Subject:Curse
Entries
Entry 1077
Any spell upon you - you know that work from another - someone of your people like your mother or your father, something like that. You believe - you know, just like some people say that a child [child's] mother have cursed 'em, you see - didn't wished 'em no ways good, you understand, fer disobedience to 'em. Dey kin go to dese old- time grave and he kin change, you know, the footboard to the head and the head- board to de foot, but he'll have to pray unto her, you understand, to beg her for forgiveness.
(I see - that's if he wants to get - )
That curse off.
Entry 3868
I've heard dat dey'll go to work an' git a hold of a woman's blood - yo' undahstan', take de piece, shoo under- stan' - an' bury it in de ground. She'll come so she don't want nobody, see. Dat woman, yo' don't want de use of 'er, yo' say, "Damn yo', woman, I don't want chah, I'll fix yo' so nobody kin git chah." She won't want nobody aftah dat.
Entry 4350
Take a bottle wit dey urine, of anyone, in dere. Yuh kin put dey names jis' de same in de bottle an' yuh'll go tuh de rivah. An' yuh'll say bad words an' yuh'll curse an' yuh'll throw dat ovah de lef' shouldah. Well, yuh see dey goin' crazy.
Entry 4928
If yuh git a forked stick - yuh git a man or woman dat chew don' like. An' if yuh wan'a kill 'em or wan' 'em tuh die or be down undah yuh, sick all de time, take dat forked stick. Yuh git one of de stockin's off dey lef' laig an' yuh take it tuh de root of a pine tree, down de root of a pine tree. Lak yuh kin drive it up undah de roots of a pine tree, an' yuh say, "Ah drive yuh heah tuh stay heah until Lulu, '' or whutevah de woman name, 'until she die." An' jis' leave it right dere. Or de man, an' call 'is name when yuh go dere. Bury it. Lak yuh go tuh bury it in dere an' yuh say, "O, son-of-a- bitch, ah put chew heah tuh stay right chere till yuh die." Well, dat's whut ah heard of 'em doin' wit a forked stick.
Entry 5129
Takes dey shoes an' put 'em tuh de steps. Bury 'em wit de toe comin' in undah de step, an' jis' curse 'em when yuh put it down dere. An' he kin always - don't care where he go, long as dat shoe dere, dat track dere, he'll come in dere.
(You just put one or both shoes?)
One, jis' one foot, de right foot. An' always turn it comin' in.
(That is to make him come on home?)
Yes sir.
Entry 5143
Well, now, dere one dat ah heah dey do wit a shoe, wuz take it an' jis' lak make 'em restless.
(How do they do that?)
Well, yo' take dat shoe an' yo' carry it an' yo' bury it bottomside upwards; jis' lak yo' dig a hole, jis' lak yo' diggin' a grave. Yo' put dat shoe down in dere - see, bury it. An' when yo' bury dat shoe in dere, yo' cuss dat person evah kinda dirty cuss dat chew kin think of, an' pack dat dirt. Well, dere's no Way in dis worl' fo' dem tuh rest, an' dey won' be heah no longah.
(You say you bury that shoe like you are digging a grave?)
Yeah, jes' lak yo' dig a hole. Put it deep, cuz sompin othah will scratch it up. An' bury dat shoe, pack de dirt on it. An' as yo' pack it yo' cuss it, jis cuss 'em jis' as hard as [you can].
(Either shoe?)
Dat's right. Any kinda shoe, jis' since it's a shoe dey done wore. But it got'a be wored, dat shoe, a good length of time. Den yo' bury it, see. Dat's right.
Entry 5250
Take shoes of dey right feet, say, if yo' wan' 'em tuh ride or walk away. Take dat shoe an' take it tuh a carbox [boxcar], any kinda carbox or if it jes' passin' by de carbox. Take dat shoe an' throw it intuh any empty carbox an' as dat shoe travel, dey will travel, too.
(You mean like the boxcar of the freight train?)
Yessuh, de boxcar of a freight train. Takes an' throw dat shoe in dere an' curse it. Turn yore back tuh it an' let it go ahead on den, an' dat train tra- vels. An' don' nobody intahfere wit dat shoe. Dey got'a go, too.
Entry 5397
Ah tell yo' whut she could do. She could even take dat track an' git a aig an' she could take dat track an' put some sugah in it an' push it down in a aig an' carry it an say three words to it - curse it [with three words] an' throw dat aig on dat sun- rise. An' yo'll go. She'll git rid of yo' jis' lak dat. Ah mean not sunrise, tuh sundown, in some runnin'.watah. Dat's right in runnin' watah. An' she goin' git rid of yo'.
(She can take any track you say?)
No suh, got'a take yore lef' track, de one nex' of yore heart - yo' know on de lef' side. An' put dat track intuh a aig... (Well, does she take that track up when I am leaving her house or coming or what?) Goin' from 'er. She'll rake dat track from 'er. An' den she'll walk on tuh it an' pick it up.
Entry 5473
If yo' want 'em tuh go, yo' kin git de track up from yo' - take it from yo'. See, if yo' want 'em tuh go [demonstrates]. (Here's the toe here and here's the heel, then I take it up right like that. Like this?) Start at de hollah of de foot an' take it from dere tuh de toe. See, dat whut ah mean. Yo' want 'em tuh go. Take it jis' dis way, see. An' yo' take dat foot track an' put chew some red peppah an' some salt in dere. Listen, some grave- yard dirt, an' sew dat up an' go tuh de rivah befo' de sunrise. Yo' kin turn yore back an' throw it right where de watah's runnin' right along, an' throw it ovah dis way [demonstrates].
(Over your right shoulder?)
Yes. An' when yo' leave, yo' kin say anythin' - some of de baddest things, an' don't look back, an' walk away an' nevah look back. Dey'll go. An' if yo' wan' 'em tuh stay, yo' take it tuh yo' - if yo' wan' 'em tuh stay. Take it up tuh yo', see. Take dat track an' yo' kin fold it in a piece of news- papah. See, stretch it on out an' write dere name down nine times, an' pin it ovah yore do' an' make yore wish - where dey's comin' in an' out. An' dey's comin' in dere. Dey will continue comin' as long as yo' - until yo' take dat up an' destroy dat. Dat's tuh bring 'em, see, if yo' wanta.
Entry 5584
Dey take dat[foot track] up, put dat in a bottle. Understand? Put dat in a bottle an' put war watah. Git chew a bottle of war watah an' put some of dat war watah on it, cayenne peppah, yo' undahstan', nine needles, nine pins, an' take dat an' stop it up, an' go to de rivah. Git on de ferry an' when de ferry git in de middle of de rivah, throw it an' turn aroun'.
(You throw it and you turn around?)
Throw it in de watah an' turn aroun' [demonstrates] an' say a oath.
(I see, you throw that as you turn around.)
Turnin' aroun'. Throw it an' turn aroun' [demonstrates]. Wheel like dat.
(I see.)
An' dey'll go right on behind it. Yes, sir, right on behind it.
Entry 5609
Ah know dis happened in Tampa. Take dis foot track of a person dat chew disliked. An' yo' kin git it an' yo' kin put it intuh a piece of red flan- nel. An' yo' kin carry it tuh a rivah of runnin' watah, an' throw it ovah yore lef'- han' shouldah an' say, "Go," an' make a curse word. An' dat person shall leave.
(You get what track?)
De left one, always de left if dey do anything.
(Why always the left?)
Don't know why de lef' but dey says de lef'.
