Browse:WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT (Volume 4, entries 7727–7928)/Part 3
WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT
Volume 4, entries 7727–7928. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 7887
Yo' kin take dat [graveyard dirt] an' put hit wit sulphah an' salt, black sut [soot] out de chimley [chimney] an' take it an' walk by a person dō nine nights, an' if dey don' see yuh [sprinkling this mix- turel, ah guarantee yuh aftah nine nights, de twelf' night dey move. Sprinkle it down.
“Graveyard dirt,” “soot” and “chimney” are bracketed editorial identifications. A later gloss is damaged in the printed text; the nine-night and twelfth-night conditions remain visible.
Entry 7888
Saltpetah - yo' take saltpetah an' beat it up fine, an' if yo' kin use some of dis graveyard dirt, tuh sprinkle in de do'way, see, where dey kin see it each mawnin', mo' lakly [likely] dat person will move from de house.
Entry 7889
Dey tell me yo' take an' git yuh sock, an' dere's somepin or othah yo' kin do an' run yo' crazy. Dey take dat sock an' dey git some graveyard dirt. An'. if dey want, dey kin git - choo know, dere's a scorpion in de woods dey call de wood- bitch. Yo' kin git 'im an' cut 'is haid off an' let it dry. When 'is haid been dried, come an' powdah dat up. Yo' take dat [wood-bitch powder] an' take dat graveyard dirt an' mix it [and put it in or on the sock] yo' see. An' yo' take dat [sock] an' yo' kin care [carry] it on de nō'theast side of a pine tree. Yo' bear [bury] it down dere an' drive a stäve down in it, yo' see [demonstrates].
(Hit an imaginary stäve or stake 6 times.)
Dat settles it. [This is one of many mock burials. The victim if unnamed is always intended by name. Here the victim is buried in the shade of a pine tree, so that he will gradually pine away. North instead of northeast side would probably have meant a quicker death.]
Entry 7890
Take de graveyard dirt an' put it in a glass an' set it ovah dere man- telpiece fer seven days, an' aftah [that] yo' turn it undah de bottom of yo' steps see. An' dey says dey kin harm yo' lak dat.
(Well now who gets this graveyard dirt? The person that is trying to harmyou?)
Yes.
(All right, do I put the graveyard dirt on your mantle then?)
Dat's whut ah'm speaking about.
(And then put it under your step.)
Put it undah mah step.
(Well, you would see it on the mantle, wouldn't you?)
Sometimes yo' bury dat.
The informant describes graveyard dirt in a glass on a mantel for seven days, then beneath steps, and attributes harm to what people say. The interviewer supplies the proposed victim perspective in several questions; the informant also mentions burial. The bracketed time completion is editorial.
Entry 7891
Take dat graveyard dirt an' put dat graveyard dirt in a li'le bag an' sew it up. An' den dey'll, yo' know, dey put dis in a, yo' know, put some in - [if] dey kin git tuh yo', dey put some of dat grave- yard dirt in yuh shoe, put it in de shoe. Well, dat run yo' crazy.
Entry 7892
Said dey kin take an' git some dirt from de graveyard, an' if dey kin git one of yuh shoes an' put some of dat in it, dey kin hurt choo lak dat; make yo' cripple or lame or somepin lak dat.
The informant reports what others are said to do with dirt from a graveyard and a shoe. The injury claim remains reported rather than independently established.
Entry 7893
Dey kin take yuh shoes an' dey kin break yo' out wit sores.
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey go tuh de graveyard an' dey git de dead dust - not graveyard dust - like here de grave an' dey send dat pipe down intuh de grave 'till it hits - till dey git, till de pipe gits full wit dat dust. [See piece of cane driven into grave, No.7812. p.3364.1 Dey takes dat dust an' use immaterial [material] from dat very grave, but evahwhere dat dust go on your feet, dat breaks yo' wit sores.
