yo' off. Well, if yo' directly wanted tuh find out if he gona give yo' dis job or not, den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' put a li'l' sulphuh an' a li'l' salt in dis papah, an' yo' wrap it up verah carefully an' keep it in yuh Ppcket. An' when yo' go tuh 'im, why he'll have tuh tell yo' what he's goin' tuh do; vhethah he goin' tuh give somepin.
(I see. He has to tell you whether he is going to give you a job or not.)
Entry 9698
(Do what?)
Sulphur.
(You get some sulphur.)
And sprinkle it on your front and back steps, and get some disinterested per- son to get a fresh box of table salt, you know that never been used out of it, and just sprinkle it and someone clean house with it and sweep it out, you bound to move. (I see. You bury the sul- phur under the front steps and back steps, and then you have to have this salt.) Table salt.
(That hasn't been used. What do you do with that salt now?)
Sprinkle it in the house and just like if I, you know, come in or walk out, well then as soon as I walk out, then you sweep my tracks, sole and all out to- gether, and say, "Well, that settles it. You won't come back, again."
Entry 9699
Ah've hear'd dat de ole folks used tuh say if a party come tuh mah house or sompin an' [I] gits ti'ed [tired] of 'em, says take some sulphur an' salt an' sprinkle it on de flo' when she leave an' sweep it out. An' dey say she'll stay away.
Entry 9700
If dey wanta be protected aroun' de home sometime, it's a very simple thing dat dey kin do tuh bring protection. Dey do dat befo' de sunrise. Dat is tuh take some table salt an' sulphuh an' fo' seven mawnin's befo' de sun rise, yo' git up an' turn yore back tuhwards de sunrise. An' jes' take dat salt an' sulphuh all composed tuhgethah an' jes' throw it up in de air. An' dat supposed tuh protect de home.
Entry 9701
Heah de thing dat he do if he believe in dis [tricking]. He jes' go tuh work an' jes' as he walk out de house, he.begin tuh sprinkle sulphuh an' salt.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat'll keep de othah mens back.
(While he is gone?)
Dat's right.
Entry 9702
The way now to do to git rid of folks - there's folks in your home an' you wan'a git rid of 'em. Yo' take sulphur an' salt - cooking salt yo' know - yo' mix it together an' jis' start right from your bed- room an' sprinkle it all aroun' in there, an' right on out the hall, right on out the steps, right on the steps, right on out de walk, an' jis' throw it north. An' that's supposin' to go out [make a person leave] if there's anybody they wan'a go out, they go out. An' if there's anybody you don't prefer comin' in there, they won't come in.
Entry 9703
About dat keepin' de person from hurtin' yuh, well dey say yo' take dis salt an' sprinkle it roun' in de fo' cornahs of yuh house. Do dat fo' nine mawnin's - dat sulphuh an' salt.
(Is the salt separately or the salt and sulphur - separate or together?)
Each sep'rately, each of 'em. (Each one of them is a different method of keeping a person away.) Yes sir, each one separately. An' yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's. [Despite my last comment and informant's agreement, I now think sulphur and salt are thrown successively, one after the other, into each of four corners.]
Entry 9704
Well, yo' take, get one - yo' callin' all de time - yo' git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some table salt, an' mix dat tuhgethah an' make yo' a dust. Be callin' all de time. [Call anything you want to: Quarrels in this house must stop.] Jes' cake it an' scattah it right in front dat do'. Always scattah it all ovah de house an' jes' bend as yo' walk all ovah. [Why performer bends over I do not lmov. Like a wounded bird is operator deceiving the spirit working the spell?]
(What will that do?)
Dat'll stop de fuss. (Stop the fuss in the house.) [Kills whatever conjure started and continues the quarrels.]
Entry 9705
Well, dey say yo' kin take sulphuh an' salt, an' yo' kin jes' go dere lak yo' visitin'. An' yo' kin go dere an' strew it roun' dere in dat house as yo' walkin' roun' dere. If yo' got a coat dat's got a hole in de pocket, yo' kin run yore han' down in dat pocket an' yo' have dis in a papah or somepin, dat yo' kin jes' lose a li'l' bit at de time out'a it. Yo' have yore han' [in your pocket]. [This hole-in-the pocket is fairly common and known everyvhere.] Or yo' kin walk behin' 'em, lak it somebody yo' talk wit a whole lot, an' yo' kin jes' sprinkle dat salt an' sulphuh. An' in talkin' tuh dem yo' ldn be cursin' dem in yore mind.'Son-of-a-bitch, git out!" Sompin lak dat. An' it's true dat dey will move. In de ninth mawnin' de' will move.
Entry 9706
If yo' stayin' in a house an' de rent man wanta come dere tuh put chew oot an' yo' don' wanta git out, why yo' ain't gotta git out. Yo' kin fix a way tuh stay dere. Yo' kin go evah mawnin' jes' 'bout time fo' him tuh come - jes' lak if he dowp dere an' yo' see him comin', yo' jes' go tuh work an' take some sulphuh an' salt an' throw it in de fiah. Boa't let no one see yo' an' make a path. He'll ride right on by yuh house. "Caz why ah know dat? "Cuz de girl ah stayed wit she done dat, an' we didn't pay rent fo' God knows how long. An' ah axed 'er why she do dat, an' she say dat's luck.
