Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 23
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 6966
If yo' wan' anybody tuh tell sompin an' dey talk in dere sleep, yo' could git a knife, a pocketknife an' dey call yo'. Yo' walk tuh dere baid an' take dis pocketknife an' open it an' lay in de pa'u [palm] of dey han' lak dis [demonstrates]. Shet it up in dere han' lak dat [demonstrates] an' dey'll tell yo' evah'thin' dey evah did in dere life.
Entry 6967
She'll take a cold pan of watah an' put 'is han's in it whilst he sleepin' an' den ask 'im diff'ren' questions. An' when she ask 'im dem ques- tions, den he answah dem. Do dat tuh a woman or a man, it don' make no diff'rence. Jis' put 'is han' in dis watah. Why she kin say, "Bob, yo' went sech a place las' night, didn't chah?" An' ah'll [he'll] answah de qoestion.
Entry 6968
Git a pan of watah. Jis' git a pan of watah yo' see, an' put dere han' in dat watah. When yo' git dere han' in dat watah dey'll wake up, an' wit de ban' in dat watah dey goin' talk. Dey'll talk.
(They'll talk in their sleep.)
Entry 6970
Take gall from loggahhaid turtle, mix wit watah, use as eye drop tuh remove catahrak [cataract].
The wording eye drop names a preparation form here. The bracketed cataract expansion is editorial, and no therapeutic effect is established.
Entry 6971
Said if yo' had a woman an' she wuzn't treatin' yo' right or sompin lak dat, gits yo' a li'le vial, an' git some of [her] urinate an' stop it up, an' carry it. Git some of 'er chamber lye an' stop it up in a li'le vial an' carry it in yore pocket always wit chew, an' dat'll stop de woman runnin' aroun'. [Runnin' aroun' includes after other men. This belief should have been put under chastity-belt rites in margin title URINE - BOTTLED, v.3, p.2383-2384.]
Entry 6972
Ah've hear'd dat if yo's [you is] tricked [in] any way, yo' could take yuh chamber lye an' put it in yuh - take some table salt an' some alum an' [urine and] mix it up tuh- gethah, an' sprinkle it all at each fo' cornahs of de house, an' dat'll kill it.
(If somebody has planted something for you?)
Yes sir.
conditional target of an alleged planted trick and reported countermeasure. Ah've hear'd and if retain both hearsay and conditionality; being tricked is not established as an actual diagnosis. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 6973
Now if somebody put a spell on yo' or sompin lak dat, Wanta kill yuh - Well, yo' know, serious - sompin gonna knock yo' out right away, see. Well, ah tell yah how tuh git rid of dat. Yo' git some bluestone, yo' know, out de drug store an' make watah. Make yer own watah, jis' lak yo' nurinate, an' put it in a bottle. An' put dat bluestone in dere an' let it stay in dere a while. An' take it an' po' [pour] in a toi- let an' it'll sink an' let it go on out. Pull de chain [old-fash- ioned device] an' let it go on out. An' de same thin' which yo' [spellcaster] wanta happen tuh me will happen tuh yo'.
[This is called returning the spell.]
(That is if somebody has hurt you, put a spell on you.)
Entry 6974
Put sulphur an' bluestone an' brimstone, tie all dat up tuhgethah an' put it in chamber lye an' throw it roun' yore house, an' nobody kin put down any cunjure fo' yo'.
Entry 6975
Say yo' kin use nails, dat's when yo' a subject of gas. If yo' a subject of gas an' yo' use nine nails in a bottle of vinegah, yo' be shuh [sure] yo' drink.a tea- spoonful fo' nine mawnin's an' dat will take care of de gas.
Entry 6977
Well, now, yo' kin take lard an' vinegah an' sugah an' kill any poison in de worl'. Yo' undahstan' me, if yo' use it right away. Yo' undahstan' me, yo' kin take lard an' sugar an' mix it tuhgethah, yo' undah- stan' me, in a quart bottle. Lard, vinegar an' sugah. An' mix it in a quart bottle. If it's right den, yo' undahstan', an' take a tablespoonfulla it three time a day. An' dat'll stop any poison in de worl'.
(That's what you do [use] when people come to you?)
Sure.
Entry 6978
Ah hear'd tell of wahps [hornet] nest - dat yo' take an' git a wahps nest on somepin, if yo' tooth ache, dat chew kin take an' smoke dat an' dat will cure it.
Entry 6979
Whut dey put on 'em, ah don' know, but ah've known of socks bein' gotten out of a mattress. Den put it in runnin watah. Dat'll take de bad luck on off, if dey have it.
Entry 6980
[The following rite I reduced to a note because I say do not use, have similar example and recheck before using. I wanted to transcribe the story later for the term hoodoo man:] Yo' kin turn it back on the person by throwing the thing into running Water.
Hyatt marks this reduced note 'do not use' and calls for rechecking before use; the following running-water instruction is not a verified outcome.
