Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 8
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 5766
Well, if anybody wanta run a woman or a man away, yo' git de - in de middle of de track yo' git dat dirt out of de middle of de left track. An' take dat dirt an' take it tuh a stream of runnin' watah an' fold it up tight in a li'le rag an' put it in dere. An' it will float away, an' dat will drift dem clean away.
Entry 5767
Yo' take de lef' track, if yo' kin ketch de lef' track. Yo' take up dat lef' track an' throw it in a runnin' stream an' dey'll leave town. Wherevah dey go dey won't stay long, but ah don't know whut hour yo' do dat. Yo' have tuh have a pahtic'lah hour tuh do dat.
Entry 5768
Dey say dey kin take some of yore footstep. Take some of dat where yo' make yore footstep an' take some out de palm of yore feet, right where de centah of yore feet. Take an' put dat in a bottle, cork it up an' throw it in a runnin stream. Dey say dat'll put chew tuh goin'.
(What foot do they take?)
Say de left foot.
Entry 5769
Take yo' footprint an' take it up on a bo'd or sompin where yo' wouldn't lose none of it, an' carry it tuh a rivah, a runnin' rivah an' throw dat in it. Why dat'll make yo' keep goin' all de time.
(How many tracks do they take up or any particular one?)
Jest one, either one.
Entry 5770
Take dey foot tracks an' throw it in runnin' watah ovah yore lef' shouldah. Throw it in runnin' watah an' yo' supposed tuh go.
Entry 5771
Take yore track - yo' go along an' jes' take yore han'fulla track an' grab it up quick lak dat. An' carry dat tuh runnin' watah an' throw dat in run- nin' watah, an' dat will make 'em leave home.
Entry 5772
Usin' dat same stuff dat ah told yo' 'bout. Put on somepin an' take de tracks up. Yo' undahstan'? Dey kin take yore track up an' put it in runnin' satah an' dat'll run yo' - always keep yo' goin'.
Entry 5773
Dey kin take yore track an' stop it up an' go an' throw it in runnin' gatah. See, dat keep yo goin', keep yo' on de go. Yo' won' be satisfied no- ohere yo' go.
Entry 5774
Den when yo' walk out de yard, take de foot of it when yo' walkin' take dat track, dat lef' one, an' throw dat ovahbo'd. Dat'll run yo' away.
(Which foot did you say?)
Dat left foot [demonstrates].
(And you are bringing it back from the toe to the heel?)
Yes.
Entry 5775
Dey said dey pick yore track up aftah it git hard yo' know. Dig it up, de whole track an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' dat would run yo' crazy or somepin lak dat. Make yo' - yo' know, can't stay in one place.
(Running all the time.)
Entry 5776
They say they kin take your center part from yo' left foot, if yo' goin' away from home, an' put it in runnin' watah an' run yo' away from home. Get it if yo' goin' towards home. Take a young man - like if a lady Wants a man, yo' see, wan' 'in tuh come tuh 'er home. Why, tuh get sand from out de hollow of 'is foot, see.
(Which one?)
Out of the right foot, goin' tuh 'er home, yo' see. An' tie it up in a piece of new yellow cotton or homespun, something like that - where it nevah have been used, you know, an' they bury it undah the doorstep [to bring him to her home]. An' then they wear it in their shoes fer tuh hole 'em down [after he comes]. Bury it under the doorstep between nine and twelve o'clock.
Entry 5777
Well, if ah disliked yo' an' didn't wanta be around yo', an' didn't wan' chew tuh be roun' me, why ah take yore track an' jes' pick it up. (Both of them?) Jes' one, yore lef' track. Take it tuh a stream of watah dat's runnin' no'th an' throw it in dere. An' ah throw, ah turn roun' back an' says, "Go from me." Why in nine days dey would leave, have to leave off.
Entry 5778
Yo' kin take his track an' move him from outa town. Take his left-foot track an' git it, bind it up in a piece of red flannel. Take tuh de watah, a stream of watah, run- nin' watah an' throw it in dere. An' tell 'im tuh go, "Ah'm tired of bein' deviled wit chuh." He'll be gone.
Entry 5779
If she wan's tuh run 'im away, well yo' take his track. Start at de toe an' draw it back, de right - draw it back. Carry it tuh runnin' watah an' throw it ovah. Dat will run 'im off. Tell 'im tuh, "Go, ah don't wan' chew tuh come back any mo'." An' he keep agoin'.
Entry 5780
If yo' made a track, a person could take yore track, dey say - well, dey kin take dat, dey cast dat same spirit to dat, in dis way, fer as ah know. Dey say, "Ah have yore track." Yo' mean if dey wan' chew tuh leave town or somepin? Or run yo away or somepin lak dat? Or whut dey wan' chew tuh do? Or keep on goin'? Well, yo' say whut chew want. Say, "In de Name of Jesus Christ, ah have yore track an' now yo' shall do so-an'-so. Yo' can't stay heah. Whutevah ah wan' chew tuh do [yo'll do it]." Well, den, yo' take dat tuh de rivah an' yo' throw it ovah dere. Yo' combine it all in somepin an' take it tuh a runnin' stream of watah an' throw it ovah.