Entry 9707
An' den, yo' kin take- dey say if yo' take table salt an' yo' mix it wit sulphuh an' anybody - jes' lak anybody ame tuh yore house an' yo' don' want 'em dere any mo', jes' sprinkle it down behin' 'em an' sweep yo' flo' an' curse 'em, dey says dey won' come any mo'.
(How do you seep your floor - just anyway?)
Well yo' jes' sweep it right on out tuh de do' behin' 'em - if yo' havin trouble wit chure [bill] collectah or sompin lak dat. If yo' do him lak dat,
[he'll stay away].
Entry 9708
Take some table salt an' some sulphur an' put togethah an' mix it up very good, an' burn that table salt an' sulphur, say, Ah burn this in the Name of the Father, the Son an' the Holy Ghost. An' it will pass away. (What will pass away?) All interferences in mah business. (If anybody is trying to interfere with your business, that'll kill that out.) Dat'll kill that out.
Entry 9709
Yo' take an' burn salt an' sulphur in de house on a Friday - yo' sacrificin' - an' someone will soon come. (To rent the house.) Yes sir.
Entry 9710
If yo' mad wit a man an' wan'a kill 'is timbah or ruin 'is timbah on 'is place [farm], yo' go dere an' bo' li'l' holes in it an' put sulphuh an' salt in dem holes. Dat'll kill 'is timbah.
Entry 9711
Salt an' sugah an' perfume; de three combine an' dey say dat brings de crowd in. Or eithah de kind of incense yo' burn will bring 'em in.
Entry 9712
Lak if yo' wan'a job, dey tell me sompin but ah have nevah tried it. Lak if yo' wanted a job, ah heah de boys say, go tuh de bossman's house. An' aftah yo' go tuh 'is house - lak if yo' go dere an' try tuh git a li'l' work tuh do roun' dere. Prob'ly yo' fine some things roun' dere dat he's got or somepin he weahs or somepin lak dat. Yo' take dis. An' yo' come back an' take it tuh yore home. An' yo' come back an' yo' take dis turpentine an' olive oil an' salt. An' yo' take dis stuff an' yo' fix it up. Well, aftah yo' take dis stuff an' fix it up, yo' take an' care [carry] it back tuh dis bossman's house. An' yo' take an' hide it up undah, anywhere undah where he walks aroun' in 'is room. Yo' take dat stuff an' yo' care it right dere, an' put it somewheah in 'is room, wheah he kin walk ovah it. Well, yo' take it den. Yo' take an' go back an' git it if yo kin git back an' git it. Git back an' git it. Meanwhile he wuz workin' aroun'. An' yo' take an' bury it. Lak he's got a desk wheah he do's 'is writin', keepin' time, or sompin lak dat. Yo' take an' put it up undahneat' de desk or sompin othah lak dat. An' dey say dat stuff, whut chew put in dat stuff, will take effect on 'im. An' den yo'll come tuh 'im an' he says, "Well" - when yo' ast 'im fo' a job - "come to work." He'll give yo' job. Dat stuff will take effect on 'in, work on 'im in a way, an' he'll have tuh give yo' a job.
Entry 9713
Git chew some salt. Sprinkle it down an' as dey go out de do' sweep it out behin' 'em. Take it [salt] tuh de back do', sprinkle it down. Dey call it de free-runnin' salt. Yo' heah 'em talk 'bout dat, de free-runnin' salt. Take dat an' sprinkle it out [of the container] chew know an' as dey go, sweep it behin' 'em. An' keep it [more salt] mdah de do'steps unbeknownst tuh 'em. [Free-running salt was an advertising device of a salt company at this period of time; it was not a hoodoo expression.] Well, yo' take yore watah dat chew make during de night, let it set two or three days, an' chunk it undah de steps. An' it won' be long 'fore dey runnin' 'gay from dere. Dey can't stay dere. Ah know dat's true.
(If you are trying to get rid of somebody in your house.)
Yes, an' yo' don' wan' 'em dere, yo' see.
Entry 9714
(What did you tell me about the forks of the road?)
Yo' go out - yo' take chamber lye. Yo' know, just like if yo' wan'a man, yo' lgc - yo' wan'a make de man, yo' know, go an' leave yuh alone; or make 'im come, eithah one. Yo' take both yuhs [yours] chamber lye. (His chamber lye and the woman's chamber lye.) Yes sir. Mix dat tuhgethah. Take dat tuh de three fo'ks of de road [a "Y" fork, road separating to right and left]. Yo' take a brand-new bor of salt, which yo' ain't nevah used out of, an' go tuh three fo'ks of de road. Bell, de right - de one dat's tuh de right, yo' take dat chamber lye an', if yo' gnim tuh go an' stay an' don' nevah come back - don' wanta be bothahed - yo [use] curse words. Yo' make a curse word an' throw it [salt] down at de point [where one road separates into two].
(The right road?)
Yes, sir. Yo' thrown it down dat right road [the right fork of the "Y"]. An' if yo' wan' 'im tuh come back an' stay, yo' throw it down dis left one [left fork of the "Y"].
(I see.)
An' make all curse words, if yo' wanta 'im tuh stay, come back yo' know, go. (I see. You throw it down the right [fork] to make him go away, and the left to make him come back?) Yes, sir. You see, yo' throw it back this way [demonstrates].
(You throw it back towards you?)
Yes.
(And when you make him go away, which way do you throw it?)
Tuh de right.
(Do you throw it towards you or away from you?)
