Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 15
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 6326
Take yuh hair an' put it in a stream of watah runnin' east, an' dey say dat will run yo' away from yuh Lvn'. Yuh come tuh go dat way.
Entry 6327
Ah heard dat chew could take a person's hair an' run 'em crazy. An' yuh throw dat in runnin' watah dat run- da'no'th, dat run 'em crazy.
Entry 6328
Mos' streams, yuh know, run tuh de east, [they] say, but yuh go tuh a Stream dat run west an' it'll cuz a person tuh go crazy from a certain stran' - ah think it's nine stran's dey say dey git from de mole of yuh haid. Ah've heard dat story. (And they throw it in that Water, you say?) An' put it in dat runnin' rapids - put it in de run- nin' watah, an' dat'll cuz a man or woman tuh lose dere mind. [West-running Water means water flowing towards the sunset. It is a magic, not a topographical term, a term meaning trouble. Mos if not all water in South Carolina eventually travels east to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. However, even an eastward-bound stream can sometimes bend to the west for a short distance. The Mississippi River, for example, going south bends from north to east into Quincy, Illinois, and then immediately bends west away from the city to continue its journey south.]
Entry 6329
Yuh kin take a stran' out de mole of yuh haid an' carry it tuh a run- nin' watah an' throw it up de stream - don' throw it down de stream, throw it up de stream. Dat'll drive yuh crazy in two days. Yuh be jis' as crazy as a bug. [Here again, as in the preceding rite, we have a magic term, upstream, meaning against the stream. Upstream or its equivalent against the stream is a common feature of black cat lucky-bone rites - see Pp.74-97 and elsewhere.]
Entry 6330
I have heard stories about that. They would get a lock of your hair in a certain part near the top of your head [the mold] where the brain is more exposed. And they get that hair and put it with some other ingredients, and a piece of your clothes that you have happen to have worn very close to you. They tie it up tightly and throw it in running water. This is supposed, they say, to make you lose your mind and to go away from wherever you live. You will continue to want to go as long as this thing keeps in the water and keeps going. It will stop you from running if it will catch on something, a root, a snag; then they say you will stop. You will never want to come back from where you started from.
Entry 6331
I've heard dey kin git some of dere sweaty clo's an' take de dirty watah from dere clo's. An' dey use dat like dey use in a bottle. An' git some mol' offa his hair [hair from the mold of the head] an' put it in theah, an' some bah'k [bark] offa [birch] tree. An' put dat [bottle] tuh floatin'. An' dey say dat'll run 'im crazy.
Entry 6332
An' bury dat.
(This hair?)
Yeah. Take yuh hair an' bury it undah de watah. Dat where de watah runnin', [a hydrant]. It'll run yuh, make yuh mind go an' come [as the water inside the house is turned on and off]. (I see.) [There are several places in Hoodoo where waterpipes between street and house, and the fau- cet itself are considered running water.]
Entry 6333
Yo' kin take de top of yore hair out de mole of yore haid an' cut it out, an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up. An' first yo' take yore name an' put it in a bottle, an' put chure hair on top of dat, an' stop it up good in runnin' watah. Well, as long as dat bottle run, yo'll run. Well, when dat bottle bu'st, hy yo'll be gone.
(You will die?)
Yessuh.
Entry 6334
Dey git holt of yore hair an' dey take an' dey gits a - put it in a bottle, an' put red peppah, cayenne, an' salt in dere an' yore name, an' stop it up in a bottle. Dat'll make yo' have de headache all de time, an' make yo' feel if yo' ain't satisfied nowhere yo' move. In no time yo' go. Git dat bottle an' throw it. (What do you do with that bottle?) Yo' take an' throw it in de rivah. An' [or] den yo' kin take an' yo' kin put it up ovah 'is do' where [he walks under it] or if yo' [ain't] scared he'll find it dere, if yo' a friend of 'em an' yo' visit 'em, yo' take an' yo' git it in de mattress or undah dat [bed].
Entry 6335
Anybody kin do dat. Jes' take nine strands of hair out de top of yore haid, very perfect, an' put it in a bottle an' stop it airtight, an' put it in runnin' watah - jes' run 'em 'way, an' drown 'em.
Entry 6336
Well, dey kin git holt some of yore hair. It's 'cordin' to whut dey wanta do wit yo', why dey kin take dat hair. Now, if dey wanta partly run yo' crazy, frenzy minded, dey could take dat hair an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up an' pore watah on it.
(Any kind of water?)
Any kind of a watah po' on it. Let it stay until it become to be - DAT WATAH GOIN' MAKE DAT HAIR 'LIVE LAK A LITTLE LIVE WORM IN DE WATAH, yo' see. Well, WHEN DAT HAIR BEGIN TUH GIT 'LIVE, dey take an' po' dat Water out an' t'row dat bottle in de rivah. Let it float on de way down - on - on - on. T'row it away. Whenevah dey throw it down, dey [the thrower] jes' turns aroun', dey don't look back aftah it a'gin at all. Well, dat run yo' crazy.
(They pour the water out that bottle before they throw it into the river?)
Yes, 'fore dey t'row it in de rivah, dey must keep it nine days aftah yo' put de watah in it. Yo' keep dat bottle 9 days. Have it roun' yore house an' IN 9 DAYS DAT HAIR WILL COME TO LIFE. (Yes, but I mean, you leave the water [hair] in the bottle when you throw it into the river?)
