Browse:ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS (Volume 5, entries 9441–10605)/Part 5
ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS
Volume 5, entries 9441–10605. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 9761
You take nails and drive them in the ceiling of your house and that'll bring your wife back home. On the ceiling of your house, eightpenny nails. (What kind of nails?) Eightpenny nails. (Nine?) Yes, sir, nine nails. Put them there and let them stay nine days. And pull them out after she come back home. But you let them stay and she'll come back to you in nine days.
(Where do you drive those nails?)
Right on the ceiling of your house, all the way around in the ceiling.
Entry 9762
Yo' take nine nails an' drive 'em into a pine tree on de sunrise side an' make yore wish, In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost. An' yo' kill a person dataway. (And you wish to kill that per- son when you are driving those nails in the tree?) Yes sir.
Entry 9763
Yo' could nail a person down. Dey say yo' take nails, tenpenny nails, an' yo' could put dat nail a certain place in yore yard, or anywhere else. An' if yo' wanta nail a person down, yo' go dere evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' yo' nail dat down. An' yo' hit dat one lick an' tell 'em - yo' know, yo' put in [you include] whut chew doin', whut chew nailin' it fo'. Yo' nail dat down an' de las' time say, "Ah'm nailin' yo' down: In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' de Holy Ghost." Dat sill hold a person down.
Entry 9764
Take yuh nine bran'-new nails, nine [new] needles. Take 'em an' put 'em in a sack, a piece of white clot' [cloth] whut nevah had no scissah in it, no mo' [more] dan whut yuh cut it tuh sew it, an' put 'em in dere. Bury 'em undah yuh front steps. An' if he come tuh de front, sweep in tuh de back all de time.
(I see. That'll keep the law away.)
He goin' tuh stay away.
Entry 9765
Ah goes tuh de sto' an' ah buy me nine bran'new No.lO [tenpenny] nails. An' ah go down tuh de woods an' find me nine trees. Don't git de nine of 'em lak [alike]. Take a ole sweetgum, poplah, maple, blackgum, sycamo' an' all dose kind. Jes' git nine of dem [different types of] trees. An' ah take an' ah chip out a space. Ah have mah axe wit me, mah hatchet. Ah chip me a space out 'bout as large a [as a] dollah, silvah dollah. An' ah nail on dis one - maybe dat's west. Well, ah'll come [demonstrates] ovah east an' ah'll nail a nail dere, an' ah'll go back kinda west no'th [northwest] an' nail a nail dere. An' den ah'll come back in kinda southeast an' put a nail in dat one. But yo' gotta have all of dose nail jes' in de same way - east. Yo' have tuh put 'em all east. (You said before that you nailed these trees in the shape of an "E" - like the letter "E".) Da's whut ah'm speakin' of now. Yo' goes no'th, go west, an' come back dat Way [demonstrates]. Den yo' have 'em sometime in a straight line. Yo' kin put 'em kinda "v" shaped. Den yo'll go tuh work an' put all of dose nails in dose trees an' yo' hit 'em all three times dis [first] mawnin', tuh git 'em tuh stick in de trees. Den yo' come on back de time [return home]. De nex' mawnin' yo' gits up early - yo' always have tuh travel early. Yo' has tuh go out dere den while de dew's on 'em evah mawnin'. Yo' go down an' maybe git wet wit de dew an' den have tuh come back an' change yore clothes. Well, yo' hit dis firs' one maybe one time, de firs' one. Well, yo' be sayin' a li'l' prayah, de Lord's Prayah all de time while yo' hit it - de firs' one. De second one, yo' may hit it two times. De third one three times. Den de fo'th one fo' time. An' go on till yo' hit nine time on de las' one. Hit de las' one nine time on de firs' mawnin'. Den yo' have tuh go back dere evah mawnin' an' hit de firs' one two time, an' de nex' one fo' - yo' have tuh double dose when yo' go dere evah mawnin' fo' nine mawn- in's. (The last one on the second morning you would hit that 18 times, double nine. That last nail, the ninth nail, on the second morning you hit it nine times the first morning, and the second morning you go back there, you have to hit it 18 times?) Have tuh hit it 18, have tuh double it evah time. But chew have tuh hit 'em light - er [or] heavy enough so de las' mawnin', on de ninth mawnin', dey all would go in de same time. Yo' drive 'em all up on de same mawnin'. (But on the third morning would you have to double that ninth one, hit it 18 times? How much would you hit it the third morning?) Yo' have tuh double it evah time. Yo' have tuh double dat nine evah mawnin'. If yo' can't keep a record, yo' have tuh have yo' a pencil an' papah. An' git chew a tablet an' yo' gotta mark how many times yo' hit it dis mawnin', an' how many times yo' gotta hit it de nex' mawnin'. Do dat evah mawnin'. If yo' hit it 18 dis mawnin', yo' gotta figure how many it gotta be hit de nex' mawnin'. Yo' gotta carry dat pencil an' papah right wit chew wit' chure haumah when yo' hit it. An' when yo' drive 'em up on de last [day] hit 'em all even an' nail 'em all good at de same time. An' whatevah yo' want did, dat will he'p yo' - whatevah yo' workin' fo'.
Entry 9766
(Twenty penny nails. You mean onepenny nails or twenty of them?)
No. Twentypenny nails but ten of them. Twentypenny. Like you go to the hard- ware store and say, "Give me a dime's worth of twentypenny nails. (Then what?) You take - see, like that wall over there. You take your husband's name or your wife's name [on a piece of paper] and open a hole [in the wall] and put it in there. And drive ten of them nails with her name up in there and she'll do anything you want her to do. Yeah. Just nail 'em in there and name her as yo' drive 'em. Ten of 'em. [New Orleans, La., (851), 1319:4.] (h). INDEFINITE NUMBER OF NAILS
Entry 9767
Tuh keep dem [police] away, if yo' kin find out how many officahs are in town. An' fo' evah man yo' git dat many of tenpenny nails, an' drive dem all in de front of yore do'. It's not officahs goin' come tuh yore house atall. An' if yo' wanta gain customahs, if yo' have one an' he comes dere, now yo' take some of yore watah - take de last drop of yore watah - an' put it in de whiskey. An' dey says dat dey will not stop comin'. Dey'll bring yo' all de customahs yo' kin wait on.
(That is the first customer who comes?)
Yessuh.
Entry 9768
How you use a nail in de way I tole you. And then there's another way you could use a nail. Like you want [to] be to a place for so many years, you can get dem cut [square] nails and drive down nine of 'em, just as many as you want see, but you gotta drive 'em down with one lick. (One lick?) Yes, sir. You just drive 'em. If you want 'em to be there ten years, drive down ten of 'em or eleven [for eleven years]. Like that.
(You say cut. You mean square nails?)
Yes, sir.
(If you want to be what? What do you want?)
If you want to stay to a place for ten years or fifteen.
(You mean what kind of a place? Stay where?)
Any place you wanta go live at, you see, and you want to go to Boston. You want de boss move you and your old lady.
(You want to go to the town, you mean?)
Yes, sir.
(Where would you drive these nails down?)
In his pathway.
(Where? The boss' pathway. So he'd have to walk over them?)
That's right. [It is evident that nails are driven down to remain in a bouse.]
Entry 9769
Dey said dey take a whole bundle of nails an' jes' nail 'em down so yo' can't see 'em, an' put dirt ovah dem from yore steps out tuh de gate, an' say dat'll make yuh leave home. (You nail them down into the ground. And where do you begin to nail them?) Nail dem from de steps clean out tuh de gate. (That is supposed to make you leave home?) Yes sir.
Entry 9770
Have five cents worth of new nails. Don't ase 'em fo' anything else an' nail 'em on de do' facin' [saddle] right [upright] 'em right down dere, right straight down at dat piece, dat crosspiece. Dat make luck.
Entry 9771
Well, ah've hear'd of settin' dem nails. Jes' lak comin' up tuh yuh do' dere [in interviewing room] yo'd set dem nail wit de point down - pointin' away [demonstrates]. (Pointing away from the door.) Yes. An' [you] have tuh boil all of dem nails in sulphuh, brimstone, peppah an' bluestone. Dey [unwant- ed person: law, rentman, etc.] can't come [in] tuh save dere life. [Here I turn- ed off recording machine too soon, missing the first few words of the demonstra- tion]...place dem up lak dat [demonstration continues]. (How? Have the point straight out like that? [I demonstrate]: And all this stuff is underneath there [the doorsteps]? This lime and all this stuff?) Yes.
