Browse:THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY (Volume 4, entries 8055–8881)/Part 6
THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY
Volume 4, entries 8055–8881. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 8455
Dey say yo' take de pichure an' put it in runnin' watah an' dat will run yo' crazy. Put yo' wit de haid down de stream an' de feet upstream, pointin' up. See, yore haid go down which will be in front, an' it will run yo' crazy in nine days.
Entry 8456
Yore photograph is yore pichure. Well, ah've heard dat people have taken yore pichure an' some quicksilvah an' throwed it in watah an' run yo' crazy or make yo' leave home. (Well, what would they do with that quicksilver?) Dey taken an' put it on de pichure [quicksilver here probably tinfoil] an' put it in a li'le sack, an' throw it in a stream of cleah runnin' watah. Jes' lak dis watah's runnin' downstream an' throw it in dat stream of watah, an' turn yo' back on it an' go on back. An' it'll eithah run yo' crazy or make yo' leave home.
(You just spread that quicksilver on the picture? The back of it or?)
On de back of it.
Entry 8457
Dey kin take dis pichure heah an' cut dis pichure half in two an' put it intuh a pint bottle. Don't put nuthin dere but jis' put dat pichure in dat pint bottle an' stop it up airtight. An' go tuh de rivah or any place where de watah's powahful strong an' throw it ovahbo'd. Jis' throw it ovah dere an' dey's gone, dey's gone.
Entry 8458
Yes, ah've heard 'em tell of dat. Lak if yo' got dey pitchure an' yo' wanta git rid of a man, want 'im tuh leave or somepin lak dat, yo' take dis pitchure an' yo' cut it up. Jes' take an' cut it up in fine pieces. Take an' cut it up in a jumple. Well, yo' take an' fix yo' a kinda a li'le sack, kinda lak a woman has fo' change - keeps a li'le money sack about dat long an' it got a zippah on it. Dey take dat pitchure an' dey chip it up fine an' take yo' some salt an' jes' mash it on dere. Sprinkle dat salt intuh dat pitchure. An' den take yo' some sulphuh an' put dat sulphuh intuh it. Den yo' take an' put dis zippah on dere an' tie it up good an' tight. Well, yo' leave home, ah reckin, 'bout twelve aclock, jes' long as it round midnight on a dark, cloudy night. When yo' leave dere, go right straight tuh a stream of strong runnin' watah. An' yo' take dis zippah [sack] whut dis pitchure an' stuff is in, an' yo' take yore pocket han'ke'- chef an' yo' blindfold yo'self. an' den yo' throw it right in dat stream of run- nin' watah. An' dat's de way yo' git rid of 'em.
(That's to get rid of them. That means to run them away, send them away?)
Dat's right, tuh drive 'em outa dere.
Entry 8459
Take dat photograph an' throw it in dat stream where dere running water, it goin' so'th, an' dat will run yo' crazy.
(Runs you crazy. Must the water run south?)
Runnin' so'th, yeah.
(What if it ran north?)
Well, ah haven't heard about dat.
(It must be water running south.)
Entry 8460
Takes 'is pichure an' throw it in a stream of runnin' watah goin' so'th, a deep stream, an' dat'll kill 'im.
Entry 8461
Well, dey say dat if yo' kin git a person pichure, say if it's a woman an' she has not been faithful tuh 'er husban', or if she's, yo' undahstan', goin' wit some othah man, an' he kin take her photograph down tuh some bubblin' spring befo' sun- rise an' stay dere until it's light enough fo' him tuh see de reflection of dat pichure in dat stream, in dat bubblin' stream. Why do dat three diff'ren' mawnin'. An' some says nine diff'ren' mawnin's. Now ah don' know de truth of it. Ah'm jes' tellin' de truth but dat's whut dey say, dat dat woman would event'ly [eventually] turn 'er face back tuh dat man.
(You say you hold that picture over the water?)
Ovah de watah, ovah a bubblin' spring. It gotta be where de spring is, don' chew know. Yo' go befo' sunrise an' stay dere until it's light enough tuh see de reflection of dat pichure in dat stream, yo' see. [This is undoubtedly a divination rite, a part of which informant has forgotten. Any suggestion on my part would have been a suggested answer. What the reflection revealed can be guessed. If the reflection showed a woman, she was faithful to her husband; if a man, unfaithful. The bubblin' spring of course complicated the answer!]
Entry 8462
Ah kin give yuh two practices on dat. Now, dey kin take yure photo- graph, yo' know, what yo' have already gotten yureself, since dat's yo'. Write chure name at de bottom first, write chure name on de top an' tote chew right down tuh any stream of watah dat goes up an' down [tide- water stream], you git tuh a piece of wood [= woods, collection of trees] where dere a tree what de watah comes up on. Yo' know, as it comin' up it looks lak dat [water covers a part of the tree trunk].
(As the tide comes up?)
Dat's right. Turn de haid right down an' take a rusty nail an' nail it right in dere. Don't drive de nail haid in, don't drive de haid in. Jis' drive it enough tuh hold it. Evah time when de tide comes up, why yo' know yo' will jis' be all crazy, evahthing looks funny tuh yuh. An' when de tide's goin' out, why yo'll jis' set in one place - lie down in one place an' sleep all de time. Sleep comes ovah yuh jis' lak dat.
Entry 8463
I've heard people say that people could git chere fortergraph - I think its on de tintype, we call it - an' put it down tuh the lowah watahmark; an' de tide rises ovah that an' comes tuh de high watahmark an' it covahs it. They say [they] can do somepin tuh yuh by that way.
Entry 8464
Now, yo' take some dose people kin git holt of yore photograph an' dey take it an' dey carry it tuh streamin' watah, yo' know, an' put it in streamin' branch watah. Let it run up an' turn round, den dey take it out an' bury it undahneath de do'step, an' dat will kinda worry yo' a li'le bit. (Wait! About this photograph. They put it in a stream of running water and let it go up the stream.) Dat's it.
(Then turn it around and let it go back.)
Float back.
(It goes up with the tide.)
Go up wit de tide an' come back right tuh de tide. Pick it up an' bury it right undahneath yuh do'step anywhere where yo' could walk ovah it.
(They bury it under my doorstep?)
Yes sir.
Entry 8465
They can, yo' know, throw 'em [a photograph] in this run- ning water, or the tidewater as it's going out, an' run yo' crazy.
Entry 8466
A person kin take yuh pitchure an', if dere isn't any watah between yuh an' dat person, dey kin take yuh pitchure an' a piece of dere hair [demon- strates], right from aroun' heah, right in back of de eah [ear], de right eah, an' put it, de face up tuh yuh pitchure, an' wrap it up good an' care [carry] it right in heah, in de bosom nex' tuh de heart. If dey wan' choo tuh love 'em, dey kin do dat.
Entry 8467
They can take your picture an' wear it on their person an' bring them to you.