[The word water in my question is a slip of the tongue for hair.]
Yeah, oh yeah. An' de bottle's goin' float on, be goin' right on doon wit de stream.
Entry 6337
Well, ah kin go out tuh de fo'ks of de road, if ah wants tuh go out dere an' put down a little magic work for business. Ah kin go out dere tuh de fo'ks of de road an' git me a little dirt [see FORK-OF-ROAD DIRT, p.688, and elsewhere]. De fo'ks of de road comin' so [demonstrates]. Prob'ly one comin' - Memoirs.of Alma Egan Hyatt Foundation - east an' one comin' west. Well, ah gits right in de middle of dat fo'k of dat road. Ah don't git very much of dis, jis' a li'le bit of it, dat dirt. Take dat li'le dirt an' has me a li'le bottle, or cup or anythin ah wants tuh put dat dirt in, an' go on back home. Well, ah kin fix dis right up out tuh de fo'ks of de road. Aftah ah git dis dirt an' put it in dat bottle, den ah has me a ten-cent bottle of Hearts Cologne. Put dat Hearts Cologne on dat - nine drops, see. An' aftah ah po' dat in dat bottle, den ah puts anythin' - any othah article ah got lak hair or any- thin'. Ah'll fix dat up. Well now, heah's what all goes in dere: Dat dirt out de fo'ks of de road. Buy a bottle of Hearts Cologne jis' about dat big [demonstrates], a ten-cent bottle. Yuh po' dat intuh dis dirt or whatsomevah dat chew got tuh put dis dirt in, a bottle or cup. An' aftah yuh put dat in dere. den yuh takes hair. Don't care whut part it come from - come from out yore haid, puts it in dere. An' aftah yuh put dat hair in dere, yuh stop dat hair up airtight an' takes it back to dese peoples' home an' bury dis fo' nine inches under de ground. Dat represent de nine mawnin' dat she'll leave dere. [She'll leave on or before the ninth day.] Den go back an' take it outa dere an' goes to a runnin' stream of water an' throw dis in a runnin' stream of water. An' when yo' throw dis, throw it high enough to give a splash tuh dis bottle. Don't look back - jis' throw it ovah yuh haid, don't look back atall. An' jis' long as dat watah an' dat bottle floats - it don't be a big bottle, a little bottle, so [demonstrates]. So long as it goes, dat person dat yuh's aftah, dey is gone.
(You throw it high enough?)
High enough tuh make de splash be heard [over] dat curse words. [My transcriber ommitted dat curse Words; a common practice to end a rite with a cursing incantation. Why the splash had to be heard during or after the curse words is a sort of So be it or Amen.]
Entry 6338
Wal, dey kin take yuh hair. Git 'em on a piece of papah an' wrap it up an' put some salt an' black peppah wit it. Put it in runnin' watah an' yuh got-a git outa dis town. Dat will put chew a-travelin'.
Entry 6339
Ah heard dat chew kin take three stran's of a person's hair an' go tuh a runnin' stream of watah an' put it in dere, if yuh want tuh git 'em outa town - sompin lak dat - an' let it run down. Yuh know, dey put it in de watah in some kinda papah an' jis' let it go down de stream. Dat dey would leave de town.
(You said they wrap it up in some kind of paper.)
Wrap it up in some kind of paper an' let it swim, see. Let it swim downstream an' dat - dat person would leave town.
Entry 6340
Now ah tell yuh anothah thin' tuh send 'em away. If yuh kin git dis now. Now dis is purtty hard tuh git. Yuh don't git dis all de time. If yuh kin git a few strands of 'is hair, yo' undahstan', an' wrap it up in yellah papah an' put nine wrops in it, see [demonstrates by wrapping and counting] 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9.
(Wait a minute! Do you wrap it that way, the way you are wrapping it now?)
Comin' to yuh.
(It comes to you and goes out.)
Yes sir. An' yuh take dat an' put it in runnin' watah. Dat'll carry'i away.
Entry 6341
Dey could take yore hair an' run yo' crazy. Dey take it an' put it in runnin' watah. Dey furce set it in rainwater an' wiggle-tails git into de [rain] watah. An' dey'd drop dat hair in [the water containing wig- gle-tails] [and also] a horse- hair, suppose to make a worm. Den dey'll take yore hair an' Put it in a bottle wit rocks in there [to sink it], an' t'row it in running watah. [Wiggle-tail = wiggler or wriggler - larva or pupa of the mosquito.]
Entry 6342
Yo' go to de spring an' yo' git dat watah an' git a strand of a per- son's hair an' yo' put in dat - yo' put it in a bottle. Yo' ketch yo' some an' yo' put it in a bottle. An' yo' put dat in a bottle an' yo' take dat an' bring [it] back wit yo' home. An' jes' keep it all de time right in de cornah of yore bedroom. Keep dat in dere all de time.
(What will that do?)
Dat's tuh keep him at home.
Entry 6343
A lady tole me dat she run a lady crazy. An' she'd taken some hair out of 'er [other woman's] haid an' she put it in a bottle, jis' a bottle an' stop it up an' carry it to a runnin' stream of watah an' throw it in, an' talk an' tell it, "Ah want chew tuh run dis lady crazy." An' when dem nine days wuz up, she jis' foolin' crazy.
Entry 6344
Well, ah've heard dat yuh kin take a lock of a woman's hair an' throw it when de tide is goin' out - jis' so yo' knows de watah goes out an' comes in. Well, when de tide is goin' out why yuh throw dat bottle wit dat hair - stop dat fulla watah - an' let it go out. An' dat will run de man, ah mean dat woman, crazy.