Entry 9772
[In the margin title I have called this rite amazing because I had com- pletely forgotten about it and its future significance. The person I am inter- viewing here is J. R. Patterson, proprietor of the black hotel, Patterson Hotel, in New Orleans. Among the illustrations at end of HOODOO, volume 2, see the Patterson Hotel letterhead containing pictures of the hotel, the proprietor, and his signature on Wednesday, March 9, 1938, for rent on room No.17, including elec- tricity for my machine, and room space for my clients downstairs. I paid my rent each day before returning to my own hotel, the old St. Charles. To give Mr. Patterson some idea of my work, I suggested that he himself be interviewed. His following rite tells how he could be driven from his own hotel. Neither of us realized at the time that before a year had passed, Mr. Patterson would lose his hotel and I myself would be chased from the black hotel in Memphis by the police. For this later surprise, see Introduction to HOODOO, volume 1, page XxxIV, line 9 following.] De first thing yo' do, git chew a dime's worth of saltpetah. De nex' thing tuh do is git chew a box of cinnamon, a box of cloves. Git chew a nickel's worth of new tenpenny nails, an' den git chew one quart of gasoline. Den git chew a dime's worth of saltpetah. Go by dose person's house an' pick up, whethah it's mud, dirt or sand, take it up an' put it in de bucket wit dose nails. Po' yuh gasoline in dere an' strike a match an' light it, [let it burn] until it comes tuh be dry an' sandy. Den yo' take it an' go backwards from de do' where dey livin' at an' sprinkle it crossways dat way tuh de fo' cornahs of de world: [demonstrates by pointing] dat cornah, dis cornah, dis one, and dat one cross de street. In 24 hours de're [they are] gone. (You just sprinkle it like this [I demonstrate], like a wingy motion all around, cross that house?) [My demonstration of wingy motion must have been a fluttering or flipping motion like a bird. Informant misunderstands my word cross, meaning to put a hoodoo on the house, not throwing back and forth across the house.] No [you don't throw back and forth across the house] yo' tro' it from de house [demonstrates]. Yes, lak dis is de back, dis is de sidewalk out heah [demonstrates], sprinkle it dis way [demonstrates], cross ovah [demonstrates].
[I describe his demonstrations:]
(From the house out to the gutter, you sprinkle it back and forth, like a "v".)
[This "v" or triangle is the 3 Holy Names.]
One block each way, one block each way from de house. Lak Patterson [the speaker] whut chew [suppose you] wanted him tuh move. Well, yo'd git some dirt. See dat cigah ashes [he points to ashtray containing ashes of my cigar] an' [also] pick it from de sidewalk [get sidewalk dirt], an' git some dirt an' sprin- kle it aroun' dere - some sand. An' befo' he sweeps de banquette [= sidewalk in New Orleans] up in de mawnin', yo' jes' come aroun' dere an' brush up a little bit, jes' enough tuh git in yore fingahs an' put in dere. Den yo' come back heah dat night, yo' see, an' sprinkle from his do' crossways de banquette tuh dat cornah. Den yo' go tuh dis cornah an' go cross de street tuh de nex' cornah. Yo' go dat way an' go cross de street tuh de nex' cornah. Den yo' go ovah heah tuh garage. See. In 24 hours dey are moved.
(You have to throw it to the four corners of the world.)
Yes. [New Orleans, La., (1566, J. R. Patterson, proprietor of black hotel, Patterson Hotel), 2866:3.] [The title of this section could have been either Pins and Needles or Needles and Pins, both having tradition behind them; the first because a person is some- times said to walk on pins and needles; the second according to the folklore couplet: Needles and pins, needles and pins; when a man marries, his trouble begins. As in the case of the preceding section about nails, most rites about these objects have already appeared elsewhere in the printed text as parts of rites with other ingredients. The following rites will be listed according to number of pins and needles: 1, 2, 3, etc.1
Entry 9773
De bes' thing yo' kin do, if yo' wan' 'em tuh leave out dat house. Yo' git chew a needle dat ain't nevah been sewed wit, an' yo' take dat needle an' yo' stick dat needle up ovah de doah. Jes' stick it up right ovah de do' an' de point of it is right chere, is out [demonstrates].
(The point is pointing outside.) An' ah'll guarantee yo' tuh yore dyin' days [they will never return]. Yo' know why ah know it? (No.) Ah seen it done. An' den de person [who did it]
didn't know, tole a lie [about it].
Entry 9774
Dey say yo' take yo' a brass - goldeye needle. (One?) Two of 'em - or either one - an' put it at de do' as yo' go out. Yell, dey say dat's drivin' yo', say dat'll drive yo' ovahbo'd [overboard]. So dey say. (I would do that in somebody's house to send them away and make them jump in the water?) Yeah. Say that will make yo' jump ovahbo'd, drive yo'.
Entry 9775
Take a needle an' - take a part of a needle [break needle in half] an' thread dis needle an' stick it up ovah de do'. An' dat's [to] cause if yo' has a young girl roun' or sompin lak dat, dat'll cause whenevah a man comes aroun' dat chew wants fo' her husban'. Yo' take de needle down an' pin it neahby in a chair where he sits. An' she kin git dis heah man fo' a husban' wit de needle. Wit a pin point [the point broken from pre- ceding needle] yo' gotta find a pin point dat's real sharp an' use it. Jes' lak, say if a hustlah, differen' hustlahs come roun' yore house. An' if yo' kin ketch 'im tuh set in a closed place - yo' know whut ah mean, jes' lak prob'bly dey settin' right where dat back. Yo' jes' - prob'bly yo' might walk ovah an' say somepin tuh 'em an' use dis pin point fo' hustlahs. Dat is tuh make 'em sharp. Dey call 'em [pin points] sharp luck.
(What do you do with that pin point?)
What would yo' do wit de pin point? Oh, yo' gits de pin point an' keeps it. See, jes' lak, even de men jes' lak whut ah's sayin' 'bout fo' de girl's mar- riage, yo' takes de point off dose needles an' [or] de pin point an' keeps 'em yo'self. See, dat's luck fo' tuh bring tuh yore house.
Entry 9776
If a woman wan'a man tuh love'r [love her], she kin take a needle an' go tuh de well where he stay an' push it down undah de groun' where he'll start [walk] ovah dere evah day er evah night when he go tuh draw watah. Eithah take de needle an' care [carry] it tuh de doahstep an' push it down where he'll go ovah it. An' dat'll capture him. [As I have explained. several times elsewhere these simple and seemly magicless rites are powered by the intention behind them.]
Entry 9777
Ah've heard dem say if yo' wanted tuh - say if yo' wanted tuh grow tuh be smart an' wanted tuh keep yuh enemy away from yo', why of cus [course] yo' give yuh enemy a needle wit de point tuhwar' de enemy, tuhwar' de person dat yo' believe dat wuz yuh enemy. Han' dem de needle pointed toward 'im, or a scissahs wit de point tuhward 'im. An' dat would break dat enemy off from yuh. Dey would stop comin' aroun or stop being in yuh company, stay away from yuh.
Entry 9778
A sewin' needle, where a woman been sewin'. If her an' a woman had been havin' some kinda dispute ovah 'er or eithah a man, yo' kin take dat nee- dle an' carry it an' yo' burn de point of it. Jes' lak if me an' yo' had de [argument or quarrel], well, if ah kin git a needle, or eithah a pin, or borrah yore pocketknife [because you are a man], carry it home an' burn it. Ah burn it off good. Take it an' put it in some sulphah an' burn it ag'in. An' ah put some Hearts Cologne on it [knife or needle] an' sprinkle it [perfume] roun' [where I picked up object] an' put it right back where yo' kin git it.
(What would that do then?)
Well, dat will - if me an' yo' been havin' fusses an' things an' we be bad Out, well dat will gain de influence of me an' yo' back [together again].
(You will be on good terms again?)
Be on good terms.
Entry 9779
To make a fellah unlucky, take a needle an' pin it in his coattail an' turn de point right down an' it'll make him unlucky.
(Turn the point down.) [Waycross, Ga., 1095, 1765:16.]
Entry 9780
If dey put jes' ord'nary sewin' needles in yore clothes an' pin yore clothes with a needle, it's bad luck. If yo' lay yore hat on de bed, [it's bad luck].
Entry 9781
Take a needle an' sew nine knots in de left corner of a man's shirt, in de tail of it, an' that will keep them from runnin' around.
(Make him stay home?)
Entry 9782
Mah grandmothah said dat yo' kin take a needle an' break up people. She said joo take de needle an' put it in de man's pants pockit, in 'is right.
Entry 9783
Yo' kin take a tinpan an' control a person. Yo' kin take a brand-new tinpan an' yo' kin write - lemme see. Ah got it right heah, de psalms yo' find where it says 'Vau - v-a-u. Yo' kin take that an' write that on a brand-new tinplate. (This psalm in which the word "Vau" is used?) Yes sir. It's in psalms [the psalm of a hoodoo book] an' yo' kin write that. But now yo' don't write it with a pen- cil or nuthin like that. Yo' take a needle or pin or new nail that's sharp - anything that's sharp except a pencil - an' yo' write that psalm on that tin- plate. Then yo' kin take that tinplate an' put it away where it won't be dis- turbed or be handled by anybody else. An' yo' kin control that person if yo grite that psalm fo' them.
