Browse:THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY (Volume 4, entries 8055–8881)/Part 7
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 8535
Take dat name an' write it fo' ways on a piece of papah. Write it disaway an' den write it dat way. Take it an' write it on each cornah of a piece of papah, an' yo' kin take it an' fold it up an' bury it. Dat'll worry 'em, jis' worry 'em...
[I stopped machine before death and had to include it.]
(Worry them to death?)
Yessuh.
Entry 8536
Now, if it's a lady yo' write chure name first an' den yo' write her name undah yore name. An' den dey'll count de lettahs in dat name. An' if yo' got mo' lettahs in yore name den she got in hers, why yo' kin mastah her. An' if she got de most lettah, den yo' gotta use somepin by which tuh ovahpowah her name so yo' kin control her. Without yo' cain't nevah win 'er. (Do you know what to get to overpower her name?) Ah don' know whut dey use.
Entry 8537
Go to this place and keep it sweetened down with sweetened water and cinnamon and sugar. (How would you do that?) Well, you'd take and write his name three times and write your name three times, see.
(How would you do that?)
Write your name three times up over his'n and write his name three times across, see. And put it in - fold the paper three times to you - and then put down into a glass or anything with water, sweetened water and cinnamon. And that keeps his name, his mind drawing for you all the time.
(Keeps drawing toward you. I see.)
Entry 8538
Ah say jes' lak if yo' got a loved one an' he's gone away. Yo' know, sometimes people be co'tin' [courting] yo' know each othah, an' dey go off ex- pectin' tuh be right back. An' dey may git a job or sompin, undahstand an' hold dem a little longer den dey wanta. Or some- times dey jes' quit an jes' tell yo' ah'll be back tomorrow an' yo' leave tuh not evah come back no mo'. Well, yo' go to de no'th- west side of yore house an' yo' turn yore face to de direction dat dis person is at. An' yo' place yore hands up ovah yore heart an' yo' call dis person's name three times, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name.of de Holy Ghost, an' yo' tell 'em tuh come on to yo', Oh, ye loved one. An' in nine days' time dey'll be home, will be back to where yo' want 'em to be. Dey say yo' have to do this three mawnin's in succession at de hour of three a'clock each mawnin'.
(Did you say something before about a cross mark?)
Yes sir, yo' jes' make this cross mark.
(Where?)
At de no'thwest side of de house, an' yo' stand, yo' know, by de mark or - it don' make no diffunce [difference] jes' so long as yo' make it by de house on de no'thwest side an' turn yore face to de direction [person has gone].
(Do you make that cross mark on the house or on the ground?)
Yo' make it on de ground.
Entry 8539
They tell me that if a person will cross two sticks and then make a cross mark, and have those sticks standing up cross each other right in that cross mark, and put nine pins in there, in that same mark around there, that whichever one that has the longest end to it, the indi- vidual that you have something against, if he has to go that direction [in the direction of the longest mark], put it down there and he'll cross over it for nine days, and then finally his mind'll get confused and he'll wander away from home.
Entry 8540
They said they make nine marks and cross 'em.
(How do you mean nine marks and cross 'em?)
Just make nine straight marks, you know, an' cross 'em tHHHHH+ ttItitt or That makes ten. The tenth mark, that's ten. (What is it supposed to do?) Well, that will put 'em to traveling, yo' know. (Well, how - where do they make these marks?) Well, yo' could make 'em with a stick or anything, yo' know, and make a wish, yo' know. Call de person's name an' make a wish, an' cross those things an' they say that it's more than apt to come true. Make a evil wish towards 'em.
Entry 8541
Git de person an' write his name. Take de first letter capital, write dat on. Write chure name under it. Bury it at de doorstep. If dey be in dere an' if yo' want 'em out, yo' bury it this way if yo' want him out; if yo' want 'im to stay, yo' kin put it this way. When yo' bury it that way, in seven days he'll be moved if he livin' in dere; if yo' don't want him in there, he'll go. (If you want him to go, you point his name away from the door; if you want him in there, you point his name in at the door?) Yes sir.
Entry 8542
I will.
(All right.)
Well, the things that have been used to do such things as that is take a couple of things what is called bluestone, brown sugar, write the name of a per- son nine times on a piece of paper, wrap that to- gether. If by any chance you can hide or bury that under the steps of that person, sort of in a position where it can face with the name reading from east to west, where the sun rise and go down, place it under the steps of the people and face it from east to west. And you then will be able to take a power over them people by using that in that way.
(I mean just what kind of power do you want to have over them?)
A power, the person not being [stationary] at no certain place, and the per- son not being able to stop as long as you have that stuff under his steps that they lives in. But wrap it in red flannel.
(I see. Will that make them move or it just gives you the power over them?)
Give you the power over them that will keep them on the move.
(Oh, I see.)
Entry 8543
Take a chicken egg and write a person's name on it and bury it. Can make 'em come your way. Just bury it right underneath of your step. Not flat, but turn it this way [demonstrates]. Write the name upon there nine times and bury it. (You mean with the little point down?) Yes, sir. (Well, how do you mean, you make 'em come your way?) Well, just like they off somewhere and you wants: 'em to come to yo'.
Entry 8544
An' de nex' [third] way if ah has someone an' dey's runnin' wit a woman an' ah wanta bust 'em up, ah go tuh de sto' an' buy me a dozen of aigs, see. An' fuh [for] nine days ah'd write on dat aig whut ah wanted, jis' if ah wanted him an' her tuh quit. Ah'd write on dat aig an' ah'd throw a aig evah mawnin' befo' sunrise fo' nine days an' dat busses [= busts = bursts] 'em up. (Where do you throw that egg?) Throw it up against de wall in de east side of de house. [Twelve eggs are bought, only nine are used.]
Entry 8545
Like if I love anybody, I'd take his name and write it and put it in a glass of clear watah. Well ah don't eat anything all day long, just fastin' an' just prayin'. Pray to de Lord that he'll come back tuh me. (That's all you have to do?) That's all I ever heard them doin'. An' I've known girls that do so an' I knowed de boy come back. (Just his name on this piece of paper in a glass of water and then you fast and pray all day long.
Entry 8546
(Give me that parable again now. Tell me the whole thing.)
Just like I come to see you to your house and your fire hearth got a end of brick loosened somewhere. Well, I take a piece of paper and write your name down on it unknowst to yo', an' I slip your name up under that brick, and they say, your wife would leave you. (My wife would leave me and go with you?) Yes, go away. [We must remember here, that name is not enough; there is also the mental intention for woman to leave and come to you.]
(Well, is there any way, you can check that? Cross that up?)
Yes, yo' kin check that, cross it up.
(How would you do that?)
Well, the way yo' do that, yo' get yo' some parsley, and yo' tell her put: 'er underclothing wrongside out, after yo' get de parsley. Yo' put that parsley in de bottom part of her shoe an' put some garlic in de bottom part of her [other] shoe an' make her wear that. That'll check it up. [Wrongside out, parsley and garlic are well-known witchcraft deterrents.]