Entry 6345
Dey take de hair an' put it in a snuffbox, an' goes tuh de rivah when de tide's goin' out an' throw it ovahbo'd. Evah time de tide go an' come, why dey - don't care where dey is, an' whut kinda job dey got, why dey jis' driftin' from place tuh place.
(They are drifting all the time.)
Entry 6346
If a man would take some hair out a woman haid, or eithah a man haid, an' jes' or'nar'ly - see, we got a sluggish slow tide chere. An' yo' stop it up [in a bottle] jes' as tight as it kin be stopped, see, an' put jes' enough water or anythin' dat sink dat bottle. Jes' let it swim wit de tide a piece, not [sink] right down to de bottom. An' she left town. She won't come, be back, but she won't be hurt. Dat de woman's hair, see.
(That's to run her out of town?)
Yeah, dat's to run her outa town.
Entry 6347
Take dat hair an' put it in a bottle of watah. Go down tuh de rivah when de tide be goin' out, yo' see, an' take dat hair an' git some of dat watah whut runnin' out - while it's floatin' - de tide be goin' out. Put some of dat watah an' stop it up an' throw dat bottle ovahbo'd an' say, "God damn, yo' son-of-a- bitch, yuh oughta been daid," an' let dat bottle run out, an' dat'll jes' run yo' crazy. See dat watah be carryin' it time de tide be goin' out, see. Dat watah carries it on out, yo' see, an' yo' jes' nevah would have no mo' good sense. Yo' jes' be crazy, don't know whut's de mattah wit chew. (Now, you put this hair in the bottle after you empty the bottle out, but you must get some of the water as the tide is going out and put in the bottle and cork it up, then throw it right back into the same Water.) Yes.
Entry 6348
Takin' yuh hair an' puttin' it in [can or bucket of] watah, an' dey take it out an' put it in a stockin', an' bury it undah de steps fo' three days. In three days dey take it up an' throw it in runnin' watah. (What will that do?) Say it will run yuh crazy. (What do you mean, put that hair in water? What kind of water?) Well, yuh know, sompin lak put it in a can or bucket or sompin lak dat.
(You mean ordinary water?)
Yes slr.
Entry 6349
Dey git de hair from de comb an' dey mix it up wit a little - put some salt in it, de way ah heard it. Now, put salt in it an' sometimes dey puts cham- ber lye in it. Put dat in de chamber lye in de bot- tle. Put dat in de bot- tle - put de chamber lye in it an' put de salt in it an' stop it up. See, an' goes tuh de rivah an' chunk it as de tide goin' out. An' dey chunk it as de tide goin' out, well, about from three tuh five tuh nine days, yore mind will be goin' - goin' till yo' go, an aftah while yo' find yoreself crazy.
Entry 6350
Dey could take yore hair an' stop it up in a bottle wit cay- enne peppah, peppah- grass an' take dat bottle at 12 o'clock hour on, an' chunk it ovahbo'd in de Mississippi River, an' jes' as she [bottle] drift, you'll drift aroun'.
Entry 6351
[The wearing of hair, a common love rite, is scat- tered throughout Hoodoo. In addition to' many examples given elsewhere, here are a few more:]
How tuh win yuh husban', yassuh [yes sir], if he wuz lovin' somun [someone] else. Ah had taken some of dere [his] hair outa de mole [mold of the head] an' weah [wear] it a couple mont's [months], an' ah have regained 'im back.
(You took some hair out of your husband's head and just [meaning nothing else]
wore it, and that brought him back.) [Wilson, N. Car.; (1500), 2668:3.]
Entry 6352
Git chure hair an' take dat hair - she kin take dat hair, an' if it's yore hair an' she wants yo' tuh love 'er, she kin take dat hair an' sew it up in a piece of cloth, an' take an' weah dat cloth an' wherevah dat he goes, why yo' [she] will long aftah 'im.
Entry 6353
Well, some people'll [people will] take haih. Jes' lak yo' take mah hair yo' know an' weah it, weah it on me [you], put it in a bag or somepin an' pin it tuh de clothes on de inside. [They] says dat'll make mah mind cleave tuh dem [you].
Entry 6354
Ah heard say if yo' take a person's hair an' sew it up in a li'le sack an' weah it somewheres aroun' [you], why dey'll love yo' fo'evah - dey nevah be 'way from yo'. [Wilson, N. Car., (1506), about 2673:4.] [The reason why I did not know the cylinder number here, there were two rites typed on the same tran- scription sheet, I forgetting to note here the cylinder number on the upper half. Since I have all separate rites in volumes 1 and 2 listed in numberical order, I know cylinder 1506 contains rites numbered 2673. The place number 4 on the cyl- inder is typed on the lower half of the original transcription sheet. The com- nent will explain other instances of unknown numbers in Hoodoo.]
Entry 6355
Gittin' some of de man hair an' some of de dirt - jes' lak a woman she git some of de man hair an' git some of de dead skin from undah 'er foot, an' veah it roun' 'er wais', an' dat'll keep 'im mo' [more] close tuh 'er. (She takes some of his hair and some of the dead skin from the bottom of her feet and puts it together.) Yessuh.