Yo' see, yo' throw it jes' lak dis, yo' see [demonstrates]. Throw it jes' lak Lr, yo' know, jes' lak dat. Lak yo' go, go tuh de right. When yo' wan' 'im tuh g back an' stay, well yo' throw it jes' lak dat, an' make yuh curse words, J' know, what yo' wan' 'im tuh do: Come back an' do [better]. Bring yo' money. Take yo' an' do lak dat, yo' know - jes' throw it lak dat [demonstrates].
(That brings him back.)
In de left one [fork] dat salt what yo' nevah used out of, yo' throw dat salt dat way [to the left]. An' dat way [demonstrates].
(I see. What will that do?)
Dat makes 'im go tuh stay, tuh de lef'. [Informant finally has the proper forks: left to send away, right to bring back.]
(To the left makes him go away - scatters him away?)
Yes, sir. This salt yo' have, had used out of [the package].
(I see. You don't throw that chamber lye down that left road, do you?)
No, sir. Yo' throw de chamber lye dis way, yo' see [demonstrates].
(But you throw that [urine] to the right?)
Yes, sir.
(And the salt to the left?)
Yes, sir. [There are a number of rites concerning the "Y" fork of roads. Here the urine thrown to the right brings the man back, salt to the left sends or keeps him away.]
Entry 9715
Salt an' a little chamber lye an' a little vinegah, an' sprin- kle roun' yore do' will keep de law back. Dat's whut ah've heard. [Waycross, Ga., (1092), 1759:1.] [These four sticking or sharp-pointed instruments are of great importance in HOODOO, but usually they appear not alone or together but as parts of rites having more complex elements. For example we have: 4 new needles crossed in a handker- chief and folded 4 times to you, creating 16 squares, a rare example of "geometric progression" (for folding rites see 3182-3190, v.3) where the principal concern is neither needle nor folding but CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE (No.3162, p.2352, v.3). Another use of 4 needles does not appear in our present section because it is more useful elsewhere bringing back a murderer (MURDER, No.7316, p.3251, v.4). Yet nails, needles and pins, and tacks - isolated by themselves or in combinations - remain numerous, important and interesting, as we shall find in our first belief.]
Entry 9716
Yo' kin take a nail - a spike. Take dat an' kill a puhson. Ah tell yuh whut. Nail dat about de height of de puhson. Yo' care dat tuh a tree an' yo' kin care it in dis country [South Carolina] - yo' care it tuh whut's known as a workin' pine. Dat's de lady pine. Dere's a he an' a she, yo' know, suh, in de pine trees. An' yo' care it tuh dat. Go dere early in de mawnin'. An' dere's anothah one. Yo' kin care it tuh a peah [pear] tree an' drive it in dere about de height of 'em [the victim]. Drive dat in dere. Call 'em, hit it, drive it in dere hard, Ah drive dis spike intuh yore reart, dat no longah shall yo' Zive'r [live or] remain on earth. Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Den turn roun' an' call dem. Call dem, but don't put yore hamah or hatchet down. Hold it in a drivin' position. Drive it! An' evah tine yo' drive yo' say, Die! Die! Dat'll bring on quick-enough death. Drive it! Tell 'em yo' drivin' it through dey heart, dey witals an' weins. Yo' shall Die! Die! Yo' must die! Yo' shall die!
Entry 9717
Go to the fork of a road, like that [demonstrates] and take a brand-new ten-penny nail. And they pin [drive] that nail down. Just like you want a girl or somepin, they pin that nail down and say a prayer about nine times. And they put that [nail] down in and put a hand- kerchief down over it. After they put the handkerchief down, and let it stay over there [the driven nail] and get the handkerchief before the pert morning before the sun rise. And they say that'll get that girl. You take the handkerchief and wear it. And after that you go to the girl and take it out of your pocket, like that, like you is playing with it, and get [flutter] it around her face. [The spirit of the conquered nail, fortified by the power of the spirit of the fork of the road, is carried to confront the girl!] ]
Entry 9718
Take a nail, a ten-penny nail, jes' about de height of dis [demon- strates] an' cut it off. Cut off de top [head] of it an' wrap it [headless nail] aroun' wit a piece of black thread nine times. An' stick in de cornah of 'er house an' call 'er name, an' in nine days she'll return. Regardless tuh where she is, she'll come back. Her min' jes' git worried up an frettin' so she cain't stay [away] an' she have tuh come.
(Cut off the top, the head of that nail?)
Cut it off. [This rite could have been placed under NAME, Pp.3497-3589, v.4.]
Entry 9719
And dey wanted tuh, dey could take a big nail an' carry it tuh a oak Tree on de [property] line of dis man's land, yuh undahstan', an' drive dis nail in dere an' make a wish when he'd drive it in dere. An' he.could stay down dere an' do as hdchase as long as he wants. De man voeld never put 'im away - put him off [the land]. (Off, I see. If some man is on a piece of ground - land out here - and he wnts to stay and he doesn't want to be put off, he will go to this oak tree. Ad where would this oak tree be?) Neah de line, de [boundary] line of de land.
(Oh, it must be near the line?)
His land an' somebody else's, yo' know. Yo' see, gen'ly [generally] dere's a line of trees out on dere [property line of farm]. Yo' know, there is de line of orees somewhere neah it. An' drive it in a oak tree, yo' see. Blow 'is breath on it three times an' make a wish [also 3 magic actions: drive, wish, breathe].
(What will that do for him then?)
