Subject:Bone/Bone moving upstream
Entries
Entry 10018
Well, ah hear'd dat dey take dis black cat - ketches a black cat wit not a white streak on 'im any place. An' dey takes 'im an' puts 'im on - starts 'im off tuh boil. An' when yo' git chure watah boilin', jis' drop dis live cat in de watah. An' den when yo' drop dis live cat in de watah, den yo' lets it boil all tuh pieces. Yo' take it tuh a swift stream, tuh a stream dat is runnin' swift, an' yo' po's it in dere. An' den de bone dat goes up de stream, yo' git dat bone. An' den dey say yo' kin go do anythin' dat chew wanta do.
Entry 10019
Take a black cat an' have oven heated hot, dat's got a lid on it, an' take dat black cat an' put 'im in dat oven, see. An' put de lid on it an' cook 'im. Call 'im [cat] by name whutevah it might be. It may be Tom an' it may be Jim. Dey have diff'ren names. Whatevah 'is name be, yo' call it, an' he'll answer yuh! He'll tell yo' 'zakly what bone tuh take. Dey tell me he'll tell yuh tuh take de short bone. Take all de - aftah yo' burn 'im up, take de bones an' carry 'em tuh swift watah, see. An' pour all dese bones in de watah. An' de bone dat goes up de stream, dat is de bone fer yuh tuh take. Dat's whut chew do. [This is probably the only black-cat-bone rite in which the name of the cat is called! Lid on an Oven is unusual!]
Entry 10037
Said dat dey would take de cat an' put 'er intuh a pot an' boil 'er wit'out killin' 'er. Let 'er kill 'erself in de pot. An' take her tuh de run- nin' watah. Do dat aftah dey already cooked 'er up an' until de flesh would fall off de bone. An' take de pot tuh de runnin' watah an' empty it ovah in de runnin' watah. An' de bone dat goes up de stream is de lucky bone.
Entry 10040
De way ah've heard it, yo' ketch chew a black cat. It must be black cat an' when yo' ketch dat cat, yo' take it to de fo'ks of de road at twelve a'clock. Have yore watah hot. Don't kill 'im. Dive 'im in dat pot of hot watah an' shet it up, an' let 'im cook till hit cook de meat off 'is bones. Den yo' take all dose bones an' taken 'em down tuh de runnin' stream, de stream goin' dis way [demonstrates]. Dat's down, backwards is upwards. An' yo' po' dem bones intuh dat runnin' stream one at de time. An' de bone dat goes back up de stream, dat's de lucky bone an' yo' git dat.
(What do you do with that bone?)
Well, dey tell me yo' kin take dat bone an' tote it in yore pocket an' it brings good luck in love affairs, gamblin' an' sech lak as dat.
[While machine turned off informant says something about disappearing.]
(Use that same bone you say?)
Yes sir, yo' put it in yore mouth an' it makes yo' invisible, people can't see yo'.
Entry 10044
All right, if yo' wan's tuh be a man dat chew kin do anythin' dat chew want, yo' git chew a black cat an' yo' boil 'im. Go down tuh a crossroad at twelve a'clock at night an' yo' boils 'em. An' when yo' boil dis cat yo' see evahthin' all aroun' dere, maybe yuh coffin, or yo' may see all kinda spooks. Go down tuh a runnin' stream of watah an' throw dese bones in it. Well, all dose bones dat no good, dey go downstream, but de bone, dat lucky bone, it comes up- stream. Yo' take dat bone an' put it in yuh pocket, an' yo' kin do anythin' wit dat bone dat chew want.
Entry 10045
Well, jis' lak yo' wanta be a rootworkah or somepin lak dat, yo' go in de fo'k of de road an' yo' take a black cat [with you]. An' ketch 'im alive an' boil 'im. Boil 'im live an' take 'im an' take de bone whut run upstream. Take dat bone an' take it an' stand in de fo'k of de road till twelve of midnight at night. An' whatsomevah happen, dey say it will come tuh yuh dat night, an' de devil will tell yo' whut tuh do wit it.
