Subject:Can
Entries
Entry 3866
Jis' lak yo' kin take a woman's sanitary napkin an' put it in a bucket or a can - anything containin' a top - an' jis' stop it up. An' see, dat stop 'er blood up an' she jis' - cain't no doctah [M.D.] start it. It won't start. Dey won't know whut tuh do about it. An' event'ly [even- tually] she'll go in bad health.
Entry 4038
Fer a instant [instance], ah wanted mah ole lady - she wuz doin' bad things, see. I would take an' place a aig up undah de steps an' ah would put it in some urinate. An' ah would place dat egg up undah de front steps, jes' put dis aig in dere - jes' de natchal [natural] eggshell - ah could make her stay at home. Ain't any way she could leave home, long as dat aig an' urinate is undah de steps. (You take just the fresh egg. You don't take the yellow or white or anything out. The whole egg. Just any kind of a chicken egg?) No, de whole aig, any kinda chicken aig. An' place - stick a pin into de end of it. Long as dat aig stay undah dere. See, put de urinate intuh a can, an' place de egg intuh de urinate, an' place in undah de steps.
(Where she can see it?)
Where she can't see it. An' evah time she walk ovah it, she'll gits worsah [worser]. Ain't no way she kin leave home, cuz when she walks dere fo' 'bout two-three mawnin's it takes de 'vantage of 'er.
Entry 4395
(What do you say they do in that case?)
Well, jis' like a person's bowels want tuh move, yuh know, an' if dey cain't git intuh a toilet nowhere so dere bowels will move, an' dey happen tuh, yuh know, do it anywhere where a person kin git it. Well, yuh takes dat an' yuh puts it in a powdah can, a 'east [yeast] powdah can. An' yuh fastens it up tight, an' yuh puts it in a dark place an' yuh let it stay in dere. Now, yuh see like yuh bowels is supposed tuh move like three times a day. Well, yuh kin take diff'ren' thin's an' make yuh bowels move. Well, dey cain't move becuz some - ah'm got yuh stuff fastened up an' dat gives yuh locked bowels. An' in- stead of yuh bowels goin' down, hit comes up through yuh mouth. Ah've seen a man died like dat.
(I see. Yuh take this can and put it in a dark place. All you have to do?)
Uh huh, dat's all yuh have tuh do.
Entry 4962
Yuh kin take a woman's stocking an' tie it in nine knots an' put it in a coffee can with live lodestone an' powdered alum an' a lick of dis heah Hearts Own Cologne an' one needle, sewin' nee- dle, an' yuh kin stop dat [coffee can] back up, an' yuh kin tie her dere jis' like she's lef' yuh an' she had come back. She'll stay dere jis' as long as dat, stay dere until dat stockin' molt away in dat can. [A lick of Hearts Own Cologne sounds unusual, even though lick can mean a small quantity. Previously I had never heard of a lick of perfume! Hearts Own here sounds like heartshorn, a pronunciation that confused me when I first started working in the South. I have discussed this elsewhere.]
(What do you do with that can?)
Well, yuh kin place it in yore trunk. Put it in yore trunk or any place like dat, yuh know, safe keepin' where nobody won't harm it.
Entry 5368
Dey tell me yo' kin [take] de hollah of de foot track, airtight it in a can an' throw it intuh runnin' watah, an' it will make yo' walk away.
(You use either track?)
De left-foot track.
Entry 5479
Well, yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road, but dat's did wit de track.
(Tell me how it is done.)
Well, dey take up yore track backwards. Now see, yo' comin' in dis direction. Ah'd take up yore track goin' backwards goin' dat way. Ah place it in a can about dat size. Ah go tuh de fo'ks of de road where it's fo'kin' di- rectly east tuhwards where de sun rise; one goin' dis way an' one goin' dat way. Ah take de can an' ah dig a hole down dere. Take de can an' beneath dat can ah put a li'le powdah - not a large can but a small one - put a li'le [powder]. Den ah'll have it so dat yuh dynamitin'. Strike a match an' put tuh it.
(What will that do to you then?)
Dat'll run yo' clean away from home.
(You do that with gunpowder. And you do that right where that road forks.)
Dat's right, yo' do dat in de early mawnin' when de sun jis' begin tuh rise.
Entry 5516
People wan's people tuh move out of a house, why dey gits de drop on dat fellah when he's walkin' an' watch 'im, yo' see. An' prob'ly [they] take a bottle or maybe tobacco can or snuff- box or somepin an' git de dust out of 'is lef'-foot track dere. Prob'ly walk aroun' dat house an' throw it across it. An' well, dey can't live dere no more.
(Where do they throw it across?)
Throw it across de eaves.
(Right across the roof of the house?)
Yes, sir. As it go ovah, he leaves it open so dat it might scattah as it go across, yo' know. (I see, leave that bottle or can open as you throw it over the house, and scatter the dust over the roof. That will make them leave the house.) Well, dey becomes tuh be dissatisfied wit de house, won' be satisfied until dey move. An' it ain't goin' be very long befo' dey moves.
Entry 5526
Take a can of lye, can of potash yo' know, dis Red Devil lye, an' put it undah yore step. Take yore track an' put de can of lye wit it - yo' know, jis' lak yo' seen people make tracks. Put dat lye undah dere. (Put the lye in the track?) No, take de lye - dis heah man shoe track. Take de track up an' put it in dat lye.
(Put it in this can of lye?)
Put it in dat can of lye an' bury it undah yore steps. Bury it undah yore step, jis' lak yo' go dere an' sweep up heah undah de step. Yo' can't stay dere.
(You can't stay there. That runs you out of the house.)
Yo' can't stay dere.
(That's either one of your shoes?)
Yeah, ary one yore track.
(And put this can of Red Devil lye under your step and you can't stay there.)
