Subject:Blow
Entries
Entry 1055
Dey always tole me, that chew git up in the mawnin' on Friday mawnin' an' blow yore house out - whut call blowin' yore house out - git up in de mawnin an' put sulphur in dat corner, sulphur in dat corner an sulphur in de fo' corners of your house. See, dat blowin' yore house out. Take de sulphur an' put it in a little somepin an' blow it tuh death. Say dat makes yore house lucky. (They call that bZowing out your house. After they put the sulphur in the four corners?) If dey put.sulphur in de fo' corners of dey house, den dey takes somepin in dey han' an' blow it all ovah de house lak dat. Den take dat in de corners an' burn it.
(You burn that in the corners?)
Yessuh, burn dat right in de corners. See, dat blows yore house out.
Entry 4362
They take the underclothes and they can cut a piece out of the man from under his arm or from the tail of the shirt and wear it on a person. They sew that up in a piece of red flannel. They take that and satu- rate it, you know, with the same in- gredients, urine and Hearts Cologne. [This, of course, is a hand - pp.519-669.] They say then they can control 'em like that. Or they can take them and throw them away. They can carry them back in the woods and hang 'em up on the west side of a tree where the wind just blows and wears it all the time. They say whenever that blows and wears down from up there, why then the person will die. But chew got a new cord, like this wrappin' twine. You get that right off from the ball, right off from the cord where there's never any been pulled off, and fasten it on that tree or bush or what chew put it on. But you put it so the wind can blow it and the rain beat it. And whenever this cord rots, you see, and that blows away from where it's at, they say the person then'll soon die.
Entry 5334
[For another rite of blowing foot track, see later margin title DEVIL'S SNUFF.] If yo' kin be roun' de bossman an' pick up 'is lef' foot track - but grab dat track from de heel tuh de toe, an' grab yore own track from de toe tuh heel, but try tuh git - an' tie dat up intuh li'le bottle an' wear it on yore lef' side. An' den go on an' talk wit man fo' a job. Take dat bottle out an' [demonstrates].
(Blow on it - three times - rub it down your face.)
Yes, an' go on tuh 'im. He give yo' a job.
Entry 5377
Well, [if] ah wanted tuh make yo' have bad luck. An' ah would ketch yore footprint in de sand an' ah would go tuh de risin' of de sun, an' jes' take de heel of yore feet - jes' de heel of it, an' den take de toe of it. Tie it up inside of a white cloth. An' den ah'd put red peppah an' den ah'd git dis devil's snuff, whut dey call now is devil's snuff [snuff from the devil's snuffbox]. Dat's in a ball. Yo' kin find it all roun' toadstools where dese little frogs be [see FROG DUST, TOADFROG BREAD, DEVIL'S-SNUFFBOX, Pp.562&72, No.250; and elsewhere]. An' ah take dat an' ah mix it tuhgethah an' ah'd burn it. Ah'd take de ashes out an' go tuh de fo' cornah of de earth an' put it in de palm of mah han' an' blow it, an' say, "From good tuh worse yo' go." An' dat's de way of takin' a person's footprint.
(Now do you take either footprint or both of them or what?)
No, yo' take one. Yo' take de lef' foot.
(And you say that you burn this devil's snuff?)
Yo' burn de dirt, burn evahthin', tie it up in a white cloth an' burn it all tuhgethah, see. An' den take de dust from it an' go tuh de fo' cornahs of de earth.
(What do you mean, go to the four corners?)
See [demonstrates by pointing to the corners of the room] dere's a cornah dere, dere's a cornah dere, an' dere's a cornah ovah heah, an' a cornah ovah heah, see. Well, yo' kin take dat to de fo' cornah of de earth yo' know. See, if yo're in a big house an' yo' have a fence. In any house - it don't have tuh be a big one. Jes' go tuh one cornah of de house, de nex' cornah an' den - see, lak dat [demonstrates].
(You face each corner.)
Each cornah.
