Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 13
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 6166
(Suppose I want to make them stay at home?)
Well yo' take dat hair an' put it in a little small bottle, see, an' put it In da'k place up ovah yore do', an' put about three or fo' spoons of sugah in it. Yo' know, a little odd-size bottle lak dat. An' put it up ovah de do' chere couldn't nobody see it. Dat'll make yore frien' come home.
Entry 6167
If a man leaves a woman an' she want 'im back, she git two stran's of 'is hair, an' aftah she git dose two stran's of 'is hair, she takes some sugah an' den some sulphur an' mix it togethah. An' put 'is hair in dis sugah an' dis sul- phur an' bury it up undah de bottom of 'er do'steps. An' she'll keep 'im all de time. He won't nevah leave her no mo'.
Entry 6168
Dey use de teacups an' things lak dat.
(How do they do that?)
Well, now dey take dat teacup an' dey'll go to some place yo' know lak heah [the house in which I was interviewing]. Dey go out at dis time an' git a half a dozen new teacups. (A half dozen new teacups?) Uhmm. An' den dey'll use one dem cups. Dey git dat woman's hair or sompin othah concernin' 'er some way, an' put it in dat cup an' bury it roun' 'er do'step. An' den dey keep one fo' deyself. An' den dey'll give dere frien one an' den dey take dat cup yo' know an' bury in de groun' yo' know, an' de one dey bury it fo', dey jis' go 'way to nuthin - 'stead of goin' fahwards dey go right backwards.
(How many cups do they use?)
Only one.
(Well, now where do they bury that cup?)
Bury it right under de corner of - de no'th corner of dere house.
(Whose house?)
De man or wumman whut dey workin' ag'inst.
(What kind of a cup must it be?)
A teacup - stone [not tin], dese heah earthen.
(And they just bury it with something that belongs to the person, in that?)
Yes, dey'd go 'way to nuthin.
Entry 6169
"Bout dat hair proposition, ah hear dat dey take yore hair an' dey takes three Camel Cigarettes, an' takes a strand of yore hair, takes a straw an' push in dere. Push one strand of yore hair in dem cigarette apiece an' den smoke one of dem cigarettes a day, smoke de othahn de next day, an' de othahn de nex' day, an' dey say dey got de woman den tuk in [= took in = taken in = tricked].
(That takes the woman - gets the woman to love them.)
Entry 6170
Ah have heard from people dat chew could go to de fork of de road an' see all kind of scarey things lak dat an' people kin fix yo' lak dat. (How would they fix you like that?) Well, dey kin take - some people take yore hair an' den prick one of yore fingahs till it bleed, git three drops of blood, an' have yo' crazy where yo' jis' walk a lot. (I want you to tell me the details. What would they do with that three drops of blood they got from your finger?) Dey takes it an' put it on yore hair an' dey take it an' sew it up an' dey kin fix yo' dataway where yo' won't even love no woman or anything lak dat.
(Well, what do they do with that hair then, after they put that blood on it?)
Well, dey kin wear it. (Well, now a person would get my hair and then put her blood on my hair and sew it up?) Shure, an' den yo' begin to love nobody but 'er.
Entry 6171
An' den if yo' wants to be in love wit a girl, yo' take de stran's of hair, about three stran's of hair out of 'er head, an' take it an' sew it into de left cornah of yore shirttail an' wear it dere. An' yo' can't git rid of 'er, she'll still love yo'. (In what part of the shirttail, front or back?) In de left corner in de front.
Entry 6172
Dey kin take three strands of yore hair an' put it in a perfume bottle, Heart Perfume, an' stop it up tight an' dat will draw 'er love to dis man.
(Of this man to this girl.) Of dis man to dis gurl. (What do you do with this bottle?)
Why yo' keep dat bottle.
Entry 6173
Take de hairs from underneath yore arm an' de haid - yo' know, undah yore clothes down dere, an' wash yore feet. An' yo' know, sometime yo' don't wash yore feet in a long time, dere be lots of ole dead skin on it, yo' know, an' yo' kin take an' scrape dat off. An' den yo' kin take dis watah yo' see an' put it in sompin. A woman had mah brothah fixed lak dat. AN' AH PROMISED DE LORD AH'D NEVAH FIX A MAN NO HAY. IF ONE DON'T WANT ME, AH DON' WANT 'IM. So she had mah brothah fixed jes' lak dat - she had 'im fixed up jes' lak dat.
Entry 6174
(What do they say about that?)
Well, yo' take Hearts Cologne lak ah tole yo', lak dey git it an' dress it fo' to keep yo'. Well, yo' git 9 pins, bran'-new pins what have nevah been used, an' yo' git Hearts Cologne. An' when yo' buy dat bottle of cologne, yo' take de stoppah out - yo' see, cuz dat stoppah been used. An' yo' buy a new stoppah, cork stoppah, an' yo' stick 9 pins in dat cork stoppah. Undahstan? An' put it right down in dat Hearts Cologne. Now, lak dere's some man ah want. I will try to git a piece off 'is clothes, anythin' an' put it in dere, yo' undahstan', fo' 9 days. Well, aftah I gits it in dere, whatsomevah ah want - den ah try to git a piece of 'is hair, an' some of 'is fingahnails an' toenails. If ah can't cut 'em, ah'll jes' take a little file here an' make out ah'm jes' playin' wit 'is han', an' file it off at de same time an' gittin' it in mah han'. Undahstan'? An' if ah kin git a piece of hair from undah his arm, yo' undahstan', an' git a piece of hair from de lowah Part, an' put it all in dere, an' 'tis nuthin atall he kin do unless ah command 'in to do it.
(I see.)
Entry 6175
Gits de hair of a person an' put it wit red peppah, three pods of red peppah, mix it, an' call De Father, Son an' Holy Ghost. Dat three, an' go wit dat hair an' put it undahneat' dere pil- lah or sock [stuff] it up in one cornah of de pillah. An' dat will make 'em stay home. (Make a man stay home or a woman stay home.) [I have interpreted pillar as ooe of the 4 or 5 foundation pillars upon which the small lowland rests, rather than pillah = pillow. The meaning was evidently clear to me at the time, but a question here would have helped later.]