Entry 5905
Now, so fer as de woman proposition - lak if yo' got a woman, or any man got a woman, an' yo' don't want 'er tuh leave, yo' understan'. Whut he do, he gits - dat mawnin' when he gits up, he'll call 'er Sweetheart an thin's, yo' know, an' job an' all wit 'er. Well, she might be havin' some outside man on 'im, see. De firs' thin' he'll do, he'll git up dat mawnin an' he'll plait 'er hair an' he'll take a couplah [couple of] grains of 'er hair, yo' see, an' put 'em in a can. Den go to de graveyard an' git some graveyard dirt an' put in dere, an' go to de rivah an' git some watah, an' git some of de rivah watah an' let it soak. An' aftah it soaks in dere, yo' take an' carry it back to de lavatory an' put it back of de lavatory an' leave it stay dere. [Lav- atory here is a fancy name for outdoor watercloset.] She'll nevah leave, yo Tdahstan'. YO' AN' 'ER GIT ALONG JIS' LAK TWO PEANUTS IN ONE SHELL.
Entry 6258
Yuh wanta put 'em in de road - 'cordin' tuh how yuh want it. If yuh want 'em tuh stay home, yuh bury it. [Here, having heard buried hair so often, I turned off recording machine; but informant continuing with something about first hair, I restarted machine.] (Where do you take the first hair?) Git it from undah yo' arm, undah yuh lef' arm. Yuh put it in a tin can an' screw it tight. Hang it up in a gum tree an' evah time de wind blows an' blow it aroun' lak dat, an' when dat string pop loose an' it fall, den yuh gone.
Entry 8624
Just like ah may have a friend. I could be a woman an' I'd have a friend, an' I wants to part from my friend. I'll take de lemon. I'll get me some beer. After I'd get de beer, I get me a candle. Well, I take de candle an' take de lemon an' bore a hole through de lemon. Put de lemon [candle] down in de candle [lemon]. Put dat beer down in de can. When. I get the beer down in de can, an' start tuh burnin' my black candle, well, de woman couldn't stay dere ten days.
[I now try to understand the preceding confusion.]
(Now wait a minute. Here's your can of beer. Now where's your lemon?)
Yo' see, I put my beer first.
(Yes.)
Put de note second.
(What note?)
De woman name.
(Well, you didn't tell me that before.)
Yes. Mark nine times backwards. After yo' mark it nine times backwards yo' put de note in dere. After yo' put de note in dere, yo' stick de candle down in dere, an'.leave it down in dere fo' ten days, she can't stay wit yo' no more.
(What happened to the lemon?)
De lemon'll be right dere in de beer. Yo' see, like. (I see. Now, wait a minute, let me untwist these things for you: Here's the can of beer. You put this woman's name in there. You take a lemon and you put this black candle in the lemon and put that lemon down in the beer, and then you light the candle. How long do you burn that candle?) Yo' burn dat candle ten days.
(I see. Then what happens?)
De woman can't stay there no mo'.
(You just drive the woman away?)
Dat's to drive 'er away.
(Why do you use beer?)
De beer is down in de can.
(Well, why do you use the beer?)
Yo've gotta use so de lemon could have some kind of different juice to it. Dat de reason yo' use de beer.
Entry 8661
Yo' could put three matches, three pods of red pepper, an' a man an' Woman name, an' put it in de 'east [yeast] powder cup [can] an' bury it. That breaks them up. Bury it under de house somewhere, under de steps. "East powder. Yo' know, what dey put, 'east powder in a can, what yo' make bread. Yo' stop it into de can an' bury it anywhere in yore backyard, but say it's best to be under de house.
Entry 8854
Yo' know when yo' writin' a lettah, an' yo' got chure han's on de pen, mah [your] wrist is on de lettah. Well, dey cuts dis off. Dey cuts dis heah off de lettah, see. Well, dey take dat lettah whut yo' done Wrote an' wipe it on a piece of fresh meat, a piece of fresh meat, an' take dat meat an' carry it somewheres an' put it up. Put dat meat up until it completely dry. When dat meat completely dry - yo' take dat meat an' keep it where de sun stay hot an' all - an' when dat meat dry up, yo take dat meat an' yo' put it in a can airtight. It's hard dry. Dat kill yo' right dere. Yo' lose control of yore han', yo' have no mo' use of yore hand.
Entry 9474
Jis' lak yo' wan'a house - jis' lak anyone naggin' an' dere be a whole lot of rows in de house an' yo' wan'a quit dat rǒwin' an' live pleasant in de house. Yo' take a li'le bit of table salt, but choo have tuh use it In de Name of de Lord. An' yo' take dat table salt an' yo' put a li'le bit in a can or anything, an' put it up ovah de do. An' dat's good tuh keep yuh home quiet.
Entry 9749
Jes' lak if yo' an' a person have a big dispute or somepin of de kind, den yo' take nine nails, nine bran'-new nails. An' take yo' some sulphuh an' take dem nine nails an' a piece of tin. Yo' know, a top [lid of tin can] an' nail it down lak dat. Nail it through dat top an' put dat sulphuh undah it, undah de top. See [demonstrates], turn de top down, see, an' yo' take nine nails an' nail 'em roun' [through the lid] lak dat. An' if he's plannin' tuh do anythin', take a suit ag'inst yo' or anythin' of de kind, use dem nine nails. Den yo' tie his mind down. Yo' tie his mind down dat he can't do whut he intend tuh do. Can't do it.
(You just simply put the sulphur out there, and turn that tin top [or lid]
down over it, and drive nine nails into it.) Nine nails. An' talk to it jes' lak ah'm talkin' tuh yo', jes' what yo' want tuh be done.
(What would you say?)
Jes' lak dis: "Ah don' wan' chew tuh bring suit ag'inst me. Yo' must be mah fren', not a enemy. Yo' gotta be mah fren'." Yo' see, yo' nail dem nails down an' yo' talk tuh it, jes' lak yo' call 'is name: "John, yo' must be mah fren an' not a enemy tuh me. Yo' must be mah fren'." An' jes' nail yore nails right on down. "Ah'm talkin' tuh yo', John, an' callin' yore name. Dis is Carrie Han' [Hand] talkin' tuh yo'. An' yo' must be mah fren, not mah enemy.' An' jes' nail dem nails down lak dat.