(Tell you how to do the rootwork?)
Yessuh. (After you get this black cat bone, you take it out to the fork of the road and stand there until twelve o'clock at night?) Yessuh, an' if yo' kin stand evahthing whut come about, yo'll be a good one.
Entry 10058
Take a black cat an' throw it in a pot of hot watah... [I turn off machine here be- cause rite did not appear to be promising. This was a frequent habit of mine to save time and cylinder space. Once more I shall stop machine before letting it continue to the end. My questions show what had been omitted.]
(After they boil this black cat what do they do?)
Take 'is bones, all de bones an' carry it down tuh de...
[I stop machine and then begin again.]
(After they get this bone that goes up the stream, then what do they do?)
Dey take it an' goes tuh de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's an' pray tuh de Lord an' say dey sell deyself tuh de devil. An' den dey kin do anythin' dey wan'a do an' can't nobody hahm 'em.
Entry 10061
Ah hear'd of people takin' a black cat an' boil 'em in a pot of hot boilin' watah alive an' den take 'im out. Take his bones out, all 'is bones, an' carry 'em tuh a stream of watah. An' throw 'em in dat stream of watah an' de one whut go upstream, take it out, an' de rest of 'em'ill go downstream. Let 'em go 'bead. An' de one dat go upstrea yo' take dat out an' put it in yore pocket. An' go tuh de fo'ks of de road evah Sunday mawnin' fo' nine Sopday mawnin's, an' de ninth mawnin' yo'll meet de devil dere. An' if yo' don' y My Duthin tuh 'im, he won' say nuthin tuh yo'. An' yo' turn rou' a'cone on back. An' yo' kin go down heah tuh de National Bank, any bank yo' want tuh - so ah've hear'd - an' take anythin' out. De law won't bothah yo'. Yo' disappeah. Yo' kin 'tempt [attempt] de cashier, yo' kin 'tempt de dogs, anythin' yo' wanta 'tempt.
Entry 10062
Whut chew call gittin' de black cat bone. Yo' take him intuh de fo'k of de road. Yo' take 'im out tuh de fo'ks of de road an' make a fiah, an' a pot, an' boil it. An' den yo' would take all dese bones, when it boil all tuh pieces, tuh a runnin' stream. An' yo' would put all dose bones in de stream an' de one dat floats up de stream, dat's de one tuh git. An' aftah dat dey'll go back tuh de fo'ks of de road nine nights. Go back evah night fer nine nights an' talk wit de devil. Yo' go dere an' meet de devil dere. An' den aftah dey do dat fer nine nights, dey is through. Dey kin do any- thin' dey wanta do.
(Well, what time do they go out there at night?)
Roun' nine 'clock.
Entry 10077
Yo' git a black cat without any white spots an' take dat cat an' a pot - ketches dat cat an' puts 'im in a pot of hot boilin' watah an' boils dat cat. An' yo' boils him until all de meat comes offa his bones. Den yo' takes dat cat out of de pot an' yo' goes tuh a runnin' stream of watah - jis' let it be a li'le small stream - an' yo' suck each one of de bones [on bank of stream] until yo' come tuh de bone. An' throws 'em all [into stream] until yo' come tuh de one dat goes up de stream. An' de one dat goes up de stream dat's de lucky one if yo' kin git it. An' yo' takes dat an' keeps dat one.
Entry 10092
Dey ketch a black cat with not a spot on 'im an' put it in a pot, put 'im in a pot 'live an' boil 'im till all de meat, yo' know, drop off de bones. An' den dey go to a runnin' stream, a swift runnin' stream of water, an' dey say dey chunk dem - pitch dose bones [into the Water]. An' dey say de one, yo' know, dat comes back down de stream - not go up it - de one dat come back down de stream, turns an'. comes back down de stream or runs back against de water, say dat's de one. Yo' kin put it in yuh mouth an' yo' disappears. Say yo' kin go
[unseen] into banks [and rob them].