Entry 6176
Take yore hair an' put it into a pint of watah an' put some red peppah an' salt in it an' bury it in de groun' In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' dey'll shure leave de worl'.
(Well, how do you put that water into the ground - won't it run away or what?)
[Evidently it is stopped up in a pint bottle.]
Entry 6177
Yo' take de hair an' put it in a piece of white homespun an' sew it up in dere an' make a band and put it roun' yore waist an' dampen [feed] it wit camphor fo' nine mawnin's In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' it will bring love in yore home.
Entry 6178
Well, it's anothah thing about de hair. Dey kin take de hair an' gain de influence or love of a woman, by yo' takin' it eithah to a lovedove [love- bird]. Git dat lovedove an' take de feathahs from 'im wit'out 'im bein' bushin' up or anythin' - yo' know, pick dem. Put 'em in de stove an' let 'em parch yo' know good an' dry. Den yo' take some of de hair from de lady - woman. Well, she take all dat an' make a powdah of dat. Well, first she'll put some of dat on yo' an' den she take de rest of it wit dat Adam-an'-Eve root. Den she wear dat in a bag, see. Well, dat will gain de influence of love wit 'er - well, it cause two peo- ples tuh come to git married.
(She put some of her water - urine did you say?)
She put some of her [hair].
(From her head?)
Yes.
(And she puts them with these dove feathers that have been burnt up?)
Yes - yo' know, make a powder of it.
(And put it in this bag and wear it?)
Yeah, aftah she put some on de othah - on de man.
(Where does she put them on him?)
Jes' anywhere on 'is body while he's sleep. Den she take de rest of it an' she wears it in heah jes' in a bag, but she have to take a Adam-an'-Eve root, yo' know, tuh git de rest of de good out of it.
Entry 6179
Git dis dirt daubah nest an' chicken feathahs an' dat hair of de in- dividual, yo' know, dat dey'll wanta use, an' mix dat all up togethah, an' sew it in a little round piece, an' dey put one of dose papahs on it an' burn it. An' dat runs 'em crazy sometimes, especially, yo' know, if dey git enough amount of dere hair.
Entry 6180
If yo' want 'em [to] stay, why dey git a lock of yore hair, see, an' salt, peppah an' blacksnake root or Samson [snakeroot] - it's one of dose root, an' wrap it in flannen cloth an' put it in a bottle an' airtight it, den bury it. Bury it undah de step of yore do'.
Entry 6181
Take de hair an' put de hair in de socks - yo' know, tuh whom it may concern. Take de sock cloth an' tack it, yo' know, whare de toe an' de heel an de top part, an' nail it down undah de haid of de baid. Dat's supposed tuh make yore husband stay at home.
(Do you use either sock?)
Use his sock, eithah sock. If dis is de haid of de baid, well yo' put de top of de sock undah de haid of de baid, an' den yo' tack yore heel an' tack yore toe [demonstrates]. (The toe is pointing down tovard the foot of the bed.) Dat's it. An' yo' supposed tuh let de toe be turned, not to de do' but from de do' of de room dat chew back tack 'en. Yo' use his hair an' yo' use yore hair an' yo' put dem both in dat [sock].
Entry 6182
Jis' lak if yuh wants tuh run anybody crazy or sompin lak dat, well now yuh kin take dere hair oaten de mole of de haid, an' wrap it up in silvah papah, dis nice quick silvah Papah [tinfoil], an' put it in runnin' watah, an' dat'll run 'em crazy. [Flor- ence. S. Car. (1320), 2263:8.]
Entry 6183
[The general theme about hair and tree is threefold: A hole is bored into a tree, hair is put in this hole, and the hole is sealed by driving into it a wooden peg. This theme is then developed into the many rites that follow. Additional rites will be found in the INTERVIEWS and elsewhere in HOODOO.] Now, I had a uncle dat died in Chicago, named Howard Ham, when I wus a boy of about eight years old. (About thirty-five years ago.) [1903.] [I am not guessing informant's age. The time was evidently given before recording began; as soon as I thought he might have a story.] Yes, sir. It wus a girl named Lizzie Quinn [Queen?l suffahed wit 'er head all de time, an' aftah she wus dead, dey wus postin' up a tree [making fence posts out of a tree] an' he foun' dis girl's hair in de tree - bust it [the log] an' dey cuts it open an' dey foun' dis girl's hair in de tree wit a peg driv up in it, wit dat hair up in dat hole. But it killed her, dat's what dey said. She suffahed wit 'er head all de time.
(What did you say they burst - busting what?)
[I changed my burst into busting to make sure informant understood.]
Dey wus bustin' [splitting the tree trunk]. Dey had sawed de tree down, yo' 9s
(Oh, yes.)
An' gittin' out board timbah, yo' see, an' it bust open.
(Board timbers.)
An' it bustin', dat cuts open, yo' know, dey'd run up on dis peg, an' dey bust f open an' found 'er hair.
(Found her hair, I see. That happened down here?)
Yes, sir. Dat out chere 'bout eighteen miles. [They were cutting down trees to make boards at the sawmill when someone saw a pegged-up hole in the trunk of this tree. Instead of leaving the long log for boards, the leader of the loggers decided to saw it into proper lengths and split it up into fence posts. How did they identify the hair as Lizzie Quinn's? She gas probably the last living person in the neighborhood subject to headaches; or perhaps there had been gossip about her dying from cunjure.]
Entry 6184
I know of a young man that was courting a young woman, and the parents of the young woman didn't like this young man because he Was very rough and row-. They told their daughter they didn't want this man to come to their house. And after that the young man he got mad. So he went away. He began to talk among other people and somebody told him how to get the advantage of this young girl. They told him to cut a piece of hair from her head and go to a tree, and take an auger and bore a hole in this tree, and put the hair in the hole and stop this hole up, and in the course of time this woman would go crazy.