Entry 6356
Take some of de hair an' some of de [foot] tracks an' weah it roun' yore waist, an' dat'll keep 'em down - some of dey right track. (Who would do that as a rule?) A woman would do dat. (Take some of the man's hair and some of his right foot track to keep him down?) Yassuh.
Entry 6357
Ah've heard dat dey kin take dat hair an' sew it intuh de bindin' of dey clothes. It mo' lak gittin' yore nature if dey keep dat hair sewed intuh de bindin' of dey clothes an' it become sweaty wit de nature of yo'. Den yo' kin come mo' lak managin' dat person. An' den ag'in yo' kin weah it [hair] in de bottom of yore shoe. Weah it in yore shoe an' walk on it an' dat person will nevah become a enemy of yo', becuz yo' got 'em undah yore feet.
Entry 6358
Yo' kin take de hair an' yo' git chew a lodestone wit it an' sew it up in a piece of red flannel an' weah it nex' tuh yo'. Dat's yore mind. Ah've got it, yore mind. Yo' weah dat an' dat's supposed tuh draw yore mind, see. Keep it always an' weah it on yo'.
(That will draw you.)
Entry 6359
[Mold or mould (the latter British) a term for a special place on top of the head, had few sayings or rites in Folklore from Adams County Illinois, lst ed. These few beliefs concerned the top of a baby's head, the still unjoined skull sutures which informants called the soft spot - anatomically the fontanel. An adult mold, sutures grown together and the center from which hair spread in all directions, informants knew as the crown or crown of the head. Some persons knew the name mold for the top of the head but no folklore about it. This top- of-the-head significance of mold appears in Websters New Intermational Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed., 1942; but The Random House Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged (1966) omits the definition. Does this omission indicate infrequent usage or obsolescence for a word as old as the Anglo-Saxon language? There are many hair-from-the-mold-of- the-head rites in Hoodoo.] An' den dey kin take de hair ag'in out de mole [mold] of yore haid an' weah it on de body an' make 'em love yo'.
Entry 6360
Tuh make love wit a woman, yo' cud [could] git - yo' cudn't git it anyway - git somebody tuh git some of 'er hair. An' take dat hair, put it in any kinda bag, but specially if it be a piece of new cloth. It be in de first piece an' den de pocket [bag] be roun' it. Put it roun' yore wais' an' den fasten it roun' dere. Firs' 'n'int [anoint] it wit Howthorne Cologne [Hearts Own Cologne, though for a long time this word sounded like hartshorn or hawthorne]. An' evah once a mont' yo' would 'n'int dat wit dat Hathorne [Hearts Own] Cologne. If yo' cudn't git de hair, anybody - jis' so anybody git it an' den give it tuh yo'. Dey cud fix it fo' yo' if dey wanted tuh. But tuh make her love yo', den yo' have tuh have dat hair an' weah it roun' yore wais'. "Nint it firs' wit Hathorne [Hearts Own] Cologne. When yo' see de love begin tuh git weakah, all yo' gotta do is 'nint it ag'in. An' jis' as long as yo' keep dat hair an' 'nint dat - even yo' cud take it off aftah yo' weah it de firs' nine days. But if yo' see etc.
Entry 6361
A fellah tole me, ah wuz a kid, a kind of a small lad of a kid, an' dere wuz a girl dat ah wuz likin', an' he had come, walked up to me one day an' says, "Whut chew stud'in' 'bout?" Ah say, "Well, ah jes' a studyin', ah don' har'ly [hardly] know."
[He] say, "Well, it's a woman yo' stud'in' 'bout?)
Ah say, "How yo' know?" [He] say, "Open yuh han'." An' ah jes' open mah han' an' he looked in mah han' an' he say, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew kin do." Said, "Yo' take an' go git chew a [new] bottle of Heart's Cologne an' git fo' strands of dat woman's hair an' put it in dat Heart's Cologne an' weah it in de seat of yuh clothes [pubic region sug- gested by later armpit] nine days. An' if yo' don' wanta do dat, take some of 'er hair. Take a plait of 'er hair an' roll it up real tight an' weah it undah yuh lef' ahm [arm]. An' don' nevah git rida [rid of] hit." An' he say, "She'll nevah leave yo'."
Entry 6362
Yuh hair. Or tuh make love er any- thing, dey'll [take] dat an' fol dit [fold it] up an' den put some - weahzit [wears it] aroun' dere wais' [waist], see. Dat not tuh do no hahm [harm] dō [though]. Dat tuh make love, if anybody - yuh wife wan'a keep yuh in.
(Yes, what would she do then?)
Dey go tuh verk [work] an' yuh [dey] put dat in a bottle, [with] 9 needles an lak dat. Dey put 'em in. Dis ole man 'ave [have] tell me.
Entry 6363
[Paper is a magic substance in hoodoo: type of (including imitation parchment), color, new, ruled or unruled, shape, etc. Folding and wrapping and tying are magic rites.l If he's got othah woman roun' an' dey ain't got de habit of hittin' it off, she could jes' jes' git a stran' of hair out de mol' [mold] of 'is haid, an' wrop it up in a piece of papah, an' jes' make a sack fo' her tuh weah yo' know, jes' sew it up in some of 'er clothes she's gon'a weah. Why he couldn't leave dere no time, unless he goes tuh 'is business - couldn't stay no longah.
Entry 6364
If yo' have a piece of dere hair yo' kin git 'em back. Ah heard dey takes it an' wrap it in some peppah an' tote it, in red peppah. Bring a per- son back.