Entry 6981
If you have a [social] disease and have a running, they claim if you take some of that and go backward to a stream of running water and throw it over your left shoulder, it will cause that running to stop. [That word social within bracket, originally a parenthesis, is mine. What it replaces I no longer remember. Above it I have a note copy myself! Back in 1936 when this belief was collected, everything about a venereal disease was taboo. A final note of mine reads My original [[pencil]] copy never typed, dated H. M. H. note Aug. 1971.]
Entry 6982
Ah've had de claps so bad until ah didn't do nuthin but a solid stream of blood evah time ah made watah. An' ah went tuh Dr. O'Leary here an' he vashed mah bladdah out an' he tole me, he said, "Yo' got a sore on de end of yo' bladdah. Yo' been havin' dat - yo' been ovahstrainin' so long until it's worked back up intuh yo' stomic." (This doctor, was he a medical doctor?) Yes, an' he nevah did do me no good. So finely, ah one day, ah wuz workin' at de shop down dere, ah ovaheerded someone, a fellah, talkin'. An' ah says, "Well, ah'm goin' tuh use dat remedy. Ah went right on home an' tried it. He says get a pint of, a bottle, an' fill it half-fulla meal.
(What kind of meal?)
Half-fulla cornmeal.
(Half-full of cornmeal.)
An' put nine drops of turpentine in dere. Den git chew some rain watah an' fill dat bottle up. An' den shake it up right good 'till it all resolve [dis- solve] an' yo' know - when it resolve [dissolve] down de meal, dat brings it down about dat low [demonstrates]. Den yo' see it sinks down in dat watah. Yo' shake it up an' take a good swallah outa dat three times a day, an' dat cleah yo' out. Ah don' care whut's de mattah wit chew. Well, ah had it so bad dat ah couldn't hardly walk, it burned me tuh walk. [I fixed] dat jah [jar] mahself, yo' know. An' ah say, "Ah'm goin' home an' try dat." Now, dis, dis is by ex- perience. Ah've done it twice. Evah time ah have it an' I've tole othah men about it. Ah know a frien' dat done dat. Ah fixed 'im a bottle of it an' it Cured 'im. Ah carried - ah goes home an' ah gits me a pint bottle, an' ah fills it half fulla meal, an' ah gits dis rain watah. [Here, thinking that informant was merely repeating, I stopped recording to save cylinder space; but immediately realizing that he was adding something new, I restarted machine to ask what he did with the cork.]
(What did you do with that cork?)
Put a trench in dat stoppah so de air will jis' sour dat meal, sour it where de air kin git out an' it won' blow de cork out or eithah bus' de bottle.
(I see.)
Or put chew a papah stoppah or somepin, so dat it won't be so tight. Well, in about three days dat will be good an' sour, an' it have a good taste from dat tarpentine. An' dat'll rid yo' - ease yo' an' cure yo' up.
Entry 6983
[Rain water, water from heaven as one informant called it, is the sub- stance of my following transcription note: Sprain, pouring water on it from Becond-story window! I remember the occasion slightly because a younger man being interviewed at the same time laughed. This much I re- member. My informant said years ago he knew the man who did this amnd cured his sprain, despite the absence of a second story to his house. He leaned a ladder against his one-story shack, had his wife with a bucket of water climb the ladder, while he flattened himself beneath. Naturally a considerable ount of water missed the.ankle but not the entire man. This is actually a Sort of rain-making rite! Could it or something similar have come from the Amer- ican Indian? Is it the remnant of a humorous folk tale? Has anyone collected a parallel? Those were two great days of my life I spent of Deal Island in the home of the Whites, who happened to be Blacks - see two pictures of this home and us in ILLUSTRATIONS at end of Hoodoo, volume 2.]
Entry 6984
[Here is a remarkable survival, perhaps my only example of the belief. This rite has survived not only time but also my notation doubtful, made only a few months after its collection out in the field!] Dey say if anybody wan'a try tuh poison yuh or anythin', or dey eithah try tuh run yuh crazy or anythin', dey say go tuh de runnin' spring [of water], an' git choo a stran' of [your] hair, an' turn yuh back to it [spring] an' t'row in de watah, an' nevah look at it, an' dey say dat'll kill dat [witch- craft]. [This is a substitution rite. The intended victim substitutes a strand of his hair, a part of his life, for the whole of his life. To earlier man, and even into the Middle Ages many springs or wells were considered holy, each well guarded by its own spirit. The Christian Church renamed these famous wells for saints. I lived for some months on a narrow winding street called Holywell, in Oxford, England. Further, the Old Testament tells us that songs were sung to wells and springs: Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it, " in Numbers 21:17.]
Entry 6985
[The following rite, a MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE of sexual impotence (pp. 2341-2391), should have followed margin title WATER RUNNING, p.2389:] De willah tree, de weepin' willah. Dey tell me dey kin take de roots of dat an' make a tea or eithah dry it an' sprinkle it on a man an' yo'll stay wit 'im. He'll nevah have no connection wit no one. If he start, he'll fall. (Well, who would do that?) De woman, his wife, anybody, if he's bad fo' runnin' aftah othah wimmins. Or if she's de same way, a man git dat, he can't stay, he'll leave. He'll git mad wit de woman an' leave her. It's eithah way [you can stop a man or woman].
