Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 3, entries 3110–5205)/Part 27
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 3, entries 3110–5205. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 5190
Dey say dat chew could take a li'le shoe sole an' burn it, an' den scrape it aftah yo' burn it, an' it wus good fo' good luck.
(Just how would they prepare that? Then, after they have got it scraped?)
Well, ah don't know sir, only jes' know dey put it in a little bag an' wear it.
(You mean the shoe sole, that thick sole at the bottom?)
Yessuh, yo' parch it lak yo' would peanuts or anythin' lak dat. Well, yo' kin scrape it tull [till] yo' scrape a dust off it.
Entry 5191
De only thin' dat ah knows of dey shoes, dey take an' jes' kinda burn or scorch it a little bit an' throw it ovahbo'd.
(What will that do?)
Dat will run 'em jes' about mindless. Dey'll have spells. Dey mind is goin' an' dey jes' cain't stay one place. Evah time dat shoe would be goin', flippin' back an' fo'th, dey mind will jes' be goin' lak dat, until dey jes' go crazy an' run away from yo' or somepin lak dat.
Entry 5192
Take a person's shoe an' take an' burn it, an' yo' crimp it jis' lak yo' would when yo' take livah sometime. Ah mean yo' may not have nevah did it but Jews does it. Yo' put livah intuh - jis' lak yo' take a shoe yo' put it inside de stove. Now, yo' don't burn it. Yo' put it in- side de stove an' let it burn from de inside of de stove. See, yo' take an' let it burn from de inside of de stove an', den yo' take dis shoes leathah an' yo' git chew some of dis quicksilvah an' drop it all roun' in dat thing. An' den yo' git chew a white of aig wit dis quicksilvah, an' den yo' take dis an' whip it right good an' put dis quicksilvah in dere. See. An' den yo' jis' put it all in dat shoe an' powdah dat shoe all up wit - jis' let it go all up, yo' know. An' den yo' jis' take an' sew hit up, but choo sew it up in a silk cloth. An' den yo' puts a red piece of ribbon aroun' it. See. An' whatevah yo' wanta do wit dat - if yo' fixin' fo' tuh do anybody harm or do anybody good. [If harm], dey'll git tuh walkin'.
(What do you do with it after you put it in the bag? What happens then?)
Tote it in yore pocketbook or tote it...
(You take either shoe? Take one of your own?)
Take de lef' shoe. Always take a lef' shoe.
(Take your own?)
No, don't none of yore own. Yo' got tuh take one of his'n. (What are you going to do this stuff. What are you making this preparation for, now?) Why do you do it? Well now, dat starts 'im walkin'. When yo' fool wit a person's shoe, yo' know, dat's de scent from 'is feet zhoo know. Dat's de nature of 'im, yo' see. (This starts him walking. Well, what do you do with that bag that has this stuff in it?) Jis' take an' tote it, make 'im start walkin'.
Entry 5193
Ah started tuh make uh gurl love me an' ah did jis' lak de root doctah tole me. He tole me tuh take tuh grain of black peppah [2 pinches of black pep- per] an' take an' weah in mah shoe. Yo' has it [pepper] on a piece of papah. Take a piece of brown papah an' yuh put it ovah dere. Keep it right down by yuh baid unbeknowin' tuh 'er. Yuh take tuh [fresh grains] evah mawnin' an' put in yuh right shoe fo' nine mawnin'. Leave it dere. An' shō [sure] in de nex' mawnin' tuh put tuh mo' in dere. Do dat fer nine mawnin'. [THIS IS AN INCREASING AMOUNT RITE.] Yuh put on yuh shoe an' weah yuh shoe. Weah 'at [that pepper] in yuh shoe. An' den aftah ah weah dat in mah shoe, be sho ven [when] ah pull mah shoe off [eachnight] tuh take an' put mah shoe unduh [under] de cornah of de baid jis' whure she sleep at. Evah mawnin' [during these nine days when] yuh git up, yuh hug 'er. An' den he give some kin'a dus'. He said evah mawnin' sprinkle dat dus' on 'er while yuh huggin' 'er. Den aftah dat [at the end of nine days] go outdo' an' take dis shoe an' dig yuh a hole right undah de front steps, right whure she got'a walk out. Bury de [eighteen grains of] peppah. An' aftah yuh [do] dat, she'll fall in love wit chuh an' yuh cain't git away from 'er, an' she cain't git away from yuh. [Here is my comment on my original pencil transcription: Voice clear but vemy difficult to transcribe - a primitive mind [[not in a technical sense]] - recheck [[original]] before final using - No.311 is a Negro from the Sound [[Wrightville Sound]]. After informant had left room, my contact man Mr. Gavin came in to ex- press his sorrow for him. He had never seen anyone quite so inexperienced and isolated from simple forms of normal life.]
