Subject:Bottle
Other forms: Bottled
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Entry 3119
Yuh take dat [bath] watah, put it in a bottle an' mix it wit wo watah, adx it wit salt an' gunpowdah. Throw dat in de runnin' watah, see. Dat will keeps yuh tied up. Well, it will make yuh lose ami bition fo' de woman dat yuh have, yuh undahstan'; an' it will keep yuh wit a mind - yuh undahstan', yuh will nevah be satisfied where yuh be yet.
Entry 3259
Well, if dis man have any - if he's runnin' aroun' an' if he have any dealin' wit dis woman, she [wife] could take dat piece he use, yo' see, an' put it in some lukewarm watah an' it would clab- bah jis' lak buttahmilk. An' she puts it in a pint bottle. Yo' know, put dis watah in a pint bottle an' let 'im sleep on it three nights an' shake it up each night he sleep on it. An' well, he cain't have nuthin tuh do wit no othah woman. He cain't do dat.
(Who does this now? The wife does that?)
De wife do's it. (When he has connection with her, then she does it. Then he won't have any dealings with any other woman.) See, she have tuh use it. When he gits through, she shouldn't git through. See, jis' let 'im git through, an' den she wipe, yo' know dis rag whut he use it. Well, den she take it an' put it in some lukewarm watah an' it'll clabbah, an' den she puts it in a pint bottle an' den let 'im sleep on it three nights. Put it in de bed where he cain't see it - yo' know, all unknown tuh him, an' let 'im sleep on it three nights, an' den shake it up each mawnin' an' sleep on it, an' it ain't no woman he kin have.
(What would she do with that bottle after he sleeps on it three days?)
She has dat bottle, keeps dat bottle. She kin bury it in de ground, but it ain't nuthin he kin do.
Entry 3294
All right, if a woman or man - if it's anybody wit dere chamber lye, jes' lak yo' go tuh bed, well, she ain't goin' urinate at all in dat bucket, but he don' know no bettah, see. Well, she goin' put dat chamber lye in a little bottle. Dis is anothah thin' dat yo' can't raise no heart fo' nary [negative form of ary] 'nothah [inter- esting double negative] woman but de one dat's doin' dat. Take dat chamber lye an' put it in a bottle jes' about dat large [demon- strates], jes' enough not tuh feel it in de pillah or mattress. But place it on 'is side, see. Now he can't go out wit no othah woman - nuthin, no satis- faction at all.
Entry 3302
She kin take some of 'is uri- nate an' stop it up in a bottle, yo' know, an' set it undahneath 'er bed fo' three days. Aftah dat she take it out from underneath de bed an' boil it. An' den she cut 'im off from othah women.
Entry 3303
Yes, dat's to stop '血, yo' see. Dat's how a man an' wife are fastened like dat - like I had a husban' an' he keeps runnin' aroun' wit diff'ren' women. Well, I'd git 'is watah an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up, turn it upside down. Well, he couldn't make connection wit no othah woman.
(I see, as long as you got that bottle.)
Take dat bottle an' turn it upside down.
Entry 3304
Like, say fer instance, I'm livin' here. I have a wife here. I'm a fellow, I'm accustomed to gittin' up at night an' urine in de night jug. Now, dis: woman wants to - she don't want to kill me or nuthin like dat. She jes wants to harm me so dat she could keep me. Now, she'll take dat, dat urine - see, it mustn't be no watah. She'll take dat urine an' she'll put dat into a quart bottle. She'll put needles into dat. She'll stand it up on de head, anywhere in a cornah. It must be in a cornah so dat yo' can't see it. An' she'll have yo' so dat yo' can't be wit anyone else but 'er. If yo' go to be wit any othah womean, yo' can't do it. Yo' gotta be wit 'er.
Entry 3306
She kin take a man's watah. (Take a man's urine.) Dat's right, an' stop it up in a bottle an' if he goes off from 'er, she kin shake it up - his own urine - he'll fall [his courage will] an' come on home.
Entry 3307
Well, dey'll take dey chamber lye, so dey say, an' dey'll put dragon's blood in it, nine drops. Dey'll put nine pins in it wit de points [up]. Dey'll drop de heads down in dere, an' nine goldeye needles. Den dey'll take dat, dat'll keep a man from havin' intahco'se wit any othah woman but de one dat does it, see.
(The woman who does this.)
De one who does dis. She kin take up de bottle, so she says, an' shake it an' anywhere's he is, he's comin'. If he see death in front of him, he can' [can't] prevent from comin'.
Entry 3308
In othah words, if dis mah wife or mah girl fren', if she want me tuh have her an' nobody else, she take mah watah an' 'er watah togethah an' put so much of hers an' so much of his'n [a change from first to third person] - put it in a bottle an' stop it up tight an' bury. He couldn't raise a heart fo' nobody else but 'er.
Entry 3309
In othah words, see, jes' if yo' got a woman an' yo' an' 'er - yo would like her, yo' undahstan'. Yo' would like dis woman an' yo' couldn't do nuthin in de world, yo' undahstan', to keep dis woman. But here what you'd do. Yo'll take dis woman an', yo' know, fool aroun' wit 'er, yo' see, an' you'll - jes' like yo'll discharge, de man'll discharge, eithah one of 'em [it depends upon which one wants to hold the other]. She take, yo' know, an' [keep it] herself. [Here informant changes from man to woman.] Den she takes a rag an' go off an' strap it down in a bowl, yo' undahstan'. Den she won't dis- charge wit it, yo' undahstan'. [I don't understand.] [This belief of hoodoo makes a woman into a sort of man, a lesser one at that. I have mentioned this problem several times in HOODOO.] An' aftahwards, she jes' take it an' go back an' urinate ovah herself, yo' see, [I mean] ovah hit [man's rag]. Den, aftah dat she take it [with him and her in the rag] an' rinse it out an' wash it, see. Well aftah she rinse it out an' wash it out, she take some of it an' put it down in a bottle, see. An' den when she stop it up, yo' [man] go where yo' want, yo' won't wanta see no othah woman in de world but her, yo' see.
(How can a man get rid of that?)
Well de way I get rid of dat, be jes' a-continue on - keep 'er.
Entry 3310
If it's 'is wife, he natch'ly [naturally] takes de nature of 'is ife away from 'er for anybody but 'imself. An' de way he would do dat, [is] when he has intahco'se wit 'is wife. He buy a bran'-new piece of domestic an' he doesn't use it 'imself, he lets 'er use it aftah dey're finished. An' he has a slop jar washed clean an' see dat he don't use it at all. He waits an lets 'er use it. He won't use it. Den he takes dat urine an' pours it in a fruit jar, an' he puts dat cloth, dat domestic dat dey use, in dere wit 'er urine. An' get a rubbah, put on dat jar an' seal it up tight. An' as long as no air strikes it, she has no nature but for de one dat put dat in dat jar. [Hemphis, Tenn., (973), 1575:4.]
Entry 3311
Dey takes dat chamber lye, yeah, from a man or coman, don make any diff'rent. Dey tell me - jes' lak ah got a wife an' ah vanta take her courage down offa her fo' anybodys else but me, an' ah git 'er urine an' stop it uP. Take a piece of 'er garment dat she wears nex' to her skin - see, make no diff'rent if it 'er stockin' or 'er drawahs or whatsomevah it may be. An' yo' burn dat, see. Yo' burn dat anywhere so yo' kin git de ashes. Well, yo' po' dat into dat chamber lye an' stop it jes' as tight as yo' kin stop it, an' yo' stop 'er courage right dere until yo' git ready fo' her. Den yo' holds 'er dere until yo' git ready to turn 'er loose, so she can't have any othah mans. She might try to an' would do it, but it wouldn' do her any - she would [not] find any result of it.
(What do you put her chamber lye in?)
In a bottle. Put dat burnin' [burned] stuff [ashes] - set it anywheres in de house commonly.
Entry 3315
Well, if a person wanted to trick yo' some way in de chamber lye. All right, yo' have to eithah ketch dere natchal [natural] chamber lye or either ketch where dey put de chamber lye at. It's lak if he go out dere an' he let it on de ground some place it will always leaves a little hole in de ground. Well, yo' prob'bly take a pocketknife or sompin an' cut dat hole out. Den yo' take itan punch it into a bottle, an' yo' take aftah yo' punch it into dat bottle, yo' git some John de Conkah root an' yo' put dat John de Conkah root in dat bottle an' stop it up. Den yo' walk fo' steps farwards, eight steps backwards, an' turn facin' to de watah stream, an' walk to de watah stream an' throw it in dere. Dat's de last of yo'.
(Well, just what would that do to me?)
It will take yo' courage clean from yo'. Yo' wouldn't have any courage fo' no woman whatevah, no mo', long as yo' live on land. No doctors kin bring it back, unlessen. (These steps forwards and backwards, do you do that before you go down to the running water? Or do you go down to the running water to do those?) Yo' go to de runnin' watah, an' den, aftah yo' git to de runnin' watah, yo make - jes' close enough fo' yo' to throw it in. Yo' make three [four] steps backwards, den eight steps farwards [informant inverts or transposes number of steps] an' den throw yo' bottle ovahbo'd.
Entry 3318
If a man or a woman wants tuh stop yo' from runnin' aftah anothah woman, she git chure urinate watah an' bottle it up, an' she'll take a auger an' bo' a hole in a tree [put the bottle in and stop it up]. It'll kill yore courage fo'evah. Yo' nevah have no nature - yo' wouldn't have any fo' her or nobody else.
Entry 3847
De blood, yo' could take dat an' yo could put dat in a bot- tle. Yo' stop dat up, yo' put dat in a bottle. An' yo' put red peppah, sulphuh an' gunpowdah in dat. An' yo' stop dat up airtight, a person blood, an' dat stop dat blood from trans- mission. Dat stop dere passin' of de blood.
(The blood from any part of the body?)
Yeah.
Entry 3869
Maybe yo' kin jes' ketch hold of 'em, yo' see, git hold of 'er - her sickness, yo' undahstand what I mean. Ministratin', yo' take dat an' yo' put dat in a bottle. Yo' un- dahstan', piece of it, piece of cloth or whatsomevah she use - cotton, whatevah it be. Take dat an' put it in a bottle. An' git yo' some of dis, de same thin' yo' call devil's-shoe- string see, [and] one of dose bottle of Hearts Cologne, an' one of High John de Conker. An' put dat in dere an' git yo' two nails an' one needle, see. If yo wanta, yo' could put three nails an' two needles, see. Den when yo' put de three nails an' two needles, why one of de nails counts fer de - one fer de Fathah, one fer de Son, an' one fer de Holy Ghost. An' put dat in a bottle togethah an' dem two nails [needles] count fer de conkerin' of de world. Put dat in a bottle to- gethah wit yore urinate, see. An' mix 'em an' stop it up tight, an' bury dat undah yore steps. An' whenevah she kin go; but she won't stay gone, see.
Entry 3914
(What do they say about that?)
Dey say dey kin take de dirt out from undah yore toenails, an' de dirt out from undah yore fingahnails, some hair outa yore haid, an' wit de lady people, yo' know, wit de changes of de moon. An' put all togethah an' put hit in a bottle an' stop it up, an' as hit grow old as dey fade away. (As it grows old they fade away. I see. Do you mean, get hold of a woman's monthly cloth?)