Entry 7894
Take yuh shoes an' put graveyard dirt in 'em an' go ahead ovah de rivah, de left-foot shoe. De right-foot shoe don' 'mount tuh nuthin. It's de left-foot shoe.
(What will that do then?)
Well, yo' jis' drifts away. (Sends them away.) [That expression ovah de rivah in New Orleans means across the river in Algiers, the west bank of the Mississippi, in Algiers it means across the river in New Orleans. Here the words apparently mean send you away.]
Entry 7895
Weah dat in yo' shoe.
(This graveyard dirt.)
Yes sir.
(What do you do that for?)
Well, dey weahs dat in dey right shoe an' dis will drive yo' outa town, too. Ag'in, undahstand, dey weahs it in dey right shoe an' den dey will take dis dirt, when dey weah it fo' nine mawnin's ag'in, an' dey goin' take dat dirt, an' when dey ketch chew, when dey thresh [whip] yo' an' ketch yo' [catch you and whip you], den dey buries it or throw dat dirt ovah dere left shouldah.
(That drives you out of town?)
Yes, throw it cross yore left shouldah.
Entry 7896
Ah have learnt dat dey kin take yuh shoes an' carry 'em tuh de grave- yard an' put 'em in, turn 'em east an' west an' bury 'um, an' yo' die.
(They bury one east and bury one west?) Yes.
Entry 7897
Well, dey take de shoes an' dey git some graveyard dirt an' quicksilvah an' chip [stir or mix] it up tuhgethah, an' sprinkles it in dey shoes an' dat'll make 'em walk away. Ah've heard dat. A fellah tole me dey done him dataway an' he walked away.
Entry 7898
Dress de shoes wit grave- yard dust an' quicksilvah an' gunpowdah. (What will that do?) Dress yo' shoe. (Why?) Oh, dat'll make yo' leave, jes' keep yo' always on de go.
Entry 7899
Well, graveyard dirt - yo' jis' take graveyard dirt an' yo' take it up, an' jis' put chew some salt in dere, an' jis' git chew a li'le nail, jis' a li'le nail, not nuthin tuh hurt, jis' a li'le nail wit dis graveyard dirt. An' yo' put it inside of de stove an' den yo' let it [graveyard dirt and salt] git hard, jis' hard. An' den yo' jis' powdah it in de bottom of yuh shoe. [The nail of course does not powder, it merely being a magic object completing 3 ingredients.] Dat makes yo' lucky. Git hard lak a powdah an' den jis' weah it in de bottom of yuh shoe. Jis' sprinkle it [in your shoe]. An' den sometime yo' put talcum powdah wit it.
(What do you put talcum powder in it for?)
Well, dat makes it lucky.
(How do you get the talcum powder?)
How git it? Buy it. [A good answer!]
Entry 7900
Yo' take lak yo' got on yore shoes an' yo' pull yore shoes off. Dey kin git some of dat graveyard dirt an' sulphuh an' sprinkle in yore shoes. Wal, dat'll put chew in trouble. Dat all dat'll do. Put chew in jail, keep yo' in jail all de time. Put chew in hard luck. Dat's de way dat do's.
Entry 7901
Git chew - git nine or ten grains of fresh graveyard dirt an' fix it up wit garlic an' a piece of silvah, a dime. An' take de silvah dime an' scrape it. Scrape some of de silvah in wit dis sand an' a piece of garlic an' tie it up an' weah it. [This hand has 3 ingredients.] Dat's luck. (Luck for what?) Well, it's lak yo' got someone dat chew lak an' she don't care much about chew, yo' weah dat. Dat's suppose [to] be luck.
(You take ten grains you say?)
Yassuh, nine or ten grains.[ Brunswick, Ga., (1182), 1992:9.]
Entry 7902
Take de graveyard dirt an' put it in yo' pillah or eithah in yuh mat- tress, an' sleep on dat nine days. Yo' jes' go away - yo' know, jes' fall off an' git po' [poor] an' po' until yo' jes' go 'way an' die. Dat'll kill yo'. (After nine days.)
