Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 21
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 6807
Cook frog alive, add vinegar, when salve cold apply for venereal dis- ease.
Entry 6808
(Suppose I have come to you about taking a spell off?)
Well, ah nuse [use] dis salt, peppah, sage an' stuff - salt, sugah, sage, alum an' saltpetah. Ah got dat ovah in a box, see. An' ah take some new string, nuthin have been worn, an' ah tie dem, an' whatsomevah ah Want chew tuh do [demon- strates]. (Just tie a knot.) Yeah, tie a knot, an' den ah take dat, dis stuff an' sprin- kle it ovah dere, see. An' den if dis spell [is] on me [you], see. An' whosomevah put it on yo', if yo' know dere names, yo' jis' call dere name an' tell 'em yo' want 'em to take dis spell offa yo'. Well, if dey don't, yo' wish bad luck onto dem, see. An' yo' burn dis stuff. An' den YO' STRIP BUCK NECKED [NAKED] AN' DEN TAKE DIS BLANKET AN' PUT IT: OVAH YORE HAID. AN' DIS SMOKE, YO' CAIN'T HAR'LY [HARDLY] STAND IT. If dere's anything in yo' in any way, shape, form or fashion, it'll come out, see. [The preceding term suck necked [[naked]] may be its only use in Hoodoo.] An' den yo' take a li'le whiskey glass an' yo' boil dis heah gourd tea - yo know gourds - an' yo' boil dis gourd tea an' yo' take three glasses of dis gourd tea evah day. An' dat'll take de spell off yo'.
(Especially if they have something inside of you.)
Entry 6809
Dey tell me if yo' take garlic an' weah it in yore right shoe an' a piece in yore right-hand pocket, dere cain't no one poison yo'.
Entry 6810
(What do they use garlic for?) Dat's, dey poun' dat up, too. Dey poun' dat up an' use dat fo' - jis' lak now, if yo' sick, dere's somepin in yo' an' yo' cain't git it out, yo' know. Yo' take dat garlic pound it up an' take it - jis' pound it up, pound it up, pound it up, an' mix it wit a teaspoon sodee.
(Soda?)
Yeah cookin' sodee. Swallah it down, see. An' dat knocks it out.
(I see.)
Entry 6811
Yo' take garlic, yo' see, if a person got poison in 'em. Yo' jis' take dat garlic an' yo' stew dat down wit vinegah, an' yo' give it tuh dat person tuh eat. Dat will kill it down in dere. (What kind of poison?) Any kind. Jis' say, jes' lak dere's a person down heah gives yo' poison in whiskey or sompin. Yo' know, jis' LAK A PERSON TRY TUH KILL YO', TRY TUH GIVE YO' ANY KINDA SNAKE-HAID DUST.
(Any live things in them?)
Yeah.
Entry 6812
Ah know whut ah done tuh keep 'em from hurtin' me, aftah dey hurt mah chile. Ah put sulphuh in mah shoes. Dey say dat wuz good. An' dey tell me tuh drink garlic. Put watah on de garlic an' drink it, an' said put sulphuh in mah shoe, an' drink milk an' sulphuh. Dat's what dey tell me.
(Drink what kind of sulphur?)
Drink milk an' sulphuh.
(Milk and sulphur. Mix the milk together?) Yes, sir, an' drink it. Say dat's good fo' poison. (No one can hurt you if you do that.)
Entry 6813
(How do you get those black things out?) How do yo' git 'em out? Well, yo' git dem live things out - git saltpetah an' guinea peppah, garlic an' sweet milk an' parsley - heat parsley - an' it'll make 'em come up.
(That is to get the live things out. What do you do? Make this all into a tea?)
No, yo' don't make no tea at all. Yo' jis' beat it up, don't heat it, drink it in de milk.
Entry 6814
Well, jis' lak if people has some kinda goofah dust aroun' yo' take salt - cookin' salt - an' sulphuh an' sprinkle it aroun' wit chamber lye. Mix dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it aroun' in yore house. Dat would kill it.
(Kill off this goofer dust.)
Dat put down fo' yo'.
Entry 6815
[Gopher, here, is the burrowing land tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) of the southern coastal regions, U. S. A.] Dat's if yo' wuz poisoned, an' it ain't no doctor [M.D.] kin cure it. Yo' kin ketch a gopher, pull 'is right laig out - yo' know he's got fo' laigs - de right- front laig. Jis' snatch it out, de blood's comin' from it. Well, yo' take dat blood an' put it in some warm water. Ah don' care whut's in yo', if somebody put in yo', dat blood an' some warm water, drink it as hot as yo' kin stand, an' it's comin' out. Ah don' care if it's 'live. He can't stay dere, he comin' out.
(What does a gopher look like?)
Well, it looks jis' lak a turtle, only dey haven't got a long tail. Dey got a hard shell.
Entry 6817
Take guts from a grain [green] gourd and make a tea. Drink, and if hurt inside, you will vomit.
Entry 6818
Yo' go an' git a green gourd, ole gourd. Yo' know dose green gourd dat grows on a vine. Jis' lak a - jis' any kinda gourd, yo' know. Yo' break dat gourd an' yo' git chew a pint of sweet milk, an' yo' beat dem guts up in dere, dem seed, jis' lak yo', yo' beat dat all tuh pieces. An' yo' put dat intuh a rag an' yo' squeeze dat. An' den take dat rag an' squeeze it [gourd juice] intuh a bottle an' yo'll give it tuh dem. An' give dat person dat tuh drink an' evahthin' dat's intuh yo' [the person] is comin' out.
(Anything that is live in them?)
Anything dat live in dem is comin' out.
