Browse:SWEATBAND OF HAT EXCLUDING BOW (Volume 3, entries 4512–4535)
SWEATBAND OF HAT EXCLUDING BOW
Volume 3, entries 4512–4535. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → HAT - SWEATBAND - BOW. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 4512
Well, if mah wife want me tuh stay home, she could take mah hat an' put on de bed. Take a little piece of green leaf an' put in de back of it [in back = behind syeatband] an' let it stay on de bed. Evah time he go tuh pass dat night he'll nevah go nowhere. (What kind of a leaf is that?) A peah leaf or eithah a green apple - de apples whut grown down heah [in this part of the country]. Eithah one of dose or eithah one dem leaves out de [something].
(Where did she put that hat?)
Right on de foot of de bed.
(He'd see it there wouldn't he?)
Wake up an' *see de hat dere but he wouldn't know how it got dere. He jes' lay down.
Entry 4513
A girl came from N'Yawk [New York]. She tole me whut tuh do if a man, if he doesn't love yo'. She tole me whut tuh do wit 'is hat. She said if a man doesn't love yuh an' yuh love him, dat yuh take his hat. An' when yuh walk off, yuh an' 'im walk off from de house, an' yuh turn roun'. Yuh know, perten' dat yo' have tuh go back tuh de house. An' yuh take his hat an' pull yore pants down an' rub it 'tween yuh legs twice an' walk on back. An' she said dis man would be crazy about chew. (What do you do when you turn around? You snatch his hat. You mean away from him?) Yuh know, some girls jes' take dere boy fren's hat an' put it on dere haid an' perten' dat it's cold or somepin an' jes' have on dere hat. It rainin' or sompin an' jes' have on dere hat - it rainin' or sompin. Dey jes' wanta put it on.
(She'll go on back to the house wearing his hat?)
Uh-huh. Do it twice.
Entry 4514
Yuh could go to any tree - take de top outa a woman or a man hat, but dat will run 'em crazy. An' yo' bo' a hole in dis tree an' take dat hat [top] an' put it in dere. Den cut chew a little piece of stick dey call a peg an' yuh drive it in dere tight. See, lak dat. See, yuh drive it up tight an' yuh smooth it off. Well, dat tree - dat green tree, dat flesh [bark] will grow ovah dat, an' dat will run 'em 'way from dat place.
Entry 4515
If a man lef' home an' yuh kin fine [find] any one of de hats dat he have wore, or any of 'is undahclothes, yuh take it an' cut chew a piece off it. A woman kin do dat, cut a piece off it, an' tie: it up in a red little cloth. Put a white piece of cloth ovah it an' sew it up an' tote it in yuh pocket. An' by an' by dis man will come back home an' he won't know how he come back home. Jes' come right on back to yuh.
Entry 4516
Take de hatban'. Yuh see, like a woman, she or her an' 'er frien' has busted up. Well, she jes' tryin' - say tryin' tuh make love wit a man. She kin take his hatban' or a ban' in 'is cap. Yuh see, dat's where he sweat, his sweat- ban'. An' yuh'll git a quartah of a yard of yellah cotton. (Yellow cotton?) Yellah cotton. Use it bran'-new. An' yuh will pin dat wit bran'-new pins, not no pins dat been used roun' de house. Yuh git yuh some pins dat has nevah been used fer nuthin atall. An' yuh take dat sweat- ban' an' dat piece of cotton an' make a belt as long enough - jes' add enough yellah cotton tuh dat hatban' or de ban' of de cap dat reach aroun' yuh wais'. An' as long as dey wears it dere, dey is boun' tuh follah 'er.
Entry 4517
If a man is away from home an' de woman want 'im tuh come back, she kin use de band"out 'is hat. Sew it in 'er undahclothes an' wear it @p undah 'er right arm. See, if he away, she kin bring 'im back wit de right or de left [arm], but anywheres where she sweat on it, why he can't git away from 'er. Dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 4518
Or dey kin take de sweatban' [whole or piece?] out chure hat an' wear it indey shoe. Wear it evah day in yuh right shoes an' he'll have tuh come back.
Entry 4519
Yuh kin take a man's hatban' [sweatband] an' use his hatband, weah it in de bottom of yore shoe, jes' a piece of it, an' 'is mine will always stay aroun' dat fiah [fire]. He nevah is contented nowhere. When he's where yuh at, dat's 'is contentedness time. (The outside or the inside band?) De sweatban'. Take hit an' fold it tuh yuh, split it, an' put it in de bottom of yuh shoe an' evahwhere yuh go, he rearin' tuh go.
Entry 4520
If yuh have a girl fren' an' yuh love her an' she didn't seems tuh care very much fo' yuh, why yuh could sometime in goin' roun' 'er, an' git a chance tuh git 'er hat. Take de ban' from roun' 'er hat. Take de band from roun' 'er hat an' git a piece she's wearin' close tuh 'er. Take it an' some of 'er hair from a [below]. Yuh kin git chance tuh make a date wit 'er an' git some of 'er hair from roun' 'er. An' take it an' wrap it up in a piece of red flannel an' wear it nex' tuh yuh skin. Why den she come back tuh live wit chew.