Entry 10119
Ah've had a fren' of mine - ah've seen dat. Ah've had a frien' of mine kill a cat, black cat. Jis' taken an' put 'im in de watah live - jis' put in de watah live an' let 'im cook all tuh pieces. But dat's de devil [devil's work]. Let 'im cook all tuh pieces an' put a lid ovah 'im, [keep] dat down. Let 'im cook all tuh pieces when he's live. He took dat cat, when he cook all tuh pieces, he took de right hin' laig of 'is bone den an' throw it in de watah. Hit'll run up [stream]. It shore do. Hit'll run up an' den come back, an' stop an' turn aroun' [and surely bows to you!]. Dat's de lucky bone. But chew don' fin' [find] dat done evah day.
(The right hind leg.)
Dat bone by de j'int [joint].
Entry 10036
Ah hear'd tell of 'em usin' a black cat. Yo' kin take a black cat an' yo' put 'em in a pot of watah, an' let 'im cook till all de meat cook off 'is bones - come off 'is bones. Well, aftah all de meat is off 'is bones, yo' go an' git dem bones. Yo' carry dem bones tuh some runnin' watah an' de bone whut run back up de stream - not where de watah runnin', goin' dat way - yo' git dat bone. Dat's de luckiest thing a man kin git on earth.
Entry 260
A fellah he was born way back in slavery times. Well, yo' know, he's sittin' down talkin' to me an' so he tole me, say, once when he sold hisself to de devil. Say he went out an' got him a real black cat an' after he got dis real black cat, den he'd taken 'im an' he'd boiled 'im till he come tuh boil all tuh pieces. He'd taken him down to a branch where it was runnin' water an' throwed that ovah in dat water an' say an' den a bone, if hit went up de stream - said an' de one dat went up de stream he got dat an' kept it in his pocket an' then he come tuh be whut chew call a half-a-devil - yo' know, a witchcraft. An' says then he went out an' went tuh doin' things yo' know an' says stuff lak dat, so finally one day he tole a fellah, says, "Yo' bettah not leave home." says, "if yo' leave home today yo' gon'a git killed." He says, "Well, why yo' know it?" He says, "Ah jes' seen dat yo' gon'a git killed." An' so - he say dis fellah didn't pay him no 'tention. So he went on an' left home an' said he went out to a picnic. An' when he went out to this picnic, well then - see, him an' a gurl went out to have some intercourse with her an' so he layed down an' so a rattlesnake bit dis couple. An' when de rattlesnake bit him, said, den it killed him. Says den all de people told her dat he's de one dat told him dat he's gon'a git killed if he'd a-went out to dis picnic. So den dey locked him up in jail an' when dey locked him up in jail, why den says dems wanta know why he knowed it. He tole 'em, says, "Well," it jest come to him "jest in a dream dat he's gon'a git killed." "[They] say, "Well, if yo' go home tonight an' if yo' dream anything heah in dis town gon'a happen tomorrow,"' says, "well, we'll let chew loose." So he went on home dat night an' says, when he went back he tole 'em, he says, "Well, de high sheriff in dis town is gon'a git killed tomorrow." An' says - well, dey locked him up 'bout dat an' so when dey locked him up about dat, well, den - said de high sheriff went out to make arrest an' when he went out to make arrest on one brother, said the other brother shot him, says. An' it happened so dey loosed him. So dat's all ah know 'bout dat.
Entry 259
Yo' take a black cat - a real black cat, ain't got nary a spot on him nowhere. Yo' take him outside of [beside] a stream of runnin' water, an' yo' git a iron pot an' put this cat in that iron pot, an' fill it up wit water an' boil de cat - boil him till all de meat come off his bones, till every bone come apart. An' take dis pot an' jest throw de whole pot of bones all ovah in de watah. An' de bone dat goes up de stream - dat's de bone. An' it will make yo' invisible. Yo' use dat bone. Ah've heard of people havin' black cat bones an they could walk in banks - jest like walkin' in dis house heah an' yo' couldn't see'em.