(Well, then when he came home, he couldn't do anything with his wife either?)
Oh, he be all right when he git home - jes' stay home all de time.
(Oh, he wouldn't be all right with other women?)
No, not fo' nobody else, jes' dat woman.
Entry 6986
Den cnothah thing, yo' kin git witch hazel, olive oil, saltpetah an' a pinch of bluestone, an' make it up intuh a lickrish [liquid]. Take a teaspoon- ful three time a day. Dat runs de devilment outa yo'. [Devilment is occasionally used as a synonym for cunjure, roots, or witch- craft. Considering its name, witch hazel is rarely used in hoodoo.]
Entry 6987
Go tuh de no't side of a willah tree an' scrape de bahk [bark] off - yo' know, jis' scrape - jis' cut de top bahk off an' den scrape off some of dat white bahk offen [off] a willah tree. An' it wus good fo' neu- asmee.
[Neuasmee appears to be a combination of neuralgia and asthma.]
(How would they use that?)
Well, yo' take it an' make a tea outa it, an' drink de tea. Good for de neu- asmee.
Entry 6989
Ah heard dat if yo' kin git tuh a tree where de lightnin' struck an' if yo suffah wit toothache, well yo' take an' git one of dose splintahs outa dere an' pick yore tooth till it bleed an' it will cure de toothache.
Entry 6990
De use dat fo' toothaches an' thin' [things] is all ah evah know'd dat tuh be used fo'.
(This lightning-struck tree.) [Brunswick, Ga., (1189), 2009:6.]
[This is the third subsection of section FOLK MEDICINE. Back in the days when I collected general folklore, cures for the drunkard, like remedies for venereal diseases, were not quite proper procedure; consequently many fruitless healing methods have probably been lost. Alcoholism is a legitimate part of hoodoo be- cause it can be the result of a spell cast - See DRINKING SPELL, P.33.]
Entry 6991
Well, yo' git chew nine of dose large antses. Dat's whut chew speakin' about. Call dem bull antses.
(What color are they?)
Red. Yassuh, git nine of 'em an' yo' call yore husban' or yore cousin or who- somevah. Yo' call dere name evahtime yo' drop one a [one of] dem antses in dere [a bottle of whiskey]. Yo' call dere name an' stop dat up. An den yo' git dat - jis' po' it [whiskey] off aftah yo' let 'em [ants] in dere, an' de whiskey will kill 'em all, see. Well, yo' strain 'em off yo' know, an' jis' give 'em [victim] a drink of dat. Dey won't drink no mo' whiskey, cuz it goin' make 'em sick. Make 'em sick as a dog.
(You put these ants in the whiskey and strain it off and give it to them.)
Yes.
Entry 6992
Yo' go tuh a person dat is very sick an' make 'em hold a apple in dere hand. An' bring dat apple back home an' leave her eat dat apple, an' dat'll stop 'er from drinkin'. (You have to do this with someone that is very, very sick. Put the apple in that hand and then you bring that apple back home and make her eat that apple.) Yes, dat'll stop 'er from drinkin'. [I believe my informant, marked excellent, has given me an incomplete trans- ference-of-disease rite so common in getting rid of a wart or sty - see many examples in FACI, 2nd ed. Surely, after our alcoholic has eaten the apple, the core should be returned and placed again in the hand of the very sick person. The latter on dying will carry away the disease or spell afflicting our patient.l
Entry 6993
If yo' have a frien' dat drinks likkah an' yo' wants tuh stop 'im from it, yo' take - yo' cut 'is own shirt right undah de arm where he sweats at [de- monstrates]. (Under the left arn.) Uh-hmm. An' yo' boil it in a li'l watah. Den yo' take an' strain it an' po' it intuh some moonshine or whiskey - yhutevah he drinks - an' put it where he kin git it 'isself. When he drink dat, he'll nevah drink anothah drop.
(Take a piece from his own shirt, his undershirt.)
Entry 6994
A fellah dat is a bad likkah drinkah - spent all yore money, let chure wife go necked [naked], let chureself to necked - dey tell me if yo'll take, while he's drunk, if yo'll take asperin an' put it intuh 'is likkah, an' when he wakes up tuh take a li'le drinka dis likkah an' put asperin in it, dey tell me dat'll kill de taste of likkah.
Entry 6995
See, jis' lak dis bed is, yo' take a fellah - ah don' care how he dressed, where he comin' from - de easies' thin' is a church. (Church?) [My transcriber could not understand this word - see later.] Yeah, an' den invite him, whahevah he be at, if he's a fellah love tuh drink an' - it jis' as easy - jis' swipe [swish] dat in dere an' put it in 'is likkah. An' he'll nevah regret seein' likkah no more.
(That's a bedbug, isn't it?)
Yeah, a bedbug. [The preceding word church should be chinch, a legitimate word for bedbug (Cimex lectularius). Several times I also heard about a different bug, the chinch bug (Blissus leucopterus) destructive of grass and grain in the U. S. A. during dry seasons.]