Entry 5678
Well, yo' kin take dat dust from de feet, if yo' wanted a person in yore neighborhood ~ an' yo' had a fuss wit 'em - an' yo' wanted tuh run 'em away. Yo' goes at de ninth hour, yo' see, tuh runnin' watah an' yo'll take dis here dast, whut yo' have swept up at de ninth hour, an' yo' throws it ovah yore lef' shouldah wit yore lef' han', not tuh look back, wit a curse word. An' yo' are forced tuh leave unbeknown tuh yore ownself. Yo'll pack up. Yo'll jis' leave. Yo' have tuh walk away.
Entry 5890
(What do they do out there?)
Well, dere's sev'ral diff'ren' things dat dey do out at de fo'ks of de road.
(Well, tell me one of them, if you know one of them.)
Well, when yo' git to de fo'k of de road - co'se some people uses a lady's hair or her hose dat she wear or her urine or somepin lak dat. Well, in any way dat yo' wanta use her hair, yo' could take her hair when yo' git to de fo'k of de road, yo' could put 'er hair into de groun', but yo' must go dere evah day an' urine on dis hair, see. An' aftah yo' urine on it, yo' must curse it. Yo' have to curse it fo' it to work.
(What will that do?)
Well, yo' see - take fo' instance, yo' got a lady frien' dat yo' wants. When yo' git to de fo'k of de road, now yo' want dis lady frien' an' de lady frien don't want yo'. Yo' could make her want yo' by takin' - firs' yo' git three stran's of hair from 'er head, three from 'er eyelashes, three off any portion of 'er body dat yo' want, but it must be nine in all. Yo' have to take dese rine stran's of hair to do dis wit, an' if yo' got a lady an' yo' wants 'er, yo git dere an' yo' do dat wit it. An' if she's in China, she gotta come back to y~ Qou mean, you bury that hair out at the fork of the road?) At de fo'k of de road.
(I see.)
Entry 6236
[I know] constantly from my own experience, that you could take your bair from de mole of your head and nine ten-penny nails, you see. (Nine ten-penny nails?) Yes, an' evahthin' is done in de ninth hour, an' nail it in de tree, undahstan'. Bell, an' inside of de nine months, you'll be beyond medical aid; the doctor couldn't bring you back to your recollection. You'll lose your mind. And if it stays there, you see, it will rotten away and so will you die. (I see. Well now, in this hair with those nails. you get this hair and ther chat do you do? With those nails then?) Suppose to use only nine [ten] penny nails. No other nails will do. (What do you do with them? I mean, how is that hair fixed with these nails yoa spoke of? What is done with them then?) You wraps it around there.
(You wrap this hair around these nails?)
Around de nails, each nail. You takes a portion of de hair, but from de mole of your head you see. An' you nails 'em in this tree.
(You mean, you wrap it around each nail?)
Yes, with nine [ten] penny nails, you see. An' you see, when you nail 'em in de tree, you nail 'em wit a curse word.
(You nail all these nine nails in at once?)
Yes - no, you nail 'em one by one.
(But all the same day?)
Yes, at de ninth hour; if it tis'n at de ninth hour in de mawnin', it is de ninth hour at night. An' you nail 'em wit a curse word. They says de blackest things they can about chah. (You put these nine nails. You put them all in there on one morning, one right after the other, all in the tree?) Yes.
(Any particular tree or any sort of a tree?)
Any sort of tree, but you try to git a tree that is not dying - you know, a half-dead tree. You see some of those trees that have leaves on one side and the one side it's like lightnen or thunderin' had done strucken it. Well, that will soon rot away, you see. Well, that's de side you'll choose to nail those nails, so that it'll soon rot away.
Entry 6347
Take dat hair an' put it in a bottle of watah. Go down tuh de rivah when de tide be goin' out, yo' see, an' take dat hair an' git some of dat watah whut runnin' out - while it's floatin' - de tide be goin' out. Put some of dat watah an' stop it up an' throw dat bottle ovahbo'd an' say, "God damn, yo' son-of-a- bitch, yuh oughta been daid," an' let dat bottle run out, an' dat'll jes' run yo' crazy. See dat watah be carryin' it time de tide be goin' out, see. Dat watah carries it on out, yo' see, an' yo' jes' nevah would have no mo' good sense. Yo' jes' be crazy, don't know whut's de mattah wit chew. (Now, you put this hair in the bottle after you empty the bottle out, but you must get some of the water as the tide is going out and put in the bottle and cork it up, then throw it right back into the same Water.) Yes.
Entry 7208
Ah've hear'd sev'ral diff'ren' things about de fo'ks of de road. Ah bear'd dat when people wan' tuh separate people, dey go tuh fo'ks of de road; an' when dey wan' tuh put dem tuhgethah dey go tuh de fo'ks of de road, but it depends on whethah dey work on eithah de left or de right hand side. If yo' want people tuh separate, well dey'll write de person's name, de woman's name, nine dues on a piece of brand-new papah wit a brand-new pencil, tablet an' pencil dat nevah been used. If dey wan' tuh separate dem, dey'll write de man's name nine times an' den dey'll write de woman's crosswise nine times. Den dey take de pencil an' dey think all de evil dey kin: I jis' hope yo' son-of-bitches jis' fuss an' fight an' scratch lak cats an' dogs. [Informant scratches all over the [paper.] An' dey go dere an' dey dig down a few inches.
(They scratch that paper all up.)
Yes, jis' scratch up lak yo're mad at it an' curse dem an' think all de evil yo' kin. An' den yo' dig a hole dere an' yo' bury dat on de left-hand side of de road at de fo'k where de fo'ks meet. An' aftah buryin' it yo' po' watah on L, yo' know, tuh pack de groun' down where dat kin rot. An' by de time dat papah rots, dose people'll begin tuh disagree, an' in from three tuh nine days aftah it rots, dey're separated. An' if yo' wan' tuh put dem tuhgethah, yo' write dere names nine times an' yo' fold it tuh yuh. Of co'se de lady involved has tuh do dat huhself. She has tuh be told. An' she writes 'er lovah's name nine times an' huhs acrost it, an' she folds it tuh 'er nine times. Den she turns it aroun' an' folds it small way, dis way; an' turn it aroun' an' fold it to 'er dis way. Den she takes it an hides it on de right-hand side of de road wit all good wishes.
(Then what happens?)
Well den aftah de same period of time, aftah from three tuh nine days aftah it rots, dis person'll become vi'lently attached tuh 'er.
Entry 7230
[I heard] tell of 'em goin' tuh dese mulberry trees. An' jis' lak de fo'k - yo' know dey got fo'ks on 'em; yo' know, lak dis way [demonstrates] one limb disaway an' one linb datavay. [Get one of those forks and] point it right tuh de house. Well, tuh make yore husban' not go wit nobody else, yo' cut dat [fork] off. See, cut it tuh yuh in fo'ks. Den bend 'em tuhgethah lak dis [demonstrates] an' tie 'en wit a cord string.
(Take those two prongs [of the fork], bring them together.)
Yes sir, tie dem tuhgethah. Den yo' curse 'em fo' evarthin' yo' kin think of. Den yo' kin stick dat anywhere in de house where he will not find it, see. Well, he won't bothah wit - jis' lak if he goin' wit me, see, well he won't have no m Min' fo' me atall.
(Well, now, you must let this fork....)
Yes, jis' point it tuh de house.
(It must be pointing to the house and no place else, no other place.)
Yes sir, point it right at de house.
