Browse:COFFIN REAL OR MOCK (Volume 4, entries 7929–7967)
COFFIN REAL OR MOCK
Volume 4, entries 7929–7967. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → COFFIN - DOLL BABY - BURIAL - BONES. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 7929
Cut piece of wood in shape of coffin, drive up under house or bury at door, you'll die.
Entry 7930
Cut new board in shape of coffin. Either nail it or attach with sticking plaster, up un- derneath house beneath center of bed.
Entry 7931
Cut a board in shape of coffin, cut 9 knotches in it, drive 4 small nails in it, put under person's steps, just under dirt, that will kill you.
Entry 7932
It was a woman that had a son in New York [City] and she lived in Ports- mouth [Va.]. And this body had killed someone. This woman heard of this boy being in trouble, and she goes to work hanging clothes out that morning. She draws a mark on the ground like a coffin. She draws that with a clothespin, no particular place. She was talking with another neighbor. She says, "My son will be to me in a few minutes." She just put her hands like this. [Informant evidently demonstrated with his hand, but I repeating his every word, or small group of them into the Ediphone, was too busy to comment. Comments would come later wdth the Ediphone.] And in two days times the sheriff or the consta- ble where he was, brought her son back to Portsmouth. He Was condemned to be hung. [This in 1928, interview in 1936.]
Entry 7933
I have heard of them drawing a ring in the ground, and they make the shape of a coffin in the ring. Then you make a mark like this [a straight line lengthwise] through the center of the coffin, and take seven grains of pepper seed and put all up and down that mark and cover it over. Then you draw a mark through the coffin like this [a straight line crosswise]. And they can't get by there. They're going to drindle [dwindle] and drindle. Nothing will do you no good. You're going away from there. That doesn't aim to put you to death at once, that just puts a spell on you and you never get over it. They put that on the path or at the gate where you can't miss it. [Despite my comment in the preceding rite, in the present one I actually managed to squeeze in two comments to show that one straight line bisected the length, the other the width of the coffin.] [The informant's father was a well-known cunjure man, but the son has not been very successful in carrying on the work.]
Entry 7934
Take four sticks or clothespins, lay them out diamond shaped to resemble an old-fashioned coffin. Take a fifth stick or clothespin and on this write the person's name, and put the whole thing under his bed, or somewhere near him. This is called fixin' yore coffin fo' yuh.
Entry 7935
Yo' kin take a person's track. Jes' lak, fo' instance ah'd walk out de do' dere an' yo' could take a shovel - yo' know, a square part of de shovel. Yo' kin take a square part of de shovel an' pick up a fellah's track. Take it tuh a red ant baid. Yo've seen dese big ole red ants. Take it tuh a red ant baid an' jes' slide it down dere as neah as yo' kin wit'out tearin' it up - on top'a [top of] dat red ant baid. Take yo' nine bran'-new needles, goldeye needles, an' put it [them] in de shape of a coffin. In nine days time dat fellah'll eithah be daid or nobody won't know where he is - in nine days time.
Entry 7936
Get dey socks an' fill 'em fulla dirt, an' sulphur an' soda - furse [first] one thing anothah an' bury 'em like yo' do a person. Let it be a secret, don't let nobody see yo', an' dat person dey say will die. [Here we have an unusual combination for So few words: sock, used as a mock coffin, representing feet, to keep a person down uder your feet, and also odor, the smell of death; ordinary dirt is mock grave- yard dirt; sulphur signifies the devil or hell; and soda, its effervescence, suggest body decay. Secrecy covers everything with the added power of ritual silence.]
Entry 7937
Dey make a coffin an' den dey [take] some of yuh somepin about chew an' put in dat coffin an' bury it, an' yo' jes' withah away until yo' die.
Entry 7938
Take any yore clothes, yore dirty clothes an' put down in dat coffin an' bury it, or ei- thah bury it undah yore steps. An' when yo' cross dat, dat where yo' dies at.
Entry 7939
[To kill her husband this Wo- man took the seat of his drawers and some of his hair [to a root worker?)
and buried it in the cemetery (in a little grave) and placed a stick at the head and another stick at the foot.] [This rite was "not transcribed, not much and too diffuse."]