Alcohol is the retrieval label for likkah in the reported drinking context; no chemical composition is established.
Entry 6996
(What do you call them?)
Kints.
(Kints?)
[Here we have the same trouble as in the preceding rite.]
Yes, sir, dat's whut we call 'em here.
(What do you do with that, then?)
Yo' gits dis blood - jis' lak yo'd come in drunk, well yo' have dis likkah all ready dere an' yo' take dis chinches an' yo' squeeze dis blood outa dere in dat, an' yo' give it tuh 'im, "Do yo' wan'a drink?" Well, yo' po's it out an' yo' give it tuh 'im. Aftah dat he ain't goin' tuh git drunk, 'cuz ah did dat mahself.
(That will stop you from drinking?)
Yes, sir, indeed it would.
Entry 6997
She kin take some beef blood an' put it in some whiskey yo' know, an' give dat tuh 'im. Yo' jis' put nine drops in dere at de time, yo' know, an' let 'im drink dat. An' dat'll make 'im sick an' dat'll turn 'im against it.
Entry 6998
Dey says yo' kin take a beef gall an' give him de beef gall in coffee an' dat'll stop 'im from drinkin' likkah.
Entry 6999
[They]tell me yo' take beef gall an' yo' put 9 drops intuh a bottle of whiskey. See if he don't stop drinkin'.
Entry 7000
[One of these catfish-blood rites to make a person stop drinking whis- key tells us: de female catfish min'strates lak a woman evah munt - see p.1869, lines 11-20, v.3.] Well, yo' kin take a man dat drinkin' whiskey all de time, why yo' kin ketch a live catfish any time, an' yo' jis' cut 'im right 'crost 'is tail or somepin-lak or anythin'. An' den let de blood drop right down in a bottle an' puh [pour] de whiskey in it, an' shake it up an' give it tuh 'im, an' let 'im drink an' he'll vomit. If yo' keeps dat up fo' a while, an' evah time he drinks it'll make him sick an' prob'ly break 'im off from drinkin'. Evah time yo' do dat, it'll make him sick.
(I see.)
Entry 7001
[The rite under the present number and the rite to follow under a sep- arate number are almost identical, yet each comes from a different person and trip to Memphis. For a similar situation, see my introductory note on p.1872 to interVieW EUREKA HOTEL WHERE I INTERVIEWED IN MEMPHIS BUILT BY THE DEAD.1 Git a catfish whilst he's live an' stick 'im in de tail, an' ketch dat blood an' put it intuh - make it up firs' 'fore yo' put it in dere cuz de whiskey'll cook it an' make it lumpy. But chew make it up in jis' a li'le watah an' den yo' put it intuh dis whiskey an' shake it up. An' give it tuh dat man an' he won' want no mo' whiskey.
Entry 7002
Take a catfish an' git 'is blood. Stick de fish in 'is tail - he have tuh be 'live - stick 'im in 'is tail an' ketch dat blood an' mix it up in watah first, becuz de whiskey will cook de blood. Mix it up in watah an' den put it in whiskey an' shake it up an' give it tuh 'em. Dat'll prevent 'im from drink- in'.
Entry 7003
Well, she go tuh a market where she kin buy a catfish, a small-size cat. Bring 'im home an' wash 'im off nice an' clean. Split 'im on both sides of 'is tail about a inch an' a half down tuh de end of 'is tail. Hol' a saucah, a white saucah undah dere an' let de blood drip in dere. Git 'im a half a pinta whiskey an' put dat in de whiskey an' put it where he kin drink it. An' he'll nevah tech no mo' as long as he live, an' ah'll guarantee he won't.
Entry 7004
Yo' git a catfish. An' it's got one drop of blood in it, in fron' of it between 'is eyes. Yo' take yuh ice pick, yo' git dat dropa [drop of] blood outa de catfish while he's alive. An' yo' drop it in dat likkah. Yo' shake it an' give it 'im tuh drink. An' whenevah he drink it, dat'll make him sick.
Entry 7005
Mah sistah did it tuh make huh husban' stop drinkin' - wit it - becuz he wuz a pure drunkard. Dere wuz a ole fortunetellah woman wuz comin' along de street an' he always wuz drunk an' would throw 'is money away. An' he tole huh - she tole mah sistah tuh go tuh de rivah an' git 'uh a catfish, an' take two dropsa his blood an' drop it intuh dat whiskey whut he drink. An' he ain't nevah drink a drop since.
(Two drops of blood?)
Two dropsa live catfish blood. An' he ain't nevah drink a drop since.
Entry 7006
Ket' choo [ketch choo = catch you] a live catfish or garfish, an' while he alive, an' git choo a halfa pinta likkah an' put three dropsa blood in it, while he's [the fish is] alive, an' give it'im [the man]. (That will stop him from drinking?) Stop 'im from drinkin'. [This may be the only reference in Hoodoo to the gar, or billy gar as we used to call it during my childhood at Quincy, Illinois, on the Mississippi River. The fresh-water gars of the U. S. A. are ga- noids of the order Holostei family, Lapisosteidae, widely distributed in eastern and central U. S. A., as long-nosed gar and short-nosed gar. Our present gar may be the alligator gar, a much larger fish found farther south.]