Entry 6185
Ah heard dat chew could take mah hair, if yo' wants tuh run me crazy. Cut a patch of hair out mah haid whilst ah sleep an' take a augah, a brace an' bit, an' bo' a hole in a tree, an' fetch dat hair an' put it in dere, an' den take a wedge an' put in dat tree an' cover over dat tree, an' den AH'LL HAVE DE HEADACHE AS LONG AS AH LIVE, an' by an' by dat will kill me.
Entry 6186
Dey take an' go git some of yore hair an' cuz yo' to lose yore mind. Dey take yore hair an' put it in - bo' a hole in a tree, put dat hair in dere. An' as dat tree grows, yo' know dat hole where yo' bored in dere will grow back in dere, an' yo' begin to lose yore mind.
Entry 6187
Now listen, self experience ah'm tellin' yo' dis. Yo' kin take a lock of yore hair an' yo' kin - see heah, dis is a tree. Yo' bo' a hole in dat tree. Dis is de comb. Yo' see, her [hairj. An' yo' put dat hair into dis tree an' yo seal it up. Aftah a time - [seal it up] INTO A GROWIN' TREE, yo' undahstan'. From time tuh time yo' go dere - it be jes' lak a wound, close right in lak dat.
(Like a wound closes.)
Yes - yes, dat tree will close. Yo' undahstan'? An' it'll run me atchly
[actually] crazy.
Entry 6188
Now tuh run 'em crazy, dey could take a person hair an' take an' go to a tree an' cut a place in it. In othah words bo' a hole in it an' put de hair in dere an' stop it up airtight. Say dat would DRIVE 'EM AWAY FROM 'EM, an' will event'ly [eventually] kill 'em.
Entry 6189
Ah've heard of a person bo'in' a hole in a tree an' puttin' yore hair in dis tree an' it would run yo' blind, if yo' stop it up. (If you stop the hair up in a tree, it would run you blind.)
Entry 6190
Ah heah of folks takin' - if dey wants run yo' crazy or sompin like dat - iis' take an' bo' a hole in a 'simmon tree an' git some of yore hair an put it in dere an' stop it up.
(Do you have to put that in a persimmon tree, or any kind of a tree?)
Have to be a 'simmon tree, yassuh.
Entry 6191
An' den yo' kin take some hair an' have a hole bo'd in a tree an' take dis hair an' salt an' sulphur an' peppah, red peppah or eithah black peppah, an' stir it togethah an' put it in dis hole in dis tree an' cork it up. That will kill a man.
Entry 6192
Dey kin take dat [see later for meaning of dat] an' put dat in a rag an' wrap it up, an' go to a tree - listen good. Go to a tree an' take a augah, yo' see, an' bo' a hole in de tree. An' take [that] thin' [= thing, the rag holding articles named later] an' slam it right back up in [the bored hole], push all dat stuff up in de tree. An' take dat same thin' w'ut yo' bo' [bored] out dere an' take a peg an' drive it back in dat tree. An' dat jis' kill yuh as daid [dead] as [anything?] in dis worl'.
(What do they put in that tree?)
De dirt off yore feet, an' some yore fingahnail, an' a li'l bit yore hair off yore haid, an' table salt. Dat'll end it up.
Entry 6193
They tell me you take a live person's hair and bore a hole into a tree, a live tree of course, place this hair in it. You blow your breath in it, in that hole, and force this hair in that hole. And that tree will drindle and finally die. And as that tree dies, their health will decay. And when that tree is dead, they will be dead. [Fredericksburg, Va., Ediphone, Cyl.61.]
Entry 6194
Ah heard dat dey could take dat hair of yores an' put it in a bag, an' go tuh a cherry tree an' bo' a hole in dat tree, an' make a peg tuh fit it an' drive it up in dat tree, an' dat would run yo' crazy. [To put hair into a small bag before inserting it into tree is rare, but see 6196 which also requires a cherry tree.]
(Must it be in a cherry tree?)
Dat's whut dey tole me - a cherry tree.
Entry 6195
Jes' take - lak I'd be havin' a woman or somepin.
(TALK A LITTLE LOUDER, PLEASE.)
Ah say, jes' lak ah'd be havin' a woman or somepin lak dat. Well, she could - ah could be on relief or somepin lak dat, yo' see, an' she may didn't want me to quit 'er, yo' see. She'd go to work an' take some of mah hair whilst ah'm asleep or somepin an' take it out to a tree or prob'ly lak dat, an' take a nail or, yo' know, a augah or somepin an' bore a hole in dere jes' deep enough to get dat hair in dere. Well, any time yo' put it in dere, yo' gotta put it ovah six inches. Dat will make it roun' about nine inches deep lak dat. [Why 9 inches, I do not understand.] An' fill dat hole back up, but instead of puttin' back de [auger shavings], why yo' fill it up wit stuff dey usely [usually] calls famnel.
(Flannel?)
Flannel, an' den on top of de flannel, why yo' take turpentine an' turpentine dat flannel good, an' put it in yore hair an' drive it back in dat tree. Lots of times dat runs people crazy. De same thing if dey got some of yore clothes.
Entry 6196
Ah've heard of 'em bo'in' a hole in a tree on de side de sun rise an' bary people's hair an' - but ah think dey use sulphur wit it, but ah'm not posi- tive. Dey put hair, a bag of hair, an' dey stop it up an' it will lock yore bowels, too. [For bag of hair in tree hole, see preceding submargin title (3) CHERRY TREE.] Dat's whut ah wus tryin' tuh git [to tell you]. It will lock yore bowels wit whatevah dey put to it - de ingre- dfents dey put to it. [For human excrement and hole in tree, see section EXCREMENT.]
Entry 6197
An' anothah thing wit yore hair, dey kin take yore hair an' vrap it Mom' three coffin nails an' go to a tree, cut a gash in dat tree an' lay it in dere. Jes' lay it dere an' nail it down in dere wit a staple-lak, yo' know, where it will stay. Let it stay dere on de east side of dat tree, an' let it be a young tree. As dat tree grow an' heal up, as dat tree covah it [hole] up, when it completely covahs dat, yo' die. Yo'll be sickly all de time atil it covahs up an' yo' will die.