[I am asking for the meaning of his de changes of de moon.]
Yes, sir.
Entry 3926
A woman, dey kin take her min'stration an' a piece yo' know, an' dey kin throw it in de rivah or yo' kin bury it. If yo' bury it, it will kill 'er; if yo' throw it in de rivah, it will run 'er an' she'll nevah come back. But dey dresses it. See dey puts dis powdahs on it, incense powdah, an' yo' pin it up wit new pins, bran'-new pins in a bottle.
Entry 3969
Ah tell yo' anothah thin' - jes' lak if yore wife goin' wit a man an' yo' try tuh make her stay home an' not run around so much, an' yo' say, "Well, ah druthah see her daid den tuh be wit anybody else." An' when, yo' know her periods is on. Well, yo' know womens gen'a'ly [generally] have a little sack dat dey put de intahco'se rags in an' thin's lak dat. Yo' wait until yuh git a good fresh piece she jes' pull off, see. Jes' take dat an' squeeze jes' as much of dat out as yuh kin in a little ole cup, or sompin whut chew ain't goin' use no mo'. Stop dat up in a bottle jes' as tight as yo' kin, an' yuh go tuh de rivah where de rivah's goin' out [with the tide] an' throw it jes' as fur as yuh kin git it in de middle an' tell 'er, "Go, yo' damn son-of-a-bitch." See! Won't be long 'fore she be gone cuz dat'll stop it - bam! - on 'er. See, she won't become umwell any mo'.
Entry 3971
Dere a man, his wife wuz runnin' roun', an' aftah she got de ronin' fit, she didn't want 'im. An' he wuz wondahin' how would he do tuh make her wanta leave 'em off. So he jes' got tuh thinkin' roun' an' he said, "Well, ah'll know whut ah'll do." He says, "Ah'll git even wit 'er. Ah'll put 'er away." So he got a li'le dirt outa her laig track - got dat. Den he got a li'le of 'er monthly periods an' he put dat in a bottle, an' he stopped it up an' he taken dat tuh runnin' watah. He taken it down dere about sundown, right aftah it wuz dark, an' it wuz tied dere. An' as long as dat bottle bobbled [bobbed] on de watah, her mind would go. An' she finely [finally] went until she run crazy. Huh mind run clean away from huh. An' he nevah seen [her] from dat day he did dat until she died.
Entry 3979
An' den yo' kin take de ministration blood, or eithah when a man have a connection wit a woman, jes' if yo' kin ketch dat. Yo' jes' ketch dat an' take it an' put it in a bottle, an' stop it up tight an' throw it into de runnin' watah, an' dat'll run 'em crazy.
(You don't do anything with the blood?)
Yeah, yo' kin do it wit dat.
(Oh, you do a woman the same way with her blood.)
Yes sir. [Florence, S. Car., (1324), 2268:9.] [As always in a section like URINE, more material is scattered through the text of HooDoO. What we have here will give us a general idea regarding the vastness of the subject. These rites are given in alphabetical order.]
Entry 3996
Yo' put some yore chamber lye intuh a vial, an' put some Heart Cologne in dere, put some Eve-an'-Adam in dere. Den yo' po' de least bit of dat watah out of dat vial in yore han's an' rub it In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost, an' den goes tuh work an' shuffle yore cards. An' derefo' yo' will have luck ingamblin'. (What is the other way of getting a job?) De nex' way dat chew could git it, take yore same watah dat chew shuffle yore cards wit. Take some of yore chamber lye an' put it into a vial an' put some Heart Cologne in dat, an' Eve-an'-Adam into it - dat vial. Rub it into yore han's thoroughly, In de Name of de Fathah, an' dress yo'self down three times an' make yore wish. An' go an' have a talk wit 'im an' he'll think about it.
(You get the job from the boss?)
Yes.
Entry 4054
Yo' take dat an' stop it up in a bottle. (Take what?) chamber lye - pee-pee. Yuh take dat an' yuh stop dat in a bottle, an' turn it upside down an' bury it in de groun' undah a step, an' dat'll swell 'em up. Dey cain't make watah - till dey die.
Entry 4070
Den yo' kin jis' take his chamber lye an' jis' put it in a bottle an' put it down undah yore hearth right by de fiah yo' know, where it won't break. [They] say put it down in dere. Dat is if yo' wants tuh kill 'em or do sompin lak dat - wanta make him lingah or suffah 'fo' [before] he die, an' cuzin' [causing] dat watah tuh dry up in dat bottle from de heat. An' dat's how it dry up in 'is bladdah.
Entry 4073
(Any other way she can make him come back to her?)
She kin do - she take nine needles an' nine pins an' put 'em in a bottle head an' tail, an' call 'is name evah time [she drops a needle or pin]. An' full de bottle full wit 'er chamber lye. An' cork it up tight an' make a fiah an' put dat bottle in de fiah, an' when it bust, call dey name. In 24 hours time he has tuh come tuh 'er runnin' - no mattah where he be, have tuh come tuh 'er.
Entry 4141
I heard this from an old man in Hick'ry [Hickory], N. Car., said that he could take a man's watah an' bottle it up with graveyard dirt, pins an' nee- dles, an' 'twould stop the ureene [urine]. An' that would be the cause of his death. [I had stayed the night at Hickory in 1922 (see vol.1, p. XXVIII), where I first heard the radio.]
Entry 4142
Now dey kin take dat chamber lye an' den dey kin take peppah an' put it wit dat chamber lye, an' put it into a bottle an' stop it up airtight, an' take it tuh a cemetery and bury it. An' den dat will effect yuh. Or in othah words, if somebody done somepin tuh yuh an' [you are unable to find that bottle], now de thing of it is, IF DEY [the spell caster] DIES BEFORE DAT YUH GIT DAT OFF YUH, WHY CONSEQUENTLY DEN DAT'S [the spell is never going to be taken off. See IF EVIL-DOER DIES, SPELL INCURABLE, P.396].
Entry 4155
Take dey chamber lye an' make yuh so dat chew can't make watah. Well dey takes it from yuh an' save it, an' dey git a stran' of yuh hair out chure haid, an' put in it an' let it stay fo' five weeks. Well, aftah dose five weeks dey mix some sulphur wit it an' dey put dat in dere an' dey put a little salt, red peppah, yuh know, whut grows on bushes. Den yuh can't make no watah.
(Where do they put all those things?)
Where dey keep it, puts it in a bottle, airtight so no air can't git in it, an' it stay in dere.
Entry 4156
If dey wanna go ag'in - tuh keep 'em from goin' ag'in, yuh'll have tuh clip a piece from she [demonstrates].
(From the top of her head.)
An' a piece from she private an' put it in de bottle wit nine needles, an' take yuh chamber lye an' some German Heart Cologne, an' mix it tuhgethah an' hol' dat in yuh pocket fer de fus' [first] nine mawn- in's. An' den take it an' po' it in one of yuh suits, an' she will nevah go tuh dat pocket tuh take it out. An' SHE'LL STAY DERE FOREVAH AN' FOREVAH.
(I see. That keeps her.)
Entry 4161
If a person is a enemy tuh yuh, now dey kin take yuh chamber lye an' stop yuh watah completely. An' dey take dat bottle an' stop it up as tight as dey kin git it, an' dey kin take it undah de back do'step or eithah in de no'th cornah up undah de house an' bury 'em dere. Yuh put such a po'tion [portion]- yuh leave a po'tion, enough of it out, dat chew kin take a hammah an' go dere an' hit fo' nine mawnin's befo' sunrise, an' it will stop yuh watah completely. An' IF IT AIN'T REMOVED, IT WILL CARRY YUH TUH DE CEMETERY.
(What do they hit? Do they hit the bottle?)
Yes, dey hit de bottle. Dey have it tight down - de bottle, dey covah [pack] it tight down, an' de' hit it fo' nine mawnin's. (What did they do with the other water? You said they poured a portion out didn't you?) No sir. Dey po' whut dey ketch, undahstan'. Jes' lak if dey wanted tuh ketch yuh watah tuh do yuh harm, undahstan'. If dey can't git tuh de chambah in de house, undahstan', dey'd set it up somewhere undah yuh labor'tory [lavatory] - mo' [more] specially if it's out [outside the house] - an' ketch it dataway. An' ketch enough tuh fill up dat little vial.
(Well, wouldn't the hitting break that bottle?)
No sir.
(They don't hit it hard enough?)
No, jis' hard enough tuh drive it down.
Entry 4163
Yuh kin take dere chamber lye an' stop it up in a bottle. Evah mawnin' hit de stoppah. It'll have yuh so yuh'll have gravel stones or can't pee - ruin yuh dataway. (Hit it for nine morn- ings.) Nine mawnin's. Jis' one little lick.
Entry 4164
Yuh kin take a person chamber lye an' put it in a bottle, an' put a stoppah in it an' put it intuh a dry place, in a dark place where no air cain't hit it. An' yuh kin go to dat bottle evah day fo' nine days an' knock on dat stoppah, an' de las' day yuh hit on dat stop- pah an' drive dat stoPpah up. DAT PERSON WILL BUST OPEN.
Entry 4167
Then again, if you want to harm your neighbor, if you want to keep him away from this place, from your home, you just go and get a bottle about that long. You put your [his] water in it. You hold it between your fin- gers like that, your two middle fin- gers [of the left hand], you hold it tight, and you say: Lord, Jesus Christ, your Nomesake. T Then you put the stopper right in. And when you bury it, you bury it [upright] just level with the ground. And IN NINE DAYS THAT WILL TAKE HIM OFF THIS EARTH. That stops his Water when he steps over it. IF YOU WANT TO TURN HIM LOOSE, YOU HAVE TO TURN HIM LOOSE IN EIGHT DAYS.
Entry 4178
Yo' kin git ten penny nails, don't chew undahstan', an' brass pins. Yo' kin put 'em in a bottle wit de urine an' stop it up an' it'll set choo crazy. It'll stay in dere an' yo'll suffah clean till dey let choo out. Well, dat's mean, don't choo know. When dey let choo out, yo' got tuh git somebody [to help yuh], don't choo undahstan'.
(Why do they do that?)
Becuz dey're mad an' jealous of yo' gittin' along, an' do somepin tuh yo', don't choo know, so dat choo cain't have no luck.
(What do they do with this bottle?)
Dey buries it, buries it down in de groun' bottom upwards dey tell me.
Entry 4181
Dey stop yuh watah.
(How do they do that?)
See, dey take yuh chamber lye an' put it in a bottle. Dey'll take yuh chamber lye an' dey'll' put it in a bottle, an' den dey'll take an' put yuh name in dat bottle - put it in dere. Den dey'll take an' dey'll stop dat bottle up tight - tight - tight. An' dey'll git some hot pepper an' put it in dat bottle. An' yuh see, den dey'll take an' stop dat bottle up tight an' bury dat bottle upside down. You see? An' dat stops yuh watah up - stop yuh from peein' an' gives yuh a gripe from all ways in yuh stomik. An' yuh can't pee good.