Hell, he kin stay dere long as he choose.
(He just stays there as long as he wants to?)
Yeah, an' he don't pay no rent.
Entry 9720
Take a bar of Octagon Soap [trade name] if someone want chew to move out dis house. An' jest take yo' a nail, a tenpenny nail, if yo' want to stay dere right along, an' drive in dat nail [soap]. An' put dat in de no'th corner [ a cor- ner on the north side] of de house, an' dere can't nobody git chew outa dat house long as yo' wanta stay dere.
Entry 9721
They say you can take a new tenpenny nail and if you want the man, why you can drive that down, beside your bed, in the floor. And if that makes you be the first place that you walk over in the morning and the last place in the night, and that'll make him come to you and come under your control.
Entry 9722
Yo' kin take a twentypenny nail an' dress it wit High John de Conkah stuff an' dope it evah mawnin' an' evah night. An' take an' drive it neah yore house, drive 'em [informant changes to two nails] in yore do'side both ways. Say it will keep de law away. (What do you mean, drive them both ways?) Drive one dat-a-way an' drive one dis-a-way. Drive one on dat side dat-a-way an' drive one ovah heah dis-a-way.
(Right in the door frame?)
Yes, an' jes' dope [dress or feed] dat [driven in] haid evah mawnin' an' evah night. Say dey [law] won' come anywhere neah yo'. [Nails are more likely driven into doorsill.]
Entry 9723
If a landlord wanted tuh make yuh move out a house, yo' kin git chew two nails, bran'-new nails yuh see, an' yuh cross 'em right ovah de sill of de do' an' he cain't git chew outa dat house. Well, whensomevah yo' wants tuh cross yore house tuh keep anybody from stayin' in dere, why jes' as yo' use de nails fo' yuh tuh stay dere, yo' kin use dose nails fo' dose people so dat dey cain't stay dere. Dey have tuh cross de same nails.
(That will also keep the people from moving into the house?)
Yessuh, 'long as it crossed.
Entry 9724
Take two tenpenny nails an' nail 'em down an' cross 'em lak dat [dem- onstrates: nails crossed like an "x"]. Nobody will stay in dere.
(Where do you nail them?)
Right ovah de do' [doorsill]. Crosses up de house. (No one can rent it or stay in there.)
Entry 9725
Dey use nails fo' sep'ratin' a man an' a woman, or eithah de husban' an' wife, whatevah yo' wan' tuh do. Yo' take de three nails an' cross; 'em dis way. See, cross 'em dat way, yo' see, an' den yo' have anothah one comin' cross dis way. (They are crossed one on top of the other like a rail fence.) Yes. An' den git chew a twine string an' yo' wrap it till - have de twine string about a-like dat [meas- ures].
(Four or five feet long.)
Yes. An' wrap it till dat string is out; all de way in all dose things [dem- onstrates].
(In all those corners?)
[In the V's between the spokes of the wheel.]
Yes. An' den when yo' git it wrapped, den yo' take it an' whosomevah house it is, yo' go tuh dere house. An' yo' go in, yo' know, an' sit down an' talk or sompin lak dat. An' den go tuh de backdo' an' throw it east, jes' as fur as yo' kin in de grass. Den yo' come on back. Dat's de way tuh separate a man an' wife.
(You just throw the whole thing altogether, just throw the whole thing away?)
Yes, de whole thing away. Dat's tuh separate a man an' wife. [There are several of these rimless wheel rites in HOODOO.]
Entry 9726
Bury 3 nails crossed together to bring person back.[ Here, as in the preceding rite and elsewhere in HOODOO, we have the well-known rimless wheel rite.]
Entry 9727
Whenevah yo' be rid [writ?] out, dey done be rid yo' out - yo' know, outdo's an' yo' gotta move. Dey done rid yo' out, yo' know - de officah rids yo' out an' yo' gotta move. [Evidently your few posses- sions are on the sidewalk out in the street.] Yo' cake three nails an' yo' go tuh de do' lak dat an' nail 'em down [demonstrates] right in de middle of de do'.
(Right underneath the saddle that goes across the door.)
Yes, an' nail 'em down in dere an' call De Name of de Fathah an' de Son, an' yo' kin stay dere. Dey'll come an' lengthen yore days an' let chew stay on dere. Yo' won't have tuh move. Ah know dat fo' a fac' 'cuz ah did dat mahself. (You put them right down [I demonstrate] where that board goes over - over that saddle of the door.) Yes. [In that first line is there a play on the words writ and rid [get rid of you] both pronounced alike here.]
Entry 9728
Ah hear'd dat dey takes three sixtypenny nails.
(What size is that?)
Jes' 'bout lak dat - jes' about dat long, yo' see [demonstrates].
(Oh, long as your hand.)
About seven inches. (About seven [actually six] inches long. Three sixtypenny nails. I never heard of a sixtypenny nail.) Yeah, dere's plenty of 'em. An' drive it down at de steps, yo' undahstan', kinda in a fo'kway [forkway]: one dis way, one dat way, an' one dat way [demon- strates].
(Like a "v": one here, one each end like a "v.") Yeah. (Which way would that "v" point now at the steps?)
East. (What I mean, would these two ends point away from the house or to the house?) Way from de house.
[They point away from the house.]
(And do they point in any particular direction?)
An' de ''v' points tuh de house. [Informant means small end of "v", but actually the stem of the "Y" points to the house.]
(You mean the ends of the "v"?)