Entry 7940
Yo' take a person's hair an' if a person dies.... If ah wanta take a plait of yore hair an' ah take de plait of yore hair an' ah plait it, an' if ah knows of a person dies, ah take de plait of dat hair yo see, an' ah puts it undahneath dat daid person's haid. See. An' when dat daid person begin tuh rot, yore hair will begin tuh rot, yo' see. Jis' lak a person, yo' know, almos' aftah a person dies, well yo' know dere hair rots offa dere haid. Well, dat's de very yay ah take dat plait of hair an' ah put it in dat coffin, yo' see, an' when dat person begin tuh rot, mah [that] hair begin tuh rot.
Entry 7941
Well, it's got tuh have yuh initial on it, though. Yo: see, dey take dat tie clamp wit de initial an' dey put dat in an envelope. Aftah dey put it in de envelope, well dey will bring it somewhere [where] dere is, a wake is at, where someone is dead at. An' dey will pertend [pretend] lookin' at de daid person an' dey will take an' drop dat envelope wit dat tie clamp, wit yuh initial on it, an' drop it in dat coffin. When dey bury dat body, well dey bary dat. Well, aftah dat tie clamp is buried wit dat daid body, well dis person which de tie clamp belongs tuh, become bad feelin' all ovah dere body, aches an' pains in de jaws.
Entry 7942
Says if yo' measure a person wit a square or eithah a rule - dat chew measure a dead person to git 'im in 'is coffin-lak dere, an' den measure a person live, height by dat rule or square, he'll soon die. (That was especially in the old days when they had to make their coffins, the old-fashioned coffins. You must measure him with the same rule as you used in measuring out the dead man's coffin.) Dat's right.
Entry 7943
She had a daid man bone an' she tole me she had de length of a daid man. Say she has 'is measure too. Yeah, she measured 'im while he wus layin out.
(What did she do that for?)
Yo' see dat wus jes' 'er luck. [She did this to obtain luck.]
Entry 7944
I heard of 'em usin' clothin' from a dead person an' makin' a tea of it. Yo' take a dead person's clothes, somethin'. Prob'ly yo' might die or I might die an' dey'd git some of my undahclothes, make a tea of 'em. Well, yo' git - dere's a root in de woods dat's called Adam-an'-Eve. Yo' take dat Adam-an'-Eve an' boil dat intuh it. Yo' git choo a li'le of dis aloes an' put dat intuh it, but not enough tuh make it bottah so's [so as?] yo'd notice it or enythin'. An' give a person a dose of dat tea an' he'll lingah an' lingah, an' 'taint long 'fo' he'll pine away lak he got TB, goin' on away from heah. He'll be a long time goin' but he's goin' away from heah, jis' come down tuh a [skeleton?]. Think yo' got TB, de doctors Work on yo' fo' TB.
Entry 7945
If you can get any part of the coffin or the garments in which a per- son is buried and fix it to a person, in their pockets or inside somewhere where it will not be seen or noticed, this person to whom this thing is attached will himself die in eighteen months.
Entry 7946
Take a new needle out of a pad dat's nevah been sewed an' go tuh a un- dahtakah's shop an' run it in de garment of de dead person. An' if yo' wanta control dat person an' dere's a track aroun' de house an' in de yard, take dat needle an' yo' nail it down, wit de haid down firs' where dey step. An' dey will not leave yo'.
Entry 7947
Dey take yore shoes an' measure yore shoes. Take a needle, a needle dat's been sewed through a corpse - see, when yo' make a shroud an' dey [I inter- rupt]. (Use a needle that has been used in making a shroud?) Make de shroud tuh bury some- one, yes. Take dat needle an' put it through yore shoes, through de eyeholes yore shoes - see, three times. Den take dat needle an' carry it home an' stick it on de east side, an' yo'll stay dere wit 'em. Yo' cain't go nowhere. Yo' stay right dere at home an' be subject tuh dem in evahthing dey want.
(What about measuring the foot? Do they measure the shoe first?)