Entry 4184
[More calZing rites will be found later under SHAKING BOTTLED URINE.]
Well, in de night when yo' go tuh baid, ah wouldn't use no slop jah [jar] at all, see. Jes' lak ah wanta trick a gal, ah would let she [not her] urinate intuh dat jah, see. Ah'd git me a bottle an' ah'll put some her urinate in it, see. Dat's all ah want, de urinate, an' ah don' wan' nuthin else. Ah'll git dat urinate an' put it intuh a little vial bottle. An' aftah ah git de urinate, ah'll call 'er an' ah'll git 'er voice. Git 'er voice an' 'er urinate in dat bottle. An when ah call 'er an' she answah, why ah'll jes' put dat stoppah in dat bottle. An' why? Ah got 'er urinate an' 'er voice, see. An' she can't jes' left me fer nuthin in de world. [While machine turned off, informant tells about care of bottle.]
(And you carry that around? Tote it around?)
OR YO' KIN LEAVE IT AT HOME, BE ALL RIGHT; EITHAH TOTE IT AROUN' WIT CHEW. IF YO' TOTE IT AROUN', WHY SHE'LL HOUND JOO TUH DEATH. SEE, IT BES' TUH LEAVE IT AT HOME.
Entry 4185
See, yo' kin take a man's chamber lye, yo' undahstan' me, an' yo' kin put it in a bottle, an' yo' kin git 'if lef'-foot track, an' yo' kin git jes' a little tiny bit of powdah'd alum an' put dat in dere, an' yo' kin git a table- spoonfulla yores. (Of your what?) Of yore - yo' undahstan' me, yeah, of yuh chamber lye. An' yo' could step in one room an' let 'im be in anothah, an' yo' could call 'im. An' when he an- swah yo', jes' stop it up tight. An' bury it tuh de back steps or de front steps, an' dat will always keep 'im wit chew. Ah know dat mahsel' [myself].
Entry 4193
She take her husban' urinate an' she put it in a bottle an' she put nine needles wit it an' she stopped dat up an' she put it in de bed where he wuz sleepin' at fo' nine nights. An' aftah dem nine nights she take it an' she bury it undah de steps, an' she did dat tuh keep 'im at home an' so he won' go wit no one else but 'er. An' she say he stayed undah 'er feet so much until she wanta let it go. Yes, he stayed undah 'er feet all de time an' didn't go wit no one else but 'er. Dat whut she did it fo'. He stayed at home all de time. She did it tuh stop 'im from runnin' roun'.
Entry 4198
Yuh kin take a person chamber lye an' put nine brass pins in it - any- body chamber lye - kin put nine brass pins in it an' put it intuh a dry place where it will be air- tight, where no light can't hit it, an' as long as dat pins an' dat chamber lye is stopped up in dat bottle, dat person al- ways complain of pains in dere stomick.
(That gives them stomach pains.)
Entry 4202
Dey'll take dat urine an' dey'll put it in a bottle an' dey'll apply cinnamay [cinnamon] powdah tuh dat urine, mixin' dat an' de urine, sugah, nine needles an' nine pins. Bury dat where de individual pass at an' dat'll keep 'em accustomary goin' nowhere. When de sun is down, dey min' [mind] not care whut kinda powdah dey be in. It'd make 'em very home [sick], dere min' will refer back home whensomevah de sun go down, regardless of how gran' de party be, yuh can't keep 'em from home.
Entry 4216
Dey takes de chamber lye an' stop it up in a bottle an' bury it undah de steps of de house at de no'th corner an' dat, yo' know, stops dere watah an' all.
Entry 4217
Dey say dey kin take dat, dis chamber lye. take dat an' put it in a bottle, cork it up tight an' bury it in de no'th side of de house. (What will that do?) Dey say dat would cuz, would put ovah [accomplish] whatevah dey desire tuh do wit chuh. Whatevah dey wanta do, say dat would carry yuh in dat work.
Entry 4223
Dey say dey kin take a man's watah an' put it in a Coca Cola bottle, an' dey kin go tuh de drug sto' an' git dis stuff in de drug sto' called Fo'get- Me-Not [perfume] an' dey kin put it in dat watah, an' bury dat bottle in de yard an' dat man will set roun' dat house. Ah've seen dat done. Ah've seen a woman do so, an' she kin feed 'im jis' lak a baby - bring 'is meal to 'im an' he sit dere an' cry. He can't even holler.
Entry 4231
Evah time have tuh ketch some of 'er watah, an' she be lak dat [preg- nant], dey stop it up. An' dey put diff'ren' thin's. Dey puts graveyard dirt an' diff'ren' thin's in 'er wa- tah, an' fix evahthin' bad in dat bottle an' seal it up an' put it upside down. An' den de baby git crossed in 'er an' apt tuh kill 'er an' de baby.
(That's to fix a woman who is carrying a baby.)
Entry 4239
If dey take yuh urine, dey kin have yuh so dat yuh can't make yuh watah.
(How would they do that?)
Dey'd take yuh urine an' put in a bottle an' dey'd stop salt an' peppah up in dis bottle, an' dey turn dat bottle upside down an' bury it, an' jis' let it stay dere. When dat cork dissolves an' dat watah, urine drains outa dat, dat pines yuh away.
Entry 4252
[One of the amazing rites of HOODOO is the shaking of bottled urine. The following submargin titles show great diversity. Other examples will be found in the text of these volumes.] Take a man's chamber lye an' yore chamber lye an' stop it up in a bottle an' he cain't go away. (The man or [and] the woman, puts those two together?) Tuhgethah. An' dat jes' places 'im right at home.
(What does she do with that bottle then?)
She takes it an' put it in a secret place. An' evah times he goes out - he goes out - she shakes it up. Dat's whut ah heard. An' when she shake up, an' den 'is mine [mind] strike him tuh come back home, yo' see.
Entry 4255
Ef he leave home - go an' quit me fer somebody else - 'fo' [before] he leave home ah won't be dere, but ah'll jes' take his urine an' ah'll take dat an put it in a bottle. An' fer nine days, evah time he'll go off, ah'll jes' shake dat bottle three times lak dat [demonstrates] an' he'll soon come back.
Entry 4278
Put soda in it. (Put soda in the chamber lye?) Yes sir, put soda in it. Jis' lak if yuh wuz layin' down tuh sleep, or me, an' when we git up through de night, someone ease [into] our room an' git dat stuff an' bottle it up an' put some soda or somepin in it an' dey bury it. An' de nex' time yuh git ready tuh do dat, it will stop on yuh an' give yuh pain.
(You mean some man or woman will get it?)
No, de man kin be alone.
(Or the woman alone.)
Yes.
(They only do this with your own chamber lye?)
Yes. (They put the soda or something in it and then they bury this.)
Entry 4279
Yuh take dis chamber lye an' put it in a bag [bottle] an' git some soda an' put in dat. An' break de walls, de plastahin' in de house, anywhere in de house, an' keep it dere in dat, keep it stopped up. Dat will keep )'im an' make him love yuh an' stay roun' home.
Entry 4282
Well, ah seen 'em spit in yuh pee, whut chew pee in. It wuz all took up an' put in a bottle. All dat wuz put in a bottle an' dey put cayenne peppah in dat. Dey put sugah in dat an' set it behin' de bed, an' let it stay 'hin' de bed fo' three days.
Entry 4283
Dey take yuh chamber lye an' stop it up in a bottle, an' lak if ah want chew tuh love me, take dat an' put some sugah in it, an' stop it up in a bottle an' keep it dere until de bottle busts. (Then what would happen?) Yo' couldn't live.
(Whose chamber lye would you put in that bottle?)
Yuhs, yuhs an' mine.
(They would mix up both the man's and the woman's? That would kill you then?)
Yes.
Entry 4297
Well, dere's some piece of yuh [a man's] clothes she kin git an' wash 'em tuhgethah wit hers, an' take de suds offa dat watah an' she kin stop it up in a bottle. An' she kin take a little bit of it, an' if she kin git a holt of a little bit of 'is urine, an' she kin git dat an' stop it up in dere, shut it up tight, purtty soon he'll come back.
Entry 4333
Tells me dey stop it [urine] up in a bottle an' goes tuh de no'th side of a tree, an' take a augah an' bore a hole in dat. An' stop it - stop de bottle up wit a stoppah, an' den trim yuh a peg an' drive it in dere, in dat hole, an' yuh can't make watah, can't make watah until yuh let it out [of the bottle].
(They fix up [cunjure] your water in that bottle.
Entry 4337
Take dere chamber lye an' make dem stay wit yuh or love yuh or be roun' yuh. Or yuh kin take dat chamber lye - well, ah know dey done mah brothah-in-law lak dat one time. Dey took 'is chamber lye an' put it in a bottle, an' den put it up in a tree above his haid, an' had 'im hangin' up dere all de time. Said dat'd keep 'im sick an' stop 'is watah jis' lak he had gravels or sompin lak dat.
Entry 4339
Some persons cork it in tight bottles an' concrete de top [= cement, tighten top with sealing wax, etc.] an' turn it down, an' let it stay in de groun' so many days, an' yo' will [begin] tuh weakenin' from de bottle. An' if yo' don't find 'at bottle an' let dat urinate out, yo'll fin'lly swell up as wit dropsy an' die.
Entry 4341
Dey take yuh urine an' dey put it in a bottle. Aftah dey put dat urine in a bottle, dey'll stop it up wit a rubbah cork [rubber cork is unusual]. Yuh'll stop dat bottle up wit a rubbah cork an' care [carry] it tuh de Mississippi, tuh de rivah yuh know - tuh any rivah where dere's runnin watah, so it only runnin' watah - an' throw it in dere. Dat'll stop yuh from urinatin'.
Entry 4346
Well, yuh kin take - which ah've heard - take de urine of a person an' stop it in a bottle an' put it in de rivah. But choo don't - yuh tie de bottle, yuh tie de head of de bot- tle wit a string, jis' let dat stay in de watah. But choo don' let it float on wit de rivah, jis' let it stay on de watah. An' tie it on de bank somewhere an' let it stay tuh a hidden place where nobody will evah find it. As long as dat - evah time de woman or man will git ready tuh urinate, dey have a hard time doin' it.
Entry 4347
Tuh work in [on] yuh mind, cause yuh tuh lose yuh mind or somepin like dat, why dey could git hold of yuh - well, if dey git hold of yuh urine or any- thin' of dat kind, why dey will put it into a bottle. An' dey carry it tuh runnin' watah an' dey throw it in dere. An' by washin' it dataway, why it takes yuh mind from yuh, cause yuh tuh become mindless.
(Do they throw that any special way or just throw it in?)
Yeah, dey claim dey throw it towards de east.
Entry 4349
Well, jis' lak if yuh wants tuh harm a person, yuh see, lak dat, or yuh wanta git dat yuh might got 'em down undah yore feet tuh a certain point. An' yuh take dat hair an' yuh put it in a bot- tle, but chew put in it chamber lye an' salt. An' den yuh stop dat bottle tight, an' den yo' kin bury dat bottle or chunk it in runnin' watah - eithah one of dem things. Dat's whut de story ah got. Well, each one of 'em will harm yuh.