Entry 8468
Well, dey will get chure photo an' a glassful of whiskey an' turn dat photo upside down [over the glass] an' de person dat de photo b'longs tuh will come. If he's away or wherevah he is, he'll come tuh dat place.
Entry 8469
(Now wait a minute! That's the photograph. What do they do that for?) Well, they do that, they say to keep the ole man or make him come back home. (First they do what with it?) Put it ovah a glass of whis- key an' they lay that ovah there - the photograph ovah that an' then they let it stay ovah there a day an' a night, an' then after that they take it off an' put it on the backside of their bed where they sleep, stand it up on the head - like that.
(That's to bring him back.)
Entry 8470
Now, whut ah've heard about de photograph. Yo' kin take a woman's photograph, if yo' lovin' dat woman an' yo' can't git any love wit her, yo' kin take dat an' weah it in yore pocket an' a bran'-new pocket han'ke'ch'ef. Keep it wrapped up in it an' jes' keep it damp wit a li'le likkah. An' dat woman will go crazy ovah yo' until yo' be's ready tuh quit 'er.
(You keep that pocket handkerchief anointed with liquor?)
A bran'-new one ain't nevah been used.
(Do you have to keep it in your pocket in any particular Way or anything?)
Yes sir, in yore left [the heart] pocket.
Entry 8471
( Get a person's photograph. Yo' kin take that an' use the best of whis- key an' put it in a dark closet. An' yo' kin take their photograph an' turn it bottom upwards. Well, they won't be satisfied till they see the person according tuh the wishes yo'd make. If yo'd wish fer them to stay away, they'll stay; if yo' wish fer 'em tuh come tuh yuh, they'll come.
(What do you do with that whiskey?)
Yo' takes the whiskey an' puts in a glass. Yo' turns the photo bottom upwards over the glass.
(The photo doesn't touch the whiskey at all?)
No.
(I see, it just sets over the glass of whiskey.)
But yo' is standing on your head.
Entry 8472
Now, if I wan'a keep yo' in trouble - kin yo' hear me? [I probably nodded yes.] If I wan'a keep yo' in trouble, I get a glassful of whiskey, half full, and turn you [your photograph] down in [not on] that glass, and put [in] three old brass pen- nies, yo' know. Pennies, yo' know. And let it [photograph] stay upside down in there, and you will be in trouble the balance of yore days. [3 pennies symbolize Three Holy Names or are taken over from payment to grave spirit for graveyard dirt.]
Entry 8473
Dey take alcohol.
(After they got the fingernails.)
After dey got de fingahnails an' aftah yo' take de alcohol, dey put it intuh dis alcohol. All right, den dey go git chure photo, yore pichure. Dey have tuh take yore photo an' dey puts yo' down, standin' down on yore haid. Well, all right, dey takes an' put fo' strings in dat; dat's if a woman wants a man tuh come back tuh 'er. (They put the four strings in what?) Intuh dis pichure. (How do they put them into the picture?) Wal, take a thread, yo' know in de fo' cornahs. Den dey turn it down, turn yuh down on yo' haid, see; an' dey take dis pichure an' dey place it ovah, behin' dis alcohol wheah yo' fingahnails is. See, an' den go tuh de back of de baid an' den dey tie dis string [in each of 4 corners of photo]. Well, dey covah it [photo] up where yo' cain't see it an' den event'ly [eventually], yo' come.
(This man is supposed to come home?)
Yeah.
Entry 8474
When yo' call a person's spirit, twelve 'clock at night, yo' draws on a person.
(Draw her picture?)
Draw his pichure. Git 'is name an' address. Yo' set [in] a dark room by yo'- self. Yo' take a sheet an' put it ovah yo' haid, wit chure eyes out so yo' kin see. Yo' set a li'le bit of whiskey in a glass [to draw his spirit back, spirits lov- ing whiskey, see ALCOHOL FOR an' yo' gotta memorize de person name, an' yo' call 'is name three times. Durin' de time yo's callin' 'is name, take a needle wit chure lef' han' an' punch nine holes in it. (Nine holes in what?) Nine holes in de pichure, in de form what chew draws. An' when yo' done cut de nine holes in it an' yo' watch de pichure an' blow on it. An' durin' de time aftah yo' done blowin' on it, an' if yo' hit it again tuh [do something] den chew light yo' lamp. Aftah dat, den yo' set a match tuh it. See what side she [match] bendin'; if she bend going, if she bend comin' back. She'll [match will] fall back in yuh hands. If she [match] bend goin', goin' de direc- tion she [or hel was [had departedl. she'll [match'll] fall dat way; an' if she [match leans to] dis side, she'll fall dat side; an' if she's [woman's] comin' back, she'll [match'll] fall right up in de woman form. [She] come right on back tuh you. [Informant alternating the sexes is confusing.] An' durin' de time dat dey bring 'er back, yo' git up an' yo' take yo' dishrag an' wring it ovah de do' an' call 'er name. Dat's cases if she gone an' leave yo'. If she gone an' leave yuh, if she leave any she [not her] clothes in dere lak a dress or pettycoat, lak dat, jes' take an' ball it up an' put it 'neat' chure pillah an' she will come back less dan three day's time, if she's able tuh, if she's in de city.
(That's to bring the woman back. You are calling her spirit back that way.)
Yes sir.
Entry 8475
Say yo' takes 'er pichure. Yo' goes an' git a gun an' regardless tuh who she is or how much money she got, if yo' loved 'er, git 'er photograph an' turns 'er photograph on de desk, layin' de photograph an' call 'it 'er pichure, an' mark it wit a "X' - a cross, 'X'. Take an' folds it up in a piece of news- pahah an' put it in yore shoes. Hoids up de linin' of yore shoes an' put it in dere, an' turns de haid of 'er pichure down tuh de ground an' tuhward de back of yore heel. Weah it three days an' take it an' delivah it out. An' pertends [pretends] yo' drinkin' whiskey, two glasses. Drink yores an' name hers wit de pichure ovah it. An' let it stay dere fo' three days an' she'll return tuh yo'.
(After you wear this in your shoe, you take it, the third day, and then you?)
Put it in two drinks of likkah, put it in two separate glasses. Fulls [fill] de glasses up each, an' drink one. An' put de othah one back an' name it wit de pichure in it, ovah de glass wit de face down tuh whiskey.
Entry 8476
(Or sometimes they say they get hold of your photograph. [I am repeat- ing informant's preceding statement unrecorded.] What do they say about that?) Oh, yes sir. Well, I heah dem say, I don't know whethah it is true, but I tell yo' what I heard dem say. Say dey kin take yer photograph an' turn it like dis [demonstrates]. Here photograph, dey turn dat down.
(Oh, they turn it down.)
Yes, dey turn dat down lak dat.
(Well, what does that do?)
An' make a wish on it. Dey say dat will carry yo' away, run yo' away.
(I see, run you away.)
Entry 8477
I have heard they take your photograph and get the hair out of your head, and wish anything would happen to that image, and attach that hair onto your pic- ture, and that wish will come true.