Entry 5781
Me an' 'er wuz good frien's, an' so she wanted tuh take mah husban' an' so she wanted tuh git mah track. 'Stead [instead] of 'er gittin' mah track, well she got hers. An' she took dat an' chunk it in runnin' watah. An' so she went down dere in 3 days, why she went down dere tuh drown 'erself.
Entry 5782
Dey pulls it [foot track] back. An' ah've heard 'em pull it back, an' den dey take it an' some- times dey Wan' chew tuh go way. Yo' throw it in de runnin' watah, when de tide's goin' up, an' den dey goes out. Ah have know 'em to do dat.
(They pull this foot track back toward them.)
Yes, pull de sand back.
(Yes, which one, either one?)
De left.
Entry 5783
(Now, if they want to run you away, they do something else, did you say?) Dey'll take dat track an' dey'll eithah sew it up tight an' dey throw it against de tide - like if de tide is goin' out, dey'll throw it out, see. An' de tide carries [it out] an' den yo' go away an' nevah return.
Entry 5784
They measure your track with a string and send you out of the neighborhood. And stick it down at the low-water mark. They tie it to a stick and stick it down at the low-water mark. That's to put you on a drift, to send you away from home. When the tide comes in, that covers the stick; and when the tide runs down [out], that's carrying you away from home.
Entry 5785
An old woman told me one time how to keep anybody from coming to your house. I asked her what was it. And she told me, in the summertime when the peach trees put out, to get some little twigs off the sugar [maple] tree; and when the person come to the house you didn't want there, just go after they were gone, and with them twigs whip their tracks all the way out of your house, and they won't ever come there any more. Over thirty years ago [1906]. [This man (28) from the edge of Newport News, Va., I interviewed by Ediphone at Old Point Comfort, Va., in 1936.]
The informant reports an old woman's instruction to whip a departing visitor's tracks. The claimed nonreturn is unverified, and the plant identification is partly editorial.
Entry 5786
Ah know if yo' love a man an' he had [an idea of] leavin' yo', yo' take his track an' tie it up in a rag or sompin dat won' break yo' know. An' go on de step of a house an' beat dat thing, dat all tuh pieces, an' yo'll break 'em up. Ah heard of dat.
(What did you put this track in?)
Have tuh take it in a rag or sompin, yo' know.
(And all you do, just beat it on the step?)
Yo've seen people take a sack an' beat it, haven't chew? Beat it till yo' gits dat dust all tuh pieces.
(Then he won't leave you?)
Yeah, dat's de way dey do's.
(This man won't leave you if you beat his track up?)
If he payin' 'er no mind an' he took up wit somebody else ovah yondah, an' yo' d dat. She'll fall out wit him an' he'll turn an' come back home.
Entry 5787
Well, dey supposed tuh go an' gittin' yo' left feet an' git some of dat md; take that sand an' jes' put it in a han'kerchief, an' take dat an' go an git some John de Conkah an' some whiskey an' some cologne, an' take an' ball it up, an' jes' take an' cologne it. IF YO' DRINK WHISKEY, TAKE AN' PUT A LIL' WHISKEY ON IT TEE TIMES A DAY - JES' AS OFTEN AS YO' DRINK WHISKEY - AN' KEEP IT CONCEALED ' BOT LET NOBODY TECH IT. Dey says, dat'll keep 'er Watchin' yo'. Don' mat- cahs who git 'er, he can't keep 'er - dat if yo' wan' 'er. Qou do this to your girl and she couldn't leave you? That is to hold your girl or a woman could hold her man?) Yessuh.
Entry 5788
Now, de way yo' could stop yore foot track, yo' could take some - git chew a little concentrated lye, an' half-a pint of whiskey, an' 'bout a teaspoon fulla camphor, an' put it in dat bottle yo'understan'. An' also write dere name on it an' jis' shake it up an' down until dat.all come tuhgethah - dat papah an' lye an' stuff come tuhgethah. All right. Wheresomevah yo're at, if yo's in a location wheresomevah yo' be at, jis' bury it down right - jis' at de right side of de do'step, right at de right side of yore do'step. Well, den dey couldn't do a thing wit yo'.
(That would keep that person from harming you?)
Dey won't do yo' any harm.
Entry 5789
De foot track is fo' makin' yo' walk.
(How do they do that?)
Dey take a wasp nest an' dey burn dat wasp nest. An' git de print of yore track from dat - halfway lak dat, an' scrape dat firs' dirt back towards de front.
(Where do they take from the toe.or from the heel?)
Scrape towards de toe first an' den yo' scrape back tuh de heel. Den yo' git dat dirt in de centah [of the track] dere. An' yo' mix dat an' de wasp nes' to- gethah on de stove an burn it. An' yo' git outside an' yo' hold yore han' up - have it [mixed wasp powder and foot track] in yore han', an' de wind will blow dat away, see. An' whichevah way dat blows, why yo'll go dat way. (In other words, you scrape the dirt back from the middle - back to the toe and back to the heel? Get that dirt down at the middle?) Down in de centah dataway. [This rite is from my first trip to Memphis. See following rite.]
Entry 5790
Yo' take a wasps nest an' take a person's track halfways; scrape de dirt back from right about middleways in de foot tuh de heel [demonstrates].
(From the MIDDLE OF THE FOOT BACK TO THE HEEL.) Yeah, back tuh de heel, an' den back tuh de toe [demonstrates]. (Then you begin in the middle and SCRAPE FROM THE MIDDLE UP TO THE TOE.)