(In other Words, yOu simply BLOW THIS STUFF IN FOUR DIRECTIONS.)
From de palm of yore hand. [For another blowing rite concerning foot track, See preceding margin title BLOW BREATH 3 TIMES.] [St. Petersburg. Fla., (1045) 1695:7.]
Entry 5490
In othah words, ag'in, yo' heah tell about a man - ah'm havin' trouble wit a man about mah wife, yo' know. Well, AH'M JES' GOIN' USE YO' AN' AH FO' A PARABLE. Well ah done tell yo' 'bout mah wife an' yo' wouldn't quit, an' ah done git attah huh [after her] 'bout chew. An' yo'all - yet yo' don't quit. Look lak yo' jes' ready tuh die if yo' could. Well, fo' a instan' [for instance] now. Ah don't wanta ary [either] one a-yo' [of you], see. Well, tuh collah [put a collar on] it, ah gotta take de weak man's strength, see. Ah'm gotta make yo' stop in a way tuh keep mahself free. See, ef ah go ahaid an' kill yo', ah gotta be punished, yo' undahstan'; but if ah work fo' me, ah kin do it an' de law can't git at me, yo' see. Well, ef ah don' wanta kill yuh, ah'll jes' break yo' up. Ah'll take yore dirt dataway [demonstrates] - take up yore track, push it off from me.
(You take it from the heel to the toe or from the toe to the heel?)
Well, ah ketch dis centah of de track an' shove it from me - grab it an' grab it from me. Git up a li'le bit of it fo' three steps.
(From three different steps.)
Dat's right. Ah git it jes' lak dis heah [demonstrates].
(I understand: one - two - three.)
Three tracks - dat's de right feet. All right. Ah'll take dat an' put it right tuhgethah. Den ah'll turn roun' den an' ah'll git mah wife's track, see.
(How many do you get from her?)
De same thing. Den ah'll put dis in - ah'll take de shot out of a shell an' put dat [tracks] in dere, in de shot place, an' wheresomevah ah layway dem [keep mah gun an' shell] an' wheresomevah ah ketch 'em talkin' ah'll run in on 'em an' de time dey [before they have time to run away], see, ah'm goin' shoot right ovah dey haids yo' see. Dat's goin' blow 'em apart, yo' see. Yo' undahstan'? One go one way an' one go de othah, an' ah ain't goin' have no mo' trouble out chew an' 'er. AN' IF SHE BE WIT ANYBODY, IT BE WIT DE NEX' MAN, 'CUZ AH DONE BLOW YO' AWAY IN DE AIR.
(But you have to go in on them, touch them and shoot right over their heads?)
Dat's right. Jes' lak if yo's got 'er cornahed talkin' somewhere, ah ain't comin' up tuh shoot yo'. Ah's be lookin' roun' an' ah say, "Dere he be's now." [Yo'] know it customary tuh ketch yo' off [by yoreself] an' have a li'le talk. Well, it might be tuhday, see, when yo' go tuh work, when yo' [I] see 'em [you two]. Well, ah ain't gwine tuh see yo' [talk to you again], but jes' where ah meet chew [you two], ah'm goin' turn an' shoot ovah yore haid [heads]. An' when ah turn loose [the gun], one gwine dataway an' de othah one gwine dataway. An' den ah won't have any mo' trouble wit chew an' 'er.
Entry 5789
De foot track is fo' makin' yo' walk.
(How do they do that?)
Dey take a wasp nest an' dey burn dat wasp nest. An' git de print of yore track from dat - halfway lak dat, an' scrape dat firs' dirt back towards de front.
(Where do they take from the toe.or from the heel?)
Scrape towards de toe first an' den yo' scrape back tuh de heel. Den yo' git dat dirt in de centah [of the track] dere. An' yo' mix dat an' de wasp nes' to- gethah on de stove an burn it. An' yo' git outside an' yo' hold yore han' up - have it [mixed wasp powder and foot track] in yore han', an' de wind will blow dat away, see. An' whichevah way dat blows, why yo'll go dat way. (In other words, you scrape the dirt back from the middle - back to the toe and back to the heel? Get that dirt down at the middle?) Down in de centah dataway. [This rite is from my first trip to Memphis. See following rite.]