Entry 5194
Git holt of yore shoes, shoes or yore socks yo' know, an' jis'...
(What are they supposed to do with those?)
Supposed tuh git yore shoes an' yore socks, eithah one, an' mixes some of yorr undahclothes wit 'em, an' dese pins an' needles, an' buries 'em. Dat'll cuz yore feet tuh swell.
[Norfolk, Va., (453) 427:5.]
Entry 5195
[Red Pepper itself, or in combi- nation with other ingredients, is a common practice in hoodoo. Many examples appear elsewhere in the text of HOoDoo.] They can sprinkle something in your shoes, red pepper I think, and it will make them all crippled and lame.
Entry 5196
Take his shoes an' dress 'em. Dey put some sulphur, cayenne peppah an' all lak dat in it tuh keep him home an' right sweet. Keep 'im home wit dat, keep him from runnin' roun'.
Entry 5197
Yo' wear sulphur in yore shoes, if some- body put somepin down tuh harm yo'. Yo' git chew some sulphur an' red peppah an' put it in each shoe an' wear it, an' whatevah people put down fo' yo', it can't harm yo'. Red peppah an' sulphur.
Entry 5198
Yo' kin pertec' [protect] yo'self - yo' kin go ahead an' git chew a pod of red peppah an' sulphur an' put in de bottom of yore shoe, each foot, an' wear dat. Dey cain't harm yo', dey cain't harm yo'.
Entry 5199
Ah've heard dat chew take shoes whenevah - if yo' wanta do anythin' tuh a person. Lak yo' wanta prob'ly git 'em out chure way - jes' lak if ah wuz a woman an' had a husban' an' prob'ly ah thought some othah woman wuz givin' me trouble wit 'im. If ah could git hold of 'er shoe, ah would take her shoe an' den ah would put snuff an' red peppah - ah take an' burn red peppah, an' take dis heah snuff an' red peppah an' put it in 'er shoe, an' dat would drive 'er aWay from 'im. AH SEE DAT PURTTY NEARLY EVAH DAY.
Entry 5200
Women take de shoes - why den dey a - if dey wanta keep a man home. Women mostly do dat. A man don't hardly do dat. Wanta keep )'im home, he always gone off some place. She goes tuh work an' put salt on 'er shoes an' - both feet, an' she buries dat shoes. Dat keeps 'im home - anywhere in de yard. Dat's fur as'h [as I] heard about dat.
Entry 5201
Well, yo' kin take de shoes an' burn 'em an' dey'll come back.
(Both the shoes?)
Yes, burn shoes.
(After you burn them what do you do?)
Yo'jes' burn 'em wit salt. If yo' jes' take salt an' sprinkle it behin' a person dey will leave. Den yo' kin take de shoes an' burn 'em wit salt an' dey'll come back. [Burning the shoes with salt - both burning and salt - breaks the spell cast that send the person away.]
Entry 5202
Well, dey take yo' shoes if dey wan'a do any- thin' tuh yo' - anythin' lak dat. Dey take - if dey don' wan'a bury de shoes dey'll burn dem. But dey git somepin tuh put in dere tuh burn 'em wit. Dey git some of dis here bluestone an' put in dere an' table salt. An' dat tear yuh all tuh pieces. Dat'll run yuh ragged.
(You put this bluestone and the salt in the shoe and then burn the shoe.)
Yes sir, burn de whole thin'. An' den when it burn, he jes' as foolish as he kin be.
Entry 5203
Hit's a whole heap a ways tuh nuse [use] de shoes.
(Just one way now?)
Yo' take mah shoe - yo' kin take salt an' [red] peppah an' put in dere an' dat keep yo' from puttin' anythin' in dere tuh hurt me.
Entry 5204
Take red peppah an' salt an' put it in yore shoes tuhgethah. An' mix it in a li'le bag or papah an' put it in yore shoe an' weah it. Dat'll keep any- one from hurtin' yo'.
Entry 5205
Dey say yo' kin take a man's shoe an' git chew some peppah an' salt, an' mix it up on a piece of papah - jis' mix it up. Jis' lak yo' be's roomin [with me] an' ah'd git hold of a pair of shoes yo' weah. An' maybe ah won't stay dere [you are not rooming with me], but ah'd go in dere an' jis' sprinkle de stuff right in dat shoe. Dey says when ah sprinkle dat in dat shoe, dat peppah stuff, yo'll git outa mah sight. If yo' do dat, if it's a man a enemy 'g'inst yo', yo' kin run 'im away by puttin' dat in 'is shoe, sprinklin' in it. He'll move.
(You do that with both shoes?)
Both of 'is shoes. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1008), 1630:2.]
(subsection SHoEs continues in volume four)