Subject:Broom
Entries
Entry 7061
Ah heah dat a woman kin take a broom an' lay a broom at de foot of de baid, an' put 'er bloomahs above yore haid an' do anythin' she wanta - yo' won' notice it - an' go on out. Heard of 'em fixin' dat. (At night?) Yes sir, at night.
Entry 7063
Take yer broom an' jis' lak yo' turn it upside down an' go out chure house an' stay all night, yer wife or nuthin nevah know nuthin 'bout it.
Entry 8499
Perhaps someone come tuh yore house an' yo' didn't want 'em dere any mo', yo' could take a broom, make yore wishes, an' call 'im a bad name. An' take yuh a broom an' sweep )'im out an' he won't come back any mo'. [This is not the ordinary rite of sweeping behind a departing person. The departing is pretended and the person's name is intended or wished at least.]
Entry 8501
Yo' take an' write his name on dere nine times all de way roun' de broom, straight though, not backwards. An' whenevah it time fo' him tuh come, yo' sweep in, an' put dat broom undah de baid an' he's comin'. (You just write it on the broom handle you mean?) On de broom handle wit pen- cil. All dat ah tole yo' should be wrote wit indeli- bin, de bad an' de good.
Entry 8995
Like if yo' are in jail an' yo' wanta get out. If yo' in jail, yo' have to go to court an' yo' don't know whether yo' going to get out. Yo' take yo' a broom an' yo' sweep yoreself fo' nine mornings. [Since there are a number of sayings in Hoodoo stating that a person swept by a broom will go to jail, the situation is believed to be magically reversible: you can get out of jail by sweeping yourself down.]
(How do you sweep yourself?)
Sweep yourself down for nine mornings with a broom.
Entry 9192
Well, jis' lak yo' wanta person tuh break up er [or] sompin lak dat. Yo' loved 'er. If yo' love a girl [and] de othah fellah - well yo' want 'er. Well yo' cain't git nex' tuh love 'er, yo' see, becuz dis man be's huh husban', she husban'. Why he might be a pure mahn, den yuh spirit might agree. Well, yo' wanta break dese parties up. Well, yo' go tuh work. Now, yo' may have [a] chicken layin', sompin lak dat. Yo' go tuh work an' yo' watch de chicken when de [they] lay. See, yo' git a fresh, fresh egg [at the] time dey drop it, [egg] leave de chicken, why yo' git dat egg: See. An' yo' take it tuh his house dat night an' throw it up jis' de hide [height] of de house an' let it fall right befo' de doah. An' aftah dat why yo' gotta have a broom, yo' unnahstan' [understand], an' sweep dat [away], see. Yo' sweep dat away from de house, see. Well, dat man'll continue goin', he'll be continue goin' until 'is min' [mind] will be changed until he leave dat woman.
Entry 9454
One of de mos' valuable things, yo' kin take salt an' run evahone out dat house in ten minutes.
(Just how would you do that?)
Jis' take dat broom an' open de back do' an' de front do', jis' lak yo' open dis do' heah, an' take de broom an' turn it bottom upwards, an' put a handfulla salt right in de broom, an' set it wit de broom up an' close de do'. In ten minutes evahone of 'em git restless an' leave dere. Ah run company dat way some- times, when ah have company home an' git sick of 'em. Ah jis' git up an' go in de kitchen, an' take de broom an' set it behin' de do' an' throw salt on top of it, come back dere an' set down. In about ten minutes dey all git restless an' leave - dey go an' leave.
Entry 9533
Den, in case, if de police come tuh yuh house an' yo' runnin' a whiskey house or some kinda business, well yo' kin take some salt an' throw it out behin' dem, an' sweep it out wit a bran'-new broom. He won't come back no mo'. Dat will keep 'em from comin' back.
Entry 9538
If this person was an enemy to you, then you get some salt - out of a jar that has never been used - and when the person leaves, you sprinkle the salt behind them. You did it In the Name of the Lord. Then take a broom and sweep it out the way they went. Then set the broom bck in the house bottom side upward. And they wouldn't come back again. [For setting brushy part of broom up and handle down behind door, a rite widely spread, See 2432, Wilmington, N. Car., and 2433, New Orleans, La., both p.675, v.1, etc.]
[Old Point Comfort, Va., collected in 1936 by Ediphone.]
Entry 10411
Bible under head in bed [under pillow or mattress] keeps witch away.
[Wilmington, N. Car., (206), 113:8+85; also informant 31 at Hampton, Va.]
