Subject:Chicken
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Entry 210
A black frizzly hen won't let nothin' stay in de yard - he'll scratch it up. You see some frizzly hen it be so necked [naked] in de back an' it'll be red? It be necked, then he done pick [up] a root. You see some chickens dat scratch aroun' de door for fresh worms? Well, if dere toby or anything stuck down here, if it's anything in a bag, dey [the ordinary chicken] ain't goin' do it; but a black frizzly hen, dey take it up an' eat all dat pisen an' den dat pisen, when he pick it up, he gets necked. An' de person who puts it down, dat hen take it up.
Entry 212
Yo'll git a black frizzly - dem othah chickens ain't no good - git a black frizzly. Yo'll turn dat black frizzly chicken in de yard an' yo'll gon'a notice her haid be clean as yore han'. Well, she done pick up stuff people done put roun' dere fo' yo' - de same kinda stuff lak ah'm tellin' yo', yo' see.
Entry 213
De frizzly chicken - most people have dem on dere yard. If anybody wanta do anything to yo', why dey supposed tuh scratch up all de poison.
Entry 340
Jes' lak if yo' wanta learn some tricks yo' know, yo' kin take a black chicken an' go dere fo' nine mawnin's, to de fo'k of de road. Have yo' a further road - both of 'em public roads each way, not no blind roads yo' know. Both of 'em have tuh be public roads, forkin'. Yo' take dis chicken an' go dere fo' nine mawnin's an' on de ninth mawnin' de devil will meet chew dere. An' he will learn - well, anything yo' wanta learn.
(Do you do anything with that chicken?)
De chicken, he have tuh be 'live. Yo' ketch him alive an' carry him to de fo'k of de road an' yo' go fo' nine mawnin's, an' on de ninth mawnin' he'll meet chew dere.
Entry 365
Now a man kin get about as high as he wants to by going to de forks of de road. You kin go to de forks of de road, if you wanta do anything - you wanta become a professional musician or a man to do slight of hand or anything or walk out of people's sight. You kin go to de forks of de road and instead of praying to de Lord like most de people pray dey sins away, you pray to de devil. Well, de first morning you is there, it prob'bly may get a little windy. You do that for nine mornings. The next morning you may meet a bunch of birds, chickens or something like that. And the ninth morning you go there, you'll meet the devil himself. Well, if you got guts enough to stay dere and face what he's going to tell you, you'll be all right - you kin do anything you wanta do.
Entry 950
He was living at a place called Bearfield just outside of Baltimore [Maryland]. He was a very great singer. All the women folks loved him for his singing. His brother-in-law's girl got attached to him and he couldn't do any- thing with her, so he decided to disfigure him. It was his wife's brother. So he got a chicken and put something on this chicken. After he ate this chicken he came nauseated. At last, at a certain time of the moon, he would get on the bed and put his feet up in the air and keep running his two fingers down his throat. They got a hoodoo doctor and he gave him some medicine but he wouldn't take it.
Entry 1161
Go in the fowl coop - you know, go in backwards while the chickens are in there, an' as the chickens start to flyin' out, why you come out an' let them fly over you one by one as they comin' out. You jis' come from the back of the coop, an' comin' out like that an' let them fly over you, an' that care [carry] the chickenpox away.
Entry 1164
A black hen, now, dat's for when anything - a snake or rattlesnake bites you. Wanta see what a rattlesnake is, you jes' go out here in de woods. If you is goin' huntin' purtty soon you see a rattlesnake down here [in this part of the South]. You know a rattlesnake look green-grayish; you know you can't hardly know it's a rattlesnake lessen you look down good. Well, if he bites you, if you kin git to a frog or a black hen and cut him open while he is alive - cut him open and put him on dat, it will draw all dat pizen out. [The blood is the essential element in these split live-animal rites, which cure just about everything.]
Entry 1165
We had [here in the neighborhood] once [about 1886] a sick boy and they said somebody hurt him and he was very low. Someone told him to get a black chicken and cut that chicken open - don't kill it, and bind it alive to his feet. They say that cured him of cunjuration. They said it would draw it out [through the feet]. [Boxiron, Md., by hand; my note "old cunjure-woman" in parentheses indicates she handled the case.]
Entry 1184
Any chicken that you kill, they say burn the head of it. They say, but I don't know - this what they call hoodooism - couldn't bother you or nothin'.
Entry 1775
Well, dey take a chicken an' kill 'im, a black chicken an' kill him, and take dis heah breastbone. They git de breastbone and dey take it and dey go together an' yo' pull dis end and ah pull dat. Well, when yo' do dat, it's fo' yo' to be lucky. De one dat pull an' break de most, splits de most on it, gits lucky, he's lucky. Well, if mine is shorter den yours, well, ah ain't goin' be lucky. See. Den yo' take dat - yo' takes it an' sew it up an' put it in yore pocket. Den, any kind of game yo' go in a'ter dat, you'll be lucky in dat.
Entry 6729
If anybody's trying tuh HOODOO an' got anything buried round yore bouse, a frizzly chicken will scratch it up an' yo' kin find it in dat way.
Entry 6730
A frizzly chicken, if anybody bury anything in yore yard dat is not clean, dat frizzly chicken will dig it up an' he become naked; an' if it's too strong, hit'll killl 'im. [Among many examples of frizzly chickens digging up planted objects of cunjure or poison, this is about the only time I ever heard of the chicken being killed.]
[For other examples of frizzly chickens, see pp.59-63.]
Entry 9394
Yo' kin take a chick- en aig if yo' got a church an' yo' think dey gonna put chew 'way from dat church, wal yo' take three aigs. (Any kind of chicken eggs?) Any kind chicken aigs. Take 'em an' yo' go ovah tuh dat church an' yo' chunk all three of 'um ovah de top of it an' bust 'em. An' dey won' even put chew 'way from de church. It still yuh chúrch right on. [Florence, S. Car. (1331), 2292:7.]
Entry 10956
I heard them say that you can take a red-hot poker and stick it in the chicken house and all the chickens will jump on it and you can take them out an' no one will ever know it.
Entry 11038
If anything buried anywhere around yore house, they tell me tuh git a frizzled chicken an' put it on de yard, wheresomevah dey put down something to harm yo' - it will scratch it up. [For these remarkable chickens see DOCTOR FRIZZLY pp.59- 63, v.l, and many places.]
Entry 11039
If yo' got a black frizzly chicken, keep him on yore yard dat way, because he's kind of a protector for [against] the enemies that comes around yore house.
Entry 11051
If anybody bite chew or anything like dat, see, jes' git dis where de chicken has been, yo' know, an' put it on dat place. Dat will rot all dey teeth out.
Entry 341
If yo' wanta learn to pick a guitar, go to a road nine Sunday mawnin's - de fo'ks of de road, nine Sunday mawnin's. But 'fore yo' evah go tuh de fo'ks of de road to learn yo'self, dey way fo' yo' tuh do - git a rooster, an' if he ain't blind, have some de young ones to knock his eye out. It won't.hurt him yo' know. Don' do it chewse'f but have somebody else tuh do it - lak yo' ketch a rooster, put one his eyes out. Ah reckon yo' heerded dat ole song - dey say long time ago it wus named atter [after] [what a] root worker done, chew know. Dey says, "De Ole Blind Rooster, When He Comes." Well, dat's de way dat is. See, yo' take dat rooster one eye. Den yo' kill him an' yo' take his drumstick when all de meat is done 'way - done eat de meat off yo'self. Take dat drumstick an' yo' go ahead an' yo' put it in yore pocket.
(What do you put in your pocket, the eye or the drumstick?)
No, not de eye, jes' de thigh an' let somebody else eat de meat off it. [He calls the thigh bone a drumstick, a term usually reserved for the leg bone. Thigh in old-fashioned country-fried chicken was never called second joint, a carving term; the chicken being completely disjointed and cut up when fried raw.] (What do you do with that eye that you took off the rooster, what do you do with that eye?) Well, yo' see -
(You just blind the rooster?)
Yeah, jes' blind de rooster in dat one eye. Den yo' take dat othah eye an' put undah de back do'step yo' know. An' so whenevah de mawnin' when yo' goin' tuh learn tuh pick de guitar, an' cut. tricks, yo' know, yo' got dat rooster drumstick in yore pocket.
(You kill the rooster and eat him?)
Uh-huh, kill de rooster an' eat him, but don' eat none of it yo'self, see: Yo' git de drumstick an' de eye - take de eye time yo' kill him an' bury it undah de do'step an' let nobody know whut chew done wit it. Den yo' take de drumstick an' yo' go down to fo'ks of de road Sunday mawnin 'fore day, jes' right round 'bout three a'clock an' when yo' git down dere, yo' wanta learn tuh play de guitar. So de first Sunday mawnin' yo' go dere, well, yo' don't stay but 'bout eight or ten minutes - give yo' eight or ten minutes. Well now, whenevah yo' 'cide tuh leave dere, if yo' go dere fo' dat business, yo' know, well, yo' drop dat bone down right in de middle of de fo'ks of de road, near as yo' know, say, "Well, dey ain't nobody heah dis mawnin', thigh, but me, an' so's yo'." Now yo' ain't goin' say nuthin'. Well, yo' start to pickin' yo' guitar an' whenevah yo' startin' tuh pickin' yore guitar, the corner of that bone round dere would be heah, an' it will keep changin' but yo'll nevah see it change dat mawnin'. Yo'll look at it - one end of it's small an' de othah end large, yo' know. Co'se it be larger up heah, yo' know, den it would be down dere, but that end will be round, that end, an' ever' time yo' pick a tune, it will be changin' - yo' know yo' comin' on den wit de guitar, yo' know whut chew done. An' when it quit changin' yo' know it time tuh go.'Well, '' yo' say, "nex' Sunday mawnin'." If yo' want it be at twelve a'clock, yo' say, "Twelve a'clock an' it change agin. Not watch it yo' know, an' whatevah yo' see it comin' at de change, yo' jes' hold it at dat hour an' yo' come de next time dat hour an' - so - on whenevah Sunday mawnin' come agin, yo' go back dere. Well, whut yo' do dat time, yo' go back dere an' yo' set right down, right up on de - sit down dere an' pick. Say, "Dere's nobody tuh worry yo' ah ain't got but one eye." An' yo'll see a sheep - a sheep will come up cross de road an' git right in de road an' face yo' an' look mournful an' pitiful, an' yo'll look at dat sheep an' keep on pickin' an' dat sheep atter while will vanish away. Atter while yo' see somepin black comin'. Well, dey'll pass on by, won't stop dat time. Well, it's time tuh go den. Yo' goes de nex' time. Well, de nex' time yo' go dere, yo' guitar will git pickin' bettah an' bettah. Well, whut'll drive yo' 'way dat time, yo'll heah a cow come 'long. Well, yo'll nevah see dat cow dat time, an' fore yo' leave - yo stay dere 'bout a hour dat time befo' yo' leave, an' if anybody on de road kin see yo' or anything, den dat cow de las' time she'll low, she say, "Aah-aah-do sound lak she say. An' it's time tuh go den. An' so yo' go dat time. An' de next time yo' go dere, dere a lil' ole funny boy will come out an' yo' speak to him an' he'll play all dumb, an' yo' not know a thing about him. Well, it natural sometime yo'll run up on people yo' nevah knew. An' yo' git picking de guitar till yo' git tuh messin' wit him, an' quite natural yo' think he'll not keep it, keep it down. Well, at least it wus wit me. An' ah got tuh playin' an' fust thing ah knows he had two lil' ole sticks yo' know, an' keep playin' it on, dat bark got to ringin', yo' know, good, an' ah kept playin', kept playin' an' ah wus playing one tune an' when de guitar got playin' anothah, ah change back. An' den ah didn't have tuh go no mo'. Ah didn't have tuh go no mo' 'tall 'cause ah got playin' so's ah could play anything ah want. Ah have been where ah could lay de guitar upside down an' stan' beside it - it would ring right on. Dat's true. But ah laid off of it. Way ah wus doin', ah'd be a speck mo' den ah is. Ah went dere 'bout - ah missed two Sundays an' ah got off on de guitar a lil' bit, an' ah went back den on a Sunday mawnin' an' ah met somepin dere. Well, people say yo' meet de devil, but tell de truth 'bout de thing, ah don't know if it wus de devil or not. It wus a black something othah jes' 'bout dat high - sorta 'mind me of a dog. He had han's lak a dog when ah fus' seen him but fust an' last his han' wus jes' lak mine only it wus jes' as hot as could be. Well, ah wus drinkin' putty ha'd dat mawnin' tuh hol' mah nerve, but ah warn't drunk, an' he took dat guitar an' got tuh pickin' an' he changed it back tuh me. Well, atter while ah got tuh de place ah could pick anything. An' de bottom of mah shoe, ah had had a sole an' hit wus 'bout tuh come off, yo' know, an' he says, "Gimme yore soul" - whut he says. Ah wus gittin' ready tuh leave yo' know. Ah say, "Well, nobody knows." An' ah says, "Good-day" - jes' lak dat an' turn roun an' he say, "Gimme yore soul befo' yo' goes." Ah went an' pulled de half-sole off mah shoe an' gi' him de sole, yo' see, an' he disappeahed. Well, ah went on back tuh de house an' ah got tuh play - ah got tuh pick de guitar extra good. (Were you supposed to do anything else the rest of the times you were supposed to go out there?) De nine days?
(If you keep on going out there what happens?)
Yo' keep on goin' dere? Well, yo' see if yo' keep on goin' dere, yo' kin go dere eight mo' days on Sunday mawnin' an' yo' git to de place, de devil will give yo' a root. Dere's somepin come out lak a dog an' he'll come by an' he'll drop somepin down - it's 'bout six inches long, jes' 'bout lak dat. He be runnin' jes' lak a dog or somepin an' drop somepin yo' know, an' quite natchral yo'll pick it up yo' know. An' yo' pick it up an' yo' keep dat. If yo' offah tuh show it tuh somebody, dey cain't see it - [dey] say, "Yo' ain't got nuthin' in yore han'." Yo' cain't see it. Well, if yo' try tuh show it to dem, dey don't hardly believe yo'. So yo' keep dat in yore pocket till yo' git to de house an' git a chance tuh go down 'side de spring an' bury it. Well, de day yo' bury dat, if yo' bury it deep enough, yo'll nevah find it yo'self, but yo'll have luck de longest day yo' live. But chew go' tuh dat crossroads nine Sunday mawnin's. Well, dat ninth mawnin' yo' know, yo' done made dat aftah yo' done learn tuh pick de guitar. Well, yo' don't have but seven mo'. An' yo' go dere seven mo' Sunday mawnin's. Well, yo' beat right on de guitar. Yo' kin cut all kinda tricks den an' de devil will show yo' how tuh manage tricks. Yo' kin see the police dere an' everything in close places, an' how tuh git out chew know, an' ever'thing.[ Fayetteville, N. Car.,
(1438), 2581:1.]
Entry 413
Or some people say yo' put de money in de ground an' yo' bury a chicken or bury a cat or somepin - whatever dey bury, ah don't know what. Why, dis thing will come back wit chure money. Or bury dis Negro - why dis Negro will be so strong, somepin to make yo' 'fraid an' keep yo' 'way. (Is there any way that a fellow can go there at all and prevent that and get the money?) Well, dey say if yo' git chew a Bible an' go to dis place readin' yo' Bible, when dis stuff start - yo' got chure gang an' yore shovel wit chew - go ahead an' dig de money up. Don't pay any 'tention, jes' go ahead an' yo' see de stuff fall, jes' walk right on lak yo' don't see it; reads yo' Bible - readin' God's word, yo' see. An' dey said, when yo' git to dis place, why yo' got an idea how much room it might take, yo' know, to dig dis money up - yo' know, yo' all stand round in a ring round dere an' keep on reading de Bible. Say, den one man will walk around dere dragging his foot chew know, an' mark de place out, while dey be reading de Bible. Why den when dey git through reading dis Bible, take dis Bible an' lay it down on de line, puts it de way dey came - come dis way an' lay it right down on dere where he came in; on dat land marked round dere, lay de Bible, an' dey say yo' git right down dere an' dig. As long as dey didn't talk - don't talk an' don't, yo' know, make a fuss. Git right down dere an' dig. Say all kind of animals - all kinds of mess will come right up dere live, but pay no 'tenshun to 'em. Yo' dig right dere, jes' don't make no fuss, yo'll git chure money. Git dat money an' sit right on de - all kind of animals will come right to dat line, but co'se dey wouldn't come in 'cause dat's de Bible - see, wouldn't come ovah dat Bible.