Entry 8547
If a person - jes' lak if yo' don't like them or anything like dat, well yo' write dere name on a piece of paper an' yo' take gunpowder an' sulphur an' bluestone an' burn it in de fireplace an' dat will cause dem tuh be in hard luck.
Entry 8548
Ah've heard that if dere's two people dat chew wanted, tuh break up, yo' kin take two names an' yo' give 'em names of each one of dem two people an' drive 'em in de back of a chimley [fireplace] an' that will separate 'em.
(In whose chimney would you put those two names?)
Yores.
Entry 8549
A rock, not a brick, but a rock - yo' kin take a brick too, either one of 'em, so it's hard, sompin won't bust to pieces when one of 'em is throwed in de fire or in de stove, an' let it stay in dere. An' yo'll leave my house, yo' won't be there many days. Leave my house, love de town, an' yo' keep goin'. (That's all you do, just throw that rock or brick in the fire?) Just put it in de fire an' name it yo'. (Oh! Name it you.) Like your name is - name it yo' an' put it in de fire, an' let it stay in dere. An' yo'll leave an' yo' won't come back dere.
Entry 8550
Dey cannot do anything wit cher last name, but [they can with] cher fust name. [This may be my only example of this belief, but considering name rites I would say this is a legitimate belief.]
Entry 8551
Take a fish an' yo' write a person's name backwards, de two parties, if it's two, lak yore husban' is wit a woman.an' yo' cain't break 'em up, an' yo' wants 'em clean away from round yo'. Yo' don't wanta see 'em. Den yo' gits yo' a fish an' yo' dry it, but chew dries it into a perch fish. Dries hit into salt, yo' know, lak yore mack- eral - salt 'em down. Now - but chew have hit open already. Now, yo' takes dem nails backwards lak ah told yo' concerning de lemon, an' put it into dat fish an' sew dat fish up. An' carry 'im an' put 'im into runnin' watah, an' dat run de two away - dey couldn't stay dere. Dey have tuh go.
(The fish is killed before you put it into salt?)
Yes.
(How do you write those names on that?)
BACKWARDS. ALL RIGHT, MAH NAME IS VIOLA DORSEY. DORSEY VIOLA, DAT'S BACK- WARDS. Yores [if it] is Freddy Jones, [write] Jones Freddy. Dat cuts across dere.
[Freddy bisects Jones, the two names forming a cross.]
(That cuts across dere, cross the names?)
Dat's de idea, an' backwards. Cain't be straight fo' good.
Entry 8552
Take a sheet of paper, write their name - de person's name - five times [one under the other], yours five [under that, one under the other], fold it [to you] three times, an' weah it in your right shoe. Cause dat person to like yo'.
Entry 8553
[When he leave home, she writes his name about five, or even nine times is best, and she folds it towards her and wears it in her right shoe.
(What will that do?)
Well, that'll keep him home.
(Oh that keeps him home, I see, brings him back.)
Brings him back.
(I see.)
Entry 8554
Put de name on a papah, write it this way [demonstrates]. Cross it all the way up. Take that papah an' fold it to yo'. Always fold it to yo' an' that will draw 'em back.
Entry 8555
A person that yo' wanta git rid of all together, an' if he's working against chew, an' yo' kin git his name, yo' understand an' write it, jest write it jest lak yo' writin' a lettah, an' Wrop it comin' tuh yo'. That's if he's against yo' an' yo' Want him to come to yo', wrop it to yo'; an' if he's against yo' an' yo' want him tuh go from yo', wrop it from yo'. An' then if yo' kin git to his steps where dey goes in an out, an' whate'er side, yo' stick de end of that paper, yo' understand, dat yo' had his name, dat's de side he'll go. An' he'll go dere too an' he keep goin' dere, too.
Entry 8556
They write your [a man's] name up here [at the top of a piece of paper] and hers down here [at the bottom] and fold your name on top of it [fold man's name over woman'sl and wear that in your left shoe. That's in order to bring
[her] his way.
Entry 8557
Ah heard dat chew kin take a man's name, if yo' doesn't want him. Write his name down an' double it up [fold it] twice in a piece of papah, an' walk down like there some runnin' watah somewhere, yo' know, roun' in a branch. An' yo' take it an' throw it ovah yore left shoulder in this runnin' watah, an' yo' won't have no mo' trouble with this man. Whosomevah it is harmin' yo'.
(How do you fold that paper now?)
Fold it lak that and fold it lak that [demonstrates].
(Just as though you were almost folding a letter, in three parts.)
Yo' doesn't have tuh fold it no mo'.
Entry 8558
Ah heard 'em say dey write chure name down on a piece of papah an' den dey fold de fo' corners, see. Dey fold it jis' lak yo' take a piece of papah lak this [demonstrates], yo' know, yo' fold it lak this an' den turn [it] round an' yo' fold it [like this]. (You keep folding it in four corners? Folding it in half?) Yeah, lak dat. An' den jis' lak if yo' want them tuh leave. See, yo' want them tuh leave all ways round, well yo' take dat name an' fold it dat way, an' put it in a bottle an' stop it uP an' gO tO any runnin' watah OR DRAP IT IN DE LAVATORY ANYWHERE, an' dey jis git on all away. Dey jis' cain't stay there.
Entry 8559
A paper you know and cut it out, if him and her was fussin'.
(What would you cut it out of?)
Cut it out of paper, and if they know the name of the person, and if the... (Well, what else do they do now?) If they take that paper and roll it, fold it to 'em. (Fix the paper up. Then what do you do?) Write the person's name once to you, but you gotta write it three times and fold it to you.
(What do you do with it then, after you roll it to you? Then what do you do?)
You kin wear it right in your waist so they kin come to you.
(All right, now, suppose you wanted someone away, what would you do?)
Fold it from you, if you don't want to have nuthin - gettin' them away from you. If you don't want no connection with 'em, fold it from you and wear it.
(And wear it where?)
Around your waist.
(Or in the shoe?)
Yes.
(I see.)
Entry 8560
Yo' wants tuh know of any 'vantage of people don't chew? Oh, ah have experienced dis mah ownself. Ah've seen people do - dey take a piece of papah, see. Well, he'd write three names on dere an' he would take it an' fold it. Take an' fold de paper to yo'. Yes, an' if he wants to make anybody do whut he wants dem to do, yo' know - jest lak yo' wanta take 'vantage of a woman. Yo' take her note [or letter] an' write three names on dat note.
(What three names do you write on that paper?)
Three of one woman's names, jest de same woman. (In other words if her name was Helen, you would say [write] Helen, Helen, Helen.) Helen, Helen, Helen. An' yo'd write it an' yo'd fold it to yo'. An' yo' go out an' yo' take saltpeter an' yo' take bluestone, an' yo' would take it an' carry it home an' burn [it] see. Dat's to make her do whut chew want her to do. (You put saltpeter and bluestone in this piece of paper when you fold it up, or do you burn it after the paper has been folded up?) Yo' fold it up an' put it in an' burn it, see.
[Put it in and fold it up and then burn!]
(That is to make her do what you want her to do?)
Entry 8561
Git his name an' yo' write his name an' yo' fold it nine times to yo', an' put it up ovah de do' where he gotta go in an' out. Dat's good.