Entry 8478
Ah heard dey could take dat chew know. (This photograph.) Take dat an' make a wish three times an' bury it on de face an' de loved one will return. [Waycross, Ga.,
(1126), 1831:8.]
[The second section Of division THE THREE GREAT SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY (the first section PHOTOGRAPH, p.3419f.) contains a goodly' number of rites, considering the fact that hundreds of examples have already been given in the text, and that more will follow this present section. Such imbalance occurs because names normally are merely a part of a larger or more important rite.]
Entry 8479
Well, you open that banana - you see, not far enough for it to be shown - and write that name and put it in, and put it up overhead and the apple too. That will keep them right there with you, just like that urine. That is supposed to make them care for you. [While recording Was stopped I asked informant about the 9 times previously mentioned.] You write the name nine times on the paper, yes sir, and put it in the hole, stick in the hole in the apple or orange or banana; just fix it up, you know, so it won't be laid open. Then you wrap it up into somepin. And then you put it up overhead, anywhere high. When you wrap it, you wrap to you like this [demon- strates] and put it up overhead where they pass by. [Wrapping, as here, is often a magic rite - see later margin title WRAPPING.]
Entry 8480
They say you can take that spittle [= spit] and take some sage, green sage, and mix that with it, and write the names of the Twelve Apostles on that sage [12 sage leaves]. And you mix it with it [spit with leaves] and then take that and hide it under a doorstep. Put it under a doorstep where it'll be covered, where it can't be seen. And that individual will begin to pine away and finally go into consumption [tuberculosis].
Entry 8481
Dey kin walk backwards an' call a person name, an' if dey continue tuh do dat fo' a certain many days, dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 8482
Jes' lak yo' were enemies tuhgethah, sompin lak dat, an' yo' wanted dem tuh go, why den yo' go ahaid an' take dere name. Take dere name - jes' lak ah'm enemies ag'inst yo' - take dere name an' write it nine times. An' wrap it up in a piece of papah wit de bird aigs an' put it in de bird nest. An' den dat'll make dem, yo' know, go wild; have a wild mind, a goin' mind tuh go. Dey won' be satisfied nowhere dey go.
Entry 8483
Take de black bottle an' set it 'hin' de baid, dat's whut ah heard, an' dey said tuh write chure name on dat bottle nine times. An' let de bottle stay 'hun' [behind] de baid fo' nine mawnin's, an' den yo'll come back home. Dat's if yore gone, see. (How do you write the name on that bottle?) Yo' write de name goin' dis Way [demonstrates] fo' nine times, den yo' turn dat roun' an' yo' write it comin' back 'cross dat way [demonstrates]. See, dat's de way yo' should write it.
(You mean you write it on the glass?)
[I knew the name was not written on the glass, but I needed an explanation without suggesting it.] Take a piece of papah an' write it on dat, put it around dat.
(Put this paper around the bottle.)
Yessuh, around de bottle, an' write de name dis way nine times an' den write it back dis way nine times. [After first name is written forwards, turn the paper upside down and write second name beneath first. This is called writing backwards, or forwards and backwards, or back and forth.]
Entry 8484
Ah say yo' could take him an' write him [his name on a piece of paper] an' put 'im in one of these black wine bottles; his name and some steel dust an' some golden powder, washing powder. Take an' throw him [bottled] in de rivah. (Any kind of washing powder in black bottle?) An' that makes 'im go on a drag. [Black bottle in New Or- leans before Prohibition] and World War I was always the French dark-green-glass wine bottle. These bot- tles, become scarce after Prohibition, introduced the dark bottle, usually a brown beer bottle. Though informant does not name the golden washing powder, I am sure the formerly well-known Gold Dust Twins was meant.]
Entry 8485
Well, dey says dat dey kin git chure blood an' write chure name, an' evah whut dey wanta do tuh yuh, write dat wit yore blood. Say, if dey want chew tuh go crazy, say yo'll go crazy; an' if dey want chew tuh leave town, yo'll leave town. If dey want chew tuh stay right dere wit dem - evah whut dey want chew tuh do, why dey write dat aftah dey write chure name an' yo'll stay right dere; but chew gotta take dat, aftah yo' write it, an' put it in a secret place where cain't nobody put dere hands on it but chew.
Entry 8486
Well, it's - a woman kin take some of 'er blood an' take dis man's name; yo' know, write his name [with her blood] on a piece of papah. An' tie dis up in dis piece of papah an' tie a strand of thread around it. An' yo' kin sew it up in a mattress, or jis' sew it up in anything an' let it [stay] dere. Well, he will pine away dat way. He will die.
(Yes? He will die?)
Yes, sir, he will die.
(Just take her ordinary blood or her period blood?)
Dat's right, her period blood.
Entry 8487
Dey will take a brand-new ink pen an' pick dis fingah [demonstrates]. (That's the ring finger, next to the little finger on the left hand. All right.) Uh-huh, on de left hand, nex' tuh yore heart. An' prick dat fingah an' git de blood outa dat fingah, an' write de name on a piece of clean [new] papah, an' bury it tuh [in] de east cornah of de house, jis' facin' lak dat [demon- strates] east cornah ovah dere. An' make yore wish. If yo' had a gurl fren' or somebody wus in New York or some place an' make dat an' bury dat stuff, an' she'll come regardless.
(That brings her back to you.)
Entry 8488
Yo' take dat blood out of yore left [demonstrates].
(The middle finger of the left hand.)
Dat's right, an' yo' write a person's name an' den yo' write yore name 'cross dat. Yo' write yore name 'cross dat an' dey will come tuh yuh. (What do you do after you write those names?) Yo' bury it de ninth hour aftah yo' do dat. (In the ninth hour you bury this paper.)
Entry 8489
Yo' kin take fingah- nails from yore fingahs, pick 'em an' yo' put 'em in some graveyard dirt. [Fin- gernails are now forgotten.] Pick undah dis fingahnail, dis fingah heah. (The middle finger on'the left hand, and get some blood you say.) Until it bleeds, an' drop it in dis. Drop nine drops in dis han'ke'ch'ef wit dis graveyard dirt in it. Den yo' take it, lak dis heah, tie it up, an' yo' put it in a bottle airtight an' whoevah it is, her name in it.
(Put the name on a piece of paper.)
Dere yo' are, on a piece of papah. Den when yo' stop dis bottle airtight, an' then in nine [days] evahwhere [anywhere] she are, she'll be 'way [leave] from dere.
(Where do you keep that bottle during the nine days?)
In de nine days, yo' bury it undah de left cornah of yore house. (When you get this graveyard dirt, you put it in a little saucer or something and put the blood in it?) In a little vial.
(In a little bottle.)
An' yo' got drop dis blood - nine drops of blood in it out from undah his fingah.
(The middle finger of the left hand.)
Dat's right. (Do you get this graveyard dirt any special way, or just go out there and pick it up?) Go to de haid of a man's grave - see, an' put it in dis vial.