Bible under head of bed [on floor] keeps witch away. [Baltimore, Md., (near 142), 46:4+85.] Bible under bed and hang sifter overhead. [Deal Island, Md., (108), 16:3+85.] Bible and 3 pins to keep hag away. [Richmond, Va., (343), 287:2+85.] Bible under pillow and 3 stick pins [ordinary pins] underhead. The hag turned into a little piece of red meat, found next morning. Stop the meat up and the hag [unable to breathe] will come. [Richmond, Va., (343), 287:2+85.] Bible and stub of a broom [the straw part of a worn-out broom] at head of bed to keep hag away. [Wilmington, N. Car., (about 249), 161+85, diffuse story not worth copying.]
Entry 10419
If witches start to ride you, all you've got to do is lay a new broom at your door and she has to count every straw in it before she passes over it. By that time you'll be out of your bed and gone on to work.
Entry 10421
Well, it supposed to be nuthin but a hag ride chew. Jes' lak yo' can't sleep at night, yo' know. See, de hag jump on yo' an' will ride yo' an can't rest. If yo' gits up in de night an' put de broom, a straw broom, across de path right wheresomevah dey supposed tuh come in an' in de mawnin' when yo' go by dere, yo' be done caught de witch. It'll be nuthin but a ball of jelly dat look lak de watah [gummy sap] out of a peach tree.
(You said you put the cap what?)
Put a cap ovah de do' [the knob of door with man's cap over the keyhole]. [Straw broom for sweeping floor, has long wooden handle; hand broom is made of small twigs or long grass doubled together and tied at bend for a handle.]
Entry 10423
Take broom and sweep down [bed] to keep hag away ev'ry night before you get in; [sweep bed] head down to foot of bed. Do 9 nights.
Entry 10773
Ah heard sompin 'bout a broom. Now, yo take a broom now - dey claim dat yo' take a broom an' yo'll sweep with it. Well, now, if yo' take a broom an' lay it down an' step ovah it, it will give yo' bad luck. Always, if yo' step ovah a broom forward, step backwards ovah it an' dat give yo' good luck.
Entry 10775
(Ever hear of using a broom?)
You can take a broom, like if you got - there's a person you dislike. You take a broom and after you sweep with the broom, take the corner and the wall where that person sleep. See, where that person sleep, you take that broom, see, like that's your bed [points to bed in hotel room where I was interviewing]. And take that broom, just make it a habitual habit being unnoticed to me. Just set it up behind my bed, but in that broom you fasten my name. Write my name on a piece of paper, white paper, and put it down in that broom well, and fasten it so it won't come out easily.
(You put it down in the broom.)
In the broom.
(In the brush part.)
In the brush part of the broom, where it stay in there a long time, where it won't come out. And I'll betcha I won't be contented and I can't keep no clothes to save my life.
[I turn off machine but he says something about being upset.]
(Keeps you upset?)
Certainly, and I can't keep no clothes to save my life. And unless you get somebody [hoodoo doctor] to work on it, find out from somebody, go to somebody that I know, and [ask her] if she know what that [is] the person have; and they tell you something, well it'll keep you upsetted and without clothes as long as you live, unless that's taken out of there.
(You say, you put that broom behind the bed?)
Behind the bed.
(You put it up there with the brush part down?)
With the brush part up.
(Oh, the brush part up.)
The handle down but the brush part up.
(Oh, I see. Well, why did you do that?)
Well, because if you put it down, you're not against the person, see. If you put it up, you against 'eni - you against a person, see. See, if the brush part of the broom is up, that's against a person if it's behind the bed. If it's down, you don't have no hypnotic powers nowheres, nothing seems to work against him by having the broom down. You wants it against a person with the broom up where the sun goes acrost it each day. Every time the sun go across it, the sun crosses over that broom. If you has it down, well, it don't happen like that, you see.
Entry 10778
If somebody come to yo' house an' yo' don't want 'em to yore house, uhen dey come dere, yo' jes' sit down, an' when dey leave yo' start tuh sweepin'. An' when yo' start sweepin' yo' turn yore broom bottom upwards an' say whut chew wanta say an' dey'll leave.
Entry 10780
Usin' a broom - if yo' set a broom up, yo' see, set de strau up dis way [demonstrates] yo' be's in a uproar all de time. If yo' sets it down, dat makes things better roun' home an' roun' wit de neighbors an' all lak dat.
Entry 10781
De only thing ah know, nevah take a broom an' turn it upside down in yore house. Dat bad luck. [Algiers, La., (1593). 2994:21.]
