Browse:HOW TO OBTAIN GRAVEYARD DIRT (Volume 4, entries 7516–7730)
HOW TO OBTAIN GRAVEYARD DIRT
Volume 4, entries 7516–7730. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 7516
Dey take graveyard dirt an' put it in dey shoe an' dat will keep dem from interferin' in de family, an' it will cause dere death. Say, if yo' kill dat person yondah, well yo' bury 'em. An' ah'll go take some graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it ovah yore flo' an' put some in yore shoes, an' when yo' go out an' travel on, yo' tell it 'fore yo' know it.
(You'll find out on me that I killed that man. How would you find it out?)
By dat graveyard dirt. Yo' lay down an' go tuh sleep an' yo' know yo' did a bad crime. an' yo' - why den yo' go an' tell it. Dey go an' stick yore fingah in a pan of watah [while you are asleep] an' yo' tell evahthing about it. [Wilson, N. Car., (1474), 2654:7.] [This section contains merely a part of the many beliefs and rites in Hoodoo about death, burial and graveyard (see preceding section MURDER and everyvhere); therefore the subject matter here is not as complete as it could be. I have divided the section into three subsections, the first two concerned with grave- yard dirt: (1) HOW TO OBTAIN GRAVEYARD DIRT, and (2) WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT; and (3) COFFINS REAL OR MOCK - PHOTOGRAPH AND COFFIN - DOLL BABY - ANIMAL SUBSTITUTE - BONES FROM THE DEAD. This latter subsection (3) will be given in lettered subsubsections as we reach them.] [Graveyard dirt or dust, the most deadly and feared hoodoo substance, is act- ivated by the spirit of a dead person - a dangerous power to handle. An amateur would be wise to leave graveyard dirt in the hands of an expert, but if he or she desires a do-it-yourself experience or wants to avoid professional expense, here are the rules and procedures to be observed, beginning with a few words about the spirit itself.] [The Spirit in Graveyard Dirt is the same spirit we met at the beginning of Hoodoo (vol.1, Pp.19-164) and elsewhere in the text. Beliefs and rites in this subsubsection reestablish former atmosphere:]
Entry 7517
Yes sir, ah kin go to de graveyard an' git some dirt an' put it into dis room [in Wynn Hotel where I was interviewing, see INTRO. v.1, p. XXX, line 9] an' ah betcha [bet you] can't stay in heah at night. Dere be's somepin all in de cornahs - jes' well, yo' gotta git eveh [every] grain of dat [dirt], yo' can't [become scared and] back aways from 'em [spirit]. Dat's to make, to run a person outa de house, see. Dat will run yo' outa de house. [This opening paragraph contains one of the great laws of the spirit: the complete spirit is in every grain of that graveyard dirt - see margin title, PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, p.21.] Dey take dat stuff - ah kin take some an' carry it to a person's house what ah wants [to move into] an' jes' walk in dere wit it in mah pocket, an' throw it all aroun' in de cornahs wit'out people not knowin' it. In a few days dey'll say dere house is ha'nted, dey'll move. Well, dat's de evil spirit comin' back fer dat dirt, to take it back to dat cemetery. To git some of dat dirt, what chew gotta do, yo' gotta put one cent down dere 'fo' [before] yo' kin bring it away; else yo' can't bring it away, so much racket be aroun' dere [the grave] dat yo' can't bring it away.
Entry 7518
An' dey put it in yore bed.
(This graveyard dirt?)
Yes sir, eithah sprinkle it aroun' yore house or anything like dat. (Well, what do they put it in the bed for? What will that do if they put it in the bed?) Well, yo' see, de dead would come where de dust is. Dat'll harm. Yo' see, yo' can't sleep at night. Take it - an' de bed will 'come [become] de way de dust is, if it wus somebody who wus evil, becuz dey done me like dat.
Entry 7519
People say dat chew could go tuh de fo'ks of de road - like two roads cross [crossroad] yuh know. A person walk in dere an' if yuh wan' 'em back, yuh kin take yore han' an' pull away de left [foot] track - dis is de heart [side] chew know - back tuh yuh, jis' a little bit of dirt out de hollah [= con- cave portion of bottom of foot, called ball of foot by some informants]. An' take dat an' put a little bit of - go tuh de graveyard an' git chew some, jis' lak if somebody yuh know is dead, Mary or John, somebody. Yuh say - yuh go tuh de grave yard an' says, "Mary, ah wan' chew tuh help me. An' ah wan' chew tuh follah me." Says, "Ah wan'a buy some of yore dirt." See, if yo' don't drop dem pennies yuh'll be robbin' de dead. An' run yore han' down about lak dat [usually to the elbow] where it nex' tuh [over] de heart an' take out a snuffbox full. Take dat an' some black peppah an' de track, an' jis' put a little bit in de cornah of yore house de foah cornahs. [This is one of the many four corners of the earth rites in Hoodoo.] An' if it's a woman [who left], she'll come right back - she can't leave. If it's a man he'll come back. An' dat spirit will follah yuh, guide yuh evahwhere yuh go.
(Make you come back.)
[This same rite, with a slight variation, is now used for customers if you are in business:] Fo' frien's [customers], de same thing ah tole yuh 'bout dat grave. Yuh know frien's will speak tuh frien's. Yuh git chew some dirt, don't have no track in it yuh know. Jis' go dere an' git dat dirt an' have a little - yuh git a [new] box of black peppah an' don' use it fo' nuthin but dat. Shake a little bit of black peppah in dere an' jis' carry dat black peppah an' de graveyard dirt [back home]. Yuh wanta gain frien's when yuh in business. An' put some in yore coat Pocket an' yuh be laughin' an' talkin', jis' sorta foolin' around - yuh be - lak shakin' yore han's or somepin. [Here informant, according to my penciled nota- tion made while checking original cylinder reads: "Lowers her voice and begins to whisper." Evidently she was afraid someone could hear through the closed door.] Slap [throw] dat roun' an' wherevah it be it will draw dem - wherevah yuh at, in yore store or any business. An' dey will flock tuh yuh. Now ah've heard dat.
(You use black pepper and graveyard dirt together.)
Dat's right.
(And you get the graveyard dirt just the way you got it before?)
Yeah. Now, yuh see, yore han' drop in three pennies, an' covah de grave up, jis' lak yuh do wit chure han's yuh know. If yuh don't drop in pennies, yuh will rob de dead. If yuh carry somebody wit chew, den yuh will drop in silvah, a dime [tol keep from robbin' de dead. [THE LAST STATEMENT - PENNIES IF ALONE OR A DIME IF SOMEONE ACCOMPANIES YOU - IS PROBABLY MY ONLY EXAMPLE OF THIS BELIEF. As We shall see, a dime, no longer of silver, is sometimes given to the spirit; BUT TAKING A COMPANION WITH YOU VIOLATES THE NORMAL CUSTOM OF ONE PERSON APPROACHING THE SPIRIT.]
Entry 7520
[Florence, South Carolina - scene of my following experience with a doctor in 1939 - was with the surrounding country still a prominent hoodoo lo- cality. For years before my time it had been ranked along the Atlantic Coast as second only to Beaufort (Bū'fert) of the same state. My question to the doc- tor is unrecorded but easily recoverable from what he says. Here we have an expert at work.] Now dey've put it [witchcraft] on yo' an' sont [sent] chew 'way from heah. All right, yo' come tuh me, er [or] some of yore folks come tuh me an' say, "Mah husban', er mah son, er mah sistah, er mah fathah, er [mah] mothah's gone away an' ah haven't done anythin' in de worl' tuh 'em." All right. Dey'll come tuh me an' ah'll say, "Well, yo' come back heah in de mawnin'." Ah wouldn't do anythin' in dat time [in the meantime]. [Here is the magic delay frequently found in Hoodoo but prominently mentioned 329.6 only once - see 964, p.361.] Yo' come back dere in de mawnin'. Yo' lay yore han's upon mine an' ah'll look up tuh de no'th an' ah'll talk tuh God. An' aftah ah talk wit God, ah take a piece of red flannel cloth an' take two pennies. Ah'll tie nine knots in dat cloth an' ah'll give it tuh yo'. Ah'll say, "At twelve a'clock tuhnight or twelve a'clock tuhmorrah, yo' be at de ceme- tery. Be dere at twelve on de minute." Aftah yo' be dere, yo' go down an' yo' take de haidbo'd [headboard] up, take up de haidbo'd an' say, "Dead! Dead! Dead! Mah son is gone away, " er "mah hus- ban'" - jes' eithah one [who left] yo' know. "Ah want dem tuh return." Take dat haidbo'd an' care [carry] it tuh de foots, an' pull de feet up an' stick it dowa dere.