Entry 6198
Yo' bury dat in a fig tree.
(This hair. Just how would you bury it in a fig tree?)
Yo' take de hair an' yo' burn it first. Yo' burn dat hair an' yo' put it [ashes] in some brown papah an' yo' take it an' yo' carry it to a fig tree. But don' bury it undahneat' de root, yo' dig a hole into dat tree, a small hole where evahthing small kin go in dat bark. Yo' see, dere bark on de tree, an' yo' jis' shove it way up in dere an' in de nine days dey gone. (WHAT WILL THAT DO TO THEM? DOES IT RUN THEM CRAZY, KILL THEM, DRIVE THEM OUT OF TOWN, MAKE THEM COME BACK? WHAT DOES IT DO?) DEY DIE! CAIN'T LIVE!
(I JUST WANTED TO KNOW.)
Entry 6199
Take yore hair an' put it in de fo'k of a tree. Split it down, de fork down fer enough, an' put de hair in dere an' tie it [fork] back [together]. When it grow back [together], jes' as it grow back, yo' come to losin' yore mind - yo' go crazy. (You use a small tree for that?) [Splitting a fork suggested small tree.] Yes, sir.
Entry 6200
If yo' wanta git a person out de way, dat's whut de ole folks have said. De person dat yo' wan'a git out de way, yo' git some of 'is hair an' take it tuh de woods, an' git chew a augah an' bo' a hole in de no'th side of de tree, an' git chew a frog an' put dat frog in dere on top of dat, an' git chew a wedge an' put dat wedge in dere an' drive it in tight, an' evah day yo' go back an' tap dat wedge. Well, when dat frog dies, why dat person die. Well, yo' git 'im out de way, yo' undahstan'.
(When the frog dies, that person dies.)
Entry 6201
I've heard people say dat yo' kin take when de sap rise, at a certain change of de moon, an' yo' kin take a live frog an' put in dat. Yo' bo' three holes in dere wit a brace an' bit: one De Father, an' one De Son, an' one De Holy Ghost. Un- dahstan'? (The sap rises in what?) De sap rise in a tree, yo' know. What I mean, by de sap risin' in de spring of de year. Say, an' take an' bo' three holes in dat tree. Undahstan' me: Dat's one De Father, one De Son, an' one De Holy Ghost. An' yo' kin hollah dose holes out in- to one, an' put a live frog in dere, an' dey kin git some of yore hair an' put in dere. An' dey Say, WHEN DAT SAP BEGIN TO COME DOWN AG'IN, SAY DAT DE HEAT FROM DAT SAP WILL RUN DIS FROG CRAZY DERE; AN' DEY SAY, AN' AFTAH DEY RUN 'IM CRAZY IN DAT [HOLE] ALIVE, WHY HE BEGINS TO EAT DAT HAIR. Why yo' kin take a frog anywhere an' he see somepin - roll a ball or...
(JUST A LITTLE BIT SLOWER.)
Yo' kin take a frog an' put 'im on de flo' here an' roll a ball [gunshell shot]. He'll eat de shot fast as yo' rolls it to 'im. [This belief is wide- spread in the South, though I did not always record it.]
(He what?)
Yo' kin take a frog an' put 'im on yore flo' dere, an' yo' roll dat ball - little shot dere. Yo' know, little ball, some kinda gunshell, any kind - yeah. He'll eat 'em fast as yo' git 'em to 'im dere.
(Oh, I see - eating shot.)
Well, I done said, aftah yo' git dat hair when dat sap begin to come down again in dat tree, yo' undahstan', to de epiderma of de tree here - dat epiderma here. De epiderma is de outside linin' of de tree here. [And the word epiderma is also rare in Hoodoo!] He will go crazy. De heat from dat sap will run 'im crazy an' he eat dat hair. An' when he eat dat hair, say yo' will go [crazy] yourself.
(Which hole do you put him in?)
No, yo' bo' three into de tree wit a brace an' bit. Dere yo' are. Den yo' hollah dem three out an' into one dere.
(Oh, these three holes you make into one.)
Dere yo' are.
(And put the frog into the one hole, and then you stop it up some way?)
Yes, stop it up dere wit a piece of galvanized tin here - see, put a piece of galvanized tin ovah dat hole an' stop it up.
Entry 6202
It's got'a be a lock of yore hair from de mole of de head, an' dat must be buried in de highest tree aroun' in dat vicinity. It have to be put on a nail or somepin dat it could be driven in dat tree. An' as de sap rises, yore mind will begin to be inflected [afflicted]. Any kin'a tree, but it must be in a forest like where dere's a thickness, thickest [not thicket, a growth of small trees] - see, like a woods. An' it got'a be a time of year de sap is risin'.
Entry 6203
Dey say if yo' take it [hair] outa de mole of yore head - dat's what dey say. Dey say yo' get it from de centah, from de mole of yore haid yo' call it. Yo' pull it out until yo' kin see dat littlewhite. It looks lak de root of yore hair, yo' see. An' yo' take it up on a hilltop an' take a augah an' bore a hole in a green tree. When yo bore dat out yo' stick dat [hair] in dere an' den take eithah cement or mortah or somepin an' covah dat up in dere an' dis person will always suffah wit de beadache an' have a wandahin' mind.
Entry 6204
[We must keep in mind that hollow tree in the following rite means sany degrees of hollowness:] I heard a story from my mother and she said this lady's daughter - there was amother lady that Was jealous of this lady's daughter becuz this lady's daughter was smarter than her daughter. And they got some of the [smart] daughter's hair and put it in a hollow tree. And this girl began to be funny and very queer, and nobody knew ohat the trouble was. So finally they had a woman who was supposed to know some- thing about this cunjuration - a medium they called the lady - to tell them some- thing. And this medium told them to go to this tree and they'd find some of the girl's hair there. And so they did. But of course in the meantime the girl had lost her mind. It set her crazy. She never recovered.