Kinda "x" yeah. [Informant is actually talking about a "Y", my "v" having caused the confusion.] Dere's one, dere's one, an' here's one ovah dere, see. Well [that last one, the stem of the "Y"] dat's nex' tuh de steps. Dat's de way.
(Then what happens?)
Den yo' jes' walks on, goes on 'way from dat backwards an' nevah looks back at dem [after once turning round]. An' dat's all dat ah know of tuh be done. Dat de way dey tell me.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat make yo' move or git chew sep'rated of whatsomevah it is fo'. [The two persons inside the house walk out on a single road, soon come to the "Y" fork where they separate, one going to the right, the other to the left.
Entry 9729
I'll tell you this much. Just like I say I have a husband and I have a sweetheart-man, and I wants my sweetheart-man and my husband to live like - you know what I mean - like friends. I'll heat some water to make coffee and I'll put three nails in that cook-kettle or pot, whatever I heat the water in. I'll make that coffee. I'll get the first cup of coffee myself out of that. I'll give my husband the next cup and my sweetheart-man the next cup. After we drink off of that coffee, now I'll take the three nails out of that cook kettle. All right, I'm first. [Demonstrates.] I'll put one nail there [for me], my husband here - here's me right there - and my sweetheart [man] laying right here.
(You put those nails in the shape of a triangle?)
Yes. Well, but I'm first [demonstrates], my husband [I interrupt before sweetheart]. (Your husband is to your right and the other man is to the left in that tri- angle.) In that way we'll never fuss. He could come and ketch me in the bed with the sweetheart-man but he won't have nothing to say. He can't even fight with me. Him and that man will never fall out. They'll always be friends together.
(Where do you put those nails?)
In the wall. But I'm here - I'm first, and my husband is next, and this man is here, see. See I'm the boss of all both of them.
Entry 9730
Lak somebody have did somepin tuh someone an' dey wanted tuh change it onto dem - turn it back ontuh dem. Dey kin take three nails, rusty nail, an' put in dat bottle a chamber lye. An' let it set dere fo' nine mawnin's an' den take an' throw it intuh runnin' watah.
(This will turn the spell back on the person that put it on them?)
Yes sir.
(Whose chamber lye do you use?)
Yo' kin use yore chamber lye. See, if yo' wanted tuh take it off yoreself, use yores.
(That is if you tricked me, I would use my own chamber lye?)
Yes sir. [Informant would not throw his own stopped-up urine into running water, he throws emptied bottle.]
Entry 9731
Dey tell me if yo' bo' a hole in a tree an' take, ah think three nails, an' drive in dere an' name 'em. An' yo' drive 'em in dere. Dey tell me dat will cuz a person tuh git fits an' die from 'em.
(How many nails do they put in that hole?)
Dey put three.
Entry 9732
If yo' want tuh kill a woman or a woman wants tuh kill yuh, she could take six rusty nails an' git a piece of yore undahclothes, an' [or] ole stockin'. Takes it an' drop it intuh a quart jah an' screw de top on it. An' left about three holes in it, where jes' a li'l' sand kin drop in dere. An' bury it undah yore steps, if yo' aren't scared. An' den yo' walk in an' out an' back an' fo'wards [over it]. Jes' as de sand drop in dere, yo' [inside the quart jar] gits sick. Well, yo' git tuh de play [place] yo' won' be no mo' good tuh yuhself or nobody else. An' de mo' sand drop in dere de mo' closah yo' gits tuh yuh grave. Jes' kill yuh, yo' know.
Entry 9733
[This is a double-four rite, actually eight nails.]
Take a penny nail an' go tuh a tree an' nail yo' fo' dis way [demonstrates]. Git chew fo' nails, de ten-penny nails, an' git on de sunrise side an' put chew fo' of 'em dis way [demonstrates].
(In a row that way.)
Yes, dat's right. An' fo' dis-a-way tuh de sundown. Come roun' dis side an' put de othah for dis way, an' yo's all right. Nobody can't harm yuh. (You go to the sunrise side of the tree and you put four nails like that horizontal, right in a row. Then you go round to the sundown side and put four horizontal in a row. What do you do that for?) Yo' do dat tuh keep anybody from worryin' yuh.
Entry 9734
If yo' want 'em tuh go, yo' git chew fo' nails. [Informant must have demonstrated size.]
(Long nails.)
Yeah. Put one dere an' one heah an' one heah. [Do this] in de yard. Fourth nail must have been shown in demonstration.] (You put three in one line and one behind it, making a triangle.) [How my 4 nails make a triangle I do not know!] No, yo' fix it lak dis. Cross it [demonstrates]: one tuh de foot [be- low] one tuh de haid [above], an' one on each side.
(A cross. [Actually 4 crosses!]
You put those in the yard?) Right in de yard. An' dey sho' can't stay dere. (And you use those large nails, you say?) Yessuh, dem spike nails.
Entry 9735
[Similar to the preceding rite we have the following one:]
(The wire nails?)