Entry 6365
Dey take yore hair, a stran' of yore hair, an' dey cut it an' put a li'le piece of it on 'em an' dey wear it roun' below... A piece of yore hair an' put a piece of dere garment an' wear it down below dere stomach. Yes - an' then - that makin' love. (They put a piece of any kind of gar- ment?) Yes a piece of 'er garment - de seat of 'er bloomers, yessuh. Yes - dat make a man love 'em.
Entry 6366
Yo' kin git some of dat woman's hair an' take an' put a halfa teaspoon- ful of salt intuh some watah an' a li'le bit of camphah tuh it, dey says. An' yo' kin shake dat up - de hair an' a li'le bita camphah an' watah an' dat table salt tuhgethah. An' she will leave from where she's at or leave de man she's wit.
Entry 6367
Ah heard people say yo' could take a person's hair an' tie it up in a rag or sompin lak dat, an' put salt an' ah think dey said spices in it an' carry it wit 'em all de time. Dat make 'em love dem, see.
Entry 6368
Jes' lak yo' wants tuh git in touch wit a woman an' cain't git in touch wit'er, yo' go tuh work an' jes' take yo' two or three stran's of hair out of 'er haid; yo' know, tie 'em an' weah 'en in de seat of yore undahweah - weah it three days. Well, dat gits dat yo' see.
Entry 6369
For instance, if I had a wife and she was in love with me and I was running around with other women and I vent to sleep, she would pull three strands of my hair and put them in a bag, and put sugar and lard, and make it just the size of a dime in a little pad, and wear it around her leg, either leg. I would have no more use for any other woman.
[Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6370
Well, ah've heard dat chew could take de hair out of a woman's haid an' jes' take a string an' tie dis hair, if yo'd wanta harm 'em [her] some way. Weah it aroun' yore waist, weah it until de hair lose out. Say when de hair lose [is lost], yo' done lost de woman.
Entry 6371
Heard dem say dat chew kin take yore hair an' put it in some powdahs an', an' some Hawthorne [= Hearts Own] Cologne. Said dey take dat an' put dat an' tie it, an' put it in a clothan' tie roun' yore wais'. Dey said dat'll make mens love yo'.
Entry 6372
Yo' kin take a woman's hair an' a piece of 'er undah- weah an' a piece of new cloth, an' sew it up tight an' weah it in yore pocket, an' dey says she'll love yo'. Else [otherwise] she'll be extra mean tuh yo'.
Entry 6373
Take a man's hair, a strand of his hair out of his haid, an' put it ~ makea belt, chew know - an' put dat hair indat belt an' wear it roun' yore waits [waist]. Dat will make him crazy about chew too. Ah've tried dat too.
Entry 6374
Well, ah heard it said if yuh git nine strands of der hair an' yuh wrap dat aroun' a cord nine times jis' lak yuh tyin' up a [package] - jis' aroun' de hair, wrap it from yuh all de time. Den yuh git chew nine drops spirits of tur- pentine an' yuh put on dat, an' yuh wrops dat up in a piece of papah. [You put 9 strands of victim's hair in a piece of paper, add 9 drops of turpen- tine, and wrap a cord from you 9 times about this paper pack- age.] An' yuh go an' put it undah de [house owner's or renter's] doorstep. Yuh put it undah dere evah mawnin' befo' de sunrise fo' nine mawnin's. Yuh put dat undah dere an' yuh go back after sundown. Yuh put dat undah dere an' yuh go back aftah sundown. Yuh put it undah dere befo' sunrise an' go back aftah sundown an' git it, den put it back dere ag'in befo' sunrise. Yuh go it fo' nine mawnin'san' on de ninth mawnin' dey [owner or renter] goin' be movin'. [Wrapping and winding, two important magic actions have not always been indexed in the past. There are in Hoodoo many examples of the former, especially wrapping to you or away from you. True winding rites probably will also be found in Hoodoo, they appearing in love rites of general folklore (see BALL OF YARN examples, FACI, 2nd ed., p.439). [Wilmington, N. Car., (294), 217:4 - 85+.1
Entry 6375
If she wanta take him from 'is wife. Yo' see, he's got a wife an' she wanta take him. An' 'cordin' to dat, well, he'll go an' stay wit 'er all night. Well, while he's dere, she'll cut some hair out of 'is haid, see. She'll take dat hair out an' put it intuh a quart bottle an' good whiskey on it, an' put bluestone an' lodestone in dere. An' befo' she'll speak to anybody, she'll git up evah mawnin' fo' nine straight mawnin's an' shake dat up. An' at de end of de ninth mawnin' when she shake it up, dat hair will bejes' as black as a coal in dat bottle. An' dat man will walk right out of de house an walk ovah dere tuh her, an' 'is wife won' say an'thin' tuh him.
(That takes this man away from his wife?)
Yessuh. [Memphis, Tenn., (1530), 2736:4.] [These three parts of the human body appear separately, joined with one or the other, or all together, or in various combinations with various substances. About one-third of them concern food and drink. As always in these sections of special material, not all rites are here. Others will be found elsewhere, espe- cially in INTERVIEWS.]
