Browse:FOLK MEDICINE (Volume 4, entries 6524–7262)/Part 5
FOLK MEDICINE
Volume 4, entries 6524–7262. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 6844
An' yo' take that person's name an' put it on 25 pounds of ice, an' dat'll freeze out all the harm they tryin' tuh do to yo'.
Entry 6845
Ah hear'd dat vinegah an' salt - take vinegah an' boil it, see, an' a li'le cayenne peppah, a [new] box of cayenne peppah, a five-cent box of cayenne peppah. Put a li'le lahd [lard] in it. Put a li'le, any kinda liniment in it, an' boil it tuhgethah an' strain it. Anint: [anoint] choreself [yourself] wit it. An' IT'S CALLED GRANDPAH LINI- MENT, LINIMENT MADE BY DE IN- DIANS, DE OLDEST LINIMENT EVAH BEEN. CURE RHEUMATISM, ANYTHIN' EVAH SUPPOSE DEY EvAH HAD. It's name is grandpa liniment, de oldest liniment out. An' it's made by a ole puson, an' it's good today. An' AH'VE SEEN DEY TAKEN SCALES OFF PEOPLE FEET LOOK LAK FISH SCALES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE DRAGGED DEM THROUGH FISH BONES AN' GIVE DEM WHISKEY TUH DRINK AN' CUZ SCALES TO COME [IN] DE BODY.
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey take de scales an' grin' dem up, see. Dey put it in whu' choo drink. If yo' lak coffee or tea, or even if yo' lak bread, yo' can't tell it when it look lak powdah. Dey sift it. An' it's in yuh body in a co'se [course] of time when de fish commence tuh 'eelin' [peeling] scales, yuh 'eel [peel] scales on yo' feet - 'eels [peels] de scales on dere body. Yo' know fish shed scales, an' when dey git ready tuh shed scales, yo' shed dem scales on yuh body.
(How did you say you take those scales off?)
Wit grandpah's liniment. [Grandpa's liniment could be the product of a hoodoo drug store or some hoodoo doctor.]
Entry 6848
Ah hear'd dey go dere an' take a stick, if dey got a soah [sore] on 'em or anythin' lak dat dey wan'a git rid of. Take some kine a stick, trim it an' cut dem notches in it, an' take evah one a dem notches an' rub it crost [across] de sōah. Dey say de one - dey stick right up at de fo'ks of de road, an' de one dat take de stick up will git de soah.
Entry 6849
If anyone gets scalded they say you say the Lord's Prayer whilst shoo kin take your finger an' go all over this burn repeating the Lord's Prayer back- Wards. That takes the fire out. [Deal Island, Md., 24:3.] ["This is my orig- inal transcription made almost immedi- ately, Harry M. Hyatt, Mar.8, 1971." On original I learn: "Didn't want to tell it to me." This is a very old belief though I did not hear it often in Hoodoo.]
Entry 6850
[Whatever is found buried, burn it as a general rule; but to turn it back on the spellcaster:] Les' [lest] yo' wan'a turn it back on people, why yo' put it in lye, Red Devil Lye, an' burn dat. Dat turns it back on dem. Make yore wishes.
Entry 6851
Dey say yo' take a box of lye, if a person comin' tuh yore house an' yo' don't wan' 'em in dere - sompin lak dat. Yo' take a box of lye an' where- somevah yore place is spaced out at, yo' puts a box of lye in each fo' cornahs of de yard. Say dat'll keep a person outa dere. Lye'll keep a person outa dere.
Entry 6853
Ah hear'd people talk. A woman said dat she - somebody had 'er fixed an' dey tole huh tuh weah a half a dozen matches in- tuh huh hair, an' in a certain lengt' of time she'd git ovah dat spell. She say she done dat an' dat cured 'er. But not dese or'nary [ordinary] matches [but] dese ole-fashion big-haid matches. Dere poison. Dere kin'a pale green. Dey usely [usually] cut 'em off an' mix 'em in meal an' put 'em down fer rat tuh eat.
The described match type and cure remain claims within a reported account.
Entry 6854
Got a hollah [hollow = cavity] in yuh teeth, take de haid of a match an' break it off an' put it in dere, in dat hollah, an' jis' let it stay in dere. Dat kill de tooth.
Entry 6855
Take a boy dat havin' de fits, a young boy. Some of de boys takin' a spasm, dataway by growin' too fast, accordin' tuh de physician's statement, yo' see. Any time he got de fit dat way, ah'll guarantee dat it kin be cured by takin' 'im out in de forest any- where where a tree at, turnin' 'is back tuh de tree an' measurin' 'im dere, de lengt' of 'is height. Saw dat tree off, de whole tree off, yes sir. He'll have no more fits.
Entry 6856
Evah new moon yo' have a spell. Dey do dis trick on de new moon. [You must] turn it back on de new moon.
Entry 6857
Folks always have a convulsion, as yo' know, [at that time] an' if yo' boil a aig, a hen aig - now, ah've proved dat mahself. Yo' BOIL A HEN AIG ON DE SILVAH MooN, de time dat de moon is young, on de firs' change of de moon. Yo' git a fresh-laid aig an' boil it an' crack a li'le hole in dis aig aftah it's boiled. An' take it tuh a ant heap, an' whenevah de ant eat all dat aig up, why it's no mo' convulsion or whatevah dose folks have. Ah've proved dat.