Entry 8490
Ah heard dat, an' ah heard dat de way dey do, is tuh go ovah tuh dem an' git de folkses name who are runnin' dis business. An' dey will write dere name on a piece of papah. An' say yo' will go back an' stick it undah where dey have tuh come along [and walk over it]. Dat whut dey tell yo' would git a job dere.
Entry 8491
Now dey kin write a piece of de bossman's name befo' yo' gittin' tuh him, read it three times an' call 'is name three times, when yo' git dere. Why he mo' den apt tuh give yo' a job an' raise yore wages. (What do you write?) Jis' write his name an' call it three times befo' yo' git dere. An' aftah yo' git dere, why he put chew tuh work or raise yore Wages [if you already have a job.]
Entry 8492
Put cinnamon an' sugah an' yo' weah it in both of yore shoes. Now if yo' know dere name, yo' kin take dere name an' put it in dere, an' whenevah yo' git tuh 'em dey'll give yo' a job.
Entry 8493
Takin' dat parchment papah an' puttin' de boss name an' wearin' it in de left shoe wit his name on top - wearin' it in de left shoe. Aftah takin' it, take a powder - can't commit de name but it's a high-class powder.... Takin' dat powder an' po'it in dat parchment papah an' foldin' dat parchment papah Wit de boss' name at de bottom an' yores at de top an' wearin' it in de shoes, an' yo' kin be standin' there in de audience wit 50 mens, an' by some reason, he will come an' pick yo' out an' give yo' de first preference.
(Is it some sort of a love powder or smelling powder?)
It's a controllin' powder.
Entry 8494
It's a thing dat choo call a John de Conkah root an' yo' see, while dat chew talk tuh de boss, jis' as ah tole yo' befo' 'bout dat piece of papah dat yo' write an' put it in de stove. Yo' write de boss name, if yo' know it, in a cross. (Just how do you do that now?) Yo' write his name dis way an' den yo' write his name dis way, an' den yo' put dat in de stove jis' de same as yo' did - jis' de same as ah 'splain tuh yo' befo', in de ashpan an' let dat hot coal drop down on it. An' when yo' go tuh him yo'd have a small piece of dis John de Conkah root in yore mouth, an' yo' make yore wishes befo' yo' git tuh him. An' yo' chew dis while yore talkin' tuh him. An' it supposed tuh bring yo' a favorable answah. Once each day make a cross.
Entry 8495
If yo' wants tuh be on de job or anything an' yo' want tuh stand in good wit yuh boss, yo' takes 'is name an' yo' git some loaf sugah, yo' put it in a bottle, yo' writes 'is name nine times, writes it tuh yuh, not from yuh. An' ah put's mah name on top of 'is, an' ah folds it tuh me, an' ah puts it in dis bottle. (You cross it or what?) Ah puts it ovah his'n an' ah crosses it, too. See, ah write his name first dis way an' den ah changes it an' write it dataway, an' ah switches ag'in - forward an' backward, undahstand.
(I see. All right.)
See, den ah folds it up an' ah puts it in dis bottle wit cinnamon an' sugah, an' ah buries it. An' ah weahs his name in mah shoe an' keeps it dere in mah shoe. An' when ah weahs it out, well ah puts anothah one in dere. See, dat's tuh stay on de job.
Entry 8496
Well, yo' git dat boss - try tuh git holt of some one of de mens dat works dere, an' git aroun' dem an' ast 'im what de boss name. Well yo' git 'is name an' yo' weah dat boss name. Yo' take it an' write it nine times goin' an' comin' towards yuh, an' put it in yuh shoe; but be sure dat yo' put some sugah in it. An' dat's gotta be brown sugah yo' undahstand.
(Why brown?)
It jis' have tuh be brown sugah.
(All right.)
Entry 8497
Git 'is name.
(Get the boss's name.)
Uh huh.
(What do you do with that?)
Yo' write de boss name nine times an' den aftah yo' write de boss name nine times, yo' git chew three lumps of cut loaf sugah - three lumps. (Cut loaf sugar.) An' aftah yo' git dem three lumps of cut loaf sugah, yo' takes de boss name of de nine times writin' an' yo' take it an' fold lak dis here - yo' know, lak a envelope is fold. Fold it lak dat. [Fold the name as you would fold a sheet of paper to put in envelope.] An' yo' take de boss name an' aftah yo' fold it lak dat, yo' turn around an' yo' put it in a brand-new silk pocket han'ke'ch'ef. An' yo' put it in dat brand-new silk pocket han'ke'- ch'ef an' yo' weah it along in heah.
(Where? Where do you wear it?)
Weah along heah [demonstrates].
(Right along there?)
Yeah. An' he's sure goin' tuh send fo' yuh tuh come back.
(I see. Where do you put that sugar?)
Yo' put dat sugah wit it.
(In those three things?)
[Three things = 3 lumps of sugar.]
Yeah.
[I now for the first time reveal the Wearing place.]
(You put it down near your private?)
Uh huh. An' when dat sugah comin' [commence], tuh meltin', yo' take dat sugah out dat's comin' tuh dissolvin', an' yo' put it one - yo' know break it. Yo' take an' put one lump in dat cornah, one in dat one, one in dat, one in dat.
(You put a half lump in.)
Each cornah.
(Of your own house?)
Each cornah of yore own house - nobody else's house, in yore own house.
(Well, there are three lumps of sugar and you break two of them.)
Yeah, an' put it in each cornah, an' de boss, he'll send fo' yuh.
(I see.)
Entry 8498
Ah'll tell it ag'in, see, jis' lak ah say, "Margrit?" An' she say, "Ooh!" Covah de bottle, covah de bottle stoppah up.
(What will that do?)
Dey done fo' good. Ah think dat's tuh drill yuh away. Now, ah'm not positive. (What is in that bottle?) Nuthin but jis' de voice. An' dey go throw dat in runnin' watah an' don't look back. Tell me yo'll dreen [drain] away or eithah move or go outa dis town. (That's catching your spirit.) [See TO CATCH A SPIRIT, p.24 and many places in text, especially margin title BLACK WINE BOTTLE in present section.]
Entry 8499
Perhaps someone come tuh yore house an' yo' didn't want 'em dere any mo', yo' could take a broom, make yore wishes, an' call 'im a bad name. An' take yuh a broom an' sweep )'im out an' he won't come back any mo'. [This is not the ordinary rite of sweeping behind a departing person. The departing is pretended and the person's name is intended or wished at least.]
Entry 8500
Befo' de sun rise of a mawnin's yo' kin sweep yore porch off an' call a person's name three times, dat chew wanta see an'dey'll come.
Entry 8501
Yo' take an' write his name on dere nine times all de way roun' de broom, straight though, not backwards. An' whenevah it time fo' him tuh come, yo' sweep in, an' put dat broom undah de baid an' he's comin'. (You just write it on the broom handle you mean?) On de broom handle wit pen- cil. All dat ah tole yo' should be wrote wit indeli- bin, de bad an' de good.
Entry 8502
Write name on piece of paper. While burning paper say: I want him to leave here and never come back no more.