Entry 6376
Yo' know, jes' lak we be settin' down filin' our fingahnail off, yo' know, an' yo' know people be settin' roun' talkin' tuh each othah an' ain't thinkin' about it. Well, dey watch chew an' dey git chure fingahnails. Ah'll take 'em up an' ah'll carry 'em tuh dis ant bed an' whenevah dey take yore fingahnails an' carry 'em tuh de ants bed, yo' know dose ants mo' den apt tuh take evahthin' dey kin an' carry dem in 'is hole. See, when he carry dat, den ah'll go back de nex' mawnin' an' if dat ant is missin', have taken dese nails, vell ah'm goin' stop de hole up. Well, dat's she's goin' bad, got somepin, jes' lak somebody got de TB [tuberculosis]. Jes' long as her fingahnails an' thin's is stopped up in dis hole, she dryin' away.
Entry 6377
Take an' put yuh toenail an' a piece of dis man's hair in dere an' yo' kin git 'im back. (Put it where?) In de ants nest, in a red ants nest.
Entry 6378
Yo' soak yore feet an' den yo' git a knife an' scrape dat skin off - some of dat dead skin. Make it up an' put it in sompin tuh drink. Nachurally ef yo' drink tea, put it in yore tea or in coffee. An' take yore fingahnails an' toenails an' parch dem an' beat dem up an' put it in coffee or tea. An' wash undah yuh arm an' put dat in de tea. Dat vill make 'em love yuh, make dem real jealous of yo', too. An' ef yo' don't min' 'en, make 'em kill yo'.
Entry 6379
Dey say a woman, eithah a man, if dey want dey husban' or dey wife tuh stay home. Yo' take yuh fingahnails - trim yuh fingahnails, trim de toenails an' wash undahneath each one of yore arns an' if dey drink likkah, put it in likkah an' let it set fer three days. Don' let 'em see it. Jis' conceal it somewhere. An' dey say dey would nevah leave, jis' hang right aroun' dere - stay home.
Entry 6380
[This may be my only example of the rare term badge, meaning hand, or toby or mojo.] If yo' wanted 'er tuh love yo', why yo' jes' take some of - jes' lak yo'd take a bath an' git some of de dirty skin from undah de bottom of yore feet, de hollah of yer lef' feet. Trim yer fingahnails good an' close an' git some of de dirt from undah dere. Take dem an' parch dem, parch de fingah- nails. Parch dese fingah- nails brown, beat it up, an' git some of 'er hair an' burn it - de hair from 'er haid an' burn it. Mixes it tuhgethah wit Hearts Cologne an' sulphur, an' weah it undah-yer lef' arm as a badge.
(Wear it under your left armpit as a badge.)
An' in seven days she'll eithah come or she'll write yo' a lettah.
Entry 6381
Yo' kin make de girl love yo' dat way. Well, yo' kin take an' wash yore feet nice an' clean an' scrape de callous lightly, see. Go git chew a dime's wuth [worth] of beer or 15 cents wuth of beer an' put dat indere. Keep it always shet up good. Keep it in - an' co'se yo' could drink a glass an' give huh a glass, an' SHE BE JES' AS WILD ABOUT CHEW AS SOMEBODY ELSE IS ABOUT DERE BABY.
Entry 6382
Well, dey will take dat an' have yo' lame all de time. (What do they do with that then, after they scrape the bottom of the feet? What do they do with that then?) Bottle it up wit some stuff dey call de blue vitrus - wit blue vitrus. An' den dey take it an' aftah dey put dat blue vitrus in wit it, dey take it den wit a mixture fo' tuh do yo' harm - me harm, or somebody else. Don' care whose [who] 'tis. Dey'd mix it, yo' know, an' driv' [drip] it [bury bottle so that it leaks] long wherevah yo' have tuh go, fo' tuh strike yo' wit pain [in the feet].
Entry 6383
An' dey could trim yer fingahnails, yo' know. Say now, like if yo' set dere an' trim yer fingahs, I'd gathah dem up. See, I'd gathah dem up an' take dem - or toenails, eithah one of 'em. Take 'em an' put 'em in a li'le vial. An' aftah yo' put 'em intuh de li'le vial, yo' would keep 'em in dis vial fo' 'bout nine days, wit a li'le vitrus wit 'em fo'.tuh git 'em soft. Den yo' take 'em out of dat vitrus an' dry 'em off, an' put 'em in anothah vial den an' put othah stuff wit 'em. (What other stuff do they put with that second vial? What do they put in that second vial?) Intuh de secon' one yo'll put some of yer own chamber lye, an' a li'le bit of cologne root.
(Cologne root?)
Cologne root. An' yo'll take dat an' shift it aroun' [in the bottle]. Dat is tuh do 'em harm.
[Cologne root is probably a product of the root-seller or hoodoo drug store.]
(Well, what do you do with that bottle then, that has that stuff in it? This second bottle, what do you do with that, then?) De bottle? Well, yo' could take dat bottle out some place an' bury it. Bury dat bottle an' dat'll make dem useless in dere han's or foot, wherever dese nails come from.
Entry 6384
Dat he tole yo' concernin' scrapin' part of de foot, didn't he [my contact man]? [My contact man always required a rite before anyone could enter interviewing room. We wanted to be certain informant knew what we wanted. The rite in- formant gave now follows.] Yo' wash 'am an' evahthin' an' yo' take an' yo' scrape a li'le bit of de skin off yore foot. Ah don' know if white folks do or not. Ah know colored do, but now yo' - co'se ah nevah knowed zactly whut dey [white folks] do. Yo' take an' scrape de foot an' - take a knife, a dull knife so yo' won' cut chure foot, an' scrape it lak dat. Yo' take an' put it in a li'le [can or jar] top an' put it in de stove [oven] an' brown it. When it brown - yo' mix it [with] black peppah an' put it in de stove. An' whoevahyo' Wanta see, dat all yo've gotta do. An' whoevah dat chew want - whatevah one yo' want, yo'll have 'em right down undah yore foot. Dey'll come an' give yo' evah- thin' an' stick right tuh yo'.