Entry 6819
Now, if yo' wuh [were] poisoned an' yo' find out dat dat dime wuz turnin' black, why yo' would take a silvah dime an' yo'll file it. Yo' take [and] yo' file, file, file an' yo' take de powdahed pieces of dat dime an' put in some watah. Yo' git some killbash [calabash] an' yo' take de seeds an' yo' boil 'em tuh- gethah, an' yo' strain it an' yo' drink dat watah. Dat supposed tuh kill dat poison dead regardless of whutevah it is, eithah brings it out one way or de othah. In de case of yo' takin' a few dose of dat medicine, den yo' [take] some laxative medicine. Yo' eithah bring it out one way or de othah. It's poison.
(Well, do you boil this silver with the killbash seeds?)
Wit de silvah an' de killbash seeds tuhgethah. Boil tuhgethah.
Entry 6820
Take de grapevine an' de gourd vine an' dese things dey call sunflow- ahs, an' yo' kin make a tea wi' dat. An' dat is very good tuh take fo' de blood if anyone go tuh work an' work on yore blood agains' chuh. Well, yo' kin go tuh work an' work wit dat, an' nobody kin nevah hurt chew. A gourd vine is a very simple medicine tuh take against poison any time. If anybody take it, dey nevah git poisoned.
(Well, what would they take from the gourd vine?)
Jis' de leaves, eithah de vine.
Entry 6821
[All the following graveyard dirt rites, as well as others elsewhere, indicate that the spirit in graveyard dirt fights or protects you against the spirit powering the cunjure put down for you:] Pay de grave an' git dat graveyard dirt...den new needles an' huh [her] ole shoes an' sul- phur...in de room evah night tuh keep ghost aay. [Here is one of other statments showing that the spirit in graveyard dirt keeps other spirits away.]
Entry 6822
Go tuh de graveyard on a dark night...put de han' down in de grave... put it [graveyard dirt] in de pocket or in de toe of dere shoe an' dey kin walk ovah anythin' anybody put down fuh [for] dem.
The account claims being able to walk over things put down for someone. Its ellipses remain; identifying it as graveyard dirt is editorial, and no protective effect is established.
Entry 6823
Git chew some graveyard dirt an' put it aroun' yuh waist an' dat'll keep it [cunjure] off.
Entry 6824
Dey could take de dirt from de grave an' put it, weah in yuh shoes. It could be dust. Dust, dey say, is bettah dan de compoun' dirt. Yo' git de dry pulverized dirt an' put dat in yuh shoes, an' yo' kin weah dat if a person is seek- In' tuh put somepin down where yo' might walk ovah tuh [harm you] or cripple yuh in some way, or deform yuh from gittin' aroun' an' makin' a livin'. Why yo' weah dat, dat prevents dat, dat graveyard dirt.
Entry 6825
Tuh git graveyard dirt, dey say go out tuh de graveyard whah some of yoh relatives die. Well, dey tells me dat dat'll kill double pneumonia. Ah had a baby die yestiday mawnin' wit double pneumonia, an' ah were in mah home Sunday an' a lady came tuh mah house, an' say, "Ah tell yo' whut chew do," she say, "yo' git in yuh cah [car]." She came dere Satiday night. She say, "Come an' git in yuh cah an' come go wit me, an' go out whah a man is buried, whah yuh mothah-in-law is buried, an' git some of dat graveyard dirt an' put it in a bag. Git some from right undahneat' de lef'-han' comah of 'er grave. An' put it in a bag an' take it tuh hospital an' sprinkle it undahneat' dat baby's mattress, an' he won't die."
(What do you mean by the left-hand corner of the grave?)
Well, dat whut she tole me. She say, "Git it from de lef'-han' cornah." Ah say, "Whut de lef'-han' cornah?" Wal, she tole me dat evahtime yo' beah [bury] a person, YO' JIS' BEAH 'EM A CERTAIN WAY. AH HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT DAT. DID JOO? All right. She says, "Now yo' go an' git it out de cornah, " an' says, "yo' scattah it undah huh [her] haid. Git it from de lef'-han' cornah of de grave an' put it in jis' a li'le bag. An' go an' slip it undah dat mattress an' dat baby won' die."
[While machine turned off informant gave information I now repeat.]
(Get the dirt from the left-hand side near the heart.) [This means, while standing at head of the grave looking to the foot, the left-hand corner would be the heart corner.]
Entry 6826
Now, suppose dat chew would git in a fight wit a pusun [person] an' dat dey bit chah. Why yo' go tuh de grave- yard fer nine mawnin's an' put a li'le graveyard dirt on dat, an' it'll rot dere teeth out.
Entry 6827
Well, yo' take graveyard dust - see, I wuz a person hurted in dis right feet heah an' it wuz ah had tuh bathe intuh hot watah - boilin' watah intuh red peppah an' ammonia, saltpetah [defect here, could not tell whether salt or saltpeter] an' mah urine - an' jis' bathe in dat fo' nine mawnin's. An' den ah made - it wuz plaster made outa fresh lard an' graveyard dust, see. An' dat's whut drawed de misery out.
(I see, if you were hurt in that right foot.)
Yes. Ah wuz crippled fo' three months an' dat's de only thing dat cured it. A woman came along an' cured it.
(Who came along?)
A woman. She know right smart.
Entry 6828
Goes tuh de graveyard an' git dirt fo"luck: An' yo' kin git it fo' bad luck. If anythin', yo' kin git it offa certain grave, if yo' kin remembah de certain grave; an' if yo' cain't remembah de certain grave, git de dirt, but it's gotta be at night. Yo' cain't go in de daytime an' git. Some peoples have tried it in de daytime when dey goin' tuh de funeral an' git it, but chew'll have tuh go at night, when only de gravediggers are dere.