Ah undahstan', whut chew build wit. Yo' take dose an' yo' cross 'em aftah folks, an' throw [salt] den, aftah yo's ti'ed [tired] of 'em. Yo' know, dey comin' in yore house. Yo' kin cross 'em at chure do' fo' nine mawnin's, an' aftah dey done been in dere, yo' kin sweep out fo' nine mawnin's in behin' dem, if yo' wanta keep 'em out. Sweep out fo' nine mawnin's across dem nails down dere lak yo' wuz mad at 'em [the nails]. Aftah yo' done swept, den make a wish dat dey will stay away: "Ah don' want chew in mah house." An' fin'ly dey will quit comin' dere. (You cross four nails, you cross them as twos, like you are making a picture frame. And you put them down before you sweep out?) [PICTURE FRAME HERE SHOWS THAT I GRASPED THIS RITE AT ONCE THOUGH THIS AND PRECEDING RITE, NO.9734. WERE SEPARATED BY TIME AND DISTANCE.1 No suh, aftah yo' sweep out.
(You sweep out for nine mornings. Then you put these nails down?)
Yo' put dem nails down fo' nine mawnin's. (You don't put the nails down for nine mornings, you only put them down for one morning, don't you?) Dey said put 'em down nine mawnin's, dose nails, aftah yo' done swept out. Yo' puts 'em down nine mawnin's aftah yo' done swept. Yo' sweep fo' nine mawn- in's. (You sweep one morning, then what do you do the next morning? Do you sweep again?) Sweep ag'in.
(When do you put the nails down, each time you sweep?)
Each time lak yo' sweep. (That means four nails each morning. That's four nails each of the nine Dornings? That is 36 nails altogether?) Yo' put dem same nails back down.
(You only use four nails altogether?)
Yessuh, jes' only dose fo'.
(You take them up afterwards?)
Aftah dose nine mawnin's yo' take dem up. [To summarize this rite: the first morning you arrange 4 nails into a picture frame design on the floor at the door. Over them you sweep unwanted visitors foot tracks or prints. Take up the nails. Repeat this rite 9 successive mornings.
crossing nails at a doorway, with separately prompted material and frame interpretation. Keep the exact interviewer→informant role order; the later frame explanation belongs to interviewer/editorial context. keeping unwanted visitors out in printed informant dialogue. Retain the explicit out polarity; it is not retention at home or object possession. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3836) · Read full source (printed page 3837)
Entry 9736
Take new tenpenny nails an' nail it up here [demonstrates by pointing] in each corner of the house [inside the house], or either on the outside in each corner of the house. An' the next morning they'll be out that house. [Here we have a simpli- fication of the preceding picture-frame rites, signifying the "4 corners of the world" with a cross in each corner.]
Entry 9737
Yo' kin take fo' ten- penny nails an' jes' drive one at each cornah of de house, back an' front, an' dere won't no law come dere. Dat's experience. [This diagram is a stylized simplification of preceding rites, 4 crosses in the corners of a square.
Entry 9738
They can take four new nails, tenpenny nails, and they can bring 'em - if yo' got a field out there or something or garden, they can bring 'em an' cross four of 'em in the four cor- ners of that place you got, and you got to move. Yo' can't stay there, yo' got to go, if they cross four of those nails in each corner. But yo' going to make six- teen nails in them four corners. Yo' got to move when them sixteen nails are crossed. Yo' can't stay there, regardless of how it is.
(Where do they put them?)
Put 'em in each corner in the four corners of that place whatever yo' got.
(That property?)
Yes, that property. [Here we have either the complete picture frame in each of the 4 corners of the property, or else in each corner 2 nails cross each other making 2 separate crosses - a doublecross!]
Entry 9739
On dat person's premises, if dey drive tenpenny nails intuh a tree - on dat person's premises - why yo'll change dere luck. Dey jes' lak a fellah dat won't have good luck. (Just one nail?) No, seven tenpenny nails.
Entry 9740
(What are you going to do with those nails?)
Conkah anything yo' wanta conkah. It's nine nails. Yo' put three heah [demonstrates].
(Three right over your navel.)
Right ovah mah navel, an' yo' got three in de back, ain't chew? Dat's six, ain't it? Put one heah, one dere. Make a sack, yo' know, jes' lak a nation sack. But yo' kin fix it up round, yo' know, good aroun' yore waist. One on each hip. But yo' got three right chere an' three right in de spine of yore back. Dat's six, ain't it? Dis is seven an' dat's eight. Now, put one in dat left shoe. [For nation sack, see interview THE "NATION SACK" WOMAN, Pp.1449-1459, vol. 2, who describes this article.1
(What will that do for you?)
Conkah whut ah tole yo'. Conkah de devil or any way yo' want it. But yo' gotta make a wish In de Name of God. Yo' gotta do all dis In de Name of God an' have faith in it.
Entry 9741
Says yo' take nine nails an' carry 'em tuh a graveyard. An' if a per- son real mad wit chew, take nine nails an' carry 'em tuh a graveyard, an' leave a penny down dere, an' take some dat dirt. An' tie it in a rag an' carry it an' put it undah dat nail at 'er fiahplace. An' dat person dat mad wit chew, dey come dere whah [where] dat down. De woman or man dey come dat same night.
(You bury those nine nails in the graveyard?)
Yo' bury dem down dere an' yo' bring de dirt. [That nail at the fireplace is a peg upon which she can hang various articles. Having paid a penny for the graveyard dirt I see no reason for leaving the 9 nails there. Surely both grave- yard dirt and 9 nails were buried at the fireplace.]