Entry 7411
All right, dey kin take dat - dat man kill a man out dere an' he git away. An' dey wan' 'im to come back an' de law cain't bring 'im back. Dey take dat coffin, dat corpse, an' dey turns it a diff'ren' way in de house an' dey turn it in de direction dat he [murderer] went. An' de direction he went, dat de direction he comin' back. Dat body is turned dat direction. An' dey take some - write his name on some papah an' put it in dere, an' dey write it in de Name of de Lawd [Lord], but dey write it in vain [see later], an' say on dere, 'Lord, sen' dis man back. Turn 'im back, him what have killed mah brothah or mah husban', an' let de law git 'im." Well, he'll come back. Write his name on a piece of papah an' put it in dat casket, an' do it in de Name of de Lawd an' yo' do it in Vain.
(What do you mean in vain?)
Yo' gotta use a curse word, yo' see, an' den he'll be back in nine days. He'll return.
(I see.)
Entry 7672
He [my contact man] wus askin' me about how would yo' git a woman away from yore home, if yo' didn't want 'er. Wal, ah tole him dat dey kin go tuh a graveyard where yo' know it's some evil person had.died, an' dig down dere about three feet an' git so much - 'bout three teaspoonsful of sand an' mix it in with some black peppah an' take an' mix some sulphur in it an' carry it an' throw it ovahbo'd in a bot- tle, an' curse dat at de present time, lak 'Go.' Curse at de present time three times an' holler "go" - "go" - "go."
Entry 8098
Yo' kin take dat, jis' a tintype. Yo' kin take it an' bury it an' kill a person jis' as daid as dey evah have tuh die. Yo' take it an' carry it out somewhere an' yo' dig a hole an' put it in it, an' yo' jis' curse an' say, "Ah hope dat yo'll die an' nevah come back ag'in." An' bury it. Dat's de way tuh bury an' dey'll die. As dat tintype fade away, why dey'll fade away. Dey will shore die.
Entry 8099
Take de photograph an' put it befo' yo' face a certain time, certain hour of de day, whichevah hour yo' sets. Some of 'em sets seven in de mawnin', which dey claims dat's best. Set dat photo befo' yo' evah mawnin' an' curse it. Point chore fingah at it an' curse it, dey say, whatevah curse yo' may wish, fer seven mawnin's, an' bury it upon its face, face downwards, an' dat curse will come true.
Entry 8231
Well, yo' kin take a person's photograph - but chew gotta be mad wit 'em, yo' know, don' lak 'em no way. Yo' take dat an' take it tuh de no'th cornah of yore house. Dig a hole an' bury it bottom side upwards tuh de no'th cornah of yore house. Bury it bottom side upwards an' den, yo' know, curse 'em anything dat chew think of, an' yo' won' have no mo' trouble wit 'em. Dey be sickly all de time.
Entry 8277
Take a photograph an' take it down tuh a tree, mos' any kinda tree, an' cut a hole in de pine tree, jis' fer 'nuff [enough] fo' de photograph tuh set in, an' cuss dat photograph three time an' back off [walk backwards] from it, an' fiah toward de photograph. Ah've tried it. Dat will kill de person.
Entry 8319
Take a person's photograph an' yo' go on de no'th side of a tree. An' yo' take dat tree an' hew dat bark offa dere, an' put dat photograph in dere an' nail it up. An' yo' Walk back from dat tree nine times [steps] an' cuss, an' say whutevah yo' cuss, an' whosevah name yo' call, dat person die.
(You just fasten that on the north side of the tree?)
Yes, cut de bark out an' put de photograph intuh it. (And walk backwards nine steps and cuss and call their name.)
Entry 8518
Now when a man and a woman are together and some other party wants them completely separated for good, wants to break them up completely, they buy them a new cocoanut. And they punch the three eyes out of that cocoanut and leave the milk in. And they write those two peoples' names the same as they do when they're going to the crossroads ["they'll write the man's name nine times and then they write the woman's crossing nine times" - from the same cylinder, 1574:3 somewhere in text]. And cross each other and they curse them for everything they can think of, and they fold that paper tight and stick it down in the hole of that cocoanut. Then they put anything that purges, like Epsom salts, or black draught. And they put pepper sauce in there, something very hot - pepper sauce and red peppers. And they put salt in there and saltpeter. And they write those two persons' names across each other, like this, on three separate pieces of paper, and fill the eyes of that cocoa- nut. And then at 12 o'clock at night they go to the river and throw it over their left shoulder. And if that black draught and that different stuff in that cocoanut begin to work, you know when it gets stale.it'll work, those two people begin fussing and fighting, and within a period of nine days they're absolutely separated. And there's a whole lot in that. [Memphis, Tenn., (973), 1574:5.] Those cocoanuts.
(Different from what you told me?)
Yes, just a little different. They use gunpowder instead of the salt and pepper and stuff like that. That makes people mean and drift and they can't have any luck at anything at all they do. [This woman is marked excellent pro- fessional. She was from Shreveport, La.] [Memphis, Tenn., (973), 1577:2. The first reference for this rite Was given in the text.]
Entry 8520
Take a coconut an' put a person name in it, an' if yo' wanta throw it in de rivah, an' dey go. If yo' don' wanta, yo' don' have tuh; yo' could take it in yore home an' kick it aroun', but yo' have tuh have two. Yo' take one an' put it in de rivah, throw it in de Missi'ppi Rivah, an' yo' keep de othah one. Dat's separation, dat's a separation between two people.
(How do you do that?)
Yo' see, yo' put de names in each coconut, yo' see. Yo' undahstan', jis' lak yo' wanta separate somebody. See, lak somebody got chure girl fren'. Well, yo' put one name - yo' undahstan' whut ah mean, de pair of 'em in dere [coconut]. Den yo' keep one [coconut] at de house. Yo' take de names an' put 'em in de coconut.
(You put this man's name and this woman's name in the same coconut?)
In de same coconut in each one of 'em. An' yo' throw one in de rivah. An' yo' keep one home an' yo' keep rowin' wit it, beatin' it an' cursin' it an' goin' on. [The preceding to row (not rō but rou), a colloquialism, means to assail roughly; here, as already stated, to kick the coconut about the house while also verbally abusing it.] (JUST TO BE SURE THAT I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TAKING ABOUT. Here's the cOCOnut. I put his name and her name in there, both names in that one coconut. Here's another coconut and I put his name and her name in that coconut?) In that coconut.
Entry 8528
(Now, you are going to tell me something else. Now, all right.) Now, then yo' kin get yo' a coconut. Yo' git yo' nine seeds of punkin [pumpkin]. (Pumpkin seeds, nine of them.) Nine of 'em. (All right.) Yo' get yo' nine chicken corns [kernels of maize, Zea Mays]. (Nine what?) Chicken corns. (Chicken corn, what's that for?) Dat's to put in de coconut. (Well what is chicken corn?) Dat's what de chicken eats. (You mean the same thing as a horse eats, the same kind of corn the horse eats? Chicken corn? Ordinary corn like a roasting ear of corn. All right.) Yo' get that nine pumpkin seeds, nine chicken corn, the man name, but yo' take de water out de coconut. Yo' put de man name nine times an' de woman, if in case yo' wanta break 'em up. Put it in there.
(How do you put the woman's name in there?)
Yo' put de woman name crossways, this way [demonstrates].
(Across his name. All right.)