Entry 10783
They take - you see, some people cross it [a house]. They have dif- ferent ways that they cross it. Now, they got some lady people when they living in a house, before they move, like if they living in this home here, they're sore with the landlord. (They're sore with the land- lord? All right.) The landlord wants them to move. He done give them a notice to move. They'll take and they'll take a old mop or old broom, they'll break the part off that you sweep or scrub with. They will put that into the chimley [chimney] crossways. It'll be months and Sundays before they kin rent the house. [That expression could be months of Sundays.]
Entry 10787
If yo' see anybody comin' tuh yore house, throw a broom 'cross de do' like dis [demonstrates]. Step ovah it [demonstrates]. Dat's bad luck.
(To the person that is coming in?) Yes sir.
Entry 10789
If someone come to de house an' dey don't trus' yo' or didn't wan' choo to come dere, an' dey'll take a broom yo' see an' lay de broom across de [door on the] floah. An' whenever yo' come in dere, den yo'll have to move dat broom. Dey won't step over dat broom. An' as long as dat broom is dere, dey won't come in atall.
Entry 10790
Dey will take de broom an' lay it down right in de threshhold of de door.
(All the way across.)
An' when de collector comes in - why of course, dey'll ask him tuh come in. An' if he steps ovah dat broom comin' in an' steps ovah it goin' out, why dey claim dat he'll commence tuh - it git in his mind, "Why - well, now ah'm kinda 'fraid tuh go tuh dat place. When ah was dere last, why somepin come ovah me." Dey claim dat broom, de crossing of de broom, will give him a thought in his nind dat it's distrustful gon'a happen round dat place. Ah'm gon'a send somebody else iere, because ah don't believe ah'll take chances crossing dere mahself. An' al- so tuh make dat token, [warning] work out, why dey'll sometimes have so.eone set- ting around tuh kinda frighten yo' [him].
Entry 10791
If yo' once were marl ried, an' yo' have a broos an jes' throw it ovah yore dining room back do' an' step ovah it, yo' won't nevah marry no mo'.
(You'll never marry again. Do you put that broom down, you say?)
"Cross de dining room do', jest lay it dere an' step ovah it, an' yo' nevah will marry any mo'.
Entry 10792
Keep de witches out (How do you do that?) Jes' take de broom an' put it across de do'. Dat's all ah know 'bout de broom.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep de evil spirits away.
(And the witches out.)
Yes sir.
Entry 10793
Take a broom, or either a horseshoe, an' put it up ovah yore do'. Take a broom yo' know an' nail it crossways yore do', keep witches out. (Where do you put it, down on the floor or what?) Lay it right down by de do', on de flo'. (What will that do?) Dat will keep 'em out. Or ei- ther, if a person come in yore house an' yo' don' want 'em dere, yo' kin take a pod of peppah an' throw it in de fiah, an' make dem go.
(Just burn the pepper while they are in the house or after they leave?)
While dey in yore house.
Entry 10794
De broom? Well all ah know whut dey kin [do] wit a broom, like if a person Would come in your place and you didn't want dem dere, dey put de broom behin' de do'. Is dat whut chure talking about? (No, how do they do that?) Dey jest - like you'd come in, dey could sweep yore track when you come out - sweep yo' out. Den dey put dat broom, turn it up behin' de do', an' when you walk in, you can't stay. Dat means, jest as yo' come in, sweep like dat and set de broom up behin' de do'. Yo' gotta go out.
(You sweep when? When they come in or after they go out?)
When dey go, see.
(And they won't come back again.)
Yo' sweepin' dey tracks out. Jest as dey go, sweep dem out.
Entry 10797
Dey say, dat if a person sweep yore feet with a broom, that yo would leave home. [For sweeping feet also see JAIL later.]
Entry 10798
Dat's another thing to move a man or move a woman. Put dat [broom] down by yore fireplace dere an' let it stay dere every night fo' nine nights yo' put it dere. Put dat down crossways, cross yore fire- place, an' den yo' - befo' yo' do dat dough, if yo' kin be fortunate enough to git a piece of dere garment or sompin like dat, an' tie it onto dat broom in seven knots, down next to de bushy part of it, an' let it stay down dere nine mornings. Put dat in nine nights. Dey travelin'. Yo' be discontented where yo' [he] at. About de tenth morning he goin' leave dere, yo' see. Dat's one way ah've heard about de broom. Dat'll run him. Move yo' either away from yore town or against yore success - somepin like dat.
