Subject:Asafetida
Entries
Entry 2405
An' then ah heard agin that if yo' want tuh keep - jes' lak say if ah wus runnin' a house, yo' know, an' sellin' whiskey or somethin' lak dat, to keep de polices off yuh, yo' go tuh de sto' an' buy yo' a box of asafetidy an' take it an' cut it in a small little quantity, an' put it on a piece of new homespun - sew it up in a piece of new homespun an' wear it round yore waist. Dey said absolutely dey can't come about chew.
Entry 4623
Dey take dat bow an' dey put it in a bag. Yuh know, jes' git a piece of cloth an' sew it up, an' dey put dat bow in dere. An' dey git a piece of asafetadee an' a piece of dis John de Conker root an' put dat in dere. An' make a little bag out of it, tie a string on it an' wear it aroun' dere stomach or eithah roun' dere navel, an' yuh'll nevah stay way from 'em - yuh always come back.
Entry 5325
Dat is about a girl, yo' know. Take dis girl out yondah [yonder] an' yo' wan'a go wit 'er. Yo' kin take huh track an' take a teaspoon fulla de sand outa huh track an' a tea- spoon fulla sulphuh an' a little ball of asafitidy. An' tie it up in a black cloth an' put it in yore pocket, an' weah it in dere fo' 'bout nine mawnin's - eithah seven mawnin's. [They] say she'd come tuh yore house. But yo' jes' keep it in dere de ninth mawnin'. But [they] say aftah seven mawnin's yo'd make good wit 'uh. An' jes' weah dere until de ninth mawnin' an' yo'll have 'uh den.
Entry 6867
So anyone won't hurt chew, git a piece of red flannel, pure flannel. See, git a piece of root. Ast fo' corkin' [porcupine?] vine root. Yo' evah hear of it? (Coffin vine? Corkin' [porcupine] vine.) Put dat an' put a dime, a silvah dime. See, put dat in dere an' put a li'le piece of asafitadee [asa- fetida] an' sews it up an' weahs it right dere [demonstrates] an' put a medal wit it, chew know, a St. Anthony [medal].
(Where do you wear that?)
No, sir, right dere.
(Right here on the front of your breastbone. Against your skin or?)
Right by yore meat. Yo' nevah git harmed. [The 4 preceding objects are sewed up into a red flannel bag, making a hand (see Pp.519-669), here a protective device to be worn about the neck. Suppose we analyze this hand: (1) The porcupine root I do not know, but it surely means a pointed article that will wound an intruder. Could this be a small piece of porcupine wood, the outer wood or the coconut palm with markings resembling por- cupine quills? Or have we here any root with quill-like projections. Similarly, years ago I had trouble with the identity of the alligator tree (mentioned some- where in Hoodoo), the sweet gum, so called because its bark supposedly imitates the hide of an alligator. In the present instance, however, we must remember that our informant is not a root digger, but buys this root from a hoodoo drug store or root seller. (2) The dime? This is the old silver dime, not the pre- sent [1973] dime of base metal. Hoodoo is filled with the miraculous powers of the old silver dime, any silver. (3) Asafetida? During my childhood, say 1902- 1910, and even before my time, many children wore a small piece of asafetida in a bag about the neck. This was to guard the wearer against communicable dis- eases. Actually We have here a bad smell to ward off witches. Why witches dis- like odious odors, excrement and urine for examples, I am unable to explain. (4) St. Anthony medal, a holy object, would be a useful addition to our hand. (5) Red flannel, the red alone symbolizes blood, life and power.]
Entry 7728
Ah hear'd dey could take graveyard dirt an' some gin an' assafetadee [3 ingredients] an' mix it tuhgethah, an' go tuh a person's house where a family. Jis' lak a man an' woman livin' dere an' dis woman - he got anothah woman yuh know, an' she [latter woman] go an' git dat an' sprinkle all aroun' de do'. Dey say dat'll break peace, dey [the two inside] always fussin' an' fightin' one anothah. [The gin is for the spirit in the graveyard dirt - see ALCOHOL FOR THE SPIRIT, p.32].
Entry 8720
Ah tell yo' what choo do fo' yoreself fo' tuh cross a person.
(Well, how would they do that?)
Well, dey take it an' write dere names on a hot stove with this stick [lump] sulphur. But if yo' gon'a use de powdered sulphur, jis' sprinkle dat on de stove an' make yore wishes. An' if yo' don't do like dat, yo' burn it wit some asfitidee [asafetida]. Get some asfitidee an' put it in de top an' put dat sulphur in dere, an' burn it togethah an' make yore wishes. Jis' like if yo' want 'em to separate or if yo' want 'em to stay together.
Entry 8952
(Well, how would you handle a court case?)