Entry 428
(Have you heard of candles in your work?)
Candles? Yes sir - dat's goin' out on hidden treasure.
(Hidden treasure? Now, can you locate hidden treasure for somebody?)
Yes sir. (Well, how is that supposed to be done - locating hidden treasure with instru- ments and things of that sort?) I kin call de spirit and let him show me where it is. That spirit should work dat. Ah've got a compass - dat's from de catalog... [The recording is bad here and there but my comments give the sense of what is lost.] (You have to get in touch with the owner spirit and the spirit will find the treasure - the spirit will get in touch with the watchman. The [owner] spirit will find [locate] the treasure and then you can do something.)
(You get them by giving them whiskey? How do you do that?)
Well, those kind of people wasn't nothing but a drunk all dey life, you know that.
(For finding the treasure?)
Yes sir, you git de badest man in de world to do dat - don't want no good quiet Christian mind to do dat - de badest kind, one who was...
(Whom do they put to guard that treasure?)
Well, dey takes me and my character - dey know it. Dey raise me and dey know I don't min' killing and don't care fer God nor man, and don't care about dying dead, don't care about dying, and let 'em kill me. Dey will take me ovah to dat tree yonder and make me dig a hole dere. All right, gimme some corn-crazin' drink [whiskey] and show me how to do it. And I gits me how to do. All right, dey bring dat [money] safe out dere in a ole cart, a rale [real] one, pulling and carryin', and set it on down dere. Dey'll set de chest in dere [the hole]./All right, dey'll set nails in dere. Now, dey must call living people fer guardin'. Dey say to me - my name might be Washington [it is Washington]. "Well, listen, Washington. Well now, we goin' off to [do something else], so don't leave [until we return]." Dat's whacha call de sandman [getting ready to put you to sleep]. Many people don't know what de sandman is. [This.is a mock burial. Washington, made drunk, believes he is watching a dead body, not money.] "Listen, Washington, as you live and die, dis here body dat layin' befo' you and you got'a be good to dem. Hasn't we been good to you?" "Yes sir." "Well, has you been listenin' to your boss or your missus?" "Yes sir." "Have you done make a vow? Raise your han' on your heart." "Yes sir." "Over your other arm." "Yes sir." "You swear by all de Great Good and God dat you'll mind dis body until de Resurrection Mawnin' and hear dat you do?" "Yes sir." Bam! Den I'm shoot chah. I'm right behin' yuh and shoot yuh, and walk dere and cut my [your] throat, and dey got somethin' dere to ketch de blood and rubs it all ovah dat casket.
(That the money is in.)
All ovah dat casket - rub 'em all over it. And den the - the other party will come quickly and seal me up jest like a wall - right in dere and I'm guardin' - nobody kin git dat money. But you got'a mind me.
(You qot'a manage the spirit?)
You got'a manage my spirit - can't git dat money, 'cause I made a vow. Well, I kin go out dere and stay dere like dat. I go out dere on de full of de moon - t'ree days befo' de moon rise and t'ree days after he rise - no one around. T'ree days after you rise and t'ree days before it going to bed - dat's on de full of moon - t'ree days before de full and t'ree days after de full. All right - ah got it right. T'ree days after you rise and de new moon come out - t'ree days after de moon is full - when de moon is full up to tiptop - then I go to work and git de owner. You got'a git to somebody - got'a find out about it. Then I question her. And what I done question her [about] and she done [tell] me that how she come by de money. I takes her with me and I makes her go and git me four hens. Out'a de four hens. one must be a rooster, and I want ey'ry drop of de blood out of him, ey'rv one little drop - cut him neck off and ketch de blood - and a drop from each one of dem. Dat's a ceremony. Let 'em ketch de blood and put dat blood aside. Then you'll pick dat hen and when you done picking, you gut: 'em and have another basin and you ketch all de blood that drip; everythin' that drop, ketch it - dat blood, ketch it. All right, dat two blood ain't it. De third blood, when you wash it, ketch that. That three jahs [jars]. "Father, Son and Holy Ghost" - that master de world, dat work dat man with de trunk [treasure chest]. If you ain't got dat [guardian] you got no business [hunting buried treasure].
(That's the spirit that man is looking for?)
Dat what he looking for and dey ain't one out'a hunderd can't [can] git it. Oh, yeah. Good God dat what he died wit [the buried money]. Dat's what dey done when dey done dat to me [killed him in his illustration]. But git dose three things. Now, when you do dat, now nobody know - half pint a' liquor - there's at least a quart, at least. For four-five days go dere fer drinking Water and git some yourself - carry half a gallon. All right, don't drink a drop till you git dere. Set your compass - dat's one way, go on de compass, let de compass pull you and you goin' call de spirit out wit it, and go back [and] git de thing right. Jest lak I was dere - I go dere and take two drinks of liquor, screw de iar down tight and I point east, south, north, west and t'row de bottle ovah my head and let de bottle fall and wherever de bottle fall I go right dere and pick it up and pour jes' about dat much [whiskey] on de ground - about as much as I drinkin' - dat goin' in de sand now. I wait about thirty minutes and I'm going call, "He-ey, Samuel [a name for the devil]. Samuel, watchman on de watch, give me de hour - he-ey, Samuel." And whilst you is talking, looking right at de place, he and I be foolin', walking up and down by de place, like dat - right on down. I go dere and I make a ring [circle]. I done all of my working in dat way. All right, den I take dat blood - dese t'ree kind of blood - I set one east, I set one west, and I set one south and leave north off; leave a door open dere fer him to come out. And right dere down take a saucer - three saucers. Pour some of dat whiskey in it - each saucer. Broke a egg and turn in each one of dem [saucers] and set 'em on de three corners of de world. And I goin' in dere [the circle] and I go to work. Before goin' to work [for clients] I go through the ceremony the same as this [one described]. I talk my 'greement over - what dese four people agree on 'fo' dey left my home. And I'm looking right at one fellah all de time. I lookin' at him, at dat one fellah and talkin' to him. Dis man had come to me on Monday gone [last Monday], on the 17 or the 18, and he done 'clare [declared] to All Great and Good God that this [dead] man done [give the treasure] to him. I hope and trust that she will stand by him and have him and whatsomever dere [in the hole]. [The woman in the preceding paragraph is mentioned earlier - the woman to whom owner spirit or guardian spirit had given the treasure, the woman who supplied three hens and one rooster. Since she was unable to participate in the dangerous work of digging up the treasure, she with the spirit's consent chose a man to act as her proxy. I must add - to emphasize the danger involved - that Washington had come to me in a treasure-seeking mood, having taken a few drinks of moonshine whiskey from his screw-top jar. After he left me, he and a doctor waiting for me got into the altercation described elsewhere - see Washington in Index.] He's not 'toxicated now, but he soon will be.
[Who? Probably the guardian spirit or watchman.]
[Doctor Washington exorcises - preaches to the watchman's spirit through the owner spirit's voice:] "Dis body be'd [was] laid down here through de sand [sandman] ceremony: We come to take up dis body by and through dis ceremony, and we find no harm in him or anything, as I have known dat man in de flesh of his shape." And he'd [owner's spirit would] walk up to him [guardian spirit or watchman] and point [out] dat man to me personally, and I would 'cuse [excuse] dat person directly I see him - talking like you'd talk to man you wanta save. [The preceding rite at the buried treasure site is the sandman ceremony in reverse. The watchman or quardian spirit of the treasure - once an evil man, now a dangerous spirit - can not be killed a second time; he must be tricked or mollified in some manner if the treasure is to be taken from him. Once again he must be made drunk; the whiskey being poured on the ground where he can absorb its liquid or fumes. To show good fellowship, Doctor Washington drinks with the spirit. Then, using Owner spirit's voice, Washington proclaims, "We come to take up dis body (honorable burial is intended)... we find no harm in him." Even to say the words no harm magically reduces the possibility of harm. Meanwhile, that half-gallon of whiskey has attracted other spirits, but fortunately owner spirit now appears in person - taking his voice called him up - and identifies watchman for the doctor. The latter act automatically releases watchman from his oath to guard the treasure. Doctor Washington, now returning to his own voice, begins talking like you'd talk to (a) man you wanta save. He 'cuses (excuses) watchman, absolves him from his wicked human life; he excuses (relieves) him immediately of his treasure-watching duties. So restored and released, watchman comes up into the magic circle, goes out the gate, and disappears forever. We will fail to understand this rite unless we realize that a gifted doctor - we shall meet many similar ones - is a master of spirits.]
[They now begin to dig.]
I 'sign [assign] you [proxy and helpers] de work, all de work [of digging]. And by time I goes down dere [into the finished hole] - go down dere - don't find nothin' but a solid piece of steel or a solid piece of iron. Lot'a time I go down dere and find jewelry, nothin' but all silver - old spoons, silver forks, silver watch. [Charleston, S. Car., (509), 570:5.] [As in the preceding subsection Spirits Guard Buried Treasure, here also we have a subject in which doctors are very much involved - see margin-title Witch- riding and Doctors at end of this subsection.] [What is a hag? An elderly root doctor in Savannah, Georgia, says: "De hag is a ha'nt, a spirit. Dere's two of 'um (two kinds of hags). One of 'um is comin' so you can't sleep in de night - dat's ha'nts, dat's a ha'nt (spirit of a dead person). An' another one is a hag - a hag is a living person; dey've becomes a hag, dey deals with de devil."] [Quotation from my interview given later - Old Man, R.D., No. 540. R.D. = Root Doctor; parentheses are mine.] [The preceding spirit of the dead either comes of its own accord to worry someone at night (see No. 535) or is sent, usually by a doctor (No. 77). It is occasionally called Jack Mulatta (No. 107), a term approximating Jack-mu-la't' or Jack-ma-lantren, a corruption of Jack-o'-lantern (No. 128-136) - lantern pronounced lantren or latren by uneducated Negroes and Whites. Jack Mulatta, a hag or witch carrying a light at night, is identified with Jack-o'-lantern (No. 436). Traveling lights are sometimes spirits of the dead (Nos. 121-127 and see Lights, mysterious, in Index). Often a spirit of the dead is sent in a whirlwind (No. 142). A doctor can also send a dressed animal to witch-ride a person (No. 200).] [The preceding witch, the old man's living person sold to the devil - who hag- rides and casts spells and cures - is also called a witch-hag (No. 462); a reason for describing her or him in the subdivision title as Witch in Hag Form.]
Entry 475
Well, I know once, a witch used to ride a woman - a man, it was. You would like for to hear dis story'
(No, I never heard it - yes, yes, I'd like to hear it.)
Once dere was a boy he was traveling through de country and he went to a rich farmer's home and he asked him, said, "Mister, could you give me a place to stay tonight?" He says to him, said, "Yes, I got a big place over yonder," he said, "if you kin stay over dere," he say, "I'll give you dat place - you kin have it." He said, "Well, I'll go over dere and see kin I stay." He said, "It's really ha'nted, '' he say, "I never knowed no one to go there and stay." He say, "Well, I'll go try." So he cut up some wood dat day what he carried in to her and she fixed supper for him, and den she give him an old lamp and a little oil to go tc make him a fire, or so he could have a little lamp burning sittin' up dere by himself. Sittin' up dere by himself he started to burn dis old lamp. And after while, he had him some beans an' he ete up all dem beans. And after while he looked and he saw five black cats was coming down de stairs - looked to him they had a coffin totin' of it, and he'd taken his [New] Testament and begin to read it upside downwards. And the next thing walked in was five chickens. He's still reading - still reading. And the next thing he looked and saw a cat dipping his paw in de wash basin tryin' to put de light out.
(He what?)
The cat had his paw - putting it in de water, trying to slap de light out - splashing de water trying to put de light out - he still reading. And after while he looked and saw dis cat and he seed a ring on de cat's paw and he grabbed de hatchet, you know, and chopped de paw off and had taken it up and put it in his pocket with de ring on it. Well, de next morning he went up to de boss' house and spoke to him. De boss say, "Well, I'm surprised to see you here alive." He say, "Yes," say, "well, I made out all right but I had a hard time - [he's ahead of his story] - but jest before he gets: dere [to the boss], a little low-sided, gray-headed man walked in, which was a ghost. Well, dis boy -
(What kind of a man?)
A little short gray-headed man - about three foot high with beard hanging down to his shoe-top. Dis boy say, "What in the Name of the Lord, the Father, and the Son do you want here?" And dis ghost says, "You follow me," said, "I've got a fortune for you." Well, de boy went on down in a old out-house way down into de basement and he [ghost] put a mark down and he say, "You dig down here and you'll find a fortune." Well, de boy, he marked dis place and after he marks it, he waited till the moon got right - on the growing of de moon, he started to plan for to dig at dis place. Den he goes up to de house and the old man [the boss] says, "I'm surprised to see you livin'." He says, "Well, I had a hard time but I made it all right." Well, he told de boy he could have the place, which he gave de place to him, and de boy he run his hand in his pocket and passed him dis ring. De old man lqoked at the ring and says, "Seem lak I know dis ring." His wife was in bed very sick. Well, he got de doctor for her. When de doctor rech for her hand, she 'fused to pass him her right hand and give him de left hand. Well, why she give him de left hand? "Cause de right hand was chopped, you see, which had de finger cut off in de shape of a cat, for she was a witch, you see, but dis man didn't know she was a witch. Well, he made her hand her right hand and he happen to see de finger all chopped up dere and the hand being bloody. He wanted to know what was de trouble. He happen to look at de ring and he found it was de ring dat boy give him, and dey found out she to be a hag. Well, de old man got a little troubled den and got to worryin' over it. An ole riddle says, "He sent 'er out jes' as fur as men an' water could take 'er" - he got rid of 'er. An' dis boy he begin to dig down dere and he find a whole lot of silver and gold, what de spirit had give him.
(Where did you hear that story?)
Well, I heard dis story in North Carolina, down in Bertie County.[ Norfolk, Va., (466), 463:10; Doctor Paul Bowes.]
Entry 684
[Because some of the preceding goofer dust was made from heads of snakes, scorpions and lizards (Nos. 668-670), here is the place to include a similar dust or powder - one creating live things in you. The basis for these beliefs is man's ages-old observation that live things get into his body as well as the bodies of animals:] I re'lly believe dat, in a way, because - now, you take a snake, blood from a snake or reptile or scorpion or lizard, and if it lay in you long 'nuff, I re'lly believe dat it'll form. It'll form and come to live thing jes' like a egg will hatch. If you keep de egg long enough it'll transform from a egg to a live chicken, if you keep it warm. And I believe dat blood of de serpent will, if you git it in you, it'll lodge in you; but consequently [subsequently] it might pass on through you and not lodge in you. But I believe if it will lodge in you, it'll transform, 'cause if a snake bite a dog and after while you happen to kill dat dog, dat dog will have a - I'm talkin' about now what [I hear], I ain't talking about what some- body say, I'm talkin' about what I seen - dat dog will have a whole lot of little snakes round his livah, little somepin like snake worms. See. And dey say dat's 'cause de snake done bit de dog so much and dere so many worms dat 'cumulated roun' his livah dat de dog died. See. Well, dat affection from de snake: bite went to his livah, see. We cured de snake bite on his leg - you could see it - but dey couldn't cure it on his livah. And dat whut de people say, if a dog died from snake bittin' so much, "An' you all cured de snake bite but you cut-him open and see his livah is full of snakes." Well, I believe dat if a person would git any part of a snake, blood or anything in you, if it git to stay in you, I believe it would 'coomulate.