Dey measure de shoe first, den put dis needle through de eyehole three times. (Do they do anything with the measurement of that shoe? After they take the measurement of the shoe?) De measurement of dat shoe dey bury dat. Dey bury it undah de do'step.
Entry 7948
Git a brand-new needle an' thread an' git de undahtakah to sharpen it. An' if a woman dat 'er husban' is bad, an' if she kin git tuh dis woman dat is runnin' wit 'im, take a brand-new needle, an' thread dat de undahtakah shroud dat dead body wit. An' sew about six stitch- es in it, an' take dat needle an' thread back, 'fo' her husban' git tuh dere, an' sew dat place up in 'is pocket. An' if he runnin' out [with the women], dat'll run 'em away. (She simply runs this needle and thread through the dead person's clothing, and then brings that thread and needle back to her house, and she repairs her husband's clothing. Then when he goes to this woman's house, it will break them up?) Yes, run 'er away.
(The husband will come back to his wife?)
Yes.
Entry 7949
If dey are away a distance an' yo' want 'em back, yo' use de needle dat de first shroud wus made wit, if yo' kin git it or if yo' have it. De first shroud. An' yo' put dat through a piece of clothes or anything three times, jis' right through de same hole three times, an' send dis article tuh dat person. An' when dey git dis, dey are comin' back if dey have tuh swim. Anywhere dey kin git de money tuh come, dey are comin'.
(Whose clothes do you put that through?)
Anything dat yo' send tuh dis person; gartah, socks...
(The first shroud, what do you mean by that?)
If yo' have a needle de shroud wus made wit, de firs' shroud wus made wit - a needle.
(Whose first shroud?)
Anybody's, jis' long as it de needle dat de firs' one wus made of. [Find a needle used only once and that once to make a shroud. Did some under- takers or drug stores sell such needles?]
Entry 7950
Take nine needles an' stick 'em through a dead person, an' bring 'em back an' stick 'em through yuh clothes. Well, yo's [you is] passin' away, 'cuz dem needles, yo' put dem [through a dead person's clothes], carry dem needles back an' stick 'em down [again] in dem dead person's cloths [and leave them there]. An' yo'll jis' pass on away. (Well, now give me an example in a story. Give me a parable, tell me how it is done. Well now, suppose I wanted to get rid of you. Tell me like that.) Well, jis' lak now yo' wanta git rid of me. Well, yo' take dem nine needles zn'yo' carry dem nine needles an' yo' stick 'em all through mah clothes. Well yo' take de clothes whut ah wear an' yo' carry 'em on back an' put 'em down dirough dem dead person's clothes. Well yo' take dem needles now den, an' yo' dng 'em back an' nail all dem needles down undah mah do'step. An' de more dey Mlt away, de more yo' molt away.
(If I wanted to kill you, I would stick these needles in your clothing first?)
Yassuh.
(Then I would stick these needles in the dead person's clothing?)
Yessir.
(Then I would bring them back and put them under your....)
Doorstep.
(I would stick those needles in the dead person's clothing first, would I?)
Yassuh, yo' jis' slip 'em, gotta slip 'em through dere, nine needles, goldeye.
Entry 7951
Take a piece of de coffin.
(What kind of a coffin?)
Aftah a person is buried an' it done rotted.
(Well, what do they do with that?)
Dey take dat an' dey bury somebody else wit it - in de family. Takes a piece of it. See, aftah yo' done buried somebody in a coffin. Well, yo' know, quite natchally a cof- fin rots lak nuthin an' when it rots it comes tuh a powdah; but if dey kin git a piece of it, or if dey don't git a piece of it, dey kin git de powdah from dat coffin [or you could probably buy coffin dust at some hoodoo drug store!]. Jis' de dust off dat coffin. Dey take dat an' dey git 'em a silk han'ke'ch'ef - git a silk han'ke-ch-ef. Yo' put dat intuh dat han'ke'ch'ef. Now, when yo' put dat in dat han'ke'ch'ef, dey got nine needles an' dey got nine pins, but dey git 'em right outa de store. Dey ain't nevah been used. Now, if dey wus goin' tuh bury, say if dey wus goin' tuh bury me, or mah sistah, or somebody in mah family, dey'd git dat an' dey'd git 'er name. An' if dey kin git de - see, de tongue, yo' see, de tongue of yuh shoe.