[To scrape from hollow or middle of foot track to heel, then from middle to toe, is unusual if not rare.] Git dat sand or dirt. Burn yore wasp [nest] in yore stove an' git dose ashes of de wasp nest, an' mix de ashes an' de dust tuhgethah, de foot dust. Yeah, mix it all up good tuhgethah an' take dat an' put it in de palm of yore han', an' yo stand out [doors] an' yo' say, In de Name of de Father, de Son, [an' Holy Ghost]. An' whichevah way dat wind blows, why a person dat yo' don' wan' aroun' or sompin, dey'll go away. Dat's a easy way tuh git rid of 'em. Dey'll go on off.
(You take either foot track?)
No, take de left one. [This rite comes from my second trip to Memphis and it was given by an informant different from one in preceding rite.] [The spirit of the wasps chases away the spirit in the foot track.]
Entry 5791
Go tuh de forks of de road, anybody yo' wanta send dem tuh travel or n 'em away from dere. Goes out dere when de wind be blowin'. Take some of 'is track an' red peppah an' salt, an' throw it an' say, "Go, yo' son-of-a-bitch." Dataway. Or yo' kin throw it in some watah. (Or you can throw it into some water and it will do the same thing. Which way do you throw that stuff?) De way yo' want 'im tuh go.
(Well, what about. the wind blowing?)
De wind will blow it de way he want 'em to go.
Entry 5792
Git de feet track meetin' it.
(Pick it up meeting it - that is, they are coming to you.)
Yes. Yo' pick it up on a paddle or yo' know somepin. Pick it up whole. Yo' duap it intuh yo' lef' han'. An' take it on in [house] an' mix black peppah an' salt wit it. An' call yo'[victim's] name three times as yo' mix it. Now, yo' will have tuh take dat fer nine mawnin's an' go out wit de sunup. An' in de evenin's wit de sundown. An' cast it befo' de fo' winds, yo' know, an' put down certain words.
(What words would you put down?)
Ah don' know whut de words are. [There are many examples of these words of dismissal in HOODOO: Go, never return, etc. Often a curse is added.] Now, den, dat will put chew tuh wandahin', run yo' away, or run yo' crazy. Yo' ain' touched [in the head], yo' won' have no mind tuh do nuthin, yo' ain't crazy; [you] jes' wandahin'.
(Restless.)
Entry 5793
If a man stay away from a house, jes' go ahead an' - if a woman wants a man tuh stay 'way from a house, all she gotta do, jes' go an' take his track. Take his track an' mix his track up in some sulphuh. An' go an' take it an' carry it way off, somewhere in anothah part of de farm an' throw dat stuff - jes' throw it away. An' when yo' throw it, don't look back, jes' go right on - jes' don't look back, an' he ain't comin' back no mo'.
Entry 5794
[The preceding rite in various versions must have been fairly common at one time in country districts. Similarly, cities also have variants of sending away by wind. One follows:] Jes' pick up dere crack an' put salt in it an' throw outdo's out in de street... That will make them Iove.
(They take either track?)
Both.
(Put salt in both tracks?)
Yes.
Entry 5795
Aftah yo' leave a foot track in dust, well dey say yo' take dat per- son's foot track up, see, de whole print of dat track. See, yo' git chew a stick or spoon or somepin an' yo' pick it up, an' yo' put it in a 'east [yeast] powdah can. An' dey say yo' go tuh de rivah on de ferry boat, an' dey say let de boat git in de middle of de rivah. An' when yo' think it's in de centah of de rivah, say yo' throw dat can ovah yore lef' shouldah an' make a wish. An' dey say, as long as dat can drift up an' down de rivah, dat yo'll drift; an' when dat can begin tuh seep watah an' fall tuh de bottom, dey say yo' die.
(I see. Well, now, how many tracks? Do they get a special track or what?)
No, dey say yo' take de lef' track.
(Oh, only your left track?)
Only de lef' track.
Entry 5796
If they want chew to be with them, why they bury it under the doorstep. Like if they want chew to come to my home, see, I bury it under the doorstep. And if they want to run you away, why put that in running Water and make a wish. (Which tracks do they use?) Get de dirt from under de right foot. Like, just if yo' want 'em to come to your home, see, yo' take it when they're coming to de home. If yo' want 'em to leave, yo' git it out of that track when they leave home. [Elizabeth City, N. Car., (438), 401:3.] [The sixth section Of division THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF is HAIR. De- spite the hundreds of hair rites that now follow, hundreds more are scattered throughout the text of Hoodoo, because hair is often only one ingredient in a compound rite containing other important substances: URINE, BLOOD, GRAVEYARD DIRT, etc.] [The lO submargin rites under this margin title recall the well-known belief that hair continues to grow a long time after death - FACI, 2nd ed., 15415, p.714; 1st ed., 10367, p.595. Not so well known are the following beliefs about living hair continuing to grow, after it has been taken from the body:]
Entry 5797
An' den if yo' fall fer a man an' a man don't care very much about chew - eithah a woman kin do it or eithah a man kin do it - yo' take an' pull two stran's of 'is hair outa his haid an' yo' put it in each heel of yore shoe, an' yo' wear it in yore shoe fo' nine days. An' aftah yo' wear it in yore shoe fo' nine days, he'll start to fallin' fo' yo' an' he'll be so crazy about chewden dat he wouldn't even leave yore house. Yo' see de longah dis hair grow, de long- ah 'is love will grow fo' yo'.