Entry 7007
Plenty times dat happen dat way. Yo'll git a bunch of fishes an' yo'll sometimes find a live fish on dere; yo' know, dat's not daid. Yo'll go tuh work an' yo'll git dat fish an' yo'll gut dat fish. An' yo'll take nine drops of 'is blood [see correction later] an' yo'll go tuh work an' yo'll put it in a bottle or somewhere yo' kin keep. An' yo'll give him a drop or two drops evah mawnin'. He won' wanta see any mo' [whiskey].
(Stops him from drinking.)
Yes. [A correction follows.] Ah mean fo' nine days. Give him two drops yo' see, but yo' see yo' make it fo' nine days.
(What kind of fish?)
Catfish, but he must be 'live.
Entry 7008
Take beef gall. Take some beef gall an' a catfish; yo' know, dese ole big long-head mud cats. Take dat mud catfish gall, yo' undahstan', an' take a [chicken] egg an' beat it up wit dis; keep it from bein' so bittah, yo' undahstan'. An' take [add] dis whiskey, beat it up good, good, good; so it won't foam much, yo' undahstan'. An' shake it up in de bottle of whiskey an' let 'im drink dat. It'll stop 'im from drinkin' all de whiskey in de world.
Entry 7009
Yo' kin take a catfish or use some of de slime offa his hide, or eithah cut 'im an' git somea his blood - maybe a teaspoonful an' put it in 'is drink an' git even wit 'im. Or, if yo' wanta stop 'em from drinkin', yo' see, well, yo' see, yo' don't use quite as much, jis' a li'le. Give him dat in a drink an' he'll nevah drink no mo'. Put it intuh whiskey an' let it stay in dere fo' prob'ly, well, twenty-fo' hours. Den yo' strain it if yo' see anythin'aroun' through it. An' if dey drinks dat whiskey wit dat fish blood in it, he'll go an' throw up [vomit] - he'll try tuh turn 'is insides out. Dat's worse den eatin' [too much]. An' dat's somepin yo' kin do [to stop a person from drinking].
[Record very indistinct here so last few lines cannot be transcribed.]
But [if] yo' don't use nuthin but de slime, dat's [to] stop yo' from drinkin'; but if yo' use dat dere catfish blood, it'll kill yo'.
(It'll kill you, but the slime will cure you from drinking.)
De slime will absolutely stop yo' from drinkin'. Dat make 'im heave up a li'le, but dat blood [will kill him].
Entry 7010
Well, yo' git some likkah an' put cigah ashes in dere an' den yo' make 'em drink off it. He won't drink no mo'. [Everywhere I found tobacco ashes a cure for alcoholism.]
Entry 7011
Tuh stop a man from drinkin' when he's [a] real heavy [drinker], when a man's real heavy [drinker], yo' ain't got a thing tuh do but git chew some cigarette ashes, undahstan', an' put it intuh a pint of whiskey an' shake it up. It'll stop 'im.
Entry 7012
As so often in hoodoo, the same rite can be used for an opposite pur- pose like the following one:] Git close tuh de people. Treats [de people] dere one night [when opening a bootlegging business]. Git chure trade worked up right. An' den, aftah dey come in, yo' drop a li'le sompin, cigah dust, cigah ashes. Put it in dere glass an' serve dis tuh 'em. Serve dere stuff on dat, an' dat will bring dem right back tuh yo'. (But they must come first. And the cigar ashes will bring them back there, if I am bootlegging.) Yes sir.
Entry 7013
Yo' jis' take de whiskey, if he drinks a lot, an' yo' try tuh break it. Yo' take a dead man's han' an' po' de whiskey intuh a basin an' jis' take his han' an' jis' wash 'is han' off wit dat whiskey. An' yo' po' dat whiskey back in de bottle an' yo' give it tuh dat per- son [heavy drinker]. Or eithah yo' kin take some...
Entry 7014
Yo' kin stop 'em in two ways ah know of. Yo' kin git chew a piece of deerhide - yes sir, de skin of a deerhide. An' yo' kin make a tea outa dat an' give dem dat tuh drink an' dat'll stop 'em.
(Stop them from drinking liquor?)
Yes sir.
Entry 7015
Yo' kin save him from dat. (How do you save him from that?) Dey say yo' kin take a dishrag an' put it in any kinda likkah, a greasy dishrag, an' dey say de man will stop drinkin' from dat.
Entry 7016
Well, if yo' got a man an' yo' don' want 'im tuh drink whiskey, yo' roun' an' de firs' dog dat chew see wit young puppies, real young puppies, yo' ast de lady who owns it tuh let chew milk, or let 'er milk a li'le of dat milk intuh a glass. An' git about six or eight tea- spoonsfulla dat milk in de glass an' po' about - well, a gill of whiskey tuh it, an' let 'im drink it. No mo' whiskey fo' him.
(That will stop his drinking?)