How would I handle a court case? The sinner could be dead guilty, if he want- ed to be, you know. If the charges are up. Now, when you git to the courthouse, you kin git to the courthouse, you kin have you a nickel's worth of asafititee. After yo' get a nickel's worth of asafititee, yo' kin git yo' a bottle of vine- gar - bottle of vinegar. Now yo' sprinkle [vinegar] on that asafititee. Yo' have it done soaked, yo' have it done soaked in dat vinegar an' yo' have it in a small bottle, an' yo' jes' tote that in yore pocket an' have de stopper with a hole in it, an' jes' sprinkle it. They'll have no case up, no case at all. Dey keep putting it off, keep putting it off. Every time yo' go they keeps putting it off. Jes' have it [the bottle] in your pocket. [As in the preceding rite, once again we have witch deterrents; for vinegar see FACI, p.889, for asafetida, sev- eral places in Hoodoo.]
Entry 9097
When yo' go befo' de judge, yo' know, yo' have tuh make a vow tuh yo'- self. Now, ah'll tell yuh how yo'll have tuh do dat. Now, jis' lak now, yo know yo' goin' tuh have trial. Well, how yo' have tuh dress yuhself? Yo' have tuh git chureself some camphor balls. Yo' know dose camphor balls yo' put in clothes. Well, yo' git dose camphor balls an' git choo a piece of asafitadee. When yo' git dose camphor balls, yo' gotta beat dose camphor balls up fine; an' den when yo' beat dose camphor balls up fine, den yo' put chew some lodestone in dere wit it. An' den yo' beat dat camphor ball up, an' dis rag yo gonna put dis camphor ball in, [put rag] in gasoline, see. An' now when yo' take an' git it an' put it in dat gasoline, git de rag wet. Don' wet de camphor balls jis' wet de piece [rag] see. An' den yo' jis' use dat, jis' hold it down in yore pocket - jis' carry it right wit chew in yore pocket. An' den if yo' kin git a piece of sweet basil, carry dat 'long wit choo. Dat sweet basil gonna come in lucky. (What do you do with that camphor after you beat it up? And the lodestone, what do you do with that?) Take it an' put it in dat rag, where dat gasoline's been dipped in dere. Seu it up lak a li'le bag, A SMALL LI'LE BAG, an' yo' see, jis' lak WHEN DE JUDGE IS TALKIN' TO YO', YO' TALK TO IT LIKE YO' ARE TALKIN' TO SOMEONE.[ MEMphIS, TEN.
(936), 1515:9.]
Entry 9250
Yo' can take yore fingahnails an' cut nine pieces - cut off nine fin- gahnails - an' get nine pieces of yore toenails, an' put it into a little bag put some asafetida in there with it. Then you bust a hen egg an' get de thread [the skin in the end] of it an' put in there, an' that'll be all right fo' de purpose. Yo' take an' carry it an' put it at or undah de house. Dat'll make dem leave, put dem to walkin'. [Out in country from Suffolk, Nansemond Co., Va., (Doctor Frank Hall) by hand.1
Entry 9643
(How would you keep a spell from being put on you?)
Ah tell yuh dat. Go an' git chew a li'le ice cream salt hadn't been uses [used] an' assfessadee [asafetida], an' be sure tuh have a li'le piece-a John de Conkah. Dashes de salt [about house?]. Have John de Conkah in a li'le bag or eithah have a nutmeg roun' yore neck. Will hold de spell from relievin' tuh yo'.
(That will keep it from hurting you.)
Entry 10671
Put red peppah in dere shoes; it's gotta be pod peppah. If yo' can't put red peppah in dere shoes [shoes guarded too well], yo' kin git chew some of dis asafitidy [asafetida]. Dat's plain asafitidy an' dis heah bor- acic watah, an' use it an' sprinkle it aroun' anywhere dat dey have tuh cross, anywhere in dere path. Yo' kin use dat to make 'em lose out [lose a job or have bad luck].
Entry 10673
Take some cayenne pepper and asafeda- tee and sulphur, and as soon as you get a chance, put it in each four corners of the room, and they'll have to move out. Can't stay there.
Entry 10674
Asafetida in red flannel [bag, or hand or mojo]. Urinate on that [from time to time to feed it, give it power]. Keep it. Lucky in gambling.
Entry 11202
Git 'em out of a house. Dey got some of 'em back dere now. Yo' kin git dirt dauber nest. Yo' know whut dey call dirt daubers. Well, yo' git dat an' cayenne peppah, but yo' have tuh git in de house tuh do dat. Yo' cain't do dat on de out- side of de house. See, cayenne peppah, Epsom salts, sulphur an' powdered asafetidy. Yo' know whut dey call powder asafetidy. Well, dey mix dat tuhgether. Well, if yo' cain't git chure tobacca, yo' kin git dis scotch snuff an' yo' mix dat, but chew gotta git in de house dat yo' kin sling it back in dere. Yo' know, an' 'noint de house, an' dey'll move.
(You just throw that in the house and these people will move away.)
Yes.
Entry 13366
Take chamber lye an' assafedidee an' bury that with ten needles an' put that under their door- step.
(What is is supposed to do?)
That were supposed to make you do, whether you want to do or not. An' she kin go off an' have her fun with men, you see, an' then anytime you want to go out, you see, a big argument start.