Entry 9742
Yo' take nine wire nails - dey call 'em tenpenny nails - an' yo' take dem nails an' yo' put five at de front. Nail five down right in de centah of de front do'. An' yo' take de othah fo' an' yo' nail 'em right down in de fiahplace - right down in de fiahplace. An' yo' say, "Well, ah wan'a stay heah an' ah don' wanta leave - long as ah wan'a." An' evahtime de rentman come in he say, "Yo' got anythin'?" "No, ah ain't got nuthin tuhday." An' he go on by. He nevah tell yo' tuh move out de house - not argin' [argu- ing] 'bout it. Yo' stay dere till yo' git ready tuh go. See, dat's naiZin' yo' down.
Entry 9743
To keep all creditors [bill collectors] away and law [police], take 9 nails and make letter "T" [a form of the cross, the tau cross] in doorsill, then come back in sweeping salt - in the first one [customer] comes. [But] put a nail in sill [etc.] until all 9 nails in door[sill]. Also [good for] rent man.
[The heads of these nails are seen as they appear in the... illustration.]
Entry 9744
Use nine nails, nailing six the straight way and three the crossway [making the form of a cross] up overhead or either where the party have to pass at. And that's crossing of the house. Yes, sir. If they [know] exactly it's crossed: again, removing the nails, keeping them in the house overnight, throwing them out before the sunrise, and washing the house out with saltpeter, it's [the cross is] done away with. (That removes this cross I put on the landlord?) Yes sir, absolutely. [The 6 nails, grouped into three sets are driven into the floor as follows: IT Tr Tr. Then 3 nails are driven across the sets like this: H H H. We now have 6X's or Soblecrosses.]
Entry 9745
Say you could nail nine nails in de floor of somebody's home and keep them down all the time - I've heard that.
(Where would they nail those?)
Where do they nail them? (Yes.) Under the bed that they sleep in or somewhere near where they be all the tine; or around the stove or the table, where they'd have to, you know, often Pass over.
Entry 9746
You take nine nails and nail each one of 'em at nine o'clock every moming for nine mornings jis' acrost de door. On de first morning de first nail is driven into the wood at the edge of the front step; on the second morning the second nail is driven nearer the house; etc., until the nails form a straight line from the edge of the steps across the doorsteps into the house. An' the ninth morning he's comin' back. [This is my original transcription made in 1937 a short time after the recording: The voice came through badly but everything has been recovered and reproduced here.]
Entry 9747
Kin do dat easy. Jis' lak now if yo' sellin' a lil' drinks, now. Yo'll git nine nails an' yo' bury dem nails six days. Yo' bury dem nails. (Where do you bury them?) Right tuh de foot of yuh steps. Den aftah dat yo' drive one heah, drive one dere, an' drive one dere, drive one dere, drive one dere, an' yo' drive one heah [etc.]. Nine time.
(Drive them right around the steps.)
Yes, right around de steps.
(Down in the ground or into the steps?)
No, right on de edge of de steps. Yo' drive nine nails an' yo'll have de dhiskey in dis house. An' he'll come in heah an' he ain't goin' intuh dat room yhere de whiskey is atall. He come in anothah room an' look aroun' an' say, Av, dere ain't nuthin heah," an' he go on. [Charleston, S. Car., 603:2.]
Entry 9748
Ah've hear'd of usin' bran'-new wire nails, if a pusson stayed close toh yo' an' yo' didn't want 'em tuh live dere. Yo'd take nine new nails an' drive 'em down between yuh house an' dey house, an' in nine days dey'll move. Ah've hear'd of dat.
Entry 9749
Jes' lak if yo' an' a person have a big dispute or somepin of de kind, den yo' take nine nails, nine bran'-new nails. An' take yo' some sulphuh an' take dem nine nails an' a piece of tin. Yo' know, a top [lid of tin can] an' nail it down lak dat. Nail it through dat top an' put dat sulphuh undah it, undah de top. See [demonstrates], turn de top down, see, an' yo' take nine nails an' nail 'em roun' [through the lid] lak dat. An' if he's plannin' tuh do anythin', take a suit ag'inst yo' or anythin' of de kind, use dem nine nails. Den yo' tie his mind down. Yo' tie his mind down dat he can't do whut he intend tuh do. Can't do it.
(You just simply put the sulphur out there, and turn that tin top [or lid]
down over it, and drive nine nails into it.) Nine nails. An' talk to it jes' lak ah'm talkin' tuh yo', jes' what yo' want tuh be done.
(What would you say?)
Jes' lak dis: "Ah don' wan' chew tuh bring suit ag'inst me. Yo' must be mah fren', not a enemy. Yo' gotta be mah fren'." Yo' see, yo' nail dem nails down an' yo' talk tuh it, jes' lak yo' call 'is name: "John, yo' must be mah fren an' not a enemy tuh me. Yo' must be mah fren'." An' jes' nail yore nails right on down. "Ah'm talkin' tuh yo', John, an' callin' yore name. Dis is Carrie Han' [Hand] talkin' tuh yo'. An' yo' must be mah fren, not mah enemy.' An' jes' nail dem nails down lak dat.
(Where do you nail the nails down?)
Yo' kin nail 'em down jes' anywhere in yore house, yo' undahstan'. [Sumter, S. Car., (1351). 2344:6.]
Entry 9750
Peoples bury 'em, bury nails, big nails, at a certain distance, yo' know. Nine nails. An' dat will keep de law away. (Where do they bury these nails?) In de ground roun' de entrance, roun' de front yard where dey 'sposed tuh come in. Nine nails, jes' de p'int down. [Wilson, N. Car.,
(1454).2643:6.]