(Who would do that? The woman would do that or the man?)
Either one.
(Somebody living in the same house or just living in the town?)
In de town - either way.
Entry 10801
Keep de broom, de part chew sweep wit, let it stand up an' be in de right cor- ner of yore house. Dat's lucky fo' yo'. (What do you mean, the right corner of the house?) Jes' lak yo' come in, de right side of de house.
Entry 10802
Yo' take a broom. A broom is a concern, jes' say fo' instance, yo' vorkin' wit someone, yo' know, an' dey smart or sompin lak dat, an' yo' jes' haul off an' hit 'em wit de broom. Dat will make a person have bad luck. Put bad luck on dem. Dey'll either git fi'ed [fired from his work] or sompin vill bg pen to him. [For hitting person with broom, also see JAIL margin title under BROOM later.]
Entry 10804
Ah'd knowed a little girl, Betty, ovah heah 'cross town. One morning she was sweeping up - little girl about six years old - an' her sister come by an' she hit her wit de broom. An' JD he come by dere an' dey hit him wit de broom. Miss Kate said, "Dat's bad luck," [she] says, "you shouldn't hit dat gal wit dat broom, Betty," [she] says, "ah'm goin' whupp yo'." [How do you punctuate this sort of discontinuity!] An' An by twelve 'clock dey had both of 'em in jail.
Entry 10806
If anybody hits you with a broom, you [hitter] go to jail, if its a broom, but if you spill 'em [person hit falls down, you won't go to jail].
Entry 10808
Yo' kin hit a person three times wit a broom, sweepin' lak yo' sweep- in' out dis [room] an' ah'm heah, an' yo' wanta put me into trouble. An' yo' jes' sweepin' till yo' git to me an' jes' hit me three times wit de broom, goin' an' comin'. In two hours or three hours aftah dat ah'll be in jail.
Entry 10809
If a person strike a person wit a broom, say fo' nine times, yo' goin tuh jail. If yo' kin jes' go an' - see, jes' lak accidently, brush a person, yo' know make it a habit of doin' dat, dat fellah's goin' tuh jail, or dat woman's goin' tuh jail.
Entry 10810
Yo' kin take a broom in jail, dey says dat aroun' in jail, an' bring mo' customers [prisoners]. (They buy the broom?) Yes, de' [prisoners] buy de broom. See, have someone else [buy it] yo' know, probably de keepers. Have someone out dere dey Want [to] give it to. Dey will buy dat broom from him
[keeper?]. Say dat will bring de peoples to de jail.
Entry 10811
If yo' in jail, take a broom - an' yo' git in jail. If yo' in jail an' someone out chere yo' don' like, yo' kin jump de broom in jail an' call dere names, an' it won' be 48 hours fo' dey be right in dere in jail. (How do you mean, jump the broom?) See [demonstrates with imaginary broom] jes' hol' de broom an' jump ovah it, jes' hol' it in yore han' an' jump right ovah it, call dere name.
[Author explains demonstration for microphone.]
(Like this: stretch your hand out and hold the broom [end of handle]. Then you jump right over the broom.) Hol' it an' jump right through dere. See [informant demonstrates] dat's ovah de broom, see. If yo' call dere name, dey cain't he'p from comin' dere.
(That will make them come to jail?)
Yes. [Broom] whut chew sweep de floor wit. Dey have tuh come dere. [Some- where in HOODOO is a similar rite from Wilmington, N. Car.]
Entry 10814
Well, now yo' take de broom - jes' lak ah cope to yore house an' yo' don't want me dere no mo'. Well, if yo' don't sweep out, yo' take dat broom an' nail it up ovah de corner [side] of de do' dis way [demonstrates] when yo' come in.
(Lay it to the right of the door when [where] you come in?)
Yeah, nail it up; see, caught it up lak dat [demonstrates]. (You nail it against the wall with the brush part up, to keep then from coing back there again.)
Entry 10815
[They say, take a bran'-new broom an' set it behin' de bed, an' write a person's name on it. An' say dat whomsomever dat she wants tuh come dere - jes' like it's a man dat she wants tuh be with - write his name on dat broom an' turn it bottom upwards an' set it up behin' de bed.
(What will that do?)
Dat draws de person in de house. (Turn this broom with the brush part up. You write the name on the handle or the top part?) On de handle.