(Where do you nail the nails down?)
Yo' kin nail 'em down jes' anywhere in yore house, yo' undahstan'. [Sumter, S. Car., (1351). 2344:6.]
Entry 9790
Well, now, fo' de whole house, yo' would have tuh take two needles an' cross dem lak a "x". Yo' first bury a can of red seal lye wit de top off of it; jis' let de dirt come ovah in it. (Where do you bury that lye now?) Yo' bury dat lye where dey constantly have tuh walk ovah it. Now, aftah yo' bury dat lye, befo' yo' covah it wit de dirt, yo' put de two needles cross lak an "x" wit de points out. Yo' put dem on top of de lye befo' yo' covah it. Yo' don't covah it till yo' put de needles dere wit each point, one pointin' dis way an' one de othah way, yo' understan'; but out, out from de house. An' yo' covah dat up an' when dat lye dissolve den yo' gits results. (After that lye dissolves then that landlord can't ren that house; if he does, the people can't stay there.)
Entry 9960
If a man - er a wumman - is gamblin' an' ef yo' kin slip a frog up undah de chair [of the victim] some place. Sprinkle some salt on 'is [frog] haid, put 'im in a can, shet de can up - but chew gotta sprinkle dat salt on dere fo it tuh take effect. Slip dat can undah mah seat [informant changes from third to first person] den ah'm gonna lose.
Entry 10105
Well, you could take a cat - some people say a black cat, but it don't have to be a black cat. Take any kinda cat. Understand? Take this cat. You put you on some water - a big pot of water - boils it up good. When that water gets to boiling good, get you a can of lye. You empty about half of it in that water, as it boils, you see. You takes this cat and tie all four of his feet togeth- er like that, see [demon- strates]. Tie all four of his feet together, but don't kill him - let him be alive. You takes him - but you'll have to have a top over him, you understand. You takes him and you slams him down in that water while it's boilin', see. Set your top down good so he can't get out. You let him boil in there awhile. Well, it's natchal that lye is going to cut all the meat off the bones, you see. As soon as you've boiled all them bones clean and everything, it's a certain bone that you get. It comes from right under here [demonstrates].
(Right from the throat?)
Right under the throat chere.
(Right under the throat.)
It's a forked bone and it's got a piece cross it like that [demonstrates]. Lays jest like that right under his throat chere. You gits that bone out.
(Like the yoke of an ox, like a wishbone?)
Yes, sir. Yes, sir, it is. [A chicken-wishbone shape in a cat is impossi- ble.] You gets that bone out. After you take that bone out, you get you some salt.] Put it in some water. You soak that bone in there for nine mornings - about an hour every morning. That salt water will harden it. See. Then it will petrify, so it won't spoil. [This is curing the bone as you would a ham.] After you soaks it in that, then you take it and you lay it in the rays of the sun, for three mornings. Let the sun dry it, petrify it. After then, take you a piece of white silk linen [silk or linen?] and you sew it up in that, and wear that bone on you.
(What will that do then?)
Well, you'll be invisible then - can't see you.
Entry 10119
Ah've had a fren' of mine - ah've seen dat. Ah've had a frien' of mine kill a cat, black cat. Jis' taken an' put 'im in de watah live - jis' put in de watah live an' let 'im cook all tuh pieces. But dat's de devil [devil's work]. Let 'im cook all tuh pieces an' put a lid ovah 'im, [keep] dat down. Let 'im cook all tuh pieces when he's live. He took dat cat, when he cook all tuh pieces, he took de right hin' laig of 'is bone den an' throw it in de watah. Hit'll run up [stream]. It shore do. Hit'll run up an' den come back, an' stop an' turn aroun' [and surely bows to you!]. Dat's de lucky bone. But chew don' fin' [find] dat done evah day.
(The right hind leg.)
Dat bone by de j'int [joint].
Entry 10666
Yo' done used de coffee whut's in it [can], chew know, er [or] dump dat coffee out an' git chew a large apple. Hull it out, hull de core out of it, yo' understand an' den yo' git chew some honey, some cinnamon, an' parchment paper an' write chure name on dat. Brite whosomevah name on it yo' wants tuh send de apple tuh. Take dat box [can] an' close dat, er [or] pore dat honey right down in dat hole where dat parchment paper is, yo' understand, an' cover dat box [can] up an' put it down in a trunk or somewhere safe yo' know, so's [so as] ah can't find it. An' yo' kin carry me all ovah de country with dat thing. Ah'll follow yo' anywhere in de world yo' go. Ah don't ca' where yo' goes, ah'll follow yo', yo' understand. (You cut this hole in this apple, and then you write my name on this parchment, and you put that parchment in the hole in the apple?) Yessuh.
(Then you pour the honey down in there?)
Yes, den yo' pore de cinnamon down in dere, an' den yo' pore de honey down.
(Do you stop it up in any Way?)
No, sir. Den yo' take de top of de can an' yo' know... [demonstrates]. (You put the apple in the tin can and then you put the top on the tin can. That is all you do to it?) Den you put it in a trunk or drawer, somewhere yo' know in yore room, yo' understand, an' man, ah'll follah yo' anywheres yo' go. Ah can't git away from yo' no way in de world.
Entry 11019
(Ever hear of them using chicken feathers for anything?) [An old note of mine adds: Always asked this question to see whether Negro believed in witch wreath.] Well, er...ah.... Jis' lak a person doin' somepin tah yo an' yo' wanta git rd of 'en, yo' take some of de feathahs outa dey bed shere dey sleep at an' yo' put dis oil of bergamine [bergamot] an' sweet oil togethah an' jis' grease dose feathah with 'em, dat chew got out de bed from where dey sleep. Jis' grease dose feathahs with 'em an' take 'em an' put 'em in a can or somepin an stop 'em up, an' take 'em tuh de south side of a tree not very far from dey house an' bury it dere. See. An' when dem dere feathahs will finally pine away - dey'll jis' pine away tuh nuthin. Dey jis' git sick an' dey sick on dey stomick an' dey jis' ache all ovah. An' it jis' sompin lak de rheumatism an' cain't no doctor [M.D.] do 'em no good an' event'ly dey'll die.