Burning paper appears in the printed instruction. The following departure wish remains a stated aim; no performance or result is established.
Entry 8503
[For burning, see also long mar- gin title LAMP.] If yo' wanta git somebody back tuh yo' or somepin, well yo' would - if yo' were usin' somepin lak yo' were goin' tuh burn somepin tuh bring dem back. Well, yo' would repeat dere name. Yo' repeat dere name, say, "Well, Johnny, let Johnny - Hoodoo Conjuration - Witchcraft - Rootwork come back." Well, fo' so many times whilst chew were burnin' yore - whut dey use tuh bring 'em back yo' see.
Entry 8504
Git me some white stationery paper without a line on it. Dat why ah say white. An' ah kin write chore name on it. See ah could write chore name on it an' slowly burn it each mawnin' as de sun rises. Zhoo know, jis' a li'le fo' de sun rises, start it tuh burnin' an' jis' smoth- ah it out. Jis' burn a li'le fo' each mawnin' fo' 9 days, dat choo would heah [hear] from dem. Dey comin' if dey have tuh walk an' hoboin', anything else. Yo' kin bring 'em right back here if dey gone.
Entry 8505
If yo' had a wife an' she was doin' somepin an' yo' Wanted to break her from it - don't chew know, goin' out wit other mens or somepin like dat, an' yo' caught her an' didn't want her to do dat. Yo' would take dat - sulphur an' aloes an' saltpeter an' mash it up an' yo' would put it together an' git chew a piece of papah an' write her name an' dat party's name down nine times. (You mean you Write this man's name down nine times. What do you do with her name then?) Put it down underneath it nine times.
(You write both of them nine times each.)
An' burn it fo' nine days.
(Burn what?)
Fix dat ovah fo' nine days.
(Well what do you do with those ingredients you mentioned?)
Yo' take dat stuff an' put it in dat writing. Yo' put de sulphur an' de aloes [and saltpeter] in dat writing, see; an' den yo' set it afire an' burn it. An while yo' burn it yo' cuss it, say, "Ah wish yo' would break this [whosoevah it is, yo' know] up." An' jes' cuss it, jes' everythin' bad yo' wanta say to it. Dat will break them up.
Entry 8506
If you want to bring a person back, like a lady friend or gentleman friend, you get a catfish and you take that catfish and you bury it. And when he soon rot away, he finally will come back. Just take the fish and bury it, put his name in it - in the fish, that's all.
Entry 8507
Well dey use a catfish bone. It's one dose li'le fo'ked bones an' it's kinda shaped lak a ink pen. Yo' seen some fish bones dat's kinda shaped lak dat. (When you get this bone out of the catfish, what do you do with that then?) Yo' dip it in ink an' write chure name wit dat catfish bone, an' fole dat papah tuhwards yo' lak dat. An' yo' stick it down in de fo'k of dat bone, an' yo' place it wit a string aroun' [demonstrates]. (I will write your name with this fishbone on a piece of paper, and just keep folding it to me. Then, what do I do with that paper then?) Well, yo' weah dat in yo' hat. Dat's tuh draw dem.
(Do you use ordinary ink in that pen?)
Yes.
Entry 8508
Why, if it's a person dat chew want 'em tuh drift or jes' don' want 'em tuh stay heah in town. All right, yo' take a coconut an' open de eyes [for eyes See margin title later] an' git de watah out of it, an' write dose people name. An' yo' don' write it right [forwards] always backwards; see, about nine or ten times, see. An' den put it in dat coconut an' throw in de rivah an' den dey'll drift. Dey cain't stay.
Entry 8509
Dey take dat an' dey put it in a coconut.
(This bath water?)
Dis bath watah.
(What else do they do?)
An' dey write yure name nine times each way [forwards and backwards] on a piece of papah, an' put it in a coconut an' chuck it in de rivah. An' dey call it a dirty name, what- evah dey wanta call it, an' tell it tuh go. Well, dat floats yuh on away, dat coconut. Long as dat coconut go, it keeps yuh on de go.
Entry 8510
(What about gunpowder?)
Well, yo' take gunpowdah an' yo' take Red Seal Lye. Yo' take gunpowdah, yo' take Epsom salt, an' yo' take de individual name. Yo' put it down in a coconut an' yo' bury dat coconut, an' yo'll keep dat party as crazy as crazy kin be. See, dat gun- powdah is de ambition, dat red peppah [Red Seal Lye] is hot, an' dat Epsom salt jis' keep - dat Epsom salt keep 'em from havin' anythin'. Evahthin' dey git slip away from 'em, yo' see. Keep 'em wit a rovin' mind.
(A roving?)
A rovin' mind, yeah. Yo' know, jis' ambition, fightin' an'....
Entry 8511
(What do you do with that graveyard dust?)
Well, yo' take graveyard dust an' put it wit - tuh break up a woman an' a man.
[Long pause by informant.]
(How would they handle that? How would they use that?)
Well, dey take de graveyard dust an' steel dust an' guinea seeds an' war wa- tah, an' put it intuh a coconut, yo' see, an' red peppah, cayenne peppah, Epsom salts an' bittah apple an' bury it. An' yo' see, dat cuz a 'sturbance. Den dey writes de man's name an' de woman's name nine times an' dat break 'em up, cuz dem tuh make terrible 'sturbance. An' dat cuz dem tuh break up, see. (Where do they bury this?) Well, dey bury it undah de porch - bury it in de ground, bury it in de ground. [For preceding guinea seeds, see long margin title GUINEA SEEDS... GRAINS OF PARADISE, p.57Of. Red pepper in present margin title could be a repetition for preceding cayenne pepper, but more likely it means a piece of hot red-pepper pod. The preceding bitter apple - also called bitter cucunber and bitter gourd - is the colocynth (Citrullis colocynthis), a Medi- terranean and African vine related to the watermelon.]
Entry 8512
Take nine needles an' nine nails, an' also nine pins, an' a coconut wit a eggshell.
(An eggshell?)
A eggshell, an' dis quicksilvah papah.
(Quicksilver paper?)
Quicksilvah.
(You mean the paper they put around tobacco?)
[I am referring to tin foil.]
Yes, sir. Yo' take a indelible pencil an' write someone name on it nine times across.
(Over that silver paper?)
Yes. An' yo' write it nine times across dis way [demonstrates].
(You mean cross them like that, like an "x"?)
Yeah, an' den yo' cross dat again. See, jis' keep it all covahed up. Yo' are writing dere name backwards doh [though]. Yo' don't write it, yo' know, lak it should be, but yo' write it backwards. See, lak if yure name is WELLS, well yo' start wit dat SLLEW an' go right on lak dat. Write it fo' nine times, jis' lak dat, each way, backwards an' forwards, same way. Den, yo' take an' jis' put it inside of de coconut - take dis inside of de coconut an' take it tuh a midstream, an' throw it upstream, but it must be flowin' down, lak a drift [cur- rent], see. Yo' take dis coconut an' throw it out [into the stream] an' when dis coconut go down, dis person whatevah yo' wish tuh drift, dey'll come tuh dey can't be satisfied nowhere neah. If dey have no place, dey'll set out. Dey know dat yo' live in dere, an' dey'll come in an' dey won't see no peace at home. Dey are always on de go. Dat's if dey stay dere. Finally, dey'll git so dat dey can't stay in de house. Dey'll pack up whut dey got an' if de things dat dey have is too much trouble fo' 'em, dey'll take an' pro'bly sell it an' jis' go on adriftin'. Yo' pro'bly may nevah see 'em no mo'.