(What do you do with it then?)
Yes, yo' kin use it fo' luck. Yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' git chew some of de flowahs dat's in de graveyard. Yo' kin git some of de rose - yo' cain't use it unless yo' has some kinda flowahs - rose. Yo' kin git chew a flow- ah from de graveyard an' use dis graveyard dirt or eithah fern from de graveyard; or eithah some kinda sprout twig - not any dry. Yo' cain't use any dry twigs, yo' have [to] git 'em all sproutin' when de sap is in 'em. An' place 'em tuh- gethah an' wrap 'em in any kind of cloth yo' wanta. An' wind 'em roun' yuh waist fo' luck, or eithah yo' kin have 'em fo' peoples havin' spells. Or eithah yo' kin use it fo', if yo' have a person sick in yuh home, it's bettah fo' dat. If a person's sick in yore home an' yo' figure dat dey're not goin' git well, de doctors an' evahthin' have given 'em up, use dis graveyard dirt fo' dat, but chew'll have tuh cook it in dere food. Regardless tuh how dirty it is an' all lak dat, yo'll have tuh cook it in dere food, fo' de condition dat dey are in - fo' dere health.
Entry 6829
(What do you use with the graveyard dirt?)
Yo' po' dat on de graveyard dirt.
(Yes?) [Continue.]
Go tuh a undahtakah's parlah or anywhah whah de daidman is. Git some of de fat outa dis man. Melt it down lak yo' would lard. Mix dat wit anythin', mos' commonly wit 'is food, undah- stan'. Or jis' as a medicine, let 'im drink dat, an' he's cured of dat graveyard dirt. He's soun' an' well ag'in.
(I see. I see.)
Entry 6830
Red peppah, hot red peppah an' chamber lye an' bathe yo' laig wit it an' that would give yo' ease. Ah have tried that mahself. (If somebody has put something down for you to walk over.) Yes sir, a fortuneteller tole me someone had put sompin down fo' me to walk ovah. [Here, either while'recording ma- chine is stopped or cylinder is changed, I ask for the whole story.] Well, mah laig kep' hurtin' me an' someone come along an' tole me, say, "Miss Carter," say, "ah knows a good man 'cross town. If yo' would go, he would tell yo' sompin tuh relieve yo' of dat pain in yore knee." It nevah would swell but it jis' hurt all de time. So ah went ovah dere an' he tole me someone had hurt me in mah knee. An' he got me some green moss an' tole me tuh boil dat an' bathe in de watah hot. Put some table salt in it. An' aftah dat, den rub it wit some of dis red peppah an' dis saltpetah mixed tuhgethah. Make a salve. Put some lard wit it or some oil or sompin an' make a salve an' rub wit dat, an' hit would relieve me. An' ah did dat an' it relieved me. An' a li'le latah it commence tuh hurtin' ag'in. Well, ah went tuh anothah lady an' she tole me - least she didn't tell me but she fixed de poultice huh- self; Brown Mule chewin' 'bacca an' earth worms whut chew dig up out de ground. An' she stewed it up tuhgethah an' give me dat tuh put some meal wit it, an' make a hot poultice an' put on mah knee. An' dat relieved me.
(That was the end of that?)
Yes sir, an' mah knee got bettah.
Entry 6831
If yo' gotten any poison - yo' see, anythin' dat wuz poisoned - dey could go tuh a gumwood tree an' git de innahba'k, yo' undahstan', from de sun- rise side, an' boil it in sweet milk. An' give tuh dat person three times a day, a tablespoonful, an' dat would offset some trouble, dat poison.
(You mean if somebody has tricked them?)
[I am asking, is this ordinary or hoodoo poison.]
Yeah, somebody's tricked 'em.
(Cunjured them or something?)
Dat's right. Dere wuz a ole man dat usta [use tol come tuh mah gran'mothah's house an' he would tell 'er a certain person wuz jis' down an' out, chew know, jis' couldn't har'ly [hardly] live, an' dis same remedy dat ah'm tellin' yo' 'bout now, of de sap ba'k from de sun- rise of a gum tree. Boil dat in sweet milk an' give dat person. An' dere's somepin 'bout a blacksnake hide dat yo' git fo' 中商 dat person tuh weah it roun' 'is vaist or anythin'. Give him dat sweet milk an' gum ba'k boiled, yo' undahstan', fo' a medicine. Dat would be de remedy.
Entry 6832
Yo' take gunpowdah an' wet it, DAT GUNPOWDAH IS EVIL, IT'S JIS' LAK A EVIL SPIRIT. An' yo' kin take it yo' know an' wet it up. Put chure foot ag'inst de watah. Ah don' know whethah yo've evah seen dat done. Yo' put enough of it in watah an' jis' keep ' a stirrin' 'till dat watah come tuh be perfec'ly black, an' it's all dissolve jis' lak, yo' know, jis' lak sugah. Wal, den yo' take dat watah den an' reverse [see later] it on dat track whah yo' walk. Yo' put some tuh de front, some tuh de back, an' dat do's de work.
(What will that do?)
Wal, dat jis' keepS a man safe, DAT DRIVES DE PART OF EVIL AN' DE SICKNESS AWAY FROM YO'.
(This evil away from you?)
Yes. [First, you protect or cure yourself by dropping gunpowder into a bucket. Wet it up means a little water on the gunpowder in the bucket. Put chure foot ag'inst de watah shows that you mix the water and gunpowder with your foot in the bucket. Next yo' reverse it [the water], not by stirring the gunpowder water in the contrary direction, but by pouring it on dat track whah yo' walk. You pour it on one or more tracks from toe to heel, backwards, opposite the direction of your made tracks. Rites from toe to heel - reversing rites - usually sending maker of the tracks in the opposite direction, are fairly common in Hoodoo. In the present rite the spell is turned back to its sender.]