Entry 11181
Now they take the nails an' they drive them down into - jes' lak yo' take dat Red Seal Lye, dat has five holes in it, an' they take an' drive a nail in each hole of the lye. An' they bury this lye undah the house an' they git it near as they possibly kin ovah that lye [devil's-shoestrings] on the inside of the house. They put whut they call de devil's-shoestring, that's a little weed- as near ovah the top of that [can of lye] as they possibly kin. That's tuh make this person weak, sickly. (They put this devil's- shoestring over that and they bury that can of lye.) Bury that can of lye jis' undah de house as near as they kin. Jis' say fo' in- stance, if dis wuz his bed, they bury it undah that as near as they kin git to it undah there. They then come up an' try tuh put whut they call de devil's-shoestring - which is jis' a little weed-lak, yo' know - put it as near undah [center] de bed as they kin.
[This is surely a quincunx rite.]
Entry 12386
Yo' kin take a box of lye an' yo' kin go out at twelve a'clock in de night, if yo' wanta run anything away. An' like runnin' away, dey tell me, dat's runnin' away de enemies of 'em - dese polices an' diff'ren' things lak dat. Yo' go out at twelve a'clock at night an' bury it down undah yore do'- step. An' after yo' bury dat dere, yo' curse de people dat chew want to stay 'way. An' yo' take a cold biscuit an' a tin nail - one dese little tin nails - an' drive right down through de center of dat biscuit into dat can. An' let it stay buried dere, de' say, fo' nine mawnin's, an' yo' kin take it up an' use it. If anything git tuh worryin' yo' - yo' havin' any trouble or anything like dat - yo' go back dere an' put down anothah can. Well, at de time yo' may not fear 'bout nuthin interferin' with yo'. Nobody won't interfere.
(Why do you put that biscuit in there?)
Ah don't know why yo' put dat biscuit down dere, but sompin othah. [One guess would be an offering to the spirit doing your work.]
(But you say you can use that lye over - you can use that if you want to.)
After it stay dere nine days, why yo' kin use it. [Normally materials cannot be reused.]
Entry 12423
Now, she kin take a piece of cord, or a piece of string, or anything lak dat an' measure him, yo' see. Yo' ketch de string tight an' yo' measure him. Den aftah measurin' it, yo' tie dem nine knots, an' yo' put it in a bottle or put it in a can or any- thing lak dat an' throw it in de rivah. Yo' see an' dat'll keep him driftin' - jes' keep a-goin'. Dat's when yo' wanta run a fellah way.
Entry 12546
If she got his name, put it in a onion. Get you a red, red, red big onion and hull [core] it out good. And write his name nine times, thisaway [demonstrates] and write yours this Way [demon- strates] nine times on his'n. (Running across it.) Yeah, and put it in the onion, shut it up and put it in a can, and keep it under the side of the bed he slept on and he'll be back.
(Keep the onion shut up in a can under the side of the bed on which he slept?)
Yes, sir. Where he slept at.
(And he'll come back?)
He'll come back.
Entry 12691
If a man wanta ketch 'is wife, jes' lak in some act or 'nothah, den yo' takes oak ashes. Take oak ashes an' pine straw [dried needle on ground, also called shatters in the South]. An' yo' take an' put dose oak ashes ovah dem an' yo' puts one hole in de can an' let de can leak aftah yo' puts watah in dere. Den yo' takes oil an' yo' puts oil - po's oil ovah dat an' let de oil run through, an' den as de oil meets wit dis heah straw an' oil an' straw mix wit dis watah dat he has po'd on dere, den dat will cause dis man an' woman tuh go tuhgethah. An' de day he would po' de oil in - see, he done put de watah in dere an' let de watah drip through de straw an' oak ashes. Den he puts de oil in dere, an' den at de minute dat he puts dis oil in dere an' de oil drip through tuh de ashes, den dis heah woman she'll be wantin tuh git tuh dis man, but now de woman she'll have tuh burn dese ashes. See, he'll git huh tuh burn de ashes fo' him. An' den she'll be wantin' tuh git tuh dis othah man, an' whenevah she gits wit him, den he goes where dey's at...tuh fin' dem den. Wheresomevah - if he fin' dem dey'll be tuhgethah.
(Just associating together.)
Yes.
Entry 1295
You could use diff'rent stuff. Like if yo' go to de drug store an' tell 'im yo' want yo' some bay rum, den yo' get yo' some garlic, an' yo' get yo' some white onions. An' yo' put all dat in a can an' yo' will boil dat. An' yo' would take a bath with it, an' yo' would tote some of it into yer pocket. An' whenever yo' take de bath in dat, yo' t'row it tuh de way de sun rise. Dat'll keep 'em from doin' yo' bodily hahm [harm].
Entry 1645
Yo' use dis stuff ammonia an' lye - concentrated lye, an' chamber lye, that's yore watah, an' wash round dat place. Yo' takes a can of lye tuh cut out all devilment dat anybody would throw, 'cause if dey goin' throw dey goin' always mostly throw undah - lak a buildin' dat's made yo' know lak this where it's a steps. Yo' takes dat can of lye - yo' don't use none of it - yo' take it an' yo' open it an' sprinkle so much all around undah dere, dry. Den yo' take that can an' yo' bury it upside down, an' that ketches all de devilment that's throwed around.
(What do you do with that other stuff, that other stuff you spoke about?)
Yeah, dat's tuh wash - if yo' think anybody's doin' devilment, wash aroun' an' dat cleans all de devilment out. Don't care whut dey put down, dat cut it up.