(What do you do with that eggshell and that stuff?)
De eggshell, dat goes intuh de coconut.
(Oh, that goes into the coconut.)
Egg, [coconut] milk, de quicksilvah, evahthing inside of dis coconut. An' yo' put it in dere an' yo' throw it ovahbo'd.
(I see.)
Entry 8513
Open it [coconut], yo' know, tuh get de juice out of it. An' dey can put yuh name in dere an' stop it up an' throw it in runnin' watah. Dat'll keep yo' runnin' all de time. Dat's coconut.
Entry 8514
(What are you going to do when you get the coconut?)
Whut chew goin' do wit de coconut? Yo' goin' empty de watah [milk or juice] out de coconut, dry it out good. See, don' leave no watah in dere, let it drain good. An' den put jis' a li'le steel dust an' a piece of lodestone, an' yo' orite dat name nine times. Write his name nine times. Take dat spool of thread, No.8 black, an' wrap dat comin' tuh yuh [saying] "Ah want chew tuh stay heah. Yo nst stay an' yo' gotta stay. Ah want chew heah." Yo' put dat intuh dat coconut an' yo' take a li'le stoppah an' yo' cut de stoppah off, an' shet dat up an' bury it undah de steps. See. (Is there any special way you must bury it under the steps?) No, yo'jis'.... Yo'see, yo' have tuh bury it up lak dat [demonstrates]. Yo' bury it up lak dat, but de coconut is in de ground. See. Now ah did dat. (What will that do then?) Well, dat brings 'is mind, makes 'im stay dere, an' him an' her been tuhgethah evah since.
Entry 8515
Dey use coconuts fo' diff'ren things. Yo' kin kill a person wit a coconut an' yo' kin kill 'em wit a lemon.
(Well, how would you kill them?)
Wit de coconut? Well, say fo' instance, if somebody is got a grudge 'ginst yo' an' dey don' lak yo', an' dey wants tuh git up tuh yo' an' put chew tuh death. Dey gits de coconut an' take one of de eyes out of it, an' write chure name in dere wit a indelibin [in- delible] pencil. [The name is written on a piece of paper, which is inserted through eye hole into coconut and corked up.] Shet it up right tight [close opened eye] an' throw it in driftin' watah an' let hit go. Well, when dat in- delibin pencil [written name] commence tuh meltin' away [because of the coconut milk or juice] yo' begin tuh takin' a pain heah [demonstrates] see.
(Up in the head.)
Yassuh. Begin tuh take a pain in yore haid an' when de last lettah's [last letter of name is] gone, yo' gone. De same way wit a lemon, de same thing wit a lemon. A lemon will knock yo' out mo' quickah, kill yo' mo' quickah.
(Why is that?)
Well, it's de acik [acid] in it. See, de acik in it.
Entry 8516
In a she coconut - yo' know de she coconut?
(What is a she coconut?)
A she coconut got two eyes.
(All right.)
Yo' take jis' one of dem eyes an' push it out an' drain dat milk [coconut juice] out. An' yo' put someone's name in dere, if yo' wanta drive dem away from yuh, an' throw it ovah yuh left shouldah [into running water]. An' it's goin' tuh drift, an' wherevah it drift dey gotta go. (Can you bring them back with a coconut?) Yes, if yo' Wanta bring 'em back, yo' gotta git dis he coconut. De he coconut has got three eyes. Yo' push one eye out but yo' gotta be sure dat de right eye yo' pushin' out doesn't got [does not have] a white spot. An' dat main eye dat's de eye yo' push out. An' put a stoppah in dere an' dump dat milk out. [The stopper is inserted after the milk is out.] Now, yo' throw dat disaway, dataway, dat's bringin' 'em back, see [demonstrates].
(Throw it over your shoulder. Throw it at your house?)
Yeah, throw it at your house. [Throwing an object towards the house, door, etc. is a common rite to bring a person back.l
(Over your right shoulder?)
No. Over yuh right shouldah? Yeah, ovah yuh right. (And when you want to bring this man back that's away, you throw it over your right shoulder?) Throw it ovah yuh right.
Entry 8517
Whut yo' can do wit the bees [see later] like yo' gotta man an' he's away from yo', yo' git yo' a she coconut.
(A she coconut?)
What I mean by a she coconut, a she coconut has got three eyes. A she coconut have three eyes, a he one only have two. Now, yo' take that coconut an' yo' get those bees, honey bees. Yo' go to any- where where yo' can get that black oil off a train an' yo' mix - put that bees, the black oil, and write that person's name nine times, and put it [all] in that coconut. And get a stopper and stop it up and put it - and put it just anywhere in your house. And if that person is away, he'll come to you. But you gotta roll that coconut after, you know, you stop it up. You can keep it in the house, but every mawnin' yo' gotta git up an' roll it from the front door back to the back. Every mawnin'. An' when yo' roll it, if yo' want him to come to yo', yo' call him by his name an' he'll come to yo'. If yo' Want him to go from yo', just call him an' curse him: Yo' son-of-a-bitch, go an' don't never come back. But like that [to send him away] yo' must roll it from the back to the front to keep him going. Yo' catch those live bees an' put them in there. Yo' see, that's because they fight an' they gits mad an' they is furious, yo' know. Yo' put the bees in there with his name and when they gets in a place where they can't get out, they starts fighting. [I must have asked about coconut water.] No, yo' pour that water out of the coconut.
Entry 8518
Now when a man and a woman are together and some other party wants them completely separated for good, wants to break them up completely, they buy them a new cocoanut. And they punch the three eyes out of that cocoanut and leave the milk in. And they write those two peoples' names the same as they do when they're going to the crossroads ["they'll write the man's name nine times and then they write the woman's crossing nine times" - from the same cylinder, 1574:3 somewhere in text]. And cross each other and they curse them for everything they can think of, and they fold that paper tight and stick it down in the hole of that cocoanut. Then they put anything that purges, like Epsom salts, or black draught. And they put pepper sauce in there, something very hot - pepper sauce and red peppers. And they put salt in there and saltpeter. And they write those two persons' names across each other, like this, on three separate pieces of paper, and fill the eyes of that cocoa- nut. And then at 12 o'clock at night they go to the river and throw it over their left shoulder. And if that black draught and that different stuff in that cocoanut begin to work, you know when it gets stale.it'll work, those two people begin fussing and fighting, and within a period of nine days they're absolutely separated. And there's a whole lot in that. [Memphis, Tenn., (973), 1574:5.] Those cocoanuts.
