Browse:EVERYDAY BLOOD (Volume 3, entries 3829–3848)
EVERYDAY BLOOD
Volume 3, entries 3829–3848. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 3829
If she gits yore fingahnails an' she gits de dirt in [under] which dat [dirt under fingernails] - much as she kin git wit dose fingahnails. Jis' lak if yo' wuz settin' down an' she tell yo', say, "Let me trim yore fingahnails." Well, she will trim yore fingah- nails off. Prob'ly yo' might not be thinkin' of any- thin'. Say, "Yore toenails needs trimmin', too." Well, she'll keep all dat. Well, de nex' thin' she'll do, she'll have intahco'se wit yo'. Well, she'll keep dat, but chew wouldn't think dat - no idea of how she would keep dat. (You said something about bringing it back. You said something about her bringing it back or something - the woman bringing it back.) Yes, sir.
(Well, what did you say about that?)
Well, she take dat an' she keep it. She put dat intuh a rag [making a hand] an' she'll keep dat fer - see, sev'ral times she'll do dat. Yo' see. An' it come tuh be a certain amount. Well, aftah she git dat certain amount, well she'll take dat certain amount den an' she'll take it off somewhere, intuh de house, an' she'll tie it up. [Here are the knots and tie up.] An' she tie dat up fer sev'ral yeahs. Yo'll come tuh be in a way dat yo' kinnot leave dere or leave her wheresomevah she is. If she go away, well yo' will go an' hunt 'er until yo' find 'er to be outa yore sight. Well, when yo' gits dataway, why den she wants tuh turn yo' loose. De day dat she gits ready tuh turn yo' loose, why she'll walk an' ketch de air blowin' a certain way - no'th or east or sout'. Well, she will take dat den an' she will shake it in de air. Well, yo' are loose den. When she shake dat in de air, well yo' git so den yo' won't care anythin' abou Ter atall in de world. Well dat's de way dey do dat part of dat.
(You put these fingernails and stuff in that rag with the other.)
Yes, sir.
Entry 3830
[This is a brief note made of a rite on an untranscribed cylinder:] ["Wood sawyer, boiled with lard, makes salve to untie.] [Memphis, Tenn., (966), 1561:3.]
[I have divided this section into two subsections: EVERYDAY BLOOD and HER PRIVATE TIME. Neither subsection holds all material on its subject. Such mat- ters as drawing blood from a witch, the bleeding corpse, and others had to be classified elsewhere. Even menstrual blood will be found scattered throughout HOODO0.]
Entry 3831
Take some of yore blood, yo' know. Take de blood an' take it...
(What blood?)
From de woman, yo' know, when dey birth a baby. Take de blood from dis woman - yo' git chance to steal some of dat blood. An' take dat, yo' know dat piece, an' den go ahead an' bury it in de graveyard. An' hit'll stop a woman, keep a woman - nevah will come no mo'. Nevah will come, an' fin'ly firs' thing yo' know she'll be daid. (This is - part of your monthly rag?) [My question is misleading. This is def- initely childbirth blood.] Any kinda monthly rag.
Entry 3832
Take an' go to a dogwood tree, if a person dislikes 'im. An' if yo' jes' take a piece - jes' git one drop of blood anyways [anyway] dat is if yo' kin git holt of it anyways. An' yo' take an' cuts yo' a plug outa de tree, jes' 'longside dat tree. Yo' know, pull de plug out an' drop de blood in dere, an' drive dat plug back on dere. Drive dat plug right back on dere an' nevah look back to see which way yo' goin'. Jes' leave an' go right on off from dere. An' jes' 'bout roun' thirty days - it take 'bout thirty days den - an' dat man dere, if he's anywhere aroun' yore place or anythin', why he'll move away. He'll leave off an' yo' nevah heah sight or tell of 'im no mo'.
(What tree do you use for that?)
De dogwood tree... [I stopped recording too quickly here, missing north side, which I had to in- clude by restarting machine and adding parenthetical question or comment. I am not asking a leading question.]
(On the north side?)
Yes.
Entry 3833
Put it down roun' in de leak of a house. Well, jes' lak if yo' take a person's blood an' stop it up in a bottle, an' turn it down on its haid, turn de bottle upside down on de mouf [mouth]. An' let it be upside down an' put it in de leak of a house, an' see, dat'll run a person crazy.