Entry 752
My husband rented a house in Staunton, Virginia, and went to Pittsburg to make money to buy a home. While he Was in Pittsburg, this man he rented the house from, I used to go around with his wife and I was very nice to her. I used to give her lunch every Sunday night when we came from church. My husband had written to me to ask Mr. Dodd to look after the hogs being butchered. Of course I told Mrs. Dodd about it and she told me, "Don't bother Mr. Dodd. Mr. Dodd says that he don't kill his own hogs and he ain't going to kill anybody else's." So I said, "All right, then." So when he seen me having the men kill the hogs he said to his wife, "I wonder how it comes Mrs. Baker didn't have me look over it?" She said, "I don't know but I told you that's the way some colored people does." So he asked me and I said, "Your wife told me not to ask you to help about the hogs." Of course that was his wife and I wasn't going to bother. I said, "My husband has sent money to pay you." After that then she wanted me to go to church with her. They had a revival. I didn't want to go with her because she was going with another man. My husband was working and taking care of me and I didn't want to do nothing wrong. So I told her, "You know they say that church is condemned. You know my husband ain't here and I'm afraid something might happen and there would be nobody here to take care of the children." So that was my get-off to keep from going with her. So her daughter, she was a young woman, used to come down there and set with me. And she said, "Mrs. Baker, my mother has fixed something for you. It's in a bottle and I found it and took it and put it over in the orchard. And don't you eat nothing she brings you." They had an old-home week there. They decorate the wagons and show what they have to sell. Her and I went down to see the parade, me and the young girl. So she says to me, "There's that bottle" - when we was coming back. And I tried to get it but I couldn't get it. Even my hand was right on it and I couldn't pick it up. And I asked her to get it. So she got it and I come on home with it and put it under lock and key. And that very day then, the old woman didn't miss the bottle, she brought me beets and potatoes and beans and a lot of nice things and corn bread. I didn't eat it because the girl had told me not too. It look very tempting. So I said to the kids, "Don't you all want some of this, things that Mrs. Dodd brought me?" And they said, "No, mama. What you don't eat, we don't want none." So I took the food she brought me and scraped it out to the chickens. The chickens what was on the outside of my wire fence, they ete it and they all went blind. So when I go upstairs, I did - and look at this bottle and take it down to the doctor. Yes, he was a real doctor. Doctor [Somebody] of Staunton. I asked if he knew what was in the bottle. Well, he named all the things that he knowed was in the bottle, but he said he would have to send the bottle away to have it ana- lyzed to see what was in it. But she had new nails, new tacks, new needles, and my hair I guess, and night water. So he says, "Don't get none of that in you." So I saves the bottle and carried it to Pittsburg to show it to my husband. And I had this daughter along with me. She and her mother didn't get along. She said to me one day, 'Mrs. Baker, why don't you do away with that. Why do you keep on keeping it?" So I says to myself, "I don't know what to do with it. I'm afraid to put it in running water because it might run me away. Then I put it in the fire and burnt it. I got the girl to burn it. All the different colors you ever saw came off that stuff while burning!
Entry 756
It was a man in Princess Anne County [Virginia]. He had lost a lot of chickens and they kept on stealing, and so he goes and gets a bulldog and chains him to the door [of the chicken house]. This dog Was a terrible dog. So when this man came there to steal, he taken a stick, put a scratch on it [perhaps a cross mark to cross up the dogl and stuck it down in the ground, and goes in there where this dog were. That dog laid right down and went to sleep. He taken every one of this man's chickens and he written a sign and put it upon the door. It said, "Raise some more, I'm coming again."
Entry 927
Two years ago - no more, ah was takin' so ah couldn't sleep at night and it went on dat way until finally my nights turned to days and my days turned tuh nights - jest went on around [days and nights were reversed]. (What do you mean by that? I couldn't quite understand you.) [To make her speak louder and repeat.] Well, ah couldn't sleep at night you know, and when ah'd see de daylight come you know, ah'd git scared, ah wouldn't know it was day. Ah hadn't been sleepin', ah hadn't closed mah eyes. And it would be day, but de minute that ah realize that it was day ah'd fall off into a deep sleep, and I would sleep from daylight until eight 'clock in de morning, but when ah'd wake up ah'd jest be fulla aches and pains, so much so that ah couldn't git up, so ah layed in bed till about ten 'clock and then at ten 'clock ah'd git up and git mah breakfast, and the minute ah'd git mah breakfast ah'd fall off tuh sleep agin. Well, it jest continue that Way tiil finally I fest give up to day-sleepin'. An' ah'd feel tuh mahself - ah feel jest like a snake do or something like that or frog or something other, but yet ah couldn't get mahself togethah. Natchurly ah couldn't work. Well, it went on like that tull ah begin to git sick inside - somepin jest jump jest like heart's beatin' and it worried me. And when ah layed down to sleep, somepin would jest go 'cross mah face like this [demonstrates] and ah'd jump and wake up, you know, and look under the pillahs. There would be nothing, ah could see nothin' you know. And sometimes ah would feel like feathers Was sticking intuh me - like de quills. Ah's take and pull dis cover off and there would be nothin', absolutely nothin' - could see nothin'. And so this continued tull finally ah became a wreck, and den dey said it was bad nerves and ah goes de hospital. De doctor pronounced it neuritis, ar-ritis, flamitary rheumatism, chronical rheumatism, muscular rheumatis, tubercular rheumatism and bone fever. Well, so then they stuck needles in mah arms - all in de shoulders, you know, and they Would hurt me tuh mah heart. And ah says, "THESE THINGS BEAT LIKE SOMEPIN LIKE HEARTS ALL OVER ME." Ah had a pocket right chere [demonstrates] - it's a little bit there now - jest like somethin' in there Would beat, beat.
(There was a pocket on your right side?)
Yes.
(Right about the waist.)
Jest like there was somethin' live in there. Well, ah takes sick at night and ah vomits turrible. It near kill me - green, pale, an' it near kill me. And ah jest kept up this thing and kept up this thing until finally one of the doctors says to me, says - these needles was hurtin' me so bad ah cried. They said, "Do those needles hurt chew like that?" Ah said, "Yes." Well the doctors said don't give her nuthin tuh rub and don't give her nuthin tuh gargle with. One little doctor was West Indian [a Negro] - dis Was at de Freedman's Hospital.
(Here in Washington?)
Yeah, and he says, "Now, ah'm goin' to put dis needle in here," he says, and he didn't hurt me and ah didn't cry, and he says, "and ah'm goin' to give you somethin' to rub with." Now, other doctors said ah shouldn't rub with nuthin, see. "Ah goin' to give you this linament to rub with and then you stop in the druggist and git you something to gargle yore throat with." And he says, "If there's a reaction, let me know." Well, ah remember that - that was the first encouragement ah had, and ah says, "Now, ah'm goin' do that. That night - see, ah's be 'sleep and somepin would work up and work up and choke me, but when ah'd wake up you know it would go back. And so, that night somepin got up heah and jest choked me turrible and I was so sleepy - ah got it out and put it on a piece of paper, and started off asleep and de second one came up. Well, it jest like to me ah was in daze condition, and den ah woke up like dat and ah felt purtty good and ah remembered dis, and ah went looked at it and it was black - it was large enough to choke me. And the other one was smaller. So when ah told de doctors about it, den they commence to jab in here - like to choke me all through de body. Dey [had] to quit, but however - then, I says, "Ah'm goin' take now - go to church fo' this and ah'm goin' tuh pray - ah'm gon'a pray to get well." Ah didn't want tuh die. Well, ah thought ah would die like ah was. So it went on that-a-way until ah moved - it happened so ah jest had to move. Ah would go on tuh de back porch and would sit there all de day long, and then go back and go lay down and go to sleep. If I would eat ah would go to sleep. But night come ah'd be jest like a bird, frog or snake - ah'd be up ready to go, see, go back and go to bed. Ah couldn't sleep, so ah moved. And gittin' worse and worse, move - bearin' on de heart all de time. An' ah was taken wit chills and the lady ah lived with she was thinkin' ah'd die, so when she would come upstairs she would call me, but when dat spell go way ah'd git up and go on down. So one day ah was laying, ah was sick and ah was layin' asleep, it was in the day and I was between sleep and awake, and a black man come - a jet black man and he come in, he come jest like dis [demonstrates].
(His - with his shoulder up to his head, sort of deformed.)
[This is a usual reference to a doctor's appearance - he is a jet black man and queer in manner or physique.] [See, Doctor in Index.] Yes, he was and he was very old and he had stubble gray whiskers - they weren't longer stubble and he was very black. He says to me, he says, "You're not sick [sick in a medical doctor's way]." He says, "Ah'm from Greenville, North Carolina, and I did it," he says, "and I am dead and I can't rest." He says, "You are a good woman," he says, "but ah did this to you for" - he called the name of the man and the name of the woman. And it was - dey done it diff'rent times.
(They did it together or separately?)
One didn't know what the other did. [My only example of this!]
(People that you knew?)
Oh, ah knew both. [We now have reached the only example of bewitched feathers in my collection of Negro folklore. The accompanying psychology is also interesting. Both I will discuss at the end of the story.] And he came back. So he says, "If you look in yore pillah," he says, "you'll find out what's the trouble with you." He says, "It is to set chew insane or to kill you or to make you have enemies all yore life." He says, "You won't be any good, you'll not be able to make a livin'." An' he says, "You git into them - if you don't, ah'll never be saved." I got up and jest took de pillah - "if dat isn't de queerest thing, ah don't believe it"-dis was a hard lump in mah pillah - why there's nothing to that" ''there isn't anything to that' - "nobody kin do nuthin like that," I says. So ah went down and ah says, "Mrs. Jones" - ah tole her, jest like ah'm tell' you, what occurred while ah was 'sleep. She says, "Miz, don't chew know when you go up[stairs] to sleep in dose spells, you know, ah'd call you befo' ah'd git to de top steps 'cause ah think you're dead." Ah said, "Well, do ah look that bad?" She says, "Come on peek, come on." An' she says, "Well, if ah was you, ah would look in there and see." And ah goes to work and takes this out and it was jest about that wide and it was like that and like that [demonstrates] an' de feathers in this thing [looked] jest like dey was born and glued - was a piece of yellah looking wood, imported wood, and it was jest like real feathers and de Way it was done, it was jest streaked through. Then these feathers was pushed down in there, but it had no head but it was de shape of a hen.
(This wood was a thick thing and the wood looked like feathers.)
And so when ah rubbed across there, you know, the feathers would come out and ah said, "Ah'm goin: take this and throw it in de stove." Ah took it down and showed it to her. "Oh," she says, "Ah never saw nuthin like that." She said, "You'd better look fer some more - ah would if ah were you." Ah goes back and ah gits de rooster. De rooster was three feathers fixed together in de shape of a rooster - red. The hen was a dominicker [Dominique] and then ah gits that. Then ah gits a piece of rope out about dat long [demonstratesl, heavy cord, about [that] long, and then ah gets jest a bunch of feathers tied round jest like this, jest tied around with a string, jest like you tie 'em to make a baby doll. Well, that would go in mah face and ah would brush it - keep me awake all night long jest torturing me. Well, then after it was quill, chicken quills and in the end of 'em was powders and dey Was corked up. It make Miz Jones sick and me too, when ah got [them] out, then - that was whut this man bring in. And the next was a snake about that long [demonstrates], jest wrapped with feathers, dis ole man did - paid and did de stuff fore dese people. And he was jest grapping in dere in de shape of a snake and everything. And the other one was a -
(This snake was about a foot long?)
About like that and this here one wasn't, and it was all in reality.
(This snake was only made of feathers?)
No - yes it was - it was all feathers - if you seen it in de pillah, you'd a thought it was feathers. Everything was made absolutely like feathers. (What was the other thing after you got the snake out? What was the other thing?) It was two snakes, a hen and a rooster, and quills, and it was about that long - supposed to be a coffin, ah reckon, and the other one was jest this - like what you'd jab to make babies laugh, string with feathers, but it was tied 'round, it was feathers. It was a bunch of feathers and these feathers would come into my face, would torment me. Now, jest like you tie this [demonstrates].
(Tie your handkerchief in a knot.)
Now you see you do that [demonstrates]. (Oh, you jingle the handkerchief up and down and - like you make a baby laugh, and that kept going over your face. And this was made of feathers, too.) Yes, all of feathers. An' ah'd git up and see nothin' you know. And when daylight would come ah would git scared, ah would say, "What is the matter with the sky - ah can't tell." And finally, ah say, "Why it's daylight." Well, now ah gits everything out and I shows it to Miz Jones and she wanta keep this thing like a hen and ah says, "No, ' ah say, "Ah'm ain't goin' keep it." Ah lays down agin and he comes right straight back. He says, "Now, you've got all ought [out] that was put in there." He says, "Now, the hen is a barnyard fowl - stays in de back - so you had a room in back - that was to keep you in there and to keep you down." You see, ah was a great worker and a lecturer. And he say, "They didn't mean you to go nowheres and you couldn't go nowheres, and when you would commence to talk you'd cackle - sound jest like cackling - or crowing like a rooster, you see." And you know, dis snake - he saysi, De snake was to make people hit at cha - pick at cha - and then you'd pick back at dem. And then they would say you weren't capable of doing the things that whut you were doing. De woman did that." That was to keep me from being president of a large club. And the man he did it because ah paid him the rent. And ah couldn't git further than the back porch - ah couldn't work - ah had to git on Emergency Relief - ah had to git on de Emergencies Relief, and ah would have died if ah did that. So then this old man, after ah gits all this out - dis ole man comes back again fer the last time, and here's whut he tole me to do with it. He says, "Now, you take all dese pillahs dat's on dis bed." So Miz Jones she got excited, it scared her - it made her sick and me too. That powder got out and got on us, got out dose quills and got on us. He says tuh me, "Yo' take dose pillahs" my two nice pillahs - "you take those pillahs and you burn dem up - the tick, the feathers and all." He says, "Yo' take those four dresses you wore de most around - de everyday dresses, and burn dem up. Take those two pair of shoes that you wore when you was in that house and burn them up." He says, "You know it's written that the wicked shall become stubbed on yore feet and shall be burned root and branches and the whole thing will go back to them. If you put it on water it will come back to you." [The preceding quotation and everything she says shows a woman with an agile mind - a qreat worker and a lecturer. Her words are a conflation - two or more passages thrown together: King James Version - (1)"The day cometh...all that do wickedly, shall be stubble [[not stubbed]]...shall burn them up...leave them neither root nor branch," Mal.1:4 -(2)'Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days," Eccl.11:1 - (3) her stubbed was suggested by stubble and "Dash thy foot against a stone," Mat.4:6 & Lk.4:11.] [As I stated previously, this story is the only certain example of bewitched feathers in my Negro-folklore-collecting experience (see Feathers in Index). Not even in Quincy, Illinois - where belief in bewitched feathers survived among persons of German descent - did I ever find a colored person interested in the matter. Similarly, I found bewitched animals rare among colored people, frequent among persons of German descent. The Reason? Racial? Economic? (For bewitched feathers in Adams County Illinois and Quincy the county seat, see FACI, 2ed., Nos.16255-16323, Pp.853-873; bewitched animals, Nos.16178-16254a, pp.834-85.)] [Since some general readers may be unfamiliar with bewitched feathers, let me briefly describe them. The witchcraft spell cast upon a person is done with the feathers in the feather pillow or feather bed (feather-tick or feather mattress) on which the victim sleeps. These feathers on which the victim lies gradually weave themselves into a form: bat (animal), bird, butterfly, chicken, rooster, coffin, cross, flowers, shapes like parts of the human body, horseshoe, etc. Sometimes these forms are combined with foreign objects: piece of clothing, key, needle, ribbon, rope, spool, thread, etc. The most frequent form of all is the wreath (symbolic of the funeral wreath) - also known as a circular. This form occurs more often because the head lying on the pillow pushes feathers out into a circle. At times a person can hear, so it is said, the weaving in the pillow a ticking sound (No.16293, p.865) or music in the pillow (No.16263, p.855). As soon as the form being Woven is completed the victim dies. If you find a form uncompleted and burn it, the victim will recover. To demonstrate this belief further, I now quote two examples from FACI:]
["Now I am going to tell you a story that was told by one of my [school]
children. A baby [about 1931] was born in a family. Although it received the very best attention, it was not thriving. An old mother in the neighborhood entered the house one day and said, "There is a wreath in the baby's pillow." The mother wished to open the little pillow and take out the wreath, as had been suggested. The father scornfully laughed and forbade the mother's opening the pillow. From that moment the child grew more delicate and passed out. The old neighborhood mother entered the room and said, "Let me examine the pillow, ' which she did, and took from the pillow a perfectly formed wreath of feathers, all going in one direction. The center of the wreath was the size of the baby's head. The feathers forming the wreath were all going in one direction [see also 16277] like the down on a dress hat. I will draw you a diagram. I saw it. It was marvelous. [The informant's diagram of this wreath I have reproduced in this book.] Underneath the wreath it seemed to be flesh; like the flesh on a chicken's breast with large pores. It had no odor. Dead chicken flesh has an odor. The skin was moist as if alive. The feathers seemed to be growing. The old woman took the wreath out and burned it, and said if ever another child came to the house to give it a new pillow and it would thrive." (FACI, 2ed., No.1255, p.853; a picture of wreath drawn by informant being reproduced just before the Table of Contents.)l ["I knew a boy out here in the south part of Quincy years ago that was sick all the time. They done everything for him and try everything anyone would tell them, but it would not do him any good. Some of the neighbors thought he was bewitched, but the folks didn't. But at last they Went to looking in the bedtick and pillows to see if they could not find anything, and in one of the pillows they found a rooster all done but a little of its tail. If that tail had of been done, that boy would of died; but they took the rooster and put it in the stove to burn. and after that the bov got well." (FACI. 2ed. No.16289, p.863.)1 [To return to our informant, once again we meet an old routine - the doctor (M.D.) fails; the doctor (hoodoo) is called in. This time, however, there is an amazing difference both in doctor and doctor.] [My informant refrains from criticizing hospital doctors for their inability to cure her, though she considers them impersonal and uninvolved. Naturally, the West Indian, a man of her own race would appear in a better light; at least he permitted her to have something 'to rub and...to gargle with." But, when the woman says, "The doctors said, "Don't give her nuthin tuh rub and...tuh gargle with, '" do not believe her, though she is telling the truth from her changed point of view. After the colored doctor offered it to her, the white doctors by not offering it to her had forbidden it. This is a mere gripe. She knew the doctors had done everything medically possible; the real trouble was herself, spiritual - "Ah'm goin'...go to church fo' this and...ah'm goin' tuh pray to get well." She realizes death stared her in the face - "Ah didn't want tuh die." Two steps having been taken toward health, she then took a third - "It happened so ah jest had to move."] [Despite her changed attitude, she still refused to accept any blame for her condition - a man and woman separately would not have hoodooed her had she been all sweetness and light! She needed a scapegoat. Scapegoat also would permit her to satisfy those childhood beliefs and fears which had floated to the surface during her illness. Too intelligent to call in a hoodoo doctor, she summons the spirit of a dead hoodoo doctor. He appears not as master giving orders but as sinner seeking forgiveness - his eternal future depending upon her. She, of course, is the spirit of the dead hoodoo doctor. Thus disguised she saves the soul of a sinner (his - actually her own) and cures herself by forgiving him (finding the bewitched feathers). In forgiving him she forgives herself. If you don't forgive yourself neither God nor Church can do it for you - though either or both may smooth the way. This solution of my informant's is the brilliancy and power that comes with a dream. This is also my guess about what happened. Each reader is entitled to a similar guess.] [Washington, D. C., (629), 808:3.] [Time in hoodoo is very important and covers a wider field than it does in scientific medicine. So wide is time that many aspects of it cannot be given in this subsection - see Time in Index for a listing of separate time entries.]