Entry 6833
"Heah 'em say yo' kin take de powdah outa gunshell an' put it in de milk, some sweet milk, an' dat keep anybody in de worl' from bothahin' yo'.
Entry 6834
Ah've hear'd of - yo' kin use gunpowdah in drinkin' it in sweet milk, a woman or girl dat would breed children. It'll stop 'em from breedin'.
Entry 6835
[Here is one of many examples in Hoodoo of my restarting recording machine, hoping informant will repeat the brief rite just given:] (You use that for poison?) Poison, yo' know. Yo' take gunpowdah an' steel dust an' yo' grin' dat up an' yo' take dat a sweet milk, drink it, an' whatevah inside'a yo', yo'll pass it.
Entry 6836
If someone tryin' tuh hahm [harm] yo', yo' kin jis' go tuh work an' git chew some Hearts Cologne an' jis' fumigate yuh rooms wit it an' leave it on yuh clothes all about [all about or over your clothes], an' it's nuthin dey kin do wit yo' 'bout it wit'out dey gits somepin in yuh food.
Entry 6838
Tea from High John de Conkah, apple tree bark, an' fig tree roots [for pain or swelling].
editorial-only purpose annotation for the short tea item. Role remains editorial, not informant. Preserve pain OR swelling rather than both diseases or a diagnosed condition. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 6839
Well, if dey git aholt of yuh foot track an' try tuh harm yo', now yo' kin git chew some cayenne peppah, High John de Conkah, an' mix it up tuhgethah an' put it in a bag. Tie it up, car' [carry] it tuh de rivah an' throw it right ovahbo'd an' don' look back at it. An' dat'll turn it right back on 'em.
(That's if they took your foot track?)
Yes. [Informant may have dropped out a detail of this rite, but intention is sufficient.]
Entry 6840
Dey use de hog hoof fo' curin' a person wit pneumonia. Yo' take de hog hoof an' bake 'em in de stove. Jis' parch 'em real brown an' den boil 'em, an' dat's a certain cure fo' pneumonia. It boils 'em, an' dat's a certain cure fo' pneumonia. It draws de fevah.
Entry 6842
Take a hog jawbone an' boil it fo' awhile [and use] fo' toothache.
(Then they use that water for the toothache?)
Yessuh.
Boil names the boiling action here. The bracketed and use is editorial, the water question is interviewer speech, and no remedy effect is established.
Entry 6844
An' yo' take that person's name an' put it on 25 pounds of ice, an' dat'll freeze out all the harm they tryin' tuh do to yo'.
Entry 6845
Ah hear'd dat vinegah an' salt - take vinegah an' boil it, see, an' a li'le cayenne peppah, a [new] box of cayenne peppah, a five-cent box of cayenne peppah. Put a li'le lahd [lard] in it. Put a li'le, any kinda liniment in it, an' boil it tuhgethah an' strain it. Anint: [anoint] choreself [yourself] wit it. An' IT'S CALLED GRANDPAH LINI- MENT, LINIMENT MADE BY DE IN- DIANS, DE OLDEST LINIMENT EVAH BEEN. CURE RHEUMATISM, ANYTHIN' EVAH SUPPOSE DEY EvAH HAD. It's name is grandpa liniment, de oldest liniment out. An' it's made by a ole puson, an' it's good today. An' AH'VE SEEN DEY TAKEN SCALES OFF PEOPLE FEET LOOK LAK FISH SCALES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE DRAGGED DEM THROUGH FISH BONES AN' GIVE DEM WHISKEY TUH DRINK AN' CUZ SCALES TO COME [IN] DE BODY.
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey take de scales an' grin' dem up, see. Dey put it in whu' choo drink. If yo' lak coffee or tea, or even if yo' lak bread, yo' can't tell it when it look lak powdah. Dey sift it. An' it's in yuh body in a co'se [course] of time when de fish commence tuh 'eelin' [peeling] scales, yuh 'eel [peel] scales on yo' feet - 'eels [peels] de scales on dere body. Yo' know fish shed scales, an' when dey git ready tuh shed scales, yo' shed dem scales on yuh body.
(How did you say you take those scales off?)
Wit grandpah's liniment. [Grandpa's liniment could be the product of a hoodoo drug store or some hoodoo doctor.]
Entry 6848
Ah hear'd dey go dere an' take a stick, if dey got a soah [sore] on 'em or anythin' lak dat dey wan'a git rid of. Take some kine a stick, trim it an' cut dem notches in it, an' take evah one a dem notches an' rub it crost [across] de sōah. Dey say de one - dey stick right up at de fo'ks of de road, an' de one dat take de stick up will git de soah.
Entry 6849
If anyone gets scalded they say you say the Lord's Prayer whilst shoo kin take your finger an' go all over this burn repeating the Lord's Prayer back- Wards. That takes the fire out. [Deal Island, Md., 24:3.] ["This is my orig- inal transcription made almost immedi- ately, Harry M. Hyatt, Mar.8, 1971." On original I learn: "Didn't want to tell it to me." This is a very old belief though I did not hear it often in Hoodoo.]
Entry 6850
[Whatever is found buried, burn it as a general rule; but to turn it back on the spellcaster:] Les' [lest] yo' wan'a turn it back on people, why yo' put it in lye, Red Devil Lye, an' burn dat. Dat turns it back on dem. Make yore wishes.