Across his name. Then yo' make a cross toward this way [a cross is added to the paper]. Then when yo' do that, then in that, then yo' takes this cayenne peppah an' yo' set it right up in de center [of the paper] and yo' bring it to yo'. An' yo' cuss 'em as yo' putting it to yuh. An' yo' roll it on dis side an' yo' put on dis, always rolling it to yo'. An' then yo' cuss it an' yo' stick it in there.
(In this coconut.)
An' then yo' take a stopper an' yo' stop up de two eyes, then yo' take de coconut an' yo' roll it fo' nine days in yore home. Then yo' take it an' yo' goes to de rivah. Takes fifteen cents an' throws in de - de fifteen cents be- hind it [coconut], to pay spirit for the work]. An' just let it go each way or de other, an' let it float anywhere where it's gotta go. An' yo'll have him just agoing from one to de other. He'll lose his mind or else go to de river.
(What do you mean by these two eyes?)
SEE, DE COCONUT GOT TWO EYES WHERE DE WATER DRAINS OUT.
(All right, on account of those two eyes you have two corks in that coconut?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 8629
My husband has - [suppose] my husband has this here woman and ah want to break 'em up. Ah take 'er name an' his name, ah'll put it in a lemon. Red brick - right in my alley, if I'm livin' in a alley, right up out of dat alley, ah'll get, ah'll pick up a brick. Ah will dig a hole, turn dem [in. the] lemon down fo' nine mawnin'. Ah'll walks ovah it. Ah'll say, "Yo' son-of-a-bitch, ah'll keep yo' down." Ah'll walk, ah've got tuh do dat fo' nine mawnin', every mawnin', an' den he'll separ- ate from 'er. When he separate from 'er, he'll say - he'll tell his friends, he say, "Yo' know one thing, ah been mistreatin' my wife, but somehow or anothah she must be - ah don't know what she doin' - she must be prayin' or going to church or somepin. Do yo' know ah ain't got no more feelin' fo' dat woman an' ah can't go wit nobody but just my wife." De reason why he can't go wit nobody but me because ah'm got 'im like dat.
Entry 8630
Yo' take some de entrails out [of the lemon] yo' know whatsomevah it [inside of lemon] is [called] an' yo' take a person name. Yo' could take it three times. Yo' could write it three times or else nine, de most is nine, but yo' could take it at three. An' yo' puts anyone yo' want. Heah's anothah separation. Dere plenty ways fo' separation. 1 make 'em confuse an' angry wit anothah, tuh keep 'em apart. Well, yo' put dis down in dere, put de name down in dere. Yo' don' have tuh take ink, yo' could put ink or else a pencil lak dat ink - yo' know, indelible or any kind. An' yo' do it zactly lak ah said wit dis othah one. Put nine time or three time wit one on top each othah. Den yo' take dis steel dust an' dis pePpah, de same red peppah. RED PEPPAH IS REAL HELL. Well, yo' put dat red peppah an' salt an' all dat togethah, an' dis steel dust togethah, an' yo' take it an' put it down in dat lemon, see. An' yo' take de top of de lemon whut chew cut off an' yo' pin it togethah, see. Hit don' have tuh be six feet of dirt where yo' could make a little hole about dat deep [demonstrates].
(About a foot deep.)
Yessuh. An' yo' put it down in dere an' yo' curse it. AN' YO' HAVE TUH BE DRUNK. Yo' have tuh git drunk, an' let de evil come up, yo' undahstan', an' curse it while puttin' it in. When yo' be puttin' de dirt on be cursin' it, yo' undahstan'. Any kinda ole dirty cursin' yo' wants tuh do.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat's separation ag'in, dat's fightin'.
(While you are doing this, you have to be drunk to do it.)
Yo' have tuh be good an' - not say good an' drunk. WHUT AH MEAN, KNOWIN' WHUT CHURE DOIN'; BUT YO' HAVE TUH HAVE PLENTY LIKKER IN YO'. An' jis' curSe it, yo' know, while puttin' it any place in de ground.
Entry 8785
See, lak yo' start today. Well, yo' jes' git chew some steel dust an' sprinkle it all roun' dat house. An' git dere name an' some cayenne peppah an put it all - mix it all up dere togethah, wit some brown cinna- mon an' sugah. An' shake all dat aroun' dere. Throw it all up on dat window sill. An' curse 'em. Yo' know, give 'em a bad name. An' den take dey name an' jes' bring dat name in de window, yo' know, an' tie it up in a pocket han'ke'ch'ef. See, lak dat, an' ah guarantee yo' in two days he done left. He be walkin'. He cain't find no place in world tuh stay. Nobody want 'im. Wanta git rid of 'im an' all. Won't leave him stay. [To get rid of the man in the house, his spirit is tricked by carrying his name, his captured spirit, into house through a window. This confuses the spirit so that it no longer knows how to enter normally through the door. We have a similar piece of magic in the funeral rite in which coffin is' removed from house through window instead of door.]
Entry 8976
Yo' use dem needles an' nails - well, nails. Ah'll put nails an needles togethah. Fo' instance, yo' have a case in court. Yo' have, probably three or fo' witnesses against yo' an' yo' afraid dat when dey appear dat dere testimony will convict yo'. Now, nine mornings befo' de day of de trial, yo' go to de market an' yo' get yo' a beef tongue. Yo' get de beef tongue an' yo' come back home an' yo' split it down de middle. Yo' take dese witness' name, also yore witness, an' yo' write dere name down, nine times, an' place it inside of the tongue. Get yo' this No.8 thread - yo' get black an' white an' yo' take a needle an' yo' sew dis up in dere, an' as yo' sew dat, yo' curse it. As yo' sewin' yo' cursin'. (Which do you sew with, the black or the white?) Well, it's known as No.8 thread. It can be white or black. (Oh, I see.) But like if it was a negro an' have white witnesses against 'im, yo'd use white an' black thread. See, like mixed. (What if it's a colored man and he had negro witnesses against, him, then what?) Well, he would use black thread. Yo' take this black thread an' sew it an' cuss at 'im. Sew an' cuss at 'im. Evah time yo' sew it, cuss 'im. Sew dat up. Den yo' take nine needles an' drive dem in dere an' curse it all de time. Aftah yo' take nine needles, yo' take nine tenpenny nails an' jug in dere, all de way up to dere. Just take dat an'...
(You drive the nails into the tongue?)
Yeah, drive dem in dis tongue, all.de way through dis tongue.
(I didn't get that word. Do you jerk them or jump them in?)
Yo' push 'em in.
(Oh! All right. I didn't understand what you said.)
[I am trying not to offend! Remember the hermaphrodite in New Orleans and my use of the word sporting-woman - see p.1685,5 lines from bottom, fol.] Yeah, yo' push 'em an' den aftah yo' take dat an' yo' dig a hole. Dig a hole deep enough fo' yo' to git say around abount 25 pounds or 50 pounds of ice. An' yo' put de ice at de bottom an' put dis tongue in between an' freeze dat tongue fo' nine days an' nine nights. An' de day of de trial - whenevah yo' think de ice will run out, yo' just go back an' yo' put ice on it. Yo' keep dat tongue froze. As long as yo' keep dat tongue froze just as hard, yo' know like when yo' freeze sompin it git real hard - as long as yo' have dat tongue froze, it will work. Yo' keep de tongue froze. De morning dat yo' are goin' to trial, get up - just like yo' get up out of yore bed, don't make it up, leave it. Take yore undahclothes, yo' turn dem on de wrong side, even yore socks. Put on yore shoes an' clothes an' yo' come on out. Den yo' go to court. If dat tongue is froze when yo' go to court, to trial an' get up on de stand, dey'll call de witness to de stand, it'll freeze his tongue. He can't talk like he wants to. He'll git up dere an' he'll make some mistakes. He'll git up dere an' he'll talk, he'll be talkin' against yo', but de way dat he'll talk, it'll be in yore favor. See. He'll sort of stutter an' can't get de thing right like he wants, yo' know. Dey will throw it [case] out then.