(Well, don't you do anything to those people who have the convulsions? At all? Don't they get any medicine or anything?) chamber lye. (In whose chamber lye?)
De one dat have de convulsions.
Entry 6858
Bush mullein, say yo' kin take dat an' boil hit down tuh a pint; an'git a good bit of it an' boil it down to a pint. Full [fill] it up wit red whiskey, any kina good whiskey, not moonshine. Dey say dat'll kill T. B. [Mullein is good for many things: croup, asthma, catarrh, kidney trouble, disinfect- ant, etc. (see INDEx of FACI, 1st ed.). If enough red whiskey is added it will probably kill almost anything in hoodoo!]
Entry 6859
(What did she do?)
He-mullein tea. It's a mullein tea grows wit a leaf.
(He took the she mullein or the he mullein?)
He mullein.
(The she mullein wasn't any good then?)
No, sir, de he mullein.
(Oh, all right, let it go at that.)
But now, which ah wanted tuh speak [to] yo' 'bout, a he mullein. A she mul- lein has got a li'le blossom tuh it. A he mullein grows down jis' lak dat [dem- onstrates], yo' see, wit a leaf lak a cabbage leaf; de othah [the she] part's a flowah a he mullein don' do it. An' she, [cylinder changed], an' she made some tea outa dat. (Out of the mullein?) Outa de he mullein. Aftah makin dat tea outa de he mullein, she had anothah li'le piece of root, ah guess yo' seen it, called John de Conkah. She boiled both dat teas tuhgethah. She boils dis root tuhgethah an' she boils dis tea. She boils it down 'till it turns jis' lak dat Tokay store tea. Dis root turn it dataway. Also, de mullein will turn it kind of greenish-lak, but by puttin' dis root in it, it turned it kinda lak, yo know, lak tea. An' he drinked dat tea. Well, he commenced tuh feelin' bettah. Be jis' gittin' on 'is feet, den he kinda gittin' use tuh hisself. Well, anothah fellah, he wuz kin'a ole hoodoo, call 'im Ole Man Jim. He say, "Now, Son, ah don' know whut yo' have took, but it's a green bush, a vine dat grows up on your fahm [farm] called de bittah apple.
(What kind?)
Bittah apple. Bittah apple. He boils dis bittah apple - jis' lak it tastes bittah, jis' as bittah as gall. Boil dat an' strain it. Nuthin in it, no sugah atall. Don' drink it hot, drink it when it git cold, see. But now, it's done turn yallah [yellow]. It's not whut chew call right green, yo' see. It grows lak a gourd. Bell, now, when de sun hits dis, it's lak a yallah person. It sprangle up jis lak a gourd or one of dese othah thin's - quinces. An' aftah she boil dat tea an' dat boy took dat stuff, it put 'im on 'is feet. He wuz [had been] nex' tuh DAT CURED 'IM.
Entry 6860
Take a nail - jis' lak if yo' wuz tuh git hurt or sompin, git cut or sompin, yo' take a nail an' put it up ovah yuh do'. Says dat would heal de wound up.
Entry 6861
If yo' have a enemy dat chew - accordin' tuh de enemies dat chew know - yo' bury 'em in de ground an' make [a] wish, an' de same sickness or de influence dat dey have put on yo' will return back tuh dem. (How many of these nails do you put in there, you say?) Sometimes yo' use five an' sometime yo' use nine ten-penny nails.
(How do you prepare those nails?)
Yo' jis' buy 'em from de store. An' yo' take dose nails an' yo' hit 'em on de haid fer nine mawnin's, an' aftah.dat yuh bad luck return tuh de one dat send 'em. Dey claim dat de bad luck will turn back tuh dem, tuh de ones dat sent it.
[Nails are new.]
Entry 6862
De no'th root. (You have that?) Yes sir, ah've got some of dat now. An' ah kin go tuh dere house, if dey got poison fo' me or got anythin' fixed fo' me. Ah kin eat whut dey give me an' chew dat root, an' if it ain't right, ah brings it back.
(That root will bring it right up.)
Bring it right up.
Entry 6863
Red Seal Lye, bury it undah de step, takin' witch hazel, takin' para- dise seed, takin' oil of clovah, mix wit parsley an' boil well. All dose things tuhgethah, scrubbin' de place where yo' live at from de front do' tuh de reah. Aftah scrubbin', takin' de same watah, throw one glass tuh de east an' one tuh de west, sayin' In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. Well it [what was put down for you] don' taken no effec'. Dat'll kill off any bad spell, DEY CAIN'T HAHM YO'; NOT UNLESS YO' EAT SOMEPIN YO' SEE.
Entry 6864
Ah use dat mahself fo' children, yo' know, when dey got thrash [thrush].
(Chew persimmon bark for what?)
Children when dey got de thrash.
(Children when they'ye got a sore mouth.)
Yes.
Entry 6865
Chip poke salad root fine, wear in shoes for arthritis. [This is my original transcription of informant's statement made soon after it was collected. I identify informant by the words woman sells roots. Here I am listening to a woman who had been selling roots in the public market for years, who had even appeared in a newspaper article, and I took down none of her story, only a few brief remarks about cures! One of the men interviewed was a professional root digger, the man who supplied her with roots! I still failed to realize that my mission should be life itself, not brief beliefs arranged and numbered neatly on a printed page. But soon New Orleans would improve my vision and purpose.
Entry 6866
(You do what?)
Well, yo' take it an' git chew some...