(What will that do?) Well, he'll stay at home.
Entry 8562
Now, jis'lak yo' goin' ast me mah name. Yo' know, ah gotta give yo' mah right name, yo' see. Well, yo' take mah name, lak ah says ah'm named Mary. Now yo' take dat name - gimne dat piece papah an' lemme show yo'.
[I PASS MY NUMBERS BOOK TO INFORMANT, WHO BEGINS TO DEMONSTRATE.]
(Cut it square?)
Yes. Look, see heah. Yo' write Mary right 'cross heah, see. (Diagonally across that square [oblong] piece of paper [in my Numbers Book]. Then you fold it in a triangle. Then you fold it in a triangle again.) Yo' see dat. Yo' know whut them ten-cent snuffboxes is. Well, yo' don' want a little nickel box, yo' wants a ten-cents box, an' yo' have me. NOW, YO' woRKIN FO'ME, DON'T CHEW SEE. WELL, YO' HAVE ME TUH BRING YO' DAT OLE SNUFFBOX, YO' SEE. Bog, yo' take this name an' put it in that snuffbox, see. Aftah yo' put this name in the snuffbox, yo' says three words, Father, Son an' Holy Ghost. See! Den yo put it in de box, put it in dat snuffbox, see. An' when yo' put it in that snuff- box - now, yo' know whut white lodestone is, don't yo'? Sprinkle on it. [During the Great Depression these little boxes, frequently used as snuff- boxes, could be bought in the Five and Ten Cent Store.]
(Sprinkle some of that white lodestone on it?)
Yeah, yeah, sprinkle it on there and shet [shut] it up an' yo' give it to me yo' see. Shet de box. YO' GIVE IT TO ME, yo' see, 'CUZ AH'M DE ONE GIVIN' YO TUH DO DE WORK, don't chew see? An' yo' carry it on to de rivah or where it's a runnin' stream. AH GOTTA CARRY IT MAHSELF, See, 'CUZ YO' DOIN' DE WORK FO' ME.
(You are my client?)
[OR SHOULD I HAVE SAID PATIENT?]
Yeah. Throw it in an' go on back home. An' in five or six or seven, eight, days, dey'll [I'll] go.
(Drive them away. You will come to me and say, "I want to drive Mary away?")
Dat's right. (And I would do this, and you would throw that into running water. Any special way?) Yeah, now listen. When yo' throw it in, see, jis' lak ah'd walk to de rivah, ah jis' throw it in an' come on back home.
(That sends Mary away?)
She gotta go.
Entry 8563
Dey take yore [bare] footprint, ketch de track wheresomevah yo' make it, an' picks it up an' puts it in a can or bottle, eithah one, an' writes your name down in it an' put it in a bottle, an' throw it anywhere where dey got runnin' watah. (How do you write the name?) Yo' write de name - lak whatsomevah yore name is, well yo' write yore fami- ly name first an' yo' write chure given name last. See, suppose tuh write chure family name first an' den write chure given name last. Yo' write it down nine times, wit a indelible pencil. An' yo' cross it. Every time yo' write it an' yo' put dat dust an' yo' cross it, an' den yo' put it in a bottle, or in a can, sompin dat chew kin seal up. An' yo' throws it splash into dat runnin' watah.
(Either foot track, it doesn't make any difference?)
Either foot track, jes' so long as dey git de track wheresomevah yo' put chure print, shoes or barefooted, eithah one.
Entry 8564
Git de dirt from a person foot track an' yo' could put some steel dust with, an' hair from undah yore arms, an' yo' could bury it, an' yo' could keep a person down lak that. Either yo' could make 'em travel. Yo' could take a person's foot tracks an' yo' could take de steel dust, hair from undah yore arms an' dirt from undah yore fingernails. An' yo' take dis ole [anything you measure with] yo' know de length that yo' measure. Measure it [foot track] crossway an' straight up an' down, too. An' yo' could write de name [on a piece of paper or article used for measuring] an' bury it an' yo' keep 'em down. An' yo' could take a piece of their sock with that, yo' understan'.
Entry 8565
They say you go to the forks of the road an' care [carry] yore name down to the forks of the road, and plant [bury] it. You [they] do that to run you crazy.
Entry 8566
That's where you're [they're] supposed to bury your name out there at the forks of the road. Well, you [they] write your name down nine times and put it in a can and bury it there, walk away and leave it. Well, that's [to] make you drift.
Entry 8567
If you want to conquer someone, go to the forks of a road before sunrise, call his name, say what you Want done, wishing.
Entry 8568
Go back to de fo'k of de road an' yo' kin take a nail, two nails an' cross dose nails, an' bury 'em right at de fo'k of de road. An' de person who wanta harm - an' dat will harm de person.
(Do you put anything with those nails or what?)
Jes' go dere an' put dose two nails cross In de Name of de Fathah an' de Son an' de Holy Ghost. An' de person whut chew wanta run away, well yo' could say dat [say or call victim's name]. An' dat'll carry dem. Jes' cross dem nails out dere.
(You mention the person's name, you say?)
Yes sir, name de person name, In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost.
(That will drive them away.) [Florence, S. Car. (1308), 2212:4.]
Entry 8569
Ah had a woman yo' see an' ah loved 'er an' she quit me an' she went off. An' a fellah [doctor] tole me dat if ah wanted tuh git 'er back yo' know, tuh go tuh de fo'k of de road at twelve a'clock at night an' look in de same direction she went, or which fo'k [I thought] she was, yo' know. An' call her three times in de fo'k of dat road at twelve a'clock at night an'.she would come back. Ah've heard dat much about de fo'k of de road.
(Did you do that?)
Yes sir, ah tried it an' she come back all right. Ah don't know whuthah dat dud [done] it or not.
Entry 8570
[Forked stick, the letter "Y" with a long stem or handle, does not appear often in general folklore collected in The United States. Here is one example and several more will be found scattered through the text of Hoodoo. For the forked stick, the Greek tau cross or the Hebrew tav or taw (= sign or cross), see my introductory coiment to the 'MARCUS BROWN' interview, p.1290. Here again we have in fork of the road and forked stick two "Y"s, or the cross doubled, or what I call the double-cross in Hoodoo:] At de forks of the road...if they after hurtin' you, they go to the forks of the road and they get 'em a forked stick, you see. And just whoever wants you to go, will hang your name in that forked stick. See. Get aholt of a piece of your underwear and put it in there in that forked stick, and have your name in there, and burn it, and you going that way.
(Where do you burn it?)
Burn it with fire.
(Well, where - where?)
At de forks of de road.
(I see.)
Entry 8571
Fur ninstance [for an instance] yo' kin take an' yo' kin write a pusson name frontwards an' den yo' kin write it backwards. An' den yo' could take some salt an' put in dat an' yo' could keep dat pusson down by putting it under yo' feet. (What do you mean under your feet?) Well, yo' see, jes' like my name David. Yo' write David Chislow, den yo' write backwards Chislow David. [This is the normal writing backwards and not preceding margin title BACK- WARDS.] See what yo' mean. Then yo' take some salt an' yo' put in dat, a little piece of cloth, an' yo'll fix dem. Make a little flat piece of cloth an' lay it right in yo' shoe, an' then yo' put on your shoe, an' yo' put your foot right on that an' keep me right down.