Entry 266
Mah uncle he's one of those type of people - type of fellahs. He takes dat bone - boil 'em into a pot and takes 'em an' throws 'em into running Water - running stream of water. An' de bone dat goes up de stream is de bone, but chew has to turn yo'self to de bone and speak, yo' know, a curse three times - den turn yore back to de bone and pick it up. Pick de bone dat goes up de stream - de good luck bone goes up de stream and all de bad bones goes down stream.
Entry 10027
Boil black cat, everything turns black, headless cow [and other ani- mals] appear, throw boiled cat into running water, bone floats upstream. [This is merely a forks-of-the-road rite at midnight where in the darkness supernatural animals and the devil can be seen in the darkness.] [Mobile, Ala., resume, 860:1.]
The account states that a bone floats upstream; its citation says 'resume'. The bracketed explanation is editorial, and no observed motion or effect is established.
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
Ah've did dat - ah've did dat mahself. Ah've cooked two of 'em
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
[black cats]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
mahself - me an' mah woman cooked one, an' me an' de preachah cook de othah....
editorial recording or production note; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
[He tells a long story to which there is no point except the three bones.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
She takes an',
reported or enacted speech · Current unnamed interviewee · Hattie (as recounted by the interviewee); context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
"Look heah, Doc."
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
Ah went an' look ovah in dere
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
[the pot in which the cat had been boiled]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
. She called me
reported or enacted speech · Current unnamed interviewee · Hattie (as recounted by the interviewee); context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
"Doc,"
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
Hattie did. Yes suh. She emptied it
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
[the boiled cat]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
all ovah in dere, in de
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
[small]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1842
bucket. An' hit wuzn't de bucket full - dat big big black cat.
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
An' ah taken dat an' got on car an' go out back towards - in Savannah it's called East Savannah, an' dey have a East Savannah an' West Savannah. So ah went on out dere an' ah went ovah tuh a friend of mine. Jack Kettle
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
[!]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
wuz his name. He's dead now. An' ah went down to a little stream where nobody wouldn't be dere tuh bothah wit me, yo' know, suh. An' ah had tuh take mah han' in all dat ole slime den. An' yo's tuh search till yo' git evah'thing dat feel like a little gristle. An' ah jes' drop 'em dere an' put 'em in de watah an' dey'd go right on down. De watah wuzn't mo' den dat deep, suh, where yo' kin see de sand. Drop 'em in dere an' dey go on down. An' ah tell yo' whut's a fact. Dere's three bones in a cat. Ah'm be able tuh tell yo' cause ah have did it twice. An' de bones - de right foot bone it's a small bone. None don't go to de top. Dey all goes to de bottom. Dat bone will be turnin' ovah jes' lak a worm. It appears tuh come upstream, an' ah taken it out. Ah found de three.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
(What bones were they? From what part of the body?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
Ah don't know, suh, whethah dey outa de tail or where dey's from. Dey's real small.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
(You got three bones that were going upstream?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
Yessuh, on de bottom of dat sand - on de bottom, yo' know, suh. Be like a worm, jes' be turnin' ovah.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
[The bones don't float upstream on the surface of the water, but tumbled over and over upstream along the bottom of the water.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1843
Ah take it out. Dere three - yes suh, dere really are three. So ah took one dose bones an' sold it fo' $20. Ah had plenty luck....
Nested source context: nested reported speech · Vol. 2, p. 1842
She takes an', "Look heah, Doc." Ah went an' look ovah in dere [the pot in which the cat had been boiled]. She called me "Doc," Hattie did.
locally closed printed account with explicit editorial omission
Explicit editorial omission means locally closed printed account only, never complete original testimony; do not reconstruct the omitted story.
editorially_abridged_printed_account_not_full_event_or_procedure
The editor replaces a long story; do not reconstruct it or call this a complete ritual.
The Hattie quotation is reported dialogue, not a woman present in the interview.
Three bones, uncertain anatomy, bottom-versus-surface motion and sale are source claims; the editor’s explanatory gloss is distinct.
The final ellipsis and omitted material remain visible completeness limits.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 2, p. 1840 · Vol. 2, p. 1841 · Vol. 2, p. 1842 · Vol. 2, p. 1843 · Vol. 2, page image