(This bluestone.)
[Informant had said bluestone before I turned on recording machine.]
Bluestone, & an' fish brine an' pork [poke] salad root.
(What kind of root?)
Pork salad root.
(Pork [poke] salad root.)
Pork [poke]... (The kibitzer offers P-O-L-K salad root).
[For this parenthesis see comment later.]
She said polk [poke] salad root.
(Polk salad root.)
An' put it all [in] de watah tuhgethah, an' bathe in it; an' if yo' hurt dat'll take a spell off yuh.
(I see.)
[The preceding parenthesis concerning the kibitzer a person breaking into the conversation with advice or correction is a comment by my transcriber as follows: The kibitzer offers P-O-L-K salad root. Before transcriber discovered word polk, she thought the word sounded like pork and she was not exactly wrong. Many of my informants would have called pork, pōk. Transcriber even transcribes me as saying pork salad root, and later polk salad root. I corrected this on the original transcription, then decided to let the mistake remain. The proof that I was familiar with pokeberry, pokeweed and poke-root-salad - before I interviewed at Mobile in 1938 - will be found in the INDEX of FACI, 1st ed., 1935. There under Poke (berry), so printed, p.707, vill be found 15 entries: Do not gather pokeberries in June...poisonous (1286, p.56); poke root salve for cow's cake bag (2165, p.100); same salve good for coman's caked breasts (2641, p.128); poke roots for warts (4202-4203, p.200), cook poke roots with greens as spring tonic (4585, p.221); poke root tea cures itch (4647, p.224); poke root tea for skin disease (5025, p.244); poke berries, leaves, stems and roots for rheumatism (5362-5367, p.263f.); and pokeberry tea for epilepsy (5731, p.285). This plant has been defined as "a coarse American perennial herb (Phytolacca americana) etc." Actually, under proper growing con- ditions, the racemose white flowers, then dark purple juicy berries, and finally the beautifully colored autumn leaves make this Weed a rare and beautiful sight! Berries and roots are emetic and purgative, the latter really poisonous, but the young shoots off the large main root, carrot-shaped and 4 or more inches wide at the top, were eaten by American pioneers and are still used.]
Entry 6867
So anyone won't hurt chew, git a piece of red flannel, pure flannel. See, git a piece of root. Ast fo' corkin' [porcupine?] vine root. Yo' evah hear of it? (Coffin vine? Corkin' [porcupine] vine.) Put dat an' put a dime, a silvah dime. See, put dat in dere an' put a li'le piece of asafitadee [asa- fetida] an' sews it up an' weahs it right dere [demonstrates] an' put a medal wit it, chew know, a St. Anthony [medal].
(Where do you wear that?)
No, sir, right dere.
(Right here on the front of your breastbone. Against your skin or?)
Right by yore meat. Yo' nevah git harmed. [The 4 preceding objects are sewed up into a red flannel bag, making a hand (see Pp.519-669), here a protective device to be worn about the neck. Suppose we analyze this hand: (1) The porcupine root I do not know, but it surely means a pointed article that will wound an intruder. Could this be a small piece of porcupine wood, the outer wood or the coconut palm with markings resembling por- cupine quills? Or have we here any root with quill-like projections. Similarly, years ago I had trouble with the identity of the alligator tree (mentioned some- where in Hoodoo), the sweet gum, so called because its bark supposedly imitates the hide of an alligator. In the present instance, however, we must remember that our informant is not a root digger, but buys this root from a hoodoo drug store or root seller. (2) The dime? This is the old silver dime, not the pre- sent [1973] dime of base metal. Hoodoo is filled with the miraculous powers of the old silver dime, any silver. (3) Asafetida? During my childhood, say 1902- 1910, and even before my time, many children wore a small piece of asafetida in a bag about the neck. This was to guard the wearer against communicable dis- eases. Actually We have here a bad smell to ward off witches. Why witches dis- like odious odors, excrement and urine for examples, I am unable to explain. (4) St. Anthony medal, a holy object, would be a useful addition to our hand. (5) Red flannel, the red alone symbolizes blood, life and power.]
Entry 6868
Ah wus tole whut hindah 'em from hurtin' yuh. A lady tole me dat. It Wus a simple thing. Jis' take a white potatah [so called to distinguish it from the yellow sweet potato] an' cut it half in two, an' cut it in fo' part [signifying the four corners of the earth] an' weah it in a bag roun' yuh waist till it git hard, an' den burn it up. [The gitting hard signified that potato had soaked up all the disease floating round about you. The burning indicated that the disease was sent by cunjure.]
Entry 6869
Carry a small [Irish] potato an' a piece of High John de Conker an' no one kin harm yah.
Entry 6870
[Instead of scattering the following cures and protective devices throughout this subsection, I have gathered them here under one submargin title:] Before the Civil War they wouldn't put a woman to make soap that was in a family way. She could turn it backwards and it wouldn't make. And it won't neither. You take a woman in a family Way, she can take a spoon and turn cream backwards and can't git it to come [[to butter]]. And you can't neither. ["This old man was a boy of eleven when the Civil War started." I am quoting the notation on my pencil transcription made almost immediately after the recording. Yes, he must have said Civil War, though in his younger years he may have spoken of the "War between the States." For the power and peculiarities of women during pregnancy, See FACI, 2nd ed., 1965.] [Fredericksburg, Va., informant 44, by Ediphone.]