Entry 9784
To keep the law away? Well, I want to tell you. Well, you keep the lag off - of course, you can't keep 'em away, but you can get so that he'll never catch you or nothin'. You understand. You bootleggin' he'll never catch you or nothing. You understand. Well, you take you two - that's a separate thing - and yoa take two pins.
(Too what?)
Too stick pins.
(Two stick pins.)
[The ordinary pin is frequently called "stick" to distinguish it from safety pin.] And wear it in a cross, like a cross, and wear it right up in the center of your hat, you see. Right in the center of your hat, like this here [demonstrates by pointing to inside of his hat].
(Inside.)
Yeah, inside [demonstrates again].
(Like that, inside.)
Yeah, inside your hat.
(You get these two straight pins.)
Two straight pins. You put a cross on you, see. And a course, the law'll be looking for you but he'll never get you. Only way he'll get you, he got to walk up on you. But you always kin git away from him.
Entry 9785
She kin take two needles an' break it half in two - make foah pieces - an' stick it anywheres in his coat w'ure he cain't see 'em, an' dat'll make him stay wit her. He can't leave huh.
Entry 9786
If a man wanted tuh do somebody some harm, jes' say, lak it wus a woman, an' yo' know whut happens yo' know in de month. Well, if yo' take needles an' pins an' cross, if yo' could git aholt of dat [piece of hers], yo' cross one [demonstrate]. Yo' see, put one dis way an' one dat way - jes' cross 'em.
(Needles or pins?)
Needles or pins.
(Just two?)
Well, yo' kin use many as yo' want, but when yo' do dat she be all up an' down fo' de balance of huh days.
(What would you do with that cloth then?)
Well, yo' jes' - anything yo' wanta do. Yo' could bury it or throw it away or anything, jes' so yo' leave dem needles in dere. Yeah. Don't care whut chew do wit it.
Entry 9787
In bad luck yo' kin take, if a person settin' tuh a table gamblin', git chew two needles, cross 'em in back of dere clothes, right in de centah of dere back. Cross 'em. Dat'll cause dem tuh lose. An' [or] eithah sprinkle some salt on 'em. An' yo' kin git a spidah an' put 'im in a papah sack or sompin. Long as he livin' yo' win in de game.
Entry 9788
An' ah heard ag'in that yo' take a needle an' make it cross lak that, an' say de Lawd's Prayer [demonstrates].
(You take two needles then?)
Yes. An' say the Lawd's Prayer an' say - when yo' say the Lawd's Prayer, then yo' - turn right around an' put chure hand up this way [informant demonstrates holding right hand up into air]. (Just as if you were swearing an oath in court?) Yessuh. Put chure han' up an' [this man] said: "In His Name, an' in his own will an' time, will he plead when dis man came." An' said, "An' leave there [home]." An' dey said he'll come back [home from court]. Dat's one way ah heard.
Entry 9789
Yo' kin take two pins an' lay 'em crossways lak dat [demonstrates] an' tie a string right in 'tween heah on each side [the crossing] yo' know, right be- tween dere lak dat [demon- strates], so dey won' fall apart, an' hang it up side de house. An' dey say dat will part a man an' his wife. [This tying of two or more objects into the form of a cross to make a rimless wheel is fairly well-known in hoodoo, some of these forms and rites at times being quite complicated; see Nos.9796, 9797, etc.]
Entry 9790
Well, now, fo' de whole house, yo' would have tuh take two needles an' cross dem lak a "x". Yo' first bury a can of red seal lye wit de top off of it; jis' let de dirt come ovah in it. (Where do you bury that lye now?) Yo' bury dat lye where dey constantly have tuh walk ovah it. Now, aftah yo' bury dat lye, befo' yo' covah it wit de dirt, yo' put de two needles cross lak an "x" wit de points out. Yo' put dem on top of de lye befo' yo' covah it. Yo' don't covah it till yo' put de needles dere wit each point, one pointin' dis way an' one de othah way, yo' understan'; but out, out from de house. An' yo' covah dat up an' when dat lye dissolve den yo' gits results. (After that lye dissolves then that landlord can't ren that house; if he does, the people can't stay there.)
Entry 9791
Git chew two needles an' write chure name - write chure name first an' put 'er name on top of yore name. Git chew two needles an' stick it right up ovah dat do' dere [points to door of interviewing room] right up undah de [wall] papah. Put dat up undah de papah. Well, yo' stick de haid of de needles in de vall, but stick [the points of] de needles comin' in de house. Dat will bring 'er right back. She won't be a day comin' back eithah. (You stick that paper [with the names] up by putting these needles through it?) Yessuh, yo' put dem needles through dis papah yo' see ovah de do'. An' stick de point of de needles comin' in de house; not goin' out, comin' in de house.
(The needles will point into the house?)
[A portion of the wallpaper is peeled back, the paper with names dampened and pressed against the wall, and the wallpaper returned and held in place by push- ing the heads of two needles through it. There are variations of this rite else- where in HOODOO.1 Yes. Dat'll point 'er right on in heah. She ain't goin' out dere jes' as long as dat needle an' dat name up dere. She ain't goin' out.
Entry 9792
Yo' kin take a needle an' put it in a piece of papah, with yore man's name wrote on it three times, an' put it up behin' yore do'. He cain't leave yo'. Put it up behin' yore do', up in de wall papah. Jes' lak yore wallpapah's dere [demonstrates], tear it loose an' put it in dere [see No.9791, p.3851.] (How many needles do you put in the paper?) Three. (And you write his name three times.) Yo' point dose needles lak dat, down. An' den yo' take an' put it up in dat [wallpaper] papah, holdin' dat papah
Entry 9793
Yo' kin take three needles. Take three needles an' burn 'em. Jis' lak yo' got a enemy 'roun' yuh, an' yo' an' 'er can't git along, an' she raisin' Sam an' gaddin' all 'roun', all roun' dere. Can't git along. Yo' jis' set down an' take three needles an' git - an' burn 'em. Put 'em on de fiah an' burn 'em real hot an' make yuh wishes. As dem needles git hot, make yuh wishes accordin' tuh whut happenin' tuh yuh: "Wish de bad luck would go off, good luck will come an' live happy in mah home. Mah enemy tuh flee from me." Well, yo' take dem ovah dere an' burn 'em an' make yuh wishes. An' aftah yo' burn 'em, yo' take dem an' throw dem away - take dem tuh de rivah, throw dem in de rivah. An' evahthin' be okey.
(Three needles?)
Three needles. An' aftah yo' call dere name, den yo' walk tuh de rivah. Af- tahward or a day or so aftah, yo' know, aftah yo' done burn 'em an' make yuh wishes. But at de same time yo' goes tuh where it's runnin' watah.
Entry 9794
An' den ag'in yo' could take, if yo' wanta win a man from a woman, yo' could take a li'le bottle [this rite is acted out, as my comment shows later] an' yo' could take an' fill it wit Heart Cologne. An' git three needles, an' lay dem down in dat bottle stopper. An' yo' take it an' put dat in a basin of vinegah, an' git chew a black rag an' put inside dat. An' yo' boil it fo' 'bout fif- teen minutes on a stove. An' when yo' take de black rag up, why yo' jes' hang it up on a line on yore back po'ch, an' let de air carry it evah direction it wanta go. An' when hit dry, yo' take it an' weah it lowdown on yo' - de lower part of yo'.
(Of your body. Down near the privates?)
Yes. An' ah don' care where he be, he would have tuh come tuh yo'. But be sure dat yo' throw de bottle away. Throw it away. Don't have anythin' mo' tuh do wit it aftah yo' do dat. An' yo' will bring 'im tuh yuh, an ah don' care where he is. (You take this bottle full of Hearts Cologne and you drive three needles down into the stopper. Then you put this in a pan of vinegar - this bottle. Then you put a black rag over the pan. But the rag must be in the vinegar.) De rag must be in de vinegah an' de vinegah must come a li'le above it, where it won' show de rag; but jes' come a li'le above de bottle an' de rag. An' wrap de bottle up in de black rag. An' den yo' take a li'le fo'k [fork] - remembah, don' put chure han's on it - an' shake dat rag out. An' den yo' take it an' hang it up on a line. Don' wring it, jes' let de watah dreen [drain] out jes' as it will. Let it dry. Aftah it dry, den yo' fix it on, an' yo' throw de bottle away, an' throw de vinegah out de basin. "Cuz ah done dat mahself.
Entry 9795
Ah heard they kin fix needles or pins an' put 'em in yore bed an' yo' can't rest to sleep in that bed.
(Do they put any number of needles in there? Or pins?)
Three - from three to six, dat's whut ah've heard of.
(Either needles or pins, or both?)
Needles or pins, brand-new ones nevah been used.