Entry 10816
Yo' take a new broom, yo' see. Yo' take a new broom, if yo' go move in a house, an' always have a new broom an' have a loaf of bread an' a box of salt. An' it's lucky, a new broom, if yo' sweep yore house. An' nevah tuh go, tuh go [to] work an' leave it [when you move]. Nobody will have it, because it will bring evil into de house. A new broom.
Entry 10818
If yo' use yore own broom to sweep yore house an' [somebody] else's that's a little bad luck on that. An' don't sweep yore yard wit de same broom yo' sweep yore house with. Dey say that's bad luck. They always say that if a person use de same broom to sweep de house with an' dey use the same broom to sweep de yard with, that brings about a little difficulty wit de family.
Entry 10822
To make a husband an' wife be cross with one another all de time - look like dey jes' can't git along - de lady might use de broom on sweepin' off de table an' dat'll cause confusion 'tween her an' her husband. Seemed like dey'd be cross wit one another. Well, anybody oughtn't tuh do dat, but sometimes people wull do it 'cuse ah've seen 'em do it.
(Who would sweep the table with the broom?)
De lady, de man's wife.
(Well, what would she do that for?)
Dat easy cleaning de table, ah reckon. [This may not be the floor broom but the hand broom I describe elsewhere: long slender twigs, reeds or grass bent together and tied with same material just below bend - about two feet long.]
(Sweeping the table off with the broom will cause confusion in the house.)
[This is merely my comment for the microphone.]
Entry 10824
If someone in yore house an' yo' wants 'em tuh leave or eithah stay, yo' lay dat broom down in de flo' an' let dem walk ovah dat broom an' if yo' want 'em tuh leave, yo' take it tuh de no'th side of yore room an' set it up wit de sweepin' part down, an' dey'll jis' leave all de way round. Dey won't come round dere any mo'. An' jis' lak if yo' want 'em tuh stay, well, yo' know, tuh come roun' yo' very often, yo' Set it up wit de sweepin' part up, an' dey'll often come tuh look aroun', yo' o, at chure house; come an' see yo' [if] anything dey kin do fo' yo', dey'll do dat.
(This is on the north side of the house?)
Yeah, it must be on de no'th side of de house.
Entry 10827
Take three straws out of a broom and throw it [broom] across yore left shoulder backwards. Throw it back off yo' and make yore wish. Yo'll git dat wish. [Mobile, Ala., 963:9.]
Entry 10832
And then you take a card, playing cards, you see; you know, like you [picture of man: jack or king].
(Playing cards?)
Yes. Well, you take him out and you'll turn him up behind your bed, you understand.
(Behind your bed, yes.)
Behind de head of your bed on de same side that you [man] sleeps. Now, this is a woman fer a man, and then on de other side, he kin do de woman de same way, you see [he uses female card]. And you'll put it there and then you'll take a broom what you have never swept with. I mean a new broom. You git nine straws out of that. And then you'll talk to him every morning. Everything you eat, you feed him and says good things about him. Don't say anything harsh. And he'll be compelled to come home to you.
(What card do you take out of that deck?)
Take de card that run for you.
(Oh, you have to run the cards?)
Yeah, now like you might run a spade. You might run a diamond. You might run a heart. You might run in a jack and you might run in a king, you see.
(I see.)
Well, you take de card that run for you.
(And you put that up behind your bed - upside down, you say?)
Oh, no! Don't turn dat upside down. You nail it behind your bed. Like I lays on de right side of de bed, well, you nail it on de right side of de bed.
(Behind the bed?)
Yeah, behind de bed, out of search from everyone. No one knows it but you. You do that to yourself. No one sees it.
(Is the face against the bed or the face out?)
The face is out. No, the face is out. The back of de card is against de bed. And you feed that with everything that you eat. Even now, like you would get water - just like you was really feeding him sure enuff. And you talks sweet things - like you 'pologizing, you know.
(I see, to this card?)
Yeah, to that card, for ninr mornings and he will be forced to come back. As to the woman [if a man is working this rite] she'll be forced to come back.
Entry 13289
A root doctor told me that. He said you git choo a bucket of watah a'a broom, an' as they goes on out de doah, he says - like aftah dey gone out, h say - he jis' go back from w'ere they's settin' at, an' gits his broom an' dip it in that bucket nine time an' jis' sweep with it. An', every time yo's make [each of] dem nine [dips], sweep it [from the visitor's chair] right on out [of the house] and make you a wish: "I hope yo'll go an' nevah come no more." He said they'll nevah come back to your house no more [mō']. [That allitera- tion go and mo occurs several times in HOODOO, it appearing to be an uncon- scious folk expression.]