Entry 9202
Dere's tuh [two] ways dat yuh cud [could] use dem. Ah kin take - see, yo' know a fresh egg dat yo' see a hen jis' got [up] from de nest. Yo' know, fresh egg jis' lak dat. If it's warm it's best. Well, yo' wo'd [would] take it. Yo' kin write a person name on dat egg. Write it dis way [demonstrates]. Turn de egg aroun' an' write it dat way [demonstrates]. (You write it one Way, then turn the egg upside down and then write right across.) [The two names are written in the form of a cross to cross up the vic- tim.] Uhuh, write it again [the second time] across it. An' yo' kin care hit [carry it] tuh runnin' watah, jis' dat egg, make yuh wishes. Any way yuh wan' 'em tuh go, why jis' say, "Go. "~ Any which way yo' want, jis' go tuh cussin' an' say, "Go, God damn yuh." Sompin lak dat. Throw it in.
Entry 9207
Ah've heard 'em say put dis person name on a aig. An' go tuh dis person house twelve a'clock at night an' curse dis person, an' bust dis aig an' tell 'em, say, "Ah want chew tuh leave." Dey'll leave - move.
(Where do you bust that egg?)
[Notice that I frequently repeat informant's word. Frequently informant repeats mine.] Anywhere on de house, eithah on topa de house twelve a'clock at night. Dey always tell me dat. Sometime dey say a black hen aig is good. Sometime dey use a dauber nest. Dey sprinkle hit. Dey use dat sometime to bust on de house.
Entry 9208
Ah had a job workin' an' ah lose de job. No, ah didn't lose de job. De man jes' say he didn't have nuthin tuh do. All right, lattah ah went tuh a lady [doctor] an' she say - peoples talkin' about [her] say she wus good. All right, she tells me, say, "Ah'll git yuh job back, [you] git fired offa." Git fired off [of job] on Sunday night. She says, "Ah'm goin' tell yo' whut tuh do. Yo' take dis heah rotten aig an' yo' go tuh dis heah place where yo' wus workin' at.' Say, "Yo' take it an' chunk it up ovah de do' an' cuss." Yo' undahstand. See, yo'd cuss an' yo'd walk off. An' she says, "Don't look back." An' she say, "In two or three days yo'll git de job back." An' ah done dat. She gimme dat aig. Ah give her de money. Ah done dat. AH NEVAH GOT DAT JOB BACK AG'IN.
(You never got the job back?)
No, ah nevah got dat one back.
Entry 9396
Take a fresh yard egg [from chicken yard or chicken that runs freely], not a groc'ry egg...write de person's name on dat egg...three times...cross de Mississippi River an' when yo' gits in de middle... throw dat egg ovah yore shouldah an' yo' curse it. Dat breaks 'em up.
Entry 9447
Dey say if yo' don' want a man an' if a man come out chure house - ah don' know what dey [do but] ah know yo' kin keep 'em from yo' house. Yo' kin take jis' as he come out dere house an' jis' take some pot salt, an' chunk 'em aft' 'em [after them], [saying], "Yo' son of a bitch, don' come back heah no mo'." An' he'll nevah come back tuh yuh house no mo'.
(I see, you throw the salt after them.)
Entry 9460
If a woman had a man an' she wanta git rid of him, she would first start a argument wit him, an' de minute dat he'd begin tuh walk out, de same as ah'd walk out de do' dere [door of interviewing room] dat she would take a han'fulla salt an' throw it behin' him, an' throw some on de stove or in de fy'place [fireplace] - out de do' behin' him, an' if she got a fiah in de stove, throw some on dat. An' she would use a cuss. Den he stay away. In othah words dey would sweep yo' track out de do' as yo' go out. (Would she also sweep after - she would throw this salt after you and throw it into the fire. And throw it behind you, and she would put some in the fire and curse. That would make you stay away?) Yes.
Entry 9622
Jes' lak he visit de home backwards an' forwards [visits frequently]. Evah tue he leave yo' jes' take some cayenne peppah an' sulphuh an' salt, an' throw it behin' 'im an' make a curse or somepin or 'nothah an' sweep 'is track. He'll have tuh go away.
(That will make him stay away?)
Dat's right. He couldn't stay dere.
Entry 9707
An' den, yo' kin take- dey say if yo' take table salt an' yo' mix it wit sulphuh an' anybody - jes' lak anybody ame tuh yore house an' yo' don' want 'em dere any mo', jes' sprinkle it down behin' 'em an' sweep yo' flo' an' curse 'em, dey says dey won' come any mo'.
(How do you seep your floor - just anyway?)
Well yo' jes' sweep it right on out tuh de do' behin' 'em - if yo' havin trouble wit chure [bill] collectah or sompin lak dat. If yo' do him lak dat,
[he'll stay away].
Entry 9714
(What did you tell me about the forks of the road?)
Yo' go out - yo' take chamber lye. Yo' know, just like if yo' wan'a man, yo' lgc - yo' wan'a make de man, yo' know, go an' leave yuh alone; or make 'im come, eithah one. Yo' take both yuhs [yours] chamber lye. (His chamber lye and the woman's chamber lye.) Yes sir. Mix dat tuhgethah. Take dat tuh de three fo'ks of de road [a "Y" fork, road separating to right and left]. Yo' take a brand-new bor of salt, which yo' ain't nevah used out of, an' go tuh three fo'ks of de road. Bell, de right - de one dat's tuh de right, yo' take dat chamber lye an', if yo' gnim tuh go an' stay an' don' nevah come back - don' wanta be bothahed - yo [use] curse words. Yo' make a curse word an' throw it [salt] down at de point [where one road separates into two].
(The right road?)
Yes, sir. Yo' thrown it down dat right road [the right fork of the "Y"]. An' if yo' wan' 'im tuh come back an' stay, yo' throw it down dis left one [left fork of the "Y"].
(I see.)
An' make all curse words, if yo' wanta 'im tuh stay, come back yo' know, go. (I see. You throw it down the right [fork] to make him go away, and the left to make him come back?) Yes, sir. You see, yo' throw it back this way [demonstrates].
(You throw it back towards you?)
Yes.
(And when you make him go away, which way do you throw it?)
Tuh de right.
(Do you throw it towards you or away from you?)
Yo' see, yo' throw it jes' lak dis, yo' see [demonstrates]. Throw it jes' lak Lr, yo' know, jes' lak dat. Lak yo' go, go tuh de right. When yo' wan' 'im tuh g back an' stay, well yo' throw it jes' lak dat, an' make yuh curse words, J' know, what yo' wan' 'im tuh do: Come back an' do [better]. Bring yo' money. Take yo' an' do lak dat, yo' know - jes' throw it lak dat [demonstrates].
(That brings him back.)
In de left one [fork] dat salt what yo' nevah used out of, yo' throw dat salt dat way [to the left]. An' dat way [demonstrates].
(I see. What will that do?)
Dat makes 'im go tuh stay, tuh de lef'. [Informant finally has the proper forks: left to send away, right to bring back.]
(To the left makes him go away - scatters him away?)