(You take two strands of his hair and you put one strand in each shoe?)
Yes sir. [Florence, S. Car. (1322), 2266:2.]
Entry 5798
Dey say dey kin take yore hair an' run yo' crazy. Dat why so [many] people is crazy today. Dey say yo' kin take dis top cleft from de mole of yore hair, an' dey say yo' kin take an' bury dat, dey say, an' long as yo' live, dey say, yore hair jes' begin to grow, grow longah. An' dat make yo' lose yore mind. (What hair grows longer? On your head or the hair they take?) De hair what dey takes, what dey kin git from yo'. Well, yo' see, dey take an' plant dat hair. Well, long as dat hair is planted dere, an' yo' livin', yo' see, it will grow; but when yo' die, well it will quit growin'.
(I see.)
Entry 5799
A little piece of yore hair - dey say dey takes dat piece of yore hair from de top partment in de centah [the parted place at the mold] an' put it in de [wet] cement steps an' bury it; make yo' have funny kin'a feelin's towards de haid. Yo' see, jes' lak someone is concrete fixin' [building] a concrete step, yo' kin jis' go an' chip undahneath it an' bury dat [hair]. An' fine'ly it will, dat concrete - it will.grow [the hair] yo' see in de concrete step. Dat make diz- ziness about de head.
Entry 5800
Yo' take hair ag'in, take her hair, yo' scratch yore flesh lak dat [demonstrates], an' ah don' care whut kinda woman she is [I interrupt]. (You scratch your flesh on that arm or either arm?) Eithah arm. (Either arm just above your wrist.) Yes, an' git de point of dat hair down in dere, an' den yo' take a piece [cloth] an' bin' [bind] dat dere, an' two uh [or] three days aftah yo' bind it dere hit'll ketch root - it'll grow. An' ah don't care where yo' go uh [or] whut chew do, yo'll nevah git rid of dat woman. She'll love yo'.
(In other words one of her hairs is growing right out of your arm?)
Yes.
Entry 5801
If dey got holt of yore hair, dey could take it - take yore hair, nine stran's of yore hair an' nine needles an' seven [nine?] threads of red silk thread, an' take an' carry it out jes' as de sun go down an' bury it. An' walk aroun' it nine times an' make a wish each time dey go roun' it an' it will cuz yo' - as yore hair begin to grow wit'in dat thread an' needles, sharp pains begin to penetrate through yore haid, an' as de hair grow, why de pains will grow.[ Washington, D. C., (642), 831:2+85.]
Entry 5802
Take a person hair an' all yo' kin do - take a person hair an' wrop it wit some whut chew call yallah [yellow] homespun an' wrop it up in it an' weah it in yore pocket. Dat's love. An' it [hair] will grow in your pocket. Long as yo' keep dat hair, her mind will be on yo'; but de day yo' lose dat hair, why yo' ain't got nobody.
Entry 5803
Dey kin git a thin' dey call devil's-shoestring. Dey kin git a thin' dey call Nine Witches [a hoodoo-store product?] an' put along wit dat [hair], an' den some corn whiskey, camphor an' bury dat.
(This hair?)
Yas, an' de longah dat grows - de more dat hair grow, de worsah yo'll git.
(What will that do to you?)
Well, it will send yo' crazy, if yo' don't git somebody to take it off yo'. [For the preceding Nine Witches, I did not suggest a piece of witches'-broom, that brushlike deformity of small branches of trees and shrubs caused by fungi, rusts, etc. The sug- gestion was not made because few persons in my experience know the witches'-broom and I personally never encountered any folklore saying or belief about it. Yet the oldtime Germans of Adams County, Illinois, surely knew the word hexenbesen.
Entry 5804
Dey kin take yer hair from yer haid an' take it tuh a red oak tree, an' on de east side of dat tree, yuh bo' yuh a hole - dat's fo' tuh run yuh crazy. Bo' yuh a hole in dat tree an' put dat hair in dere. Take yuh a stick an' trim it. Stop dat hole up, yuh know, jes' as yuh put in a peg lak dat. Put it in dat tree an' stop it up in dere an' go ahead on. Well, as dat hair - see, dat hair is gonna grow an' as dat hair grows, dat takes yer mind. Yuh has no mind fo' nuthin. An' when dat hair beginnin' tuh grow, hit'll run yuh stone crazy - yuh don't even know nuthin. Yuh haven't got no mind fo' nuthin.
Entry 5805
[Hair of the preceding rite was placed horizontally in tree; here we have the up an' down or vertical position.] Dey tell me dey take dat hair an' if dey wanta give yuh bad luck dey take it an' go tuh a green tree, an' put a stran' of dat hair up an' down dat green tree, yuh know, an' den let it grow up in dere as de tree grow up. Now dey say dat'll run yuh crazy. Yuh know, dat's bad luck.
Entry 5806
Ah said dey would put it in a bottle. (What would they take?) Dey would take some of yore urine. Yuh know whut dat is don't chew? An' put in dat wit dat. (Tell me right from the beginning everything they do. What do they put in the bottle?) De hair, an' den dey put in alcohol wit dat. Hit'll make it grow yuh know. An' hit carry yuh right off. Yuh can't stay dere in dat place.