YasSuh, it'll stOp 'em. AH STOPPED ONE FO' A WHITE LADY OUT DERE ON DE OLE STREET.
(That really will stop them.)
Entry 7017
Take some fish eel, dose fish eel yo' know whut chew skin 'em. Yo' kin take dat an' dry it. Put it up an' dry it an' let it come tuh a powdah. An' put dat intuh 'is whiskey, an' dat supposed tuh stop 'im from drinkin'.
Entry 7018
If he's a drinkah, whut chew kin do tuh stop 'im from drinkin'. Yo' take de skin of a eel, a skinned eel, an' let de skin git dry. An' aftah it's dry, yo' beat it up intuh I powdah an' put it in some whiskey, an' give 'im dat. He'll nevah want any mo'.
Entry 7019
Yo' kin take a eelskin, take an' ketch a eel. Take his skin an' let it git dry, an' yo' take dat eelskin aftah it git dry an' pound it up, an' put it in whiskey an' give it tuh 'im. Well, now when he drink dat, he might drink a halfa pint of it. It'll make him so sick until he'll jis' vomit till he 'bout th die. Well, dat'll break 'im from drinkin' whiskey.
Entry 7020
Well, if yo' is a real heavy likkah drinkah, a woman kin take a - jis' lak if she don' want chew tuh drink, she'll go tuh work 'erself an' buy yo' a quart of likkah. Well, now, yo' know she have it. An' git 'er a eelskin. Yo' kin skin a eel an' let 'im dry. An' aftah dat eelskin dry, take an' put it fn dat likkah an' let it stay in dere a night or two. Den take him out. He couldn't know it. An' den go an' give it tuh 'im. Dat'll break 'is likkah drinkin' up.
Entry 7021
Well, dey say dey take de eelhide. Dey do an' put in sompin an' let soak in dere fo' a couple of days.
(In some liquor?)
Yes sir, fo' a couple of days, an' den yo' remove dat. Strain dis stuff. Well, if yo' wanta - if it looks kinda druggy or too bad, yo' put some mo' tuh it an' let it set dere an' settle. An' den yo' drene [drain] it off an' give it tuh de person, an' hit'll make 'em sick till dey quit.
(They stop drinking.)
Yes.
Entry 7022
Says git a eelskin an' soak it in whiskey, about a pint of whiskey. Take dat eelskin an' soak it in dat whiskey fo' 'bout three days, an' den yo take dat eelskin out. An' jis' lak he be drinkin' an' come in an' eat suppah or sompin, yo' give 'im dat an' it make him purtty sick- heave a lot. But it will break 'im up from drinkin' whiskey.
Entry 7023
(You get what?) A eel, yo' see, one of dem fisheels. Yo' git chew a live fisheel an' git one drop of blood from 'im. Now yo' take dat drop of blood an' yo' drop it in de drink dat de man is goin' tuh drink, an' den he ain't goin' tuh drink no mo'. (I see.)
Entry 7024
Git a eel an' git 'is blood an' put three drops in dere, in dey whis- key, whutsomevah he drink, an' give it tuh 'im. Dat'll make him sick an' he'll stop drinkin'.
Entry 7025
A eel.
(You take: an eel?)
Yo' kin take a eel an' take de blood of a eel an' stop anybody from drinkin'. (How do you do that?) Yo' see, jis' whut dey drink, yo' take dat eel's blood an' yo' drop it in dere. An' when dey be drinkin', yo'll git enough an' yo'll do it fo' nine days. An' evah time yo' give dem a drink, yo'll put some of dat eel's blood in dere, but it'll make 'em awful sick. But yo'll stop 'um from drinkin'.
Entry 7026
Fathah Graybeard. Yes sir, it's a tree grows an' have a beard jis' lak a man. Yo' go dere an' dig dat tree up an' git de very top of de roots. But chew cain't take it off from de end, yo' gotta go up in de - where it grow up in de big part of de tree. An' git de chips outa dat an' put in de whiskey. It'll make dem sick dey lak tuh kill demself.
(You put this root in the whiskey to make a man stop drinking?)
Yes sir.
(You get the root just as it goes into the trunk of the tree.)
[The graybeard tree in the southern states of the United States of America is the fringe tree (Chionanthus virginica), a small tree with clusters of white flowers. The dried root bark is used as an aperient and diuretic. Whether this is the Father Graybeard of the present rite I do not know.]
Entry 7027
Yo' take de fig leaves. Yo' git green fig leaves an' yo' put 'em somewhere or 'nothah lak yo' grind 'em up. Powdah 'em up yo' know jis' lak yo' would throw terbacca [tobacco] until yo' poun' dose green leaves up. Yo' know whut ah mean. Yo' let dem git dry enough till yo' poun' dem green leaves teetollay [teetotally] up intuh a powdah, an' yo' kin use it. Dat sup- posed tuh be wit candy or chewin' gum or anythin' else. Jis' sprinkle a li'le of dat powdah on de chewin' gum or candy, an' dat'll absolutely break 'em from drinkin'.
(Drinking liquor?)
Yes sir.