Entry 1774
Yo' take dis black chicken - lak ah'd move, dis is a dwelling house an' ah'd move here an' sorta thinkin' somebody was trying to get me - get me a black chicken, take it round on de side where de sun rise an' kill him an' dress him an' eat de chicken. Take de head an' sprinkle it wit black peppah an' brimstone, bluestone an' salt, an' put it in a nice little sack an' bury it jes' like yo would somebody. Cover ovah [make a burial mound over] dat sack an' dey tell me dat nobody won't nevah interfere wit chew.
Entry 2764
Well, my wife, she was what you call goofer dust. [For Goofer Dust, see pp.222-227.] It was put down on the step for her. In the morning she used to have to go to work very early, you know. And in the morning she come out be- fore leaving-time, come out to clean up the step - didn't have any idea that any- one was harming her, was out to harm her. She stepped in some stuff - it was very white. And that night she came home and she said - that evening late she kind of got a little ailing in her head, you know, hurting. Didn't pay.much attention to it. Well, probably for a week or so later she didn't pay any atten- tion and finally it begin to swell on her. It swell and she went to the doctor and the doctor never could reach her sickness in no way. Well, she was talking to an old lady. Well, this old lady is kinda two-head, a two-headed woman. So she told her, she said, "Daughter, you're hurt." She said, "Your leg is not infected in no way; you never stepped on nuthin or caused a bruise to have this swelling, or something like that." She say, "I want you to go to somebody that can do you some good." She didn't tell her to come to her. So she sent her across the river to a woman by the name of Miss Helen.
(Miss Helen?)
Madam Helen.
(Madam Helen. All right.)
She sent her over there and she goes over there, and the minute she got in there, the woman didn't asked her her name or nuthin, she told her just what she came in there for. She told her, say, "You're hurt." She says, "There's a woman wants your husband," she say, "and she figure by hurting you in some way like that that he'll go off and leave you because you are not able to work." You know. [The husband is telling this.] Well, the woman she told her, she say, "Now, I can take care of you." She say, "I'll charge you $20," she say, ''$20 and I'll put you sound and well again." She say, "And if you want to, I can put it across back on the people." Well, she say, "No, all I want to do is get my- self straight," she say, "I don't have to worry about her." So, I taking her back over there - it was every Wednesday she had to go there. Every Wednesday she had to go there 'fore nine o'clock in the morning - 'fore nine o'clock. Well now, she had a dominic hand. You know what is a dominic hand?
[I did know, though there is momentary confusion here.]
(A hand?)
A dominic - dominic hand.
(A dominic hand?)
[I evidently thought he was talking about a hand made from a domino.]
Yes, kind of like a checker - black and white.
(All right.)
[I knew what he was talking about.]
Sells it. It's a dominic hand. She took this hand. She didn't ring it like some people ring it; she just pops his neck.
(She broke his neck.) [I am repeating his his.]
[At this point my transcriber knew what informant was talking about and over every preceding word hand typed the word henl The word hen was often pronounced han or han or something else. When people were closer to country life than they are today, the word dominic was fairly common. A variation of the word appears in the following couplet: "Dominicker [speckled] sky; storm close by" - FACI, 1st ed.. 1935, No. 540, p.21. I guestion the preceding word 'sells in the text: "Sells it. It's a dominic hand [hen]." As soon as hand is replaced by hen, the word sells is nonsense. The word should be spelds [= splits from Scotland] - see one of the remedies under margin-title Zippy Tull. My informant rightly feeling that I would not understand the word spelds, changes it to pops.]
(She broke his neck.)
Popped it, yeah. She popped his neck and she catches this blood - she holds the chicken up like that [demonstrates] and let the blood drip. She let the blood drip into a little cup-like. And she takes this blood and she puts to it sulphur - it's yellow, sulphur, and some molasses and mixes 'em, turns it into a salve-like. It turns into a salve and she takes this leg and she strokes this leg down with that. Every Wednesday she do that, she stroke this leg down. She don't kill the hen every Wednesday, though. She make enough salve from that to apply. We didn't have to go but for nine Wednesday - it was nine Wednesdays she had to go. And for nine mornings what she had to do - get up every morning be- fore the sun rise, and get her some running water and bathe this leg. She bathed this leg down and after bathing this leg down, then she take a complete bath in this household ammonia and saltpeter. See. This is supposed to take the condi- tion off of her. See? And walk to the east and take a glass of water, make the sign of the cross and throw it over her left shoulder and walk away. Well, she did that for [nine mornings].
(Did she do that before she went to see Madam Helen?)
No, that was when she went to her. She told her what to do.
(No, but she did that each time just before she went over to see Madam Helen?)
Yes, she had to do that before she go there - every morning, see.
(Oh, she did that every morning?)
Yeah, every morning she do that, for nine mornings straight, but she still had to go over there nine mornings. See? That was to help to take this condition off of her. See? And after she did that for nine mornings, well, she stopped, but she continued to take this bath. See, she warned her and told her forever to take this bath because if some more harm was to come to her and if she would take this saltpeter and household ammonia and bathe herself in it, and some running water, that no evil could come to her. You understand? It would guard her - it would be some kind of a safeguard to her. Saltpeter is supposed to have, be pro- tective for all such lines of hoodooism.
(And you wife got well?)
Yes, sir, she's well and working today:
(I see. Now, what your wife got hurt with. Was it goofer dust?)
Goofer dust, yeah.
(What's that?) [See, Goofer dust, pp.222-227, and Index.]
That's a hoodoo - it's a powder. You call it goofer dust. They take it - they puts it down and you're supposed to walk on it and if you walk on it, and it get on you, it will work through the sole of your shoe and it will commence to swelling. And it will make you drag, sick - sick, you know, sick with your leg - just cause it to swell and pain.
Entry 9268
Yo' kin take a chick- en aig an' it kin be dressed wit sulphuh, graveyard dirt an' peppah, but it has tuh be a rotten aig. An' if ah don' wan' chew tuh come in dis do' no mo', aftah ah git dat dressed, ah come 'long heah early in de mawnin' an' throw it up 'ginst dat do'. Yo' know, right ovah de facin' of dat do' an' let it bust ovah dat do'. Yo' ain't comin' in heal no mo'. (How do you dress it with that graveyard dirt? Just roll the egg around in that sulphur?) [Here is a leading question, more to keep the conversation going than anything else.] Yo' make a hole in it yo' see, jes' a small hole in it, if it wus a rotten aig. Jes' lak yo' goin' suck it [if it was fresh instead of rotten]. An' den yo' pinch dat graveyard dirt in dere, jes' a li'le bit. Yo' know, don' take verah much, an' a li'le sulphuh. Take a match stem or a toothpick an' shove it down in dere. Yo' take a small piece of papah an' wet it an' put ovah dat hole an' stop it up. Put it in yore han' an' come on by dis do' in de mawnin' soon [early] or at night, an' throw it up 'ginst dat do'. Jes' say right in de middle of dat do' where it will bust, an' jes' let it run down dere. Yo' ain't comin' heah no mo'. [Intention is everything here. A woman throws this egg against another woman's door to keep a man or husband from going there, or a man similar- ly drives away another man from some woman's door. Sucking a fresh raw egg, an old custom, may be unknown to a few readers in modern cities. During my boyhood at the turn of the century, when even a city boy could live among chickens and horses, and farms were only a mile or two away, some people would make a small hole in the end of a fresh egg to suck out the contents. From this custom comes the well-known proverb: Go teach your grandmother to suck eggs.]
Entry 11044
I seen a woman dress a chicken head for to bring her husband back to her.
(Well, how would they do that?)
Well, she take the head and take that fork and bone part out the head and stuff it with his name and nine new needles and pins, and bury it. Put his name, sugar, cinnamon and that white rum, and nail it up over the sill[!] of the door. See, and that draws him back. (Up over the top of the door. That's to bring him back?) [Here the sill is considered the ceiling of the door; see No.10972 for open space above a door.]
Entry 571
Yo' take a chicken aig - yo' take that aig an' hold it up, look at it jest that very way. Well, now, if dere's a person have did anything an' yo' Wants tuh find out 'bout it, yo' take that aig an' yo' hold it up that-a- way: Now, dere's a certain Way to break dat aig, an' yo' kin go directly to de person whut did dese thing: Yo' break de aig - some folks break it 'cross, but chew break it straight.
(Break it the long way.)
Yeah, de long way. De reason yo' break it de long way - dat holds all de yellow part right together. Take dat yellow den an' put it in a glass. Yo' put it in a glass an' yo' take a magnifying glass an' look through it an' yo' kin see de streets an' de shape of de person, de way dey goin'.
(This is to find out who your enemy is and where he lives.)
That's right, anywhere yo' enemy is why yo' kin take it dere - take a magnifying glass an' look through it an' yo' kin tell 'zactly which side dey coming or which way dey is.
Entry 833
A fellow that lived about twelve miles out from here, he called himself a hoodoo doctor. People would go to him from all around. He said he could cure them. He used to put them under these spells which would last forty-eight hours. He made them go to sleep. Then he would send his boy to the attic and throw down chickens and guinea pigs. These would wake them about the time the spell was wearing off them, believing it was his method of healing. Then he proclaimed they were well. He's been dead about two years
[d.1934].
Entry 999
If you have chickenpox, go into henhouse, lie at door or under roost, and let someone shoo the chickens out so that they will fly out over you. [This cure is based upon the magic law of like cures like (see margin-title so named) - chickenpox being symbolically connected with chickens. The homeless chickenpox spirit, evicted by patient's intention and the enticement of mystically related chickens, may select one new home (a chicken) or split his spirit personality to grab several.]
Entry 1160
Take a black hen an' bury it alive. (Where?) Bury it under de steps an' that will stop everything.
(What do you mean - stop what?)
Stop 'em if a person wanted tuh harm yo' - dey couldn't git up to yo'.
Entry 1162
My uncle was fixed oncest and they took a chicken, a black hen - he had a black snake in his arm.
(He had a black snake in his arm?)
Yes, sir - lady that had 'em [him] fixed put it there, and when the snake came out - when the hoodoo had the snake to come out, she say, "You kill a black chicken' - we had a black-feathered chicken - 'and take that blood and cook it and put over dat place. It healed dat - where dat snake had came out. Jest take and use it as a salve, you know.
Entry 1163
Then ah've used a black hen's blood fo' dat - like dat. Jes' cut de hen's haid off. Ah jes' took de hen up an' jes' let it bled on it, an' it killed de shingles.
Entry 1166
Ah've heard dat chew could take a black hen's aig an' it would cure a hunyun [hernia] on a baby's navel. Yo' know, jes' like a baby have a large navel an' dey wear a bandage around it - dat chew could take a black hen's aig, a fresh hen aig soon as she lay it an' take it an' rub it on a baby's navel. Rub down his navel three times an' bury it under de do'step, an' it will carry dat away.
(You mean that big bump on the navel?)
Yes sir - it would carry it away.
Entry 1167
Yo' kin take a chicken aig - if yo' have a young child born, take a fresh chicken aig an' tie it up ovah de do' an' he cut all his teeth an' yo' won't know when he cut 'em.
Entry 1170
They say if you've got a spell on you, you take a black hen egg - jis' wear it in your bosom for three days. Then, at night, take it out an' put it under your bed, under your bed on the floor [each night during the three days]. They say that spell'll leave right on you an' go into that egg. Go out in the morning [of fourth day] and put it in de runnin' water - break it.
Entry 1172
Anybody would be botherin' yo', git chew two aigs, yessuh, an' have some of yore fren's tuh throw 'em at chew. Yo' walk from yore place yo' see, an' have dem jes' throw dose aigs in yore back an' vo' feel dey bust, an' den dere's nobody kin trouble yo' or nobody will bother yo' atall.
(They just have to break these eggs on your own back.)
Jes'- no suh, don't break 'em on yore back, jes' throw 'em right tuh yore feet chew know.
(Break them behind you?)
Right behin' yo' at chure feet - any kinda chicken aigs. (Two of them. That'll keep the law away or anybody that is trying to disturb you?) Yes, dey even cain't fin' yo' wheresomevah yo's at.
Entry 1174
A black hen's feathah is good fo' dizziness, if a person has a fit. An' yo' git de feathahs off dat black hen an' yo' keep her in yore home, an' when he go tuh have one of these fits yo' git these feathahs an' yo' burn 'em. Jis' as yo' set 'em afire an' dey start tuh burn, yo' blow de fire out an' let de smoke escape up dere nose an' dat'll surely cure 'em.