Entry 3169
A simple thing. Ah's been did dat way by mah wife. Lak she go on an' have connection wit yo', see. Well, now, aftah yo' git through, take an' wash, yo' undahstan' an' she takes any kinda cloth whut yo' might dry wit, takes an' puts it in any kinda can, a coffee can or eithah a glass, somepin small lak a can, an' puts it ovah de roof of de do' an' let it stay dere. Well, where a man don't pay no 'tenshun tuh it lak dat. An' whensomevah he goes back tuh de same place where he jes' came from, dat othah girl, well he cain't even git up no courage fo' her. He'll be jes' as soft as when he git through. Jes' as long as she keep dat in de can, he can't.
(He can't do anything.)
Entry 3963
Take a piece from a woman dat she wear in her private time. An' she kin put dat in a can an' turn de can down, an' bury it in de yard anywhere an' let it stay dere. Well, dat woman dat dat piece come from, she's locked up all de ways roun'. She jes' swells up in heah an' she locked up down dere. She locked up evahwhere. An' den if yo' don't git dat thing up from dere, dat woman will die. She'll bu'st open an' after [afterwards] she die.
Entry 4389
Well, dey go right dere an' take yuh urinate [= excrement here] an' take dat stuff an' dey got anythin' ag'inst yuh, take dat stuff, an' yuh git some red peppah an' care [carry] it or take part of it, care it on off, put it on a bark - see a bark, a piece of pine bark will burn up. An' yuh burn dat when yuh git all dat stuff down dere. An' yuh sprinkle some of dat peppah - take dat odor away from it. Take dat thin' an' keep it in a can an' run yuh stone crazy. [For the use of tin can, see margin can titles soon to follow.]
Entry 5369
Yo' kin take it [track] an' put it in a can, stop it up an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' dat'ud [that would] make yo' be driftin' about through de worl'.
(You take either one or both or what?)
Yo' takes jes' one - yeah, eithah one.
Entry 8566
That's where you're [they're] supposed to bury your name out there at the forks of the road. Well, you [they] write your name down nine times and put it in a can and bury it there, walk away and leave it. Well, that's [to] make you drift.
Entry 11546
Take left-foot track, put in can with red pepper and name, throw in- to running water, "put you to going." [Mobile 943:4.]
Entry 9910
Yo' know dese ole rough frogs dat hop. Well, yo' take dem an' yo' put 'em in a tin can an' cut some holes in dere. An' yo' git a bone out dere dat shape lak a fishhook. An' yo' could hang dat on anybody's clothes an' dey'll follah yo' regardless who dey is woman or man, an' love yo'.
Entry 14
Ah take de name of de party who havin' spells so terrible it seems tuh be. Ah write dat name seven times, either seven or nine, but then this is a prayin' job now. When ah write that name seven times ah prays de seven prayers - de same prayer seven times an' in less than nine hours he'll 'bout come tuh life.
(What prayer - any particular prayer?)
Yessuh. Dis pa'tic'lar prayer, dat's in a secret prayerbook.
(You take any prayer you Want to choose?)
Yessuh, yo' kin look through an' see which is de best one fo' sech case, accordin' tuh whatevah yo' likely tuh pray on. [Thinking he had finished I stopped my machine - he repeats a line or two of prayer.] Dat's page 51 though mostly.
(It's a prayer of the Episcopal Church, isn't it?)
Yessuh. [The secret prayerbook was The Book of Common Prayer - certainly not from page 51, which begins with The Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth; probably one of Collects from page 49.] Dat's a gurontee tuh put a person in a house if they wanta git in there. Well, we take dis pink luck success an' de white luck success an' have them tuh pass an' break a bottle in front of de do' an' in de next six or seven days de house is his, if it's no one in it.
(Where do you get this luck success?)
At de Crackerjack Drug Sto' down heah at - dat's where ah deals at mostly. An' though ah nevah did desire to handle so much of de mean stuff, but some- times yo' have tuh do those mean things tuh git at the good ones. An' ah uses de hair of a white person into a colored person's ear fo' dizzy haids, an' ah use a colored person's hair into de white person's haid fo' dizzy haids. Sometime dey think yo're bumin' candle on 'em. [In the New Orleans area dizzy head is usually caused by someone burning a candle on you - see Headache in Index.] So ah take a little of de white person's hair, about say an' inch, an' stick in his [colored person's] ear, or ah'll take de colored person's hair an' put it in de white person's ear - [claps hands once] jes' dat quick [the dizziness leaves]. [For Negro hair in white person's ear as earache cure, see FACI,2ed., p.201; 1st ed., p.241.] Well, about burning de candle on jah - tuh put de candle out, ah take rivah watah, rain watah an' ditch watah or well watah, anything lak dat, jes' so it's three watahs mixed together, an' ah pass dat ovah dere haid three times dis way an' den three times de othah way an' make him wash his haid good wit it, an' it seems tuh been workin' out very well so fur. [Many doctors and spirituals in the New Orleans area make their holy water - usually they bless it - this three-waters rite being one way of making it.] (You bring that water over his head three times forward and three times back- ward?) Dat's right.
(What will that do about that candle then?)
Well, it supposed tuh put it out. Yo' git relief to de haid. [For other methods to put out candle, see Candle in Index.] Use a green candle, at least ah does, on Mondays an' Wednesday an' Fridays fo' success. Dat green candle dat's mo' fo' success. An' den with the green candle - yo' doesn't light the candle with a match, yo' git van-van [a hoodoo perfune]. Dat's whut ah use, van-van, an' put a little in de saucer an' light de van-van an' hold de candle to dat, an' den make yore prayer, whatevah wish yo' wanta make, an' den set dat dere an' yo' supposed tuh have a success from Monday up to Saturday. Burn dat Monday, not de same candle dough - burn dat whole one out Monday, an' de whole one out agin Wednesday, an' de whole one out Friday. An' den Saturday yo'll have a success in receiving a payment, if it's nuthin' but a little job in order to make a dollah or so.