Entry 7903
Jes' lak ah told yo' 'bout de [grave- yard] dirt. Dey put dat in it or dey put de salt in dat sock, dat dirty sock, an' dey'll also bury it. An' dat also will keep yo' away, a wife from goin' off anywhere.
Entry 7904
Yo' take graveyard dirt an' put in one of 'is sock, de right sock, see. He be runnin' out [away from home] an' see, if yo' throw dat ovah de house - lak ah were de woman, dat ah an' mah husband live in [the house] see. In othah words, when he came back in de house. ovah mah, where hit [the sock] tetch de ground at. he wouldn't wanta go back out dere [away from me]. When he come in he be crazy about de house an' don' wanta go anywhere, wanta stay home most of de time.
Entry 7905
[Before I turned on my recording machine I had asked about spitting.l Dey take dat yo' know [I interrupt]. (This saliva.) Yeah, dey took dat an' fixed it up an' call it by name, an' put dat wit a li'le red peppah. An' take dat an' bury dat at de feet of de - anywheres dere's a corpse, a dead body in de grave. An' dat cuz yo' tuh suffah a stroke. An' it cut de speech, too, yo' know; an' yo' kin drivel up.
Entry 7906
Ah heard of people say, if yo' go tuh de grave- yard twelve o'clock night an' git some dirt out de graveyard, an' mix it wit sulphuh an' throw it onto a pusson's porch - any place where dey got tuh step ovah it - [this is] somepin tuh do 'em harm.
Entry 7907
Dey put some graveyard dirt undah her steps, an' some sulphuh, an' she caught it in 'er laigs an' de laigs swolled up - all both her laigs - jes' lak de dropsy. An' she took dis dime an' file some of de silvah off an' taken de [silver] tea an' drank it [as a cure]. [Sulphur a symbol for the devil and hell, and the death symbol graveyard dirt, these two combined would cause almost any- thing!]
Entry 7908
If yo' want a job, when yo' git ready fo' dis job, yo' go an' git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some dirt from de graveyard. An' yo' - jes' lak yo' goin' tuh dis job - yo' git tuh de house, yo' sprinkle dis roun' de house. An' when yo' sprinkle dis roun' de house, den yo' could walk up on de do' an' knock at de do'. An' ask fo' de job an' yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's, an' in de ninth mawnin' yo'll git dis job.
(You mean you sprinkle this in front of the boss' house or the job?)
Yes [at the home of the boss].
(All the way round the house?)
Not all de way roun' de house, jes' from de front. Lak dat's de cornah [demon- strates], from dere tuh de cornah of de house.
(Just to the front of the house?)
Yes.
Entry 7909
Also, yo' kin use dis graveyard dust an' start from de stairway dere an' jes' sprinkle it roun' de house an' git chure broom an' sweep it out, out behin' dem an' on out de walk. An' yo'll nevah be bothahed wit dem no mo'.
Entry 7910
Git some graveyard dirt an' sugah an' sweep it de way, out de do' behin' 'em, see, an' dey'll have tuh go. (You would be living in the house, though, wouldn't you? And to make another person go you would throw this behind them?)
[Behind him after he left so that he would not return.]
Yessuh.
Entry 7911
If you want to go to stealing, you go to the graveyard and get some dirt off of a fresh grave and go into a man's yard, barn, and take anything they want and the dogs won't bother them. That would be his night password. [Informant 8 years old when Civil War began in 1860.]
Entry 7912
When yo' wan'a steal chickens, when people have dogs, dey say, if yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' git de dirt, an' if yo' throw it on a dog, de dog will not bark. Now, whur- GRAVEYARD DIRT ON DOG - WILL NOT BARK thah it's de scent of de daid bodies in de earth, ah don' know but it aczhooly [actually] happened.