Entry 5790
Yo' take a wasps nest an' take a person's track halfways; scrape de dirt back from right about middleways in de foot tuh de heel [demonstrates].
(From the MIDDLE OF THE FOOT BACK TO THE HEEL.) Yeah, back tuh de heel, an' den back tuh de toe [demonstrates]. (Then you begin in the middle and SCRAPE FROM THE MIDDLE UP TO THE TOE.)
[To scrape from hollow or middle of foot track to heel, then from middle to toe, is unusual if not rare.] Git dat sand or dirt. Burn yore wasp [nest] in yore stove an' git dose ashes of de wasp nest, an' mix de ashes an' de dust tuhgethah, de foot dust. Yeah, mix it all up good tuhgethah an' take dat an' put it in de palm of yore han', an' yo stand out [doors] an' yo' say, In de Name of de Father, de Son, [an' Holy Ghost]. An' whichevah way dat wind blows, why a person dat yo' don' wan' aroun' or sompin, dey'll go away. Dat's a easy way tuh git rid of 'em. Dey'll go on off.
(You take either foot track?)
No, take de left one. [This rite comes from my second trip to Memphis and it was given by an informant different from one in preceding rite.] [The spirit of the wasps chases away the spirit in the foot track.]
Entry 5794
[The preceding rite in various versions must have been fairly common at one time in country districts. Similarly, cities also have variants of sending away by wind. One follows:] Jes' pick up dere crack an' put salt in it an' throw outdo's out in de street... That will make them Iove.
(They take either track?)
Both.
(Put salt in both tracks?)
Yes.
Entry 6193
They tell me you take a live person's hair and bore a hole into a tree, a live tree of course, place this hair in it. You blow your breath in it, in that hole, and force this hair in that hole. And that tree will drindle and finally die. And as that tree dies, their health will decay. And when that tree is dead, they will be dead. [Fredericksburg, Va., Ediphone, Cyl.61.]
Entry 6790
If a person bites yo' wit blue gums, yo' kin take a li'le of yore action, yore action an' put it on dere an' rub it in dere roun' good. (Rub it into the bite?) Yeah, an' go git chew some sulphuh an' burn it an' put it on dere, an' slip tuh 'is house. When yo' git dere, an' jis' lak yo' wanta a drink of watah, say, "Git me a glass of watah - git me some watah." An' carry a li'le dat burnt sulphuh wit chew an' - now, lak yo' wan' some watah. Rub it roun' intuh dat glass an' blow yore breath in it three times an' set it down nice, an' tell 'em tuh 'ave a drink of watah. He'll take a drink of watah an' he'll start tuh sufferin' wit de pyorrhea, los' [lostl de teeth outa his haid. (That burnt sulphur that you use in putting on your arm, that is out of the same batch of stuff?) Yes.
Entry 8001
You can cut out of paper or you can cut them off from shingles and make the image of a person, and write the name and whatever you wish. Well, you can take this shingle and carry it and throw it in running water, or you bury it, or you can take it and hang it upon the side of a tree and let it blow away. That's if you want to run 'em away.
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 8666
Ef [if] yo' don' know who is in co't [court - a witness against you] but chew wanta kill 'im. When yo' know his name - well, if yo' know his name [the whole rite changes], take a tenpenny nail an' stick it up side of a pine tree. An' hit it eighteen times an' de nineteenth time he is a dead man.
(If you want to kill him.)
Yes. (I see. You call his name how many times did you say?) Eighteen time an' de 20th time - call 'im 18 time an' de 19th time yo' drive it to de butt [the head of the nail all the way].
Entry 8745
Jes' go to de sunrise side of a tree an' graze dat side.
(Smooth the side off?)