Entry 8572
Well, if it's so that yo' kin rightly do so, 'tween 'leven-thirty an' twelve a'clock at night, if it ain't no mo' den he...git dere names on a little piece of papah, git chure Luger. (Get their names on this piece of paper, the people you want to make move out of that house?) Yessuh, an' shoot ovah dat house. Don' shoot at de house, jes' shoot ovah de house at sundown. Dey'll leave dere. Dey gotta go. [The word Luger, a German revolver, shows this rite does not concern a name being shot from a gun, but a name held on a stick in front of a Luger pointed over the house. A blank shell is surely used. A similar rite, a simulated shooting, will also be found elsewhere in Hoodoo.]
Entry 8573
If yo' wants them to come there, sign their name on plain paper. Then they'll put this gunpowder in there and light and burn it. That brings 'em back. And repeat de Lord's prayer 9 mornings.
(Do you burn that just for one morning or for nine mornings?)
Naw, yuh burn it fer just one time but juh have to say de prayers for nine mornings.
Entry 8574
Well, yo' jes' take dat stuff out of a gunshell. Take dat stuff out of de gunshell to put a person - a person yo' don' like - put a person name in dere. Yo' stuff it back in dere an' go somewhere an' yo' shoot dat stuff. An' dey tell me, yo' gotta shoot in de dir- ection dis person live at, an' dey say dat will drive him away from home. Dat will run a man too.
Entry 8575
Ah heard that you could put sugar on the stove nine mawnin's an' after nine mawnin's, yo' write his name on a piece of paper an' stick it in de keyhole.
(In the keyhole?)
Yes, an' call 'im.
(Well, what do you do with this sugar on the stove?)
Burn dat nine mawnin's, dat's all.
(Just one of his shoes?)
No, sugar, SUGAR. (Oh, sugar. You burn sugar for nine mornings. And after that you write this name on this paper and put it in the keyhole.) Jes' write his name over it an' fold it to yo', an' hang it right over de key- hole. [Don't tell me the man is coming back through the keyhole! His spirit rather. The keyhole is the entrance for witches.]
(And you call his name?)
An' yo' call 'is name.
(Just once?)
Just as many times as yo' wanta.
(And he will come back.)
Yeah.
Entry 8576
Take yo' a thread string an' put chew nine knots in it an', as ah would say, use a cat an' a dog, an' yo' git some hair from de back of dere neck, an' jes' make a bundle of it, yo' know, altogether an' put chew nine knots in de thread an' bury it right in dat do' there. An' yo'll nevah come inside chere. Yo'll always pass by, yo' wouldn't nevah have no visitors to stop heah.
(That's to keep somebody from coming in or to make them leave the house?)
Dat's if yo' heah, yo'll leave heah an' yo' won't nevah come back heah; or if: it's anybody yo' don't want tuh come in heah, yo' do dat an' dey won't come in heah. But yo' should have dey name, de person name in that. (Now you tie the nine knots in the thread after you have wrapped it in this bundle?) [That was not a sensible thing to say, even though informant's words about the knots are ambigious.] Yeah, yo' tie nine knots in de thread an' put it in de bundle wit de hair of de dog an' de cat.
Entry 8577
Yo' could take a silk stockin' dat anybody's used an' had dey sweat on it, an' go tuh de fo'k of de road at twelve a'clock at night an' bury it. Yo'll take a brand-new pocket han'ke'ch'ef, any kin' dat a person is got dat sweat on, an' yo' kin put dere name down wit it an' tie it up nine times, an' bury it right at de fo'k of dat road at de hours of twelve a'clock at night. (What will that do?) Whut dat do? Well, dat's if yo' wants tuh do a person harm. Yo': see, dat's whut dere sweat take, any- thing dat have been used. But chew kin git de new pocket han'ke'ch'ef, an' dey don' have tuh use it, an' git dere name an' yo' kin do 'em harm.
(You tie that handkerchief nine times.)
Yo' tie it nine times lak dis. Say fo' instance if dis is de han'ke'ch'ef. Well, if yo' wanta do anythin' an' yo' wanta do anybody harm, yo' don' bring it to yo', yo' bring it from yo'. See, an' evah time yo' tie it, lak yo' take de end of de pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' yo' tie it once. Yo' have dat one piece of papah dere wit de names on dere. Yo' take an' put anothah piece 'cross dat an yo' tie it ag'in, until yo' make dem nine. Git de han'ke'ch'ef big enough dat chew kin make dem nine knots. An' yo' buries hit. Nine pieces of papah wit de name on it.
(The name of the person on each piece of paper written once.)
See, until yo' put nine pieces of papah, an' each piece of papah wit de knot. An' yo' bury it.
Entry 8578
[The lamp rites of this margin title once belonged to the New Orleans area of influence; itself and across the Mississippi River in Algiers, Mobile, Vicksburg, and Memphis. Whether these beliefs collected more than a generation ago are still popular, I do not know at the moment - June 12, 1974. Fashions in magic and witchcraft are constant- ly changing.] (What about that?) Well, that's like - the same as that is, but yo' is separated because yo' got another wife and she [the first wife or woman] loves yo' an' she wants yo' back. An' she write your name [nine times] - her name nine times backwards, an' yours nine times forwards on top of yours [see later expla- nation]. Well, yo' see, then she takes that and she folds it to her an' puts it in a lamp an' burns it. That cause zhoo to come back.
(What will she write first nine times, her name or his name?)
She writes your name first.
(The man's name first?)
First.
(Then - the woman writes her name then?)
On top of yours.
(Which one does she write forwards and backwards?)
WRITE BOTH OF 'EM BACKWARDS.
(Both of them backwards.)
Entry 8579
I don't know about de candles, but ah do know of people burning lamps. Say, now, that chure in New York, I want you to come back. I get me a piece of dis paper that yo' make lamp shades with. (Parchment, sort of?) Ah get a piece of parch- ment paper and cut it, cut a strip about an inch and a half. And I hold mah finger right tight like that and puncture it, so a drop of blood will come out. An' I take my ink- pen and I write chure name. Either at six a'clock in de mawnin' or six 'clock at night, I write chure name on dere. An' [I] says, "I want chew to return as soon as possible, " an' I roll that up an' I stick it down in de lamp, an' I set dat lamp.
(Right inside of the lamp?)
[Paper with name is in the lamp bowl with the coal oil.]
An' I set that lamp behind de bed, or any place in a secret closet and I burn dat lamp. An' before de oil is burnt out of that lamp, that person returns or yo' will get some very good message from them.
(Do you burn that lamp at any particular time or anything of that sort?)
Well, yo' set it either at six or twelve, an' yo' let it continually buro until that oil is all gone.
(It keeps burning all night long?)
All night an' all day, continually to burn, but yo' keep it in a secret place yo' understand, because naturally people wanta know what yo' are doing. An' that's always generally kept a secret.