(Do you light that candle at any particular hours?)
On Monday yo' light it at six a'clock, an' on Wednesdays yo' light it at nine a'clock, an' on Fridays at twelve a'clock noon [light them with the growing Of the day].
(That is just for general success?)
Yessuh. If someone is fixed an' dey husban' an' wife doesn't agree at home very well ah have them tuh burn a white candle - if dey kin burn it in dere home. Some of 'em, dey cain't burn it in de home - ah'll burn dat fo' dem. Ah'll have dem tuh hold de candle an' ah ask God tuh bless it, an' den let dem burn dat. Dat's tuh make de husban' an' wife agree an' stop squabblin' an' goin' on. Dat's de white candle.
(Do you burn that at any special time?)
Yessuh - ah burns that at three a'clock.
(Any special day, I mean.)
Yessuh - fo' peace, ah burns dat on Tuesday.
(If he has left, this is to bring him back?)
Yessuh - if he's gone an' yo' have de picture of him, well, dey take it an' turn it against de wall. Turn de face of de picture against de wall an' write his name nine times an' put it in de bottle, an' put essence of van-van on dere with the same amount of Floridy [Florida] watah, an' shake dat an' set it down on de flo' undah de picture, jes' lak de pictures up dere an' yo' set dat bottle undah dere. An' ever' time yo' shake it, it'll upset his mind till he returns. Dat's been proven. Ah don' wanta talk nuthin' dat ain't been proven. (In writing that man s name down nine times, how do you mean you write it - just one name right after the other?) No, suh - write this this way three times. Swing yore papah roun' an' write it de whole six times. De first three times yo' write it right straight that Way, an' den whirl it ovah again an' den write it six times. Dat'll return him back. Then yo' fold dat good an' keerful an' put it in de bottle an' put de Floridy watah an' de same amount of Floridy, yo' put that amount of van-van. Dat's de essence of van-van. An' when yo' shake that, well, no doubt it may be three or fo' days befo' de party returns - depend on de distance dey are. But when they shake that until the papah come aloose, it's okay. An' if he's a long [distance] we gen'ral'y write that with red ink an' that returns him.
(Can you give me a little account of your work - about that healing?)
Mostly a healer, dat's mostly whut ah am, a healer. When it come tuh lawsuits or any othah little home upset, well, ah jes' makes dat ovah. But mah main work is a healer. Ah gen'ral'y do de most of mah work wit mah necked [naked] han'. If a person come tuh me wit a pain in dey laig or dey arm, anywhere, ah lay dat han' on 'em an' pray, an' rub up in it an' he git up an' go 'way, say in about three minutes. Dat's mah main work. [Rub up instead of down is unusual.]
(You use an altar you say. Do you do anything with the altar?)
No suh, ah jes' stan's in front of de altar. (Do you wear any costume or anything of that sort when you are doing that work?) Nuthin' but de beads - prayer beads [he shows a rosary].
(With the little cross on them.)
Yessuh, dat's right.
(Do you wear anything on your head?)
Nuthin' but a little cap - a little black cap.
(Like a littie skull cap?)
Yessuh. (How did you get your power to do these things? Did someone teach it to you or were you initiated into it or were you just born that way?) [This is not a leading question; I had asked it too often - the answer always being the same.] Jes' nachally bo'n dat way - nevah went tuh school nary a minute in mah life. (This man who was just in here is a healer. He only knew a few things to tell me, but he might be a good contact man. End of 1578.)
Entry 2501
Yo' go to a ole-time grave an' git chew some dirt. See, dig down in de grave lak dis an' git chew some dirt out of de grave. Well, yo' take dat dirt an' yo' mix dat dirt up with salt. Yo' put table salt in dat dirt an' yo' mix it up. All right, den yo' go to de sto' an' yo' buy yo' some lucky perfwme, Heart Perfume, yo' see. Yo' git chew some Heart Perfume. Well, yo' mix that in there with it. See. Jes' put Heart Perfume all in dere with it. All right, den yo' go an' yo' git chew some sulphur an' yo' put that sulphur in there with it. See. All right, yo' go an' git yo' some John de Conker an' den git chew fo' diff'rent cans - fo' diff'rent small cans, tin cans, where yo' kin put 'em airtight. See. An' yo' put 'em in a circle - jes' lak yo' runnin' a bootlaig place, yo' put 'em in a circle all de way round.
(Around what?)
All way round yore place, yo' understan', de place of business yo' carr'in' on - all de way round, yo' see. Den yo' take, aftah yo' put 'em all de way round [one can on each side of the business], yo' take dat salt an' git in de street all de way round where yo' got chure cans an' yo' care it all de way round yo' see, till yo' git clean round yore house. Well, aftah yo' gone all de way round yore house wit de salt, yo' come on back right where yo' left from an' say, "Ah put dis out, In de Name of de Father, Son an' the Holy Ghost, that ah may have no trouble." Then yo' spit up in dere three times. Yo' won't have no trouble. If yo' have any trouble atall, yo'll git out of it. [The four tin cans with seal-type lids, one on each side of the house, should have been sufficient - an airtight protection.].
Entry 2642
I've been in that condition myself. A ole man charged me five dollahs one time. He tole me - I gave the five dollahs [first] - he says, "Want choo git twenty-one ole shoes, I want ever' one to be a lef' shoe, an' seven [rubber] boots." He said, "I don't care whurther yore boots are lef' or right or not. Put 'em into a can, a lard can, close the top up. [Years ago meat packers packed hog lard in very large cans for butcher shops.] Go into yore back yard an' burn that can an' everything in there concern. Take that dust an' scatter it all over yore house an' sweep it north an' south, east an' west, four diff'rent way, an' go ahead an' sell yore whiskey." I did it an' I declare the law didn't never run down on me.