(Yes, the tongue of the shoe.)
If dey kin git dat, dey git dat an' dey puts dat wit dat. Now, when dey git dat all tuhgethah....
(What do they put the name on? On some paper?)
No, on - I take de seat of dere undahweah, de back part, any of dere undah- weahs - see, any part of it, de back of yuh shirttail, yo' see. I take dat an' I am goin' tuh pin it down, tight as I kin git it, an' I am goin' tuh write yuh name on tuh dat. Now, when I write yuh name on tuh dat, I wrap dese things up in dere. When I wrap it up in dere, I tie. When I tie it, I tie it up wit nine knots. I tie wit nine knots. I bury it, if I want.tuh; an' if I don' wan' tuh bury it, I kin throw it in de rivah, yo' see. Kin throw it in de rivah or bury it. When I bury dat, why den I got choo where I wan' choo. Yo' got tuh go. Dat I done harmed yo' in an' somethin' will happen tuh yo'.
Entry 7952
I've heard though of taking nails from a coffir and wrapping it in red flan- nel, and give it to a person either for luck or ill luck, whichever you Wanted them to have. They sell them from twenty-five cents to a dollar.
Entry 7953
Yo' take de nail outa de coffin, or de handle, an' yo' carry it tuh dis house, an' yo' bury it down by de cornah on de left-han' side. Tell it whut yo' want it tuh do. An' it won't be long befo' dey be terrified an' dey can't stay dere. Finely [finally] dey will leave off, go mindless.
Entry 7954
I've heard them say that they can take coffin nails and then take an individual's, some parts of his clothes, and go way out in the forest somewhere where the sun shines on a tree and nail that, use those nails in driving, and maybe some un- derwear or coat or something or a part of a coat, on that tree and fix it so it can't fall off. And as long as it stays there, on every change of the moon the individual will weaken down, and then finally he gits so he can't have any activity of his limbs atall.
Entry 7955
Like if someone stole sompin from yo', why yo' kin go tuh dat fig tree. Yo' have tuh git nails outa a casket an' drive three nails in de fig tree. An' while yo' drivin' 'em in dere, co'se yo' gotta be trimmin' de fig tree limb an' callin' de person's name; see, de one dat done dat. An' in dem nine days dat person who done stole sompin from yo', dey'll done try tuh git it back tuh yo' 'fore den.
Entry 7956
They say to put four nails, nails which you nail your coffin with, four pins [from the garments of the corpse], and the [death] sheet over you, and a lock of hair. The hair is supposed to molt away. When that hair molts, you're supposed to molt. They would bury this, put it all in a bottle, wrap it up tight and bury it anywhere near your home. If you found this bottle, then they would em- ploy some old cunjure doctor to come and get this bottle and throw it in the river of running Water.
Entry 7957
If somebody steal sompin from yo' an' yo' wanta find out who did it, well yo' kin make 'em bring it back; an' yo' know by a person bringin' a thing back, why yo' know jes' who it is den. Well, yo take three screws - whut ah heard - from a coffin of a very wicked person dat died. Well, yo' take dose three screws an' yo' take three nails an' yo' go tuh 1...
(What kind of nails?)
Well, hit don' make a diffunce [difference].
(The nails are not from the coffin?)
Oh yes, indeed! Ah thought chew meant, yo' know dey say ten-penny nails, five- penny nails.
(No, you said the screws are from the coffin.)
Yes sir, de screws from de coffin, three screws.
(Where are the nails from?)