Entry 1176
If yo' have a lotta ghosts an' things, or yore house is hanted, well, at night yo' take a pan of chicken feathers an' sulphur an' put it in a pan an burn it. Dat'll [also] keep all de insex [insects] from round yore house.
(All these ghosts and things?)
Yessuh - dat'll shore keep dem away.
Entry 1177
When yo' think anybody has done anything to yore home, yo' burn chicken feathers and sulphur there.
(What will that do?)
Say that wards off what they have did. (You mean if they are trying to plant anything around there or sprinkle anything?) You set, yo' know, jest like if yo' were going to fumigate the house and burn that; yo' put pepper, sulphur and chicken feathers together - rather, to get black feathers is the best feathers.
Entry 1179
Well, yo' kin put dat in hot water, yo' know, an' den let de patient sit ovah dat to draw down dat afterbirth. Yo' know, when yo' find a woman dat can't pass dat afterbirth, yo' kin take those chicken feathers an' make a hot bath out of 'em an' put it in dat hot water an' let her jest sit right ovah dat pan an' dat'll jes' clear her right up.
(Any kind of chicken feathers?)
Yes sir.
Entry 1180
Heard of 'em using chicken feathers fo' trouble round de home. Dey take de feathers of a black hen an' saturate it wit sulphur an' yo' bury dat under yore do'step. Dat will run off all de trouble an' harm round yore home.
Entry 1181
Dey use chicken feathers, dey say to take spells off people - dappled. dese speckled feathers. Yo' take 'em an' yo' put 'em in a pot or a pan an' yo' fry 'em down to a medicine lak, an' if dere anybody dat swole up or root worked or somethin' lak dat, yo' bathe 'em down with that. Yo' cook dat [feathers] down in pure lard.
Entry 1183
Yo' git de inside of de chicken gizzard, see - yo' know when yo' clean a chicken, yo' got a skin yo' pulls out dat gizzard. Well, dat's de part yo' Want - dat skin. Yo' keep dat. Well, yo' pound dat up an' if yo' were doctorin' on anybody dat had any kinda poison in 'em, yo' jes' pound it up an' put it in his medicine or in water, whatsomevah yo' givin' 'im, an' let him drink dat an' yo' would see dat poison leave.
Entry 1185
Heard of 'em usin' chicken dirt - it's good take hives offa babies, or eithah nuse [use] for jis' any kinda, yo' know, bumps that chew break out with. Yo' kin take that an' give hot tea an' it will break 'em out on 'em.
Entry 1593
A fellow once, named Brown, a root doctor - me and my wife was on de outs. Course I caught her wrong and I went away from her. So he [Brown] was working in the shipyards. He say, "I found a shoe." So I say, "All right, I'll take it." He said it was a right shoe - brand new shoe - just had a little - and he had got that snake's blood and put all on de inside of it. And I put dat shoe on. In nine days time my ankle give away and commence to hurt me and so I says, "Mother, since I been wearing dat shoe Mr. Brown give me," I said, "I been having trouble with my ankle. I think I'll go to de doctor." So she looked at de shoe. So then I went to Dr. Willis and took dat shoe and cut de top off it - the entire top and give it to him and he took it and put it in something and sterilized it and found out it was snake blood. That's Dr. Willis dere - chemistry.
(Dr. Woodard?)
Willis - in the drug store.
(I see - from the drug store and he found it was snake blood?)
Yeah - what he told me.
(What did he put that in to sterilize it, I wonder.)
I don't know. He used a lot of chemistry - you know how dey have chemistry, and it all up-separated off the leather, come off the sweat and ev'rything else. And he said, "That's snake's blood, boy." I said, "It look peculiar cause ev'ry time it rained it would freshen up just like fresh paint, red paint, but when the sun was shining it was dry and looked kind of scaley, you know, kind of brownish looking.
(How did you get rid of that then - from that snake blood?)
Well, I tell you, I got rid of it. My mother took 'bacco. She turned around and took a chicken and she put a chicken poultice on there first. And then she took tobacco and my water and boil it hot and let me put my feet right down in de hot water.
(Did she boil that tobacco and your water together?)
Yes, and put my feet in there. I put it in there ever' night and put salt brine in there and it came all right.
Entry 1776
You runnin' a house or whiskey or anything, to keep the law away I hear'd people say you could nail on top the door a chicken bone up with some tacks under the doorsill. They say that keep law from you an' you won't have to go to court or nuthin.
(What sort of chicken bone?)
It's a little bone right on the backbone-like - join on together, whut people call a luck bone. Some people say if two people be right together an' break it, the one who had the longest bone has good luck.
Entry 2450
Said yo' could take a aig from a black hen an' jes' peck a hole in it an' run de stuff out of de aig, an' dry de shell or either pound it - cook it an' pound it up an' wear hit in yore pocket, in yore left pocket. Said dat would give yo' luck in business.
Entry 2451
What you kin do to keep it there. You kin take a black hen eggshell - black hen, no other hen now, this a black hen. You take the shell, that white shell, and you put it in your oven of de stove and you'll toast it brown, and you put it under your steps. No one knows that but you. They will circle around but it's very seldom they kin come in. See, if they do, they can't find nothing - you'll be lucky. You'll get through it all right just as long as you keep dem eggshells under de front of your steps, or if you have no steps, just put it under dat doorsill. But it have to be a jet black hen with no white feathers at all.
(That's if the officers are trying to get something on you?)
Yes.
(What was that?)
[My question shows I had turned off machine and now want informant to repeat the lost words. This situation will be found many times in the text.] I said, if you was in bad luck and couldn't pay de collectors - you haven't got no money for to pay de collectors, but you say, "Well, I'll pay the Weekly man some way. Wait till I get some money." Well, you put 'em on back, he wasn't worrying you.
(You use these same eggshells for that?)
Yes. And didn't have no front, you keep 'em in your oven.
(Keep them right in the oven?)
Yeah, keep 'em right in your oven.
(If you are living upstairs?)
Yeah - keep 'em right in your oven.
Entry 3154
He kin take de right han' of a roostah's spur an' do de same thing - take de right foot of a roostah spur an' do de same thing. An' she kin take de left one an' do de same. Yo' jes' buy yo' a roostah, kill 'im an' eat 'im, cut dat spur off, an' aftah de last dish of dat is eat up, yo' jes' take it an' rub it lak dat.
(Where do you rub it?)
Jes' rub it in yore han', de right of a roostah's spur. If she wanta work one on yo', yo' undahstan', jes' take an' rub 'em lak dat three times. Whensomevah she wit chew, she kin rub it up dere lak she's playin', an' yo' can't have nobody else. She kin take de left one [a man takes the right]. But yo' cain't do it until de chicken's eat up. Den yo' kin try it den.
Entry 3980
Now, yuh kin take certain chamber lye, an' if it's a man dat drinks, take de chamber lye an' put it in a - it's 'cordin' tuh who yuh wit [your pur- pose], yo' know. She kin whip yuh wit dat thin' or yuh kin whip 'er, yuh see. She gits some of 'er chamber lye an' put it in some whiskey an' let chew feast offa dat, it'll shuh [sure] draw yuh tuh 'er. An' if yuh wan'a draw 'er tuh yuh, yuh do de same thin' an' dat'll draw 'er tuh yuh. An' den she's jis' lak dat. Not only her, not only human bein'. Yuh kin take dat chamber lye an do de same thin' wit chickens an' hogs, if yuh got chickens or hogs dat dey won- dahin' [wandering] away from home an' won' stay at yuh home [see hog and water- melon story, 222, p.64]. Yo' feed yuh - yuh fill up dat stone [crock or small cement trough] wit chamber lye fo' yuh chickens an' dey keep right aroun' yuh do'step. Now, dat's been showed attention wit mahself [I know that from ex- perience]. Dey ain't gon'a go cross dat neighbor dere - ovah his yard. Dat yuh chamber lye.
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 4076
Git de feathah from a black chicken, if yo' a man thirsty fo' a woman, in love wit 'er. Yo' take dat feathah from a black chicken an' yo' manage tuh git some of 'er ministra- tion. Now, de way ah've heard dis: if yo' kin git some of 'er ministration, an' yo' put dat wit dat feathah in dere. Den yo' take dat feathah an' put it in a bottle an' yo' put yo'self some spirits of tur- pentine in dere. Yo' put some dis othah stuff [urine? semen?]. Put some quinine in dere. An' den yo' take dat piece [hatband] or de bow, eithah one, outa yore hat, an' put it in dere. Let dat stay right dere nine days. [Auto horn.] Aftah nine days yo' bury dat thin' right somewhere 'bout de no'th cornah of yore chim- ley in de groun'. Den yo' go out dere an' yo' make watah on dat dere fo' nine days. Yo' pee on dat fo' nine days. Den dat dere - dat draws 'er 'fection to yo'.
Entry 5855
Heard 'em say dat chew kin ketch a bird or a chicken or dog or hog or cow, an' cut a place back of de neck an' put yore hair in it an' let it cure up, an' dey say dat long as dey go, say yo'll go.
Entry 6179
Git dis dirt daubah nest an' chicken feathahs an' dat hair of de in- dividual, yo' know, dat dey'll wanta use, an' mix dat all up togethah, an' sew it in a little round piece, an' dey put one of dose papahs on it an' burn it. An' dat runs 'em crazy sometimes, especially, yo' know, if dey git enough amount of dere hair.
Entry 6539
Yo' kin go tuh work an' take de chicken haid. Dry it intuh a powdah, crumble it up an' make a lotta things jis' lak peppah outa it. Place it intuh anyone's food, an' when yo' place it intuh dere food, dey person eat it, amn' nine days aftah - nine days, dey'll fumilate [formulate], dey body will be full of small ones.
(Small what?)
De li'le chickens, or li'le snakes, or ll'le frogs, or li'le bugs - jis' whut- somevah one [animal] dat chew use.
Entry 6722
Black cat, a black chicken. An' if yo' git hurt, a snake bit chew or anythin', yo' cut dem open live an' put it on dere. It'll draw all de poison out.
Entry 6725
Yo' take dat, but it must be a black chicken, black feathahs, an' yo' put it in a bucket. Take de feathahs an' put it in a bucket an' burn 'em while dey havin' spells. Jes' let 'em hol' dere nose right down ovah it lak dat, an' dey soon vell. Dey won' have no mo'.
Entry 6735
Take black chicken manure an' put on it, on de bite. An' jes' lak if anybody bite chew, jes' go an' git some black chicken manure an' put it on dere, an' all yore teeth rotten out. [Sumter, S. Car., (1368), 2426:4.] [The same belief from: Richmond, Va., (404), 353:7; and Norfolk, Va., (about 464), 454:6.]
Entry 6739
Ah've heard people say that if anybody bite chew, yo' could take brown chicken manure an' use it on it as a salve, an' it would rot dere teeth out.
Entry 6740
If a person bites yo', yo' kin go an' git black hen's manure an' rub it on dere, an' dere [the biter's] teeth will turn black, too.
Entry 7224
Well, ah don' know how ah got it in me. A lady brought me a piece of fish an' she claim, "Mah husban' jis' caught dis fish." An' she said, "It's al- ready salt an' peppahed." Yo' know ah always look at mah food an' ah said, "My, de grains of peppah are large." She said, "Oh, dear, dat's all right, jis' go ahaid an' eat it." So ah washed some of it off, see, an' it all stuck so close, ah couldn't git it off. So anyway, ah said, well ah'll try de fish, 'cuz ah couldn't eat nuthin but fish an' chicken. An' ah ate dis fish. An' ah had no more den finished eatin' it when ah jis' drew up in knots, cramp knots, an' ah fell tuh de floor, an' mah heart start tuh palpitatin' very fast. An' ah tole mah mothah, ah said, "Ah cain't live wit dis cramp." An' so she went aftah anothah lady, one dem HOODOO LADIEs. She called 'er. An' she tole mah mothah tuh go right away an' git me a pint [of] milk. Dat help- ed me some. An' den she fixed me some mustard watah an' - but de only thing ah knew dat cured me wuz a fresh aig [probably from a black hen].
Entry 7279
Fo' instance, if a man would kill a man an' he would cross 'im three times.
(Here is the body. Now, how would he cross him?)
[For the body I probably used my Numbers Book, small note book containing the number of each informant and brief information about him after he left.1 He'd cross him dis way [demonstrates] an' den he'd come back dis way. Den he'd come farward ag'in. Dat's three times [forward, back- Ward, forward - each on an angle to form an X or cross.] Den he'd go away an' he won't be ketched by comin' back. Yo' may ketch him in California or somewhere but not by him returnin' back hisself, yo' see. But, if yo' know de party dat commit de crime an' will take dat chicken aig an' write his name on de aig nine time backwards. If his name Charles Smith, write Smith Charles, burying dat party wit dat aig in dere. Ah guarantee yo' in about three or fo' mont' time, yo' will ketch him near de place where he commit de crime, comin' back fo' some reason. He won't stay 'way. Well, if he [you or I] commit de crime, an' havin' trouble - so no dog, no law, nuthin could find out mah business or nuthin'; but if yo' kin git to it, de turpentine swamps. yo' git de turpentine an' put it at de bottom of his feet, rub it at de bottom in de shoe sole an' de dogs won't trail him. He'll be caught by someone else, but de dogs won' trail wit turpentine.
Entry 7428
Well, yo' know dat dead fellah, yo' kin put a aig in 'is han' an' dis is fac's an' a bran'-new pair of scis- sors undah 'is haid. When dat aig busts he'll come back an' give up. Ah know dat happen right heah in Memphis.
(What hand is that egg in?)
In de left han'.
(Any kind of an egg?)
A hen aig, gotta be a fresh aig, see.
(And a scissors under his head?)
Undah de dead woman's haid, an' de aig in de dead person's han', see. An' dey buried wit dat aig in dere han's.
Entry 7431
De man whut's daid, yo' take a fresh hen aig an' put it in 'is right han', an' close 'is han' up wit dat fresh hen aig in it, an' place it across 'is heart, see wit 'is han' close up, an' when dat aig bustess in 'is han' dis man will come an' give up.
(Put it in his hand and then lay his hand right over his heart?)
Dat's right.
Entry 7432
I used to hear it said, that if you get a black hen's egg and put it in his hand that was killed, either hand, you can tell exactly who killed him. That will keep him from nmniag away. He will come right back to that house. If that party touches him [corpse] it will bleed where he touches then. [This old woman was a young girl (almost grown) before Civil War, near Woodville, Mississippi. I interviewed her in my study, 130 East End Ave., N. Y. C., in 1936, March?]
Entry 7434
Jes' lak if a man gits killed, some man gits killed, somebody gits killed an' yo' don't know who killed 'em. Fin' somebody dead an' dey run off an' don' know who kill 'em. Yo' take a black hen egg, but have to be sure it's a black hen. Yo' take a black hen egg an' yo' bury de people wit de egg in 'is lef' han', an' in two week's time, jes' wheresomevah dat people bury dat, well, whosomevah kill 'im will come dere an' give hisself up. Ah've seen dat did.
Entry 7435
Yo' go to work an' yo' git choo a black hen's aig. Yo' take dat aig an' yo' bring it back to de party whut dat he killed, if yo' could git to 'em [the corpse]. Yo' put dat aig into his right han', yo' shet dat han' up on it, an' bury 'im wit dat aig in dere han'. An' he [the killer] boun' to come back to 'im. He'll come right back to dat same house where dey killed dat pusson [person].
Entry 7436
If he foun' dat man dead an' dat dead man jes' dere. Well, if dat dead jes' layin' - Jesus Christ said, "He dat kill shall be killed." Yo' git a fresh black hen's aig an' put it in, bind it in dat dead man's han' an' turn dat dead man ovah on 'is face, an' dat murderer will come dere.
(You put it in either hand?)
Put it in 'is right han'.
Entry 7627
(Right from the beginning now.)