(Stick the headboard down at the foot?)
Yes sir. Come on roun' wit dat foot tuh de haid, an' git tuh de feet chewself. "Dead! Dead! Dead! Mah some is gone away from me. Ah wants 'im tuh return." Turn dat on roun' heah. Yo' git dere at de haid." 'Dead! Dead! Dead! Mah son is gone away. Ah want 'im tuh return." Take dose two pennies an' stick 'em right down in dere.
(In that hole at the head?)
At de haid. An' stick dat haidbo'd [footboard] down in dere. Undahstan' me plainly. Stick it down in dere. An' git chews up, call 'em three times at ary [each] place an' take up three [demonstrates]. Dat's one, two, dat's three, handfuls of dat sand dirt.
(Where are you picking that up from, now?)
Out de haid. Den yo' put dose pennies down in dere. Den yo' take dat dirt an' put it in a piece of red flannel cloth an' tie nine knots in it, an' take it tuh yore house, at twelve a'clock an' put it in de chimley. Take nine little bits outa dat [graveyard dirt] befo' yo' put it in dere, an' go tuh evah cornah of yore house an' put [demonstrates] one dere, one dere an' one dere, an' one heah - dat's fo' cornahs. Put 'em dere an' den put dat in de chimley. An' don' Say nuthin tO nObody an' gO on out. DON'T LOOK BACKWARD OR YO' BE IN DE CEMETERY. Don't say nuthin tuh nobody until yo' git home tuh yore gate. DOSE ARE THIN'S DAT CHANGES FATE.
(When you go out there at twelve o'clock what is it, day or night?)
Don't make any diff'rence. (When you first go there, you take the footboard up - no, you take the head- board up and you put it down at the foot. Then you take the footboard up and put it down at the head. Then you take them again?) Oh, nO! Yo' CHANGE DE END WIT DE WORL'. IT'S WHAT CHEW WILL, yo' understan'.
[Here is the importance of will or intention.]
(This is to bring them back?)
An' when ah change de end wit de worl' he comin' back. [As an explanation of change de end wit de worl', I can only repeat informant's preceding words: Dose are things dat changes fate.]
(And when you get this dirt, you only get it from the head?)
From de haid. (And you put those pennies down in the headboard hole, and you take the dirt out of the head [board] hole and take it back to the house.) Yes.
Entry 7521
Gotta go to graveyard at night 'tween one an' two - dat's de time yo' gotta go. When yo' go dere yo' gotta have a heartless spirit - yes, dose terri- ble dead people yo' know. Well, jes' de way some of 'em is kilt, dey fs holler- in' dat same thing an' doin' it. Well, yo' go to dat certain grave dat dis person want dis dirt off. Ah'll go dere in de daytime an' pick dat grave out. Den ah'll go dere in de night, go in dere at one 'clock an' fes' dig doom in dere an git de dirt off dat certain person's grave. Well, ah'll come to yo' an' tell yo', ah say, "Nou, yo' take dis dirt an' if yo' wanta move such a one out chure house, yo' take dat dirt an' sprinkle it all roun' in dat house an' dat person can't say in dere to save dere life." An' dat very man yo' wus talkin' to he knows all about it, 'cuz he's de one tole me about it.
Entry 7522
Jis' what sickness, what disease dey died wit - why where dat woman is, maybe she step ovah it, why she will git de reflect of dat. If dey dies wit T. B., why de T. B's will reveal on yo'; an' if dey dies wit rheuma- tism, yo'll take effect of dat. See, all dat comes out of dat bone, yo' see.
Entry 7523
Listen, yo' kin go tuh de cemetery an' go to a grave dat chew know, know who it is dat's buried dere. Yo' kin git chew five pounds de dirt off dere, if yo' know who dey is. Take dat dirt but leave a ' nickel. Listen! Stick it in de top of dat grave an' jis' spread de dirt back ovah it. See, yo' payin' 'em fo' dat dirt, yo' see. Yo' bring dat dirt back in dat tin pan an' set it in de no'th cornah of de room. Ah don' ca' [care] who move dere. But let dis dirt come outa de colored cemetery, not de white, becuz white rules de while an' colored rules de colored. An' set it in dere an' cain't no- body stay in dat house, until dey goes an' moves dat dirt - whoevah puts it dere take it out an' destroy it.
(You would see that dirt in there wouldn't you?)
Yes, yo' would see de dirt, but if yo' would disturb dis dirt - yo' could throw it out, why you couldn't even stay dere. If yo' destroy dat, yo' jis' take it outa dere, yo' bound tuh walk an' git some of it on yo' feets. Dat's jis' as well as puttin' it in de house. An' s'long as yo' keep it roun', it disturb yo', s see.
Entry 7524
[Despite the rule in the preceding margin title, the following two rites are the exceptions proving the rule. Moreover, if I remember correctly, they are also the only two beliefs permitting a black person to use graveyard dirt from a white per- son's grave. The fol- lowing words may be a third exception: yo' could go tuh de grove- yard...take...three pennies an' go PAY WHITE OR COLORED - see interview RAGGEDY HAN, p.2195, line 19.] [I have never heard how you] harm anybody wit graveyard dirt but I have heard dis: I've heard dat yo' git graveyard dirt, an' a button from a rattlesnake, an' two teeth from a cotton-mouth blacksnake - two of 'is front teeth. Dey say dat yo' kin take dat dirt, but graveyard dirt from a white person's grave - not from a colored person's, a white person's graveyard - an' dey say yo' kin come into a lotta wealth. I've heard of dat dataway.
(Well, what do you do with these teeth and things?)
Well, now yo' put all dat togethah an' tie it up in a little red flannel cloth an' yo' wear it roun' yore neck - jes' tie it roun' yore neck an' yo' wear it. An' evah mawnin' befo' speakin' to anybody yo' have prayers. I disremembah what de prayer is an' den yo' kin become very wealthy. FROM DE WHITE PEOPLE I'VE HEARD DAT.
Entry 7525
[A person] jis' died, yes. Git graveyard dirt, dig it off de head of a white man's grave. Undahstan', go tuh a white man's grave. Go out an' git some wood ashes - ashes burnt from wood, yuh know. [Wood ashes are the payment!] An' put it in de grave an' take about, aroun' about a half a tablespoonful of cayenne peppah, an' put it in through dat [graveyard dirt] an' stir it up - mix it all up. An' when yuh git dat mixed up, make dust out of it yuh undahstan', an' pass it on de hants. Called hants [al spirit, yo' know.
(What will they do with that? What will they do with that then?)
What will yuh do wit it?
(Yes?)
Well, de spirit, somepin like yore hants be - have de spirits. Git yuh dat dirt an' jis' sprinkle it aroun' yore place of business - round about, like dis house is [your place of business]. Well, yuh jis' sprinkle it all aroun' yore house, sprinkle it jis' dere [nowhere else].
(What will that do then?)
That will run 'em away.
(Run what away?)
De hants.
(The hants?)
Yes.
Entry 7526
Well, ah heard dat dey could go tuh de graveyard an' carry three pen- nies tuh some sinner's grave, tuh somebody dat chew know, an' dig a hole down about heah, 'bout lak neah de heart, an' ask in dese people's name fo' three cents' worth of graveyard dirt. An' dat wus tuh move a person, but not take it in de house, in yore house. An' ah've heard dat dat would really move a person.
(Well, what would they do with it after they got this dirt?)
Put it in dis person's house whut chew wanta move. Threw it on de ground, or if yo' kin git dere, throw it undah de bed. De neaheh yuh git it dere, de quickah dey'll go.
Entry 7527
Well, go right in the graveyard an' gits some of dat dirt, an' throw it under dis house an' throw on top of de house, an' sumpin will run 'im out, jis' keep aworryin' 'im. De dead spirit will jis' keep aworryin' 'im an' git 'im out of dat house. He couldn't stay there. [There are many examples of this belief in Hoodoo.]