(You told me they kept it in there a certain length of time.)
Ten days.
(And where do they keep that bottle?)
Oh, somewhere close in de house - undah de bed, sompin lak dat.
(What do they do after they keep it ten days?)
Dey take it an' bury it.
(And what will that do to you?)
Dat will run yuh, won't let chew come back no mo'. [To bury something of yours to run yuh is not logical, but intention is everything in hoodoo.]
Entry 5807
Yo' kin do dat, yo' kin take de hair outa woman's haid. Co'se [of course] ah don't know if a man do anythin' to anothah man. But if yo' have a goman yo' wanta make love wit, yo' jes' take de hair outa de mole of 'er haid if yo' POSS'bly kin. YO'D HAVE TO STEAL IT OUTA DERE CUZ WOMEN WON'T LET CHEW GIT DAT OUTA DERE IF DEY KNOW IT. An' if yo' kin, some hair out de mole of de woman's haid, yo' kin put dat into a little bottle, see, an' put some alcohol over it, see, an' put a flannen [flannel] stoppah in it - a red flannen stoppah. DAT COME DIRECT DOWN FROM DE HOODOO BUSINESS cuz ah've had dat. An' tote it in yore pocket an' dat woman'll come back to yo'. Don't care where she is, she'll come back to yo'. If she don't come back she'll go crazy. [For alcohol, see also margin title WHISKEY.]
Entry 5808
Now, yore hair - see now, yo' kin take yore hair. Yo' kin take yore hair - a person kin take yore hair. She kin take yore hair an' she kin take one stran' of it, jis' say one stran', an' double it an' kinda twist it an' put a silk thread aroun' it. Take dat bair an' put it into somepin lak alcohol. Keep it in dat alcohol 24 hours. Take it out an' weah it in yore pocket, an' yo' nevah have no mo' good sense. Yo'll jis' - yore haid will be jis' worryin' yo' all de time. People been callin' dere,
[you] say, "Well, ah got a bad headache. Mah haid worryin' me." Doctors [M.D.'s]
lagu it, but yet - still dey don't know whut it is. Ain't no good to do, unless dey could git dat hair an' do 'way wit it.
Entry 5809
If a person angry wit yo' an' yo' didn't know it, dey could put dere han's on yore haid on de top of yore hair an' it would all come out - from de top of yore haid, an' all yore hair would come out. But it would have to be a person dat is real angry wit yo'. Ah nevah heard where [whether] it wuz anythin' dey would put on de han' or Dot.
Entry 5810
[I have included this margin title because LIVE THINGS IN YOU (Section 8) is based upon the theory that some animals are reproduced through their blood. Our informant evidently confines the word animal to horse, cow, dog, cat, etc.; a lizard or a snake being an insect.] Yo' kin take yore hair an' put nine drops of any- thing's blood on it - yo' know, insects - an' put it in runnin' water an' run yo' crazy. (You take nine drops of any kind of blood from an animal or insect or any- thing?) Insect - not a animal, a insect.
(Any kind of an insect?)
Yes suh, a lizard or a snake, an' put it in runnin' water an' dey say dat will nmn yo' crazy.
Entry 5811
In order to make a person lose his mind, it is said you take several strands of hair from his head and put into a bottle, and three or four drops of blood from any animal. This bottle is buried and kept buried for six months, in ohich time the person to which the hair belonged will become very sick and then vill die. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 5812
[Version 1]: Yo' kin take yore hair, take my hair, an' de man's hair Lat, yo' know from down here, yo' know, an' wrap it togethah an' a ravel out from ondah his arm - yo' know, right nex' to where he wear 'is clothes.
(In his armpits.)
Jis' a ravelin'. Take dose two hairs, yo' know, an' wrap 'em togethah, an' den yo' git a ravel from out de seat of 'is pants - out de seat of 'is undahweah. An' wrap all dat togethah - jis' wrap evah bit of it togethah, an' go to a ant's nest an' dig in dat ant's nest. Yo' know, if he's not treatin' yo' right, dig in dat ant's nest an' put dat in dat ant's nest. An' jis' as long as he - jis' as long as he live, he'll be worried. He'd jis' be worried, he worry hisself almos' to death. [Version 2]: Git some of 'is hair an', yo' know, twist it togethah, an' git de ravels from 'is undahclothes an' git de ravel from down here in de seat of 'is undahclothes. An' yo' roll dat - tie it hard, yo' know. Roll it jis' as hard as yo' kin, yo' know. Go to a ant's bed an' open it.
(Well, you've got these things before.)
[I am telling her she is repeating.]
Yes, sir. An' open it an' den yo' put it down in dere, yo' see an' dat jis' keeps 'em fussin', fightin' an' quarrelin', until dey [separate]. [The two rites. are similar but the purposes are different.]
Entry 5813
Dey tell me dey take hair out de top of yore haid an' dey mix it wit Hearts Cologne an' den sews it up wit a new piece of homespun an' wears it undah dere arm. Dat's fo' love.
(Which arm do they wear it under?)
That arm there [you are holding up], that's the left arm.) Yes sir.