Entry 9796
Ah do know of crossin' three pins. Whut dat re'lly means - crossin' three pins mean dat in a very short time some person is li'ble tuh git stobbed [stabbed] or shot or cut. (Where do you cross these three pins?) Cross dese three pins up ovah yore do'. Place dem three pins up ovah de do' jes' lak yo' put one in each diff'ren' spot: one [pin] at dat run [over first pin] an' [third pin] right across dat run. [Like this arrange 3 pins.l An' puts [where] de per- son walk undah it. Well, in one or two months, or in three months, he'll be cut, shot or stobbed. [A similar six-spokes-of-wheel rite follows this rite.]
Entry 9797
Yo' take needles an' pin 'em in a flannel rag, an' it must be needles dat have nevah been used, an' yo' wrap dem in a angle an' fold'em in a angle, an' dat brings a lotta trouble. (How many needles did you say?) Three. See, yo' stick dem through de flannel lak dat [demonstrates], chew know, an' den lak dat.
(Like the spokes of a wheel?) [See diagram in preceding rite.]
Yeah. Den yo' wraps dem up an' yo' buries 'em.
(Where do you bury them?)
Undah de steps.
Entry 9798
Ah've heard dey kin use three straight pins an' three needles an' John de Conkah root an' bury it dere.
(Where?)
Undah de house.
(What will that do?)
Dey say dat will run de person out of de house.
(Well, will they put those pins in any way?)
Well, dey stick 'em straight down in de root, dey say in de middle wit dem needles around it. (The needles around the root.) Dat's right, an' three pins. (Right in the center of the house.) Anywhere under de house. (Do you put the three pins on one side and the needles on the other or what?) Dat's right.
(Or do you put first one pin and then a needle?)
Three pins in rotation, three needles in rotation.
Entry 9799
Well, ah heered de way a man [cunjureman] handles a woman [for a woman client] jes' about takin' 'er [away from client's man]. An' she wanted dis woman ranned away [from her man]. She went tuh dis woman's house an' took fo' needles an' crossed 'em at 'er do'step an' named dem. An' when she named de needles, de woman left in three days aftah, an' 'er [client's] husban' come back. See.
Entry 9800
(What would you do with that?) You take you three needles [see correction later]. (Three needles?) Yes, sir, an' stick - it be four needles. See? Two go this way and two that way. Make a "x" of 'em. Burn 'em and make a "X' of 'em and hang 'em up. Put one over and the other two over this door here like that. Three go this here, and put one on that door, and one on the bottom.
[This confuses the number of needles.]
(How many needles did you take?)
Four - across - burnt cross, yo' see. (You cross the points over the front door and then you cross the points over another door - the back door?) Yes.
(But you burn those needles first?)
Yeah, burn 'em first.
(I see. To keep the law away?)
Yes.
(I see.)
Entry 9801
Take fo' pins - jes' lak if yo' would rent me a house or somepin lak dat; if yo' would rent me a house an' ah'd git behin'. All right, yo' came down - in de mawnin' when ah come down, yo'd be gone. See, sompin lak dat, yo' goin' put me out, undahstan'. Well, now, ah lak de place an' ah wanta stay dere. Well, de thing ah'm goin' do, ah'm goin' git me fo' pins - fo' straight pins dat's nevah been used. Ah kin take 'em an' drop 'em in a kinda of a cross-lak; one heah, one heah, one dere an' one dere.
(Like a cross - like four points in a cross?)
Dat's right. Den ah kin call De Three Godhaid.
(How would you do that?)
Ah would say, drop dis one, "Name of de Son, Name of de Fathah, Name of de Bleesed Holy Ghost. Amen." Den walk on tuh yore do' an' knock an' say, says, "Well, Captain [evah whut chure name be] ah haven't got all yore money: Ah got so much an' so much." Well, he say, "Well, all right. Stay on an' pay up when yo' can."
(Where would you bury those pins?)
Oh, don't bury 'em atall. Yo' jes' drop 'em in dem fo' angles.
(Where do you drop them, in his house or your house?)
In front of 'is do'.
(In front of the owner of the house - in front of his door?)
Dat's right, right in front of 'is do' an' knock on de do', an' den yo' tell m about de money whut yo' has. [I failed to ask whether these 4 pins formed 2 separate crosses + + or a cross with 8 arms or spokes, a rimless wheel; for 6 spokes see No.9796; v.4, No.5720.]
Entry 9802
Yo' kin take now an' git chew a bran'new pack of goldeye needles an' put one in each corner of yore house. Yo' know a house is got fo' corners to it, a house dat wuz made straight. An' put 'em in each corner. Have to dig a hole, ah think yo' know, tuh bury it. Yo' know, yo' bury it down in dat hole an' say - but chew have tuh say some words behin' it, too, yo' know. When yo' say dat it keep de policeman away.
(What words do you say behind that, do you know?)
Jes' lak de Son an' de Holy Ghost. Yo' know, jes' ah tole yo' while ago, jes' repeat dose: Hope tuh God de policeman stay away, "In de Father an' de Holy Ghost."
(You don't say the Son?)
No, dey don't say de Son.
Entry 9803
Well, yo' see, de house yo' lives in has got four corners to it. Well, it's north, east, west, and south. Well, yo' take a simple thing as a needle, one needle, an' take that needle an' put in each corner of your house. An' every night at twelve 'clock yo' read the Ten Command- ments in each corner of that house. Like tonight yo' read them in one corner an' the next night yo' read them in another corner. An' then after yo' get that done, yo' take the needles out wrap them up, buy a little lodestone, put the four needles in that and put them up over the door, tack it there, an' leave it there. Yo' kin get all the trade you want. That will even keep the law away.
Entry 9804
If yo's a keen farmah an' lookin' fo' 'em tuh break yo' up, yo' go git chew six needles, bran' new, an' take yore - now, heah's yore barn-facin', yore barn door facing.
(Facing of barn door?)
Yes. Yo' make a way [split with knife] in dere an' place dem needles in dere. Make a crack in dere wit chure knife so yo' kin place dem needles in dere. But de eyes [of the needles], three of 'em, an' place 'em jes' about de height of a man's body. Go up tuh dat do' an' put three [needles] on each side [of the door]. An' yo'll find no breakin' up of yore farm.
Entry 9805
You take the [2] needles. You take a needle and you turn it one way; one east and one north. [These ] needles are crossed, one pointing east, the other north.1 And now that [was in the] bedroom, what you left in there. You [can] take the pins and put 'em in your bedroom just thataway [the same way] you see. [For crossing 2 nee- dles or 2 pins in bedroom, see rite following this one.] (I see. Now wait a minute. You cross two needles according to the direc- tions [you gave]. You cross each like that [I demonstrate]. Then you get four new pins, and you by a [something] make another cross?) Yes, make another cross.
(All right. With those [4 new] pins. Then what do you do?)
Then you take it and you take a stocking and you put it between the stocking.
(Any piece of clothes or any kind of...?)
Yeah, any kind of clothing. I just take a stocking for a parable = [example] but any kind piece of clothes - to be sure to put it right in the middle. And then you fold it. Fold it up and you go bury it right in the middle of their house - up under the house. [This ''middle of the house is the well-known 5th point, the center of 4 other points, creating a quincunx, many examples of which have been given in HOODOO, see margin title QUINCUNX, p.710, v.1, and elsewhere.] Gotta get up under the house and bury that. And they be crossed up.
(That crosses them up.)
Entry 9806
You can take a needle if you want to make a person sick and confined to bed. If you can get into their house and can cross two needles on the bottom of the mattress and push them in till they can't be seen from the outside, from the bottom of the mattress, turn the mat- tress up. Then you take three [four] needles and stick them up in the corners of the house. Get them back out of there even if you have to break them off so they can't be seen. Each corner of the house. And then you sprinkle a little salt in each corner, and you have the needle there, and as long as that person stays in that room and [with] those needles and the salt - after they sweep of course there's a few grains of that salt is going to remain in the corner - the person will just get sick and get up and down [from sick bed] and they can't get well until they remove those two needles crossed under their bed. If they can find them and remove them they'll get all right; and if they can't, they won't.
Entry 9807
Well, dey takes a tin plates, new tin plates, an' sulphur an' six nee- dles to each plate. Take yo' six plates an' put chew six needles in each plate, an' set 'em roun' de spots yo' goin' dig at, an' burn yore sulphur wit chure needles in dere wit de points layin' dead in de sulphur. An' dat will keep 'way de spirits from comin' in. (When you are hunting money? Those points are pointing to this little bit of sulphur in that plate?) In de center of de plate. (When you are hunting money?) When yo' huntin' money. [See also section SPIRITS GUARD BURIED TREASURE, pp.111-135, vol.1, and elsewhere.]