Entry 6851
Dey say yo' take a box of lye, if a person comin' tuh yore house an' yo' don't wan' 'em in dere - sompin lak dat. Yo' take a box of lye an' where- somevah yore place is spaced out at, yo' puts a box of lye in each fo' cornahs of de yard. Say dat'll keep a person outa dere. Lye'll keep a person outa dere.
Entry 6853
Ah hear'd people talk. A woman said dat she - somebody had 'er fixed an' dey tole huh tuh weah a half a dozen matches in- tuh huh hair, an' in a certain lengt' of time she'd git ovah dat spell. She say she done dat an' dat cured 'er. But not dese or'nary [ordinary] matches [but] dese ole-fashion big-haid matches. Dere poison. Dere kin'a pale green. Dey usely [usually] cut 'em off an' mix 'em in meal an' put 'em down fer rat tuh eat.
The described match type and cure remain claims within a reported account.
Entry 6854
Got a hollah [hollow = cavity] in yuh teeth, take de haid of a match an' break it off an' put it in dere, in dat hollah, an' jis' let it stay in dere. Dat kill de tooth.
Entry 6855
Take a boy dat havin' de fits, a young boy. Some of de boys takin' a spasm, dataway by growin' too fast, accordin' tuh de physician's statement, yo' see. Any time he got de fit dat way, ah'll guarantee dat it kin be cured by takin' 'im out in de forest any- where where a tree at, turnin' 'is back tuh de tree an' measurin' 'im dere, de lengt' of 'is height. Saw dat tree off, de whole tree off, yes sir. He'll have no more fits.
Entry 6856
Evah new moon yo' have a spell. Dey do dis trick on de new moon. [You must] turn it back on de new moon.
Entry 6857
Folks always have a convulsion, as yo' know, [at that time] an' if yo' boil a aig, a hen aig - now, ah've proved dat mahself. Yo' BOIL A HEN AIG ON DE SILVAH MooN, de time dat de moon is young, on de firs' change of de moon. Yo' git a fresh-laid aig an' boil it an' crack a li'le hole in dis aig aftah it's boiled. An' take it tuh a ant heap, an' whenevah de ant eat all dat aig up, why it's no mo' convulsion or whatevah dose folks have. Ah've proved dat.
(Well, don't you do anything to those people who have the convulsions? At all? Don't they get any medicine or anything?) chamber lye. (In whose chamber lye?)
De one dat have de convulsions.
Entry 6858
Bush mullein, say yo' kin take dat an' boil hit down tuh a pint; an'git a good bit of it an' boil it down to a pint. Full [fill] it up wit red whiskey, any kina good whiskey, not moonshine. Dey say dat'll kill T. B. [Mullein is good for many things: croup, asthma, catarrh, kidney trouble, disinfect- ant, etc. (see INDEx of FACI, 1st ed.). If enough red whiskey is added it will probably kill almost anything in hoodoo!]
Entry 6859
(What did she do?)
He-mullein tea. It's a mullein tea grows wit a leaf.
(He took the she mullein or the he mullein?)
He mullein.
(The she mullein wasn't any good then?)
No, sir, de he mullein.
(Oh, all right, let it go at that.)
But now, which ah wanted tuh speak [to] yo' 'bout, a he mullein. A she mul- lein has got a li'le blossom tuh it. A he mullein grows down jis' lak dat [dem- onstrates], yo' see, wit a leaf lak a cabbage leaf; de othah [the she] part's a flowah a he mullein don' do it. An' she, [cylinder changed], an' she made some tea outa dat. (Out of the mullein?) Outa de he mullein. Aftah makin dat tea outa de he mullein, she had anothah li'le piece of root, ah guess yo' seen it, called John de Conkah. She boiled both dat teas tuhgethah. She boils dis root tuhgethah an' she boils dis tea. She boils it down 'till it turns jis' lak dat Tokay store tea. Dis root turn it dataway. Also, de mullein will turn it kind of greenish-lak, but by puttin' dis root in it, it turned it kinda lak, yo know, lak tea. An' he drinked dat tea. Well, he commenced tuh feelin' bettah. Be jis' gittin' on 'is feet, den he kinda gittin' use tuh hisself. Well, anothah fellah, he wuz kin'a ole hoodoo, call 'im Ole Man Jim. He say, "Now, Son, ah don' know whut yo' have took, but it's a green bush, a vine dat grows up on your fahm [farm] called de bittah apple.
(What kind?)
Bittah apple. Bittah apple. He boils dis bittah apple - jis' lak it tastes bittah, jis' as bittah as gall. Boil dat an' strain it. Nuthin in it, no sugah atall. Don' drink it hot, drink it when it git cold, see. But now, it's done turn yallah [yellow]. It's not whut chew call right green, yo' see. It grows lak a gourd. Bell, now, when de sun hits dis, it's lak a yallah person. It sprangle up jis lak a gourd or one of dese othah thin's - quinces. An' aftah she boil dat tea an' dat boy took dat stuff, it put 'im on 'is feet. He wuz [had been] nex' tuh DAT CURED 'IM.
Entry 6860
Take a nail - jis' lak if yo' wuz tuh git hurt or sompin, git cut or sompin, yo' take a nail an' put it up ovah yuh do'. Says dat would heal de wound up.
Entry 6861
If yo' have a enemy dat chew - accordin' tuh de enemies dat chew know - yo' bury 'em in de ground an' make [a] wish, an' de same sickness or de influence dat dey have put on yo' will return back tuh dem. (How many of these nails do you put in there, you say?) Sometimes yo' use five an' sometime yo' use nine ten-penny nails.
(How do you prepare those nails?)