(What piece of clothing do you get?)
Git de seat out of 'er drawahs. (And the hair from down below. That will make you have power over her.)
Entry 4521
Yuh git dis here dog stuff.
(Dog manure?)
Dat's right. Yuh lay dat dog manure right out dere an' let it be dried by de sun. Yuh can't do nuthin [with wet dog manure]. An' yuh put it out dere an' let it dry. When it dry yuh beat it up intuh a powdah. Ah reckon yuh know about dat? (No, no.) Git chure hat an' yuh take de rim [inside band] of dat roun', an' yuh take dat powdah an' sprinkle it aroun' in dat hat jes' dat way [demonstrates].
(Inside the rim.)
An' yuh goin' weah dat hat. DERE AIN'T NO DOCTAH 'TWEEN HEAH AN' PHILLIPPINES KIN CURE DAT. AN' HE WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT'S DE MATTAH. OH, DEY TRIED TUH CURE ME [WHEN IS WAS] DATAWAY. Ah [had] mah hat [dressed].
(What would it do to you?)
It GIVE YUH A BAD HEADACHE AN' IT WILL LAS' YUH TUH YUH GRAVE. Dey done me dataway.
Entry 4522
Now, dere wuz a boy wuz goin' wit me an' ah took 'is hat. He wuz in New York but he's done been back heah since dat. An' ah took 'is hat an' ah dressed de bindin' of it, de wide bindin' inside. Ah took an' pur [poured] a few drops of dis heah dragon's blood an' a few drops of John de Conkah. Hit [the latter] wuz oil yuh see, not de wood. Sometime yuh qit it in bottles. Well, ah has some of dat an ah dropped a few drops roun' in dere, an' a few drops of dis heah cologne. An' he been wit me evah since. We've been married.
Entry 4523
Dey take dat an' git a new-bran' [brand-new] file, one of 'em three- cornahed files, yuh know, an' wrap [the sweatband] aroun' dat, yuh know. An' bury dat in de do' of de individual - yuh know, like yuh want tuh call de individual tuh yore do', yuh jis' do same way like yuh use de hat bow.
(You bury this file at the door.)
At yore do', yes.
(With the sweatband wrapped around it.)
An' den yuh pulls it, if yuh wan' 'em tuh come. Yuh draw it tuh yuh.
[File pulled through a wrapping about it is the old stick-in-a-hole rite.]
(That will make them come, I see, if you want to make love to anybody.)
Entry 4524
She kin git a chance tuh git dat [graveyard dirt] in dere [sweatband], dat'll make yuh go blin'.
“Graveyard dirt” and “sweatband” are bracketed editorial identifications within the printed speech.
Entry 4525
De' take de dust of a rattlesnake an' put it in a person's hat, an' when he sweat dat sweat rolls down towards 'is eyes an' it'll blind 'im. But it's nuthin'll do dat no good [there is no cure for it], if it's a rattlesnake.
Entry 4526
Well, dey tell me dat yuh kin take dat sweatband outa man hat an' keep it salted fo' de third mawnin'. Keep it salted an' dampened till de third mornin', an' take it up an' lay it in de sun an' let it dry, an' it will run 'em distracted.
(You put that in salt for three days?)
Yes.
Entry 4527
Whut chew kin do wit a man's hat. Now, yuh kin take a silvah dime. Yuh kin take a silvah dime an' plastah it tuh de centah of a man's hat back dere an' it'll change his mine [mind] from dif- f'ren' things. Jes' say, fo' an in- stance, if ah wuz stay- in' wit a lady an' she didn't wan' me tuh leave or somepin, well now, she would take dat silvah dime, see; an' me not payin' no 'tenshun an' plastah it right in dere in mah hat undah dat tag whut be's in dere [put dime in sweatband]. An' dat'll keep me from leavin'. All right, she kin take dat same dime an' she'll kill enough chinches tuh git enough blood, jes' enough blood tuh stain dat dime off of a chinch, see. An' put dat same dime right down dere [in the sweatband] an' fold it back ovah dat. Well, when ah sweat dat's goin' run down in mah face an' goin' run me blind.
(Those chinches, that's the same as the bug from the bed?)
Dat's it.
Entry 4528
(How do they fix the sweatband?)
Well, dey'll git dese diff'ren' spidahs an' gran'daddies [see laterl an' all lak dat. Dey'll poison 'em [the victim]. An' dey'll put 'em in a little watah an' cook dem. An' when yuh lay yuh hat down, dey'll take it an' wet all undah yuh hatban' [sweatband] good in front. An' when yuh git out an' git tuh sweatin', an' dat hatban' git sweatin' yuh know, dat thing goin' a-mix wit yore sweat. When dat sweat run down in yuh eyes - an' dat'll run yo' blin'. [Granddaddy = daddy longlegs = a harvestman or arachnid of the order Phalangida.]
Entry 4529
Ah know 'bout de rim roun' yuh hat. Ah nevah heard about no bow.
(What do they do with that rim around your hat?)