Entry 9808
Yo' take seven needles an' yo' take seven straight pins an' yo' take three nails. An' yo' kin take a quart of watah an' de stoppah tuh shet [shut] de quart bottle. An' y'o kin put dem dere seven needles an' dem dere straight pins an' dem three nails in dat quart of watah. An' yo' put dat stoppah in dere. Stop it up, but don' try tuh stop it tight. An' yo' place it at sun risin' undah yore baid. An' if yo' wanta kill a puh- son - lak yo' wanta kill 'im- yo' kin hit dat stoppah wit a hammah. But yo' don' want no iron hammah, yo' wants a kinda wooden hammah, yo' undahstand. [Wooden hammer is rare in HOODOO.] An' yo' hit dat a certain many times evah mawnin' tuh kill a puhson, an' yo' hit it one time aftah it's gone down, dat sun, jes' tuh lingah dat person - jes' tuh put 'im sick, where he be Bo mo good, jes' lingahin'. An' when dem needles rust out, he rust out. It won't kill 'im right away. Take dem nails an' needles in dat quart bottle, an' yo' kin hit dat stoppah three times where de sun rise an' in seventeen days he'll be daid.... [Here I turned off machine too quickly and had to reopen conversation with a qoestion.1
(Where do you put this bottle then? Do you put it under the victim's bed?)
No sir, yo' put it undah yore baid, an' when yo' hit dat, take it out evah sasnin'-time yo' git up, an' hit dat stoppah an' jes' call [the name of] which ane yo' wanta do [kill]. If yo' want 'im tuh lingah, yo' kin hit dat stoppah ane time, as de sun goin' down, de sun settin' in de weat; an' if yo' wanta Hul 'im, yo' kin hit it early in de mawnin' three times.
Entry 9809
Well, now if yo' is livin' neah me an' dey brings on confusion between I an' yo' which we can't git along or make us bat up wit one 'nothah, yo' kin take eight straight pins. Eight straight pins now. Yo' lay fo' of 'em tuh yore front do'. Yo' lays fo' tuh yore back do'. An' yo' goin' have tuh move 'way from dere. Yo' can't stay. (Do they lay those in any particular way?) Well, yes, yo' lay all de p'ints back out at de front steps, see. Jes' lak yo' go in de house, yo' come up an' go in de house over de step, well, yo' lay dose pins lak dat, de p'ints p'intin' out p'intin' 'way from de house back an' front.
(That makes you move.)
Entry 9810
(That foot track, what do you do with that foot track after you get it and put those pins and things in it?) Yo' take hit, yo' don't bury hit, yo' lie hit on yore bedspring an' yo' sleep on hit. An' he may go wit anothah woman but he won't ca' [care] nuthin 'bout 'er. An' in goin' tuh de othah woman he'll pay yo' twice de 'tenshun [attention] dat he will 'er. But in goin' wit yo' an' lovin' yo' often, yo' know, evah once in a way he'll go tuh dis woman, but he won't intendin' tuh stay cuz ah got a man lak dat. Him an' me mean so much. (In other words, you will take this foot track in order to hold a man - that's all.) Dat hold 'im. (And you put those pins in there in order to keep other women away. You name them your enemies.)
[I am corrected!]
Dat won't completely keep 'em away, but he'll be from undah dere influence.
(When you name these pins you are thinking of other women, aren't you?)
Yessuh, dat's de enemies. (They are your enemies and you want to keep them away from your husband or your man.) Well, heah's de othah one. Yo' see, womens doin' lak dat, gittin' de foot track an' pins, dat's not all of it. Yo' see if a woman - now, ah don't know 'cuz ah ain't nevah did nuthin, but ah hear'd it. [They] say, if a woman goin' wit chure man, he care de mos' fo' yo', an' yo' ain't tryin' tuh, yo' know, do nuthin but jes' tryin' to keep de man a Zi'le out de way, an' she tryin' tuh do somepin tuh 'im. Yo must always do lak dis, say he goin' wit 'er an' he ca' mo' fo' 'er. Well, she's got'a make him ca' mo' fo' her den he do yo'. Yo' got'a git 'is track den, but chew git it in a diff'ren' way. 'Stead [instead] of gittin' it fahwahds, yo' gits it backwahds. But chew take it an' yo' ca' it tuh a ants [nest] - jis' lak, yo' know, in de summah. Jis' lak yo' see a ants nest an' ants totin' dirt in an' out. Dis is ca'in' [carrying] it in jis' [like] ah'm gittin' love. Yo' got'a git de woman's track dis time, not de man's track. Git de woman's track. Yo' ca' it tuh a ants nest where de ants totin' dirt in an' out an' put it down dere. An' yo' go tuh puttin' it down where de ants totin' in dere. Yo' know how ants tote in. An' yo' name de same thing: "Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, make her leave dis town." An' yo' know, as yo' thinkin' [all this] yo' sprinkle it. Well, jis' as de ants tote it in, she got'a go. Well, dat's de woman. Fo' de man, well, yo' don't put it down in no ants nest. Jis' tie it up in a hans'cuff [handkerchief] an' yo' got'a put nine pins in dere. [Here I turned off machine thinking she had ended and had to restart by re- peating what had been lost.]
(Put it in your bedspring?)
Put dat undah de haid of yore mattress an' sleep on it. But de woman yo' got'a find a ants nest where de ants totin' in de dirt. [Informant now tells an experience of hers, an experience similar to the one told in, vol.] Dis wus a man passin' through [town]. Ah didn't know 'im an' he didn't know me. Ah wus on mah way tuh a party one night an' he said, "Lady, " he said, "ah'm hongry: Ah wan't somepin tuh eat: If yo'd give me twenty cents, " an' he said, "dat's not de price, ah'd tell yo' somepin." He wus a big mulatto man. He weren't no white man, he wus a colored man. Ah says, "Well, ah'll give yo' mo' den twenty cents, " ah said, "heah's thirty cents. An' heah's whut he tole me. An' he tole it so straight. Ah had nevah seed de man befo' an' he had nevah seen me, but he tole me who [what woman] mah man wus gone wit an' how he looked an' evahthing, an' whut she wus tryin' tuh do, an' whut fo' me tuh do. An' ah'd called 'im back an' ah'd sweah de man wus crazy. But ah done whut he tole me [to bring back my man]. De dog! See, dat walk right off an' left me. He come right back tuh me an' ah ain't had no mo' trouble wit 'im since. Ah wus dressed an' ah start out tuh de party. Well, it wus a big mulatto man an' he came rapped on de do'. He did give his name but ah ain't goin' tell no story, ah cain't remembah 'is name now. He says, "Well, where yo' goin', lady? See yo' dressed." Ah an' mah sistah [were going to the party], but ah'm jis' talkin' 'bout mahself. He wus talkin' tuh me. He says, "Ah lak yore future." Aftah dis, ast 'im tuh come in. Ah say, "Ah'm goin' tuh a party. He says, "Whut party yo' goin' to?" He says, "Ah think ah mostly know wit'out chew tell me." Ah says, "Ah'm goin' down heah in Thomastown." [I said it] jis' lak dat. He say, "Well, yo' drinkin'." Dat wus 'is words. Ah said, "Ah'm drinkin'?" He say, "Yeah." Ah said, "Ah did have 'bout a dime's drink but no mo'." [This was a dime's drink back in 1939, not in 1976, and it was the cheapest moonshine available.] He said, "Well, yo' goin' tuh de party tuhnight. He's daid an' yo' goin' preparin' tuh raise hell.' Said, "But if yo' gived me twenty cents, ah'll tell yo' sompin." Ah say, "Well, whut chew gona tell me?" He says, "Yo' worryin'," says, "yo're not satisfied." HE SAYS, "IT'S A WOMAN BUT SHE'S NOT YORE COMPLEXION, ' SAYS, "YO'S KINDA TEASY, WHUT CHEW CALL CHOCOLATE BROWN, BUT DIS WOMAN IS BLACK." He says, "Whut chew call a [something] or some bnda black woman [something]. Say, "But dis woman tryin' take yore man." Dat whut he said, "Dis woman tryin' uh take yore man." An' he say, "When dis woman tryin' 'uh take yore man, if yo' give me twenty cents, ah tell yo' how tuh git 'im from 'er 'tention." An' he say, "Ah oughta charge mo' den dat, " he said, "but ah's hongry an' ah want somepin uh eat." But he wus a colored man. We wus goin' tuh a barbecue, ah an' dis girl. Ah say, "Well, if yo' come go tuh de party, ah'll buy yo' sompin." He say, "Well, if yo' promise me fo' shuah yo'll buy me somepin uh eat, ah'll pay yo' 'fore yO gits dere. BUT IF YO' DON' PAY ME DE MONEY, WHUT AH TELL YO WON'T DO YO' NO GOOD." Ah said, "Well, come on." He said, "Yo' goin' wit de man an', " he said, "de man love yo' an' yo' love de man, an', '' he say, "jis' lak he come an' familiahize [familiarize] wit chew. He don't stay heah an' life [live] wit chew, do he?" Ah says, "He sho' don't." Ah says, "Me an' 'im quit." Ah said, "He lived down dere wit dem othah wimmins, went crazy 'bout 