(What do you mean by the leak of the house?)
Jes' lak, yo' know, where de watah leak down on de ground - yes, off de roof.
Entry 3834
[Take] dat blood an' put it on a rag er somepin an' bury it up undah 'is house. Dat'll keep 'im down. (Blood from any part of his body?) Any part of 'is body. (How do you mean keep him down?) Well, how yo' keep )'im down - see, dat's buried undah de earth, undahstan'. Well, dat keeps 'im painful - jes not able to work, not go.
Entry 3835
Well, yo' could take some of de man's blood an' some of de woman's blood an' wrap it up. Jes' take some of it in a rag, of each one of 'em's blood, an' wrap it up an bury it up undah de house, anywhere up undah de house, an' dem people will stay togethah until de' die.
(Who would do this?)
Anyone.
Entry 3836
Well, dey say yo' take a piece of string, not a rag string but a cotton string yo' know, an' yo' tie a knot. Now, evahone says if yo' wan'a man tuh love yuh, or a woman, yo' kin jes' squeeze dat little thing [finger] on yore lef' han' [demonstrates]. (Squeeze the little finger on the left hand.) Squeeze it till it git kinda dead [numb], yo' know. Den yo' take a needle an' jes' keep pickin' till yo' git one drop of blood. An' yo' take dat drop of blood an' put a little bit on all nine of dem knots, an' weah it roun' yore waist. Dey'll run crazy ovah yo'.
(You take that blood from your own finger?)
Yes.
Entry 3837
I heard say yo' kin take a match an' trim de haid all off real close, sharpen 'er right down on dat point, an' pick yore fingah wit it an' carry it. An' if yo' stick it in a girl enough fo' it tuh bleed, dey say dat she'll love yo'. Den keep de match stem wit de blood on it.
Entry 3838
Ah know about one thing, yo' kin write a person's name. Yo' kin take it - now if yo' wanta be ovah a woman or a man, yo' take an' write his name in a piece of papah wit 'ers. Now, if yo' want de woman tuh be ovah de man, write de woman's name tuh de top an' write 'is name undahneat' 'ers. Den pick yore lef' arm, an' pinch enough blood outa dat lef' arm tuh spell dose names out. Den when yo' git dose names spelled, yo' take it an' wrap it up tuh yo', dat piece of papah. Fold it comin' tuh yo'. Whutevah way yo' fold it, let it be comin' tuh yo'. An' take it an' put it in a corked bottle an' bury it at nine 'clock at night. An' dat man an' dat woman nevah will quit one another. An' if dey quit one anothah, dey'll go crazy. Dey love one another so good as long as dey live. S'long as dey live, dat las' 'em fo'evah. Bury it undah de do'step at night. If yo' can't git chance tuh bury it, jes' throw it undah de do'step, an [or] in a place where dey gotta walk in an' out. An' dey nevah will quit one another, an' jes' go crazy wit dat han'writin'.
(You must get this blood out of your left arm?)
Pick it out - yore lef' arm, yo' jes' gotta pick it.
Entry 3839
[Ah] heah 'em say, if yo' got a man, someone yo' love an' he leave yo', yo' haven't got 'is pichure, why yo' take a needle an' pick till yo' git de blood out de little fingah heah [demonstrates].
(That's the little finger of the left hand.)
Yes, an' yo' git de blood out of it an' yo' have a pen, yo' know a ink pen, an' a piece of papah. An' yo' write it jis' like yo' would be writin', an' write his name, an' denwrite yores undah it; an' draw 'is pichure, if yo' haven't nary one of 'is pichure. An' nine a'clock at night yo'll put it undahneat' de chimley, de no't [north] cornah, de no't side of de chimley. Put 'is pichure dere an' 'is name an' yore name. An' put it - life up de foot of yore baid an' put it undahneat' dere nine days. He comin' back.
Entry 3840
Ah heard yo' could take a hen aig. Take an' draw blood out dis fingah [demonstrates]. (The index finger of the right hand.) An' take an' write chure name an' 'is name on dat aig an' it would make him love 'er.
(What would you do with that egg then?)