Well, right from de beginnin' of it is: Yo' takes it from anyone dat has died bad, yo' see, an' yo' goes tuh de grave an' yuh jis' tell 'em whut chew wan' 'em do fer yuh, yo' see, any troubles of any kin. (When do you go out there?) Well, yo'll have tuh go out at de nighttime, see. An' den yo' axe 'em dese questions, yo' know. YO'LL SEE 'EM SETTIN' UP ON DE GRAVE. AN' DEN YO' AXE HIM IF HE GOIN' DO DIS FER YO', yo' unnahstan'. WHUT WOULD HE DESIRE FER YO' TUH GIVE HIM. Well, IF HE'D WANT A CHICKEN, Well yo'd kill de chicken an' YO'D BRING TUH 'IM DE BLOOD, yo' know, INTAH A BOTTLE. Or if he wanted whiskey, why yo'...
[I interrupt.]
(What would you do with that blood then?)
Well, yo'd po' it right down on de grave.
(On the grave?)
Right tuh de foot of de grave. Yo'll jis'...
[I interrupt before I forget informant mentioned whiskey.]
(I see. And what if he wants whiskey?)
An' if he wanted whiskey, why yo' pour it in de same place.
(I see. And what else do you do then?)
Well, AFTAH YO' DONE DO DAT YO' UNNAHSTAND, JIS' WHEREVAH YO' GO YO' SEE, WHY HE'LL ALWAYS BE WIT CHEW. AN' YO'LL BE SO YO' KIN JIS' DISENTANGLE YUHSELF ANY TIME, INTUH ANYTHING DAT YO' WANTA BE. (I see. And didn't you say something about praying? What did you say about praying?) PRAYIN'? OH, YEAH! DAT'S RIGHT, AH DID. IT WILL BE UNUSEFUL FER YUH TUH PRAY ANY MORE, 'CUZ YUH DONE GIVED YUHSELF AWAY. [I now ask what he means without suggesting that he has sold himself to the devil.] (And is he supposed - is that supposed to be anybody special? Or just a dead man?) Anyone who died bad, especially if dey know yuh, yo' unnahstan'. Yo' KNOW INTUH A GRAVEYARD IS A VERY BAD PLACE TUH GO IF YUH NOT KNOWIN' ANYONE, YO' UNNAHSTAN'. If a [something? Evil spirit?] will come befo' yuh, yo' might make yo' a rich man yuhself. [There is just a suggestion here that you could sell yourself to an evil spirit.]
(I see.)
Entry 8085
They take it [photograph] an' lay it flat on its face, an' then take two drops of chicken blood an' cross that, and then pray ovah that: Our Fathah who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, let thy kingdom come, let thy will be done. An' then that will work for you then on your photograph.
(What would that do?)
Well, according as they use it, jis' like I said; why then accordin' to what they wan'a do. If they wan'a be good to you or wan'a be mean to you, or somepin like that, well you could do that, choo see. [The cross is made by dipping the f an "x" or cross. finger into chicken blood twice, each time drawing the stroke of an "X" or cross. Yes the Our Father Prayer can be used for evil as well as good.]
Entry 8902
Chicken feathahs - a black chicken. Take black chicken feathahs an' put hit undah de steps. Whenevah a person steal or anythin' lak dat from yo', when yo' expectin' somebody tuh come in on yo', don't chew know, befo' dis chicken die, put dem feathah undah dere, an' dat'll scare dem away. (If somebody is coming fn to steal something from you?) Yes, if yo' expectin' a burglah tuh come in, yo' git three feathahs out of 'is left wing befo' he die an' bury dem undah yore steps. An' whenevah he comes aroun' tuh bothah or anythin', why dat chicken will run 'im away from dere.
Entry 8932
I've heard them say that you can take a red-hot poker and stick it in the chicken house and all the chickens will jump on it and you can take them out and no one will ever know it. [For another chicken-stealing rite, see 8936.]
Entry 8936
They take some sulphur and set it on fire and put it through the chicken coop. They tell me that sulphur [stops] 'fusion [confusion], the noise of the chickens, an' yo' kin go right in there and get up all chickens. [For another chicken-stealing rite, see 8932.]
Entry 9006
Yo' got a case yo' know. If a person has got a case in co't, yo' use a black hen aig, de yellah of a black hen aig. Have tuh throw de white away an' use de yellah. Take some rum an'
[this egg yolk and] make pills an' give 'em. Dat's all ah've evah seen 'em do wit dat.
Entry 9007
De aig is a lucky aig in de line if yo' in trouble an' if any- body wants tuh git chew outa trouble. Well, dey take a black chicken aig an' boil it an' carry it tuh yo' while yo' in jail, an' let chew jes' keep dat aig in yore han' parta de time. Jes' lak yo' says, "Ah'm gon'a eat dis aig, '' but yo' nevah would eat it. Jes' do dat way. An' fin'ly yo'll git outa jail.
Entry 9010
Yo' take dis aig, a black hen's aig, an' yo' go tuh wherevah de trial's goin' tuh be, an' throw dis aig 'cross de co'thouse or jailhouse, whatsomevah it is. Throw it 'cross dat. Dey say dat's O.K. (That settles the case.) Yo' done control 'em, yo' see, an' dey throw de case out.
Entry 9023
Yo' know dere's a bone in a black hen, a right black hen. Whut's de name of it? But it in de chest heah [the wishbone]. But yo' kin take dat bone out of a black hen, see an' pull it apart, an' de biggest end yo' keep in yo' pocket. An' if yo' happen to git in jail, see, yo'll come out. [And you can keep it] fo' luck.
Entry 9180
Ah hear'd dat chew could take a chidken aig an' carry it tuh a red ants baid an' break it an' yo' know, dat's if yo' wanted anybody tuh leave a place. An' po' it down in dere an' call dere name an' tell 'em tuh go an' not come back. Jes' po' it. Yo' know it take it a long time tuh drip. An' jes' po' it. Dey say soon as dem ants tote de las' bit of it down in dere [the person named] dey'll disappeah.
Entry 9181
Now heah's somepin dat is known. Dis is rathah modern, too. Now, yo' kin take a black hen's aig an' write de seven apostel name. Yo' know de seven name? Ah don't guess yo' wanta know dey have seven apostel? Would yo' lak tuh know whut apostel? Why dey say dere's Petah, James, John, Simon, Zedpide [Zebadee], Bartholomew, an' dat othah apos- tel, Matthews. Well, jis' any seven of de twelve apostel, write dat on de aig see. Write dere [victim's] name on dat aig. Yo' see, yo' write de person name on dat Talsol. Dat's if yo' wanted tuh move 'um away from dere. yo' write dere name on dat aig. An' aftah yo' write dere name on dat aig, den yo' take it tuh dat dwelling place wheresomevah dey stay, an' jis' throw it down dere against de house as hard as yo' kin. Yo' see, an' yo' use de word: "In de Name of Jesus Christ, yo' shall go." Dat's one [dat] is true. Dey can't stay at dat place.
Entry 9185
Take a black hen aig an' write his name all ovah dat aig, an' place it right in de cellah where dey bed's at, up undah de house, an' dey goin' move out dere de nex' day- dey might move out dat night.
Entry 9187
Ah've: heard of 'em usin' a aig from a black hen. If dere's anything dat dey didn't want a person tuh do at de time dat dey had dat black hen's aig, dey take it an' carry it tuh de do wit a black cloth, an' hit it against de do' of de wall dere, an' dey couldn't go back in dat house. Dey would soon disappeah. Ah've hear'd tell of dat. (You said you put the black cloth around that egg.) [This rite is more seri- ous than merely driving out the dwellers within, it warns either move from the house or have a crepe on your door. Informant's word disappear has a direful meaning.]
Entry 9189
Dey say yo's kin git a black hen aig, dat wus fo' bad luck. Dey say if yo' git a black hen aig an' somebody take it an' break it, an place it roun' where yo' gotta travel ovah, say dat will put bad luck on yo' bad luck will follow yo'.
Entry 9193
Ah know dis much about a nest of hen aigs, dat yo' kin go tuh work an' take a nest of hen aigs. Jes' lak, now, if ah wanted tuh really git chew, make yo' lost yore job, or git chew out wit anyone atall [at all], all de way roun' where yo' won't have any friends. Ah knew dat yo' kin take one of dose eggs outa dat nest, an yo' kin stand off an' yo' kin name 'em. Call dat aig a name. Jes' lak evahwhat are my name [whatever my name is], why den yo' call dat aig dat same name, an' set it back intuh de nest. An' den yo' will notice, see, jes' how many aigs. Well, de really fac' 'bout it, how many aigs yo' upsot wit dat. Yo' may really upsot two or three or fo'. One Way, dey says, crack 'em or break 'em wit dat [named egg]. An' dat will put chew where yo' can't git along wit nobody nowhere. Ah knews dat tuh be de fac'.
Entry 9213
Yo' kin take - AH HATE TUH GIVE YO' ALL MAH SECRETS. But ah will tell yo' dis. Yo' take yo' a black hen aig an' yo' pass longside of de street an' throw it an' let it splatter on dat porch against dat do'. Dat's dat [to move you].
Entry 9215
Well, if ah had a woman cross de street an' a man run ovah dere aftah dis Woman an' ah don' want him ovah dere, ah'll go git me a black hen aig, a fresh one jes' laid, an' ah'll write his name on dat. Ah'll go an' bust dat aig up de front of dat do'. Well, he cain't go dere no mo'.
Entry 9216
Jes' take de aig right aftah she lay, an' gits de drop on [take an unexpected advantage of] de person an' count three times. Well, yo' say, one - two - when yo' say three de aig's done left yore han' an' hit right in de centah of dey do'. It hit right in de centah of dey do' an' drap down dere. Well, dey gone.
(What kinf of an egg do you use?)
A black hen. Yo' cain't use no othah chicken but a black hen. She's gotta be black an' not have a white spot about 'er.
Entry 9226
Said dey take a black hen aig an' go tuh de woman's house, an' if yo' man goin' dere, if yo' wanta bust 'im up from dere an' run 'im away from dere, bust 'im an' de woman up, yo' take a black-hen aig an' go an' throw it up against de do', an' say jes' whut chew want tuh de aig. An' throwin de aig at de do', bust it, an' he cain't go dere.
Entry 9227
Yo' know whut chew do, yo' git a black hen aig. Git a black hen aig an' yo' take de black hen aig an' go tuh dat house wherevah dey livin' at. An' dat's breakin' 'em up. An' yo' take an' throw dat black-hen aig against de do' bust it, an' say, "Stay away." (You say, "Stay away." What will that do when you break the egg on the door? You say it breaks them up?) Breaks 'em up.
Entry 9251
Kin take a black hen's aig on Friday, dat's laid on Friday, an' write dere name on it. Write it roun' de aig an' den write it crossways de aig, an' den take it an' go an' throw it on dere do'. Dat will make dem move. (Now here is the egg. Do you write that name down like that? [I dem- onstrate.l And then you write it across like that?) Yes.
(You make a cross by writing the names that way?)
Yes.
Entry 9258
What ah heard 'em say, said dey take a hen egg, a black hen's egg an' some - an' tuh go out tuh de graveyard an' git a han'ful of graveyard dirt, an sprinkle dat dirt on de porch, an' take de egg an' bust it up side de do'. Dat sup- posed tuh make yo' move, if dey didn't lak yo'.
Entry 9266
Dey tell me dey take a black hen aig, if yo' wanta run a person. Ah'm using mah seriance [experience] 'bout dis. Ah believe dat dis graveyard dirt an' gunpowdah dey puts in dat egg, dat black hen's egg, bust it in yore do'. Jis' throw it ag'inst yore do' an' bust it. Dat'll bust yo' an' dat woman up.
Entry 9287
Or ah kin take a black hen's aig - see, lak de hens lay out dere, take a black hen aig an' throw it cross yore house, an' de nex' day at sundown yo'll be gone.
Entry 9293
If yo' be in trouble, yo' take a hen aig an' throw it up undah de house an' let it break apart.
(Any kind of a hen egg?)
A black hen.
(And that will get you out of this trouble?)
Yes sir.
(Just let it break up there and run down on the house - that the idea?)
[My preceding break up there followed by and run down on the house can be confusing, but informant's double preposition up under confused me at the time. Remember, we are talking about a special type of house. As I have said frequently in the text, most of these small houses in the lowlands along the coast are raised a foot or more aboveground. Mistakenly or not, I am here thinking of a person reaching down and smashing the egg so that it will run down one of the corner posts, rocks or bricks upon which the house rests; a sort of foundation or at least a reded- ication rite - for a foundation rite, see margin title BLOOD FOR THE SPIRIT, p.33, v.1.] Yes sir.
Entry 9295
Jes' lak anyone stayin' by yo' an' yo' wants 'em tuh move, sompin lak dat. Now, yo' kin take a fresh hen aig an' write dere name on dat fresh hen aig an' den throw dat aig away. Well, dey'll move.
(Throw it away where?)
Throw de aig - jes' lak yo' jes' to dere house. But dey'll move.
Entry 9303
Take a chicken aig an' boil it, boil it done. An' yo' take dat chicken aig an' put it in de mattress, de side dat he sleeps on, an' he'll nevah leave. (Any kind of a chicken egg?) Yes sir, any kind. (This should be a black hen's egg.) [This comment of mine shows that I restarted recording machine to add the unrecorded black-hen information.]
Entry 9314
Well, dey kin go intuh a place dat's got plenty of chickens, intuh de yard, but it must be a place dat have chickens. Now yo' git one fresh aig outa dis place. Yo' take dis egg an' yo' mark de party's an' yo' go an' break it intuh de do', where dis party's livin' at, an' dey gotta go. (I see. Well now, why must we get that egg from a yard that has lots of chickens?) Well, yo' see, accordin' tuh - de reason why yo' must do it, becuz a cold- storage egg is not any good. It must be a fresh egg.
(I see.)
Entry 9316
Git a egg from a black hen an' write dere name on it nine times, an' bear [bury] it undahneat' dere steps an' make dem move.
Entry 9326
Take a aig - lak yo' wan' somebody tuh move, somebody wus livin' in a house an' yo' wanted 'em tuh move; or some woman wus lakin' yuh husban' an' yo' wanted 'er out chuh way or wanted 'er tuh git away from de neighbah- hood. Yo' take a fresh aig. Let de chicken lay de aig in de mawn- in', lak yo' go out in de chickenyard about seven a'clock, git dat fresh aig dat de chicken layed, yo' know soon in de mawnin', an' t'row it. An' git a fresh aig eve'y mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' t'row it on dat pō'ch. An' de tenth mawnin' when yo' look ovah dere, de person da' choo wan' tuh move will be gittin' ready tuh move.
Entry 9332
Chicken aigs, nine aigs. If it's tuh a place - yo' know, jes' lak if yo' livin' next do' tuh a person an' yo' don' wan' 'em tuh stay dere by yuh. Take yuh nine aigs an' break it up, whip it an' care [carry] it roun' dere house fo' nine mawn- in's. Break a aig, don' chew know, one aig evah mawnin' three a'clock, an' beat it up an' care it [round] de house fo' nine mawnin's, see. Ah've heard dat. Dey say dat'll run de person away, if it's a individual whut's stayin' nex' tuh yuh.
Entry 9340
At a certain time of de yeah - ah tell yo' 'bout de hen aigs. Dey say yo' kin take de aigs an' draw peoples pitchures on 'em. Dat's whut ah hear'd. An' yo' know, put de person's 'nitials undah de aig. An' dey say yo' go where dat person walk an' put de aig dere, an' say whut chew wanta say an' throw it down. When dat person walk ovah it, it'll happen lak yo' wanted it tuh happen. Dat de only [thing] ah hear'd about de aig.
Entry 9343
Ah kin move yo' wit a black hen's egg. Ah kin take dat an' go tuh yo' po'ch now an' bust one ovah dere, an' yo' sho' won't be dere. Yo'll move. [Porch is mentioned in a number of egg rites given elsewhere.]