Entry 8580
They tell me to take a piece of brown stuff - yo' see these brown paper bags - just likes yo' want somebody to come back to yo'. Take an' write yore name coming to you like this nine times. (Coming to you like this. How do you mean, coming to you? You mean, writing toward me?) Uh huh. (Do you write it toward you that way?) Uh huh. Yes. Instead of writing from you [demonstrates] like that, write to you like this.
(I see, sort of writing backwards.)
Uh huh.
(You write it nine times?)
Uh huh.
(What'll that do?)
You take and fold that to you, you don't fold it from you, and you put that in a lamp. And you keep that lamp burning with that in it until he come back, or she. And then you take and do the same thing with a bottle with gin in it. You put that gin in a corner and you puts some nutmeg in it and you say, when- ever you think about the party, you say, "Let" - call the name and say, "Please come back to me." Well, I have never tried that.
(You put this gin - in the gin bottle with some gin in it?)
And in the lamp too.
(You put gin in the lamp?)
No! No!
(Just the name in the lamp?)
Uh huh.
(But if you want to, all you need to do is put it in the gin bottle?)
YO' HAVE TO PUT IT IN THE GIN BOTTLE AN' IN DE LAMP TOO.
(Oh, both those?)
Yes, sir. An' yo' have to keep that lamp where people can't get because they'll be suspicious.
(Do you put any gin in the bottle?)
Yes, sir. Gin and that piece of paper with de name on it, just like in de lamp.
(Let it soak in the gin?)
Just let it stay in there. An' every time yo' think about those parties, yo' look at it an' say, "Ah, " just like if yo' are near them, say, "Please come back to me."
(You use both the lamp and the bottle together.)
Yeah.
folding inscribed paper toward oneself, explicitly not away. They tell me and I have never tried that limit source authority; no firsthand use or efficacy. desired single he-or-she return in a reported untried method. Preserve They tell me and the explicit statement that the informant has never tried the method. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3525) · Read full source (printed page 3526)
Entry 8581
(How do you do that?)
Well, yo' write that down nine times on a piece of brown paper an' yo' fold it. Always fold it to yo'. Bring it to yo'. Make a wish every time yo' fold it. Wish that. An' put that in a lamp an' burn it. (Just burn the light in there?) Burn it, a low light all day. Never let it go out. And if yo' see it ain't workin' quick enough, then yo' take an' get yo' a candle. An' get yo' a pink candle an' bite de [bottom] end off it an' light it. An' put that - lay that [paper with names] down under it an' set that [candle] right on top like that.
(What do you mean bite the end off it?)
Just take it in your teeth and bite the [bottom] end off, that end what lights. Light it from de other end. Then take a knife an' cut down - make it, light it from de bottom.
(I see, turn the candle upside down.)
Entry 8582
Sho', ah kin show yo' somepin dat make 'em come back. Yo' take nuthin but a brown papah an' write her name nine times. Wrap it up wit brown sugah, not dis regular sugah we git. Yo' git de brown undryed [old- fashioned crude] sugah an' yo' wrap it up in dat name, aftah yo' write it nine times an' den cross it once. Dat'll make ten. If yo' got 'lectric [lamp] yo'll have tuh git a [coal oil] lamp an put dat name down in dat coal oil. Put it down in dere an' let de lamp burn. Let it burn fo' 24 hours an' in 48 hours she'll be back or tryin' tuh git in tech wit chew. If she don' be back, she'll try tuh git in tech wit chew. Yo jes' take her name on dat brown sugah, bag papah, not no papah yo' buy: Jes' lak yo' got sompin wit brown papah. Write her name on it nine time an' den write yores once 'cross dere. Fold it up an' put it down in de lamp, an' let dat lamp burn 24 hours; an' if she don't be back in de 24 hours, she'll be tryin' tuh git in tech wit chew.
Entry 8583
[Before turning on my recording machine I had evidently asked how a murderer could be brought back to the scent of the crime. Informant, unable to answer my question di- rectly, gave me a new version of the lamp rite, which must have started: There are ways to bring a man back:] but de law don't prefer that kind of way of getting a man. They put out a man-hunt at him. But like if his wife want him back, well all she would have to do is write his name on a black piece of paper, and put it under her lamp and burn that lamp for nine days. And each day that lamp is burning, if she burns that lamp twenty-four hours, when the oil goes out in that lamp, she puts more in it. And inside of nine days time he is going to come creeping around that house where she is, because that lamp and that nine Writings on that paper, that brings him back to her. And then the law gets him, if he has killed somebody. Write his name nine times on a black piece of paper, like yo' take some of those form sheets of paper, yo' know, like de indelican Part of it [carbon paper].
Entry 8584
They get yore handwritin' wit yore proper name signed to it. They vill reverse it, see. They will take dat name what yo' signed to dat an' they will put it on de bottom of a wick in a lamp wit different colors. They won't take a plain lamp cause de party may visit they house an' they will see dat in there an' wants to know what for. Get a lamp wit a blue bottom, or yellow, or different colors, so it can't be seen through it - it won't be transparent no way yo' kin see it, see. An' they'll pin dat [hand- oriting] at de bottom of de wick, an' they'll burn it slow, slow, slow - con- tinually. Dat's if yo' away from home. Dat will draw yo' back. Ah have saw it plenty of time, fellows dat's been off dataway an' had position, not no job, an' they would just give up at once an' go on back home - not doing a thing. Burn continually and slowly. An' as it burn, yo' understan', yore mind will refer back home an' finally yo' jest get on back home.
Entry 8585
Get her a - get his name, just like ah tole yo'. Write it nine times, orite hern across it. Take her - an' then take it - she can put it into 'er lamp, if she can get her some lump sugar. An' she can take her nine lumps of dis lump sugah, an' get her a piece of lodestone, con- quering root [John de Conkah], conquering root powder, cinnamon. Mix ali dat togethah an' his name, an' put it down into 'er lamp, an' put de necked [naked = real] coal oil on it an' set it to burnin'. An' he will come back.
Entry 8586
Yo' kin write a person's name on a piece of papah, jes' write it this oay [one way] an' that way [the other way]. Cross it all up an' fold it to yo an' put it down in de lamp. An' dey say it will draw 'im back to yo'. It will draw 'im. [The name is written 9 times, each name crossing the other making one "x" or form of a cross. This Is another of the frequent double-crossing rites in hoodoo.]
Entry 8587
Uncork [untwist or unscrew] de light [wick holder of lamp] an' put chure name in it [the oil] an' call de evil spirit; lak if yo' know somebody who died, who lived an' died bad. Yo' call 'em an' dey come to yo'. An' yo' bury dat box [snuffbox] right where dey [evil spirit] barled. An' in a length of time, who yo' put dere name in it, dey goin' down. [Very small snuffbox was used in those days - see many places in Hoodoo.]