Entry 2686
If yo' sellin' whiskey, to keep de law from yore house, yo' take an' where yo' takes a leak an' throw it out right - jes' throw it out in de front every night fo' nine nights an' in de mawnin's, too. An' throw it out dere fo' nine nights or nine mawnin's. Do it that night an' that mawnin', yo' understan'. Well, dat will keep the law from comin' in yore house. (What do you mean where you take a leak, on the ground? You mean where you do it on the ground or in the pot or what?) Where yo' do it in a can, don't chew see. [Informant has a night can.]
Entry 2854
You use graveyard dirt to kill people. You take graveyard dirt and mix it with some salt - Epsom salts [symbolic purgation]. You pound it as fine as you can get it. All right. Then you write that name. All right. You write that name seven times [on a piece of paper], see. You put it in a can, yeast powder can. You seen them black candles. You take one of the black candles, you set it in there. Then you write that name in the candle three times, see. And after the candle is burned out, you jes' will wilt away. That is what it does. That is for the fellah who does you harn.
Entry 2858
Nine black candles in a can - old rusty can - burn it in the hot stuff what you use on your food, [with] lemons, vinegar and cayenne pepper [in the can] and keep it burning, and have somebody at the house to keep the hydrant running an' you get discharged. Some- one has to be where you live to keep that going [while you are on trial] for you to get discharged. Yes sir.
Entry 3388
Jis' like if I come here to dis lady's house an' steal 'er dishcloth, an' take it back home an' wash dat dishcloth out so dey won't be no fat on it [to] make the man suspicious]. Den, yo' see, use it ovahnight on 'im. Yo' got to use it for nine nights, or use it nine times - it's all right. Den take it an' put it into a pan of grease an' fry it. Take de cloth an' ball it up an' put it into a can where it'll stay hot - yo' know, not let it git cold - an' go an' bury dat can. An' he cain't leave dat house to save his life. A man ain't gon'a leave home. An' when he do go, he can't have nopleasure.
Entry 4011
Providen' if she wants men to go dere, like she wus a woman of good time, see; an' want some business. She'd take her own chamber lye an' put it in a can, sit it on a stove till it comes to boil, an' dat'll draw 'em.
Entry 5269
If de boss fire yuh - yeah, he fired yuh. Yuh goes tuh 'im an' ast 'im fo' a job ag'in, once mo', an' he says, "No." Yuh say, "Well, ah been work- in' mighty faithful fo' yuh an' yuh's not treatin' me right.' Sompin lak dat. Git chew some spirits turpentine an' if yuh kin git tuh 'is shoe or sompin lak dat, his right shoe - if yuh kin ketch 'im wit 'is shoe off sometime, rub it on de bottom of 'is shoe, yuh know. An' take a li'le dust dere from de bottom of 'is shoe an' mix wit some turpentine an' put it in a li'le can. An' stop it up an' carry it an' bury it undah yore do'step. An' yuh got a job wit 'im right on. Yes sir, yuh git de job back.
Entry 5837
Dey kin take yo' head, dey take some hair right from de roots of yo' hair an' take dat an' burn it. An' den dey git some hair from a black cat an' burn along wit dat. An' dey take de ashes an' put in a tobacco sack. An' den dey take an' put it in a tin can an' throw de can right on straight out [into the water] and [so that it] don't come back in [with] tide. Well, dat will run 'em crazy inside of three months.
Entry 6025
If a woman wants 'er man back, well she takes 'is hair off de top of 'is head an' down on de bottom, yo' know, of 'is trousers. [andl put de needles an' pins an' mind watah in a can, a ole can, any kine of can. Shut it up an' put it in a cornah of de house. Dat's what dat is fo' - 9 needles an' 9 pins. Well, dey bury yore hair in 9 nee- dles, 9 pins, an' cinnamon, an' put it in mind watah." Shet it up in a can. Dat's to keep yo' wit 'em. Dey put dat can in a cornah.
(Did you say mind water?)
Yes sir. Yo' buy dat. It's to keep yore mind wit 'em. Yo' put dat in a can wit 9 needles, 9 pins, an' yore hair, an' dey'll git yore hair from down in, yo' know, when yo' sleep. Dey put dat in a can where nobody kin run across it. Dat's jis' to keep yo' wit 'em, keep yore mind towards 'em. [These ingredients can also be put in a bottle.]
Entry 6616
I know of a man who used to kill snakes and bleed them. He cut them under the throat and let them bleed in a can and he would take that blood and get one drop in anyone's food and that would kill them.[Fredericksburg, Va., (67), happened years before 1936 (date of collecting) near Woodford, Caroline Co., Va.)
Entry 7855
(What was that?)
Graveyard dust. Dey say dey kin go tuh de graveyard an' git some graveyard dirt an' take it an' use it. Keep it in dere pocketbook or prob'ly tie it up in a li'le rag, or prob'ly put it in a can in dere house. An' dat will bring good luck tuh home. Well now, whethah it's so, now ah don't know.
Entry 9906
Yo' kin take a toadfrog. Now, I had dat - dat wus done tuh me. A man wus co'tin' [courting] me an' he wus co'tin' anothah lady. An' we co'ted fo' a good long while an' ah tole 'im, ah says, "Why don't chew let's git ma'ed?" He say, "Well, ah'm engaged tuh anothah lady tuh git ma'ed." Ah ast 'im, ah say, "Why yo' co'tin' me so long when yo' know yo' wus engaged tuh anothah lady?" He says, "Well, ah guess ah lak yuh." Ah say, "Well, dat ain't busi- ness." Say, "Ah thought chew wus co'tin' me fo' a wife. If ah hadda thought chew wusn't doin' dat, we'd abeen [we would have been] quit long ago, becuz a husband [was] whut ah wus lookin' fo'." He says, "Well, ah'm already [TORTOISE IN GEORGIA] engaged tuh git ma'ed." Ah say, "Well, when yo' goin' git ma'ed?" "Well, we's tuh git ma'ed in June." Ah tole 'im, ah says, "Well, when June come if ah live, yo' won' git ma'ed." He say, "Well, if ah live, ah will git ma'ed." Ah say, "Well, if yo' live yo' won' git ma'ed." So when June come - de lady wus down south - she came. He come ovah an' he tole me, he say, "Well, de lady ah tole yuh about ah wus tuh ma'y, she have come."