Yo' jis' buy 'em from de store. An' yo' take dose nails an' yo' hit 'em on de haid fer nine mawnin's, an' aftah.dat yuh bad luck return tuh de one dat send 'em. Dey claim dat de bad luck will turn back tuh dem, tuh de ones dat sent it.
[Nails are new.]
Entry 6862
De no'th root. (You have that?) Yes sir, ah've got some of dat now. An' ah kin go tuh dere house, if dey got poison fo' me or got anythin' fixed fo' me. Ah kin eat whut dey give me an' chew dat root, an' if it ain't right, ah brings it back.
(That root will bring it right up.)
Bring it right up.
Entry 6863
Red Seal Lye, bury it undah de step, takin' witch hazel, takin' para- dise seed, takin' oil of clovah, mix wit parsley an' boil well. All dose things tuhgethah, scrubbin' de place where yo' live at from de front do' tuh de reah. Aftah scrubbin', takin' de same watah, throw one glass tuh de east an' one tuh de west, sayin' In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. Well it [what was put down for you] don' taken no effec'. Dat'll kill off any bad spell, DEY CAIN'T HAHM YO'; NOT UNLESS YO' EAT SOMEPIN YO' SEE.
Entry 6864
Ah use dat mahself fo' children, yo' know, when dey got thrash [thrush].
(Chew persimmon bark for what?)
Children when dey got de thrash.
(Children when they'ye got a sore mouth.)
Yes.
Entry 6865
Chip poke salad root fine, wear in shoes for arthritis. [This is my original transcription of informant's statement made soon after it was collected. I identify informant by the words woman sells roots. Here I am listening to a woman who had been selling roots in the public market for years, who had even appeared in a newspaper article, and I took down none of her story, only a few brief remarks about cures! One of the men interviewed was a professional root digger, the man who supplied her with roots! I still failed to realize that my mission should be life itself, not brief beliefs arranged and numbered neatly on a printed page. But soon New Orleans would improve my vision and purpose.
Entry 6866
(You do what?)
Well, yo' take it an' git chew some...
(This bluestone.)
[Informant had said bluestone before I turned on recording machine.]
Bluestone, & an' fish brine an' pork [poke] salad root.
(What kind of root?)
Pork salad root.
(Pork [poke] salad root.)
Pork [poke]... (The kibitzer offers P-O-L-K salad root).
[For this parenthesis see comment later.]
She said polk [poke] salad root.
(Polk salad root.)
An' put it all [in] de watah tuhgethah, an' bathe in it; an' if yo' hurt dat'll take a spell off yuh.
(I see.)
[The preceding parenthesis concerning the kibitzer a person breaking into the conversation with advice or correction is a comment by my transcriber as follows: The kibitzer offers P-O-L-K salad root. Before transcriber discovered word polk, she thought the word sounded like pork and she was not exactly wrong. Many of my informants would have called pork, pōk. Transcriber even transcribes me as saying pork salad root, and later polk salad root. I corrected this on the original transcription, then decided to let the mistake remain. The proof that I was familiar with pokeberry, pokeweed and poke-root-salad - before I interviewed at Mobile in 1938 - will be found in the INDEX of FACI, 1st ed., 1935. There under Poke (berry), so printed, p.707, vill be found 15 entries: Do not gather pokeberries in June...poisonous (1286, p.56); poke root salve for cow's cake bag (2165, p.100); same salve good for coman's caked breasts (2641, p.128); poke roots for warts (4202-4203, p.200), cook poke roots with greens as spring tonic (4585, p.221); poke root tea cures itch (4647, p.224); poke root tea for skin disease (5025, p.244); poke berries, leaves, stems and roots for rheumatism (5362-5367, p.263f.); and pokeberry tea for epilepsy (5731, p.285). This plant has been defined as "a coarse American perennial herb (Phytolacca americana) etc." Actually, under proper growing con- ditions, the racemose white flowers, then dark purple juicy berries, and finally the beautifully colored autumn leaves make this Weed a rare and beautiful sight! Berries and roots are emetic and purgative, the latter really poisonous, but the young shoots off the large main root, carrot-shaped and 4 or more inches wide at the top, were eaten by American pioneers and are still used.]
Entry 6867
So anyone won't hurt chew, git a piece of red flannel, pure flannel. See, git a piece of root. Ast fo' corkin' [porcupine?] vine root. Yo' evah hear of it? (Coffin vine? Corkin' [porcupine] vine.) Put dat an' put a dime, a silvah dime. See, put dat in dere an' put a li'le piece of asafitadee [asa- fetida] an' sews it up an' weahs it right dere [demonstrates] an' put a medal wit it, chew know, a St. Anthony [medal].
(Where do you wear that?)
No, sir, right dere.
(Right here on the front of your breastbone. Against your skin or?)
Right by yore meat. Yo' nevah git harmed. [The 4 preceding objects are sewed up into a red flannel bag, making a hand (see Pp.519-669), here a protective device to be worn about the neck. Suppose we analyze this hand: (1) The porcupine root I do not know, but it surely means a pointed article that will wound an intruder. Could this be a small piece of porcupine wood, the outer wood or the coconut palm with markings resembling por- cupine quills? Or have we here any root with quill-like projections. Similarly, years ago I had trouble with the identity of the alligator tree (mentioned some- where in Hoodoo), the sweet gum, so called because its bark supposedly imitates the hide of an alligator. In the present instance, however, we must remember that our informant is not a root digger, but buys this root from a hoodoo drug store or root seller. (2) The dime? This is the old silver dime, not the pre- sent [1973] dime of base metal. Hoodoo is filled with the miraculous powers of the old silver dime, any silver. (3) Asafetida? During my childhood, say 1902- 1910, and even before my time, many children wore a small piece of asafetida in a bag about the neck. This was to guard the wearer against communicable dis- eases. Actually We have here a bad smell to ward off witches. Why witches dis- like odious odors, excrement and urine for examples, I am unable to explain. (4) St. Anthony medal, a holy object, would be a useful addition to our hand. (5) Red flannel, the red alone symbolizes blood, life and power.]