(Different from what you told me?)
Yes, just a little different. They use gunpowder instead of the salt and pepper and stuff like that. That makes people mean and drift and they can't have any luck at anything at all they do. [This woman is marked excellent pro- fessional. She was from Shreveport, La.] [Memphis, Tenn., (973), 1577:2. The first reference for this rite Was given in the text.]
Entry 8519
Well, dey take de nine needles, an' aftah takin' de nine needles, write de name down nine times, whosomevah fellah it is, or de woman, den write chure name down nine times down on top of dat. Den aftah dat yo' put de cinnamon an' sugah in dere, an' de urinate, into de coconut. Den kick it from de front do' tuh de back do' nine times, fo' nine times. Take an' throw it ovah intuh de rivah. Dat guarantee tuh dry 'em up. Stop any woman in de worl'. Dry dem up, run 'em stoneZy crazy.
[The latter expression is usually stone crazy.]
(Dries up their urine? Kills them?)
Kills 'em yeah. (The person who is killed, you have to take that person's urine to put in that coconut?) Yeah, yo' take dat lady's urine, de one dat chew wanta fix, an' write dere name nine times. Den yore name on top of dat nine times. (You write his or her name nine times that way. Then you write yours on top of it like that?) Yeah. all on top of dat nine times. [New Orleans. La., (1561). 2857:7.]
Entry 8520
Take a coconut an' put a person name in it, an' if yo' wanta throw it in de rivah, an' dey go. If yo' don' wanta, yo' don' have tuh; yo' could take it in yore home an' kick it aroun', but yo' have tuh have two. Yo' take one an' put it in de rivah, throw it in de Missi'ppi Rivah, an' yo' keep de othah one. Dat's separation, dat's a separation between two people.
(How do you do that?)
Yo' see, yo' put de names in each coconut, yo' see. Yo' undahstan', jis' lak yo' wanta separate somebody. See, lak somebody got chure girl fren'. Well, yo' put one name - yo' undahstan' whut ah mean, de pair of 'em in dere [coconut]. Den yo' keep one [coconut] at de house. Yo' take de names an' put 'em in de coconut.
(You put this man's name and this woman's name in the same coconut?)
In de same coconut in each one of 'em. An' yo' throw one in de rivah. An' yo' keep one home an' yo' keep rowin' wit it, beatin' it an' cursin' it an' goin' on. [The preceding to row (not rō but rou), a colloquialism, means to assail roughly; here, as already stated, to kick the coconut about the house while also verbally abusing it.] (JUST TO BE SURE THAT I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TAKING ABOUT. Here's the cOCOnut. I put his name and her name in there, both names in that one coconut. Here's another coconut and I put his name and her name in that coconut?) In that coconut.
Entry 8521
Coconut - yo' see, lak yo' livin' in a house an' de landlord wants tuh put yuh out, an' yo' ain't got no job, yo' undahstand, an' yo' ain't able tuh pay yure rent. Yo' take dis coconut an' bore itright in dat eye [for eye see mar- gin title]. Yo' undahstan'. Put 'is name down in dere in dat coconut, [written] nine times. Yo' undahstan'. An' put some sugah in dere on dat, white granulated sugah. An' stop dat coconut up good an' cut dat paper off [paper used as cork] right, right, yo' know even wit de coconut. An' bury it in yure back yard. Yo' kin stay dere jis' as long as dat coconut stay out dere in dat yard. If it's fifteen yeahs, yo' kin stay right dere, dey ain't goin' tuh worry yuh. Evah time dey'd come an' ast joo 'bout yure rent, yo' say, "Well, ah ain't got nuthin dis time, nex' week or nex' month." An' he'll walk on off wit a smile.
Entry 8522
(How do you do that?)
Well, yo' use a coconut to make a person come to yo'. Yo' take an' pluck out de eyes, but yo' don't let that water come out of there. And you take the name and put it upon this Venrick [brand name?] parch- ment [paper imitation] and put it in there, inside, and you seals it up with the wax that drops from the candle. And just roll it. Start from the front door and be rollin' back inside an' speak to it just like yo' speakin' to 'em an' call 'em by their name. That'll draw 'em to you.
(That will make them come back.)
Entry 8523
Yo' take de name an' put it in a coconut. Write de name nine times on a piece of parket [parchment] papah. Dat's white papah. It looks like a linen but it's somepin like a of a kink in it. Yo' cain't tear dat good [difficult to tear]. Yo' write de first name nine times [see later margin title FIRST NAME]. Yo' git choo nine needles, nine pins, nine new tacks. Yo' roll dat up in dat dere [parchment]. Yo' put it in dere [the coconut]. Git choo a teaspoonful of dis hot peppah FROM DE HOODOO DRUG STORE. Yo' git some bittah aloes an' put in dere [the coconut]. Yo' take yuh a lemon, a lemon dat's neah rotten. Yo' squeeze it intuh it [the coconut]. Den yo' take dese li'le ole green hot peppahs. YO' BURY DAT FROM DE HOODOO DRUG STORE. Yo' put nine of 'em down in dere [the coconut] with nine steel tacks [new?]. An' yo' git chew a little cork [surely new from de hoo- doo drug store] to fit dat hole [by punching out an eye of the coconut] an' yo' stop it [coconut] up. An' yo' git in de [Mississippi] river on the boat [ferry I used twice a day when I collected on the west side of the river in Algiers - the west bank]. An' when yo' git midways of de rivah, when yo' tinks [thinks]it's about middleways, yo' drop dat coconut. Well, long as dat coconut will drift an' won't git broke, why yo'll drift. But finely [finally] no doubt de coconut'll git tuh a place where it'll git jambed an' gits broke. Well, den it'll stop. But long as dat coconut drift like dat, yo'll drift.
Entry 8524
You get a coconut and you open that coconut and you leave that water out of that coconut. See. And just like I want you to drift and drag around, I'll take that coconut and put your name down in that coconut, you see. Then I take some dust, graveyard dust and put it down in that coconut. Then I take that coconut and stop it right back up with your name in that coconut. And if I Want you to drift and, drift up and down the river, I walk to the river and throw it in there. Then, otherword [in other words or otherwise] I could take the coconut and keep it where I just use you, just roll it backwards and forwards, see. And I'll have you planted [at home] and just any way what I'll want to do with that coconut, well you'll just have to do.
Entry 8525
(Take a coconut?)
Yeah. Take that coconut, put their name into that and some red beans, and they will use that cayenne pepper and stuff, and poke it and his name in the hole. Open that, you know, the hole, and put them down in that, in that coconut, and stop it up. And then they roll it. Roll it over the floor so many days and make their wishes and roll that coconut.
(You say they put red beans in there?)
Yeah, red beans down in there.
(What do they put red beans in there for?)
I don't know.