Entry 7528
Yuh kin take some graveyard dirt an' take an' throw it ovah yeh house, an' not let it [in] de house, an' dat would make 'em stop bothahin' yuh, run [them] away. Throw it all de way ovah de house. Do it fer nine mawnin's. Take it in a bottle an' throw it ovah.
Entry 7529
[Not so well known as the violent side of graveyard dirt is its cause of sleep. What could be more logical, the word cemetery itself means sleeping place? Unfortunately this quieter aspect of graveyard dirt has fewer examples: a thief with straw blowing graveyard dust through keyhole to keep his victim in house asleep; and chicken thief scattering graveyard dirt to put watchdog asleep, even chickens asleep! Here is another one: Someone put graveyard dirt in a mon's hat and every time he sat down he went to sleep! Short story. This was a short story I read on the Richmond cylinders but did not transcribe. Further I probably on the cylinder-space tab drew an X indicating to transcriber not to transcribe. My original notation in pencil is attached as given above except for the reference: Richmond, Va., (402), 350:5+85.]
Entry 7530
Dey use it fo' puttin' a person tuh sleep. If yo' wanta keep 'em sleepin' all de time, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' git some of dat dirt an' yo' put dat in watah or anythin' tuh drink, wine or anything, an' dey drink dat. Well, den dey jes' have a sleepin' disease. Dey sleep all de time an' dey nevah kin keep dey eyes open. [Algiers, La., (1575), 2898:11.] [The following list of grave types from which to obtain dirt is rather long but surely incomplete. I neither made an effort to complete it, nor could I spend time searching for further examples printed in the preceding volumes. The Index will accomplish that task I hope. For an important grave not mentioned among those that follow, a drunkard's grave, see No.1929, p.566.]
Entry 7531
Den, again, dey goes to de bur'in'-groun's [rare expression] whenevah a grave is open an' dey git a han'ful of bur'in'-groun' dirt [rare]. Takes dat an' brings it home an' puts it in a bag shaped like dis [demonstrates]. (A bag shaped like that.) [For this shape, see later.] Uh-huh. Tie dis en' an' puts it in a bag. Dey lay dat on de groun' on a certain spot in de cornah of a fence, jes' like in de cornah of dat house. It lay dere fo' nine mawnin's. De nex' nine mawnin's dey go dere an' lif' it up an' make a oath, turns it ovah an' let it lay anothah nine mawn- in's [3 separate 9 mornings]. Den dey go dere den an' take it up an' make a oath, takes it up an' shakes it togethah. Den dey'll sprinkle cayenne peppah, fresh salt an' sulphur [3 ingredients]. Den dey shakes it. [Shaking is a magic rite.]
(Salt and sulphur.)
[And] fresh cayenne peppah [pepper from a new container]. Den dey takes dat an' grinds it up right fine - grind it togethah. Den dey got a way, dey take dat, dey tell, an' sprinkle it undah de edge of dey do'sill, an' let dat lay nine mawnin's. (Now, that - this is different from that bag [in 380:2]. The person fixed up a bag you told me about. This is something different from that bag. This bag - what shape is this bag? Like an ice-cream-come shape, or a sock or?) No, de bag is like a stockin'.
(Like a stocking.)
An' a new bag dough [though]. Dey always say to git new things. (Now, what will that do? In that first thing you told me about that bag, what do they do that for?) Dey put dat down for yuh to walk ovah. Say if yuh walk ovah it, it will kill yuh. An' if dey can't git yuh to walk ovah it, dey'll take an' sprinkle it down.
(Where do you walk over it?)
Sprinkle it down or put it undah de edge of de do'sill an' blow it tuh yuh. [Blow it under the door into the room, blowing in itself also being a magic rite.] Well, if yuh go tuh sweep, dat stuff git in yore throat an' strangle yuh an' make yuh cough yoreself tuh death, an' folks will think yuh got T. B. (I see.) [Informant gives a similar method of killing by snake dust in the previously mentioned 380:2.]
Entry 7532
If ah wanta do anything tuh yuh in yore foot, ah'll git some graveyard dirt an' come an' sprinkle it ip de front of yore do'. Sprinkle it jis' about de time when I think nobody goin' tuh sweep dere, befo' yuh do' where yuh gotta walk by. An' once yuh walk on it today, yuh'll tell de diff'rence tuhmorrah mawnin'. Yore feet'll [commence] swollin' an' dat'll run up [your leg]. It's called - dat's what brings on white swollin', white swollin', an' dat nevah comes till yuh die.
(Do you get any kind of graveyard dirt?)
Dere ain't but one kind of graveyard dirt.
(What kind?)
Jis' a natchel [natural] graveyard - from a fresh grave. Don't git nuthin where's dere already grass.
Entry 7533
[They] go tuh a fresh grave an' git some dirt offen dat fresh grave, an' carry it tuh yore house an' throw it on top of yore house, an' yuh cain't stay dere. Yuh will leave.
Entry 7534
[Depending upon the type of work you are doing, it can sometimes be easier to bury the article in a fresh or new grave:] Well, dey said tuh run yuh crazy, why dey take yore hair an' go an' git graveyard dirt an' mix yore hair - git a little bag, a little piece of new homespun, sew it up, about dat long, an' put chure hair in it. An' put de graveyard dirt in it an' carry it an' bury it in a new grave, an' in nine days yo' will go crazy.
Entry 7535
Jis' go right down tuh de cemetery an' dere's a grave dat a man's bur- ied dat jis' been made. Take de dirt off de middle of dat grave outa dere. Take it an' cork it [in a bottle] an' take it de side of de house, de side dey rents dat yo' wish dem tuh go, an' throw it on de side of de house an' leave an turn roun', go an' don' look back. Dey will go.
(What kind of a grave did you say that was?)
It has to be a new grave, one dat dey's buried an' haven't rained on. See, yo' take dat an' throw it in any way dat yo' want 'em tuh go. Now ah take dis dirt from dis new grave, see, dat hasn't rained [on] an' cork it, an' den gits to de place [and says], "Ah wan'a take dis house heah an' ah wan' 'em tuh go from heah." Ah go on dat side of de house, yo' see de sun goes down ovah dis side. But if ah wan' 'em tuh go east, ah goes ovah heah an' put it on heah.
[I stop recording, informant continues, compelling me to ask for repetition.]
(What did you say over there?)
"Yo' go from heah tuh yondah, In de Name of de Father" - now yo' see yo' mov- in' 'im - "de Son an' de Holy Ghost, go from heah."
The informant specifies a new grave not yet rained on and gives prescribed departure words. Hyatt explicitly notes stopping recording and requesting repetition. Bracketed additions and the interviewer's questions remain distinct from the speech.
Entry 7536
Yo' kin go in de graveyard an' de last person dat chew know dat wus buried in dat graveyard dat have a mean spirit - an' yo' kin take a rod an' yo' kin find [ram] it down undah dere coffin, an' call dere spirit three times. An' yo' tell 'em dat yo' want 'em to do zackly [exactly] whut chew ast 'em tuh do. An' yo' kin take de bottoa of dat dirt dat comes up in dat rod, an' carry it along wit chew. An' ah don't care where yo' go or where yo' be, yo' could do mos' anythin' an' nobody couldn't hurt choo. Becuz yo' know, dat spirit answah yo' back an' tell yo' zackly dat dey'll do zackly whut dey tell yo' dey will do. But chew must do it twelve a'clock in de night.
(You don't get this dirt to do anything with it?)
No. [The dirt became a hand, a captured spirit that does your will. At midnight you tell it what you want done. The spirit will answer what it will do and when it is done it also protects you from harm, especially from anyone trying to mrt you - put a spell on you.]
Entry 7537
Scrape 'em an' carry 'em in de graveyard.
(They scrape the bottoms of your feet and carry it to the graveyard.)
To de last person who dey buried an' yo' don't live very long, yo'll pine away; an' when de person rotten, yo' dead.
(I see, they put this in the grave with the person.)
Yeah.