Entry 6871
Yo' kin take dat straw off de broom or de foddah, either one - de corn foddah off a corn stalk - an' make a tea outa it. An' dat'll make a woman's pains easiah. Yes, if she's in labor. Or den, if yo' take dis mistletoe, on de tree, if yo' got a cowan' she's in labor feed 'er on dat an' she'll bring de calf wit'out any trouble.
Entry 6872
If a woman's goin' have a baby, well now if she [some woman] kin git tuh huh tuh take any huh - anythin' from huh, yuh know, an' she kin go bury it, den she'll have dis woman - it'll kill huh.
(You mean a piece of her clothing or anything like that?)
Anythin' - a piece a huh undahclothin' nex' tuh huh skin.
Entry 6873
Take a woman's clothes an' bury dem an' she'll have a hard time. Take a piece of 'er undahgarments.
(If this woman is going to have a baby?)
Sho'[sure].
(That will cross her up?)
Cross 'er so she cain't delivah de baby.
Entry 6874
Dey kin take dat aftahbirth, or whutevah waste dat she have when dat baby wuz bo'n, an' give it tuh a dog an' [or] let a cat git holt tuh it, an' den she's nevah no mo' good. (What do you mean, she's never no more good? In what way?) Well, she'll live, yo' know, but she won't - huh periods will nevah be right any mo' an' she'll always be backward an' she'll nevah be any 'count [account]. She'll jis' be po' yo' know an' skinny until she dies. Dat's jis' suffahin' an' Zingahin'.
Entry 6875
Now exactly dat way - but aftah it comes whutevah she, yo' know, de aftahbirth, or any of 'er periods, dey take it an' bury it. Dey bury it deep in de ground, dat is, not enough tuh kill 'er, see. Well, if she lose de baby, why dey bury it on it's face. Dey say dat kill de person [who put spell on baby]. Othah den dat ah don' know of anythin' else. [For face-down burial, see MURDER]. (If the baby dies at birth, if they bury the baby on it's face, what will happen to her then?) She will die too.
[Informant misunderstands my question. Mother does not die.]
(What do they do that for? Some enemy would do that?)
Yes, doesn't like her [and therefore kills the baby before birth].
Entry 6876
If a woman is in fo' a labor, if she has somepin of 'is about 'er, a sock, hat or somepin lak dat - she has somepin about 'er, why dat'll cause 'im tuh have some of de pains, too. (Where would she keep this thing about her? Where would she keep it?) Jis' have it somewhere about 'er, maybe jis' always anywheres on 'er.
Entry 6877
If a person impregnant, dey take a gourd an' boil de seeds
[and drink] an' dat make 'em miscarry.
Entry 6878
Take a horse mane - dat's from back of de horse - yo' know dat long mane, an' yo' put nine knots in it. Lak if she gotta come out of 'er gate - an' bury it right at dat gate. An' if she walk ovah it, she can't birth 'er child. (You take the mane off the horse?) Yeah, yo' gotta take it off.
(You don't take the whole mane, just some of his hair?)
Yo' know, not de whole mane, jis' some of de hair, by 'is haid.
Entry 6879
(How can that be done?)
Well, yo' see, de way dat dey do it, dey git a rope. Yo' know a woman's iml pregnant. Dey goes tuh de step an' dey come ovah de step.
(Wait a minute. What do they do with that rope now?)
Dey take de rope offa de mule.
(Oh, this rope is around the mule?)
De rope is aroun' de mule. Dey git tuh de step an' dey come over dat rope nine times backwards. See, dey jump ovah de rope once an' dey walk aroun' it an' dey jump ovah it ag'in. An' when dey git ovah dat rope, den dey jump up lak a mule. Now, when dis lady comes out, dat's crossin' 'er as a mule [woman's period will be as long as a mule's]. Now tuh git dis cross off 'er before dis child is born, yo' git chew a Bull Durham [tobacco] sack. Yo' take dat Bull Durham sack an' yo' wash it clean, clean, clean. Yo' go tuh one a dese big sand places such as Jenkins, Watts-Cornell [or] J. J. Cox, sand dat's nevah been used, jis' come in. Yo' fill dat bag about three-qurtah full of dat sand. It's purtty white sand. Yo' git chew nine silvah dimes an' yo' put in dat sand an' yo' git chew, git chew a half a cupa vinegah. Yo' take dat an' yo' put it intuh a pot an' yo' boil. An' aftah yo' boil, yo' boil yo' an' yo' boil it down an' yo' see dis sack done boiled enough, tuh where yo' want it tuh boil at, den yo' take dis sack an' yo' go an' throw it undah 'er steps. Dat's de woman impregnant. Yo' throws it right undah 'er step wit dese dimes an' dis sand intuh it. Now, de liquid dat's lef' from dis, from dat vinegah, yo' got dat dere. Now, she mus' take a sip of dis evah mawnin' fer nine mawnin's. An' ah'll guarantee yuh it'll knock dat off. (That checks that cross that's on that woman, checks it right away. You can't do any harm at all.)
Entry 6880
Well, a woman kin be in de family way an' aftah she in de family way, why den yo' takes whut yo' call a mare rope. Listen good. (I understand.) An' aftah dat mare rope dere, it's tied. Yo' takes dat mare an' let 'im [!!!] cross de rope nine times. Yo' fix dat, run 'em cross. Den yo' cut dat rope, cut it off from dat mare an', if yo' kin, put it in 'er room anywhere dat she livin' at. An' any time dat she cross dat rope dere twice, she shall have dat child crossways in 'er an' dey have tuh take it from 'er.