Entry 5814
Now, ah've [heard] de ole people say, if someone have somepin ag'inst chew an' git holt of some of yore hair, an' take de hair dat dey git holt of it- maybe yo' combed it outa yore haid, or dey git a chance to cut a plait or sompin out. Take an' burn half of it an' place it in some bottle or jar an stop it up real tight. An' if yo' had evah did anythin' to 'em, or somepin dey had heard yo' did, an' dey wanted tuh find out. Now, if yo' had did somepin to 'em an' dey take dat [ashes] an' put it in dis bottle an' stop it up fo' five days. If it's summah dat bottle will begin tuh sweat an' dat hair git moisty. Said whether dey tell yo' whut dey did or someone dey tole whut happened or whut dey wanted tuh happen, dey come tuh yo' an' explain jis' whut dey tole dem. Dat's as fur as ah heard of dat.
(At the end of five days that bottle will sweat, that hair will turn damp.)
Yes.
Entry 5815
Wal, dey kin take yore hair an' cut chure hair while yo' 'sleep, or where de barbah done cut chure hair. Dey kin take dat hair an' bury, an' it will run yo' crazy. Yo'll lose yore mind, yo' nevah has de right mind dat yo' did when dey didn't have yore hair. Yo' nevah will have yore right mind. [For barbershop hair, see also later margin title FISH - CAUGHT ON SUNDAY. I
Entry 5816
Some people won't have their hair cut in a barbershop at all. They'll cut it at home, afraid their enemies might get it and harm them. There are any number of women after they comb their hair will take it and put in the fire.
Entry 5817
When I go to the barbershop I take up my hair before I leave. I won't trust my hair with nobody.
Entry 5818
Take heart out of a bat, chew know, an' den yo' take some of 'er hair wit dat, an' yo wear dat undah yore lef' arm. Well, now, aftah yo' wear dat ondah yore lef' arm about nine or ten days, an' have a chance to have a intah- co'se wit 'er, den yo' ain't got no mo' trouble wit 'er. Dat'll lead 'er yore Way. IF SHE GOT MONEY, Or whatevah she got, AT CHURE COMMAN' SHE'LI NoW dat de heart of a bat. Hit brings good luck an' bring love.
Entry 5819
I have heard of people gittin' fixed by de hair to make 'em love yo'. Take it an' put it in a Bible an' let it set for about fo' or five days an' take it out of de Bible an' put it in a cologne bottle an' jis' keep it.
Entry 5820
Take yore hair, some of yore hair, an' put it in a bird nest. Dey claim long as it stay in dis bird nest yo' be flyin', yo' be goin' jes' long as de bird roost on it. (In what way would you be flying?) Jes' lak, yo' know, yo' tryin' tuh stay heah, but yore mind wouldn't let chew, jes' have tuh leave.
(The woman would do that to get rid of the man.)
Entry 5821
Take a hair of a person head an' put it in 'is [bird] nest, or put it sbere he'll git it an' he fly off wit chure hair. Dat will run yo' crazy, have yo' have A DON'T-CARE MIND - yore mind Want [to] be runnin'.
(What bird will do that?)
Any bird.
Entry 5822
Yo' take a person's hair an' a bird's nest. Yo' comb yore hair an' yo' let chure hair git away, dat dis bird'll pick it up an' put it in 'is nest. An' den yo' go crazy.
Entry 5823
Take a person's hair, a man or a personal enemy, an' put it into a bird's nest, see. An' dat will run 'em crazy. Ah've heard dat.
Entry 5824
[Fortunately the headache said to be caused by human hair in a bird nest does not last indefinitely.] You kin take your hair in the spring of the year and ball it up and put it in a tree, in a bird's nest, or any place obere a bird kin git it, and they claim you'll continue to have a headache until the season is over.
Entry 5825
If she kin git holt of a piece of 'is hair - if he's left any of 'is bair, if it ain't but two or three strands of it in a comb, yo' take dat hair der an' put it intuh a black bottle. An' den pee on dat bottle, an' at de bottom of 'er do'step turn dat bottle - dig a hole an' turn dat bottle face foremost right down In de ground. An' if he's close enough tuh be back in three days, he'll be back In three days. Jes' dat little piece of hair.
Entry 5826
Ah've heard 'em say, yo' know, dat chew kin take a, a individual's hair a' place it, yo' know, into a bottle dat way an' stop it up tight an' bury it undah de do'step, or jes' anywhere in de dirt wit de head of it down dat way. An' dey say dat will run 'em, yo' know, kinda bout half crazy where dey'll have diff'ren' minds yo' know, have a wanderin' ird, see, not to stay in one place.
(You don't put anything else in that bottle do you?)
Nuthin else in dere, jes' de hair.
Entry 5827
[The burial of hair by itself or combined with other ingredients or objects is such a common rite that it demands the present margin title. Normally burial places are specified: crossroad, doorstep, etc. I include the following rites here merely to establish the margin title.] Take dere hair an' dig a big hole intuh de ground an' bury it, an take a long stran' right from de top of de hair, de very top. An' ah guarantee in eight days he'll begin - yo' see him dryin', look lak de eyes goin' begin tuh fall out dere haid.