Entry 7538
For to send anybody away, somepin like that - just to send them away, not kill them, not atall like that - you go to the head of a grave, an ole grave, and you dig down there and you get a handful of graveyard dirt. An' yo' take ten new nails, nine new pins, an' seven grains of shot. An' yo' can take this, if yo' want to send them away from home, send them on adrift, an' yo' sprinkle it where they walk. An' the last sprinkle yo' make every time yo' sprinkle yo' drop three pins an' two wire nails - why they'll get in a fidget to go away some place an' they'll go. The chances is they won't be back under three year no how. [For as old a grave as yo' kin' find, see lO lines from bottom of p.2239.]
digging at an old grave's head to collect dirt for a stated non-killing send-away purpose. Retain old-grave/head location, handful wording and explicit send-away/not-kill distinction. direct conditional sprinkling of a prepared mixture to send someone away rather than kill. Preserve the explicit send-away/not-kill distinction and conditional purpose. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified. The informant explicitly distinguishes sending someone away from killing them and reports a chance of absence for three years. Hyatt's final cross-reference is editorial; the ingredients remain separate.
Entry 7539
Well, lak if a man bustes [busts up] wit 'is wife an' she wants tuh git 'im back. Well, she go to de graveyard an' she gits some graveyard dirt from de top of a daid man's haid. Jes' lak a ole grave dat fell in, well, she go dere an' git some of dat dirt. Well, she take dat dirt an' she bury it undah de bottom of 'er first do'step, an' aftah she bury dat stuff undah de bottom of her first do'step, if she kin git 'im back an' git 'im tuh step ovah dis dirt, den dat's where she got 'im.
(He will come back and stay with her.)
The informant's conditional account requires bringing the man back and having him step over the dirt. '[busts up]' is an editorial gloss; the final parenthetical statement is the interviewer's, without another printed answer.
Entry 7540
Yo' go to an ole cemetery dat chew nevah been to befo' an' yo' reach down - reach down an' pick up a little of dis dirt, see. Yo' go to dese fo'ks of de roads - fo'ked disaway, fo'ked disaway an' fo'ked disaway [demonstrates]. (Make the form of a cross right in the road.) Dat's right, make a fom of a cross lak yo' take a pencil an' make a mark, see. Evah whut chew want - who yo' want done or whut chew want done, it Won't be long befo' dey'll be gone. Dat will do one or 'tuthah [the other] - run 'em off, see.
(You don't make a special wish or do something out there?)
Yeah, yo' kin make a wish fo' anything dat chew wanta happen.
The informant describes dirt from an unfamiliar old cemetery, road forks and a cross mark, with a claim that a person will leave and wishes may be made. The demonstration and interviewer clarification remain separate. No unstated way of placing the cemetery dirt in that mark is added.
Entry 7541
Go to ole cemetery, yo' know, dat dey not usin' fo' a long time, an' yo' go out dere an' be's out dere seventeen mawnin's, an' git chew a spoonfulla dirt offen each grave. De first grave yo' start dere. Go dere seventeen days. An' den de nex' day start lak de second one heah, start dere an' travel through dere. Git dat an' carry it to yore home, an' hang it up in a sugah sack yo' know, or somepin lak dat. Jis' hang it up an' not let it git wet, an' not touch it no mo'. Dey'll be back dere in sixteen days. (This is to bring somebody back that has left you. You go out to an old cemetery. How many times?) Seventeen times. (And you get a spoonful of dirt off of a grave. You get a spoonful each morning off the same grave?) Nawsuh, git one dis mawnin' off dat one, an' de nex' mawnin' de othah one.
[Informant's answer confuses my following comment:]
(You go to two different graves. The first morning you get the spoonful off of this grave and the next morning, this other grave, then you go back to the other grave, until you have seventeen spoonsful. And then you take this home and put it in a sugar sack, and that is supposed to bring the person back to you. You don't make any wishes or anything of that sort then?) Nosuh, yo' jes' didn't let nobody see yo' doin' it an' don' let nobody know where de sack is, say nuthin - not let nobody handle it.
Entry 7542
Well, when you want your next door neighbor to move outa dat house, you go to the graveyard and get you some graveyard dust. You walk to the third grave - get you some graveyard dust; bring that dust back there and keep it - you sprinkle a little salt in it - just a little salt and you stop it up. Now, on the full of the moon, you walk around there and you sprinkle that dust and they going to move from there - they gotta move.
(What do you mean by the third grave?)
The third grave in that - after you enter into the graveyard - the third grave you git to. You get you some dust off. [For a variant of this rite with a different purpose, see 1918, p.563; and for more about moon as a time for getting graveyard dirt, see following rite, 1919.]
Entry 7543
Well, if yo' know where dey live yo' kin take yo' some graveyard dust an' put chew some red peppah in dere. Git dis dirt off a grave dat chew know, from a person dat chew know is buries, an' put chew some red peppah in dere. Yo' don' have tuh go in de house dat's goin' - sprinkle it in de walk an' throw it up on de po'ch. Dey'll walk out an' git dere feet in it an' git mad lak anything an' done walk away. [Graveyard dirt from the grave of a person known by you is quite common.] [Little Rock, Ark., (897), 1470:3.] [Graveyard dirt from the grave of a weZl- known person is not frequent except for gambler, criminal, etc. For unusual example, See later margin title GUN - GRAVEYARD DIRT SHOT FROM.]
direct sprinkling in the walk, distinct from throwing onto the porch. Retain walk-sprinkling and porch-throwing as two different actions; neither establishes a Sprinkle/Throw/Scatter alias. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 7544
Graveyard dirt is somepin good tuh kill a person wit.
(Well how do they do that?)
By feedin' 'em graj'ly [gradually]. Yuh take - go tuh a graveyard an' make a hole, where yuh got tuh git yore arm down zactly [exactly] up tuh yore elbow, an' git yuh a handful of dat dirt. An' what- evah yuh kin bring out in yore han', yuh divide it in parts - in nine parts, an' feed it tuh a person nine days [one part each day]. An' aftah dat ninth day, dat pah- tic'lah [particular] person will fall intuh bad health. Dat's all yuh got tuh give 'im, jis' dat dirt. But git dat dirt from some relatives of dat pahtic'lah person dat yuh tryin' tuh hurt, not any grave. Yuh git dat dirt froa de grave of de person hurt. An' if yuh kin git dat dirt from de grave of dat person dat's a relative of dat person yuh are tryin' tuh hurt, yuh use dat. Measure dat stuff in nine parts. An' aftah de ninth day, de beginnin' of dat ninth day, dat per8on uill fall in bad health an' dere's no doctor in de worl' will be able tuh cure 'im. (How do you mean you get that dirt from the grave of a person you are trylng to hurt? He isn't dead.) Jis' lak if ah got a cousin, or sistah, or aunt, or anybody dat's buried any- where, yuh go tuh dat grave an' - but yore arm got tuh go up tuh yore elbow.
(You mean you have to get a relative of that person. I see.)
Yeah, de relative. [New Orleans, La., (828).1215:5.]
The informant's earlier wording about the harmed person's grave is questioned, then clarified as a relative's grave. Bracketed glosses and portion detail are editorial; the illness and incurability claims remain source-reported.
Entry 7545
[Though this rite uses the grave footboard instead of graveyard dirt, the family relationship here is more important than material used. I wanted to keep these three examples of vicarious or substitute magic together.] Well, yuh go tuh de graveyard jis' like dese folks - yuh got a sistah or brothah, somepin like dat. Well, dey is dead an' dey is buried in de graveyard. Well, yuh know in places dey use wood haidbo'd an' wood footbo'ds, see. Now, well yuh goes dere an' yuh take up dis footbo'd, yuh don' 'sturb de haid[board] at all, see. Yuh git de footbo'd. Well, yuh take it home an' yuh cut it up. See, when yuh cut it up, yuh cut it up in fo' part, see. Yuh care [carry] it an' yuh care it intuh de house an' put it in de chimley. An' aftah yuh care it an' put it in de chimley, yuh let it stay dere 'bout fo' days, see. Let it stay about fo' days an' in de [end of] fo' days, yuh soak it wit oil; no not any kin', jis' plain kerosene oil. Soak it in kerosene oil. Well, yuh let it lay dere an' soak. Let dat oil soak intuh it about a hour, see. An' yuh go back an' reoil it an' den yuh stick a match tuh it - jis' stick tuh it an' dere yuh goes.
(Well, who goes?)
De same person yuh wants - not de dead, it be's a live person. (How do you make this person - what do you do with that footboard to show that it belongs to this person you want to hurt?) Dat's 'is family, yuh undahstan'. See, she will follah 'er. (If you want to do me that way, you go to my sister's grave or my brother's grave, or my father's, and get the headboard from their graves.)