Yes, sir. This salt yo' have, had used out of [the package].
(I see. You don't throw that chamber lye down that left road, do you?)
No, sir. Yo' throw de chamber lye dis way, yo' see [demonstrates].
(But you throw that [urine] to the right?)
Yes, sir.
(And the salt to the left?)
Yes, sir. [There are a number of rites concerning the "Y" fork of roads. Here the urine thrown to the right brings the man back, salt to the left sends or keeps him away.]
Entry 10496
Dey says thet if yo' goes tuh de fork of de road an' kneel down an' Oarse God fo' everything possible thet chew'll be transformed intuh some kin'a being called a witch, an' yo' kin do anything dat's in yo' power. (Do you go out to the fork of the road at any particular time?) [Time is important for moon and sun.] Yes, on a young moon.
(In the daytime?)
No, midnight - on a young moon.
Entry 10683
They just shake their finger a' chah and you'll have bad luck as long as you live, if you act impudent to an old person. They call that putting a bad mouth on you. [For other bad mouth express- ions, see margin title BAD MoUTH, Pp.255-257, v.1.]
Entry 11149
An' den if de law take a habit of comin' to yore house, yo' know whut chew do. Takes black peppah an' salt an' mix it together, an' when dey come to yore house, sompin lak dat, yo' sprinkle de salt in back of 'em. Try tuh throw some right on dey back. Try tuh throw some of it when dey goin' out. Always have it prepared an' throw some of dat in dere back. An' den yo' sprinkle it on de floor right where he walk. Jes' lak ah walk in heah an' yo' sweep behin' 'em an' say, "Yo' damn son-of-a-bitch, yo' stay 'way from heah."
(And they won't come back?)
Dey ain't comin' back.
Entry 11151
Make people move out of a room, if de landlady makin' yo' move. After yo' gits everything outa dere, yo' turns roun' an' walk back in dis house an' walk to all fo' cor- ners an' curse it, dey says, an' walk out. Don' look back at it. Dey says she'll nevah be able toh keep anybody else in dere.
Entry 11236
[Since we are now in the letter "D" of CHANNEL DE WORLD material - a division arranged alphabetically instead of sectionally to avoid typing compli- cations - the following 30 pages or more will be concerned with doctors, something by them or about them. Doctors of course will appear among later letters of the alphabet, but here was a convenient place to concentrate some of them. I begin with a folding rite that contains a close relative, a wrapping rite. The verb to fold does not appear in the index of Folklore from Adams County Illinois, 1st ed., 1935, and I doubt its appearance in the indexless 2nd ed. There is an index only in the files of the Center for the Study of Comparative Folklore and Mythology, University of California, Los Angeles, California. De- spite rarity, HOODOO has a number of folding rites, some of them quite compli- cated: Nos.3126, 3182-3190, etc., v.3 and elsewhere. To fold to you or away from you is a usual theme, but our present rite is an accordian fold. Especially interesting to me is the doctor, place of hearing, and time. My record concern- ing him reads: "Thurs. Feb. 15, 1940, informant No.1565, man 45, Crackerjack Store, paid, ng." (From note books E Series, 2nd New Orleans trip, numbers of informants 1558 to 1605). More about that ng in a moment. Informant was brought to me by the black man preceding him, a man who worked at the Crackerjack Store - sometimes called drug store - a famous hoodoo emporiun of that date. During the following interview I was utterly unaware that this would be my last dat at Pat- terson Hotel, 759 S. Rampart St., corner of Julia, New Orleans, La. Years later I would pay my respects to the old building by printing her picture at the end of HOODOO volume 2! The folding rite follows:] Say fo' instance yo' wanta git rid of a man. All right yo'd git his photo- graph, not a tintype. Git a cardboard [photograph] an' de medium size. Git it an' fold it in half an' find, say lak a dead chicken or a dead dog or somepin aroun' [or lying about] wit maggots. Ah mean large-size maggots as dey walkin'.... Well, yo' crease de photograph in nine folds an' as yo fold it in de nine folds, yo' drop a maggot in each one of 'em; in every fold until yo' git de nine mag- gots. Den yo' git chew a piece of separate black cord an' tie it [folded photo] nine times; den yo' git chew a piece of red [cord] an' yo' make six knots [about folded photo]. An' put in dem nine knots an' six knots.... Dat [package] is representin' dey cof- fin. Aftah yo' git through wit dat, den yo' wrap it up in a piece of cloth, which would be about fully de same size, an' git chew de nine of spades, an' wrap dat up nine times, an' jes' take an' fold it wit [3 ingredients]: one flake [flick = pinch] of salt, an' one flake of black peppah, an' one flake of red pep- pah - cayenne peppah. An' wrap 'em all up. An' yo' close it up an' regardless of whut de individual's name may be, yo' put it down nine times in a piece of silk tissue papah, fold it every time nine times. Take a match an' burn it, an' as yo' burn it, leave dem ashes go right on top.... Den yo' take all dat cloth [the several packages together] tuhgethah an' reenfold it [in one cloth] an' git chew some rivah sand, an' jes' put it in dere an' dry [tie] it up [into one pack- age]. Den yo' goes on tuh de neahest runnin' watah dat yo' kin git tuh an' dig yo' a small pit, jes' a small hole.... Dig it out six inches, jes' as dere grave. Aftah yo' do it, den yo' says - be mastah of de ceremony which is his funeral. As yo' be blessin' de body as it goin' down, every word yo' say yo' curse in between it, which is his name in between. An' as yo' doin' dat, den yo' throws a little bit of sherry wine, or if he drinks, regardless of whatevah it is, jes' throw it right on in dere....an' covah it up - an' drop it as it [coffin] goin' doup: [After this mock funeral ceremony] nine words yo' says, every day nine words, an' in de 18th day whoevah de individual will be, dey comin' unnormal deathly sick. De doctor [M.D.] or no othah one will undahstan' his case no kinda way. He'll die an' swell up [he'll swell up and die] in de next, say six or seven months, or maybe in de comin' future yeahs, from dat date.... (And you say you say nine words to that thing each day. Have you any special words you say?) Lak if de individual wuz a gamblah or a thief or a murderah, he may come home an' he'll be worried or somepin. Well yo' jes' curse him in dat name, "Yo' son of bitch. Yo' bastard. Yore mothah's no good. Yore fathah's no good. An aftah yo' hit me, whut ah won't do tuh yo'." An' aftah whut chew do to him, yo' say a prayah, "Name de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, Amen. "... Every day [the unrecorded things done I pick up in my following comment].
(You say just nine prayers like that. Nine things you say.)
Cussin' him all de time.... [Informant had seen his best days as a doctor, that is why I preserved the remainder of his interview under the last alphabetical division XYZ. Those 4....indicate repetition of what had been said.]
Entry 11366
Jes' lak if mah husband be's goin' wit a woman an' ah been tryin' tuh prevail wit him tuh leave her alone an' she won't do it. Yo' git de green an' red pod peppah an' git two. All right, yo' dig all dem seed an' every- thin' outa dose two pods of peppah an' yo' kin throw dat away anywhere yo' want. yo' git chew a gunshell but it gotta be black [have black pow- derl. Git chew some dis salt in one pod of dat peppah an' name it de woman he goin' wit. Put de gunpow- dah in de othah pod an' name it he. Yo' curse her while yo' doin' dat an' den yo' curse him. Yo' git chew some fat lightwood splintahs [can be large pieces of wood] an' yo' cross dem disaway [demonstrates]...