Entry 7028
[For MINNOW and MULLET, see later; CATFISH already given.]
Yo' kin take fish. Den yo' mash de fish an' put hit in some whiskey, a raw piece of fish. Put it in whiskey. An' if yo' wan' chore husban' or yore wife tuh quit drinkin' - an' evah time dey ask fo' a drink of whiskey, yo' give dem a drink of dat.
Entry 7029
He's drink, he don' know whut he's eatin', an' dey say if he eat a bit of dat, he won' drink no mo'. Well, now, when yo' clean de fish, yo' know, an' yo' will take de entrails out an' if he drunk anyhow, an' if he eat any of 'em, an' dey say dat makes 'im sick, he'll vomit an' he'll turn against likkah.
Entry 7030
Supposed tuh break any habit prakly [practically]. See, in de fo'k of de road where de road come tuh join dataway [demonstrates], or eithah cross data- Way [demonstrates] yo' go an' yo' git dat dirt. An' use it wit blue di'mond, whut dey sell at de drug sto', git John de Conkah, an' put dat in a airtight bottle. An' if de man have a habit of drinkin', or anythin' dat way, dat's de end of dat. Git some dirt in de road... [I interrupt].
(What do you do with that stuff in that bottle then?)
Jis' leave it stay shet up an' put it in de house where he live, 'custom [accustom] tuh live at.
(What is this blue diamond? What is that?)
Yo' git it from de drug sto'. It's lak dis steel dust, sompin lak dat.
Entry 7031
Ketch a frog an' put a pint of whiskey on a live frog an' de frog dies. [A small frog is squeezed into a bottle, whiskey poured on him, and the bottle corked up. I believe there is a simi- lar example of this frog treatment in Hoodoo.1 When de frog dies on de Viskey - it ain't goin' tuh hurt nobody - it'll make 'im sick. Jis' call a certain person, dat who all drinks so heavy, an' let 'im drink about two drinks off dat. Well, one drink, a good big drink off dat frog, an' den he won't nevah drink no mo' - have no mo' appetite fo' whiskey no mo'.
Entry 7033
Well, yo' git de left of a goose eye [the left eye of a goose], take it outa his haid, strain it intuh a bot- tle [containing whiskey] an' let 'im drink offa dat unbeknownst tuh 'im. Dat'll stop 'im from drinkin'.
Entry 7034
Yo' take dat an' airtight it, yo' see. An' yo' wan'a hurt anybody, yo' airtight dere watah good an' put it - yo' put three pennies down in de grave [to pay the spirit] yo' see, an' po' [pour] it [urine] down dere [in the hole with] yuh watah an' dose three pennies an' close it up. Dat's in ordah tuh keep yuh from drinkin', takin' strong drinks.
Entry 7035
[If yo'] wuz a drunkard an' drinks a lotta whiskey. Well, jis' lak if yo' drink whiskey an' ah wants yo' tuh stop, ah wanta stop yo' from drinkin' so hard. Well, yo' take any ole part of 'is cap or 'is shoe an' yo' carry it an' bury it in de graveyard, an' let it stay in dere fo' nine mawnin's. An' den come an' git it an' burn it up, an' dat'll stop 'em from drinkin' so hard.
(After you burn it, you don't bring those ashes back?)
Yo' git de ashes, bring 'em back an' put 'em in de yard.
(Stop me from drinking.)
Drinkin' so hard.
Entry 7036
Yo' take a man dat's been drinkin' all 'is days, or if yo' take dat [man] ain't bery long started, it easily done. But one dat's drinkin' all 'is days, most of 'em drinks whiskey or drinks [hard liquor]. De way she do 'im when he come in evah night - evah night when he comes in she goes tuh work an' clip off 'is, git 'is hair down dere.
(His private hair.)
His private hair, an' a li'le from 'is haid an' mix it tuhgethah. Den she takes dat an' puts it in a li'le bit of whiskey an' she keeps dat fo'.three days aftah she do it. Git dis li'le bit of hair an' takes dat fo' three days an' keeps it. Den she buys den a halfa pint of othah whiskey an' po's hit intuh dis whiskey, an' let 'im drink dat, an' he'll slack up on dat whiskey. Maybe he drink, perhaps it be fo' days, but it won't be ovah fo' days 'fore he come in, "Ah b'lieve ah'll slack up drinkin' whiskey, ah sho' do think it's takin' 'fect on me."
Entry 7037
De root of holly bush, an' yo'll boil dat root - dat holly bush root down. An' if he don't drink nuthin lak tea or coffee where yo' kin mix dat wit, yo'll compoun' dat root up, yo' see, right fine, where yo' kin put it in 'is food an' he can't pertect [detect] it. An' dat's one [way] tuh stop 'is bad habit - hababitchal [habitual] drinkah. Take dat holly bush root an' ground it up. Now, if yo' boil de root an' put de juice intuh sompin where he won't pertect it, it's all right; but if yo' can't - he pertect it dataway - yo' grind it up fine an' put it [in his food].