[My headboard is corrected.]
Footboard, yes.
(From one of my family graves.)
Yes, like yore sistah, fathah, brothah, any relation tuh yuh.
Entry 7546
If yo' scared of de law or scared of de enemy comin' upon yo', dat's goin' try tuh 'venge yo', [they say] fo' yo' tuh go tuh de graveyard. If any of yore neahest relations have died an' are buried dere, yo' dig a hole right tuh de haid of de grave. An' put any amount of money dat chew wanta pay dem in dere; fifty cent or a dollah, anything dat chew wouldn't mind payin'. Put it in dat hole an' take yo' a tablespoonfulla dirt outa de hole. An' put dat money in de hole an' shut de hole back up. An' tell him, keep yore enemies from yo', an' yo' won' be no mo' [more] enemy-worried. Aftah yo' takes de dirt, an' take it about chure enemy's place, if yo' know dem - an' yo'll have tuh know yore enemies - an' sprinkle aroun' de do'steps an' he won' nevah worry yo' no mo'.
Entry 7547
Graveyard dirt kin be used fo' sich [such] many things. Well, grave- yard dirt kin be used tuh bring luck. Yuh go tuh de graveyard twelve 'clock at night, if yuh kin find somebody dat has been murdered, jis' lak de boy wuz shot an' yuh bury 'um. Yuh do dere dat night an' yuh carry a dime. Yuh put dat dime be- tween de forefingah an' dis fingah heah [demonstrates].
(Of the right hand?)
[My mistake because informant's left hand was right, facing me.]
No, on de left hand - it's de left hand.
(Put that dime betveen the thumb and the index finger of the left hand.)
Well, yuh reach dat dime down as fur as yore arm kin go intuh de grave. Yuh leave dat dime down dere an' yuh bring up dis dirt in dis hand. Bring it up tuh yuh - yeah, in de left hand [informant making certain I do not see backward again!]. An' dat dirt kin be used fo' most anythin'. It's val'able - dat dirt is val'able, ah know. Graveyard dirt, yuh kin use it fo' evil an' yuh kin use it fo' good. Yuh kin use graveyard dirt - if yuh kin git dat graveyard dirt intuh a person's house it'll stir up evil. An' den yuh kin use dat graveyard dirt fo' luck - yuh kin use dat graveyard dirt fo' gamblin'. Yuh kin win in any game.[ Waycross, Ga.,
(1116), 1791:1.]
Hyatt records a right-hand misunderstanding and the informant's correction to the left hand. Stage directions and bracketed clarifications remain editorial; the source reports both beneficial and harmful uses without establishing the claimed results.
Entry 7548
Tuh run a person off, yuh go tuh a person grave whut got killed, whut died bad, an' yuh gits dirt offa his grave. An' den when yuh git dat dirt offa his grave, den yuh kin run 'im off.
Entry 7549
Yuh's gotta git graveyard dirt from murder's [murderer's] grave. Dat will make any man leave home.
(What do they do with that dirt, then?)
Take dat dirt - if yuh goes out dat door de firs' one in de mawnin' see, well dey will take dat dirt an' sprinkle it in front of de do' an' yuh walks ovah it. An' yuh walks outa de home an' yuh fo'git home. Dere is no mo' home fo' yuh, becuz dat dirt - it's jis' like yore mind is murdered, it's gone. An' of co'se, once yore mind is gone yuh's done.
Entry 7550
Yuh kin go tuh a cemetery tuh find where a murderah wuz buried, a bad man whut got killed. An' take a dime, dig a hole, a little hole wit chure fingah. Take a dime an' put it down in dere an' covah de dirt back up. Dig yore dime back up an' take dat dirt off de top of dat dime. Take it an' sew it up in a little flannen cloth an' keep it in yore pocket.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep anybody - anything yo' wants tuh do, why yore successful in it. An' yuh'll nevah be caught in anything yuh wants tuh do, or sompin dat yuh do, yuh'll nevah be caught in it s'long as yuh tote it.
Entry 7551
Yuh go tuh one of de wors' yuh knew dat died, some ole wicked person, an' git some of de dirt about midnight from dat grave, an' take it an' throw it roun' a person house, an' dat would drive de person away from dere home, or run 'em away [out of town]. Dey couldn't stay dere any mo'. Or eithah slip it in dere house some- where an' dey couldn't stay dere any longah. Ah heard dat.
Entry 7552
Yuh git de graveyard dirt off a wicked man's grave an' bring it home an' take it an' sprinkle it all roun' de house, an' if yuh have any enemies it vill run dem from yuh.
Entry 7553
Hear dem takin' de bow out chure hat. Dey kin take de bou out chre hat - lak yuh buy a hat, go an' take de bow out chure hat. She kin take dat bow, if yuh don' git dat bow [first]. If she vants yuh fo' anythin' lak dat, she kin take dat bov an' have it dressed [by a hoodoo]; an' whatevah she val, yuh do. Even she kin take some wicked man or wicked woman dat she know, or she could have a wicked man dat got killed or anythin' lak dat. If he buried, she hin Cake dat bow an' she kin go tuh de cemetery, an' shet [shut] 'er han' lak dat [dero strates] an' take dat bow in 'er han'. An' run it down in dere, an' git some dat dirt from de foot of de grave, an' take it [dirt], an' den sewing it up an' keep- in' it up. Say jis' long as she do's dat, she's safe wit yuh - dat chure mind is nevah satisfied [unless you are near her].
(That is to hold a man.)
Entry 7554
Jis' like if a person - yuh don' like a person an' dey stay in dis house. Go tuh de cemetery an' yuh know dis person positively - de one whut daid - dat always wus cursin' an' cut up [people] an' thin's like dat. Git some of dis dirt an' carry it an' throw it on dis heah people porch. An' dere always be fussin' in de house.
Entry 7555
Wal, she said dat yuh kin go - lak yuh know somebody dat been a devil. An' go tuh de haid of dere grave an' git some of de - put a dime dere, an' git some of de [dirt], yuh know, jis' a little bit. An' come back an' put it where yuh don't like somebody. Put it tuh dere do' an' if dey walk ovah it, well yuh see, dey'll go crazy. Dey have tuh leave dere. Dey couldn't stay in dis town...
(That is to drive them away.)
Entry 7556
Well, yuh could take graveyard dirt an' make anothah separation, keep confusion. Jis' lak somebody livin' nex' do' tuh yuh. Well, yuh go out in de graveyard an' git some evil - if yuh know someone died evil. Yuh know whut ah mean. Yuh drop dat [dirt] an' sprinkle it an' wish 'em bad luck tuh move 'em.
Entry 7557
Yuh kin go tuh de graveyard an' dig down fer about seven or eight, or nine inches; but it must be de grave of a very crim'nal person, a person dat killed an' cut, dat yuh know of, dat wuz buried in dat pah- tic'lah place. Well yuh git de dirt out of dat grave dere an' yuh sprinkle it undah de doorstep in de front an' in de back, where dey have tuh cross ovah all de time. An' de evil from dat dead man will jis' natchly entah dat household an' de people dere'll begin tuh disagree, an' fuss an' fight, an' event'ly dey'll move away.
Entry 7558
Jis' like if dere are some neighbahs aroun' an' yuh don' wan' 'em. If yuh wan's 'em away from dere, dere's a way yuh kin fix it so dat dey cain't stay dere, an' no one else - no one else will stay dere. I tell yuh de way yuh do dat. Dis is whut I know. I'm tellin' yuh somepin dat I know. I'm not tellin' yuh somepin dat I heard. Yuh go tuh somebody, if a man or woman, find out really where dere grave are. Don't go where yuh think it is - a person dat have killed 'emself. An' yuh go dere at night an' yuh git - stan' wit yore face turnin' towards de sunset, an' take a han'ful dirt jis' off de left-han' side of it, close up tuh 'is heart, from de grave. An' when yuh take dat, yuh take it an' put it in a place any- wheres undah de do'step - jus' undah somepin like de do'step. An' if yuh cain't git up [to the step], jis' throw it up. [They] jis' go right away from dere. Anyhow, dey cain't stay dere nor nobody else kin stay dere, unless dey know whut tuh do. Dere's a way dat dey kin stay dere, but dey gotta go tuh somebody dat know whut tuh do, how tuh break dat an' stay in dere. An' if dere's any way yuh kin take away dis dust, is goes in sompin like a powdah, pahtic'lahly when dey shut dat do'. Dey closes dat do'. Dat all in dere face. Dey cain't stay dere an' nobody else kin stay dere.