Entry 6205
A person kin git holt of some of yore hair an' quite natchul [natural] yo' take dat hair, yo' see, to a hollah tree, a tree's got a hollah in it, an dey buries dat hair in dat tree. Co'se quite natchully [naturally], dey puts some more devilment wit it an' dat'll git chew tuh goin' - it jis' git chure head tuh hurtin'. Prob'ly it will git chew tuh de place where yo' can't stay no place long at de time.
Entry 6206
Dey kin run yo crazy wit yore hair.
(How will they do it?)
Well, dey take yore hair an' stop it up in a hollah tree, an' as long as dat stoppah is in dat tree, well yo'll be crazy. Well, if dey Wanta take it offa yo', dey kin go dere an' take de stoppah outa de tree, an' yore mind will come back to yo'.
Entry 6207
Dey say dey take yore hair an' stop it up in a tree, some kinda tree dey finds in de woods - I can't say it right. I heard dat when I wuz a child, but I remembah some por- tion of it. Dey take nine strands of yore hair. Dey put it in a tree an' stop it up. Dey say it'll run yo' crazy.
(Do you remember the name of the particular tree that they put it in?)
No, ah - it's a red oak.
(Red oak?)
Red oak tree wit de hollah.
(With a what?)
With a hollah - hole in it.
(Oh, there's a hole in it. I see.)
Entry 6208
Ah have heard of when dey git holt of dis hair, dey kin take it an' put it in a tree. Dat makes yo' go crazy. (How do they put that in a tree?) Take dat hair, live hair - dey have to git it outa yore head, yo' know - an' dey bo'es a hole in dat livin' tree an' put dat hair in dere an' peg it. Dat's whut dat is.
Entry 6209
Or eithah take yore hair an' yo' - lak yo' comb yore haid. Dis hair dat done come out on de comb, yo' kin take dat an' roll it up, git de augah an' go wit dat to a live tree, put it in de live tree an' make yo' a stoppah, lak a plug, an' plug dat hair in dat tree. An' as dat tree grow, see dat hole will close up, an' finally it'll grow ovah. Well, dat will run [you] a [as] crazy as a betsy bug.
(Crazy as what?)
Crazy as a betsy bug.
(Crazy as a betsy bug?)
Yassuh.
Entry 6210
Ah've heard two things about it. Take de hair an' bo' a hole in a green tree an' put de hair in dere an' drive a green peg on de hair. Dat'll make yo' crazy.
Entry 6211
Or take yore hair out de haid an' go tuh a tree, a green tree, an' take yore knife an' split a place in dere, an' pack dat hair in de tree an' shet it up an' let de tree grow on it. Yo'll go crazy.
Entry 6212
It have been said dat, if yo' take dat hair an' take it to a tree, an bo' a hole into de tree, into a green tree, an' poke dat hair in dah an' wedge it up, yo'll go contin'ly [continually] wit a headache until yo' die prob'ly, or un- til de tree is cut away. Yo' last long as de tree, it have been said.
Entry 6213
Heard dey put things in de tree, jes' lak dey wanted tuh har 'em or sech as runnin' 'em crazy or sompin lak dat. Ah heard dat dey kin take yore hair an' put a hole in de tree, an' put chure hair in dat tree an' stop it up, or take a nail an' punch it down - take a nail hole an' punch it [hair] down. Drive a nail down on it an' nail it in dere, an' dat will run yo' crazy.
Entry 6214
Ah tell yo' anothah thing dat ah have heard. Dey kin take yore hair an'run yo' crazy.
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey claim dey kin take it an' wrap it [about a nail] an' nail it up in a tree, an' aftah nailin' it up, unless yo' kin git it down some way, it jis' makes yo' go nutsy-nuts.
Entry 6215
Dey kin take yore hair an' yo' kin use it in a tree - use yore hair in- to a tree an' run yo' crazy.
(How would they use that into a tree?)
Jes' have to cut a hole unto it or eithah have to pull de bark up on de tree. Place de hair undahneat' de tree [bark] an' nail it back. An' I've found dat dis ll run yo' crazy.
Entry 6216
Dey say dat chew take de hair outa person's het [head] an' take it to a tree an' a eight-penny nail, an' reach jes' as high up dat tree as yo' kin reach, an' nail dat hair up in dat tree jes' as high as yo' kin, an' den nail dat nail down an' dat hair in dere. An' says dt vill give yo' de headache an' yo' would die.
Entry 6217
Take de hair an' take a new nail an' bore a hole in de tree an' drive 'en in dere. Dat's de last of yo'.
(Well, did you put this hair in the hole?) Yeah. (What do they do with the nail then?)
ive it in behin' de hair.
Entry 6218
Bo' a hole in a tree wit a new auger an' dey'll git a new stopper an' dl dat hair in de tree [with a new nail]. Dey say dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 6219
Take fo' stran's of yore hair, yo' understand, an' make a foldin' plat outa it. Aftah dey plat dat hair, dey take a brand-new nail, a eight-penny dl, an' carry it out in de woods an' git on de north side of a tree. You see, te BORTH SIDE OF A TREE HAS A HEAVY BARK on dat side. An' take dat bark an' jIs barely crack dat bark enough to put dat hair in dere, see. Wedge dat hair in tere. An' take dis eight-penny nail an' drive it in up to de eye [of the nail]. Pat SUPPOSed to kill yuh. [INFORMANT DOES NOT KNOW THAT THE NORTH SIDE OF THE TEE HERE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE THICKNESS OF THE BARK. THE NORTH SIDE OF TTHING, ESPECIALLY OF A CEMETERY, IS A VERY UNLUCKY PLACE.]