Entry 6385
Ah heard tell of wimmins trickin' mens dat way, jes' git de mens where dey got dem undah dey own command yo' know. Yo' know aftah a certain time of de yeah, aftah yo' washes good lak dat, dere's a daid skin comes off dat, off dere'feet. Dey say dey'll destroy [scrape off] dat skin an' takes it an' burns it. An' natur'ly dey burnin' part of 'im. An' wherevah dey burn it at - whoevah burns it, dey jes' claim dat to 'em jes' lak dat.
Entry 6386
(They trim them? Well, what do they say they do with those [nails]?)
De trimmin's of 'em, dey takes 'em an' scorch 'em, an' scorch 'em - scorch 'em tuhgethah. Aftah dey do's dat, dey buries 'em in a piece of papah. An' when de papah begin tuh rot away All dis dust of dey trimmings go down in de dirt, dey say yo' begin den an' molt away, come down like yo' got consumption.
Entry 6387
Scrape de bottom of yore feet, git de dead skin off. Dat means if yo' evah let some- body git de dead skin from undah de bottom of yore feet, dey say dat yo'll nevah settle down. Yo'll always be goin' from one town to de othah.
(What do they do with that dead skin, anything?)
Jis' take it an' burn it up, wrap it an' burn it.
(Give you a sort of hot-foot with that?)
Keep yo' goin' all de time.
Entry 6388
Fingahnails or toenails people would [take] an' ball 'em, tie 'em up in a li'le ball tuhgethah, parch 'em, an' throw away tuh each cornah of de world.
[The world has 4 corners - see last book in Bible, Rev. 7:1.] Make 'em go crazy. Dey [have]
spell of sickness.
Entry 6389
Take 'em an' burn 'em in de ashes, an' sew 'em up in red flannen. (These fingernails and toenails?) Yes sir, an' it'll run 'em crazy.
Entry 6390
It's gotta be close frien's tuh git dat. But dey kin take dem fingah- nails an' dose toenails an' dat dead skin off de bottom of yore feet. An' take some dragon blood, see, an' some John de Conkah powdah. It's a powdah an' den it's a root, but chew take de John de Conkah powdah. (Where do you get the powder?) Yo' gits dis powdah from New Orleans. De woman tole me, yassuh. An' take it, dat dragon's blood an' dat John de Conkah, an' take dat dead skin an' dem toenails [and fingernails]. An' if it's possible, yo' kin git a piece of de individual's hair. Now ah'm tellin' yo' a way tuh drive 'em clean on out of town. An' put some cayenne peppah wit dat an' roll it up. An' sprinkle some table salt on it an' roll it up tight, an' burn it graj'ly [gradually]. Don't burn it real fast. Jis' put it in a place where it kinda simble [simmer] all day long. An' den [after] hit git burnt up, de party would git jis' hot-footed, hot-headed to go.
Entry 6391
De bottom of de feet, dat didn't happen tuh me once, but.it happen by dem people though. Yo' take de bottom of yore feet an' yo' take yore toenails an' yore fingahnails off. Yo' trims 'em yo' know wit de scissors. An' yo' takes dat an' yo' burys dat, see. An' when dey burys dat, dat keeps yo': aroun' home - keeps yo' from goin' away. An' dat makes de woman keeps yo' all de time undah huh control.
(I see, I see.)
Entry 6392
Yo' trimmin' yo' fingahnails an' dey'll tie it up in a cloth an' dey'll bury dat. Dat'll harm yo'.
(Well, how would it harm you? What would it do to you?) Whut will it do tuh yo'? Why, yo' fingahs will rot off.
Entry 6393
Ah've had a li'le experience. Dey say dey kin take de skin off de bottom of yer feet an' put it in - jis' lak dis [points to ashes and ash tray on inter- view table] de bottom of yer feet. Wheresomevah [whatever container] dey'd put it [footskin] in, dey dig a hole an' buries it, an' den turn it [container bottom upwards]. See. As hit [= it, the footskin] fade away, as
[likewise] yo' fade away.
Entry 6394
Dey take fingahnails an' toenails an' cut 'em up, an' place 'em intuh a stove. Parch 'em - parch de fingahnails brown. Aftah dey is parched brown, den dey takes 'em an' carry 'em, an' when dey git tuh yore do' or de front do', or dey git someone else dat's stayin wit yo' tuh place 'em ovah yore head, don't chew know, aftah dey parch 'em in de stove. Dat's de way ah learned of dat.
(What will that do to you then?)
It will cuz yo' not to leave home.
Entry 6395
Take when yo' scrape de bottom of yore feet. Some people have crusts or whatsomevah, ole dead skin, up undah de bottom of dere feet. Yo' take dat an' yo' put it in a jar an' bury it up undah yore back do'step. An' aftah yo' bary it up undah yore back do'step, whutsomevah trouble yo' have wit dis persmn, it'll be all ovah.
(You take that to somebody you are having trouble with?)
Yes sir.
Entry 6396
Well, yo' take a person fingahnail an' yo' cut dem. Dat's fo' love.
(Just how would you do that?)