(All right. Now, how can you take this off of her?)
Well, aftah yo' go tuh work an' fin' dat, dat is a fact dere. DEN YO' BEIN' WHUT YO' CALL A "TWO-HEADED DOCTOR" DERE, an' yo' wanta git 'er off it. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' go down tuh a runnin' stream, an' yo' git dat same rope. De people goin' tuh bring yo' de rope, yo' know, when dey come tuh do yo'. Den yo' take dat rope dere an' yo' wait 'till night, twelve o'clock at night. Den yo take dat rope an' tie nine knots. An' de people dat she say dat put dat rope dere, down dere fo' her, take dere name an' put it dere nine times in dis knot. Yo'll throw it dataway [into the running streom] an' let it go down. Yo'll find dat de rope will pull a li'le bit tuh yo', but dat ain't nuthin 'bout dat dere. It'll go right on. [That Pull a Zi'le bit tuh yo' by the rope, is that the spir- it within trying to prevent being thrown into the water?]
(And the spell is off?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 6881
A horse is tied wit a rope an' she pass ovah de rope. She's crossed. An' if anyone have any of 'er pieces dat she had befo' she got dat way, yo' see, dey kin tie nine knots in dat piece an' hang it up in a place - not tuh burn in de chimley, not tuh burn; only tuh smoke, yo' see, dataway. De child have tuh be taken from 'er by a physicianah.
(I see.)
Entry 6882
(What do they say about that?)
Well, tuh make a woman tuh carry a baby twelve months, dey take a woman - dey take a mare's rope an' dey'll put it across, close - tie a horse, a mare close aroun' where she live. In some way or another, she have tuh pass dat rope, and if she cross ovah dat rope, she'll go twelve months lak a mare an' she cain't have dat baby.
Entry 6883
Dey git a mare's rope.
(A mare's rope?)
Yeah, an' jis' lak yo' goin' tuh pass dere, well yo' don' pay no 'tention tuh dat rope. An' dat rope be dere an' yo' cross dat mare's rope. Dat cross dat child in yo'.
Entry 6884
Cross dis woman up. Dey takes - dey gits right where dis woman'll pass at. Yo' undahstan'? Dey takes a knife an' a fo'k an' put dat knife in de fo'k disaway [demonstrates by crossing knife in fork] an' put it right where she goin' tuh cross ovah at. Yo' undahstan'? An' jis' as sure as she cross ovah dat knife an' fo'k dis- away, she cain't birth dat child. Dat child turn upside in 'er stomic.
(I see. All you do is cross the knife into the fork?)
Put de knife in de fork lak dis here [demonstrates] an' let 'er cross ovah it. Stand it up lak dat [demonstrates].
Entry 6885
Yo' takes an' yo' git chew a spool of thread, white thread, an' yo'll measure from de length of where she walks at, an' in de ninth day she'll delivah dis baby. Dat chile will grow in 'er an' be almos'roun' about dis high, when it will delivah. She wouldn't be able tuh delivah it.
(All you have to do is to measure her what?)
[I now have quite a time learning what is measured, despite my knowing the answer.] Git a white spool of thread, No.8.
(Yes.)
An' yo' take dat thread an' wheresomevah yo' know she passes, always take de length.
(The length of what?)
De length wit de thread, jis' lak yo'd have a measure fo' twine, yo' know, an' yo'd be takin' a stretch.
(Well, what do you measure?)
Yo' measure where she walks at.
(What do you mean 'where she walks at?")
[I stop recording machine, she answered!]
(Well now, that's what I want to know. You measure her footsteps.)
Yo' measure her footsteps.
(All right.)
Now, wherevah yo' know she's stayin', yo'll come dere lak nuthin an' yo' jis' take de length of it an' den, as she go on, wherevah she makes [a track], yo' stop an' take de measure of it.
(Then what do you do with that?)
Yo' ties dat up, yo' ties dat thread up in knots. Yo'll count how many knots, intuh nine knots. An' de measure of 'er, all de steps dat yo' takes from 'er, if she stand - don' care how [many steps].
Entry 6886
De woman might be Impregnant, chew know. Somebody might wan' 'em tuh die in dat state, chew know. Dey [some woman] gits jealous, chew know. An' den dey git tuh a, go tuh a oak tree an' measure nine inches from de bottom, an' skin de bä'k up an' boil dat tuhgethah [with] anythin' whut de woman would eat, chew know. Suppose dey could give 'er dat tuh eat, chew know. Dat child nevah come down, yo' see. (The child will never come down. This child will stay right in her. It will kill her then.)
Entry 6887
If a woman didn't have no intahco'se wit no boy friend or man or sompin lak dat, she would have a hard time [at childbirth] see. Dat's all ah've heard of dat. (How do you mean if they didn't have intercourse?) Well, jis' lak if ah wus impregnant, dat's whut chew mean. Well, ah wus impregnant. Well, maybe mah husband wus away. Well, ah an' 'im nevah had no dealin's wit each othah at all, see. Well, regardless tuh whut de othah man done, dat would git me in birthin' dis chile, if ah nevah had no intahco'se or nuthin tuh do wit dis man [I would have a hard time at delivery]. [Having had contact with the other man during her husband's absence, she must continue this contact to avoid a hard delivery. This reminds me of a tale I read years ago, an old Italian novella, the type of Boccaccio's Decameron: The husband after fertilizing his wife left home on a long journey. As time past, a neighbor, a trickster, informed the woman that her husband had left home without completing his task. The parts of a baby, he told her, were made at different times. Unless the husband returned soon the baby would be born with an arm, a leg, almost any- thing missing. To make a short story shorter, the neighbor, being a man, agreed to help her. The baby was born with all its parts.]