'em.' He say, "Well, when he step out de [door], jis' lak he step, yo' go out an' yo' git 'is right feet, git 'is right track." Says, "When he step out, don' chew go right behin' 'im. De time [after] he go, git 'is right track." Ah didn't even pay 'tention. Ah put on mah coat, de one dat ah wuz weahin' roun'. He say, "Git it from de toe an' rake it back tuh de heel, an' git somepin kinda slick an', " he say, "whut yo' pick up on dere, take an' tie it up in a hans'cuff." An' he say, "When yo' tie it up in a hans'cuff, yo' git nine straight pins, an' if dere any woman dat chew think he goes wit, whatevah dere name dat chew think is yore enemies, yo' call 'em name by name. An' jes' as yo' call 'em name by name, yo' stick dat pin in dat hans'cuff an' dat dirt till yo' git de nine pins in dere." An' [he] say, "When yo' git 'em in dere, hol' up de haid of yore mattress an' put it [handkerchief with pins] on yore springs, an' let yore mattress fall back down an' sleep on it." AN' SAY, "HE'LL COME TUH YO' MO' SO DEN HE'LL GO TUH DIS OTHAH WOMAN." SAY, "HE MAY GO BACK TUH DIS OTHAH WOMAN BUT HE WON'T MEAN 'ER NO GOOD. HE'LL MEAN YO' DE GOOD." (Then what else did he tell you about - there's something else about getting rid of the women?) About de girl. Well, he jes' left an' heah ah thought that... He says, "Now, if yo' wanta git rid of dis woman, if he go wit yo'..." She lived down on - ah live on [something] Street, 10ol, an' she lived on [something] Street, way down at de [something] Garden. "Yo' wanta git rid of dis woman he goin' wit," say, "but if yo' don't do it, if yo' do lak yo' did de firs' time, it'll backwards an' fo'wards. If yo' wanta git dis woman out of town," say, "yo' go tuh her. She ain't comin' where yo' live, cuz she's scared of yo'." Dat's whut he said. "But chew go tuh 'er home. She goes tuh work evah mawnin'." But he wun't lyin'. She do go tuh work an' ah know it. "Yo' know whut kind a shoes she weahs?" Ah said, "Yah, ah do." Say, "Now, ah got de right feet of his'n. Yo' git de left feet of 'er track an' don't rake it from de toe." "See, " [says informant] ah rake his'n from de toe." [He] say, "Yo' take it from de heel. Take it up an' put in a piece of papah an' ca it tuh a ants nest. "'- Now dis is a diff'ren' story. "yo' see how de ants, " he says, "work all day. Yo've seen dat. See, dey be totin' it in but dey don't tote it out. When dey come out, dey come out aftah ca'in' it through [the hole]." Jis' lak dose ants wit'in dey nest, he don't nevah tote out, he totes in. He says, "Yo' take dis woman's track an' rake it from de back of 'er heel, de left foot, an' ca' it tuh a ants nest. Go till yo' find a ants nest, totin' in an' out, ' [he] says, "if yo' have tuh wait till de summah. If yo' cain't run tuh de south, '' say, "yo' wait till den [warmer weather] an' dey ants totin' in."
[Down the coast from Maryland the "south" was always farther south - author.]
An' he say, "Yo' jis' stan' up dere where yo' see all dem red antses totin' dat dirt intuh de hole, an' yo' has it in a papah or hans'cuff an' jes' sprinkle it down, In de Name of de Fathah, an' de Holy Ghost, whut do yo' want wit mah mam? An' ah want mah man fo' ah need mah man mahself. An' jis' drop it dere an sprinkle it." An' de ants will come pick up dis dirt whut ah bring from anothah place an' dey goin' tote it in dere. An' dat's jis' how she'll tramp [become a tramp, a wanderer]. When ah sprinkle it down dere an' dey tote it, she'll have tuh leave dis town. If yo' wanta git rid of 'er, yo' jis' carry it tuh a ants nest an' yo'll be rid of de woman. He say, "De man goin' stay 'cuz yo's sleepin' on 'is dirt undahhaid [under your head]. But de woman will have tuh leave town. She will leave de town an won't even know how she leave.
(Well, did you do that, then?)
DID AH DO IT? AH'VE GOT 'IM BUT AH AIN'T GOIN' STOLE [STEAL] HIM. AH AIN'T RUN 'ER YET, BECUZ IT AIN'T BEEN BUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS BACK. WELL, YO' KNOW, IT'S WINTAHTIME AN' DE ANTSES AIN'T TOTIN' IN TOO MUCH DIRT. IT'S WINTAH. But ah tried it 'bout puttin' de pins intuh him [his foot tracks]. BUT AH KNOW ONE THING, HE'S QUIT [HER]. BUT AH'LL BE DOGGED IF AH AIN'T GOT 'IM. IF SHE SEE HIM, SHE SEE HIM ON DE FLY, 'CUZ SHE SHORE WON'T KETCH 'IM REG'LAH.
(Well, are you waiting now until the ants come out before you run her?)
AH'M GONA "RUN' 'ER THOUGH. AH'M JES' AS GOOD TUH RUN ER AS AH'M SETTIN' IN DIS CHAIR. She go tuh work evah day right by mah house. All ah gotta do - ah'm gonna grab 'er left-feeted track an' ah'm gona git me a ants nest. She's de onliest one give me trouble wit mah man, an' soon as ah git dat she WOn't give me nO trouble. JIS' AS FUR NO'TH AS AH WANT 'ER TUH GO, SHE GOIN'. AH'M GONA NAME DE CITY WHEN AH'M DROPPIN' DE DIRT AN' WE SEE HOW FUR SHE'LL GO. [This woman had a good story but she hopped around the room and kept repeating and repeating.]
Entry 9811
[The rite that follows is a folding-into-triangles rite, a fairly com- mon belief for which also see: Nos.3189, 3527, vol.3; 8648, 8766 with diagrams, 8767, 8768, vol.4. There are also rites folding into squares: 3162 and 3182, vol.3, as well as folding into oblongs, 3184, vol.3.] Yo' buy a papah of pins - aw, jes' as much as yo' wanta. Yo' git nine new pins. Listen now, git chew a piece of new homespun cloth 'bout dat long [demonstrates]. (About six or seven inches long.) Yessuh, an' yo' fol' dit. Yo' see yo' fol' dit dis way first [demonstrates]. (Going away from you first.) Den yo' take it an' fol' dit back lak dat. Yo' understan' now, dat's two fold dere den. Den yo' fol' dit again. All right. Yo' take two pins - now listen. Two new pins an' make a stah [star] in dis cornah, an' take anothah two [new pins] - dat's fo' ain't it? An' put a stah in dat cornah. Den dat in de firs' cornah. Den in de cornah dere yo' make yore firs' lap. All right, now dat's fo' [pins]. Den yo' take two an' put 'em straight up an' down on dis side dis way. Point it dat-a-way, dat sharp point. Den yo' take two mo' an' turn it down an' take de middle an' turn it lak dat [demonstrates]. Dat's nine. An' tote it in yore pocket or in yore pocketbook. Dat will give yo' all de sharp luck yo' want. (Just to be sure of that. Suppose you show me how you wrap that up now. How you fold that.) All right, ah will. Listen now. Yo' see, dis is a cornah, an' dere's anothah cornah, but it may be jes' about dat odd, yo' see. Cut in a cornah. Den yo turn dat cornah lak dat. Dat's one fold isn't it?
(Yes.)
All right, yo' take dis ovah heah lak dat. Dat two fold isn't it?
(That's two folds.)
When yo' take dat ovah dere, dat's three ain't it?
(That's the whole piece you are talking about?)
Yeah, dat's de whole piece.
(Now wait a minute, you've got the paper now.)
[I hand informant a piece of paper to fold.]
Ah think dis'll be a little bit too large [begins to fold]. (You fold it. All right, now there's the piece. Wait! Now you fold over one corner - you fold one corner over the other corner. Then you take the other cor- ner and fold it over the other corner, as if you were making a little [paper] hat that you put on your head.) Dat's right. Den yo' takes an' fold it dere. (Then you take one of those and fold it like you are making a little boat now?) Dat's it. Now yo' take dis an' yo' make a stah on dis end. Two.
(Two pins down there like a "v" in that corner?)
["v" is not the shape here. Since informant calls it a "star, " the two pins are crossed.] Put de othah ones in dis cornah. Dat one dere. Yo' undahstan' dat. Den yo' take den ovah heah an' yo' put two. Dat's six isn't it? Don' chew see? All right. Well, den yo' take two mo' of dem an' turn 'em down - on de opposite side, yes. Well, now dat'll be eight, isn't it? Dat leaves a odd one, isn't it? Take de odd one an' stick it right in de middle.
(Right in the center?)
Yeah. (You have four parallel pins and the ninth [fifth] crossing. Now wait! At one end you have the two in the shape of the "v" and then at the point of the hat you have two in the shape of a "v". And then in that triangle you have the four "v's" parallel, four up and two are down. Then you have the ninth pin across them.) That's correct.
(Now what do you do with that?)
Now yo' take dat an' yo' will fold it lak dat, an' tote it in yore pocket or in yore pocketbook, an' it will give yo' sharp luck. An' nobody can't hurt chew.