De nails from de coffin also. An' yo' take dese nails an' yo' go an' jes' lak yo' know of anothah wicked person, well yo' git in contact wit 'em, undahstand, git dey - not dey urine but de othah where dey have action. An' yo' dip de end of dese nails in dat. An' yo' go tuh a peah tree on de sundown side - of a pear tree - an' yo' call dis article, whatevah it might be, de thing dat dey stole yo' understan'. Yo' call it by name three times, an' say, "o thief, bring back mah stolen goods." An' yo' take de firs' one of de screws from de coffin an' yo' stick it in de tree an' yo' nail it an' yo' say, "Ah bind dis in yore haid." An' den yo' take de othah nail, er [or] yo' take de othah screw an' yo' put hit in de tree right, yo' know, right 'side de othah, an' yo' say, "Ah nail dis into yore soul." An' den de next one, which is de third one, yo' nail hit in dere - de screw - yo' know whut ah mean - jes' screw it an' hammer it in. Yo' gotta hammer it in dere. Say, "Ah nail dis into yore feet tuh bring back mah stolen goods, O thief." An' den yo' take dose nails an' yo' say, "Ah surround yo' by de Name of de Fathah, one fo' de Father, de Name of de Son, de second nail fo' de Son, an' de third fo' [de Name of] de Holy Ghost. (Wait a minute before you go on! You are using three screws in the coffin, aren't you? Are you also using three nails?) Three nails.
(But you put the screws into the tree?)
First.
(All right. Now you have three nails left. Now, what do you do with them?)
Yo' take dem an' yo' know, surround dese three screws, an' dey say dat dey'll really bring back the stolen goods an' tell yo', "Admit dat ah stole sech-an'- sech-a-thing from yo' an' ah'm sorry."
Entry 7958
It was a man made a little bita coffin...he was mad with this other man...he put it in front of his door an' tole him he would be moved in a little while, an' if he didn't, if he stayed there, he would die. But he didn't die; but he did move.
Entry 7959
Take paper money or a new piece of paper, fold in shape of coffin, write person's name in, bury, soon die.
Entry 7960
An' dey make a li'le coffin dataway, git a piece of de woman's stock- ings. Dey git a piece of de woman's undahweah, if it's possible. Dey will take nine needles. Dey will take nine pins. Dey will put red peppah an' dey will put Epsom salts. Dey put oil of verbena an' bury dat undah de party's step. See. An' dey will nevah put de end tuhgethah, dey an' dey husband...
(They do what?)
Nevah git de end tuhgethah, nevah make de ends meet. Don't care if dey both be workin', dey always will be somepin: lak if dey have shoes, dey hayen't got any hat; if dey got a hat, dey haven't got any skirt; if dey got a skirt, dey owe de landlord. Dey'll nevah will be successful.
Entry 7961
Prackly [practically] on de same thing, dey jes' take an' make a arti- ficial, yo' know, a li'le casket. An' den dey kin go an' git chure, pick [up] yuh track an' put it in dis casket. An' dey'll commit dat tuh de ground, jes' lak dey wus buryin' a body jes' so. An' jes' say - dey say, when dey commit chew tuh de ground, "Ashes tuh ashes, dust to dust." But dey gotta call yuh name an' den dey bury dat.
(What will happen then?)
Well, de person who dey bury, why he won' live long.
Entry 7962
Yuh toenails or fingernails. Dey kin git holt of yuh fingernail clip- pings an' de dirt from undah yuh foot. See. An' dey mix it tuhgethah an' git 'em some graveyard dirt an' shape 'em a box. Make a li'le shape of a box, see jis' lak a coffin, an' take hit an' bury it undah yuh steps. See. An' git some hair from yuh belly an' put in dere Wit it. An' DERE AIN'T NO DOCTOR IN DE WORLD KIN CURE YO'.
(What will it do to you?)
It will kill yo'.
(I see.)
(Now that dirt from your foot. Well where from your foot?)
Yassuh, dat daid skin whut's scraped off yuh foot.
(Oh, I see. Where do you get that?)
De way I git dat, dat skin from yuh foot.
Entry 7963
Measure a person's foot with any kind of string and tie a knot in each end of it...put it in a box the shape of a coffin...bury it; as hit grow old, as
[in like manner] you fade away.
Entry 7964
Take dat left shoe, yo' cut it, yo' jis' cut it all de way cross from dat heel. Yo' take dat shoe... [I interrupt.]
(From the heel to what?)
From de heel tuh de end of de toes.
(HoW would you cut it? How do you mean they cut it?)
[Just make a cut mark? Cut all the Way through? Etc?]
Yo' jis' take a knife an' cut it...
(Just make a cut?)