Entry 6868
Ah wus tole whut hindah 'em from hurtin' yuh. A lady tole me dat. It Wus a simple thing. Jis' take a white potatah [so called to distinguish it from the yellow sweet potato] an' cut it half in two, an' cut it in fo' part [signifying the four corners of the earth] an' weah it in a bag roun' yuh waist till it git hard, an' den burn it up. [The gitting hard signified that potato had soaked up all the disease floating round about you. The burning indicated that the disease was sent by cunjure.]
Entry 6869
Carry a small [Irish] potato an' a piece of High John de Conker an' no one kin harm yah.
Entry 6870
[Instead of scattering the following cures and protective devices throughout this subsection, I have gathered them here under one submargin title:] Before the Civil War they wouldn't put a woman to make soap that was in a family way. She could turn it backwards and it wouldn't make. And it won't neither. You take a woman in a family Way, she can take a spoon and turn cream backwards and can't git it to come [[to butter]]. And you can't neither. ["This old man was a boy of eleven when the Civil War started." I am quoting the notation on my pencil transcription made almost immediately after the recording. Yes, he must have said Civil War, though in his younger years he may have spoken of the "War between the States." For the power and peculiarities of women during pregnancy, See FACI, 2nd ed., 1965.] [Fredericksburg, Va., informant 44, by Ediphone.]
Entry 6871
Yo' kin take dat straw off de broom or de foddah, either one - de corn foddah off a corn stalk - an' make a tea outa it. An' dat'll make a woman's pains easiah. Yes, if she's in labor. Or den, if yo' take dis mistletoe, on de tree, if yo' got a cowan' she's in labor feed 'er on dat an' she'll bring de calf wit'out any trouble.
Entry 6872
If a woman's goin' have a baby, well now if she [some woman] kin git tuh huh tuh take any huh - anythin' from huh, yuh know, an' she kin go bury it, den she'll have dis woman - it'll kill huh.
(You mean a piece of her clothing or anything like that?)
Anythin' - a piece a huh undahclothin' nex' tuh huh skin.
Entry 6873
Take a woman's clothes an' bury dem an' she'll have a hard time. Take a piece of 'er undahgarments.
(If this woman is going to have a baby?)
Sho'[sure].
(That will cross her up?)
Cross 'er so she cain't delivah de baby.
Entry 6874
Dey kin take dat aftahbirth, or whutevah waste dat she have when dat baby wuz bo'n, an' give it tuh a dog an' [or] let a cat git holt tuh it, an' den she's nevah no mo' good. (What do you mean, she's never no more good? In what way?) Well, she'll live, yo' know, but she won't - huh periods will nevah be right any mo' an' she'll always be backward an' she'll nevah be any 'count [account]. She'll jis' be po' yo' know an' skinny until she dies. Dat's jis' suffahin' an' Zingahin'.
Entry 6875
Now exactly dat way - but aftah it comes whutevah she, yo' know, de aftahbirth, or any of 'er periods, dey take it an' bury it. Dey bury it deep in de ground, dat is, not enough tuh kill 'er, see. Well, if she lose de baby, why dey bury it on it's face. Dey say dat kill de person [who put spell on baby]. Othah den dat ah don' know of anythin' else. [For face-down burial, see MURDER]. (If the baby dies at birth, if they bury the baby on it's face, what will happen to her then?) She will die too.
[Informant misunderstands my question. Mother does not die.]
(What do they do that for? Some enemy would do that?)
Yes, doesn't like her [and therefore kills the baby before birth].
Entry 6876
If a woman is in fo' a labor, if she has somepin of 'is about 'er, a sock, hat or somepin lak dat - she has somepin about 'er, why dat'll cause 'im tuh have some of de pains, too. (Where would she keep this thing about her? Where would she keep it?) Jis' have it somewhere about 'er, maybe jis' always anywheres on 'er.
Entry 6877
If a person impregnant, dey take a gourd an' boil de seeds
[and drink] an' dat make 'em miscarry.
Entry 6878
Take a horse mane - dat's from back of de horse - yo' know dat long mane, an' yo' put nine knots in it. Lak if she gotta come out of 'er gate - an' bury it right at dat gate. An' if she walk ovah it, she can't birth 'er child. (You take the mane off the horse?) Yeah, yo' gotta take it off.
(You don't take the whole mane, just some of his hair?)
Yo' know, not de whole mane, jis' some of de hair, by 'is haid.
Entry 6879
(How can that be done?)
Well, yo' see, de way dat dey do it, dey git a rope. Yo' know a woman's iml pregnant. Dey goes tuh de step an' dey come ovah de step.
(Wait a minute. What do they do with that rope now?)
Dey take de rope offa de mule.
(Oh, this rope is around the mule?)