Entry 6888
If she [an enemy] gits 'er [victim's] urine an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up an' bury it, she can't delivah dis child. It will stop 'er womb an' she won' have stren't enough tuh force dis child, an' if de doctors can't take de child, it will kill 'em [baby]. Den [in addition to losing the baby] she will have tuh see someone tuh git 'er water tuh run, tuh work on dese peoples' [the spellcaster's] min' tuh git dis watah up an' take de stoppah out of it. But if dey nevah do, why it will kill dem [the woman with water trouble]. (That is, a woman could do that to another woman to cross her.up if she were having a child.) She would have tuh git someone tuh git dis watah from dis person, eithah watch it [an opportunity] 'erself.
Entry 6889
An' yo' kin take saltpetah an' 'er chamber lye an' let 'er drink dat an' she won' 'ave no baby. Jis' as 'er monthly comes around, jis' as she git off befo' she have a intahco'se wit anybody, drink up some of dat an' she won' 'evah [= won't never] git impregnant.
Entry 6890
If someone's tryin' tuh hahm [harm] yo', take 23rd Psalm an' read it three times evah day fo: nine days, an' write it an' put it down in a li'le bag an' weah it on de right side. Dat'll keep 'em from hahmin' yo'.
Entry 6891
Rattlesnake mahstah, puts it on whiskey an' let 'em drink dat till dey drink a pint. Aft' dey drink dat pint dey'll be so dey cud [could] walk aroun'. An' yuh cud fix anothah quart, an' a quart or a pint'll cure yuh.
Entry 6892
Take some of dat same rattlesnake mahstah an' put it in yuh pocket an' go anywheah. If a man wan'a dress yuh, he cain't do it.
Entry 6893
Yo' know lak dey have neuralgy [neuralgia] in de throat an' mouth an' haid. All right, yo' be swoled all up. Yo' go tuh a red oak bark tree an' git de bark on de sunrise side an' make tea off it, an' jis' steep yo'self wit it lak dat. Jis' have de watah, dat tea, in a pan an' jis' steep off, steep off. Open yuh mouth an' jis' let it, let it go all on. An' yo' kin make poultices if yo' wanta tuh put all roun' yuh neck or wherevah it's hurtin', an' dat'll scattah it.
Entry 6894
Ah have know of sompin about trees fo' makin' medicine, red oak an' beechnut an' sycamore. Mix dem three barks tuhgethah an' put it in a 'luminum pot an' boil it until it come tuh a certain amount, jis' as much 'mount as yo' want. Jis' lak if yo' wanta make a half gallon, why yo' put chew a gal- lon of watah in on dose barks an' let 'em boil down tuh a half gallon, an' den take it out an' git chew some dis heah brown sugah an' put it in dere, an' den strain dat dere bark out dere. Den put dat sugah on dere an' make a syrup. An' put chew jis' a li'le pinch of alum in dere. Well, dat's good fo' coughs.
Entry 6895
Den yuh kin git some root whut dey call de blacksnake root, grain [green] root, an' arrowroot, an' High John de Conkah. Well, dat's de root, dat John de Conquah, dat is goin' tuh conquah mos' anythin', any kinda HO0- DOO dat come. DAT'S A Did yuh git chew [down] [blacksnake root] grain root, an' de arrowroot, an' John de Conquah? DAT RooT'S VERY EXPENSIVE AN' AH KNOW ZACTLY WHERE TUH GIT IT, see. Yuh kin [take] dose roots an' boil 'em tuhgethah an' if anybody wuz HOoDOOED, if mah lady wuz HOODO0, take some of dat root when it's dry an' beat it.up an' give it tuh a lady in some ine an' dat'll perform. Yuh kin see it, scorpion drived an' - given in powdah tuh someone - movin' in 'er laigs. Git dat stuff an' boil it an' make tea out it, an' in ten days dat git de pain outa yuh body. Dat came out. One time she couldn't walk straight. Evah time she stand up she fell on de floah. Ah goes tuh dat dere fellah an' ah says, "Look, ah wan' chew tuh drive me out tuh de country. See yo' got a li'le hatchet." Ah want tuh get me a hatchet an' he gave me de hatchet, an' ah went tuh de red oak tree. Ah trimmed off de white bark an' de black bark ovah it an' cut down tuh de juicy wood. Ah cut me fo' chips out on east side. Ah goes tuh de west side of de tree an' ah cuts me fo' more. Ah cut de chips off de east side firs', den ah go tuh de west side. Den ah git me some blackberry root, chew undahstan'. Den ah git some mul- lein an' ah take dat home, put it tuhgethah. Ah gits home an' ah tell mah wife, ah say, "Look, git me about two quarts of vinegah." An' she put dat on de fiah an' boil it, boil it an' boil it. An' she let it cool. Den she bathe me from mah haid tuh mah feet [downward bathing so that it will go out through his feet] in de tub, an' ah ain't had a pain in dis laig since.