Entry 7559
Ah nevah heerd nuthin 'bout de bo'd, but ah heered now when yuh go tuh git dis dirt, yuh have tuh carry three pennies. All right, yuh go dere an' yuh have dem three pennies in yore han' an' yuh reach right down. It have tuh be somebody dat don' have religion - some sinnah. Yuh take dese pennies an' put 'em right down in dis grave an' leave de pennies an' pick up de dirt.
(Then you use the dirt?)
-Den yuh git de dirt.
Entry 7560
Dey kin take graveyard dust an' sprinkle it aroun' yore home an' dat will break up yuh an' yore husban'. See, dat will make confusion in yore home, but yuh have tuh git it off a sinnah's grave..
Entry 7561
Go tuh de cemetery an' git graveyard dirt from a sinnah's grave an' put it in de cornahs of de house - in de cornahs of jis' one room, front room, where people penetrate mo'. An' dere mind will be so stirred up ~ well, dey jis' have tuh go.
(They couldn't stay in there.)
Entry 7562
(How do they do that?)
See, dey'll go tuh de graveyard an' dey'll git some dirt from a new grave - it must be a new grave from a sinful person, a person dat nevah prayed none. Dey'll go an' git dat dirt off dat grave, out of de grave- yard. Den dey'll take dat dirt an' dey'll put it in a box, dey will leave dat dirt stay dere fo' two or three days. An' den dey'll sprinkle dat dirt wit stuff all aroun' yore house, an' dat will make yuh disagree, an' put yuh in de worst kind of luck.
Entry 7563
[The two following left-foot rites I will keep together, because they are related and were given by the same informant at the same time:] [First rite:] Yuh take an' go tuh de graveyard an' if yuh wan's run 'em away, an' dig - a sinnah die, aftah nine days, aftah he's daid nine days - take an'dig elbow deep at 'is lef' foot. Git choo some grave- yard dirt. put two down, then bring it [tol yore house. Sprinkle it all de way roun' yore house, in de fo' cornahs in de room. An' when he go out de do', sprinkle some behin 'im an' he cain't come back.
Entry 7564
[Second rite:] I heard mama, she told me, she say: if a sinnah die an' yuh wan' 'em [someone in house] tuh leave home, yuh go tuh de graveyard an' yuh dig down elbow deep at de sinnah's lef' foot. An' yuh git a han'ful of graveyard dirt. An' yuh place two pennahs down at de lef' foot where yuh git de dirt from. Leave dat money right dere an' covah it up. An' den yuh bring it back tuh dere house an' sprinkle it all de way roun' [circle] dere house. An' den dey'll leave home. An' whut is lef', yuh take an' tie it up in a han'- chef o' rag. Take it tuh a creek of runnin' watah, throw it in dere, an' dey'll nevah stop Walkin'.
Entry 7565
If yuh livin' here an' ah don't want yuh here - perhaps ah wanted de house mahself, ah go dere an' git dat dirt offen an old sinnahs' grave, take dat dirt an' pass yore do', an' throw it up in dere an' say, "I hope yuh will go, " an' speak evil of yuh. De nex' day mawnin' yuh'll git up an' sweep de dirt on out. Yuh go out dere an' take yore broom an' sweep it on away. De nex' thing yuh know, yuh'll be movin'.
Entry 7566
Ah heard dey say yuh go tuh a graveyard an' git de dirt offa simah- man's grave or a sinnah-woman's grave - a single sinnah, dem whut ain't married, offa dere grave. An' bring it an' sprinkle it roun' yore house or put it roun' dere do'step or sompin. An' dey says dat'll take it off yuh. Ah've heard dat.
(Take what off?)
Jis' lak if yuh - whut did yuh ast me? [If somebody were tricking you or something. If somebody was trying to give you bad luck.) Dat would remove it.
(This would take that spell off?)
Yes sir.
Entry 7567
Dat kin cuz a whole lotta confusion in de house, by takin' graveyard dirt, red peppah, an' if he died - fo' instance if de man is a gamblin' man, a man dat swear all about chew choo, see de baddah de fella act durin' de time he Wuz livin', de worsah it will make de people act, yuh undah- stan', dat chew use it on. If yuh take graveyard dirt from a christian person dat died, yuh undahstan', it won' do anythin' becuz dat's a good spirit. It's de evil spirit, de man dat died, yuh undah- stan', dat been a ganblah or a dunkard dataway. Dey say de way he act when he guz livin', de same dat dirt would taken effect, yuh undahstan'. Takin' dat graveyard [dirt] an' de red peppah an' black peppah an' sprinkle -it in de house znywhere - dat dirt is dry yuh see - dat will cuz confusion in de house wit de san an' 'is wife.
Entry 7568
Graveyard dirt, dat cuz fuss. See, like a man would die an' he's been 1 gambler, unnderworld man, all his life. An' if he'll die an' a fellah is accus- tomed tuh gamblin', he'll go dere at twelve a'clock at night, take his pocket- Imife an' git some of dat dirt, put it in 'is pocket wit John de Conkah, an' go tuh any place an' 'is luck change same as day an' night. Now, IF YUH WAN' ANY "FUSS" OUTA DE GRAVEYARD DIRT, yuh Will get de same.
(That's - wait a minute. That's for gambling luck?)
Dat's fo' gamblin' luck.
(Now - what else now?)
If yuh wan' any fuss, yuh will take dat graveyard dirt aftah it is dry. Yuh cala't do it wit it wet - very dry so it kin be a powdah. Put dat pod of red peppah, hot as yuh kin git it, mix it up tuh a powdah. Come intuh a person's bone an' durin' de time yuh be in dere, sprinkle it in dat. See. An' it will cz prackly [practically] a killin' scrape in dere 'fore de week is end.
Entry 7569
A man dat were a playah of cards, sich as dat.
(Go to his grave?)
Yeah, go tuh 'is grave an' take a little of 'is dry sand, yuh know, off de grave an' put it in yore lef'-han' hip pocket, an' yuh be lucky, dey claim, de balance of yore days, long as yuh carry dat. Co'se yuh have tuh take it, yuh Ygu, an' sew it up in a little piece of cloth where, yuh know, it won' git away from yuh. Dey claim dat's awful lucky tuh yuh.
(For what purpose would it be lucky?)
Well, prack'ly [practically], yuh might say, card playin' an' like dat.
Entry 7570
Dey go tuh de cemetery - now listen, accordin' tuh de Bible, some people believe dey got a God an' some don't. Well de man or woman dat die dat don' believe dey got a God [is] an' infidn [infidel]. Or a man dat gambles prak'ly practically] all 'is life, an' he dies, dey figure dat he is gone tuh hell. He don' dwell where de good dwells at, see. Well, dey go up at twelve a'clock at night an' take a knife an' take some of dat mud, see. Dey take dat mud, dey bring it on back an' dey leave it dry well. Dey git some hot red peppah, dey mix dat up tuhgethah, an' if dey wan'a disturb here, dey jis' sprinkle dat here. An' de two parties, ah guarantee dey won't be tuhgethah long.
Entry 7571
Now, if dere's anythin' done dat gon'a run in yore mind, or jis' [any- thing done] tuh yore home, [or] ef somebody gits yuh [hoodoos you] tuh keep yuh from a job. Which an' why, yuh jis' use yore method dere. If a man know how tuh do - a spiritual man, yuh kin. Yuh have tuh do it. Yuh take a penny an' goes tuh work an' yuh take dat penny an' yuh put it in de middle of de grave. Dat in case of emergency if de person, yo' know or not, is a religious person died. Yo' undahstan', dey know who dat is. Well, dey give 'em a penny an' dey takes some dirt. "Fore dey takes dat dirt, which an' why, dat will make an evil spirit follow yuh, becuz yuh got somepin belongs tuh 'im. Now, dey git in aroun' yore home, it will always keep a confusion an' make a separation. Now, yo'll have tuh be aroun' an' take de method wit a good man. Wit a spirit- ual man, he meet de spirit. He kin set home an' when de spirits come, yuh know what time tuh meet 'im, an' yuh kin cure 'im, if it's not too long [too far gone]. [InfOrmant SayS, IF YOU ARE HOODOOED, A SPIRITUAL MAN WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO. You must pay for graveyard dirt, otherwise the spirit will follow you, evil or good, depending upon who is buried there. A SPIRITUAL MAN (USUALLY A PERSON WORKING LARGELY WITH SPIRITS) can sit at home and wait for the coming of a good- man spirit and use it for curing, if the sick or hoodooed patient is not too far gone.]