Entry 9751
Take nine nails an' drive dem in de steps, de do'steps, an' de person walks across dose nails comin' in dere, fo' eight or nine days, an' de first thing yo' knows, dey's movin. [8 days meaningless!]
(That will move them, driving these nine nails down at the doorstep?)
Yessuh.
Entry 9752
Say, if anybody wuz hurt chew or git chure min' confusin', an' make yo' don't know whut chew wanta do half de time, dey could take a oak stick an' put nine notches an' ninepenny nail an' put it at chure step. Use new nail. Yessuh, say dat'll shure hurt chew.
(How would they put the nails in, in the stick?)
No suh, nail it down roun' dat stick. Jes' lak if yo' put it in de centah, nail 'em all roun' dat stick. Say yo' couldn't stay tuh yore own house in no peace.
Entry 9753
Take nine bran'-new wire nails an' drive 'em right in de path right in de front of de house, right in de walk where yo' go out; [also] nine needles an' nine pins. An' turn 'em towards de east. Dat'll make yo' go. (Now [I demonstrate] this is the path. You drive the nine nails down there, nine needles and nine pins. How do you mean you turn them toward the east?) Yo' turn de haid toward de east.
(You drive them in on a slant then? That will make you move out of the house.)
Yessuh.
Entry 9754
A man an' a woman had a fuss an' got mad. An' dey'd fuss an' dey'd fuss, an' fuss an' fuss. An' dey come say whut dey goin' do. He say, "Yes, ah will take somepin an' ah'll put it round mah do'step, guess she'll be hoppin'. Okay. So, aftah he [he now changed to she] put it down, she got onto it - undah- stood it. She says, "Well, it's a two-handed game. It's jes' as much fo' me as it is fo' her. So now de first one gits de mos' of it, be de first one tuh go doon." So she goes an' she gits nine nails an' nine needles an' nine pins, an' she pat it in a red flannel rag, an' she put it undah de do'step an' let it stay dere nine mawnin's. An' de nine mawnin's, dis woman she passed by dis house an' she goes - jes' lak ah wuz walkin' 'long de street chew know, jes' lak ah wuz goin'aftah sompin, she passed right on by. So she goes off where she wuz goin' an' she turned off an' come back an' she went on home. So she laid down fo' a spell fo' a rest. When she went tuh git up, she couldn't git up. That wuz the last of dat. So dat stayed dat way fo' awhile. So she commence tuh study herself an' she says, "Ah think someone musta done opin tuh me." Says, "Ah feel very peculiah an' don't feel lak ah should feel lak dis. Ah ain't hurt nowhere, ah jes' can't use dis laig. Jes' weak in dis laig." Says, "Ah believe ah'll be smart if ah go someplace. So she goes somewhere to try tuh git relief. So she went [to a hoodoo doctor Gbo told her what had happened, the substance of this present rite]. So de man jes', he jes' kept right on tellin' stories, kept right on tellin' stories. He aoaldn't do nuthin fo' 'er. Finally she died.
Entry 9755
They kin git 9 tenpenny nails an' they urinate on 'em. Let 'em stand 3 days an' go on the north turn [see later] an' throw it under the house an you'll move. [This is my penciled transcription of the original made a few years after the recording. In that greceding bracket were the words end over side, indicating I knew this prepara- doaa was thrown under the north side of the house; yet a pencil line at the bot- to of the page adds sounds like "tum." My pencil also added the words profes- sional and excellent, reminding me that her cylinders had been missed by my transcriber and later shaved! This also happened to another unique woman at Memphis and a remarkable man in Jacksonville, Fla.]
Entry 9756
[Here in italics is my notation about a rite my transcriber forgot to transcribe: 9 new nails evil wisher drives in your home where you walk over or at doorstep. Go inside and turn around and drive 'em into floor going out as you leave the house. Run 'em out. Nails go out in a row, but the last 3 together. I suggest that the last three nails grouped closely together, the nailheads forming a triangle, represent the 3 HOLY NAMES. Memphis, Tenn., (962, informant good), 1553:6.]
Entry 9757
Now, if you got a place where the business is good. Suppose you got a place, the other fellow got a place, and he is doing better business and you want to knock his business. Nine pennynails, that repre- sents the nine hours Christ hung on the cross, nail in the nails in the center of the door overhead or under [nails are above or under door]. I guarantee that when two people come in there, three will go out. Nine pennynails [any size but not too large]: altogether six this way and three across, making a wish while you are driving in the nails. They represent the ninth hour that Christ hang from the 6th to 9th hour on the cross.
Entry 9758
Dey tell me yo' kin take nine nails an' drive down in de road which way dey went, an' count de nails fo' nine mawnin's, an' de ninth mawnin' dey tell me dey'll return.
(That's to bring a person back.
Entry 9759
You kin take these nails, tenpenny nails, and you kin drive 'em in the ground where some person that you doesn't like or want to move them, you move them with nails. And when you drive 'em in the ground and make your wish, you drive 'em head down an' p'int up. Or you kin drive 'em at your doorstep and nail them down under your control. You use nine nails.
Entry 9760
A man was likin' a woman. He get to like another woman, yo' know, an' doesn't come to her no more. She'd get nine new nails an' drive 'em down in de ground at her door, just enough to cover their heads up, and then the next morning she would take some of her water from de chamber and throw that on it. See. Then when he comes back in over that, over them nails and that chamber lye, then he'll get on with her.
(He gives the other woman up. I see.)