Entry 4350
Take a bottle wit dey urine, of anyone, in dere. Yuh kin put dey names jis' de same in de bottle an' yuh'll go tuh de rivah. An' yuh'll say bad words an' yuh'll curse an' yuh'll throw dat ovah de lef' shouldah. Well, yuh see dey goin' crazy.
Entry 4352
Den dey kin take de chamber lye ag'in an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up tight an' name it. De person whosomevah de chamber lye is, name it. Call 'em dat name an' stop it up in dere an' carry it tuh watah dat's runnin' on, an' yo'll throw it in dere. (How do you throw it?) Jis' take it an' jis' walk tuh de creek wit it. Don't look at it. Walk tuh de creek an' jis', 'Yuh devil yuh go!" An' cast it away. Den walk on back but don't look back at it. An' dat stop 'em. Dat harms 'em, see. Dat will check 'em yuh see.
(How?)
As long as dat bottle stop up tuhgethah, cain't make no watah.
Entry 4353
Put it in a bottle an' stop it up, an' throw it in runnin' watah an' if yuh don' git it, yuh'll soon pass away. (Put this person's chamber lye in it?) Yessuh, stop it up an' seven broken needles, an' throw it in runnin' watah. Or eithah bury it up undah de back steps where dey live at. Bury it up undah where dey go in de mo.st. Yo' put it up undah dere wit de neck down.
(What will that do to them then?)
Dat will kill 'em, dat git rid of 'em.
Entry 4354
Oh! a person kin do a lot wit dat.
(Well, what for example? One thing.)
One thing, yuh kin take dat.
(This chamber lye.)
Put it in a bottle, put some lodestone in it, steel dust, nine pins an' nine needles. Turn it upside down in yuh home. Dat would make a man stay. Yuh kin take it an' do dat wit it. If yuh want tuh harm 'em, yo' take dere pee an' stop it up in bottle wit a new stopper an' bury it: Bury it where dere's no watah, an' when dat bottle busts, dey will die. But if yuh jis' wants 'em, have dem beggered an' be wit yuh, put it undah de hydrant [considered run- ning water] where it's cool, dat watah, an' dat bottle will nevah - nevah bust, cuz de watah, it won't sour. It'll keep it cool. But yuh see, dat stuff, well hit gits strong in a bottle somewhere up in a warm place. Yuh know yuhself it will bust. Well, when it busts, dat's de last of a person.
Entry 4355
Takes it from [demonstrates] de top an' de side an' here.
(The top and both sides, the hair.)
An' tells me dat dey puts it in a bottle wit red flannel, nine new needles an' pins.
(How many pins?)
Nine. An' git some of yuh urine, stops it up, turn it [bottle] bottom up- wards. Jis' as it dreeps [drips] out, jis' as yuh dwindle away. An' den when dey don't turn it bottom upwards dey throw it in de rivah. Drive yuh - Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft: Rdtvorl crazy. Dat's what dey say dat dey kin do wit it.
(If they turn it upside down?)
Yuh pines away, an' if it's throwed in de rivah in quick runnin' watah, yuh'll go crazy. [Washington, D.c., (628), 805:9.]
Entry 4358
I've seen this experimented to get rid of a man. I mean to make him leave town. Get a little of his urine, be sure it's all his, put it in a bottle, get a cigar box, put it in that, and one of his socks, just one of his socks, in the box, let it be dirty, wrap that box up, wrap it just the same as a piece of paper, throw it in running water so it'll go down the stream, it will not sink, and he'll leave town. Both the bottle and sock in there.
Entry 4359
Dat's anothah dangerous piece. Dey take yuh chamber lye an' put it in a bottle an' cork 'em tight, an' t'row 'em in de rivah an' yuh commence tuh swell up - yuh neck [of your penis] will. Evah time when de tide go or come, yuh try tuh go [urinate] or somepin, it swell up. De tide got a lot tuh do wit dese t'in's. When de tide go down, yuh all right. Den when it comes back up, dat's [that swelling's] dere. An' yuh will always be interrogated [irritated], yuh nevah know how de nex' t'in' will fall. Dey kin take dat [urine] an' do dis wit it.
Entry 4361
Well, if dey wan' 'im tuh go away, dey will take a lock of de right head - hair on de right side, two or three locks of it - right side of de head, an' put it in a bot- tle an' put some urine in it, an' throw it away in a stream dat goes - tuh a stream dat goes up [river], carry it up, so dey [he] will go. Well, it's jis' de opposite if dey wan' 'im tuh come back, dey take it [hair] off de left side an' throw it in a stream comin' in tuh 'em - vice aversy. [This is a tide- water stream, coming in and going out.]
Entry 4387
Well, yuh see, dey kin take de action of yuh an' put some wha' choc call Hot Foot Powdah.
(What do they call it? Hot Foot Powdah?)
Hot Foot Powdah.
(Where do they get that?)
Sen' off an' git it. An' take it an' mix it up wit de action an' put some cayenne peppah in dere an' git a stoppah. It's a kin' of a cork whut chew buy, a square block cork. An' take de fo' cornahs off dat square cork, yuh see. It's called de dragon cork. (Where do you get that?) Send off an' git it. An' take it wit dat action an' take dat powdah whut dey call Hot Foot Powdah, an' put five grains of whole grain black pepper in it. An' roll it up an' write dat individual's name, who dat action come from. An' roll dat up in de papah where dat name is wrote, an' burn it up. An' dose folks will have a bad 'tack [attack (of)] lock bowels an' kill 'em, dere wouldn't be nuthin unlock de bowels.
Entry 4425
Yuh kin take dis person's or individual's where he go an' do his job - this, ah [mean], yuh lgc, manure.
(Manure?)
Manure, yuh umadahstan', where he done go an' do his job, see. All right. Yuh gits jis' enough of dat tuh, yuh know, do what yuh want wit it. An' den yuh takes dis needle. (Just one?) Jis' one needle, an' yuh brings dis an' yuh hangs it up high jis' about - if he six feet, yuh hang it seven feet an' stick dis needle in it. An' as yuh stick dat needle in it, an' dat's seven fet above 'im, dat's a feet above hi - he's six, yuh make it seven. An' den as yuh do dat, why let it stay dere nine days. An' aftah nine days, de individual will be mentally unbalanced.
(What did you put that stuff in?)
Yuh stop it up in a bottle. An' den yuh wrap a papah or rag, anything aroun' it, an' den yuh stick it up about a feet highah dan he is.
(Hang it anywhere?)
Hang it on a tree - hang it up on a tree, a limb of a tree.
Entry 4438
Well now, ah learnt dat de passin' of a man's bowels, dey tell me dey do somepin wit it. Yuh want tuh know whut dey kin do. Dey'll take dat up an' dey'll put it in a bottle an' dey'll stop it up tight, airtight. An' dey'll carry it somewhere, an' git dem a augah, see, an' bo' a hole at de root of a tree. One dese li'le small bottle an' git chew a good augah an' bo' a hole in de tree. An' den yuh put dat in dere an' put a peg in dere. HE'LL NEVAH [wake] NO MO' TILL HE HEAR DE FIRST TRUMPET.
Entry 4481
[While my machine was stopped, informant mentioned bath water.]
(What can you do with that?)
Well, dey kin take [bath water] an' put it in a bottle an' go tuh a green tree. What I mean by a green tree, when de sap is runnin'. Understan'? An' put it in dat tree, stop it up in dere jis' de same as takin' dere urine an' do de same thin'. Or if dey make a passage [of excrement], do de same thin'. An' dey'll pale yuh away jis' dry yuh up, yuh see. Jes' a slow death from mah undahstan'in'.
(They use your bath water the same way?)
[This question is to make certain the word bath water was recorded.]
Yes sir.
Entry 4482
(How do you do that?)
Yuh kin take bath watah an' jes' make a person jes' pale away. Dey won't be sick or nuthin of de kin' like dat, but yuh kin put 'em on a [what? Drag?].
(How do you do it?)
Yuh takes an' yuh bottles it up an' yuh buries it. (This bath water?) Yes sir. (I see. What does that do to them?) Jes' pale 'em - make 'em pale away.
(Oh! it makes him pale away.)
Entry 4485
They kin take the water that you bathe in and use it, and if properly used give you some kind of a ailments in your skin. If they take that water and put sulphur in it and put it in a bottle and stop it up, your skin will break out with some kind of disease - something like itch or nettZe- rash or something. It will always continue to be thataway. Of course, I don't know that you couldn't go to a doctor [M.D.] and get shots or somepin. [HERE IS A MEMORABLE STATEMENT! INFORMANT THINKS IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO GO TO A DOCTOR (M.D.) FOR SHOTS TO CURE AN ITCH CAUSED BY HOODOO! A hundred times or more in HOODOO a Doctor of Medicine is dismissed as useless for hoodoo; in fact for most ailments. FOR A GOOD ACCOUNT OF THIS SITUATION BACK IN 1938 AT MOBILE, DESCRIBED BY PROFESSIONAL ROOT SELLER, See 12, p.11f.]
Entry 4488
Well, dey jes' take de watah an' kinda jes' skim it off de top-like de grease-like.
(Of your bath water?)
Uh-huh an' dey'd put it in a bottle an' stop it down an' - dat's if dey is against yuh - an' dat will jes' run yo' away from around dem, too. [Intention here is more important than symbolism.]
Entry 4498
When yuh wash yuh face an' han's, dey kin jes' take a little watah an' ketch some of dat watah an' stop it up befo' yuh throw it out. Dat'll.bring yuh back. An' dey say yuh kin go roun' de cornah [of house? street?] an' dey shake it an' yuh gotta come back.
Entry 4499
Well, if yuh've taken a bath in watah. Yuh see, when yuh bath yuhself, dat gets a certaln portion of yuh body off - dat perspiration of yuh body, see. Yuh washes off in dat. Dey take dat watah an' dey will stop it up in a bottle, yuh see. Well, it's quite natchal [natural] dat watah will sour, yuh see. Den dey take some sugah an' dey sweeten dat watah. Well, anything dat yuh sweeten will create an asick [acid] right away, yuh see. Dey take an' put dat in a bottle. Dey stop it up, see. Aftah dey stops it up, dey sets dat bottle upside down, yuh undahstan'. Evah once in awhile dey go in an' dey shake dat up. Dat shakes dat asick up in dat bottle, yuh see. An' when dey shakes dat asick up in dat bottle, dat starts yuh tuh burnin' an' eetchin' [itch- ing] all ovah, yuh see, an' yuh can't be peaceful nowheres. Yuh can't rest, it keep yuh tormented all de time.
Entry 4532
Dey kin git 'is sweatban' too an' give him anothah spell. Git 'is sweatban' outa his hat an' put it in a bottle. Yassuh [yes sir], take a bottle an' put it in a bottle, an' put a cork stoppah in dis heah bottle an' fasten it up an' keep dat ban'. Jes' roll dis heah ban' up real tight de way yuh fold it back double. Twist it real tight an' put it in a bottle. Put some hot watah in it. Let it be jes' hot enough not tuh break yuh bottle, an' let it set in dere. An' den dey go take dis heah den an' put it in de rivah, any kinda watah dat watah runs ovah. Dat'll give him anothah feeble mine [mind].