Yes sir, an' take [these grazings from] dat side of de tree. Now if de person livin' dis direction, an' de sunrise dis, yo' take de sunrise side of dat tree - take dat off, see. Dey call his name. Take a horn, a cow horn, an' scrape a little off it an' put it in dat horn, an' den scrape some offa de sunrise side of dat tree; an' call his name an' every time yo' call it, yo' blow dat horn - about eight times. An' aftah de eight time - de eight times - like yo' blows it easy, an' de ninth, blows it loud as yo' wanta. But turn - if yo on dat side [see later explanation], yo' turn it dis side, if yo' want 'em come ack disaway. Yo' blow it, de dust out dat horn. He'll come home. (You blow that dust toward where he is and then he'll come back. If he's over Chere, you blow it this way to bring him back; if he's over in that direction, you slou the dust in the opposite direction to bring him back.) [A cow-horn expert will be needed to explain what happens here, just how the oov horn is held and handled. It has been 60 years since I saw and tried to blow a cow horn!] Jes' like he ovah dis side, yo' turn yore back an' blow de dust tuhward 'im. (You put htat - some scrapings from the cow horn in the horn and some scrap- igs from the tree into the horn, and blow it ou on the ninth time.) Yo' take de scrapings of de tree - go tuh de sunrise side - an' if he on de lgoin'-down [side] yo' work it from de sun-goin'-down, if he out dat way. See. 血 de way he is yo' gotta blow dat dust ovah heah. (But you must get these scrapings from the sunrise side of the tree, always, matter which direction he is?) Dat's right, take it from de sunrise side of de tree if he's... [I have had cmough and interrupt.] (Suppose he's at the sunrise side, then what side would I take it - now wait inute! Suppose he's on the sunrise side. Now what side of the tree would I te those scrapings from?) At de sunrise side. Take it from dis side, de west side, de sun-goin'-down. (Otherwise, in whatever direction he is - no matter what direction he's in - roa take these scrapings from the opposite side of this tree from where he is. Esean, you don't always take it from the sunrise side?) No sir.
(That's what I wanted to find out.)
It's foah [four] ways to dat, dat he kin go. (And you will take it from the opposite side of the tree from which he is - scrapings?) Yes.
Entry 9119
(1) Dey could git a big sage leaf an' write de Ten Commandment on dat sage leaf an' take it tuh de co't an' yo' make out anybody dere an' jes' throw it. (2) Eithah yo' could take a red onion an' split it in fo' parts an' sprinkle salt in it an' carry it in yore pocket han'ke'- ch'ef, an' whilst in dere, blow yore breath once in awhile. (3) Or eithah yo' kin take a [silver] ten cents an' put it undah yore tongue an' hold it dere, an' dat will make de party dat's against yo', 'sturbed [dis- turbed].
Entry 9719
And dey wanted tuh, dey could take a big nail an' carry it tuh a oak Tree on de [property] line of dis man's land, yuh undahstan', an' drive dis nail in dere an' make a wish when he'd drive it in dere. An' he.could stay down dere an' do as hdchase as long as he wants. De man voeld never put 'im away - put him off [the land]. (Off, I see. If some man is on a piece of ground - land out here - and he wnts to stay and he doesn't want to be put off, he will go to this oak tree. Ad where would this oak tree be?) Neah de line, de [boundary] line of de land.
(Oh, it must be near the line?)
His land an' somebody else's, yo' know. Yo' see, gen'ly [generally] dere's a line of trees out on dere [property line of farm]. Yo' know, there is de line of orees somewhere neah it. An' drive it in a oak tree, yo' see. Blow 'is breath on it three times an' make a wish [also 3 magic actions: drive, wish, breathe].
(What will that do for him then?)
Hell, he kin stay dere long as he choose.
(He just stays there as long as he wants to?)
Yeah, an' he don't pay no rent.
