Subject:Broomstraws
Entries
Entry 2910
Take nine broomstraws - in fac' yo' kin take one straw an' break it up into nine pieces, an' yo' kin take dat straw an' lay it on a plate. An' lay dat straw on de bottom of a plate an' yo' set a candle light, an' yo' burn dat candle light eve'y mawnin' fo' 'bout twenty or thirty minutes. An' have it set right in de midst of those straws, an' yo' burn it eve'y mawnin' fo' 'bout nine mawnin's. Den yo' put it out. When yo' put it out yo' put dat name in de bottom of it, an' dat's fo' food. Yo' always keep plenty food in de home.
(What color candle do you use?)
Yo' use a white candle. Yo' could use a green candle - it's mo' faster, but yo' use a white candle.
Entry 5351
Git two of dose straws an' put 'em tuhgethah. (Two straws from the broom?) Yes sir. Put 'em tuhgethah, which an' why, lay 'em 'cross one anothah, an' stick a pin through 'em, an' put 'em out intuh where de tracks is runnin'. An' make yore wish: In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' call de individual name dat yo' mean tuh git rid of. An' dat will git rid of 'em. (They will leave.)
Entry 7064
If de man lay down an' go tuh sleep an' dey want chew tuh stay dere, dey take two broomstraws an' cross 'em. Put 'em cross yo' an' yo'll stay dere. (Stay asleep. Where do you cross them?) Jis' take 'em an' lay 'em up heah lak dis heah [demonstrates]. Cross 'em dat way when yo're [you are] asleep... [A stop. Cylinder change.] (That would keep a person asleep. So if a woman wants to go out at night, her husband wouldn't wake up if she put two broomstraws [crossed over] him. That the idea?)
Entry 10826
Put 2 broomstraws crossways [make cross with 2 broomstraws] over door and sweep behind, for unwelcome visitor. [For 2 broomstraws crossed and buried to be walked over in the tobacco fields near Wilson, N. Car., see No.1758, v.1.]
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 10828
It's like my husband and I is separated. I would take four straws of the broom and he came home, I put 'em before the door. He comes in [over the 4 broomstraws] and he'll never leave. (All you got to do, just take four straws from the broom?) Four straws of the broom, before [in front of] the door. (And he won't leave any more. I see.)
Entry 10829
Ah heard dat chew take nine straws an' lay it up ovah yore husban's haid to make him, yo' know, stay home. (Nine straws of what?) Of a broom. Lay 'em up ovah de do' so dat he could walk in an' out undah 'em. Says, now yo' keep 'em dere so he'll stay home.
Entry 10830
Take de broomstraws an' name 'em an' put 'em undah de do'steps, an' dat will keep a man from goin' off. He go off but he'll come back. Put 'em out dere undah de back of de steps where he goes by ever' mawnin'.
(What do you name them?)
Name dem de man's name or whoevah it is goin' off. (Each straw you name the same man?) No, yo' name 'em jes' lak yo' talkin' tuh 'em, yo' know, whut chew want 'em tuh do an' ever'thing.
Entry 10831
Well, if yo' want somebody tuh come in de same do' of yore house all de time, yo' git chew a straw out of a broom. If it's a man, git de bow out of his hat; if it's a woman, jes' take one of her tracks. An' take dat straw an' stick nine straws around yore front, an' dey [man or woman] won't nevah come in yore back do', dey will jes' come in de front do' all de time. (Well, what do you do with that stuff that you get from them? Where do you put that?) Put that? Yo' put it with de straws. If it's a man, yo' take an' put one up ovah de do' - see, one of dem straws. Yo'd have tuh have nine straws from yore broom, yo' understand. An' if it's a man, yo' take one [broomstraw] with de bow of his hat an' stick it up de do'. If it's a woman, jes' take her track an' where yo' put dis straw, put some of dat dirt right down aside of dat [foot track] right round in front of yore house. An' dey coming dataway all de time.
(Well, why don't you want them to come into the house any other way but that?)
Well, dat's in case a man got a woman an' she messin' with anothah man, an' she kin always have him tuh go out de back do'. See, make him come in de front do' an' he kin go right on out de back do'. Have it locked an' he won't nevah go to de front do' - see, nowhere but de front do'.
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 1759
Ah hear talk of that. Yo' kin work lawsuits with that even much. Take 'em an' tie 'em in de center - de broomstraws, dem short pieces. Yo' git a piece - Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft.- Rootwork - of shame brier root an' put in between dem straws, an' if yo' wanta come out ahead in anything lak dat, an' yo' got de broom straws, yo' tie 'em together. But yo' always lay it - if he killed an' yo' wanta win, yo' gotta come up higher. Dem othah joints gotta be shorter den yours. An' when yo' git 'em up dere high, yo'll be above, an' even yo' above dat shame brier root. Den yo' kin take de rattlesnake master or a piece of root of hit an' yo'll hold them right together, an' then yo'll tie nine knots in dat string an' yo' tie 'em well. An' then yo wrop it up. Yo'll fix them things an' yo'll tie 'em up. When yo' tie 'em up den yo'll wrop 'em up in a piece of red flannel an' yo' tie it up: An' all you have to do den whenevah yo' go, always, if yo' have to meet a lawsuit or anything, yo' put it in yore pocket an' yo' nevah have to be tried. Ah seen 'em work that.