Entry 7572
Yuh go tuh de graveyard an' yuh git dis dirt from a good person's grave, if yuh want peace in yore home. An' take dat an' place it - jis' sprinkle it roun' in de home. An' when yuh sprinkle it roun' in de house, well den yuh goes tuh work an' yuh find peace in dere.
Entry 7573
Take some of dere hair an' yuh carry it an' bury it right 'side somebody yuh know. An' make yore wish whethah yuh wan' 'em tuh stay or leave. Dey'd have tuh leave, dey couldn't stay [if you wished them to leave].
(Where would you bury that hair?)
Yuh bury it right de side of a christian, yuh know, right at de haid.
(Somebody's grave.)
Entry 7574
Yuh go tuh de Cath'lic graveyard an' reach down in dere - dig down in dere an' git chew some of dat dirt offa down on de breast. (A woman's?) Don't make no diff'rence but it's got'a be a Cath'lic grave, an' yuh git dat dirt. An' when yuh git dat dirt, yuh git cher some of dese gourd seeds - green seeds. An' yuh git chew dem green gourd seeds, an' den yuh git chew some red peppah an' git chew nine grains out dat red peppah yuh know, dose pods yuh know. Git nine grains an' roll it tuh yuh an' put it in dere. Well, den when yuh do dat yuh go tuh a - yuh know, git a good bit of it, yuh go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' yuh sprinkle a little bit of dat in de fo'k of de road. Go dere fo' de third day, but chew've got'a do it in de night an' call dose party's name. Call dere name an' dey will return.
Entry 7575
Well, jis' like yuh had two wimmens an' wanted 'em both tuh git along, wanted 'em tuh live in de house tuhgethah. Well, yuh go tuh a graveyard where a young baby is buried an' jis' run yore han' down dere an' git some dirt off 'is haid. Come back an' sprinkle it aroun' yore house evah nine mawnin's, an' dat - dat'll make peace. Dey will git along. (What do you mean by having two women in one house and want them to get along?) If yuh have two of 'em, jis' wan' 'em tuh git along. If dey stay in a separate house it'll be all right, but yuh know yuh have tuh sprinkle it aroun' both houses.
(I see.)
Yuh could put 'em in de house tuhgethah if yuh use dis dirt.
(You mean the two women?)
Yes.
Entry 7576
Git dirt outa a baby grave an' yuh sprinkle it in yore room. Dat'll keep peace in dere.
Entry 7577
(To keep the law away, you take this same dirt and instead of throwing it into the house.) [I am repeating what informant had said while recording machine was turned off.] See, when yuh throw it intuh yore house, dat's fo' yore luck. Dat's bringin' all de peoples tuh yuh. Dat's tuh make yore business big. An' when yuh git ready tuh keep de law away, yuh go roun' yore house in de mawnin' between eight an' nine a'clock an' yuh draws yuh a cross an' makes yore wishes, tell it whut chew want.
(Where do you draw the cross?)
At each do' 'fore dey kin come in. Well, dey might come out dere but dey nevah comes ovah dere. Put it tuh yore front do' an' yuh put dat down in de cross jis' lak dat an' dey won't come in.
(You put this dirt down in the cross?)
De dirt, sulphur - graveyard dirt an' yore table salt.
(Graveyard [dirt] from the infant's grave.)
Yessuh.
Entry 7578
Now, I've heard dat tuh be a positive fact. Now, dey say dat if yuh go tuh - if dere's a woman dat yuh like. An' if yuh cross de watah an' yuh go tuh de graveyard, an' git some dirt offen infant's grave - child yuh know - dey say it will effect 'er tuh come back. But if yuh git it off a murdahah's grave, why she'll go furthah. (I don't quite understand what you said. If it's a woman you like, you cross water and get this dirt?) He ain't got'a cross watah. She's across watah. Yuh git de dirt an' send it in a lettah. [This violates an ancient rule, a spirit cannot cross water! Is mailed in a letter an exception?]
(Oh, I see.)
Yes. (You've got to get it from an infant's grave to bring her back, but if you get the dirt from a murderer's grave, then what?) Dat drives 'er furthah.
(Oh, I see - it drives her farther.)
Entry 7579
Wal, if yuh wan' a job of any kin', yuh git a dirt dauber an' go tuh a baby's grave in de cemetery an' reach yore han' down in dat same direction. An' if yuh wan' a job anywhere, yuh mix dat same dirt - de dirt dauber's nest wit de othah dirt. An' go [sprinkle it] in front of de place roun' de office where de boss got'a go in, an' jis' say, "Little Baby, In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, give me mah job back." An' dey'll give it tuh yuh.
Entry 7580
Ah heard dat chew kin take a dirt dauber nest an' some graveyard dirt from a little baby, if yuh know it, an' mix it togethah an' put it somewhere 'bout dere bed or in de cornah some hidden place, an' de baby terrify yuh an' cry so - de spirit will - dat yuh will leave out de room.
(That is to make you move.)
Entry 7581
Git graveyard dirt, yuh know, an' dig tuh yore elbow on de left side - not on de right. On de left side dig tuh yore elbow an' aftah yuh git tuh yore elbow, den yuh git whut chew want outa dere. An' git a bran'-new box of peppah, red ground peppah whut peoples puts in somepin, yuh know, tuh put on de barbecue. An' git a bran'-new box of salt an' mix all dat tuhgethah. If yuh wan'a person tuh move, yuh could throw dat on dere house, or up on de house, or carry it in de house, jis' one time. An' den yuh kin take an' git chew NINE ROCKS OFF A LIL' BABY'S GRAVE jis' so's it not no ten or 'leven yeahs ole chile - a lil' small baby. Git chew nine rocks offa dat dere grave - an' dis is true 'cuz ah have tried dis mahself - an' take it, take dem nine rocks, an' if ah want some- body [to] move, ah kin throw it ovah dere windah [window] up ovah de po'ch, jis' anywhere, jis' since ah hits dat house ovah dere windah. Ah don't care 'bout de othah family, dey'll be dere [in the house]. Jis' whoevah ah want moved from dere [will be moved]. An' take dem baby rock an' throw 'em dere. Go lak tuh- night, an' tuhmorrah night ah go again, till de nine nights run out, an' ah call 'em by dere name, an' dey'll leave.
(You throw one rock each night?)
Each night. Dat's true 'cuz ah've done dat. An' dis graveyard dirt is true too.
Entry 7582
Take broom straws an' some dirt on a baby [grave] whut didn't nevah cry, an' some parch eggshell an' put 'em up on a person's do'steps. An' dey say it will make 'em lame in dey laigs. (You take the broomstraw?) Yuh take de broomstraws, nine of 'em from de large part of de broom, an' eggshell, parch 'em, an' take some graveyard dirt, an' dis person in de hollah of dey [foot] track, an' mix it up. An' dey say dat makes 'em lame. Makes yuh laig bothah yo'.
(What about this baby that never cried?)
Yuh git some dirt offa de baby's grave whut nevah cried - yuh know, whut born daid or somepin.
Entry 7583
Dey say if yuh got a enemy aroun' yuh, yuh know, dat yuh wan'a drive away from yuh go to de graveyard tuh a child grave. Yuh goes like dat an' run yer han' down in dere up tuh yer elbow an' come out wit a han'ful of dirt - jis' like dat [demonstrates]. Go tuh dis person house. Yuh kin go all aroun' [circumambulate] his house an' scattah dirt [also] acrost de steps, yo' know. Yuh make him den tuh have a great fuss, an' dey gone.
Entry 7584
Well, ah knows dis to be did. Why dey'd go tuh work an' dey'd go an' fin' where dere's some- body buried, a young person dat is twelve yeahs old. An' dey'd take a can, yuh know.
(A cane?)
A cane.
(Yes?)
An' bo' [bore] dis cane through an' through.
(You mean sugar cane?)
