Browse:Hoecake (Volume 1, entries 1330–1331)
Hoecake
Volume 1, entries 1330–1331. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → FOLK MEDICINE → CURE AND PROTECTION. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 1330
Heah's another one - this is important an' this is worth a heap, too, because this is true. In de event yo' say, now if a person had turnt a - cast some evil spell upon a person, dey was undah dere spell. Dis is a sure Way of dem turnin' dat spell, breaking dat spell an' turning it back to de one whomsomevah did it. Yo' take then - let him take about a cup or two cups of meal, make him a small hoecake of bread which we say. But he makes that up using a level cupful of salt an' his own chamber lye. He gits white homespun an' lay that - take away all the ashes out de fireplace an' he lay dat homespun down first an' he jest pat - put's dat bread down in dere an' he pads [pats] it out down dere see, after he's mixed it up, an' he turns dat - has it long enough that he folds that cloth back ovah, jest towards de chimley: An' that turn that back an' burns it until it all burn up. An' den dat turns dat same spell back to de person whosomevah did it. [The baker cleans a place on the hearth by removing ashes, lays a piece of white (unbleached) homespun on the cleaned place, spreads or pats out his hoecake on the homespun, has the homespun long enough so that by lifting up the outer edge and bending it back towards the chimney the hoecake is turned completely over towards the chimney.]
(Where did you hear that?)
Well, ah got dat from a ole master craftman.
(It sounds old.)
Yes, sir. Well, it's not so old but dat's de truth.
Entry 1331
Take black hog hoof an' make a tea of them an' give a body dat's got pneumonia an' dat will kill pneumonia.