Entry 498
My mother was rode by a witch. I used to sleep in the next room from her. When a witch rides you you can't talk, you holler, you just make a b-o-o-m sound. Then you know something is wrong. My mother started to making that fuss and I called and asked her what was the matter with her. And she said a witch was riding her. So I told her the next time a witch got after her I was going to catch whoever it was. They say you take a sifter, a bottle of water and a broom. You put it down at the bottom of the [door] steps. The witch has to count all those holes in the sifter, all those straws in the broom, and if day- break catches him he goes in the bottle of water and you stop him up, and you find out who was riding you. The person will come to you and beg you to turn them out of that bottle.
Entry 499
Use de straw from a broom for a hag. Take de straws from de broom an' take de broom an' lie it down side de bed, an' de nex' mawnin' dere will be somepin down dere side de bed. People say it be's de hag, but say dat de firs' pusson dat came to your house to borrah somepin from yo', don' loan it to 'em, say dat'll be de same pusson dat rode joo.
Entry 503
Take nine straws, broomstraws, an' yo' put 'em down - yo' kinda pound 'em an' yo' put 'em down. Put nine to de haid an' nine middleways an' nine to de foot on de flo'. Then yo' put nine on de middleways an' den put de whole straw on de back an' a bottle right down by dem nine straws. When de hag git on yo' he got'a start tuh countin' dem straws, he count dem straws - he count right dere an' yo' ketch him, ketch him in dat bottle.
(What does he look like, then?)
Says he look lak a jelly of blood - jes' lak a lump of jelly.
(Now, about those straws - how many straws do you put on the bed?)
Put nine each ways - nine on de flo', nine up de next de post an' tuh de back.
(Well, where do you put the three nines now?)
From de straw broom jes' git de straw an' put nine up dere; jes' lak yo' plantin' - nine dere, nine heah an' nine dere.
(Where do you put the first nine?)
On de flo'.
(Where do you put the second nine?)
On de bed.
(Where do you put the third nine?)
On de back - dat's de broom, de whole broom - right undah de bed right 'bout chure haid. (You have to do that with the broomstraws, too.) [Have I suddenly become incoherent - too?] An' de bottle 'long wit it.
Entry 2099
If yo' got a woman an' wanta make love wit her, yo' goes to her house. She don't want chew dere yo' see, but den yo' go to her house - make it specially to go tuh her house to git a few words wit her. Then yo' mess roun' an' if yo' kin git a chance tuh ketch her han's, yo' git de lengt' of dat lef'- han' fingah - dat dog fingah [demonstrates]. (The index finger of the left hand?) The fingah off her lef' han' - de dog fingah. See, yo' git de joint of it, de first joint.
(What do you do? You are not taking it off of any woman are you?)
No, yo' don't take it off, yo' jes' ketch it an' git de measure of it, somepin lak dat. Den go out git chew nine dem broom sweepers - see, git chew nine straws about de same length, every one of 'em, see. Git one of her gloves, see, an' yo' let it go out [straighten it out] an' cut de fingah off right in dere, an' yo' tie it with a string, tie it up in dere.
(What do vou tie up in that?)
Dem nine straws.
(You tie those nine straws in that little finger that you cut off the glove.)
Den yo' put chew nine single pins in dere an' tie it up an' wear it in yore pocket, an' dat girl will love yo' from den on, an' wouldn't make love wit any othah individual either - jes' tie her. [This is called tying a person.] (Here's what you do, get the length of that first joint of the dog finger - the index finger of the left hand. Then you get nine broomstraws that length. Then you get her glove with that same finger and cut the end of that glove finger off and put the nine broomstraws in there.) [To measure a finger joint measures the whole body because part of the spirit equals the whole of the spirit (see p.21). Measuring is like drawing a circle about a person or scratching a circle on the ground for him to walk over - you confine him, control him. By the law of the opposite, treasure hunters put a circle about themselves as a protection against spirits (see the Magic Circle, p.123).]
Entry 2945
Use de straw jis' fo' de haid business. Jis' lak ah wus tellin' yo' when a person's haid is all upsetted, dey jis' didn't know whut tuh do. Ah've heard dey'll go tuh work an' dey'll go to a store or to yore place an' if dey see a new broom, dey'll take a straw outa dat new broom an' dey'll put it in dey haid an' dey'll use three words, "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost." Dey'll put dat - dat's tuh ease dey haid. Some of 'em will ease dey haid wit dat straw.
(Just one straw?)
One straw, and dey'll stick it up in de top of dey haid. Yo'll say three saints' words, see. Dat'll give it easement but it'll nevah stop. [This informant's belief is more hopeless than the preceding rite. There the candle would go out if you did not deserve it, here your headache (caused by a candle burning or burnt against you) can never be cured.]
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 10825
De straws of de broom. Well, jes' take a piece of de straw an' put it underneath yore haid an' dat'll make yo' have bad luck.