Yes, sir, jis' take a knife an' cut dat shoe all de way through, yo' see, de sole of it. Cut it all de way through tuh de heel.
(I see.)
An' den yo' take dat shoe an' git two cross-sticks, two cross-sticks [2 sticks to cross] an' yo' cross 'em lak dat [demonstrates].
(Like an X. All right.)
Yo' cross 'em lak dat, an' yo' goes right undahneat' of de house, of [belou] dere baid. Yo' see, yo' make somepin jis' lak a li'le coffin. An' yo' goes undahneat' of de house right undah de baid, jis' where de baid sets. An' yo' tacks de bottom of dat, dat inside of dat sole of dat shoe, [and] yo' tack it undahneat' of de house right undah de baid. An' dat person will jis' lingah, lingah, lingah - lingah until dey die. But yo' tacks it - see yo' tack it right undahneat' de bed. [Nail it to the fllor under the house:] Dat's really de truth ah'm tellin' yo' now. Dat's really de truth.
(Well, what would they do with that box?)
Evahthing ah'm tellin' yo' is really de truth. (Well, what would they do with that box that you made like a coffin? What do you do with that?) That? It all be's tuhgethah.
(Oh! you tack that box, everything. I see.)
But choo see, it all be's tuhgethah. Turn it bottom upwards.
(I see.)
An' yo' tack it right undahneat' of de baid undah de house; but choo see, yo' cross dem sticks.
(Where do you put those sticks?)
Yo' cross dem sticks right undahneat' of it, right undahneat' of de sole. An' yo' tack it an' yo' turn it all bottom ups, an' yo' tacks it right undahneat' of de baid.
(Well, now, you put these sticks in there across?)
Yes. (Then you put this piece of leather in there, from the shoe, and you turn it upside down, and tack it up under the bed, under the house? [I speak slowly and deliberately.] That leather is in there to hold those sticks, that are crossed, from falling down?) Yes, sir, keep dem sticks crossed. Don' put 'em straight, put crossed.
(I see.)
Entry 7965
If a person dat chew dislike an' don't want 'em be round yo', yo' take a small box an' make it jes' like yo' casket [coffin]. Take yo' some Epsom salts, right in yore yard, [I mean] in dere yard. An' dat'll keep 'em from round joo. (Keep them away from there?) Yes.
Entry 7966
Dey say dat yo' do dat, dey say dat will kill a person. (Will you explain how it's done. Do you know how it's done?) Well, dey say yo' make it jes' lak yo' makin' a grave an' yo' put de haidbo'd an' de footbo'd an' evahthing like dat. An' yo' put a stob [stake] in de centah of it lak dat [demonstrates] - a li'le stick, a stob in de centah of it lak dat. An' dey say yo' go dere evah mawnin' befō' sunrise an' knock dat peg, hit it one lick fo' nine mawnin's. When dat peg git on down in dere, dey tells me dat settles it. (You dig a little hole like a grave and put a headboard and a footboard to it?) Fix it jes' lak a grave. (Then you put that stick in the middle, that you drive down in. What is that stick supposed to be, that stick in the middle?) Dat stick in de middle, dat supposed tuh give yo' heart failure, dey say. Go dere nine mawnin's befo' de sun rise.
Entry 7967
Ah heard folks say if yo' complain if it wus rheumatism, dey could go in a road - look lak a road leads, a neighborhood road, an' a pine tree is on dat road. Wheresomevah a wagon would cuz it tuh bruise, dey say yo' could take dat root out of dat road where some castic [casket = coffin] or sompin othah had passed, an' make a rub, an' dat would kill rheumatism lak dat.
(Where a funeral would go on by over that tree? With the casket?)
Yessuh, where some fun'ral 'cession had passed, yo' go tuh dat road where de wagon, yo' know, of people have bruised de root, an' yo' dig roun' dere an' git dat bahk [bark] an' make a rub fo' 'em. Dey say dat would cure it. [Sumter, S. Car., (1381), 2452:5.] [We must remember that every photograph, whether oblong or square in shape, is a coffin symbol. In later section PHOTOGRAPH many of them are buried or in- volved with death. This present subsection will be confined to photography in- volving real or mock coffins.1