Entry 7038
Yo' kin git de blessed watah from de Cath'lic Church, anybody; but dey don' give it tuh yuh tuh do dat. Dey give it tuh yuh fo' tuh use fo' yuh own use; anything yuh wanta use it fo', yo' see. But ah did heah dat anythin' yuh ask... (Well, now, how do you use that blessed water, if this man was a heavy drinker?) How would ah give it tuh 'im?
(Yes.)
Oh, yes, when he's might ask yuh fo' a drink a watah, an' den yuh put some a dat blessed watah in dere, an' call In de Name of God, de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Spirit, hopin' dat he would quit drinkin' so hard. An' in dat way - dat's all dere's tuh dat.
Entry 7039
Mah husband's a heavy likkah drinkah but he don' drink now see. He don' drink now becuz ah broke him of dat. Now, yo' have tuh ordah dis. Dey call it cinnamon bark. Dat's all ah evah known, dat ah evah did [for a heavy drinker]. An' it made as a tea, but chew cain't give him de reg'lah cinnamon bark. Well, yo' go tuh de [she could not think of blacksmith, if she knew it] - yo' know where did man fix horseshoe. Well, yo' gO an' GIT CHEW A LI'LE PIECE WHERE HE TRIM OFF DE HORSE HOOFS. YO' CAIN'T GIVE 'IM MUCH 'CUZ IT'S DANGEROUS. Yo' may git chew a piece, well say 'bout large as dis pea. An' yo' boil dat cinnamon bark an' dis heah horse hoof tuh- gethah, an' yo' strain dat an' put it intuh a extra li'le bottle. An' den when dey drink dat, drink coffee or tea, well yo' have tuh take a teaspoon; yo' know, jes' lak dey measure thin's as a medicine. Yo' take a teaspoon an' take it half full an' po' it in 'is coffee, where he cain't taste it, an' let 'im drink it an' he'll finely he nevah drink no mo' whiskey. Mah man a drinkah an' ah broke 'im from it.
(Well, you must know.)
Entry 7040
If he a heavy drinkah - if a man a heavy drinkah, yo' git chew a king snake. See, a king snake about dat size [demonstrates]. Aftah yo' kill de king snake, yo' take his haid. An' yo' take de tip end of 'is haid an' yo' boil dat down. Boil it down tuh a medicine-lak, jis' about dis much, tuh put in a vial. An' aftah he goes tuh drink - he might drink wit chew. An' aftah he drink wit chew, yo' put about dis much of dat lik- kah in de whiskey. An' aftah he taste dat, he won't drink no more. Make him sick fo' 'bout twenty-some [twenty-one?] days. [The king snake of the southern United States of America is called king because it kills other snakes. Actually it lives chiefly on mice and rats.]
Entry 7041
If he's a heavy drinkah, when yo' be ministratin' yer third day - yo' be ministratin' - yo' take yuh three drops; an' if yo' go four days, de fourth day yo' git choo four drops. An' put it in some whiskey fo' 'im an' shake it up good. When yo' puttin' it in dere, well yo' put two needles in dere [but chew take de needles out], say[ing], "Ah'm puttin' dis in here fer tuh stick intuh yer whiskey drinkin' hard, tuh stop yuh from drinkin'." An' yo' take de needles out an' yo' give it [the whiskey] tuh 'im an' it'll make him sick.
Entry 7042
Yo' take dem li'le bitta minnow fish. Yo' see [you have seen] minnow fishes. Yo' take dem minnow fish an' git chew some whiskey an' let 'im [minnow] stay on it about two days. An' po' it [whiskey] off an' give it to 'em [man] an' he puke his entrails loose. An' he won' nevah take anothah drink. [The word entraiZs instead of guts is either false modesty, sheer habit, or respect for the white man. Fortunately this type of respect did not occur often. For other fish in this subsection on ALCOHOLICS, see preceding mar- gin titles CATFISH, FISH and following margin title MULLET.]
Entry 7043
Take anybody who's a bad habit of drinkin' an' yo' know, lak yo' wanta try tuh break 'em from drinkin', dey tell me yo' kin ketch three li'le minnows yo' know, an' put 'em in a bottle of whiskey an' let 'em die in dere, an' den give it tuh dat party, yo' know, who's a bad drinkah, who cain't do wit'out it. Give it tuh dem an' dey'll stop. Dat stop 'em from drinkin'.
Entry 7044
Ah hear'd a woman say yo' take - go tuh de sto' an' git chew some fresh mullet fish, an' yo' take an' yo' split dat fish. Don' put de bone part in it, [use] de meat part. An' put it in a pinta likkah an' let it set all night. An' de nex' mawnin' she give him dat likkah an' it make him so sick he wouldn't wan' any mo'. Dat would stop 'im.
Entry 7045
Take a fish - take a mullet fish tail an' anybody drinkin' likkah... (A mullet fish?) Yes sir, take de tip end of de tail, an' take a black string an' tie it roun' dat tail, an' put it in a bottle of whiskey. An' let it set all night an' let it 'solve [dissolve] an' take it out. An' anybody git a drink of dat, dey won't drink any mo - stop 'em from drinkin'.