Entry 4852
Jes' lak yuh in love wit a fellah an' yuh can't - yuh wan's 'im an' yuh can't git 'im lak yuh wan' 'im. All right, if yuh kin git a chance tuh wash fo' him, yuh take dose pieces dat he wear, his un- dah pieces an' all dat chew kin git tuh, an' put it tuh soak ovah night. Nex' mawnin' when yuh git up, yuh wash dem pieces out wit'out any soap. Rub 'em. git all dirt dat yuh kin out of dem. Den yuh take an' take de drainin's - turn it [pan or tub] on one side an' drain it [water] off. Take de drainin's of dat dirt come outa his clothes an' stop it up in a bottle. An' put it right undah de centah of yore bed undah de house - bury it dere. Turn it bottom upward, an' put it undah de centah, an' covah it up an' make yore wishes. Den he be comin' dere - he be yores. He come tuh be yores. From time tuh time he keep acomin'.
Entry 4882
Weah de socks till dey git dirty, yuh know. Some people's feet sweats, what ah mean, yuh know. Well, till dey git dirty anyhow. Take dem socks an' put 'em in a pail a watah, dey says. Den don' wash 'em till dey soaks an' git dat dirt. An' take dem dirty suds an' put 'em in a bottle. Well, dere some mo' tuh go wit it. Put dat in a bot- tle. Den down undah yuh arm, yuhknow where yuh perspirate undah yuh arm, take dat an' yuh socks an' yuh rub. Git all dat watah tuhgethah. Yuh rub undah de shirtsleeve of yuh arm an' yuh socks. Den yuh put dat watah in a bottle an' dig undah yuh steps, an' put it undah de steps an' turn dat bottle bottom upwards. Well, dey do dat tuh keep yuh, jis' like if a person wants tuh keep yuh from goin' anywhere. Yuh kin go anywhere but chew comin' dere. Yuh goin' be always hangin' - if yuh go anywhere yuh goin' hurry back. Yuh can't stay away from home, yuh gotta come back.
Entry 5064
Well de sock, yuh see, yuh don't have tuh - mos'ly [mostly] dey washes 'em, yuh see, if yuh git 'em kinda dirty. Yuh see dat's [that sweat is] yore strength intuh yore sock. An' yuh takes dat watah an' bottle dat what chew wash 'em an' bury hit.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat will hold a person.
Entry 5289
Dey take dat left shoe of yores an' burn it, an' git de ashes an' stop it up, an' put it in runnin' watah. Yo' drown.
(What do you stop it up in?)
Stop it up in a bottle.
Entry 5312
It's anothah thing. Yo' could take one dese great-big ants. Yo' kin Spot [easily see] it, yo' know. It ain't none dese little-size ants, [it is] one dese heah run by hitself all de time. Yo' take one dem an' git de middle of somebody's track, if yo' wants tuh run 'im 'way. An' yo' put it intuh a bottle. An' put dat ants in- tuh it an' carry it tuh de rivah, an' throw it ovahbo'd an' it will run 'imcrazy.
(How many ants do you put in that bottle?)
One, jes' one. Yo' ain't goin' see but one. Dere jes' be one by itself all de time.
(What color is it?)
It's kinda brown-spotted lookin' ants, 'bout de colah of dat shade up dere.
Entry 5327
Git chure track - yes, git chure foot track an' take an' bottle it up. An' den [they] say yo' back back nine steps, an' den turn roun' an' make three wishes. Say an' yo' make dem three wishes, den yo' handle 'em lak yo' want. (You can handle them anyway you want to. What do they do with that bottle?) Dey takes an' puts chure track in dat bottle.
(Yes, but what do they do with the track then in the bottle?)
Back back nine steps.
(No, what will finally happen to that bottle?)
Say dat bottle will turn purpole [purple] an' say dat will start tuh workin' in dere. It'll start tuh workin' in dere. An' say yo' should make nine wishes [instead of former three]. Yo' make nine wishes an' whatsomevah yo' wish, it vill [happen]. Keep bottle sewed up in pillah [pillow].
Entry 5333
Ah heah talk of 'em usin' yore foot track fo' keepin' people 'way from yore house. Now, if a person come tuh yore house an' yo' don' wan' 'em tuh go dere no mo', yo' take de dirt from right undah, aftah he leave, take de dirt from undah dere. (From either foot?) Yessuh. An' put it - bury it in a bottle, a li'le vial about lak dat [demonstrates], an' put some black- snake root in it an' bury it undah yore do'steps. An' he won' come dere no mo'.
Entry 5335
I used to hear my father say they would take up sand from out of your track and put it into a bottle, and put some chemicals in there. Then they take it and put it underneath the doorstep and put this vial in there and cover it up. Then they proclaimed they were cun- juring the missus and master. [For bottle, see also pre- ceding margin title BLACK BOTTLE.]
Entry 5342
Ah've heard de story about, if you are angry with someone or somepin... ah've heard people say, mah mothah an' oldah people say, dat people have told 'er about, dat yo' kin take dis dirt where de person walks. Take dat dirt out of dere track an' put it in a bottle an' throw at in runnin' watah, an' dey'll lose dere mind. [Snow Hi11, Md., (86), 4:8.]
Entry 5395
Take dere track don't chew know an' stick it - an' put all of it in a bottle. An' den aftah yo' git it in a bottle, yo' stop it up an' take a aig an' write de name - de individual's name on de aig an' bury it in de groun' an' call dem three times. An' take a bah [bar] of Octagon Soap [trade name] an' take off de top wrappah an' de othah [inner] wrappah. An' take yo' a nail an' write de name on de bah of Octagon Soap, an' wrap up dat slick thin' on it [rewrap soap in slick thin', inner wrap- per], don't chew know, an' throw it in runnin' watah an' dat will mun 'em.
(You do all these things together?)
Yes sir, dose tuhgethah.
(You throw all these things at once into running water?)
No sir. Yo' take de aig an' bury de aig roun' yore do'step. An' den git de bah Octagon Soap, don't chew know, an' take de top slip off an' den dat [presum- ably inner wrapper, but I interrupt].
(What do you do with that soap then?)
Take dat soap an' git chew a nail. Write de name of dat individual dat chew wanta run. An' den put dat slick thin' back on dere an' throw it intuh runnin' watah.
(And what do you do with the foot track?)
Take hit an' stick it in a bottle an' throw it in de watah too.
(You do all these things together?)
Yes sir. Hit concludes tuhgethah.
(What do you bury that egg for?)
Bury dat egg tuh make 'em go. [To bury the preceding egg in the ground to send a person away looks more like a rite to hold the person. Yet similar burial rites with the same purpose will be found in Hoodoo. As always, intention is everything. Here the egg belongs to a tripartite rite; the other two parts being definitely send away rites. Is the egg a possible recall rite? If the sender away regrets the sending away, the egg stands ready to bring back the person. We must also note the egg has a double dressing; the name written on it, and the name called 3 times.]
Entry 5443
Jis' lak a person walkin' in dey foot track, dey pick up de whole track an' put it in a bottle an' bury it in de cemetery. An' dey say, as long as hit stay dat way, dat person can't walk a step:
(Either track or both of them?)
Jes' from de right foot.
Entry 5494
Take his hair...
(With that little bow.)
[Bow was mentioned before I turned on recording machine.]
Yes, take de hair an' put it in a bottle an' bury it. Yo' buries dat. Bury dat wit some of 'is tracks. See, yo' take an' bury dat wit some of 'is tracks. Dat will make him follah yo' evahwhere, anywhere yo' go. (What else do you put in that bottle?) Some of 'is hair, some of 'is dust out from undah 'is feet, an' den some of de ravels from 'is undahclothes - from undah 'is arm an' yo' know down below.
(Some of the sweat.)
Yo' know, jes' lak dey'd git chure dirty clothes an' ah'd take some of de ravels. An' put it in a bottle, undahstan', an' yo' carry dat an' bury it. Bury it out at chure do'step. He'll follah yo' anywhere.
Entry 5519
Yo' kin take de lef'-foot track an' stop it up in a bottle, an' put in an ole house dat's not any good, yo' see, an' den yo' could make dem come back, if yo' wan' 'em back. (You take this bottle with the foot track in it and put it in an old house. That is supposed to bring the person back?) Dat's right.
Entry 5535
Well, ah kin take dat foot track if ah jis' - say jis' WAN'A KEEP ANY- yo' see. Ah kin jis' ketch 'er track in a clear place, an' git a nice li'le stick an' measure dat track, an' git a good size bottle. An' ah'll sew dat track up in a red flannen cloth, an' ah will git nine bran'-new needles, see, an' stick it in dat cloth. Stick de needle right up lak dat in dat cloth, see. An' git three rusty nail an' tie it tuh- gethah, an' drop it in dat bottle an' cork it up airtight, an' evahthin' will be okay. Won' have no mo' trouble gittin' along wit chure wife.
(You said you use the stick for something?)
Yes, jis' any piece of li'le stick. Yo' jis' kin take a knife an' run off a li'le piece jis' long 'nuff tuh measure de track lak dat, see. Den yo' take de li'le stick an' yo' break it up, break it up in a li'le pieces, see. An' yo' put it in dat red flannen an' sew it up. Yo' take up dat track yo' know. Yo' take dat track up, see, an' put it in dat flannen jis' where yo' measurin' it. Sew it up an' take dem nine needles [etc.].
Entry 5542
Dey would take de cord an' dey'll measure it, an' yo'd draw [stretch that cord over the length of] dat foot track. An' yo'd take dat cord aftah it wus drawed [stretched], an' yo' put it in a bottle wit some devil vinegah. An' write his name in dere nine times backwards [like Smith John instead of John Smith] an' nine times frontwards, dat's 18 times, an' keep it in dere fo' nine days. An' at de end of de nine days he goin' die.
(But you have to find this foot track some place first?)
Yes.
(Where do you get this devil's vinegar? Do you buy it some place?)
In de drug sto'.
(The Crackerjack [Drug Store]?)
Any one of 'em [any New Orleans' drug store].
Entry 5718
De cocklebur.
(That's a bush, isn't it, with stickers on it? What do they do with that?)
Say yo' kin hang anything up in dat tree an' if yo' want me tuh go, ah'm gone. Dey say, all yo' gotta do if yo's mad wid me, yo' take my track an' put it in a cup or a bottle, wit some red peppah an' hang it up in dat tree. (What kind of a tree.) A cocklebur. Evah time when de win' blows, see dat cup will go roun' an' roun' dat way an' come back dataway [unwind the other way]; an' when dat string rotten an' broke, den ah'm gone.
(How high is that cocklebur tree?)
Ooh some of it real high an' some of 'em - de young 'un ain't so high. (It has those little stickers on it, hasn't it, those little burs? The cock- lebur?) Dat's right. [Cocklebur appears twice in FACI, 1st ed., but the present rite is the first and only time I ever heard of a cocklebur tree! Does he mean chestnut, buckeye, sweet gum, or what?]