Entry 8588
Then if ah want this woman an' ah can't get to her, ah kin take mah e 'er name first at de top, my name second at de bottom, her name third an' my name fourth. See, ah ain't got to write it but four times. An' ah fold dat papah. Every time ah fold dat papah, ah fold it to me, an' ah leave it wit three corners, an' have all three of those corners turned to me. An' ah put dat in de lamp, an' ah lights dat lamp, an' ah'll burn dat lamp slowly. Ah turn dat lamp on at seven o'clock. (Seven o'clock in the morning or the evening?) Seven o'clock in de mawn- in'. Ah burn dat lamp slowly till six in de evening. Den ah turn dat lamp down low. See, ah won't blow dis lamp out. Instead of me blowing de lamp out, ah ketch it an' pinch de wick of it. An' see every time ah pinch de wick of it, dat makes it burn on your mind. Dat burn yore name into mine an' my name into yours. Well, dat draws de mind of yo' to me, see. Dat drawin' yore mind.
(You pinch the wick out?)
Ah pinch de wick out.
(Out of where?)
Pinch it plumb out, pinch it till it goes out. See.
(I see.)
As long as it burn - pinching on dat wick [demonstrates] ah'll pinch dat lamp, pinch dat wick plumb out.
(You pinch it with both hands?)
Yassuh, wit both hands till ah pinch it out.
Entry 8589
Yo' can draw a man to yo'. Like a woman an' her husban' is broke up, an' another woman done cause 'em to break up, see. Well, jest like yo' take an' bury his sock, well yo' take an' write his name nine times an' put dat cinnamon, sugar an' steel dust, an' dat white rum, an' put it into a lamp. An' put dat lamp in de corner of her house. An she knock fo' three times, every day see, fo' nine days, because he return dat ninth day. Dat sock belong wit it. Yo' know, yo' do dat wit it. Dat goes along wit dat.
Entry 8590
If a man leaves home, leaves his wife and he wants - she wants him back. Well, she will take his name an' she will write it nine times backwards. See, she take his last name and bring that first. And de woman dat he is goin' wit, well, she'll write her name on top of his name, an' she'll get her some he lodestone. (He lodestone?) He lodestone. See, they got two kinds. They got the she an' they got de he. Get de he lodestone an' yo' put it in a coal-oil lamp. An' yo' take an' attach it into dat wick. An' yo' keep dat lamp burnin' all day, but yo' turn dat lamp down low. An' yo' see yo' got his name burning in dat he lodestone, an' dat draws him right back tuh yo'. (And whose name - did you write that woman's name he is running around with, or the wife's name?) No, yo' write de woman's name when he is runnin' wit an' his name.
(I see, that'll bring him back. Bring him back.)
Entry 8591
~ Den if he's in Chicago, Detroit, or any place, sits down an' gits chew a clean sheet of papah, an' write his name nine times on dat piece of papah. An' aftah writin' it nine times, yo' walks tuh de do' an' yo' says de Lord's Prayer nine times. Takes an' lights yore lamp an' put it in dat lamp, an' 'bout one grain of sugah in dere. Yo' know whut ah mean, not a grain but nearly 'bout a half a teaspoonful, into dat lamp wit dat coal oil in it. Light dat lamp an' turn it down real low, an' burn dat fo' nine days, nine days an' nights, an' wherevah he may be, he come dere. He cain't stay away.
Entry 8592
A light, a light - she take this lamp an' she write your [a man's] name nine times, an' she take: de steel dust, dat's to draw; lodestone, dat draws; put it in dis lamp. She takes his name an' she pins it on de wick.
(On the wick of the lamp?)
Yes. After she write his name nine times, she write hers on top of his name. Always she'd be on de top (I see.) Pin that on the wick an' set this light. When she decided to set this light.... [I interrupt.] (She lights the light?) [I want to know, does set mean light the lamp.] She puts that name on there and she puts lodestone and steel dust over it right in the bottom of this light, some sugar. [To set this light means to prepare the lamp.] And she lights this light and whilst lighting it she - she light it and make the Lord's Prayer. An' say, "In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, I want this man back to me, '' an' light it an' leave it light- ed. Don't let it go out an' he'll come back.
Entry 8593
Git nine matches an' yo' put 'em in a lamp wit coal oil an' yo' write de name of de person yo' workin' 'em on nine times, an' yo' burn dat. Dat's fo' peace. (You put these matches right in the oil?) In de oil, an' yo' write de name nine times on a piece of new tablet dat nevah been used, an' yo' fold it to yo' nine times an' yo' drop it down in dere, an' yo' fill dat lamp fulla oil, fresh oil. An' yo' burn it nine times. Jes' let it burn low. Yo' blow it out an' light it. Let it burn three hours at de time each day. Light it at nine a'clock an' let it burn three hours, at nine a'clock in de mawnin', an' burn it three hours. Den yo' put it out. Den yo' burn it ag'in de next mawnin' fo' [from] nine. Well, dat's peace. In nine days peace is in yore home.
(How long did you say you burn that?)
Fo' nine days.
Entry 8594
Yo' take a brand-neW lamp - EVERYBODY DON'T SAY DE SAME THING. Every- body don't take no lamp; dey burn de candles, yo' see. Get a brand-new lamp. Yo' take a piece of white paper whut ain't go no lines on it, pure white paper without any lines. Yo' writes it with ink. Yo' write de persons name - initials - what yo' wanta come back to yo' nine times. See, yo' cross it though. Write yore name three times, see. (Do you cross that?) Yo' cross on dere name. Don't write yore name but three time, but write dere name nine. Clean dat lamp of de oil yo' know. Be sure yo' never burned any of dat kerosene - get it, yo' know, for whatevah amount yo' wanta burn. An' yo' put dat in dere. Before yo' put de oil in dere, take de papah an' roll it tuh yo' - see.
(You roll this paper to you.)
Yes, an' den make a wish dat in so many days yo' want 'im to show up, in nine days. De tenth day he ain't comin'. He come on dat ninth day. Well, yo' kin put in dere, a woman's name, depending on de way yo' want dem to come. Yo' put dat down in dere an' turn yore bottom upwards - turn de name down bottoms.
(Turn the names down inside of this lamp.)
All right, den yo' fill it up, but don't let it get without oil in nine days.
(You must burn it right along for nine straight days.)
When he come on dat ninth day, yo' go in dere - don't blow yore lamp out, yo' pinch it out, when he done come.
(You pinch it out with saliva.)
An' dat de way yo' kin get 'im back an' say: In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost. Dem person ain't going to stay from yo' to save dere life. Don't care who dey are.
(Are you Roman Catholic?)
Ah's Roman Catholic an' ah believe it an' ah work by faith. Mobile, Ala.,
(651) 849:1.]
Entry 8595
(Could you tell what to do if a man left home? What a woman could do to bring him back?) Take a piece of papah an' write 'is name on it nine times. Yo' write it dis way [demonstrates] comin' back to yo'. (Sort of make it in a circle. Write it towards her?) [These names are written like the leaves of a fan, semicircular on the outside, all pointing to her.] Yes, sir. An' then yo' take an' git chew a lamp. Have to buy a brand-new lamp an' fill it up with kerosene an' put this down in de glass [bowl of lamp] an' put de lamp in a close dark corner, an' turn it very, very low an' call 'im. Yo' light it dis mornin' an' burn it. Call 'im dis mornin', light it at six 'clock an' call 'im an' let it burn till twelve. Yo' go an' make yore wish an' call 'im again at twelve. An' at night chew call 'im. He'll be dere before de next day.