Entry 6896
Dese here HOODOO dey git dat onion an' cut it up, fix it up in sulphur, stuff, an' git chew tuh tote it in yuh pocket, an' den if anythin' lak dat, chew - dey try tuh do anythin' tuh yuh, dat will keep it off, dat red onion.
(They fix this red onion up with that sulphur in it.)
Dat sulphur is de main thin' dey use.
(Nothing else, just the red onion an' sulphur.)
Entry 6897
Lak if yo're hurt, den yo' kin take red onions, an' urination, sulphuh, salt, vinegah an' boil all dat tuhgethah an' bathe 'em down in it, an' dat will run de poison out of dem.
Entry 6898
Fraid of any- one, afraid if dey fixin' tuh do yo' lotsa harm by walkin', yo' put down salt an' [red] peppah into yore shoes, say yo' prackly [practically] will walk ovah anything anybody have laid fo' yo'.
Entry 6899
If yo' got some peoples in yore house is evil an' bad luck tuh yo', all yo' gotta do is sprinkle plenty a red peppah roun' de house. Git de pod peppah whut grows lak yo' fingah [finger peppers] an' crumble it up. It's got seeds in it, little seeds fine an' white. Jis' sprinkle dat round de do' an' dey says none yore enemies will come 'bout. Ah often do dat times mahself, jis' keep up wit dis ole [turn machine off too soon].
Entry 6900
Git some red pod peppah an' some vinegah an' heat it real hot, an' git in it an' bathe in it. Wash all de parts. See, when it comes out through de po's [pores] of yore skin yo're sweat- in' den, an' dat'll cuz dat poison tuh go away from yo'.
Entry 6901
Anything wrong, yo' kin take some sweet milk an' heat it real hot, an' put some red cayenne peppah in it an' put some red pod peppah in it. An' scrape some silvah off de dime an' put in de glass, an' put some gun- powdahs in it, an' yo' drink it. An' when yo' drink it, jis' makes yo' bu'st out in a big sweat an' den yo' kin vomit it up.
(This poison?)
Yeah.
Entry 6902
(What's the name of it?)
It's called de red shank.
(The red shank root?)
Yes, sir. It's called de red shank an' ah'll tell yo'. If ah came tuh yo' an' if ah've got a bad disease, see. Well, yo' take dat red shank, yu' undah- stan', if it's put out, why yo' take de top of it; an' if it's not put out, yo' take a grubbing hoe an' dig the root up an' wash de root. See. Put it intuh two quarts of watah, an' bile [boil] it down tuh one quart [the magic of diminishing amount]. Unnahstan'?
(I understand.)
Bile it down tuh one quart. Den yo' take - when yo' bile it down tuh one quart, yo' take it an' yo' set it off [the stove]. Unnahstan' dat?
(Yes.)
An' den when yo' set dat off, yo' git a li'le piece of bluestone, lak a speck- led pea, an' beat it up right fine an' stuff it in dere. Git chew a li'le piece alum about dat long. Put it in dere, but let de watah be good an' cool. See, don' put it in dere hot. An' den yo' takes it den, an' yo' give it tuh 'im an' tell 'im tuh take three swallows three times a day. Now de way a boy, or man eithah - whutevah he is don't yo' take it jis' lak yo' drinkin' watah, becuz if yo' drink it lak yo' drinkin' watah, well it don't do yo' any good, becuz it will git down in yore stomic an' it will be dere so much till it will sour. It will be de same as milk, when yo' drinks it. Dat buttahmilk when a man is in bad shape, it's jis' a dose of poison tuh 'im. It keeps sour on 'is stomic. Jis' take no more dan three teaspoonsful a day. Take it as [medicine] yo' know. If yo' take too much of it, why it don't do you any good. It'll do yo' harm.
(Three swallows. One swallow before each meal?)
Dat's right.
(I see, each day. All right.)
An' den don't eat so much grease.
(What did you say?)
I say, let de buttahmilk alone.
(I see.)
Entry 6903
Ah heard 'em tell if yo' have a vener'al disease or a bad case of de POps or somepin lak dat, chew kin take red shank root, wild cherry bark an' Queens of Life. [He probably means Queen's - delight = greenroot (StiZlingia sylvatica) of the southern U. S. A., see p.630.] (What is that?) Dat's a weed dat grows out an' it's a root too.] It's in de woods. Wild cherry bark root an' de Queens of Life, an' red shank, an' sasparilla [sarasparilla]. An' take all of dat an' put chew 'bout a gallon of watah an' boil it down tuh a quart [magic of diminishing amount]. Dat's a good Dedicine fo' any case. It'll run it out but it'll kill - run it out chure blood an' cure it up. Den yo' kin cure it up on de outside yo'self.
Entry 6904
Jis' lak if yo' were stay- in' dere in dis house an' yo' vanted tuh stay dere, didn't want anyone tuh hurt chah anyway. Ah heard 'em say dat dey could git some table salt an' black peppah, jis' whut chew kin make an' hold it roun' in yore hand, see. Mix it up well. Git enough where yo' kin go all de way roun' yore house, undahstan'. Throw dat all de way roun' yore house. Dere no harm dey kin do yo'. But be sure yo' have aplenty so it be put down all de way roun'.
Entry 6905
If anybody come tuh yore house dat is not right in heah, dere's sompin lak dat wrong, dey swole up, git chew some salt an' black peppah an' throw it in de fiah an' jis' go on out. (You mean if he has a disease, a veneral disease?) Yessuh.