Entry 5757
Why yo' kin take a person foot track an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up wit chamber lye an' throw it ovahbo'd an' run dem outa town. (Either foot track or both of them?) De right track an' part of de lef' track. Put it in a bottle, put chamber lye on it an' stop it up, an' throw it ovahbo'd 'cross yore lef' shouldahs.
Entry 5788
Now, de way yo' could stop yore foot track, yo' could take some - git chew a little concentrated lye, an' half-a pint of whiskey, an' 'bout a teaspoon fulla camphor, an' put it in dat bottle yo'understan'. An' also write dere name on it an' jis' shake it up an' down until dat.all come tuhgethah - dat papah an' lye an' stuff come tuhgethah. All right. Wheresomevah yo're at, if yo's in a location wheresomevah yo' be at, jis' bury it down right - jis' at de right side of de do'step, right at de right side of yore do'step. Well, den dey couldn't do a thing wit yo'.
(That would keep that person from harming you?)
Dey won't do yo' any harm.
Entry 5807
Yo' kin do dat, yo' kin take de hair outa woman's haid. Co'se [of course] ah don't know if a man do anythin' to anothah man. But if yo' have a goman yo' wanta make love wit, yo' jes' take de hair outa de mole of 'er haid if yo' POSS'bly kin. YO'D HAVE TO STEAL IT OUTA DERE CUZ WOMEN WON'T LET CHEW GIT DAT OUTA DERE IF DEY KNOW IT. An' if yo' kin, some hair out de mole of de woman's haid, yo' kin put dat into a little bottle, see, an' put some alcohol over it, see, an' put a flannen [flannel] stoppah in it - a red flannen stoppah. DAT COME DIRECT DOWN FROM DE HOODOO BUSINESS cuz ah've had dat. An' tote it in yore pocket an' dat woman'll come back to yo'. Don't care where she is, she'll come back to yo'. If she don't come back she'll go crazy. [For alcohol, see also margin title WHISKEY.]
Entry 5835
Yo' take de hair from de mole, take de hair right out de top, de mole [old] of de hair. Well, yo' take dat hair an' yo' wrap a string around it, or thread, any kinda thread aroun' dat hair, an' yo' put dat hair in a bottle, see, an' yo' po' some cphor in it, see. Well, dat will make it 'live. Shake it up, see. Yo' let dat stay in dere nine days an' yo' take dat out an' yo' wrap in a flannen cloth. Let it stay in dat flannen cloth an' den yo' wear it. Dat is tuh draw yore sveetie to yo' or anybody yo' want lak dat.
(Whose hair do you put in that bottle?)
Fell, if it's de man, he put de woman's hair; an' if it's de woman, she put de 's hair.
(What did you say THAT CAMPHOR does for the hair?)
Entry 5864
Take de hair an' stop it up in a bottle an' it will run yo' crazy. An' den yo' kin take de hair an' bury it undahneath de do'steps. As long as it keep moist, it's all right, but if it dry, why it will kill yo'. (What do they put that under the door- step for?) Well, jes' yo' come walkin' in an' out an' de one dat did it, chew know, yo'll walk in an' out, walk in an' out ovah it, chew know, an' yo' don't know it'sdere.
(Well, why would they do that to me?)
Well, dey put it undah dere tuh kill yo' - some of 'em do.
Entry 5904
Right in de top of yore haid yo' git a certain stran' - git a stran' out de top of yore haid an' take an' put dat in a bottle. Fix it wit graveyard dirt an' salt an' stop it up, or eithah bury it undah yore do'steps, or else chip off a block on a tree, on de no'th side of de tree an' bury it - put it in dere. Dat will run yo' crazy.
Entry 5934
Uh-huh, fer love. A person takes two stran's of yore hair, see; dey pulls it if dey kin by de roots, see. But if dey can't, at night when yuh are asleep, especially if yore wife or husband dat's sleepin' wit yuh, dey jerks dat out as quick as dey kin. Dey take two stran's, see.
(From where do they pull it now?)
Uh-hah - right heah, see.
(The left side of the temple.)
Uh-hah, takes it from de left side of de temple, an' dey jerks it out. An' dey gits dis clovah oil an' dey puts dat into a bottle. Dey gits Hearts Cologne an' dey puts dat - an' mix it up intuh a bottle. Dey carries it to runnin'watah an'( dey throws it in. An' dat's tuh make yuh love, see. But dey want it tuh go down de stream, instead of up. If it go up dat's fo' bad. See, if it goes down de stream dat's fo' good. Dey want chew to love 'em. Dey got chew all at dere command, see; an' dere's nuthin yuh kin do. [Normally the throwing of hair into running water is not a love rite, as we have seen; but our informant, marked excellent, turns it into a rite of love by adding Hearts Cologne and clover oil to the bottled hair, and by using A BELIEF OCCASIONALLY FOUND ALONG THE TIDEWATER REGION: ANYTHING GOING DOWNSTREAM OR OUT WITH THE TIDE IS A RELEASE OR GOOD WORK, AND ANYTHING GOING UPSTREAM OR COMING IN WITH THE TIDE IS A CONFUSION OR BAD WORK.]
Entry 5990
Dey drive yuh crazy. Yuh kin do good an' yuh kin do bad. Well, dey take dis hair an' dey put it in a bottle, an' put a little salt an' red peppah. Dey write de person's name on dis slip of papah an' put it in de bottle an' stop it up tight. Yuh go tuh runnin' watah an' throw it ovah yuh shouldah backwards into dat watah. An' jis' since dat watah always runnin', why dat person will jis' go an' jis' go. Evah time dey git a place, dey stay a little an' dey not satisfied. Dey'll go ag'in. Finely [finally] dey'll jis' go an' quit.
Entry 6009
Dey say yo' take dis hair an' a piece of shed off a rattlesnake - rat- tlesnake shed an' take dat hair an' some five pins an' five needles an' put it down in a bottle of Epsom salts an' fill dat bottle up wit watah an' turn dat bottle upside down in de groun' an' bury it an' yo'll [go] stone crazy.
(Do you bury that any place?)
Bury it in de north cornah of de yard.
Entry 6010
If dey git hold of yore hair, why dey'll tie dat hair up jes' lak dey do wit chure [foot] track. Dey'll tie dat hair up in a bottle. Dey'll put six needles in dere wit dat hair an' dat'll keep yo' goin' crazy all de time. (What will they do with that bottle then?) Dat bottle - dey put dat bottle down in de ground, or in a trunk.
Entry 6011
They claim that peoples got it from under your doorstep with your hair mixed in with it. Well, they say that is to cross you away. Just like, you know, I was in love with a man and another woman wanted dis man. Well, if she could get some of my hairs, she'd go and get her a dozen new needles that never been used and pins. She'd stick the pins this way and stick the needles this way [cross them], and when she get ready to put it down, she'd stand it on its head on de sharp part, cuss it and tell it to go.
(Where would she put that?)
Put that at your door.
(And she uses twelve new needles and pins - six new needles and six new pins.)
Entry 6088
Take three stran's out chure haid an' three stran's down below, an' take it an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up. Yo' buries dat.
(What do you do that for?)
It'll kill yo'. (Do you bury your own hair?) Yore own hair. (Won't that kill you if you bury your own hair?) It'll kill yo'. (You Want to kill yourself?) Run yo' blind, sho' it would. [We do not understand one another. Informant merely Bys your stopped-up hair will kill you, whether you or enemy does it.]
Entry 6106
Dey take a strand of hair out chure haid an' it kin run yo' crazy. Well, dey take dat hair an' dey bury dat hair. Dey take dat hair an' put it in warm salt an' watah an' bile [boil] it. See, dey'll take a bottle, a quart bottle lak dat, an' dey take dat an' put salt in dere, an' dey put warm watah in dere, an' dey take dat bottle an' bury it about, well say about a foot deep, about a foot deep undah de top of dat bottle, an' let it stay in undah dere six months. Dere ain't no way fo' yo' tuh stay wit chure mind.
(That runs you crazy.)
Yeah.
Entry 6164
Take de hair an' take it in a bottle, if yuh want 'er tuh be absent- rinded - runnin' away, cain't stay wit nobody an' bein' contented. Take dis hair an' put it in a Coca- Cola bottle. Stop it up an' put it in run- In' watah an' tie a string tuh it an' jis' let it bobbin' dere, an' s'long as de watah runnin' cross dat bottle, she be absent. She cain't stay no place. Jis' got'a be goin' all de time. (You have this string tied and this bottle tied to this stick, so that it cm't float away?) Yessuh.
Entry 6252
Ef dey kin git de hair from de mole of yore haid, an' take an' put it into a bottle, an' bury it beside de green tree where de sun die - de side of de tree where de sundown - an' yo' become to losin' yore mind.
Entry 6266
Yo' git a Adam-an'-Eve [root] an' put it in a bottle, an' git a stran' off de haid, [or] down below - mostly [they get] de hair de bes' [best] way dey kin, if dey have any con- nection wit it, dey'll git a piece. An' dey'll put dat in a bottle an' urinate a li'le in dere. Den dey stop dat up an' put dat undah de fron' step. Dat'll make dem part.
Entry 6273
Dere's a way to run a woman crazy so dey say. Dey take a small bottle an' put urine in it, an' put de hair down in it an' stop it up, an' throw it in a stream of water. It will go an' yo' will nevah git chure mind back unless somebody will discovah where dat bottle went an' bring it back an' uncork it. [For 2 remarkable examples of doctors recovering floating spells and destroying them, see 920, p.338; 921, P.339.]
Entry 6281
[Hair and water joined in a rite is fairly common in hoodoo. There are many kinds of water: ordinary (the Water in a bucket or still water), running, hydrant (considered running), rain, eaves, spring, well, tide, dew, etc. One example of gutter running water will be found (No.5695, p.2913). I do not recall any snow water or snow rites. Holy water, bathwater, dishwater, clotheswater, and scrubwater have been omitted because they do not occur in the following list of hair-water rites.] Take a strand of hair out de haid an' put it in a bottle of watah an' shet it up in a bottle of watah. It will run yo' crazy.
(Just ordinary Water?)
Jes' take it [hair] out an' put it in a bottle of watah an' stop it up.
Entry 6282
Yo' gits yo' [your] hair [not your own but the hair of your victim], Put it in a bottle an' den go tuh de Mississippi [River], a watah, a runnin' stream, even if it runs dirty, an' git dat watah an' put it in dat bottle an' yo' hair [the hair you are using from someone else], an' stop it up real tight an' it'll run yo' [the other person] crazy.
(Where do you put the bottle then?)
Tote [carry] it in yo' pocket. [To carry this bottled hair in your pocket normally suggests that the victim is run crazy with love for the person wearing the bottled hair.]
Entry 6297
A person could take a stran' of hair outa mole of yuh haid, direc'ly outa de mole, an' put it in a glass vial - sompin lak a li'le vial dey use at de drug sto' fo' dang'rous medicine. Put dat hair in dere an' cork it up right tight an' throw it intuh run- nin' watah. An' dey say it will run yuh wit a bad haidache all yuh live, an' almos' run yuh crazy.