Entry 9347
Yo' kin roll it on yore hearth, a chicken aig. An' roll it on yore hearth an' say de Lord's Prayah. Call de guy's name dat chew wants. Whosomevah yo' want, he'll come. He will, so dey tells me wit dat chicken aig. [To roll is an important and common rite in Hoodoo. Rolling commonly means to you or away from you.]
Entry 9366
[The following rite, one of the most interesting and puzzling in Hoo- doo, raises the question asked in the margin title. Let us begin by reading the rite itself:1 As fer as ah heered 'bout dat ah don't know fo' definite whethah it's true or it's not true. Ah tell yo' whut ah has heered. Dey tell me dey take a black hen aig, an' take it an' break it, an' use it wit an intahco'se yo' havin' wit a woman. Suck dat black hen aig an' have a intahco'se, an' soon as yo' has a intahco'se, de same identi- cal thing dat passed in de time yo' havin' use it dat same way. An' use dat black hen aig an' stop it intuh a pint bottle. An' dey tell me dey nuse [use] dat undahneat' of de house.
[Informant will explain later what he means.]
(What will that do?)
Well, dat keeps yore [male] fren's away from 'er, an' keeps yore wife at home, an' keeps a calm home an' a-down [trouble] - whut chew call a harmless home.
(Now you take this raw black hen egg?)
Yo' use one crushed tuh yuhself.
(You eat that?)
Suck it - yes, lak dat.
(Before you have intercourse.)
All right. Yo' takes de othah one [eggl an' has it ready. Den yo' have a intahco'se wit 'er, an' de same thing dat she did befo' - quite natural when a woman's [woman has an emission!] it's common. An' he's quite natchal [natural] li'ble [liable] tuh see dat [emission!] an' pick it up: Jis' pick it up an' ah take dat an' put it in a bottle unbeknowst tuh 'er, an' ah bury dat. Don't bury it, ah'd use it undah de eve [eaves] of de house.
(What would you bury, take in that [bottle]?)
Stop dat stain [up in the bottle].
(From her you mean?)
Yes sir. Puts dat in a bottle an' stop it 'up an' use it undah de eve of de house where yo' kin go tuh de [buried] bottle.
(But you must eat that black egg first?)
Use dis black egg yoreself, suck it. Well, dis stain yo' put it in dis bot- tle, an' uses de othah one [egg] in dere wit it.
(What other?)
Her nature an' dat othah aig is in dere tuhgethah.
(How many eggs are you using?)
Two, jis' two. (You eat one first, then you use the other egg with her stuff [nature] in the bottle.) In de bottle. Shake it intuh a likkah [liquid]-like. [I must now restate the margin-title question: Does a woman during coitus dis- charge a female substance, which in some way unites with man's semen to create a new life? Remember, hoodoo knows nothing about ova and Fallopian tubes. The ordinary word for semen in Hoodoo is come, a word describing an action, something coming from a man. The same word is used for a woman's action, both in hoodoo and non-hoodoo thought, according to a question commonly asked of a woman: Did you come? A more generalized term denoting sexuality for both men and women appears in the word nature, found frequently in Hoodoo. Our present rite speaks of a fluid coming from the woman and making a spot, as her nature. This nature of hers is bottled with a chicken egg: Dat keeps yore [male] frien's away from 'er an' keeps yore wife at home. A woman's nature of course could also be her hair or urine or anything from her body; but a woman's nature joined with chicken egg, as in this rite, surely suggests that she ejects a procreative liquid. Why did I not question informant closely? Not back in 1939 when this rite was col- lected and folklore in English about sexual organs and acts did not exist! Be- sides, sex was not overemphasized in my field work.]
Entry 9367
Take a hen aig an' weah it intuh yuh pocket an' yo'll have luck wit mos' anything dat chew want tuh do. (How do you mean, wear it in your pocket? This whole egg or just the egg shell or what?) Jes' de shell of de aig. If yo' even eat de aig, take de shell an' jes' weah it, wherevah yo' go an' yo'll have luck. Even if yo' go tuh de circus an' yo' want [to] be seein' how dey win dese things, yo'll [have]luck.
Entry 9389
Ah've heard 'em say dey take a chicken aig, an' say jis' lak yo' wus livin' in dis home an' de rentahs wus worryin' yo' or somepin, yo' could git chew three fresh ones an' jis' go out on one side of de house an' jis' chunk 'em clean ovah on de othah [side]. Ah imagine dat would be hard tuh do. But dey says dat stops dem from bothahin' yo' any mo'.
(Stops who?)
Stop de rentahs from worryin' yo', de man dat chew rent from, or de lady dat chew rent from. (Oh, they come bothering you about the rent or something of that sort. Any kind of chicken eggs?) Dey says jis' fresh aigs. Some folks says dey use black hen aigs. [This is an unusual rite. Most of these rites involve a person renting or owning the whole house. Here we have a person renting a room in the house, a person who does not want to be bothered too often about the rent. In throwing these eggs he or she does not move himself or herself. I suppose this could also apply to the renter of the whole house. Intention can change the normal meaning of a rite.]
Entry 9433
Take a black hen chicken egg an' it's lak - dat's anothah way yo' kin do a person hahm [harm]. Yo' know, lak yo' wanted tuh git rid of somebody or run 'em off or sompin. Yo'd write dere name on a black hen aig an' throw it in de rivah an' dat'll run 'em off yo' know.
Entry 10606
If you don't want a baby, you understand, you kin taken a chicken gizzard, brown it and put in French brandy, kills it.
Entry 10766
Gunpowder, bluestone, brimstone an' beat it up together an' burn it five days out on de edge of yore yard to kill yore stock. I'd do dat to kill yore stock - hogs, cows, chickens an' yo' people. Yo'd have a sick pile ovah dere, fast as one git sorta straight- en [out] de rest git down; all like dat, sompin happening all de time.
Entry 10867
De luckiest animal dat ever made by God: a black cat, and a black hen, an' a frizzled chicken. Ef a frizzled chicken - if anybody put any- thing aroun' yo', a frizzled chicken and a black hen will sure go dere an' pick it up.
(Well, how is a black cat lucky?)
Ah couldn't tell!!!
(Just lucky.)
Entry 10952
In case yo' poisoned when yo' bitten by a snake, yo' kin take a young chicken an' split him wide open while he's 'live an' put it on dat place, bind it roun' tight, an' dat vi draw off de poison from dere,
Entry 10959
Ah know 'zactly how tuh do dat. Co'se ah gits ten dollahs fo' dat. [This woman is a root doctor.] "Co'se ah don't tell nobody. De way dey do dat, dey take a black chicken an' kill dat black chicken, an' take a piece of paper, don't chew know, an' write dere name wit dat blood. An' den when yo' write dere name, yo' nail it down by de do'. Nail it down by de do' an' call dere name three times. An' ah don't care where dey is dey gotta come. A black chicken.
Entry 10961
Jis' lak if someone heah an' yo' don' want 'em heah. Yo' take dat chicken blood an' write dere name up ovah yore do', an' dat runs 'em from yore house. [Walking under (as well as over) something be- longing to you is always a serious business.]
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 10964
Now if you wanna use chicken blood, you kin use dat. Take de chicken and cut 'em open while he 'live. Don't kill him and den cut him open. Jes' take de knife and stick him right in de back, and cut him open while he 'live, and put dat - each half of dat chicken on each por- tion of your spinal cord here. You understand. It cure any shingles in de world. What you call chicken blood, yeah, wit shingles. Now, dat will stop de shingles.
Entry 10985
To make move, burst against door a black hen egg laid on Friday.
[Mobile, Ala., 877:11.]
Entry 11011
Hole in frizzly chicken egg, put in graveyard dust and pepper, throw against house to make move. [Charleston, S. Car., 543:6.]
Entry 11018
Now, dere one chicken feathah you could use, to do any harm, dat's a frizzly fowl. A frizzly fowl is good and is bad, onnerstand. Now, yo' kin take a feathah from de top of a frizzly fowl's head and you kin take a feathah from de top of a frizzly fowl's back. And you kin take dat feathah what you git from de frizzly fowl and take one new pin and pin dem two feathah togethah and I kin take dem feathah and put 'em in your bosom or anybody's bosom and you is a crazy man ovahnight - in an hour.
(Supposed to make him lose his mind?)
Yes, sir, crazy fer de next. Yo' kin put 'em in dere dis hour and de next hour somebody gotta tie 'em down.
(Well, what else can you do with that Frizzly hen? Can you do anything else?)
Yes, you kin use de bun gut, you know.
(Gut? The intestine? The testicle?)
[My preceding questions merely ask for more information. The meaning of the word bun in the sense of anus or buttocks I had known for years, but bum gut did not penetrate immediately because I had translated the words into rotten gut
[stomach trouble, etc.l also a folk term.]
Dat's real good. You kin take dat and kill a nation. [You can kill a nation because of all that hoodoo poison that goes through a frizzly hen - see margin title DOCTOR FRIZZLY Pp.59-63, v.1, and many places.]
(How Would you do that?)
Well, you take dat and you cook a soup. Cook in a chicken soup, onnerstand. Well, I hate dat house dere. I wanna poison dat whole house, but dey is my neighbors. Well, I git dat soup and carry over dere, go across wit it.
(You poison them?)
De whole house. But now you gotta put in dat, Doc - des scrape dem in it - de fingernails. Keep dem dirty and scrape 'em - [into the soup].
Entry 11024
Ah heard of 'em using chicken feathers tuh make 'em move. Well, dey take de chicken feathers - dere's a mice [sounds like lice] on every chicken feather, chicken mice [mice?]. (You mean lice?) Lice. Dey takes dem lices offa dat chicken an' take his haid, his bill, an' beat dat up fine an' put some kerosene an' some sulphur in it, an' dat'll make yo' move. Put it in yore mattress or under de haid of yore bed.
Entry 11025
Dey use chicken feathers dey say fo' bad luck. Probably if yo' got some chickens or sompin lak dat an' ah wanta make yo' have bad luck, ah kin take de feathers from yore chick- ens and burn 'em in mah stove. See, an' use de ashes an' dese chicken fea- thers an' take 'em an' sprinkle 'em all round yore house. Dat will cause all yore chickens tuh die, or someone in yore family to die, or sompin lak dat. Dat's whut de' call a re- buke to a family. Or either if ah should happen to have tuh buy a chicken or sompin lak dat, ah kin git some of yore dirt from roun' in yore yard where yo' have travel on, an' use it an' burn it an' cause yo' tuh have bad luck to some of yore family or either probably to yo'.
Entry 11034
Ah heard dem usin' a chicken feather. Yo' take a black hen feather an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' stop it up airtight. Dat's good fo' luck.
(You carry that for luck.)
Entry 11042
(How do they handle that?)
Well, you see, it's one gut into a chicken.
(There's what?)
There's one gut into a chicken.
(Just one gut?)
One gut, that's all kin do any harm. That's a gut runs from the, from the top of his - you know, the back of his neck all the way to the rear end of it.
(The rear end, the tail end?)
That's right. (To his behind?) To his behind. (All right.) Now, yo' take that gut and you kin fix that gut and you kin dry it out and you kin - and after you dry it out, you makes a powder of it. And you use this powder into a person's eats - what I mean about eats, about sittin' dowo eatin'. You sprinkle that over 'em and you gotta act like a chicken - you just goofy. They acts like a chicken all the time.
(I see.)
Entry 11050
Yo' could go to a chicken house an' git some chicken manure an' rub it on dere [if person bites you] an' it will make a person's teeth rot out.
Entry 11052
Ah heard dat if somebody bite chew dat yo' gits black chicken manure an' rub it on dere, an' it will rot all dere teeth out.
Entry 11058
You kin take manure from a chicken - has to be a black one, though - an' dat place [where you were bitten] put it on there an' tie it up, an keep it tied up for three days. Dat will take all their teeth out.
Entry 11059
De chicken stuff from a chicken an' rub it in de top of his head when he's asleep, an' all his teeth will rotten out.
Entry 9022
It jes' lak if yo' Wanta go tuh win a case. Yo' take dese three black hen aigs an' do de same thing. (How do you do that?) Well, yo' take de three aigs an' go tuh de fo' cornahs of de road, gotta be where dirt at. (And these three eggs are black hen eggs?) Black hen aigs, yeah. An' yo' jes' set [demonstrates] one heah an' one heah - undah de sand jes' lak dat, not too deep, so de automobile couldn't mash it. [Egg buried at right angle, not in a straight line.] Set de othah one on dis cornah an' set one on dis cornah...each automobile jes' accordin' tuh how it's [egg is] set, jes' go by dese two aigs an dey bust on dat side. Den de othah yo' could take it an' bring it back. Write an' tell 'im whut chew want done. Pass de case [to the eggl. Man goin' be 'lectricuted. Dat goin' bring 'im back.
(You write this all on the egg. What time do you go out to that crossroad?)
Yo' be dere twelve on de minute. Yo' start dis off at three minutes tuh twelve. THIS IS A SINGLE DIRT ROAD - YOU CAN TAKE ONLY 1 OF 3 (At night.) ROADS AHEAD - SET EGG IN RUT EITHER SIDE OF ROADS Dat's right an' yo' stay dere an' watch dat job.... 3 DOTS OF DIAGRAM =
(Until the automobile runs over it?)
3 NAILS OR NAMES. Dat's right. Yo' see a man on each one of dem automobile.
Entry 9191
Whut ah heard dat dey could do wit chicken aigs. It's two or three diff'ren' ways tuh use chicken aigs. First, yo' kin take a chicken aig, a black hen aig, an' throw it on someone po'ch an' it'll cuz dem tuh move. Next, yo' could take a chicken aig an' write de name on it an' carry it out in de woods an' bury it, an' don't look back, an' it'll run 'em outa town. An' den... (Wait a minute! This second egg is a black chicken egg or any kind of chicken egg?) De firs' aig yo' throw in de house is a black chicken aig. De nex' aigs is any kinda aig, 80 long as it a fresh aig. Write her name on it an' carry it [out in de woods] an' bury it an' don't look back, an' come on [back home]. It run 'em outa town. Den, next - dat's de second aig. De nex' aig yo' kin take - yo' kin put it in blueing ovahnight an' hide it undah de house, an' [that] would cuz dem tuh be tire-nated [worn out] an' don' wanta be bothahed 'bout livin' in de neighbor- hood no mo'. Dey don't wanta live in de neighborhood no mo'. Dem de three aigs [3 things you can do with eggs].
(And the last egg is any kind of egg?)
De last aig is any kinda aig, but if yo' goin' tuh run yore neighbors....
Entry 9232
Ah heard dat chew could take a black hen's aig an' bury it at chure do', an' aftah buryin' dis black hen's aig at chure do', when yo' make yore wishes an' whatevah yo' make yore wish, it will come. (You bury this black hen egg at your own door?) Yessuh. (And make your wish for anything?) Yessuh. Ah heard dat chew could do dat an' dat yore wishes would come.
Entry 9234
Jes' lak if yo' got a fren' an' he's away from yo', yo' use a chicken aig lak dis. Yo' put it in de mun of de house [under eaves] wit de end [small end of egg] down an' yo' writes 'is name on dat an' yo' puts it dat deep in de groun' [demon- strates]. (About as deep as your hand.) Yes sir, at de drain of yore house, an' yo' call 'im, an' yo' put sulphuh, sugah - all dat mixture is sweet don't chew know. Put sulphuh, sugah an' brim- stone. An' each mawnin' yo' call 'im fo' nine mawnin's. [Brimstone and sulphur raise hell with him, sugar sweetens him.] Yo' call 'im an' he boun' tuh come, he cain't stay away - he gotta come. One aig an' write his name on de aig. Ah'm goin' call yore name, see. Say, "Ah'm callin' yo' an' ah wan' chew tuh come on back home heah tuh me." Write dat on de aig. See, write his name on dere [egg]. Call 'is name an' write dat [name] on dat aig. An' put dat aig right down in dis guttah [in the ground under the eaves].
(Any kind of a chicken egg?)
It would be bettah if it wuz a black hen aig.