Entry 5828
Fo' instance dey take a ball of a person's hair an' den takes part of his [foot] step. Ah'll make it plain as dis: If a man an' 'is wife wuz iivin' heah, an' if she wuz bad about runnin' aroun' an' wouldn't stay at home or nuthin lak dat, he'd take a plait of 'er hair an' bury it aroun' 'is house. Dat would always keep 'er wit 'im at 'is house, or sompin lak dat. Instid [instead] of bein' out in de streets she be at home.
Entry 5829
Ah've heard dat a person could take yore hair an' put it in a bottle, in anything dat dey could stop it up airtight, an' it would run yo' - yo' know, jes' have yo' goin' evah whichaway.
(What do you do with that bottle?)
Yo' bury - yo' buries it, buries dat bottle.
Entry 5830
(What do they do with my hair?)
Well, dey says dey kin run yo' crazy, bury it. Put it in a little bottle lak dat. Ah've heard of findin' hair in dem bottles. An' bury it. Dat supposed tuh run yo' crazy.
Entry 5831
[Similar to the margin title BURIED HAIR, only a few examples of burn- ing hair will be given here. Many other rites are scattered through the text.] Dey take mah hair an' put it wit some sulphur an' brimstone, an' dey put it in some of yore watah an' de sand - some of dat sand out de hollah of yore track, or eithah dey take a piece outa yore sock at de hollah of yore feet [if unable to obtain the foot track]. An' put it together an' if dey want chew tuh go, why dey throw it in a runnin' stream wrapped up, an' as long as hit run, why jes' de furthah yo' will go. An' when- evah it stop, yo' will stop until it start rainin' ag'in - till de stream start washin' it, see. An' if dey wanted yo' tuh stay or wanted yo' tuh kill yo'self, why dey'd take it an' put it in - bo' a hole in a tree an' put it in dere an' put a piece back in dere ovah it tuh hold - keep de air from it. Or, eithah dey would take an' burn it. An' if dey burn it, why whenevah - at a certain time de spell, dat spell would come on yo', a real full spell - kinda out of yore senses, an' yo' stick yore head in de fiah or maybe yo' jump ovah- bo'd an' kill yo'self or sompin. Well, dere wuz a boy ah know, hit wuz a girl he wuz goin' wit, an' he wuz leavin' for de CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps, of the U. S. A.] Camp. An' she'd taken 'is picture an' she put it in a - his picture an' some sulphur an' some brimstone an' some of de hair out 'is haid an' de bow outa his hat, an' dey [wo- men] put dis togethah an' burn it. An' aftah dey burn it, dey taken it out de fiah - jes' burn it, put it in a separate place an' burn it in a little box - an' den dey taken it an' wrapped it up good an' real tight an' wore it in dey clothes, in dere undahclothes. Well, as long as she wore it in 'er undah- clothes why he stayed dere. He couldn't stay 'way from 'er house. An' when she taken off 'er cloth [holding the ashes] an' put it - she'd throw it in de fiah, an' he'd taken an' stuck 'is haid in de fiah. It taken six people tuh hol' 'im out de fiah. An' den he got away an' got in de fiah an' caught afiah. An' whenevah dey could git 'im out, he'd ketch hold of de bed, jes' lak dat [may have demonstrated], dey said. An' he'd ketch de foot of it an' draw it togethah, jes' bend it [the 2 legs of the bed together]. An' he kept on lak dat till he died.
Entry 5832
An' den if ah wanta put a spell on a person, ah go git some of dere hair. Ah burn dat hair, take dat hair an' carry it right back an' put it down ghere yo' gotta walk ovah it. An' dat make yo' have spells. An' yo' kin even take de hair an' burn it an' put it undah de - sew it up in some red flannel an' take dat flannel an' carry it tuh de house, dig a hole an' put it undah dere where yo' kin walk ovah it. Dat put anybody tuh havin' fits.
Entry 5833
(Well, suppose somebody wanted to harm yo' with that hair. What would they do with that then?) Well, if dey want to do yo' harm, why dey take dat an' burn it with sulphur. Dey kin harm yo' dat way.
(Well, just how would it harm you?)
Well it will give yo' a ramblin' mind, it has yo' goin' from one place to de othah, soonah or latah until yo' don't know zac'ly [exactly] whut chew wanta do. Yo' 'cumulate a silly mind - soon die.
Entry 5834
My mother told me of a story of TWO GIRLS LIKED A FELLAH DOWN IN O: ARLoTTE CO., VA. And one of them came to church with this boy on Sunday morn- ing and the other one sang in the choir. And the fellah was sitting back there Jith the girl, and THE OTHER GIRL PICKED A 'HAPPY FIT, ' SHE GOT FULL OF THE HOLY GOST AND SHE WENT TO SHOUTING. AND SHE SHOUTED RIGHT ON DOWN THE AISLE TO THE CIRL AND CAUGHT HER IN THE HAIR, AND JUST PULL OUT A 'HOLE HANDFUL OF HAIR, STUCK IIS IN HER POCKETBOOK. So that week the girl that took the boy to church start- ed to having fits, something-like just fallin'-out. I reckon they called it fcllin'-out fits. And some of the close friends of the first girl asked her what Wad she done With this girl's hair. SHE SAID WELL, SHE JUST TOOK THE 'HOLE HAND- UL OF HAIR AND SINGED IT, AND SIFTED IT IN HER PILLOWCASE AND SLEP' ON IT.