(Like an "x"?)
Yessuh, an' while dey burnin' yo' jes' be cursin' 'em fo' everythin' yo' kin think of, an' when dat powdah blow up, when he go tuh see her ag'in, he'll beat her an' den he won't go tuh see her any mo'.
(He'll beat her?)
Yes sir. Dey'll fall out right den, see.
Entry 11658
When yore man's wit a woman an' yo' want her tuh quit him or sompin, jes' git chew a ole brass fo'k an' go tuh de do' late at night. Jes' knock on de do' an' curse, say, "Come outa dat, come outa dat," three times. An' dey say dat'll break 'em up. (What do you do with the fork?) Jes' stick it in de do', "Come outa dere." Junk it in de do' lak dat, 'Come outa dere," an' curse it. Dey say dat'll really break 'em up. Dat jes' cuts 'em right in two.
Entry 12386
Yo' kin take a box of lye an' yo' kin go out at twelve a'clock in de night, if yo' wanta run anything away. An' like runnin' away, dey tell me, dat's runnin' away de enemies of 'em - dese polices an' diff'ren' things lak dat. Yo' go out at twelve a'clock at night an' bury it down undah yore do'- step. An' after yo' bury dat dere, yo' curse de people dat chew want to stay 'way. An' yo' take a cold biscuit an' a tin nail - one dese little tin nails - an' drive right down through de center of dat biscuit into dat can. An' let it stay buried dere, de' say, fo' nine mawnin's, an' yo' kin take it up an' use it. If anything git tuh worryin' yo' - yo' havin' any trouble or anything like dat - yo' go back dere an' put down anothah can. Well, at de time yo' may not fear 'bout nuthin interferin' with yo'. Nobody won't interfere.
(Why do you put that biscuit in there?)
Ah don't know why yo' put dat biscuit down dere, but sompin othah. [One guess would be an offering to the spirit doing your work.]
(But you say you can use that lye over - you can use that if you want to.)
After it stay dere nine days, why yo' kin use it. [Normally materials cannot be reused.]
Entry 13258
If they run me out, then I will fix that house so no one kin live in there.
(I see. How is that done?)
Well, when I move out, you understand, I would sweep up all my trash. I don't wanta leave none of my dirt. I'd take up all my rugs and carpets and things, and I'd sweep the floors. I will get sulphur, you understand - I will get sulphur. I will get de oil of cin- namon. Yo' know what de oil of cinnamon is. I will get cayenne pepper and I will put it in de four cor- ners of dat room, and I will light it and I will fasten de windows down and de doors down and let it burn - with a curse. No one never will move in there. As they move in, they move out. And if they do move in there - there wouldn't a soul move in there what wouldn't have death in the family. [In former days the cursing of a house like this Was a serious business and most people moving in would have had it uncursed by a doctor.]
Entry 269
Ah used to gamble - co'se ah got to be a ole man now - ah don't gamble - ah 'way up in age - de eighties. But now, if a man wants to be a lucky gambler - ah did dis mahself. Yo' kin ketch a black cat an' stroke his tail seven times - ketch his tail an' pull it seven times [see No. 2771, counting it each time dat chew pull it, an' yo' kiss dat cat once in de mouth, no matter how he rears. Grab his four foots an' hold it an' yo' kiss it an' den chunk dat black cat as fer as yo' kin send him an' blaspheme at 'im. Jest lak dis, say, "Go, God damn yo' an' whirl yore back on him. An' yo' be successful in all yore evil doin's. Ah did dat an' ah was lucky.
(In gambling?)
In gambling.
Entry 1076
[Cursing rites come in many forms - here's an unusual one:]
Walk over it an' cuss, it couldn't do anything to yo' lak dat. Ah heered dat.
(If you thought you were walking over something that somebody put down for you. All you do - just curse as you walked over it and it wouldn't harm you?)
Yes.
Entry 1796
Makin' or drawin' a coffin an' writin' a person name in it. Den yo' kin draw a coffin an' write dere name an' carry it to de fo'k of a road wit de person name an' whut chew want done to it, an' bury it an' curse an' walk on off. Dey say dey will die.
Entry 1952
Tuh make 'em move. Well, yo' could take some dem seeds, dey call 'em de guinea peppah seeds. Take guinea peppah seed an' yo' sprinkle it if yo' visit dere, or else git someone tuh come dere to dey house yo' understan'. Yo' take de guinea peppah seed an' yo' throws it an' curse it, if it one or two of 'em. It a little bitta seed lak flaxseed. Chew evah saw flaxseed? Well, yo' take dat an' yo' throw in dere, or else go an' put it undah dey rug where dey pass, an' when dey pass, well, dey always gittin' ideas tuh move, yo' see, an' finally dey'll say, "Oh well, ah'll git outa dis house." Well, dat's really evil doin' - de guinea peppah seed.
[Make 'em move rite is followed by bring back rite.]
All yo' do, go on dere an' git de seed an' yo' passes zactly where dey livin' at, where yo' seen 'em, where dey home at, an' yo' drop de seed at mostly each step, yo' know, where yo' comin'. When yo' leavin', come an' make a block, an' yo' drop one those seeds right in front dey do' an' den when yo' comin' 'long agin. [Machine turned off too quickly but my following comment explains.] (You keep dropping these seeds from their house back to your house. That's the come back seed. That's to bring them back.) Bring 'em right back.
Entry 2141
You go to the drug store an' you git the powder called movin' powder. An' when you git the brown powder [moving powder], an' then you git the movin' lickrish [moving liquid] - it's green. You mix that lickrish an' that powder together into a bottle an' shake it well; an' ev'ry time you shake it, well, you pass 'em a curse over it. An' then you go to work an' sprinkle that at their do' an' they're bound to leave home.
Entry 264
Ketch yo' a black cat an' yo' boil 'im. Put 'im in a pot, he be alive, an' while dat cat cookin' until he dies, why yo' has to be cursin' him, saying ever'thing till he die. Well, after he die, why a lot'a things - well, a certain time yo' has tuh cook, when it's at night. Do it at twelve a'clock at night an' cook it. After yo' git him cooked, why yo' take it an' strip all de meat offa his bones. Take him down to de branch or any running stream where de water's running - if de water's goin' south [correction later], an' yo' po' all dem bones, yo' has 'em in a pan, an' po' all dem in dere. An' de bone dat goes up de stream, why dat's de bone tuh git - git dat bone. Yo' git a piece of lodestone an' keep near yo' a bottle of hearts cologne. Wear dat bone undah yore left arm all de time. An' yo' kin have any kind - all kinda luck. [This bone, here a hand, is periodically anointed with the hearts cologne; this anointing being called feeding - see Feeding in Index.]
(This stream in which you throw that bone, must the water be running south?)
No sir, de water be running north - de water supposed to be running north, an' if de water goin' north, de bone will go south.
(Any particular stream or any kind of stream?)
Any kind of stream if de water goin' north.
(If the water is going north the bone will go south.)
De bone will go south.
(If the water was going east or west you couldn't throw the bones in there.)
Yo' could throw 'em in dere but it wouldn't work. (You said you came from up around Beaufort. What do they call doing this sort of thing?) Why they call it hoodoo - witchcraft.