Yo' trim yore fingahnails. Yo' take an' bake dem an' den yo' take an' beat 'em up tuh a powdah. When yo' feed a person yo' sprinkle dat in dat meal, see, an' dey'll love yo'. An' den ag'in yo'll take - wash yore feet real clean an' scrape de dirt from de hollah of yore foot. An' yo' put dat in de food, an' dat'll make dem love yo'.
Entry 6397
Dey say dat dey jis' cut jure [your] fingahnail off. Even if yo' trin yo' fingahnail an' anybody settin' aroun', it may be at party drinkin' tuhgethah, a person dat drink. Well, if yo' trim nail an' somebody don't lak yo', got it in fo' yo', yo' [person who dislikes you] take up de nails an' - down dere whilst yo' haid turn, yo' not seein' [him] take de nails up, an' prob'ly he got de likkah [handy] or slip up an' put some of 'em [your own fingernails] intuh yo' glass. Well, usely [usually] dey [fingernails] goes down parta de way tuh de bottom furs [first] an' come back up. Po' [pour] yo' a drinka likkah an' - well, yo' not thinkin' nuthin, takin' an' prob'ly half-shot or somepin-lak, an' drink dem nails dOWD, Why YO' FINGAHNAIL IS SURELY DEAD POISON TUH YO' BODY AS A RATTLESNAKE. DEY'LL SURE KILL YAH.
Entry 6398
Well, ah know a man de way he do. He take his toenails an' trim 'em. Where he have a knack of makin' coffee fo' his wife, yo' know, evah mawnin'. Well, he'll let dem toenails contin'sly be in de cof- feepot, an' boil coffee off dere fo' 'er an' let 'er drink it. An' so dat kinda ties her tuh 'im - keep 'er from men or anythin' lak dat. Well, a man or woman, eithah one could tie one anothah tuh 'em wit dat, by givin' it tuh 'er in whiskey tuh drink. Sev'ral diff'ren' thin's lak dat.
Entry 6399
Toenails, yo' know. An' [they] ketch yore toenails an', if dey kin git 'em, dey make a tea of 'em. It gives yo' - an' yo' drink dat an' git it inside of yo', it MAKES YORE ENTRAILS SCALEY INSIDE. It be's perfectly scaley JIS' LIKE A FISH, but it be's all de way roun' yore guts. But it's one thing, yo' see by gittin' dem, dey goes down. De scales don' come up dis way fo' yo' food tuh hang. De scales will hang down so yore foods kin go by. Dey will give yo' a bad odor through yore [mouth?]. Yo' undahstan' me?
Entry 6400
Ah've seen a ole lady [witchcrafter] take a boy one time. His wife wus a dissipatin' wumman, she didn't mean 'im any good. Dis wus a hard workin' boy, an' he went tuh 'er [the crafter] an' ah went wit 'im. (Went to this old woman?) Wit dis boy. She has 'im tuh go tuh work an' jis' take a warm pail of watah an' some soap, an' wash 'is hands an' feetses good an' clean. Sharp 'is knife, trim 'is fingah- nails an' lay dem down; an' 'is toenails, put dem down. She take jis' a li'le snail lid, jis' about lak dat [demonstrates], an' takes dose fingahnails an' toe- nails, an' puts 'em on de stove an' parches 'em thoroughly, up Intuh a powdah compound. Den she cooked 'em in a cake an' give it tuh dis boy. Well, dis boy wife eat dat, why evahthin' come tuh be lovely.
Entry 6401
Not fo' harmin'. Yo' take yore fingahnails an' toenails an' yo' par- ches dat. An' when yo' parch it, whutsomevah yo' cook fo' a person - lak if a woman got a husban' an' she wants 'im tuh stay aroun' 'er an' love 'er. Yo' takes dat whenevah yo' git ready tuh cook sompin fo' him, yo' parches it jes' lak black peppah, an' den yo' use dat ingredients intuh somepin dat chew git ready tuh feed 'im wit.
(That holds him?)
Dat holds 'im tuh 'er.
Entry 6402
Yo' kin make a person do anything in de worl' fer yuh. Yo' git dere toenail, dere fingahnail, yo' parch dem nail, an' yo' rub [powder] dem nail up, an' sprinkle intuh de food dey eat.
Entry 6403
Well some of 'em say yo' take dat an' make dere husban' love 'em. Take de fingahnails an' toenails an' clip de nail off in a piece of papah or cloth. An' put it in de stove an' parch jis' lak yo' parchin' corn. An' take it an' tyin' it up, beat it up, an' put it in a powdah-lak. An' when yo' give him 'is food tuh eat, put dat intuh it. He'll nevah leave yo'.
(That will make the man love you.)
Yes.
Entry 6404
Well, dey Say IF YO' GOT A HUSBAN' AN' YO' WANTA RULE 'IM - KEEP 'IM STAY AT HOME AN' NOT RUN AROUN' - dey always say dat yo' trim yore fingernails an' trim de toenails, an' parch dat an' crumble dat in his food, kinda lak black peppah. Dat will do de work.
Entry 6405
Well, now, dat would make a person stay tuhgethah. Dat's whut chew mean. Well, dey trim de toenails an' de fingahnails an' yo' parch 'em. Yo' put 'em in a li'le top, yo' put 'em on de stove or anywhere an' yo' parch dem fingah- nails an' toenails. Den yo' pound 'em up an' yo' put 'em in a person coffee an' give 'em. Yo' see yo' parch 'em.