Entry 7913
Ah heah 'em speak of de graveyard dirt [demonstrates]. (Get the graveyard dirt - and what do they do with it? Rub it in their hands.) Rub it in dere hand an' when dey got tuh anybody's yard - don' care how bad de dog is - put de graveyard dirt an' rub it in dere hands an' rubs on de privates. Don' care how bad de dog is, jis' go dere an' [hold your] palm tuh de dog, an' de dog won' even bothah yo', jis' come dere an' lick yuh hands.
(The dog must smell your hands.)
He'd smell yuh hands from dat graveyard dirt and privates.
(Just the female dog's privates.)
Ah don' care how bad de dog is, de dog wouldn't bothah yo'.
Entry 7914
Well ah hear dem say dat if dey wanta go in anybody's house - lak any rich somebody - white people or somepin, dey wanta go in de house, an' dey'd have a bad dog or anything, dey wanta go in dere, dey git de haid stick, de stick whut's put at de haid of a grave, an' throw it undah de house. An' said dat vill put evahbody tuh sleep an' yo' kin go in de house an' git anything. [For beliefs similar to preceding ones about.theft, see Nos.7529-7530, p.3298f.]
Entry 7915
If yo' had a house yo' wanted tuh rent, take dis graveyard dirt ag'in. Yo' nevah will fail wit dis graveyard dirt. Yo' kin use a penny or else use silvah. SILVAH WORKS FASTAH den de othah. Well, yo' kin go tuh de graveyard ag'in an' put chure silvah money down dere an' tell it whut chew want, whut chew wanta git chure dirt fo'. But, prefah a baby's grave, an' git chure dirt an' come back. An' yore house has fo' cornahs tuh it. [Informant now points out the corners of my interviewing room.] Yo' put some in dat cornah an' den yo' say, In de Name of de Fathah, an' Mame of de Son, an' in de Name of de: Holy Ghost, ah want some luck brought intuh dis house. Ah want dis house rented. Ah want someone tuh occupy dis house. Put chew some dirt in dis [second] cornah, an' say de same thing in dat [third] cornah an' say de same thing at dat [fourth] cornah. An' den yo' say [it again] befo' yo' leave out [the house]. Yo' should have it in dere, scattah it all aboutdere, Jame of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. An' den when yo' go out, jes' scattah it all down on de steps, an' den somebody will come an' rent it. [Fayetteville, N. Car., 2556:8.]
Entry 7916
Lak if anybody do anything tuh yuh an' yuh want 'em tuh move from dere, yuh git dat dirt an' yuh eithah throw it on de steps or on de porch or put it by de do'. Dey say yuh put it cross by de do' fō' three times. (They put it across for three times?) Make it cross by de dō' three tues an' dat person will have tuh move.
Entry 7917
Dey say yo' take graveyard dust an' sprinkle it around yore house three times in succession befo' leavin', an' dey say yo'll leave dere - yo' can't stay dere. [For a hazy statement like this one I normally would ask Who sprinkles? Who leaves? Probably I forgot to restart recording when questions began. This could be called a typical spite rite. To get even with the rentman, the departing renter on leav- ing for the last time throws back through the door 3 sprinkles of graveyard dirt. Whether vocally expressed or not, the departing person does this in the Three Holy Names! The next occupant will not be able to remain in the house.]
Entry 7918
If it's anyone aroun' here dat ah would lak fer 'em tuh move - ah want tuh move in de house or anything of de kind - ah kin go out tuh de cemetery an' git some dirt. Make three wishes, dat is, yo' know lak ah want dem tuh move an' stay away. Jis' throw it across de steps or in de hallway or in de porch, an' in three day's time dem people goin' tuh move.
(Move out of the house?)
Yes, sir. [Here 3 wishes replace the 3 Holy Names.]
Entry 7919
Yo' kin git dirt off a person grave, ah think it wus twelve days aftah yo' [they] put away [buried] an' yo' kin care [carry] it an' put it undah de person step where dey live at, an' yo' put 'em in a bad spell of sickness.