(What time at night would you call him?)
Call 'im at twelve 'clock at night. He be dere before day.
Entry 8596
If a man leaves home an' yo' want him to come back, yo' buy yo' a brand-new lamp, a wick an' a burner. An' yo' write dat man's name down dere nine times an' yo' sign de name of a very dear person to him, even though they're dead, his mother or father, de person yo' know he's more attached to than anybody else in de world. An' yo' put de name of dat person at de bottom, an' yo' put dat lamp in a place where nobody will see it. Of course yo' put this paper in de bottom of de lamp an' yo' fill it wit coal oil. Yo' buy a brand-new box of matches an' light dat lamp, an' sit in a place an' let dat lamp burn. Jis' turn it down low so it can burn very slowly, consume de oil slowly, an' when dat lamp is completely dry dat person should be walking in de door. Makes no difference where he's gone. If he's too far to come to yo' at dat time, yo'll receive a message dat he is comin'. [In- formant probably forgot to add that new oil should be used.]
Entry 8597
(That is the first way. Now what is the second way?)
Well, de second way is, ah put his name, write his name nine times in a lamp, an' burn de lamp from nine tuh twenty-one days; an': if he in town he'll come in three, an' if he outa town he bound tuh come in twenty-one. See, yo' write his name nine times. Put his name in a lettah or piece of papah. Put it in de lamp an' turn de lamp down an' fill it up fulla coal oil. Turn it down low an' set it some place an' burn it fo' nine tuh twenty-one days. An' if he mad wit me, when he git dere, tuh make him pleased, ah put sugah in dere an' fold de papah tuh me.
Entry 8598
Ah heard dat dey kin take yore name an' put it in a lamp an' burn it fo' a length of time, fo' about nine days or nine weeks, an' keep yo' home or either run yo' away.
(It all depends upon what you wish?)
Yes. Dey put it in some honey an' put it down in de lamp an' set [light] de lamp on it an' he'll stay home.
(That is to make him stay home?)
It draw his 'tenshun home an' he stay home, an' sweeten his mind. [New Orleans, La., (1558).2835:4.]
Entry 8599
An' then lak yo' wanta make a man come back home, lak he's gone an' yo' wanta make him come back home, yo' write his name nine times on a piece of writin' papah, tablet papah with lines on it, an' write chure name ovah it nine times. Fold it up a little an' put it in a lamp with oil in it an' burn it all de time. That'll make him come back home. (You mean, you. write this name nine times like that and you write yours right on top of it.) Right ovah it nine times. That'll make him come back home.
Entry 8600
Dat supposed tuh be jis' as fur as he kin go. She supposed to be draw- ing back tuh him by - remembah how ah tole yo' tuh write those names: Write thosé name, 18 names. (Nine one way and nine the other.) Den yo' take this papah that chew write 'em on in this case an' fold the papah to yo', fold it very small. Yo' take jis' a ordi- nary lamp dat burns kerosene an' yo' wrap this papah around de wick. An' yo' pin de papah to de wick an' yo' put it back down in a full lamp. An' yo' set it in a da'k corner an' burn it, jis' constantly burn it. When it - don't even let it go out fo' tuh [put] mo' kerosene in there - fo' nine days. Then dat draws a person back.
Entry 8601
Well, mah experience. A stepdaughter of mah husband's, her an' her husband had got on a fuss an' he was workin' on de river-front. She used tuh often come to mah house for me to go off down there to look for him. He wouldn't come with- out her. So we goes over on Menassas Street by one of de river-front foremans an' we ast 'im where - a river-front fore- men, dat one of de men was overseeing of de work. So we goes by one of the foreman's house an' we ast 'im where was Billikin - dey called him fo' a nick- name. So he tole us where he was. He ast us, says, "Whut's de mattah wit chew an' him now?" She said, "He jest walked off an' he left me." He says, "Now ah wanta tell yo' what ah want chew to do." He suggested a plan to her. "Yo' go back an' git chew a writin' tablet an' yo' write his name nine times."
(Was this a colored foreman?)
Dis was de colored foreman. He says, "Now if yo' wanta bring 'im back, " he say, "yo' take an' write his name nine times on a piece of papah." He says, "Tear it [the ruled sheet] with nine lines." Say, "Yo' write his name nine times on that paper. Then yo' turn de papah an' write chure name nine times across his." Says, "Yo' take dat papah an' fold it nine times 'wards yo'. Yo' take yore pin an' pin this note dat chew have wrote onto de end of a lampwick, de lamp dat chew burn in yore room." An' says, "Number', says, "if yo' want 'im to come back in three days." four days." Says, "Yo' put dat number on de outside of dat papah, after it's been refolded an' pinned to de lamp. Den yo' put dat wick back in de lamp an' fill it wit kerosene oil, an' light it an' set it on yore dresser." He say, "he'll come back home." So we tried it an' he did an' he's back there yet an' hasn't gone back.
Entry 8602
Ah tole yo' yo' could wirte de person's name or yo' could eithah use a picture of this person, and you plaster this on this parchment paper. You write de name down under that. (You write the name on the parchment paper and then you put the picture down on top of that?) Dat's right, yo' can sew it down or plaster it down so it will be combined together. (Face down or up.) Face it inside next to de lamp, yo' see. Don't have it outside. Then yo' light that lamp if this person is away an' YO' SET THAT IN THE CLOSET SOME PLACE AN' SET IT BURNING. See, where nO one will suspicion. An' they will continue to be worried, their mind will be towards yo'. Well, they will eventually come. They are supposed tuh come in de course of nine days.
Entry 8603
Putting their name on that parchment paper, putting it down in the bottom of the lamp, burning the lamp slowly, and I'll guarantee yo' in de future he'll come back.
Entry 8604
If yore man is gone away from yo' an' if he don't come back fast enough, jis' write his name 9 times an' yore [9 times] on top, an' keep dat lamp burnin' low, [name] in oil. Put a piece of red flannin [flannel] on top of it, yo' know, tuh keep anybody from seeing de papah, an' burn it continue an' he'll come back in nine days.
Entry 8605
Now wit chure hair, lak if yo' an' yore ole man's tuhgethah an' if some woman is tryin' tuh bust yo' up from 'im, yo' kin take some of his hair an' put it in a lamp. An' yo' kin write this woman's name an' his name on a piece of papah an' fold it tuh yo', an' put it in dat lamp an' burn it fo' nine mawnin's. An' aftah de ninth mawnin', yo know, put de lamp out. An' den yo' 'noint chure room wit oil of [verbena probably]. Hearts Co- logne, an' scrub roun' yore flo' wit some urinate, sugah an' a li'le cinnamon. An' dat breaks dat [affair] up.
(You put his hair in this lamp?)
Yo' put his hair in de lamp an' yo' write dis woman's name who he's goin' with. Write her name crossways [this is crossing them up] an' bring his'n - yo' know write hers down first an' den bring his'n cross. An' yo' put it in a lamp an' burn off it fo' nine mawnin's. [A great many scrubbing rites are scattered through Hoodoo. That oil, instead of verbena, could be a word I eventually dis- covered was oil of Bergamot, this last word appearing in a variety of forms: bergamine, Essense instead of oil might have helped the decipherment.]