De rope is aroun' de mule. Dey git tuh de step an' dey come over dat rope nine times backwards. See, dey jump ovah de rope once an' dey walk aroun' it an' dey jump ovah it ag'in. An' when dey git ovah dat rope, den dey jump up lak a mule. Now, when dis lady comes out, dat's crossin' 'er as a mule [woman's period will be as long as a mule's]. Now tuh git dis cross off 'er before dis child is born, yo' git chew a Bull Durham [tobacco] sack. Yo' take dat Bull Durham sack an' yo' wash it clean, clean, clean. Yo' go tuh one a dese big sand places such as Jenkins, Watts-Cornell [or] J. J. Cox, sand dat's nevah been used, jis' come in. Yo' fill dat bag about three-qurtah full of dat sand. It's purtty white sand. Yo' git chew nine silvah dimes an' yo' put in dat sand an' yo' git chew, git chew a half a cupa vinegah. Yo' take dat an' yo' put it intuh a pot an' yo' boil. An' aftah yo' boil, yo' boil yo' an' yo' boil it down an' yo' see dis sack done boiled enough, tuh where yo' want it tuh boil at, den yo' take dis sack an' yo' go an' throw it undah 'er steps. Dat's de woman impregnant. Yo' throws it right undah 'er step wit dese dimes an' dis sand intuh it. Now, de liquid dat's lef' from dis, from dat vinegah, yo' got dat dere. Now, she mus' take a sip of dis evah mawnin' fer nine mawnin's. An' ah'll guarantee yuh it'll knock dat off. (That checks that cross that's on that woman, checks it right away. You can't do any harm at all.)
Entry 6880
Well, a woman kin be in de family way an' aftah she in de family way, why den yo' takes whut yo' call a mare rope. Listen good. (I understand.) An' aftah dat mare rope dere, it's tied. Yo' takes dat mare an' let 'im [!!!] cross de rope nine times. Yo' fix dat, run 'em cross. Den yo' cut dat rope, cut it off from dat mare an', if yo' kin, put it in 'er room anywhere dat she livin' at. An' any time dat she cross dat rope dere twice, she shall have dat child crossways in 'er an' dey have tuh take it from 'er.
(All right. Now, how can you take this off of her?)
Well, aftah yo' go tuh work an' fin' dat, dat is a fact dere. DEN YO' BEIN' WHUT YO' CALL A "TWO-HEADED DOCTOR" DERE, an' yo' wanta git 'er off it. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' go down tuh a runnin' stream, an' yo' git dat same rope. De people goin' tuh bring yo' de rope, yo' know, when dey come tuh do yo'. Den yo' take dat rope dere an' yo' wait 'till night, twelve o'clock at night. Den yo take dat rope an' tie nine knots. An' de people dat she say dat put dat rope dere, down dere fo' her, take dere name an' put it dere nine times in dis knot. Yo'll throw it dataway [into the running streom] an' let it go down. Yo'll find dat de rope will pull a li'le bit tuh yo', but dat ain't nuthin 'bout dat dere. It'll go right on. [That Pull a Zi'le bit tuh yo' by the rope, is that the spir- it within trying to prevent being thrown into the water?]
(And the spell is off?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 6881
A horse is tied wit a rope an' she pass ovah de rope. She's crossed. An' if anyone have any of 'er pieces dat she had befo' she got dat way, yo' see, dey kin tie nine knots in dat piece an' hang it up in a place - not tuh burn in de chimley, not tuh burn; only tuh smoke, yo' see, dataway. De child have tuh be taken from 'er by a physicianah.
(I see.)
Entry 6882
(What do they say about that?)
Well, tuh make a woman tuh carry a baby twelve months, dey take a woman - dey take a mare's rope an' dey'll put it across, close - tie a horse, a mare close aroun' where she live. In some way or another, she have tuh pass dat rope, and if she cross ovah dat rope, she'll go twelve months lak a mare an' she cain't have dat baby.
Entry 6883
Dey git a mare's rope.
(A mare's rope?)
Yeah, an' jis' lak yo' goin' tuh pass dere, well yo' don' pay no 'tention tuh dat rope. An' dat rope be dere an' yo' cross dat mare's rope. Dat cross dat child in yo'.
Entry 6884
Cross dis woman up. Dey takes - dey gits right where dis woman'll pass at. Yo' undahstan'? Dey takes a knife an' a fo'k an' put dat knife in de fo'k disaway [demonstrates by crossing knife in fork] an' put it right where she goin' tuh cross ovah at. Yo' undahstan'? An' jis' as sure as she cross ovah dat knife an' fo'k dis- away, she cain't birth dat child. Dat child turn upside in 'er stomic.
(I see. All you do is cross the knife into the fork?)
Put de knife in de fork lak dis here [demonstrates] an' let 'er cross ovah it. Stand it up lak dat [demonstrates].
Entry 6885
Yo' takes an' yo' git chew a spool of thread, white thread, an' yo'll measure from de length of where she walks at, an' in de ninth day she'll delivah dis baby. Dat chile will grow in 'er an' be almos'roun' about dis high, when it will delivah. She wouldn't be able tuh delivah it.
(All you have to do is to measure her what?)
[I now have quite a time learning what is measured, despite my knowing the answer.] Git a white spool of thread, No.8.
(Yes.)
An' yo' take dat thread an' wheresomevah yo' know she passes, always take de length.
(The length of what?)
De length wit de thread, jis' lak yo'd have a measure fo' twine, yo' know, an' yo'd be takin' a stretch.
(Well, what do you measure?)
Yo' measure where she walks at.
(What do you mean 'where she walks at?")
[I stop recording machine, she answered!]
(Well now, that's what I want to know. You measure her footsteps.)
Yo' measure her footsteps.
(All right.)
Now, wherevah yo' know she's stayin', yo'll come dere lak nuthin an' yo' jis' take de length of it an' den, as she go on, wherevah she makes [a track], yo' stop an' take de measure of it.
(Then what do you do with that?)
Yo' ties dat up, yo' ties dat thread up in knots. Yo'll count how many knots, intuh nine knots. An' de measure of 'er, all de steps dat yo' takes from 'er, if she stand - don' care how [many steps].