No sir, a cane whut grows in de groun' - what yuh fish wit, yuh see. Don't have tuh be a fishin' cane, but it have tuh be a certain size fo' tuh git de dirt yuh know. [This is probably the cane-reed or southern cane, common names for Arrondinami macrosperma, a tall grass native to wet ground from Virginia to the Gulf States.]
(I see.)
From right off de haid of dat corpse, see. Dey drive dat [hollow cane] down tuh de bottom of dat grave. [This is a slight. exaggeration; a foot would be a good trick.] An' dey gits dat dirt. Well, dey take dat dirt an' dey will loosen it in dat cane enough tuh throw it across de house. Well, aftah dey do dat, well dey'll git a egg den. An' dey'll bust dat egg at de bottom of yore steps, an' bury de hulls [shell]. An' den yuh'll git in a axe so dat yuh can't stay dere - yuh won't stay dere. Yore min' will be always tuh go. Yuh'll go leave dere. Ah've knowed sich as dat tuh be did. Ah lived by some ole people dat used tuh do sich things as dat. People used tuh come tuh 'em tuh do sich things as dat.
(You say you are living by them now?)
No, sir, ah ain't livin' by dem now, but ah used tuh live by them.
(Oh, I see.)
Entry 7585
[This rite should be classified under candles, but graveyard dirt from a woman's grave is so rare I prefer to place it here. Our rite comes from an excellent professional worker whose cylinders were missed by my transcriber. Later I made notes from them. Here is the present note: to keep woman - dirt from woman's grave - scrape a little from top - take home - light 2 black candles - set under bed where she [[woman who left home]] has been sleeping - put graveyard dust and sprinkle a ring [[of it]] around candles - and a piece of her clothes and lay where she sleeps - turn mattress up and lay the clothes on springs on a paper - take Bible and say prayers and read Bible - when candles go out she'll come home.]
Entry 7586
Now, it's no special time tuh entah dis graveyard tuh git dis dus'. Yuh kin be walkin' roun' de cemetery an' perten' [pretend] yuh be lookin' ovah yore belove' ones dat gone tuh rest. Now, in passin' yuh git chew a han'ful of it an' yuh go on. An' yuh an' yore wife or yore lady fren' - somebody lak dat - if it's quarrelin' [or] yuh may have caught 'er Vrong. Yuh don' wanta kill 'er, dat's gon'a put chew in trouble. Yuh jis' wanta git rid of 'er. Yuh'll take dat dus' an' when she go tuh bed at night an' dere's "er shoes, a pair of shoes dat she wears mo' den othahs. Yuh jis' sprinkle dat dus' in dose shoes. Quite natchel [natural] by sprinklin' dat dus' in dere, she's gonna pesspire [perspire] in 'er feet. Jis' lak yuh or ah would pesspire mdah de arm or on de haid, our po's [pores] would be open. If it wusn't dat, ve wouldn't nevah ketch a cold, yuh know. De dus' will dissolve jis' lak a aspirin. Well, when dat dissolve, her po's will be open an' 'er feet is right nex' tuh dat - might as well say dat. See. dat [is al little silk stockin'. See, it may be a pair of bedroom slippahs she may have on. Dat'll git right on intuh 'er po's an' 'er po's will close up wit dat in dere. An' she'll jis' withah away jis' lak anythin' else - jis' leave [this world].
Entry 7587
Go tuh a graveyard at nine a'clock [at night] an' git dat dirt out of [a grave onl de no'th side of de graveyard. An' carry it tuh a person's house where it's a woman dat got a husban' an' yuh wan' dat husban'. Yuh git some of yore frien's tuh take dat dirt dere. An' if she kin git in wit [become friendly with] dis woman in de house an' git a chance tuh sprinkle a little of it roun' 'er baid, roun' in de house, so she'll have tuh walk ovah it, dis woman, dis man's wife, will dwindle away an' die. Den yo' have de opportunity of gittin' 'er man.
Entry 7588
People say dat if yuh be's in tough luck an' haven't got a success, go [to] de graveyard at de midnight hour an' git some graveyard dirt, an' put it in little bitta sacks - little bitta ones - an' weah it roun' yore wais'. An' from time tuh time yuh will be mo' successful dan yuh would if yuh didn't do it. [Midnight is the usual time - see following rite and elsewhere.]
Entry 7589
At twelve a'clock at night yuh git graveyard dirt, yuh see. An' git graveyard dirt. Dat's mos'ly [mostly] fer harmin', dat's fer nuthin good. Yuh go dere at twelve a'clock at night, but not when de moon's shinin'. Yuh go dere on a dark night. An' yuh take dat graveyard dirt. If yuh jis' wan' a person in bad luck, yuh jis' take graveyard dirt an' throw it at a person - strictly wit'out anythin' else. It's strictly bad luck. Dey'll nevah be successful in nuthin dey undahtake tuh do. Anythin' dey undahtake tuh do, dey won't be suc- cessful - be disappointed.
Entry 7590
Git dat dirt - go tuh de graveyard. Well, yuh takes a new grave, kinda new, about say a week old. An' dey goes - goes down tuh de haidbo'd, de haidbo'd of de grave, an' dey get dat dirt. Well, dey gits some of yore hair an' some of yore gar- ments [3 ingredients] an' dey take dat an' put it where yuh have tuh walk over it. An' by changin' - do's dat, do it jis' befo' de moon change. When de moon changes, de spell be comin' on yuh. Well, den it come tuh gittin' wuse [worse] an' wuse, an' yuh'll git so cain't no- body do anythin' wit chew an' yuh jis go crazy - die off from it.
Entry 7591
If she war: 'a run aroun', well shc.'ll take an' go tuh de cemetery on a new moon an' git dirt offa innocent's grave, an' take sulphur an' take table salt - nine spoons of table salt. An' as she go out [leaves the house] go intuh de room an' throw it in de room; an' [as] she go out de do' [door] throw it In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' in de Holy Ghost, an' go on. Yuh know, go out de house. He ain't gon'a come out [the door after her].
(What does she do this for?)
Jis' lak she come in at night - yuh know, lak she goin' out, an' she goin' out tuh be out at night an' she don' wan' 'im tuh come out tuh look fo' her. Well, she git it fresh. She go dere on de new moon.
(She does this so that he won't bother her while she goes out at night?)
Go anywhere she wants.
Entry 7592
Ah've heard dat on de new moon dat chew kin go tuh de graveyard, if a person died wit a certain disease, perhaps tuberculosis, yuh kin git de dirt from roun' de grave an' possibly plant it in someone an' dey'll git de disease. (How would you plant it on this person?) Yuh kin possibly put it in dere clothin', or possibly roun' any object dat dey will put dere ban's on.
Entry 7593
(To bring in customers.)
Yo' use de dead man an' de way dey mix it, yo' mix it wit de clay taken from a fresh grave at de full of de moon. Mix de clay an' sulphur an' red peppah an' bury it undah de foot of de step, an' it use'ly brings in per- sons.
Entry 7594
Ah heard dat chew could go tuh de graveyard. Yuh have tuh go at one a'clock in de night tuh git graveyard dirt. An' yuh git de dirt, graveyard dirt, an' yuh bring it back an' yuh sprinkle dat dirt on people's po'ch, anybody's po'ch, an' make 'em move.
Entry 7595
Go tuh de graveyard roun' 'bout fo' clock in de mawnin' an' buy a penny's worth of graveyard dirt. An' come back an' sprinkle it roun' de house, all roun', an' sweep off de do'step behin' 'im. Dat will move 'em ['em, 'im and 'um are usually the same meaning. Sweeping graveyard dirt is both an uncommon and dangerous rite. The wo- man here, who wants to rid herself of an unwelcome roomer or friend, sprinkles graveyard dirt about the house outside, leaving her- self a dirtless entry. Coming indoors she closes the dirtless entry, the door- step, with graveyard dirt. She is a prisoner in her own home! But, as soon as he walks over the dirt, entering or leaving, she sweeps it away. The spirit in graveyard dirt, not liking to be swept by a dirty broom, flees back to the grave- yard; the man, having crossed the dirt, must go away forever; and the woman, now imune from the graveyard-dirt spirit, is free - for another roomer or frierd.]
(How much dirt do you get from the graveyard?)
Penny's worth.
(How much would that be?)
Dat be - uh two ounces.