Entry 6220
If dey wants yuh tuh suffah or eithah wants yuh tuh git well, dey takes a' dey go tuh a oak tree an' take some of yore hair or eithah yore name. Write It on a piece of papah an' drive fo' nails in dis tree halfway. An' take an' tdve dese fo' nails in dis piece of papah wit yore name in it halfway. Uhat do they do that for?) Dey do dat if yo's sick an' anybody harmin' yo' an' yo' wanta git well. Puts dese nails an' dis name of yore in dere an' drive dese fo' nails in dere halfway in dis tree - dis oak tree or any kinda tree. [Here we have a general cure for ailments rather than a specific one for the tree spell only. The ail- ing victim sacrifices himself to the sickness-harm causing spirit by offering this spirit his name, magically his person. However, the nails driven halfway into the name reveal a mock sacri- fice, a trick played against the troublesome spirit, always a simple-minded fel- low.]
Entry 6221
Why dey take yore hair, pin or needle points an' bore a hole in any live green tree. A hole, an' put it in dere an' take a lighter peg [see later], a wooden peg, an' drive it in dere as tight as yo' kin git it, an' saw it off right even wit de tree. Dey say dat person will go crazy. [The preceding lighter, occurring many times in Hoodoo, is a stick or piece of chopped wood from one of several pines used as a lighter for fires. If a. pine is rich in pitch, it's called a fat-lighter pine.]
Entry 6222
Yuh git hold of some of yuh hair an' bore a hole in a tree wit a auger an' put yuh hair up in dere. An' dat'll kill yuh aftah nine days. Yuh're bound tuh die.
Entry 6223
Wit chure hair - well, now, ah'll tell. Yuh want me tell yuh whut a person kin do wit chure hair. Ah tell yuh whut a man could do wit chure hair. He could take yuh hair an' bo' a hole in a tree wit a gimlet, an' stop it up in dere wit a peg an' kill yuh by it. BUT IT TAKES A DIRTY SCOUNDREL TUH DO IT. But chew could knock dat nine maWnin's until yuh drive dat peg up jis' as fur dem nine mawnin's, de peg in de tree wit a gimlet. An' yuh kill a man by it. BUT IT TAKES A DIRTY PERSON TUH DO DAT.
Entry 6224
Ah tell yo' jis' how dey do dat. All right, dey will steal yuh hair- eithah parts of yuh body wherevah hair grow at. Dey kin take it an' ball it up tight, an' take a small nail an' carry it tuh a tree, an' cut a little hole into de tree, an' drive it jis' as fur in dere as dey kin. An' den dey go back an' drive dat hair fo' nine mawnin's an' den yuh's done gone crazy. Dat's de way dey drive yuh crazy, see.
(They go back there each morning and hit that nail?)
Nine mawnin's.
Entry 6225
I heard 'em say yo' takè a auger an' go tuh a tree an' bo' a hole in it. Den yo' kin take de hair - take de pieces of dere dress or dey shirt or dey clothes, whut dey wears, an' de bands out dere hat [auto horn] or anythin' lak dat - somepin dat dey use. An' take an' put it in dat tree - in dat place where yo' bo'd out. An' take an' git chew a sharp peg - a [pine] lighter peg whut won't rot, an' drive it up jis' as hard as yo' kin drive. Dey kin go out dere fo' nine mawnin's yo' know an' jis' knock it - take a hammah an' hit it one time. Do dat fo' nine mawnin's. Say dat'll run a person crazy.
Entry 6226
Now a person kin take yore hair out of yore haid an' dey kin go tuh a tree an' cut a hole outa dat tree an' den put chure hair inside dat tree on de quartah of de moon [see later] an' after dey put chure hair in dat tree - dey puts a peg in dat tree [hole] an' dey drive dat peg fo' nine mawnin's. See evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's dey go out an' hit it fo' nine mawnin's. Now, dat peg, aftah dat peg be tapped fo' de nine mawnin's, dat's fo' tuh run yo' Crazy. Dat's tuh run yo' outa yore senses. Yo' don't have no senses atall - yo' be stone crazy.
(What do you mean, the quarter of the moon?)
Jis' lak when de moon firs' came out. Dat's whut ah call quartah, when it firs' come out. [PRESUMABLY THE VICTIM WILL SWELL UP WITH THE MOON, THEN BEGIN TO PALE AWAY ITH THE MOON, AND FINALLY DISAPPEAR WITH THE MOON.]
Entry 6227
I've heard my mother say, if you want to do anything to anyone, get a piece of their hair and carry it to the north side of a tree, put the hair against the nail, and drive the nail for nine mornings. That'll kill them.
Entry 6228
They take the bair from the top of your head and bore a hole in the north side of an oak tree ad plug it up, drive a nail in the hole. And they go back every day for nine days and tap the nail, and the last day they drive it in as far as they can. Then chey claim you die.
Entry 6229
Ah've heard about de hair, two diff'ren' things. De hair out de haid, take dat hair an' put it in a papah, an' nailin' it tuh Le no'th side of a tree, an' attendin' it - go tuh it, say nine times, once a Lg. Go tuh dat hair an' jis' put 'is han' on it lak dat, an' dat's de way yo git results. (You just nail it up on the tree?) Yessuh, on de no'th side. (And you go there once a day for nine days Id just put your hand on it. That is all you have to do?) Dat's so if anybody would mess wit it. Yo' put it dere purposely.
(Well, what is that supposed to do to you?)
Well, it supposed tuh carry yo' down.
Entry 6230
If dey git hold-a some-a yuh hair outa yuh head, or prob'ly from any- dere about chew where dey could git hair - from undah yuh arms, maybe yuh pri- vate or somewhere. Yuh kin take dat hair an' go tuh a tree, an' yuh kin bo' a hole right in dat tree. See, say fer instance deep enough, say fo' or five fches deep on de north side of dat tree. An' git yuh a peg jis' tuh fit dat hole. Yuh put turpentine on dat hair an' put it in dat hole. An' take dat peg a' drive it on dat an' leave 'bout nine licks tuh covah dat peg up. An' go dere evah mawnin' between six an' nine a'clock an' give one lick on dat peg. De first mawnin' yuh start, dey starts wit a headache an' fin'ly - evah mawnin' he g dere an' hit it fo' nine mawnin's. An' evah mawnin' yuh hit it, yuh git wuce orse] an' wuce wit dat headache. Hit got so severe sometime - de last mawnin he hit it, yuh mind will leave yuh. Yuh supposed tuh die, CUZ HE DRIVE YUH UP IN DAT TREE AN' YUH DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS, AN' IT'S GONE, AN' YUH GROWS INTUH DAT SAP [hair grows in tree, see No.5804f.].