[Cylinder change causes the following repetition.]
Ah say, "Well, when yo' goin' git ma'ed? He say, "We's tuh git ma'ed in June." Ah say, "Well, ah tole yuh, yo' wouldn't ma'y her." He say, "Well, Ah don't see how yo' [can say] ah'm not gonna ma'y 'er. If ah live ah'm gonna ma'y huh." Ah say, "Well, if ah live yo' won' ma'y huh." So ah goes tuh a fortunetellah an' dis fortunetellah tole me tuh ketch a toad- frog an' git me a coffee can, a tin coffee can, an' drive holes in de bottom of dat can an up aroun' in dat can tuh 'bout halfway. An' ketch dat frog an' put 'in in dat can an' name him dat puhson's name three times. An' take it tuh a black antses baid an' stir it up, an' set dat can in dere; an' evah two or three days fo' me tuh watch dat can. Go an' look in it evah two or three days. An' when dem antses eat all de meat offa dat frog, tuh bring 'im dat frame [skeleton] in dat can. An' when dat wus done, ah ca'ed it tuh 'im. An' he tole me dere wus some bones in dat frog dat he wus gonna fix in a li'l package fo' me tuh weah shere it'll keep warm nex' tuh me, an' he would nevah ma'y dat wumman. An' he fised de package an' ah went tuh weahin' it. So when de time come fo' him tuh ma'y dis wumman, he come ovah an' he tole me, he sayed, 'Miss Cartah, '' he sayed, "De lady didn't ma'y me." Ah said, "Well, why she didn't ma'y yo'?" He said, "Ah dunno." Ah said, "Well, did yo' buy de papahs?" He say, "Yes, ' say, "Ah bought mah license an' dey cost fo' dollahs an' fifty aents, an' ah went ovah tuh ma'y her an' she tole me she 'clined [declined] de idea of gittin' ma'ed." Ah said, "Well, when did she say she would ma'y yuh?" "She didn't say." Ah said, "Well, yo' oughta make huh tell yuh when she gonna ma'y yuh. She 'clined de idea right now, maybe a li'l latah she might ma'y." He say, "She don' mean tuh ma'y' Ah say, "Yo' reckon she don't?" He say, "No." Ah say, "Why?" "Cuz she given me mah money back. Ah paid fo' dollahs an' fifty cents fo' de license an' she give it back tuh me." Ah say, "Oh well, she don't mean tuh ma'y yo' den." An' den he commence tuh worryin' me tuh ma'y 'im an' ah wouldn't ma'y him den, 'cuz de fortunetellah dat ah'd gone tuh tole me it would happen dat way. An' he tole me, "When he ast chew 'bout ma'in' don' chew ma'y him." Said, "Becuz he wouldn't live long. He would soon stricken an' die an' yo' would soon be a widow ag'in." An' jis' lak he tole me 'bout it, he would ast me 'bout ma'in' 'im, he did. But ah kep' 'im shooed off, an' re'lly, latah he did taken sick an' died. [Here I changed the cylinder. Informant begins by returning to an episode she had omitted, what she had done to make her rival refuse the man.] So dis fortunetellah tole me dat dis woman dat he wus supposed tuh ma'y, she wouldn't ma'y him. He tole me tuh git some li'l boy tuh go on in de swamp or somewhah an' fin' me a gophah - wit fo' laigs, a gophah, yo' know. So ah come back an' got de boys tuh hunt de gophah up an' dey wouldn't fin' one. [The preceding word gopher may confuse the reader. Here in Georgia where I was interviewing, people called the gopher a salamander. What informant means by gopher is a burrowing land tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), the animal and eggs edible.] So ah went back an' tole 'im about it. Ah said, "Well, don' seem lak ah kin git a gophah." Ah say, "It'll have tuh be some othah 'rangements made." Ah said, "Dis man sweahs dat he gonna ma'y dis wumman." He said, "Yo' needn't worry about dat; he ain't goin' ma'y huh." He say, "Well." He got some dirt, some red-lookin' dirt, an' he showed it tuh me. He said, "If ah give yuh some of dis dirt an' tell yuh whut tuh do wit it, would jew be scared tuh do it?" Ah said, "No, ah won't be scared. Ah'll try tuh do it." An' he fixed so much of de dirt in a papah an' give it tuh me. An' he said, "Aftah dahk [dark] - yo' know wheah dis wumman live?" Say, "Yessuh." "Aftah dahk yo' go tuh huh house wheah she live. Don' let no one see yo', if yo' kin he'p it, an' yo' throw dis dirt tuhwards 'er front do', as much as yo' kin, tuh spattah it on de do' an' de porch aroun'. An' she won't nevah ma'y." So ah did dat. So dey didn't ma'y. (You said this was another case where a woman was going to marry the man. This is the same story?) Yes sir, dat's de woman's part of de graveyard dirt. [The reader may recall that my informant told us her rival de lady was down south. Here we were in southern Georgia not too far from Florida! I found this down south all along the Atlantic coast from Maryland southward. The south was always somewhere farther south!]
Entry 11727
Dat goofer dust is made from incense. Yo' take dis lucky incense an' yo' kin burn it an' poun' it up in a can yo' know. Git it out somewhere roun' yore neighbor's an' sprinkle it, yo' know, roun'. Dat makes all of 'em come influenced to yo', yo' know.
Entry 8693
They can go to the end of a railroad track and put your name down in there an' yo'll drift. Yes, right up on the side of the [railroad] tie. Well, you write the name backwards [last name first]. You write it up an' then yo' write it across [write it in the form of an 'x or cross] an' let it be nine times. Put it right there [on the railroad track]. Put it in a can, though, see, so it won't blow away.