Entry 9305
Yo' take a black hen aig if a person has murdered somebody, take two. Lak if de person wuz murdered, yo' put a aig in each one of dere han's, a black hen aig. An' be shuh [sure] it's a black hen aig, an' put it in each one of dere han's. Git a piece of grass rope. (What's that?) Dese heah ropes whut people ties bundles an' things with. An' yo' git a piece of dat an' yo' make nine knots in it, an' yo' tie it on dere wrist. An' when yo' git ready tuh bury dat person, yo' turn dere face bottom upwards [back of head upwards]. An' de one whosomevah murdered 'em gotta come back where dey did dat murdah. Wit dat black hen aig.
(Do you tie that rope on just one wrist?)
On both of 'em, both wristses, put a aig in each han' an' shut dat han' up. An' when yo' git ready tuh bury 'em, yo' turn dere face down. Yo' see, dey gen'ly [generally] bury people wit dere face up, in place of puttin' de face down tuh de bottom of de coffin.
Entry 9336
Said dat dey kin take chicken aigs an' take nine needles. An' yo' have tuh soak dat aig in vinegah, where yo' put dem nine needles dere, an' bury 'em intuh somebody's gate or do'step, where dey go in at. An' dey'll step on 'em, mash 'em. Dey'll leave town. (Any kind of chicken egg?) Any kind.
Entry 9365
Well, yo' take a chicken aig an' yo' kin broke dat shell, an' put dat in a cup or a [saucer], de yellah, not de white, jis' de yellah part of it, an yo' beat dat up. Yo' git chew den de thing yo' calls Seven Yeahs Adventure. Didja [did you] evah heah about dat? (Seven years what?) Seven Yeahs 'Venture, yeah. (Adventure or [something] or what?) Deventure. Deventure, yes. Yo' know, yo' drops jis' about 12 drops of dat in dat an' stir dat up. Beat dat up jis' lak yo' gon'a make - yo' see, yo' po' dat in fo' bottles [demonstrates]. Put one heah, one dere, one dere, an' one heah.
(Sort of shape of a cross.)
Yas, an' aftah dat ain't no man kin harm yuh. house
(Where do you put those four bottles?)
Yo' kin put dose fo' bottles aroun' in yuh yard [like this]:
[The house in center of cross forms a quincunx.]
Entry 10960
Dey use de chicken's blood fo' evilness, but now, it's somepin else dat dey have tuh use wit it. Dey takes chicken blood an' writes people's name wit it. Dey have tuh use a feathah. Dey take de feathah out of de chickens tail. Take an' write a person's name wit chicken's blood an' kill 'em. Why yo' uses dat feathah fo' yore pencil an' yo' kin write dere name in de fo' cornahs on anything an' fold de fo' cornahs, jes' lak dat. Why dat gives 'em a awful mind. If it don't kill 'em it will jes' [have] dem passin' away all de time. (What do you do with that paper then, after it has those names on it?) Take dat papah aftah yo' put dat name on it an' bury it in undah dey do'steps or any place wit dat chicken blood on it. Yo' write dey name wit de chicken's blood, dey perfect [full] name fo' times on de fo' cornahs of dat papah, an' fold it an' bury it undah dere do'steps or undah yores, any- body's elses. It don't make any diff'rence jes' since it's in de earth. An' as dat chicken blood passes away, why it gives yo' success. Dey cain't stay any place.
Entry 11043
A chicken head and they write your name in it - write your name, you know, on a piece of paper.
(Yes.)
And they put a chicken head and they take and bury that chicken head.
(What will that do?)
That to keep they husband or they boy friend, or whoever it is, if they figure their boy friend is about to get away from them. They get their name and they write, just like I shoved you just now, nine times, and they put it in that chicken head and they bury it either at their front door or at their back door, where they can walk over it all the day long.
Entry 11046
To keep dem [law] from de house? Now, if you Wanta a little liquor kept [for sale] in dis place heah and you don't want no man to come in on yuh nov. You go on your station house and git one of de man's name that you'll find out. Git one, two or three - if you kin [get] nine it's much better. De ore you get de stronger it is. If you can't git but one [name], den work on dat Bne one, but let it be de leading man dat you knows is asking about you - to yoar acn judgment. Work by your own judgment, de judgment of your ear. Git dat man nae and git you a brand-new piece of board and write his name. Put 'en cross de world. Write 'em cross de world to you and write 'em backwards.
(Backwards and forwards.)
And dey can't come in fer de devil. And nail dat onto your step and dey can't be seeing you. Not when you nail dat dere. Git you de heart of a chicken and it got to be a black chicken. Cut de heart out of it. Git dat wishin' bone of de chicken breast and you take dat heart wit your hand on dose letters. Put 'em dere so it can't be rub off - on dat board. (You rub this heart over those letters?) All over dose letters, all up and down like dat. And talk at de same time. Tell 'em dat [what] dat spirit is got- ta to do. You don't want no law to worry me. You wants to be up dere selling whiskey. Ah don't want dat law to worry me. Ah don't want no kin' of law. Ah don't even wants 'em to come heah fo' a drink of liquir or beer. Ah [wants] 'em to pass by and keep on passing by. Kin go right in next door but won't come in chere. Take dat wishing-bone, and be shore dat you go. down in de groun' to your shoul- der and turn it down -人. Don't turn it up -Y
(Turn the wishing bone down, the points down?)
[Here we have rite similar to the forked stick or "Y" in No.11032.]
Turn de two prongs down. And while you have - doin' it, you talk to 'em. An' if you know any de officer's names, don't let any come in dere, de fed'ral offi- cer back, de county man back, de city officer back, de state controller, back. Dat take in all 'em, ain't it? Go on over and over. And if you git dose three class of officers, you know why it is, don't you? De federal, de state control- ler, git de county and git de highway man. Den you go to work.
(Where do you bury that wishing bone?)
Under your step, right under your step. Be sure to go under your house. Den you put dat bone. If you ain't got no front, put it in de middleways of de house. [This center under the house and the 4 corners of the house make our rite a quin- cunx.] Dat almost stop people jack-jacking to the front.
Entry 11665
You go from home to the fork of the road sometime.
(You go to the forks of the road, then what?)
You go from home to the fork of the road. You, somebody wants you to do somepin for 'em to harm 'em [someone else]. You take you a frizzly chicken, you stand on the left-hand side of the fork of the road, and you got the per- son's name you wanta do harm to. And kill the chicken and put their name inside of the chicken and bury it. But it have to be before day in the morning, after twelve and before day in the morning. (I see. You bury this frizzly chicken and that name in it, the name of the person you want to harm?) Yes.
Entry 12710
If yo' wuz sellin' whiskey an' de law wuz pretty bad, botherin' yo' aroun' yore house an' yo' wanted tuh keep 'em away, why yo' kin take a rabbit - kill a rabbit an' yo' kin kill a chicken. Take de chicken foot an' de rabbit foot an' bury dem tuhget- hah in de gate where yo' come intuh yore front do' at. Put dem in de ground an' bury dem tuhgethah. Den yo' goes back in de house aftah yo' do dat. Yo' goes back in de house an' yo' probably stay in de house ten or fifteen minutes an' den comes back out. Yo' comes back out an' yo' digs dis rabbit foot up an' dis heah chicken foot, an' yo' don' bury 'em tuh- gethah nex' time; yo' bury one on de right-han' side an' one on de left-han' side. De way ah heard it, don' make any difference which one yo' put on de right an' which one on de left. Yo' bury one on de right an' one on de left - on de left side of de do'steps, by de cornah of de do'step. An' yo' takes one of de toes off de chicken foot an' carry it roun' tuh de back do' tuh keep 'em 'way from de back, an' yo' bury dat down dere. An' dey say yo' won' have no trouble wit de law as long as dem feets is solid. An' when dey rot - yo' kin tell when it will rot down dere. Yo' have tuh bury some mo'. An' yo' won' be bothahed wit no law. A lady down heah in town heah, she had a experience wit dat.
Entry 13302
Well, even you could take, just like across the street. That's a man, he's got plenty of customers com- ing in his place. Your place is over on this side. You ain't got much customers. You don't know what's the matter. Every time you look around, you could see officers there. Well, this man over there, he hadn't oughta be there. You take some of this sinamint [cinnamon] and sugar and you take and get actual bat dust.
(Bat dust?)
Bat dust.
(Like a bat that flies around in the air.)
Yeah, that be's up in the fire-hearth [chimney]. Well, you git it and you take his heart and you burn it as a powder - down to a powder. You get any kind of fowl, duck or chicken and kill 'em. And you take that gizzard from a chicken, and you take that skin from off his gizzard, and you take it and you burn that down. You take the gill of a fish and you burns it down to ashes. You takes a piece of somepin like a bar, a piece of barring; you know, bar what you put on the bed for to keep the mosquitos [away].
(Mosquito bar?)
[I had never heard the word barring!]
Yeah, just like that curtain is there.
(Mosquito bar, something like cheesecloth.)
Yeah.
(All right.)
You take that and if you can't get over to that place, you send somebody in there with that all mixed up in there as a powder; you see, that bat-heart dust, that gizzard dust, and that fish-gill dust - with sinemint [cinnamon] and sugar. Hell, now, you take it and you send somebody over to that place. You got some com water. You get war water and he have it in his pocket - just like if you got [carrying] something to drink. You understand. And you take that fish-gill dust and for to keep the odor down, open that war water. He goes to the lava- tory - anywhere, you see - and sprinkle it down in there. And when you leave out of there, pretend just like there be something happen to his shoes, or pants leg or something of the kind like that. He got this here stuff wrapped up and he got a handkerchief in hand and he sprinkle it all the way there, back into your place. And you couldn't turn [round] for the people being in your place. And every morning, you take this stuff and from the end of your property where you at, just come back where you is and sprinkle it - sprinkle your sugar and Sprinkle you sinemint [cinnamon] and do it just after - but don't use no war uater at your place, that will make confusion at your place. You see. But that ear water going to make confusion over to the next place, then that bring the custiment [customers or custum] over at your place. (I see. Well, now do you sprinkle that stuff from his place over to your place?) Yes, just. You ain't got to put it all the way - just like you got...
(He wrapped it up in this cloth, this mosquito bar?)
Yes, just as it come through that. (You sprinkle this war water over his lavatory to cause trouble and then you sprinkle this sweet stuff all the way over to your place?) Yes, just every now and then you coming across the street, just [demonstrates].
(Shake it.)
Shake it and right into your house [place of business]. When you get to your hoase, you turn backwards and [back] into your door. That make a confusion - that war water going to make a confusion over there and that going to make peace Bne in your place. People leaving from there coming following that luck right orer in your place.
Entry 13334
(How Would you fix [put a spell on] her?)
Well, ah tell you. Ah'd ketch me a little sparrah - see, ketch me a little sparrah alive, and ah'll git me a little fat from a cow or fat from hog - sompin like dat - or fat from a chicken, eny kin' fat chew know to make some grease an' fry dese birds, see. I'll git dem fat an ah'll fry dem birds, see. Fry dem birds an' ah'll take a little piece of new homespun cloth, see. An' ah'll take dat homespun an' ah'll take dat grease, an' pour it onto dat homespun, see. An' after ah take dat an' pour 'em onto dat homespun, why ah'll git another [O.K.] piece of cloth an' ah'll wrop [wrap] it see. An' den ah'll take a needle an' a spool of thread wot [what] nevah beer used an' sew dat up. See, sew it up tight with dat cloth wit de grease on it, so it can't even ketch air. An' ah'll stick dat in de mattress right where she sleep at, see. Ah'll git a little Hearts Cologne an' den ah'll put a little sweet spirit of niter, see. An' ah'll pour a little bit of dat on her, see.
(On the woman herself.)
Throw a little sweet spirit of niter in front of her and a little Hearts Cologne in her back, on her right shoulder. An' she'll think the world, de sun rise an' [go] down on me.
(That is the [another] way you will get her.)
Entry 13457
Dis pullin' bone in a chicken, yo' take dat bone an' yo' do a lotta different things wit dis bone. Yo' take dis pullin' bone an' keep it in yore pocket an' it gives yo' good luck. Sometimes yo' git a job or yo' find money. An' yo' take dis pullin' bone again an' break it an' stick it through de do' at de first man dat come in. Dat'll be yore husband.
Entry 342
I did hear once [of a man] sellin' hisself to the devil with a black chicken, you understan'. He wus, seemed to be kinda unlucky - you see, couldn't have any luck country-fashion an' so he went to a witch. She tole 'im, she says, "You're crossed with bad luck, you can't have no good luck." Well, he ast her how she could do. She said, "Well, I'll tell you wha' choo do. Now, you go to work," she says, "now, you git a black rooster." She says, "You take this black rooster, take 'im to a runnin' stream, an' you cut his throat, you see, an' hol' 'im up over de Water like that, an' as that blood drips, say, "Nick, Nick, black cock, over the Water, please to teach me to be one quarter as wise as thou." An' repeat that over nine times while the blood runs. An' you can take the carcass an' throw it away if you wanta." An' they say from right then you're sold to the devil - you're supposed to belong to him body an' soul. Yes sir, that was a ole sayin' at home in Tennessee.
The rooster occurs in a witch's reported instruction within a heard account involving animal harm; its effects are unverified.
Entry 1168
Whenevah yo' have a snake bite, yo' jes' take [a] black chicken dat, chew know, her aig an' bust it an' put it in - plaster [broken egg] anywheres on yo'[!] an' band it tight dere an' it draw de poison good out - de black chicken aig.
The instruction specifies a black chicken's egg; its claimed effect on snakebite is unverified.
Entry 3105
[The following remedies come from Joshua Wilson, who said he had acted as runner years ago for Zippy Tull and George Jackson - drove clients out to them. Even if what he says is true, I doubt him ever being in the confidence of either. What little information he could have gathered would have been given by talkative patients on the homeward journey.] Now, to take this spell off, she [Zippy Tull would] go to work you understand, she take a live chicken. She killed this live chicken and just speld [= split - from Scotland] de head back - no matters war's [where is] it at, she banished [bandaged] this live chicken right to the place, right war this poison cunjura- tion were, and let that chicken die she banished with. And she'd take that chicken away from it, the chicken got all that poison; chicken dcne turnt - sometimes she turnt black and some[times] green, depends what kind of stuff you [spellthrower] put on. So she takes this chicken - after she takes this chicken from this woman [victim], she carry it to the running stream, sent it wid de wind and tide, fer [far] as de wind and tide will carry it. And that woman [spell- thrower] has got to go away from that place, she must drift like de tide and wind, drift away like dat chicken. She can't stay no more. This woman [patient] will come all right, and this woman [spell-thrower] been driftin', galloppin' around, until she'd have to leave the whole neighborhood, jis' can't stay.
The account explicitly names a chicken, while the editor doubts the informant's access. The live/killed sequence, application wording and alleged effects remain unresolved or unverified.
Entry 6728
Anybody put down any poison fo' yo', a frizzly chicken'll pick it up. An' when dat frizzly chicken picks it up, hit'll [it will] turn red an' shed off evah feathah off an' turn jis' as red as a piece of beef. [The skin of the chicken turns red after the feathers are shed.]
The account names a frizzly chicken as the animal actor. Its reported response remains a belief; bracketed clarification and explanation are editorial.
Entry 6733
Where dey bite chew, yo' take, yo' know, chicken manure, an' rub on dat place where dey bite yo' an' yore teeth [biter's] will rot out.
(What kind of chicken manure do they use?)
Black chicken.
The informant answers Black chicken when asked about the manure. The question is interviewer speech; the reported bodily effects are not established.
Entry 9188
Wal, ah tell yo', a black hen could lay a aig an' yo' put it unnah [under] a white hen, an' de aig when it hatches is a white chicken.
The account names a white chicken as a claimed hatching outcome. The under gloss is editorial; no breeding rule or observed result is established.
Entry 11013
Take a egg [eggs] from a black chicken - 2 black hens...throw it [them] on the house an' it'll [they'll] bus' an' they'll [people will] go away from the house. [New Orleans, La., (859),?]
The account names a black chicken as an egg source. Editorial plural and pronoun expansions remain separate, and no breaking or departure is established.