Entry 9812
Use de pins an' needles. Yo' kin use it fo' nine points or eighteen points. Dat's tuh make love an' tuh hold a person.
(How do they do that?)
Well, yo' kin take yo' a bran'-new nine. Ah'm goin' use nine points. It's accordin' tuh how many points. It runs from nine tuh eighteen points. If yo' goin' tuh nine points, yo' kin git chew nine bran'-new needles dat nevah been used. An' yo' git chew nine bran'-new pins dat nevah been used, an' yo' take a piece of clot' [any kind of cloth] lak dis [demonstrates] an' yo' run one needle dat way an' run one dis way, see [demonstrates]. (You altermate them.) Yes, but when yo' put a needle, yo' put a pin; yo' put a needle an' yo' put a pin. Dat's de way yo' do. [You altemate needles and pins which are alternated heads and tails.] An' den yo' wrap dat up - jes' wrap it up good an' tight lak dat - an' yo' kin put dat somewhere; seal [conceal] dat undah each [anyl side of de house. See. An' yo' kin control dose people by dat needle. Now if dey seems tuh be cold towards yuh an' yo' wan' dem tuh be friendly tuh yo', yo' go tuh dose needles an' pick 'em up an' jes' turn 'em aroun'.- reverse dem. If yo' got 'em layin' dis way [demonstrates] jes' take dis end an' turn it back heah. Jest reverse it. Any time dat anything oc- curs wit chew an' dat party, why yo' jes' reverse dose needles an' dat'll keep 'em right tuh yo'. Evah time yo' reverse it, dat brings dere mind tuh yo', see. An' yo' use dem [the needles or the person or both] dat way.
Entry 9813
Well, yo' go git chew nine needles, nine pins; jes' take nine needles an' nine safety pins. Jes' cross de needles an' put de pins up an' dom. See, heah's de needles crossed an' heah's de safety pins across dem. Lak if yo' have a piece of cloth heah [demon- strates] an' yo' stick a needle across in it dere, yo' stick a safety pin lak dat [demonstrates] but don't hook it.
(You put the safety pin across this needle right in the cloth.)
Dat's right, but don' hook it, undahstan'. An' yo' take dat den - aftah yo' git 'em in dere, yo' take dat piece of cloth, if dey anywhere aroun' neah an' jes' take it - yo' ain't gotta bury it if yo' don' wanta. Yo' kin wrap it. Yo' kin bury it middleways of de steps, if yo' git undah dere. Go right middleway of yore steps. Don't have [to] bury it or yo' kin do it, jes' in de middleways of de steps. Dey ain't goin' stay dere long 'fore dey be gone.
(This will move them out.)
Yes sir, dey won' come roun'. Dey won' even come up dat steps no mo'. Dem same nine needles ah's tellin' yo' 'bout, dem same nine needles, yo'll cross de firs' one across. Put de needles 'cross an' de pins straight up an' down - de safety pins.
(Get a piece of cloth like that?)
Yes, an' put dem in dere an' let 'em stay in dere, an' put it 'way somewhere. "Stead [instead] of 'im goin' off, he'll stay roun' dere. De person dat's been bothahin' yo' is goin' tuh leave dere, an' de law ain't hardly goin' come. Dat's whensomevah yo' wants tuh run dis person dat's bothahin' yo', an' whensomevah yo' wants yore customah tuh come tuh yore house an' de police tuh stay away.
Entry 9814
Ah.don't know what de herb are, but yo' take dem nine needles if a woman come tuh yo' [informant thinks I am a doctor] an' want a man. He [the wanted man] got anothah woman an' she want tuh git 'im. He [doctor] tell 'er tuh take nine needles an' put 'em on a thread. Have one jes' a li'l bit 'bove de othah. [Informant is illustrating.] Jes' come right on - nevah let 'em be even - jes' come a li'l bit above de othah. An' tell 'er tuh take dem nine nee- dles an' bury 'em undah de do'step. Well, evah who [whoever] dis man is, if she wan' 'im, he's comin' an' de [other] Woman can't [do anything about it] 'cuz she got 'er wit dem needles, see. Now, ah know dat's true cuz... (She can't come, why?) She can't come where he is, no sir. She can't go tuh save huh life.
Entry 9815
Take nine needles an' string 'em with a thread, string 'em up ovah yuh front doah, an' make any- one yo' love come tuh yuh.
Entry 9816
Git nine goldeye nee- dles an' put 'em on a string an' put a cork stopper in de end of 'em [stick needles into stopper] an' put 'em in anybody's mattress, an' dey won't rest dere. Dey can't rest on dere.
Entry 9817
Git chew some needles, lak a pack of needles, an' jis' befo' dey be used [get new needles]. An' lak - go right, [points] lak dat dat person's do right dere. An' git dat needle, yo' know, an' dig dat needle [into the door], yo' know. Plant it jis' lak yo' dig it in roun' lak dis [demon- strates]. Dig one lak dis, put one lak dat, an' take one, yo' know, crossin' it right in front [of] dat per- son's do'. See. [All this has been acted out.] An' when dose needles begin tuh git rusty, well dat jis' begin tuh make 'em upset in de house, yo' see. It will make 'em upset wit de landlord an' den de landlord put 'em out. [The pre- ceding dat dat = that that = that is that = like that is that person's door.] (On that door, you put one needle like that [I demonstrate], and then you put one needle like that. Follow me [pay attention]. You put one needle like that, then you put one on top of it like that, and then you put another one on top like that. You just keep crossing them. How many do you put in there?) Yes, yo' put nine.
(That is all you have to do, use those nine needles?)
Use those nine needles.
Entry 9818
Dey'll take dat an' dey'll go tuh verk [work] cuz dey kin git nine needles - now listen, nine needles. Stop dat up, put dat in a bottle an' dey'll turn dat cross yuh step - cross de do'step - an' yuh can't go, neithah cross it. (They put this bath water of yours in this bottle to keep you in the house.)
Entry 9819
Well, if it's anybody dat yo' wanted tuh move outa de house, yo' take nine needles an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up tight, an' bury it undahneat' de steps an' tell 'em, "Git out chere yo' damn devil! Go!" Well, dey'll go.
Entry 9820
Latsa people dey take nine needles, bran'-new needles an' dey git a piece of lodestone an' put 'em in dis way an' dat-a-way [demonstrates].... (Now wait. [I try to repeat informant's demonstration.] Put in this way and that way?) [I am making a cross.] Yes sir, cross [demonstrates].
(Cross them all.)
An' den yo' go tuh a blacksmith shop an' git chew some anvil dust, de steel from de anvil where dey make de iron, an' put it in dere. An' git chew a piece of lodestone an' put ten cents [a silver dime] in it. It's lucky tuh yuh if yo' keep it an' let nobody touch it. Feed it wit whiskey. Yo'll always have silvah money. [Even during my collecting days back in 1938 the preceding anvil dust never saw an anvil; it came from ma- chine-shop filings. Anvil dust and steel dust were the same thing, depending upon age, size, color, etc.] [In the following comment I am not talking for informant's benefit, I am an- notating for the future.] (Now in putting these needles, you put one needle like that, and then you put another needle on there like that - like a cross, sort of like little squares, like tick-tack-toe.) Yes. [Everything is arranged or sprinkled into the form of a cross before the combined materials are put in the bag.]
Entry 9821
Ah've hear'd dey could bury - dey ties nine needles togethah am' grease dem with de grease dey call axle grease an' bury dem dat ways. An' hit on dem nine times, not hit dem all on de same masi'. Dey bury 'em in three parts in front of de do' an' hit 'em nine times fo' nine manin's. (Hit them once each morning?) Once each masin' an' dat will - dat's tuh drive a person away - yo' know, jes' die. Yo'll jes' fade away. Nails also [can be used].
(Either nails, or needles and pins?)
The pins, eithah nails. (And the needles. And you put three, in groups of three. And you must hit each one of those once?) Yes.
Entry 9822
Yo' jes' take nine pins, dat if yo' got anybody an' don't want 'em around yo'. Yo' jes' take nine pins an' stick 'em up in a roll or sompin yo' got in de house, so nobody couldn't see 'em. An' evah mawnin' yo' git up fo' nine mawnin's an' yo' pull one dose pins outs an' jes' throw it right ovah yore shouldah. Walk on outside an' throw it ovah yore shouldah jes lak nobody see where yo' throw it. Nobody know whut chew doin'. Jes' evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' de las' day he's gone. He'll leave dat town. (You put these pins in his house and you throw them. Show me how you throw them over your shoulder.) Jes' 'sposed tuh throw 'em dat ways.
(Over the left shoulder.)
Yes.
Entry 9823
Dey kin bury nine needles. Point de nine needles up an' put dem intuh de groun'. An' yo' walk ovah dem nine needles. An' dey have de points right straight up from de groun' an' put dat right in de mid- dle of yore do'. An' den dey kin put nine nails. Put nine nails wit dose nine needles an' yo' walk ovah dose nails, yo' see, an' dose points. Dat goes intuh yuh.