Entry 6333
Yo' kin take de top of yore hair out de mole of yore haid an' cut it out, an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up. An' first yo' take yore name an' put it in a bottle, an' put chure hair on top of dat, an' stop it up good in runnin' watah. Well, as long as dat bottle run, yo'll run. Well, when dat bottle bu'st, hy yo'll be gone.
(You will die?)
Yessuh.
Entry 6334
Dey git holt of yore hair an' dey take an' dey gits a - put it in a bottle, an' put red peppah, cayenne, an' salt in dere an' yore name, an' stop it up in a bottle. Dat'll make yo' have de headache all de time, an' make yo' feel if yo' ain't satisfied nowhere yo' move. In no time yo' go. Git dat bottle an' throw it. (What do you do with that bottle?) Yo' take an' throw it in de rivah. An' [or] den yo' kin take an' yo' kin put it up ovah 'is do' where [he walks under it] or if yo' [ain't] scared he'll find it dere, if yo' a friend of 'em an' yo' visit 'em, yo' take an' yo' git it in de mattress or undah dat [bed].
Entry 6336
Well, dey kin git holt some of yore hair. It's 'cordin' to whut dey wanta do wit yo', why dey kin take dat hair. Now, if dey wanta partly run yo' crazy, frenzy minded, dey could take dat hair an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up an' pore watah on it.
(Any kind of water?)
Any kind of a watah po' on it. Let it stay until it become to be - DAT WATAH GOIN' MAKE DAT HAIR 'LIVE LAK A LITTLE LIVE WORM IN DE WATAH, yo' see. Well, WHEN DAT HAIR BEGIN TUH GIT 'LIVE, dey take an' po' dat Water out an' t'row dat bottle in de rivah. Let it float on de way down - on - on - on. T'row it away. Whenevah dey throw it down, dey [the thrower] jes' turns aroun', dey don't look back aftah it a'gin at all. Well, dat run yo' crazy.
(They pour the water out that bottle before they throw it into the river?)
Yes, 'fore dey t'row it in de rivah, dey must keep it nine days aftah yo' put de watah in it. Yo' keep dat bottle 9 days. Have it roun' yore house an' IN 9 DAYS DAT HAIR WILL COME TO LIFE. (Yes, but I mean, you leave the water [hair] in the bottle when you throw it into the river?)
[The word water in my question is a slip of the tongue for hair.]
Yeah, oh yeah. An' de bottle's goin' float on, be goin' right on doon wit de stream.
Entry 6337
Well, ah kin go out tuh de fo'ks of de road, if ah wants tuh go out dere an' put down a little magic work for business. Ah kin go out dere tuh de fo'ks of de road an' git me a little dirt [see FORK-OF-ROAD DIRT, p.688, and elsewhere]. De fo'ks of de road comin' so [demonstrates]. Prob'ly one comin' - Memoirs.of Alma Egan Hyatt Foundation - east an' one comin' west. Well, ah gits right in de middle of dat fo'k of dat road. Ah don't git very much of dis, jis' a li'le bit of it, dat dirt. Take dat li'le dirt an' has me a li'le bottle, or cup or anythin ah wants tuh put dat dirt in, an' go on back home. Well, ah kin fix dis right up out tuh de fo'ks of de road. Aftah ah git dis dirt an' put it in dat bottle, den ah has me a ten-cent bottle of Hearts Cologne. Put dat Hearts Cologne on dat - nine drops, see. An' aftah ah po' dat in dat bottle, den ah puts anythin' - any othah article ah got lak hair or any- thin'. Ah'll fix dat up. Well now, heah's what all goes in dere: Dat dirt out de fo'ks of de road. Buy a bottle of Hearts Cologne jis' about dat big [demonstrates], a ten-cent bottle. Yuh po' dat intuh dis dirt or whatsomevah dat chew got tuh put dis dirt in, a bottle or cup. An' aftah yuh put dat in dere. den yuh takes hair. Don't care whut part it come from - come from out yore haid, puts it in dere. An' aftah yuh put dat hair in dere, yuh stop dat hair up airtight an' takes it back to dese peoples' home an' bury dis fo' nine inches under de ground. Dat represent de nine mawnin' dat she'll leave dere. [She'll leave on or before the ninth day.] Den go back an' take it outa dere an' goes to a runnin' stream of water an' throw dis in a runnin' stream of water. An' when yo' throw dis, throw it high enough to give a splash tuh dis bottle. Don't look back - jis' throw it ovah yuh haid, don't look back atall. An' jis' long as dat watah an' dat bottle floats - it don't be a big bottle, a little bottle, so [demonstrates]. So long as it goes, dat person dat yuh's aftah, dey is gone.
(You throw it high enough?)
High enough tuh make de splash be heard [over] dat curse words. [My transcriber ommitted dat curse Words; a common practice to end a rite with a cursing incantation. Why the splash had to be heard during or after the curse words is a sort of So be it or Amen.]
Entry 6342
Yo' go to de spring an' yo' git dat watah an' git a strand of a per- son's hair an' yo' put in dat - yo' put it in a bottle. Yo' ketch yo' some an' yo' put it in a bottle. An' yo' put dat in a bottle an' yo' take dat an' bring [it] back wit yo' home. An' jes' keep it all de time right in de cornah of yore bedroom. Keep dat in dere all de time.
(What will that do?)
Dat's tuh keep him at home.
Entry 6343
A lady tole me dat she run a lady crazy. An' she'd taken some hair out of 'er [other woman's] haid an' she put it in a bottle, jis' a bottle an' stop it up an' carry it to a runnin' stream of watah an' throw it in, an' talk an' tell it, "Ah want chew tuh run dis lady crazy." An' when dem nine days wuz up, she jis' foolin' crazy.
Entry 6344
Well, ah've heard dat yuh kin take a lock of a woman's hair an' throw it when de tide is goin' out - jis' so yo' knows de watah goes out an' comes in. Well, when de tide is goin' out why yuh throw dat bottle wit dat hair - stop dat fulla watah - an' let it go out. An' dat will run de man, ah mean dat woman, crazy.
Entry 6349
Dey git de hair from de comb an' dey mix it up wit a little - put some salt in it, de way ah heard it. Now, put salt in it an' sometimes dey puts cham- ber lye in it. Put dat in de chamber lye in de bot- tle. Put dat in de bot- tle - put de chamber lye in it an' put de salt in it an' stop it up. See, an' goes tuh de rivah an' chunk it as de tide goin' out. An' dey chunk it as de tide goin' out, well, about from three tuh five tuh nine days, yore mind will be goin' - goin' till yo' go, an aftah while yo' find yoreself crazy.
Entry 6362
Yuh hair. Or tuh make love er any- thing, dey'll [take] dat an' fol dit [fold it] up an' den put some - weahzit [wears it] aroun' dere wais' [waist], see. Dat not tuh do no hahm [harm] dō [though]. Dat tuh make love, if anybody - yuh wife wan'a keep yuh in.
(Yes, what would she do then?)
Dey go tuh verk [work] an' yuh [dey] put dat in a bottle, [with] 9 needles an lak dat. Dey put 'em in. Dis ole man 'ave [have] tell me.
Entry 6382
Well, dey will take dat an' have yo' lame all de time. (What do they do with that then, after they scrape the bottom of the feet? What do they do with that then?) Bottle it up wit some stuff dey call de blue vitrus - wit blue vitrus. An' den dey take it an' aftah dey put dat blue vitrus in wit it, dey take it den wit a mixture fo' tuh do yo' harm - me harm, or somebody else. Don' care whose [who] 'tis. Dey'd mix it, yo' know, an' driv' [drip] it [bury bottle so that it leaks] long wherevah yo' have tuh go, fo' tuh strike yo' wit pain [in the feet].
Entry 6383
An' dey could trim yer fingahnails, yo' know. Say now, like if yo' set dere an' trim yer fingahs, I'd gathah dem up. See, I'd gathah dem up an' take dem - or toenails, eithah one of 'em. Take 'em an' put 'em in a li'le vial. An' aftah yo' put 'em intuh de li'le vial, yo' would keep 'em in dis vial fo' 'bout nine days, wit a li'le vitrus wit 'em fo'.tuh git 'em soft. Den yo' take 'em out of dat vitrus an' dry 'em off, an' put 'em in anothah vial den an' put othah stuff wit 'em. (What other stuff do they put with that second vial? What do they put in that second vial?) Intuh de secon' one yo'll put some of yer own chamber lye, an' a li'le bit of cologne root.
(Cologne root?)
Cologne root. An' yo'll take dat an' shift it aroun' [in the bottle]. Dat is tuh do 'em harm.
[Cologne root is probably a product of the root-seller or hoodoo drug store.]
(Well, what do you do with that bottle then, that has that stuff in it? This second bottle, what do you do with that, then?) De bottle? Well, yo' could take dat bottle out some place an' bury it. Bury dat bottle an' dat'll make dem useless in dere han's or foot, wherever dese nails come from.
Entry 6442
You could take yore toenails, your fingernails, the dirt from under your feet, an' you could put that in a bottle an' you could feed a man on such as that. Spread it [on his food] when you give him somepin to eat. That'll make him crazy about choo, keep him from goin' away from you.
Entry 6471
Well, dey kin take yo' toenails an' put it intuh a bottle an' stop Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft Rootwork it up, an' put t'ree needles in it an' call yore name nine tires.an' have yo' undah a bad affliction fo' a certain distance of cire. (On a bed of affliction [wndah a bad affliction] for a certain length of time.) Yas. Aftah dat certain distance of time come, well if he wanted tuh take yo' up, he'll snatch one dem needles out. Dat will let chew git up.
Entry 6498
Husks, take dat offa yuh foot. Yo' kin weah it. Put it in a bottle, yo' see, an' turn de bottle up dere in bed, if yo' wanted tuh see dat party. Yo' undahstan', turn it bottomside upwards, yo' understand, an' dey shore comin'. She can't git away.
(I see, that's to make them come to you?)
Come real quick.
Entry 6510
Ah heah yo' [they] kin take yore toenails - ah don't know nuthin about chure fingah - but chew kin take yore toenails an' stop it up in a li'le bottle an' throw it in nunmin' watah. Dat will cause yo' tuh be driftin' about through de world mindless.
Entry 6659
Ah heard dat yo' could take de hair an' take it an' put it in - jis' urap it up or tie it up in a cloth or somepin an' weah it on yo' some place. Weah it on de firs' piece yo' weah [wear next to skin] an' dey say dat will cuz yo' tuh come back tuh 'em. An' den ag'in yo' could take de hair an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up. An' put it in runnin' watah an' den it would turn tuh a snake. An' when it turn tuh a snake it would kill yo'.
Entry 6680
Yo' kin take nine new needles an' nine new pins an' nails - nine nails - an' put in a bottle. An' den yo' kin take one dese heah worm outa from undah de bottom [bark] see, think dey call 'em sawyah.
(Wood Sawyer?)