Entry 6231
Co'se ah didn't do it mahself, but ah seed a woman doin' it. She'd taken anothah woman's hair an' bo'd a hole in a tree an' she put it in dere. She cut nine notches on a stick an' evah mawnin' she go dere an', yo' know, nail it down a notch fo' nine mawnin's.
(What happened?)
Well, de woman she went crazy.
Entry 6232
Dey kin git some of yuh hair an' bo' a hole in a tree, an' stop it up in dere, an' go dere an' shoot nine mawnin's. Why yo' daid! Shoot dat hole where dey got chure hair stopped up in it.
(That will kill you?)
Yes.
Entry 6233
Dey could git chure hair an' go tuh a hole, if dey wanted tuh run yuh crazy. Go tuh a hole of a tree an' - bo' a hole in a tree an' put de hair in it. An' git some of yuh nurinate whut chew done, an' put in dat hole an' stick a peg in dere. An' drive dat peg fo' nine mawnin's. An' if yo' didn't go crazy, dey say it would kill yuh.
Entry 6234
Dey take a lock of yuh hair an' go tuh de west side of a tree, see. An' dey take a augah an' bo' a hole, jis' a little tiny hole in dere - say a quartah inch augah. An' bore it about half-a inch an' take dat hair, an' have it wropped up in a piece of red flannel, an' put it in dat hole. Take a eight or ten-penny galvanized nail an' place it right by dat hole, jis' about a quartah of a inch, sompin sim'lah [similar] tuh dat. An' fer nine mawnin's dey go an' hit on dat nail. An' dat will - it won't kill yuh but it will run yuh crazy.
Entry 6235
(Well, you tell me.) Well, they say, that you kin cut a piece of ha'h out de top of de haid here. Den wrap it, wrap it from them to the end of this ha'r.
(Wrap it from them?)
Wrap it from them.
(Away from them?)
From them.
(Yes.)
An' they leave a piece open here.
(Well, what do they wrap it around?)
Well, they would wrap it with thread - with a piece of thread. (Oh, they take this bunch of hair and they take a piece of thread and they wrap away from them - they Wrap this thread around that hair, away from them.) From them, an' they puts - leaves a place big enough to put a nail through it.
(I see, right through the [wrapped] thread?)
Through de ha'h.
(Through the hair. I see.)
Then you see, each wrap here an' there holds de thread - hold de ha'h here an' hold it here [demonstrates].
(Yes - oh, you put two wrappings around that?)
No, you wrap it like an' then yo' skip.
(Oh, you wrap and as you wrap, you leave a certain space.)
Yo' leave a skip jes' one place - big enough to put a nail in there.
(Skip right in the middle, I see.)
Well now, they wrap it from here to there, then they skip ovah there, then they come down an' wrap chere. Then they LEAVE THEM ENDS SWINGING an' leaVe yore ha'h in de middle of it. Take dat ha'h an' go to some place, some country place shere de sun - to a big ole tree an' drive that nail through de ha'h, an' says they leaves that de same, an' they goes there evah mawnin' fer nine days an' Yock on dat nail.
(Just once?)
No, sir, knock three knocks, they say, on that nail evah mawnin' fer nine days at sunrise.
(At sunrise.)
Then they - they knock it evah mawnin' till they git that nail - git that nail to de haid, then they knocks it nine times, they say, an' evah time they knock it they makes a oath. Well, then that nail is gone into de hair. Then THEY LEAVES IT SWINGIN' an' they say, so long as that nail is there an' de ha'h is there, yo oence to sufferin' wit de haid. An' yo' suffer wit de haid until yo' gone ooaplete crazy. Well, it's nobody to know but them that done it. That's one (I see. Now, just one moment. You go there nine mornings at sunrise and each oming you knock three times, and the last morning you knock nine times?) Nine times.
(The last morning?)
That's de last knock.
(And you knock it all the way in.)
Entry 6236
[I know] constantly from my own experience, that you could take your bair from de mole of your head and nine ten-penny nails, you see. (Nine ten-penny nails?) Yes, an' evahthin' is done in de ninth hour, an' nail it in de tree, undahstan'. Bell, an' inside of de nine months, you'll be beyond medical aid; the doctor couldn't bring you back to your recollection. You'll lose your mind. And if it stays there, you see, it will rotten away and so will you die. (I see. Well now, in this hair with those nails. you get this hair and ther chat do you do? With those nails then?) Suppose to use only nine [ten] penny nails. No other nails will do. (What do you do with them? I mean, how is that hair fixed with these nails yoa spoke of? What is done with them then?) You wraps it around there.
(You wrap this hair around these nails?)
Around de nails, each nail. You takes a portion of de hair, but from de mole of your head you see. An' you nails 'em in this tree.
(You mean, you wrap it around each nail?)
Yes, with nine [ten] penny nails, you see. An' you see, when you nail 'em in de tree, you nail 'em wit a curse word.
(You nail all these nine nails in at once?)
Yes - no, you nail 'em one by one.
(But all the same day?)
Yes, at de ninth hour; if it tis'n at de ninth hour in de mawnin', it is de ninth hour at night. An' you nail 'em wit a curse word. They says de blackest things they can about chah. (You put these nine nails. You put them all in there on one morning, one right after the other, all in the tree?) Yes.
(Any particular tree or any sort of a tree?)
Any sort of tree, but you try to git a tree that is not dying - you know, a half-dead tree. You see some of those trees that have leaves on one side and the one side it's like lightnen or thunderin' had done strucken it. Well, that will soon rot away, you see. Well, that's de side you'll choose to nail those nails, so that it'll soon rot away.