(You don't have to step on them?)
No, yo' don' have tuh step on 'em. Dey have 'em buried, but dey have 'em pointed upwards. Yeah, dey has 'em pointed upwards.
(What would that do to you then?)
Dat would give yuh pains.
Entry 9824
Why ah could come up tuh yuh ev'ry day an' git me a pin or eithah a needle. If ah don' borrah a pin from yuh ah'll borrah a needle from yuh. Well, when ah gits mahself nine needles an' nine pins, well all right. Ah goin' come an' borrah salt or eithah black peppah from yuh, or eithah red peppah from yuh. Well, ah done borrahed an' borrahed it. Ah knows mah num- bah what ah done got from yuh. Ah done got nine pins an' nine needles from yuh. Ah takes 'em an' carried 'em tuh a green tree, an' ah takes an' digs a li'l hole in dat green tree, an' ah - see, ah got a cork stoppah. An' ah put dem needles an' pins, drive 'em in dere, an' ah take dis cork stoppah an' stop 'em in dere. Well, in about nine days yo'll be daid. [Informant names victim by intention; besides, victim has handled the articles.]
Entry 9825
[That] create dissatisfaction in a man's home. They kin take and bot- tle them. Take so many pins and so many needles - about nine [each] - so it's a odd number. You put them pins and needles, stick them through a piece of flannel. Roll 'em up and drop 'em in a bag. Well, natchly in pass- ing in de house, in and out, if you kin get some of de dust that they sweep up off the floor, yo' puts that in that bottle too. And as long as you keep it, why it causes a great dissatisfaction in the home, so as to completely break it up. It's never known but dey use them needles and pins that way to cause dis- satisfaction in the home.
Entry 9826
If you want somepin to happen, somepin to do, he said yo' take nine needles an' bury 'em about a foot deep in the ground, an' [take] a red onion an' put with it. An' take one of those [packages] of needles an' stick in that onion. An' yo'll overcome all obsticles. He said they had to be goldeye needles.
Entry 9827
Tuh bring yore sweetheart back, take a han'ke'ch'ef an' write his name in de centah of dat han'ke'ch'ef an' fold it up. An' yo' git chew nine new nee- dles, sewin' needles, yo' undahstan'. An' aftah yo' git dose needles, yo' take dose needles an' yo' stick one in dis way [demonstrates] right intuh dat name, an' yo' stick one dat way, an' one go dis way, one go dat way. But dey all gotta go intuh dat name. (All those points of those needles point into each other.) [The needles are in a rimless circle, points inward.] Yassuh, goes intuh each othah. Ah'll show yo'. Dis is yore name but dey all gotta go intuh dat name. Well, yo' take dat aftah yo' git 'em all in dere an' make yore wish. An' take it an' put it up in de centah of yore baid undah yore mattress. An' den de fo'th day, why he'll surely come back tuh yo'.
Entry 9828
Yo' take de needles an' yo' git chew nine new needles an' yo' take yore bag, a li'l piece outa red flannen [flannel]. An' yo' take dis red flannen an' sew it jis' lak a li'l bag. Well, anythin' of 'is soiled clothes, whut he sweats, somepin nex' tuh 'is flesh. Well, yo' put dat in dis bag. An' now yo' take dose nine needles. Turn all de p'ints tuhgethah. Well, it's lak if ah know yo' room heah [in the home where I was interviewing]. Well, ah'll come roun' an' put dis heah anywhere inside. If dis is yore room, ah come an' put it in yore room, undah de room - yo' know, bury it. [In the South small lowland houses are built off the ground.] Well, [as] long as yo' stay dere - well, yo' not goin' stay dere much longah becuz, yo' know, when dose needles begin - yo' know, any needles dat's in de groun' where it's kinda wet, it's goin' tuh soon rust. Well, when dey rust, yo' gonna git gone.
Entry 9829
Dey put nine needles, dey say, in a snuffbox an' bury 'em at a do'step. Dat'll make de person be painful as long as dey cross 'em.
Entry 9830
Yuh kin take nine an' put [usually stick] 'em intuh a piece of homespun cloth, an' bury it undahneath de steps, an' dat'll break 'em up, de man an' woman, whoevah it is.
[Needles and homespun are usually new.]
Entry 9831
An' den a person kin take needles an' put 'em in a - up undah yuh house. Put so many needles undah dere, nine needles undah yuh house, right wheah yuh haid is, right on dere. An' dem nine needles will kill yuh in nine dasy. In nine days yo'll be daid. (You put them under where you sleep.) Undah wheah yo' sleep. Dey go up undahneat' de house. An' stick nine needles up dere in a row wit de p'ints up. An' dem nine needles in nine days, yo'll git sick, an' 'fore de nex' nine days out, yo' daid.
Entry 9832
[Here is a rite said to come from Doctor McKinna, who has been mention- ed somewhere else in the printed text.] Take nine goldeyed needles. (These men down at Clinton [North Carolina], you say were root doctors?) Yessuh. He [one of these root doctors] give a man nine goldeyed nee- dles. He named 'em, evah one [of the needles] an' he had dis man [client] tuh take 'em tuh a green tree an' bury inside of a green tree, In de Name of de Lord. An' dat fellah he buried 'em fur, he went tuh bed. Hit [it] made him sick.
(What did he do, name each needle the same man?)
No suh, name de needles. [Informant misunderstands my question.] Lak ah said, dere nine in de family, he name 'em evah one of dem.
Entry 9833
Dey git nine needles an' tie 'em tuhgethah an' dey'll put 'em in a bottle, but wit de point of 'em down lak dis - de haid part up. [Normally points should be up, see No., etc.] Jis' tie 'em tuhgethah. An bury it undah de steps, an' dey say dat'll put a puhson [walk- ing over them] in pain.
Entry 9834
Take nine new pins an' stick 'em down in de ground, an' when dey stuck dere see, people come by an' pick 'em up. Why when dey pick up de first one, yo' know, dey commence havin' pains. Den de mo' pins dere be's, de mo' bad off dey gits - de worsah dey git. (You put those down so that they will be picked up?) )[Perhaps this knowledge that the pins will be picked up is based upon the well-known folklore rhyme: See a pin, pick it up; all that day you'll have good luck - see Hyatt: Folklore from Adams County Illinois, 2nd ed., No.10494, p.478.]
Entry 9835
Ev'y do' dey got where yo' have tuh come in an' out, undahstan', stick nine pins up dere. [Divide 9 pins among the doors.] If yo' got three do's, put three ovah de [each] do'; an' if yo' got jis' two do's, yo' must 'vide [divide] it [the nine pins] an' put 'em ovah de two do's. (Put four over one and five over the other. What kind of nails [pins] do you put over there?) Jis' dress pins.
(Just ordinary straight pins. Do you put them in any particular way?)
No, jis' stick 'em in dere straight lak dat, lak yo' would a nail, but don' drive 'em up. (I see, just tap them in so they will stay. Tap them in a little bit so they won't fall out. That is supposed to keep that house?) Dat's whut dey tells me. (The person that wants to stay in the house and don't want to be put out will do that?) Yeah, jis' any way, yo' know [to stay in the house].
Entry 9836
Git chew nine needles. Yo' have tuh git de goldhead [usually goldeye] needles an' put five of 'em haids up an' turn fo' of 'em [heads] points down. An' yo' kin bury dem at chure gate where de people walk ovah - at de front gate. An' nuthin in de world will do yo' any harm.
Entry 9837
Why ah heard dat chew git needles an' yo' git a piece of red flannel. An' yo' take nine needles an' fold dat flannel. Take nine needles, stick five dis way an' fo' de nex' [opposite] way. Den yo' git Heart Cologne an' wet dat an' sew dat up in somepin. Place it anywhere an' dere will be confusion in your house from den until yo' move.
Entry 9838
Ah heard people say yo' kin take [nine] needles, brand-new needles, an' nine pins an' red flannel. Sew it up in red flannel an' put it undah people's do's, an' dey jes' walk ovah it an' dat will cause them tuh be lingerin'; yo' know, some parts of they body go tuh pieces.
Entry 9839
Take nine needles an' stick 'em in a Irish potato, which is a white potato, an' bury it underneath a person's do'step - if yo' wanta harm 'en in some fashion - In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' jis' whatevah yo' make yore wish fo', dat will happen. (You want to harm them in some way, you say. Anything you wish for to harm them?) Yes sir.
Entry 9840
Take nine needles an' nine pins an' bury 'em in yore gate, see. Well, dat will cause yo' an' yore family tuh bust up an' put chew in hard luck so yo' alone. But chew must go an' git dem nine needles an' things an' don't talk to nobody when yo' leave. An' carry 'em to de runnin' watah an' throw 'em ovahbo'd. An' dat family will be busted up an' won't nevah give yo no mo' trou- ble.