Entry 5835
Yo' take de hair from de mole, take de hair right out de top, de mole [old] of de hair. Well, yo' take dat hair an' yo' wrap a string around it, or thread, any kinda thread aroun' dat hair, an' yo' put dat hair in a bottle, see, an' yo' po' some cphor in it, see. Well, dat will make it 'live. Shake it up, see. Yo' let dat stay in dere nine days an' yo' take dat out an' yo' wrap in a flannen cloth. Let it stay in dat flannen cloth an' den yo' wear it. Dat is tuh draw yore sveetie to yo' or anybody yo' want lak dat.
(Whose hair do you put in that bottle?)
Fell, if it's de man, he put de woman's hair; an' if it's de woman, she put de 's hair.
(What did you say THAT CAMPHOR does for the hair?)
Entry 5836
Take some of dere hair an' mix it wit some cat hair an' put it in a Boctle of vinegah an' shake it up an' bury it undah de do'step an' let chew walk ovah it. Dat will run yo crazy. (That is if you took my hair you would bury that under my doorstep? Under my own doorstep?) Tes sir.
(That would set me crazy?)
Yes sir.
Entry 5837
Dey kin take yo' head, dey take some hair right from de roots of yo' hair an' take dat an' burn it. An' den dey git some hair from a black cat an' burn along wit dat. An' dey take de ashes an' put in a tobacco sack. An' den dey take an' put it in a tin can an' throw de can right on straight out [into the water] and [so that it] don't come back in [with] tide. Well, dat will run 'em crazy inside of three months.
Entry 5838
Yo' kin take cat hair an' yo' kin make a person love yo'. Well, yo' kin take de cat hair but yo' firs' gotta git a plait of hair, a stran' of hair from de person who yo' Wanta love yo', an' yo' take, burn dem togeth- ah. An' den yo' take some hair grease - dey call it hair grease. Yo' mix dat up togethah, undahstan'. An' den aftah mixin' it up togethah, den yo' tryin' tuh make yore lady fren'. Yo' try tuh git holt of some of 'er sickness, some piece, if 'er clothes dirty, some of 'er sickness, an' tie it up an' wear dat in yore fob [watch] pocket. Dat will cause her tuh love yo'.
Entry 5839
Dey tell me dat chew kin take a chicken egg an' yo' know break it. Put it in a glass. Be keerful [careful] an' don't let de yoke git broken. An' if anybody should take a plat of hair out of yore head, you'd put it [egg in glass] undahneat' yore haid an' in a couple of days dey'll draw dat hair in dat glass. (If someone has taken some of your hair and you want to get it back, that is what you do. This hair will rise in the glass.) Yes, dat's what dey tole me.
Entry 5840
Co'se yo' kin take, really. [a person's hair] an' ball it up wit hen feathahs an' throw it into runnin' watah wit yore left hand. Dat will run a person off. Yo' kin [take] hair, anybody's hair yo' know, an' knead it wit hen feathahs an' throw it into runnin' watah an' run any- body off - any kinda hen feathah an' throw it wit chure lef' han'.
Entry 5841
A chicken, yo' know he has a slobbah in 'is mout'. Yo' could take yore hair an' wrap it aroun' 'is tongue an' yo'll crow lak a roostah - crow lak dey do. (That is, I would take one of your hairs and wrap it around the rooster's tongue, and that would make you crow like a rooster?)
[FOR ONCE, SOMEONE BESIDES MYSELF IS THE GUINEA PIG!]
Yeah.
Entry 5842
Ah heard dat chew kin git dere hair an' go to a pond an' ketch yo' a cootah an' tie it on de cootah feet an' dat will keep 'em agoin'. See, when de cootah die, well yo'll die. Dat's whut ah heard. [Cooter is a word confined to the U. S. A. for one of several turtles or tortoises: (l) common snapping turtle; (2) box tortoise; and (3) any fresh-water tur- tle of the genus Pseudemys.]
Entry 5843
Yo' git a hot-stuff bottle [bottle containing pepper sauce] an' yo' opens it up, an' yo' puts yore hair in it an' yo' bury yore hair, yo' see, some- where aroun' of a cornah of a house. Dat causes yo' to lose yore mind. (You say, they bury this bottle?) Bury de bottle an' all. (This hot stuff, you mean pepper bottle?) Uh huh. An' de more dat mold away, de more it gon'a cause yo' to lose yore mind.
Entry 5844
Take de hair an' bury it at de corner of de house wit some sugah in it an' dat will keep an' hol' yo' dere. Dat's not tuh harm yo'.
Entry 5845
I've heard people say da'choo [that you] could take a man's head - yo git a stran' of hair outa de mole [mold] of a man's head an' take a stran' of hair from yore [a woman's] head, an' put 'em togethah an' cross 'em like dat [demon- strates]. (Like that - one on top of the other.) Yeh, right dat way. An' take dem an' take a piece of 'is shirt from undahneat' 'is arm, or eithah take de tail of 'is shirt, an' cut dat off, an' wrap it up in dere, an' tie it up into a ball, an' jis'make a pocketpiece [hand] of it. An' dey say dat will keep 'im wit yeh, dat'll make 'im love yo' so he can't stay away from yo'. Wear it in yore pocketbook or wear in yore dress pocket - jis' dat yo' keep it on yoreself.