Entry 6237
Well, yo' kin take de hair out de comb if yo' cain't git it no othah Way, an' yo' kin go to a tree, a green tree, an' bo' a hole in dere an' stop dat hair up in dat hole when dat tree is yet alive an' de germ [sap] is passin' in dere up an' down, an' dat will run dat individual crazy. Dere no air kin git in dere wit dat hair.
Entry 6238
They kin take your hair from out of your temple. See, jis' a small pinch, two or three grains; that is, if they Wanta do you harm - make you sick, headache all de time. An' bore a hole in a tree befo' de sap rise, an' put it in there an' plug it up right tight. You'll have a headache an' die purtty soon afterwards.
Entry 6239
They say you can meet people that go deep into that [work you inquiring about] and involve their whole mind in it. They supposed to can get contact with Satan at the crossroads, but the words that they say in certain ceremonies they go through with, well I don't know that part of it.
[At this point I probably ask how I could protect myself against evil work.]
There are several things you could do to protect yourself, but in protecting yourself you sometimes have to hurt the other party. Now, if a person is going to get, say HOODOOING me, well he's got to make me lose my mind if he possibly can. Well, I can go to another per- son [fortuneteller, rootworker, hoodoo] and I can find out that he's trying to make me lose my mind. Well, I can make him lose his mind before he can make me lose mine, as my only means of protection in that case. Now natchly [naturally] I'm an enemy to this person and I can't get up close to them myself, but if it's a man I can put some woman up to stay with him all night and get just a teeny bit of his hair on the left-hand side of the temple, on the left temple. And we take that hair and write his name on a new piece of paper, and we put that hair with salt and pepper in that paper, and we fold it very tight. Then we go to the woods at the beginning of spring and we bore a hole in a tree, and we take a hammer and nail, and we nail that piece of paper just as far up in the tree as we can - upto Che end Of the naiI. AND THE IDEA IS, WHEN THE SAP RISES THIS PERSON WILL BEGIN TO LOSE THEIR MIND WHEN IT REACHES THAT PAPER, AND WHEN IT GOES COMPLETELY UP TO THE TOP OF THE TREE, THEIR LIVES WILL HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY LOST; AND WHEN DE FALL COMES AND THE SAP GOES DOWN, THEY DIE.
Entry 6240
One woman said once dat chew bo' a hole in a tree on de no'th side, a red oak tree, scrape de bark off. An' scrape off de first bark an' den scrape off de second bark, an' den bo' dat hole in de so'th side of a tree. Dat's fo' de hair. An' dey take yore hair an' a bird feathah, sompin wild feather, lak birds are wild things, an' fix wit it an' stop it up in dere. Say dat will run yo' crazy. Dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 6241
An' dey take yore hair of anothah way now. Take yore hair an' run yo' crazy anothah way. Dey kin take it an' put it in a green tree, oak tree, an' make a slice up. A green growin' tree. Put de hir in dere an' see, it close back on de hair. Why yo' soon go crazy an' dere ain't no cure fo' yo'. (Go to a small growing tree and put your hair in there. And when that tree grous together again?) Yeah, de tree grows up, why de hair grows in dere, why yo' go crazy. [For bair growing though separated from body, see No.5804f.]
Entry 6242
Yo' kin take a person's hair - [even] a little hairout Le comb - an' take it an' go to a 'simmon tree an' split it. Take yore knife an split it down a little bit an' put dat hair in dat tree an' dey'll nevah part - dg'll nevah go from yo' until dat tree rot down. (Now, I would take some woman's hair and put it in there. Just her hair alone?) Yassuh, jis' 'er hair alone.
Entry 6243
[This split limb rite is similar to those under the preceding margin dtles STICK.] Sow ah here'd [heard] dat dey take yore hair an' go tuh a tree. Take a limb ff de tree an' split dat tree limb, take yore hair an' put it down in dere, bind it up. Dat run yo' crazy. (Bind up what?) Yore hair. (What are you binding up, the tree or the stick you cut off?) Take yore tree an' cut it off an' split de tree. Put chure [hair] down lengthways an' wrap dat up. Dey kin run yo Tary (You are cutting off a little tree. What are you splitting? This tree or the Lteb you cut off from the tree?) De limb yo' cut off de tree. (Then you tie up a limb, then. I wanted to find out whether you tied up the tree or tied up the limb.) De limb. All right. Take de hair again an' put it in de same thing.
(Wait a minute! Tell me the whole thing now.)
Take yore hair right on an' de limb lak ah 'fore said, [= I before said or I aforesaid]. Yo' take yore hair, an' a limb off de tree. Split it an' put chure hair down in dere. Wrap dat up. Yo' tote dat in yore pocket. Dat run yo' crazy - don't have, yo' know, no mind. (You either keep that stick in your pocket or what else do you do with it? What do you do with it in the first place - the first story you told me?) [WHAT LOOKS LIKE MY STUPID QUESTIONS ABOUT SOMETHING SELF-EVIDENT IS NOW EX- PLAINED. INFORMANT HAD GIVEN THIS RITE OR A PART OF IT BEFORE I TURNED ON RE- CORDING MACHINE. REPETITION AS USUAL OMITS SOME OF THE DETAILS AND CLARITY.] Yo' take dat an' tote it in yore pocket. Don't do nuthin wit it but jis' tote it in yore pocket.
(What do you do with it the second time then?)
All right, de second time yo' take de same 'mount of stuff, go tuh a stream of watah an' take an' throw it in de watah. An' as it goes up de [tidal] stream or down de stream - which ways it may go - den yo'll follah, den yore mind will be jis' lak dat watah runnin'.
Entry 6244
They take your hair an' pluggin' it up in de sunny side of a tree an then your haid begin tuh ache. When de sun rises, your haid begin tuh ache an' ache till de sun go down.
Entry 6245
Yo' could take de hair ag'in an' put it on de sunny side of de tree. Ah mean where de sun would rise on dis side of de tree, put it in dere.
(How would you put it in the tree?)
Well, yo' cut a hole an' yo' place.it in de tree. An' den yo' put it in dere, yo' see, an' den yo' close it back up, see. Hit would run 'em crazy.