Well, dey take de rim from roun' yuh hat - de sweatban' ah mean, dat goes aroun' in de hat, an' dere's a herb in de woods dey callt de skunk [cabbage]. Well, if a person is away from yuh an' yuh wan' dem tuh return back tuh yuh, see. Dis is a fahm [form] of herb dat dey call it a skunk, smell jes' like a polecat. An' [take] a coon root an' a shame root. [This is perhaps the coon grape or raccoon grape (Ampelopsis cordata) of southeastern U. S. A., a woody vine with grapelike foliage and inedible bluish fruit; and less likely the fox grape (Vitis babrusca). For shame root, see shame brier, p.646.1 Dey take dose [three] herbs, dose roots togethah, yuh see, an' kinda put dem on de stove an' let 'em steep, an' put de ban' of dis hat in dere. An' IN DE MAWNIN' BEFO' DE SUN RISE YUH GO, DAT IS IF YUH IS RELIGIOUS - GOT TUH BE RELI- GIOUS TUH DO DAT SORT OF THING DEY TELL ME. An' when de sun risin', Why yuh take dat an' repeat de [Our] Father's Prayer an' ask Him in de Name of Jesus, "Yuh give me So-an'-so fer mah companion, mah love." An' den when yuh turn back - den jes' have a volve [resolve] to return 'im back, why dat will bring 'im back.
(What do you do with that sweatband then?)
Oh, when he come back, yuh throw it away. (I mean, you take this sweatband out [of the brew] when you are making this prayer, don't you?) No, let it all stay right dere.
(Stay where?)
Right in de vessel dat yuh have dere. Yuh have some kinda saucepan, yuh know. Let it stay right in dere.
(You take that out when you do that praying? You had that along with you?)
In de mawnin' yuh kin go, yuh know when de sun risin'. Den yuh bring dis back.
Entry 4530
Den dey kin wheel aroun' [change about] an' take yuh hat. Dey take yuh hat, dis ban' off yore hat, an' dey take de ban' tuh hurt cha. An' when dey take it off dere, dey keep dat. (They take that bow off.) Yes sir, dey keep dat. Den dey done take dat, dey keep dat. If dey kin git tuh yore shoes, dey take yore right foot shoe an dey'll burn it up tuh ashes, an' de oddah foot de same way. An' dey kin take dat ban' off de hat an' put it in deah, in heah, an' bury 'em an' keep yuh down.
Entry 4531
Dey go tuh work an' take de lef'-footed stockin' an' git chew some brimstone an' some spice. An' cut de stockin', de heel of it on down tuh de toe, an' burn dat tuhgethah - burn de stockin' an' makes a powdah out of dat. An' den goes tuh work an' grin' up dat spice an' grind up - when yuh grin' up de spice, den yuh goes tuh work an' yuh grin' up dis brimstone. An' mix it all tuhgethah an' yuh kin take it an' rub it in a hat - in his hat whut he use. Dat will make him stay home.
Entry 4532
Dey kin git 'is sweatban' too an' give him anothah spell. Git 'is sweatban' outa his hat an' put it in a bottle. Yassuh [yes sir], take a bottle an' put it in a bottle, an' put a cork stoppah in dis heah bottle an' fasten it up an' keep dat ban'. Jes' roll dis heah ban' up real tight de way yuh fold it back double. Twist it real tight an' put it in a bottle. Put some hot watah in it. Let it be jes' hot enough not tuh break yuh bottle, an' let it set in dere. An' den dey go take dis heah den an' put it in de rivah, any kinda watah dat watah runs ovah. Dat'll give him anothah feeble mine [mind].
Entry 4533
Dey kin go tuh de rivah. She kin git one sock, dat would be de right one, an' de hatban' - brim inside, de sweat [sweatband]. An' take it an' throw it in de rivah. She got 'im. He would eithah go crazy or come back tuh 'er.
Entry 4534
I had a half brothah an' he wuz goin' wit a girl in Washington [D. C.]. Her name wuz Cornelia A. An' so he stopped goin' wit [her] an' went tuh goin' wit anothah girl. Den like a crazy he turned dis othah [second] girl down an' went goin' back wit 'er [first girl] again. So he tells mah mothah. I don't know, but he said he had a straw hat. She takes 'is hat an' she put somepin, I don't know, in dere. But anyhow, his whole eyes became jis' as white as dis papah [probably my open Numbers Book on the table], black an' all. He got so he couldn't see a wink. He died in jis' about three months afterwards.
[Snow Hill, Md., (Informant 93).]
Entry 4535
DIS IS YORE HAT AIN'T IT?
(Yes.)
Dere's a li'le bit of ban' inside of yore hat got a li'le bow in it. Yuh remembah dat?
(Yes.)
I learnt dat. De girl, I seen 'er do a boy dat way once. She take dis hat, she git dis li'le bow ribbon outa it, an' she pinned it on 'er, inside of 'er bloomahs right at 'er crutch [crotch]. An' she taken dat an' she wore dat. An' de boy couldn't git away from 'er. An' he went back to huh. Co'se he had quit 'er, laid off from 'er. [There are other references to my black hat in HOODOO.]