Well, yo' would take an' bury dis egg, bury it undah yore steps.
(You write his name and your name in the blood.)
Entry 3841
In case of a man an' 'is wife separatin', well yo' kin set down some- time an' pinch de end of yore fingah or anywhere enough tuh git blood, enough tuh write wit. Git chew a pen an' use it [blood] as a ink, an' write chure name an' 'is name an' weah it right ovah heah, ovah yore lef' side, ovah yore heart. He'll come back.
Entry 3842
Yo' take a pin an' scratch yo'self until yo' bleed, an' den take de blood an' write de girl's name. Jis' like if it's a girl yo' in love wit, write dat name wit dat pin wit de blood, an' send 'er dat lettah an' she would come regardless tuh where yo' wuz. She would come an' see yo'. (Do you mean you just write her an ordinary letter first, or just write her name on it?) Jis' write a or'nary lettah firs' den sign yore name wit dat blood.
Entry 3843
If a man's runnin' aroun' an' so yo' git a needle an' put it in some watah an' some of 'is blood. Why ah'll mix dat togethah. Put de needle in dere, in a bottle wit some watah [and blood] an' bury it undah de do'step. Dat'll cuz 'im - dat'll keep 'im from runnin' aroun'. (This woman has to stick the needle into him and get some of his blood, and put it in this bottle of water - plain water?) Uh-huh, an' bury it undahneat' chure step, down beside de do'step. Dat'll make him stay home.
Entry 3844
Prick yo' fingah an' git chure blood.
(Which finger?)
Dis fingah [demonstrates].
(The finger with the ring on, the ring finger of the left hand.)
Dat's it. Yo' prick it an' yo' git chure blood an' yo' write his name full an' yore [woman'sl name full. Den yo' make three rings aroun' dat wit de blood. An' yo' fold dat papah, yo' know, dis way, de two ends in, an' yo' bury it undah de no'th end of de house. Dat'll bring a person back tuh yo' regardless tuh who it is. It'll make him come back tuh dat pahtic'lah place. Dat'll bring anybody back. (If your husband has left, if you put the two names together.)
Entry 3845
Take de lef' third fingah - dis fingah [demonstrates].
(Which one is that?)
[Informant demonstrates.]
(That's the ring finger, the finger next to the little finger on the left hand.) An' yo' take yo' a needle [demonstrates] an' pick dis fingah till it bleeds, an' yo' would write her name on de top line an' 'is name on de bottom line. Now, jes' say mine, an' draw a small ring aroun' it de first time, an' den one a li'le bit largah, an' de nex' a li'le largah [magic of increasing size] till yo' draw three rings aroun' de names wit yore blood. Den yo' would bury dis papah undah yore do'step. If yo' do dat in de mawnin', why dat night he would come back tuh 'er. He'd stay wit 'er an' wouldn't leave. Jes' de blood from yore lef' fingah.
Entry 3846
Yo' take de firs' fingah from de lef' han' an' yo' take a new needle an' yo' stick dis fingah [demonstrates].
(The index finger of the left hand.) Yes, an' yo' git three drops of blood an' it will bring love. (What do you do with that blood after you get it?)
Give it to them in soda watah or whiskey.
Entry 3847
De blood, yo' could take dat an' yo could put dat in a bot- tle. Yo' stop dat up, yo' put dat in a bottle. An' yo' put red peppah, sulphuh an' gunpowdah in dat. An' yo' stop dat up airtight, a person blood, an' dat stop dat blood from trans- mission. Dat stop dere passin' of de blood.
(The blood from any part of the body?)
Yeah.
Entry 3848
I have heard of a class of people who would get a hold of your blood. They get that from any part they can get it: from your finger, your feet or your head. And they would bury it on the shore at ebb tide, an' when the tide came in, that would flow with the tide and make them crazy. [Hampton, Va., (24, informant 8 when Civil War began), by Ediphone.] [The preceding words, all meaning the same thing, are a few of the terms to be found in the following material. White people used the same and other expres- sions. Remember, these names were collected a generation ago (before the present moment, March 1973) and are not exhaustive for their time. A careful examination of HOODOO will show that sex was not gathered for the sake of sex, but as a part of the total study.]