Entry 6906
Git a fresh box of salt, have nevah been used an' a box of red peppah, an' yo' mix a certain amount tuhgethah. Put some aroun' yore do' an' in front of gate an' yo' weah some in yore shoes. An' dat would keep dem from crossin' yuh, if dey wanta put hard luck on yo'.
Entry 6907
Or eithah yo' kin take sulphuh. Say yo' kin [take] sulphuh if anyone comin' in yore house an' salt an' mix it tuhgethah. Jis' go round de edge, go all roun' yore yard an' sprinkle it all aroun'. Dat will keep dem out from comin' in, keep yore ene- mies from comin' in.
Entry 6908
Yo' kin weah cayenne peppah, salt an' sulphur in yore shoes, an' yo' kin walk ovah anythin'.
(If you walked over this stuff they planted for you, it wouldn't hurt you then?)
No sir.
Entry 6909
Well, yo' kin put chew some red peppah, nine balls, [I mean] seeds of red peppah. Yo' have de seeds tuh put in dere. Grind dat peppah. Nine drops of spirits of turpentine, halfa tea- spoonfula salt, halfa teaspoonfula sulphur. An' put it in yore shoe an' weah it an' dat will kill dat.
(Anything they put down for you?)
Planted fo' yo'.
(Do you wear this in one or both shoes?)
Yo' kin put it in de shoes, or else if yo' want, yo' kin put it undah de steps, put it all tuhgethah an' bury it undah de steps.
Entry 6910
If dey do sumpin tuh hurt dere ahm [arm] an' it's swollen up or sumpin lak dat, dey could take some vinegah an' put it in a bottle an' some bluestone an' salt an' red peppah, an' jis' keep a-bathin' de ahm, rubbin', an' dat'll more or less cure it in dem. (What causes this swelling in the arm?) It will be jis' lak if dey wan' tuh poison yo' or: sompin, sompin dey puts down, an' yo' go an' put yuh hand on dis. See, dat makes dat stuff go through yuh ahm. It'll keep on a-workin' an' a-workin' till it git intuh yuh body. If [you] start in time - den let 'em take a lot of sulphur. Sulphur's good, too. Jis' take it, put it in yuh han' an' eat it. An' brimstone. Joo kin take a pill of brimstone an' eat dat an' yo' kin eat or drink poison an' it won't hurt choo. See, dat brimstone kills it out.
Entry 6911
An' anybody got anything put down roun' yore place to make yo' - put chew in hard luck, git chew some sulphur, bluestone an' salt - table salt - mix it tuhgethah an' burn it. An' evah uhich way dat chew think it is, if it's in yuh room, why yo' jis' burn it. Yo' kin burn dat any time. Jis' take a teaspoonful or tablespoonful an' mix it up tuhgethah an' set it down in dere an' shet chure room up, shet it up an' let it explore[!] in dere. An' if anything wuz put in dere tuh put chew in hard luck, whenevah yo' burn dat three or fo' times, dat'll do away wit dat.
Entry 6912
An' yo' kin take kerosene an' bluestone an' brimstone an' salt an' rub wit it [the pains caused by conjuration] an' dat'll kill it, too.
Entry 6913
Dey call it sen-sen [an incense]. It's a li'le powdah. An' dey take dat prob'ly [probably] in de night, any time aftah nine a'clock, jis' sprinkle dat out aroun' de do'. It's sen-sen, whut dey call it. Put dat outside an' den take a li'le, as ah tole yo', about burning de Hawthrone [Hearts Own] Cologne an' de sulphur. It's a powdah. Dat's tuh keep yuh enemies away from yo'. Den no enemies cain't come.
Entry 6914
Ah'm fo' good luck. Ah'm a seven months chile, an' dis palm of mine cain't be read. (Why can't it be read?) Well, 'cuz ah'm seven months. [Ida Bates of New Orleans, also a doctor, was another seven-month child.]
Entry 6916
If cunjurated boil silkweed [= milkweed] an' John de Conkah in a pint of watah down to halfa pint [magic rite of decreasing amount]. Take 3 swallahs a day.
The bracketed note calls the preparation a magic rite of decreasing amount. That classification is editorial; it does not establish an informant's description or efficacy.
Entry 6917
Silkweed tea takes live things out of yo'. [Informant a root doctor born in North Carolina.]
Entry 6921
Silkweed, silver, sulphur, and 3 drops of turpentine boiled tuhgethah; teaspoonful 3 times a day.
Entry 6922
[Silver - especially the American dime or ten-cent piece - was one of the most widespread and frequently used magic articles in hoodoo. Has the de- basement of metallic currency in the U. S. A. killed off these beliefs, or is there a brisk sale of true silver dimes? Despite that extensive collection of silver beliefs previously given on Pp.484-493, there are many more scattered throughout Hoodoo. The rites that follow may be duplicates, but they are un- printed in Hoodoo.] Dese people in St. Petahsburg, weahs a dime roun' dere ankle tuh keep 'em off - as a preventive.
(To keep off what?)
Any kinda HOODOO or hard luck or stop anythin' dat would happen tuh 'em. Why some of 'em weahs one on each laig!
Entry 6923
Dey jis' take a dime an' bore a hole in it an' tie it round yuh neck or roun' yuh wrist an' de people couldn't so easily HOODOO yo'. Dey claim de dime takes it up 'fore it git to yo'.