Entry 9763
Yo' could nail a person down. Dey say yo' take nails, tenpenny nails, an' yo' could put dat nail a certain place in yore yard, or anywhere else. An' if yo' wanta nail a person down, yo' go dere evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' yo' nail dat down. An' yo' hit dat one lick an' tell 'em - yo' know, yo' put in [you include] whut chew doin', whut chew nailin' it fo'. Yo' nail dat down an' de las' time say, "Ah'm nailin' yo' down: In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' de Holy Ghost." Dat sill hold a person down.
Entry 10171
Light candles - it's a white and blue candle, see. And they burn from seven o'clock 'till nine - that's the white one. They'll light the blue one, they'll burn it from nine 'till three in the evening. The red one, they'll burn it from three 'till nine at night. [Three candles are used: red, white and blue.] (From three in the afternoon until nine at night?) Yassuh. They say that's to draw [customers]. That's for luck in de house, see. (Do they burn them separately or together or what?) No, no! They burn one at de time, jest like I light the white one this morning. Well, you see, I burn dat 'till nine. Well, then I'll put hit out. Then I'll light the green [blue] one and burn it 'till three this evening, and then I'll pinch it out. Then I'll light the red one this evening [afternoon] at three o'clock and I'll burn it 'till nine tonight, and then I'll pinch it out [candles are not blown out]. Well, I won't burn no more 'till tomorrow. See, that's burning it too hard. See, you'll burn so hard that way 'till they [customers] take sick from it.
Entry 10527
When you want to sell yourself to de devil, you go to de graveyard at 12 o'clock ever'night and they say you'll meet a man, you'll meet de devil. And he says, "You want to be- lieve in me or de Lord." And you say you believe in de Lord. But you can't sell yourself to him [devil]. If you say, Yes, I believe in you, well he takes you and he does sumpin to you. Be blows [on you] or sumpin. And [after that] you can do anything you want.
Entry 12279
De' take de gunpowder an' de sulphur dust - dat not de lump sulphur - an' mix it together an' put it in a quill or some fish-pole. An' go by a per- son's house an' go dat- away three times. (Knocking three times.) [Also blowing 3 times.] An' de persons in dat yard, dey goin' have a uproar in dere. It will make a confusion between everybody. See, somebody in dere is gotta move out. If dere some enemies in dere, well dey gotta git out. [It would probably be safer to try this rite during day when no one was home. There are similar blowing through tube rites in HOODOO.1
Entry 12620
Red peppah, brimstone, sulphur an' burn it an' blow de smoke [towards house] nex' to 'em an' [if people there] don' be in dey house - but if yo' burn it, yo' kin burn it in yore own house an' name it an' blow it nex' their house. Or git some of de garments of de house or somepin othah out of de house jes' since it's been worn. Well, yo' git a garment an' then yo' wrop de brim- stone, sulphur an' red peppah, an' wrop up in de garment. Take de garments to de woods an' bury it undah an' ole rotten log, an' that'll tear de home up altogethah.
(You mean after this stuff is burnt?)
Yes, in dat ole garment, jes' since it somepin out de house. Den de people all in de house - de man or de woman - well, yo' jes' take it an' bury it in de woods undah a ole rotten log.
(That is after you burn all that stuff?)
Yes, put it in that garment.
Entry 13253
De way ah heard it wuz done, dey take an' go round dat house at de front do' an' at de back do' an' make a straight mahk [a shallow trench with stick]. (All around the outside of the house?) Yessuh, right down dere by de edge of de do'step de way dey have tuh come in an' out. An' yo' take dat when yo' make dat mahk down dere, yo' puts sul- phur an' gunpowder in dat mahk an' when dey do dat yo' take den an' yo' stick fiah in next tuh de do'step, an' when yo' do dat, why it blows out - blows it out, an' ah heard dat in three days aftah yo' do dat it will blow 'em cleah - dat will blow 'em cleah intuh de distance. Dey won't have no mind tuh stay dere. (It runs them out of that house. You mean you make a straight mark in front of each door?) Yessuh.
(Like a trench?)
Yessuh, jes' a lil' trench. (You dig a little trench for that stuff and then light it and let it go
[blow] on out?)
Yes.