Entry 7920
Take de dirt off de grave an' take it at night, twelve a'clock. An' take it an' carry it tuh de do' an' put it at de foot of de steps. An' whosomevah in dere, what dey don't like, will run 'em crazy.
Entry 7921
Take chamber lye an' graveyard dirt an' mix it de same as ah jes' tole yo' while ago, an' jes' keep it all roun' de house. That will keep de law away. Dat chamber lye wit de graveyard dirt an' de peppah an' salt. ah wuz tellin yo' 'bout jes' awhile ago. (That will keep the law away?) Dat keeps de law away.
Entry 7922
(They did what?)
Jes' raisin' Cain around dere. Yo' could heah it, sompin lak somebody walkin'. It wus purely graveyard dirt 'cuz ah swept it out. Jes' gits chure mind, evah- thing tormented, 'cuz it's from de daid spirit, yo' know. [Raising Cain equals raising the devil or hell. Spirits walking or unseen footsteps is a common belief, see FACI 2nd ed., Nos.15541-15543, p.733.]
Entry 7923
Dey puts it in a cloth or anything an' wraps it up, an' yo'll have tuh pass backwards an' forwards ovah it.
(And then? What happens to you then?) Yo'll become tuh be sickly. (I see. You walk over this graveyard dirt.)
Yeah, an' it puts yo' in hard luck.
Entry 7924
I have heard of people giving graveyard dust. You throw it in running water. The person you want to go away or come back will come or go. You throw it over your right shoulder and don't look back but keep walking and have the person in mind.
Entry 7925
Dey tell me if yo' usin' a lavatory, especially a outside lavatory, dat yo' could jes' take a little bit of it an' go dere durin' de night an' sprinkle a little bit around de hole where yo' sit at.
(Sprinkle what around?)
Graveyard dirt.
(Around the lavatory?)
Aroun' de lavatory hole.
(And it will injure you, you say?)
Yes.
Entry 7926
Ah heard dat if yo' wanted a sweetheart, lak yore husban' or anythin' - if yo' love him an' yo' want him tuh stay wit yo' - yo' takes de graveyard dirt an' yo' wears it, jes' git chew a li'le bit in a bag. Ah seed [= seen = saw] a lady one time wearin' some of it. An' yo' wears it in a bag an' that will make the man wanta stay wit yo'.
Entry 7927
Yo' take a sock an' put dat dust in dere. (What dust?) Yo' take dat sock an' yo' git some graveyard dust [and put in], dat willah leaf an' yo' put dat in dere, but yo' gotta let it stay in de sun an' let it dry good. An' dey put dat in de ground. It's all dif- f'ren' kinda ways [to use graveyard dirt] an' dat's a simple thing tuh do.
(What will that do if you put the willow leaf in that sock?)
Put it in dat sock? Dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 7928
Yo' go tuh de graveyard an' dat tree - lotsa times yo' know dere's elm trees in de graveyard. Yo' git dat wood an' yo' burns it in de fiahplace an' yo's be tantalizin' - ah don't know. But mah wife, she tolt [told] me dat. (You burn it in whose fireplace?) Jes' in de house, in yore fiahplace, yo' kin burn dat. Say, "Heah's a piece of wood." Go lay on dere [lay the wood in the fireplace] an' usely [usual- ly] dey moves out, dey can't stay. (If there are some of your neighbors that [disturb you], you want to make them move out, you get a piece of that wood and burn it in the fireplace?) Dat's right. [Sumter, S. Car., (1342), 2322:12.] [This final subsection (3) concludes section 10 on death and also ends the di- visional survey devoted to THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF. Had it been possible to separate all death material, including that in INTERVIEWS into a separate book, a more orderly arrangement of rites could have been found. Eyen so. prob- lems would still remain; symbolism and all those beliefs said to cause death.]