Entry 8526
(With the coconut, how do you do that?) Well, you take this coconut - get a fresh coconut with the Water in it and you punch out one of them eyes, and.you takes the name and you push it in there. If you want 'em to come to you, why you rolls, take and kick it and roll it to you, thataway. And you call this person name three times. You do's that for three morning on the full of the moon. If you want 'em to go from you, you put the name in there and you kicks it from you thataway. That's what you use the coconut for.
Entry 8527
All right, if yo' wanta separate a person - ah mean, yo' undahstan', if yo' wanta break 'em up, too. Yo' drain de watah out de coconut. Yo' know, dey have a li'le hole an' yo' git a li'le cork, a perfume [bot- tle] cork. An' yo' git: devil war watah, dat same ingrediment, chew remembah dat in- grediment, double- strength war watah; rattlesnake dust; double-strength wal- wal powdah [used a number of times in text]; an' de strong-strong cayenne peppah.* Let it be red- hot fresh. An' strong-strong white peppah. Yo' know whut dat is, dat [is] strong, strong. An' Epsom salts, cookin' salts, soda an' lemon. Den nine steel needles across dat. name. An' yo'[ [also] stickin' intuh dere nine pins. An' yo' put it, an' yo' roll it, an' yo' shake it, an' yo' roll it. Yo' keep it rollin' an' yo' nevah raise it, an' yo' jes' keep it rollin'. BUT BE SHURE WHEN YO' GIT THROUGH, YO' KNOW HOW TUH DO WIT CHURE HAN'; DAT CHEW WASH YORE HAN' TUH GIT TUH DO YORE GOOD WORKS. [AFTER YOU DO EVIL WORKS LIKE THIS, YOU MUST WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE ATTEMPTING GOOD WORKS.]
(What do you do with that coconut after you roll it then?)
WELL, YO' PUT IT OUTA DE WAY. IF YO' WANTA GIVE IT TO ONE OF YORE CUSTOMERS [INFORMANT, WOMAN, PROFESSIONAL WORKER] TO HELP THEM, BUT BE SHURE THAT THEY NEVAH KNOW WHUT'S INTO IT. YO' see.
(What will this do?)
Aw, it'll break 'em up, oh yeah.
Entry 8528
(Now, you are going to tell me something else. Now, all right.) Now, then yo' kin get yo' a coconut. Yo' git yo' nine seeds of punkin [pumpkin]. (Pumpkin seeds, nine of them.) Nine of 'em. (All right.) Yo' get yo' nine chicken corns [kernels of maize, Zea Mays]. (Nine what?) Chicken corns. (Chicken corn, what's that for?) Dat's to put in de coconut. (Well what is chicken corn?) Dat's what de chicken eats. (You mean the same thing as a horse eats, the same kind of corn the horse eats? Chicken corn? Ordinary corn like a roasting ear of corn. All right.) Yo' get that nine pumpkin seeds, nine chicken corn, the man name, but yo' take de water out de coconut. Yo' put de man name nine times an' de woman, if in case yo' wanta break 'em up. Put it in there.
(How do you put the woman's name in there?)
Yo' put de woman name crossways, this way [demonstrates].
(Across his name. All right.)
Across his name. Then yo' make a cross toward this way [a cross is added to the paper]. Then when yo' do that, then in that, then yo' takes this cayenne peppah an' yo' set it right up in de center [of the paper] and yo' bring it to yo'. An' yo' cuss 'em as yo' putting it to yuh. An' yo' roll it on dis side an' yo' put on dis, always rolling it to yo'. An' then yo' cuss it an' yo' stick it in there.
(In this coconut.)
An' then yo' take a stopper an' yo' stop up de two eyes, then yo' take de coconut an' yo' roll it fo' nine days in yore home. Then yo' take it an' yo' goes to de rivah. Takes fifteen cents an' throws in de - de fifteen cents be- hind it [coconut], to pay spirit for the work]. An' just let it go each way or de other, an' let it float anywhere where it's gotta go. An' yo'll have him just agoing from one to de other. He'll lose his mind or else go to de river.
(What do you mean by these two eyes?)
SEE, DE COCONUT GOT TWO EYES WHERE DE WATER DRAINS OUT.
(All right, on account of those two eyes you have two corks in that coconut?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 8529
Yo' write de name seven times. After yo' write de names, yo' bore yo' a hole in a coconut an' pour de water out. An' take that piece of paper what yo' write de name an' stuff it in de coconut. Then yo' put de stuff they call moving powder. Yo' get that at the [hoodoo] d drug store at X Street. Yo' sprinkle dat in there. That's when yo' want to put a fellow on a drift. When yo' sprinkle in there an' close it [coconut], yo' take that an' care [carry] it down to de [Mississippi] river an' jis' turn yore back, an' throw in de river like this [demonstrates] an' say, Damn yo', yo' go. Nevah have no good luck as long as yo' live. Throw it back over yore right shoulder. Yo' never have no good luck as long as yo' live. No success or nothing. It'll put yo' on a drift. Yo' could be a millionaire, you're gon'a be down.
The account predicts 'No success or nothing'; whether those exact words are prescribed recitation remains uncertain.
Entry 8530
I would take a piece of this man's underwear - between de leg, right where it is tightest. I would take me some love powder, oil of clover, and I would take that and I would take a coconut. And I would bore a hole in the coconut and drain the water out. I would sew that powder and stuff [including name, see later] in a piece of flannel - no, the paper [with the name] will evaporate - and I put in the coconut. Sew it up tight so none of the stuff wouldn't get out and stop that coconut up. I would go and I would shake that coconut for nine mornings, under- stand, and that makes your [his] mind to come back home. You have that in that piece of red flannel too, all together, you gotta sew it, you understand, that name of the person you are working on.
Entry 8531
Take and punch that hole - punch that hole out of that coconut see, and let that water out. And then they take some of their own urine, and your name and write it on a piece of paper - on that same side and hang it up there, see, and roll it small, and put that coconut on her bathtub or on her bed and stop it up. (What will that do?) What'll it do? Most any- thing - have you out of your head, run you almost crazy [about her] see.
(They put it in the paper?)
See, dey write your name just like this, see [demonstrates].
(That way.)
Just like this, see [demonstrates] this Way, thataway. (In the shape of a triangle [name written 3 times in shape of triangle] and they put that with this urine in the coconut and stop it up.) Yes.
Entry 8532
Use a coconut, put turpentine in dere an' de party's name, an' stop it up tight an' throw it intuh de Mississippi River, when it will float in de watah, an' de party will leave dere home. Turpentine in dere, yes.
Entry 8533
Take the name of the man and your name, and take a coconut and pour the water out of it. Take the water out of the coconut and put it [names] in the coconut and turn it upside down. That's supposed to hold a man.
(You just write your name and his name on a piece of paper?)
And put it inside the coconut. No [not once but] nine times. His name under- neath and yours on top.
Entry 8534
Woman writes man's name on four corners of piece of paper, makes wish, says Psalm, puts in bottle of honey, screws lid down tight, puts in secret place, man will come back, will be sweeter than ever to her.