Yes sir. Dey got two little bills [horns] whut cuts in de wood. [These worms - the larvae of sawyers, several large longicorn bettles - bore large holes in timber or dead trees. Both worm and bettle are often called wood sawyers.] Put dat in dat bottle an' bury it down in de path where he walks. An' den, when he walk ovah dat, he'll ketch 'em in 'is foot. An' dat same worm [larva] whut chew see in dat bo'd, dat yo' put in dat bottle, jis' true as [what?]. [It will enter 'im an'] eat 'im up. [But this ailment can be cured.] Dat way [if you are in that condition] yo' got'a go tuh a root doctah de same way [as before]. Now a root doctor, he got'a take 'em out. A medical doctor don't do it.
(What would a root doctor do to get that worm out of him, I wonder.)
He goes an' git de root from de - dey call black haw an' red oak bark an' a stingin' nettle root. Put dat up in a bottle an' yo' got'a take. Dat stingin' nettle root, will run 'im out dere. [The other two help and also make 3 ingre- dients.]
(Well, what do you do with these roots? Make a tea of them or what?)
Yes.
Entry 6971
Said if yo' had a woman an' she wuzn't treatin' yo' right or sompin lak dat, gits yo' a li'le vial, an' git some of [her] urinate an' stop it up, an' carry it. Git some of 'er chamber lye an' stop it up in a li'le vial an' carry it in yore pocket always wit chew, an' dat'll stop de woman runnin' aroun'. [Runnin' aroun' includes after other men. This belief should have been put under chastity-belt rites in margin title URINE - BOTTLED, v.3, p.2383-2384.]
Entry 7412
Well, if anyone kill a man an' den run 'way an' dey didn't know who kill 'im. Well, when dey wash dis man, dey takes de watah an' puts it into a quart bottle an' stops it up tight an' bury it in de grave tuh [with] him. Well, he cain't go. He have tuh come back. He have tuh pass dat place evah day, back- ward an' farward. He have tuh pass dere, dat place. (They wash the dead man and that water they wash him with, they put it in a bottle and put it in the grave.) Yes. [Sumter, S. Car. (1367), 2419:10.]
Entry 7528
Yuh kin take some graveyard dirt an' take an' throw it ovah yeh house, an' not let it [in] de house, an' dat would make 'em stop bothahin' yuh, run [them] away. Throw it all de way ovah de house. Do it fer nine mawnin's. Take it in a bottle an' throw it ovah.
Entry 8235
Jis' take a woman's hair an' pichure an' cut it all up an' put it in a bot- tle tuhgethah an' take an' po' dis Heart's Own Perfume on it. She'll nevah quit 'im an' she'll always run aftah 'im.
(What do they do with that bottle then?)
Well, hide it off in de loft of de house where she be goin' undah it or sompin lakdat.
Entry 8457
Dey kin take dis pichure heah an' cut dis pichure half in two an' put it intuh a pint bottle. Don't put nuthin dere but jis' put dat pichure in dat pint bottle an' stop it up airtight. An' go tuh de rivah or any place where de watah's powahful strong an' throw it ovahbo'd. Jis' throw it ovah dere an' dey's gone, dey's gone.
Entry 8874
Dey'll take dat lettah an' dey'll soak dat lettah in watah an' git dat writin' outa it. An' dey'll take dat watah an' put it in a bottle. Save dat watah. An' ef yo' in New York an' dey didn't lak dat, dey'd keep dat dere [water] wit nuthin but chure lettah.
(What will they do with that water?)
Dey bury dat bottle down - stick dat bottle right down up ovah de mouth, an' yo'd go man [leave New York]. Yo' walk back dere [where that bottled letter- Water Was].
Entry 8876
[The following rite missed by my transcriber, I did not have time to copy in full but made the following summary:] "Tear handwriting up into small pieces - put in bottle ~ get some May water - that's lucky - make your wish - catch May water on lst of May [see margin title MAY WATER, P.460, and No.986, P.381] - stop up [in bot- tle] - bury - whatever you want done be repeating that while you are tearing up paper."
Entry 8903
Jes' lak dey's steal somepin from yo' an' yo' wants tuh find out who is de one dat done it. Why yo' take an' git chew a piece of black gum [wood] an' burn dat wood till it come tuh a ashes. An' den yo' take dat ashes an' put it intuh a vial an' put some Hearts Cologne in dat vial where'bouts chew got dat ashes. An' yo' let dat sit dere fo' 'bout five days an' if dat cologne turns de color of dem ashes, why whosomevah stole dat stuff, dey bring it back. Now ah ain't nevah tried it but ah heah dat. [What would my informant in the State of Georgia call a black gum tree? Normally I would say the tree (Nyssa sylva- tica), which has closed-grained wood, entire leaves and small blue-black drupa- ceous fruits. This tree, growing east of the Mississippi River, is also called sour gum, tupelo, and pepperidge. Closely related is a tree (N. biflora) con- fined to the southern United States. The preceding tupelo, a word from the Creek Indian language meaning Swamp tree, could also mean any other tree of the genus Nyssa, especially N. aquatica of the southeastern United States. After this rite Was transcribed years ago I marked it doubtful because I could not understand how black-gum ashes were able to divine theft and make the thief return the stolen property. Later a possible answer came. In the Southern states years ago a bee- hive Was made from a section of a hollow gum tree. Surely the original ashes came from a piece of beehive supplying stinging power. Join this with intention.
Entry 9818
Dey'll take dat an' dey'll go tuh verk [work] cuz dey kin git nine needles - now listen, nine needles. Stop dat up, put dat in a bottle an' dey'll turn dat cross yuh step - cross de do'step - an' yuh can't go, neithah cross it. (They put this bath water of yours in this bottle to keep you in the house.)
Entry 9825
[That] create dissatisfaction in a man's home. They kin take and bot- tle them. Take so many pins and so many needles - about nine [each] - so it's a odd number. You put them pins and needles, stick them through a piece of flannel. Roll 'em up and drop 'em in a bag. Well, natchly in pass- ing in de house, in and out, if you kin get some of de dust that they sweep up off the floor, yo' puts that in that bottle too. And as long as you keep it, why it causes a great dissatisfaction in the home, so as to completely break it up. It's never known but dey use them needles and pins that way to cause dis- satisfaction in the home.
Entry 9934
Ah'd get me a frog an' ah'd squeeze de left eye, squeeze de milk out of it...ah'd put it in a bottle an' put it right by mah steps an' de law can't come in mah house.
Entry 10274
Dey have to take de measurement of a man, say it's such as a man run- nin' aroun' after women. An' if a woman take his measurement with a piece of string, an' his water, an' put it in there [bottle], as he go to fool with any other woman, whenever she shake this [bottle] up, he'll lose all nachure fer any other woman but her. She keep that [bottle] in a secret place, an' whenever she think that he's doin' somepin wrong, shake that, an' nachurely that would cause him to lose nachure fer any other woman but her.
Entry 10687
[There are two types of baths in HOODOO: the ordinary bath to clean yourself, the real bath water, and the ceremonial bath for numerous purposes such as gambling luck (see PARSLEY in this section), for health, love, etc.] Stop up bath water in a bottle, set it in sun until hot and foamy, add salt and pepper; you'll begin to itch and burn, "you have come under their curse."
[Washington, D. C., 822:6.]
Entry 10688
After you have taken a bath, they can get some of that water and stop it up in a bottle, and of course they can bury that, and that will cause your body to dry up and waste away - something like you have a wasting disease.
Entry 10737
If yo' take a person's ministrate, take watah, yo' know whut yo' wash things [with] an' take their ministrate an' stop it up in a bottle, an' when it dries up, they'll die.
(Just leave it in the bottle?)
Yeah, stop it up.
Entry 10743
An' what they'll do, they take lak a woman has ministration...an' put it in a bottle. They take it to that fo'k of de road an' turn it down on de haid an' bury it. (The head of the bottle?) Yessuh. Sometime they'll put their hair in there with that ministration and that will cause them to go crazy. An' they kin take that an' put it in swift runnin' watah an that'll make 'em wander aroun' somewhere an' git drownded.
Entry 10755
Den, too, yo' kin take a woman's sick clothes. Yo' kin take dem an' yo' kin take, if dey already dry, yo' kin take an' wet 'em. Kinda mash 'em, yo' know, wit a little bit of dat on, an' cork dat up. An' she can't go wit no othah man. Or eithah, yo' kin take 'em, dey tell me, an' chunk it down de stream [to send away]. Chunk it upstream, says, an' she'll go( crazy.
Entry 10962
Dat chicken blood an' de bat heart, an' yo' take it an' put it in a bottle. An' take de chicken blood an' po' it into de bottle an' dat makes yo' lucky in yore home...an' de heart of a bat an' use de chicken blood.
Entry 11157
Now, if yo' don' wanta take an' do dat, chew kin git chew some devil heart watah [hoodoo store preparation?] an' bluein' an' shake dat up an' bust dat bottle. Git de devil heart watah an' put it into dat bottle; den yo' git chew some bluein' an' put it into dat bottle. An' take dat bottle an' shake it up an' wherevah de person livin' at, yo' bust dat bottle in front dey do' an' dat make 'em move.
Entry 12235
I've heard talk an' I've known it done, gettin' a root they call John de Conkah. An' she taken an' put it in a bottle an' tote [carried] it with her fo' 10 mawnin's. When she get up...dey go to de risin' of de sun fo ten mawnin's an' have dat [bottle] in her right hand by her right side, an' give it throw-off like that [makes a motion of throwing the root towards the sunl. Regain her husband.
Entry 12749
Yo' take dat...an' yo' puts a piece of rattlesnake master, put a leaf of dat fern.
(Leaf of that fern.)
An' chip off from rattlesnake master an' put it into a bottle an' dat's fo good luck. Dat'll make yo' peaceful at home. Dat'll keep yo' in peace at home.
Entry 12895
If a man has a discharge with me, why ah take mine and his both to- gether an' put it on cotton an' stop it up, why he'll nevah bother with nobody but jes' me. [This woman takes the man's discharge, semen; but what does she take from herself? I mean, what does she think she takes? There is evidence in HOODOO to indicate that some of these women had no idea of ovulation, that she like animals lays eggs; that that egg is not laid (or propelled) at the moment of orgasm. I leave this complicated business to the medical experts.]
Entry 13348
(If you want to get a job from the boss, you try to get hold of some of his chamber lye and put it in a bottle airtight, and take it home and keep it. And that will make him like you and eventually he will give you a job?) Yes. [A pencil note of mine reads: "Something must have gone before. Something did go before but machine was not turned on. I am repeating as near as possible what informant had said. To bottle the boss's urine is a rare rite indeed!]
Entry 13416
Well, they gets that war water and stop it up in a bottle and throw it over in your yard. Well, dat break up peace in de home. (This war water.) Quite natural bottles lays around in de yard and gits fulla water sometimes. Yo'll never know what that bottle means.
Entry 13418
If yo' wants tuh make a person move lak dat, well yo' go an' buy some war watah. Yo' understan', dat war watah, an' yo' pass in front of de do' lak if yo' had tuh pass in front of de do', an' if yo' have tuh throw de bottle across de house, yo' make yore wish. If yo' jis' break de bottle in front of de house an' make yore wish, why yo' could break 'em up an' make a big disturbance. Make 'em move an' de house would be upsetted. Yo' could upset de home.