Entry 8606
If yo' wants a job - an' yo' wants a job an' yo' make de boss give yo' a job. Well, yo' get his name, see, an' yo' write his name seven times. An' yo' put his name in de lamp, right on [or in?] the lamp an' yo' burn his name. An' yo' visit his job after that. Yo' can be stand- ing up there, he going to call yo'. An' he going to hire yo'. Take'a papah an' write his name seven times, yo' see, an' put it in de lamp and let it burn. [Burning on lamp would mean holding the slip of paper over top of lamp chimney until it ignited, then letting it burn out in a pan or shovel.]
Entry 8607
Well, she'd take an' write his name down in nine times an' write hüz [hers] down nine. Well, then she take an' put dat in a little bottle of sweeten [sweetened] water, sugar. She'll sweeten de watah an' then let it set fer nine days. Then, if he [is] not back in nine days, well she could take that same paper out of dere [the bottle] and put it in de lamp, an' let de wēk [wick] - set it right over de wek [but in the coal oil]. Let de wek burn fer nine days over it [the paper with names is under the wick]. He's bound to come back, cuz after it happens more than once that ah know of.
Entry 8608
Well, yo' could take a person an' jis' put sugah, cinnamon an' steel dust, an' yo' put it in de lamp. An' write dere names fo' so many days, nine days or.three days or anything, an' put some oil of cinnamon or oil of rose. They have those kinda oils. Den yo' put it in dere. Well, that's fo tuh draw these people back to yo' ag'in. See, dey have tuh come back.
Entry 8609
If a man got a wife an' she's away from him an' he wants tuh bring her to him, he gits cinnamon an' he gits sugah an' he git honey an' he puts it in dat lamp an' he'll write his indivi- dual name down nine times on a piece of papah straight one aftah de othah... [demonstrates]. (The first name first and the last name last.) Yassuh. An' then he'll write his name down across that with a indelible pencil, an' he takes dat papah...
[I interrupt.]
(How many times does he write his own name?)
His name nine times right cross hers. Den he takes dat papah an' he folds it three times towards him. An' he'll git him some No.8 black thread an' he wraps it roun' dat papah an' ties it up, an' put it in dat rag an' burn it [in the lamp]. An' that'll draw de individual to him.
Entry 8610
If a person is 'cross de watah an' yo' want 'em an' if yo' got their picture, yo' take dat picture an' lay it on its face in yore bed undah yore sheets an' yo' sleep on dat. An' yo': take a piece of tablet papah an' write his name on it one time an' write chure'n on it twice. Fold it to yo'. An' then take it aftah yo' write dat name on it, den yo' take it an' put it in a lamp. An' put some oil in it enough tuh kiver it. An' burn it nine mawnin's, make yore wishes nine mawnin's, an' sleep on dat picture [9 nights]. If he's cross de watah, he's comin'. If he ain't sick or if he got money he goin' write chew. Yo' goin' heah from 'em some way or 'nothah. Yo' goin' heah, if he don't come. (Now you write his name down on this piece of paper. Then where do you write your name?) On top of his, twice. Write it on top twice. De same thing, if he runnin' out an' yo' want him tuh stay at home. Yo' write his name on a piece of papah an' fold it to yo' this way [demon- strates] an' then back that Way, an' put it up ovah de do' up ovah yore do'. An' he ain't goin' - yo' cain't git him outa dat [house]. He's there. [I finally have a chance to describe her demonstration.] (You fold it toward you and then you double it?) Dat's right, double it.
Entry 8611
I wouldn't have to come back over this at all would I? Yo' know, there wouldn't be no hereafter [bad consequences for me] about it would there? (Oh! No! No! You just simply tell me as if you were talk- ing to anybody on the street or to any of your friends.) [This is the latter part of the preliminary. conversation I had with all informants as soon as they entered the interviewing room. These becoming-acquainted conversa- tions Varied in length and substance. UNFORTUNATELY IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME YEARS AGO THAT ANYONE, EVEN MYSELF YEARS LATER, WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THESE PREPARATORY DETAILS. FORTUNATELY, HOWEVER A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MY CONVER- SATIONAL METHODS HAVE BEEN PRESERVED IN THE INTERVIEWS THEMSELVES. Well, ah tell yuh, ah have heard 'em say that they could write his name nine times, de husband's name. De wife could do dis. She could write his name nine times an' then she would write her name nine times across his, so that his name Would be first and be lookin' up towards her. An' put it in de bottom of a lamp, oil-boinin' lamp, an' let this boin an' refill de lamp. Jes' put it in de bottom of a lamp under de wick an' as dat boin - let this boin night an' day, an' finally, they say, yo' know, dat he'll come home.
(Do you put that piece of paper in the lamp in any particular way?)
Yo' jes' drop it - let this writin' be up. De writin' must be up. (Do you put the oil in the lamp before you put the note in or do you put the note in and then put the oil on top of it?) [There is no answer and I did not continue for one that evidently would have been a guess or made no difference.]
Entry 8612
Yo' kin take a person's name, if yo' lovin' a man an' he don't ca' [care] fo' yo'. Yo] take yore name an' write it on a piece of papah first an' yo' write his name all 'cross on it, an' fold it up an' put salt, saltpeter, an' bluestone an' wrap it round nine times wit white thread an' go tuh yore lamp fo' nine days.
(What will that do?)
Dat will call 'im back an' make 'im come home.
Entry 8613
Yo' git chew some honey an' some sugah, some brown sugah - gotta be brown sugah. An' yo' write dat person's name nine time, yore landlord name nine times, an' yo' puts it in a bot- tle. Put enough on it, in sugah, where it will ovahflow it, yo' see. An' stick it in de left corner of yore bed. See, lak yore bed's at de left way, yo' take it an' stick it right behin' dere where no one wouldn't see it. But don' put de bottle dis way [demonstrates] turn it upside down an' leave it stay dere. An' yo'll stay dere fo' a long time an' yo'll nevah worry about movin'. Nevah Worry about money dat chew got. He'll nevah worry yo' about it.
Entry 8614
De landlord - just like as if de landlord say he didn't want yo' to move, just say he was dunnin' yo' about money, yo' didn't have it. Yo' take a piece of white paper. [Long pause.] (Yes.) An' yo' put dat landlord's name down dis way nine times [demonstrates]. (One name right under the other?) Yes, sir. De same name, just put it down nine times. Den yo' take dat papah dataway [demonstrates].
(Turn the paper around, yes.)
An' go through dere three times.
(With what, his name?)
His name. (His name again, just his name again, three times. Altogether it's nine times.)
[Not 9 times but 3 times, informant corrects.]
Nine times thisaway an' three times thisaway [demonstrates].
(Making a cross, all right.)
Makin' a cross. An' just take dat an' put it undah a rug, or anythin' dat's in de house, where's [where it is] concealed. Just let it stay right dere.
(With the names down that way?)
De name's upside down like dat [demonstrates].
(I see.)
It's a chance dat he'll come dere an' collect next door an' pass yo' up.