Entry 265
Ah heard about if anybody wanta Work roots or somepin othah lak dat. Take a black cat an' carry him in de woods an' boil him an' don' let nobody be out dere late in de night but jes' him by hisself. An' say yo' boil dat cat till dat bone come up on top of de watah, an' dey say de first bone dat come up on top of de watah, say yo' take dat bone an' chunk it in de runnin' watah an' let it go on down de stream an' den cuss. An' dey say when yo' cuss all kinda animals an' things - lion an' all kinda diff'rent things will come roun' - see, an' yo' can't git scared. An' dey say if yo' don' git scared den yo' kin do any kinda hoodoo work yo' wanta do. (Well, when you put that bone in the water and it runs on down the stream, how are you going to get it back again?) Yo' don't git it back, yo' see, after hit done boil. Yo' see, after de cat done boil, dat bone come up on top of de boilin' watah. Well, yo' take that out an' throw it down de stream an' make a cuss. An' den yo' see, when yo' cuss, all dem things will come to yo'. When dem things come to yo', if yo' don' git scared of 'em, den yo' kin do any kind of work yo' wanta do.
(You don't get any bone at all then - you don't use the bone?)
No, no.
(You let it go on down the stream?)
Yes.
Entry 267
One time mah father did dis an' made him real lucky. Ah don't know how he done it, but he went tuh work and he took a black cat. Ah didn't believe in it. He went an' boiled it; put him in de pot live - if you don't do dat yo' ain't going be successful. Yo' put a top over it. Dash him in dere and put a top over it. Hol' him in dere and let him boil down. Den yo' take dem bones whut's in dere and carry 'em down to a running stream, not no great big stream - jes' a running stream of water passing through a little road like, yo' know, a little ditch or something. Well, yo' put all dem bones in dere, an' when yo' put dem bones in dere, dat stream, all dem bones whut ain't goin' do - yo' know, do de way you want 'em - dey goin' down de stream an' de lucky bone coming up, see hit comes up. Well, yo' git dat bone, and den when yo' git dat bone, yo' turn round three times and cuss, an' when yo' cuss, well yo' got de luck. When yo make dat oath, yo' already fixed dat. Den yo' take dat bone an' covered it wit yo' know, sew it up in a bag and put it in yore left pocket an' den yo's lucky. Den yo' done sold yo'self to de devil fo' luck. An' den yo' lucky in any kind of business, any kind of gambling game - any kind of game in de world yo' want, anything.
Entry 285
Dey says yo'll go an' yo'll ketch a black cat an' yo' take him an' yo' put him in a pot of water, live. Git one dese pots whut's got a neck to it, yol know, where yo' kin put his nose right in de neck where he won't die - where he won't drown.
(Sort of - like a teakettle? His nose is sticking in that spout?)
That's right - right whare his nose will stick in dere where he won't drown. An' then, say yo'll start - put him in cold water an' build yo' a fire after yo' put him in dere. Build yore fire an' den, dey say - den yo' boil him an' yo' boil him to pieces. Boil him till all his bones, hair, everything jes' turns loose - jes' be's a liquor - jes' be's afloatin' in dat liquor. An' dey say, den yo' take that then an' go to a runnin' stream of water an' yo' stand wit chure back to it - de left shoulder to it, an' yo' po' dis ovah yore left shoulder but don't look back at it. An' dey say whilst yore [you're] standin' dere right by it - wit chure left shoulder to it an' throw it over yore left shoulder an' po' it out - de bone dat goes - comes up de stream - whut yo' see comin' up, yo' git that bone but nevah look back. An' dey say yo' take that bone an' den yo' go den an' yo' go to a road dat's got fo' forks. Go to a crossroads dats got fo' forks to it. Yo' go dere in de mornin' - yo' go dere fo' nine mornin's. Dey say, yo' go dere an' yo' come to all de forks, go jes' right where them forks at - right in dat block [square], an' den yo' go backwards up one of 'em. Says, yo' got'a cuss God, den all yo' kin think of - jes' anything yo' kin say agin Him. Dat's fo'de firs' mornin'.
(You go into any one of those forks?)
Either one of those forks - go backwards. (When you cuss God do you stand right in the center, right where all these roads are?) Dat's where yo' starts at, yes sir. Den yo' goes backwards. Dat's de fust mornin'. Well, when yo' cusses Him de firs' mornin' dey says on de second mornin' de devil meet chew dere. He meet choo an' he'll talk wit choo, an' then he'll tell yo' - he'll show yo' then de glitter of de world - jis' whu' de world [is] an' what's in de world, an' jis' how yo' kin come to git to it - richness - jis' git rich. But still, yo' ain't not through den until yo' go to all fo' of de forks ev'ry mornin' - go up each one. De one yo' went up dis morning don't go up it de nex' mornin'. An' de second morning yo' come down dis road yo' cusses Him agin - yo' cusses Him fo' all yo' knows dat morning, an' de devil'll meet chew dere dat morning an' he promise yo' dat morning - he tells yo' tuh cuss Him an' whatever yo' promise - yo' got'a tuh make the devil a faithful promise dat chure soul is his'n when yo' cursin' God. Well, yo' go there for all nine mornin's, but de last morning - when yo' git to the ninth morning, yo' go back there, but don't run out on de fork of the road, yo' go back to the first fork where yo' started - yo' go back down that fork an' yo' curses Him agin. Well, devil dere an' yo' promise him dat chure soul is his'n. Well, dey says tha' chew take that bone an' yo' put it on a string an' tie it around yore neck an' let hang down in yore bosom heah an' yo' goes ahead on. Dey tell me yo' kin go to a lock an' jis' (puff) [demonstrates by blowing] - blow dat lock an' it'll come open. Yo' kin take dat bone then an' after yo' git everything whut chew want in dat building an' got out, yo' kin jes' take dat bone an' stick it in yore mouth an' walk out, cain't nobody see yo'. (Now while you are going down to this crossroad those nine mornings, where is this bone all that time?) Yo've got dis bone - yes sir, yo' got this bone then but dis bone won't begin to work until yo' curse God.
Entry 2433
If anyone come aroun', yo' see, lak a pestilence - yo' know, someone yo' wanta keep away - yo' git de broom an' turn it an' spit on it an' say, "Ah want chew tuh go."
(How do you turn this broom?)
Well, yo' see, turn de straws up in de corner [demonstrates].
(You turn the straws up and you spit on it.)
Yeah. An' then when a person goes, throw peppah behin' dem or salt, an' curse 'em. Dey'll nevah come back.
Entry 75
There was a fellow who was gambling. His name was Jacob Brown. A lot of people was gambling and this Jacob Brown made a terrible excitement by saying that if he would lost his last dollar, he would curse God and die. There was a tree that had been blown down and they all had this place where they were gambling right close to this tree. And after he had lost his last dollar he cursed God and he went to this tree to sit down. So he laid upon the log. And after laying there he could not be moved. And specta- tors went there to see him. And after viewing his body laying out on the tree, they pitied his condition and some tried to get him away, and they could in no ways move him. So one day three preachers went there to see what was the trouble and so they viewed the place and the man likewise; and they decided that they would cut this log [cut out the piece of tree upon which he was lying] in order that they could move the man away. And when they began to cut, the log began to bleed; so therefore, they couldn't move this man and so they left him. That man lived according to my understanding about two months and nobody could move him off of that log. [Old Point Comfort, Va., (27), Ed.; happened about 1906 in Georgia, so my informant says - actually, this immobility being a folk theme in many forms, see Arrestation in FACI,2ed., Pp. 817-18, etc.]
Entry 266
Mah uncle he's one of those type of people - type of fellahs. He takes dat bone - boil 'em into a pot and takes 'em an' throws 'em into running Water - running stream of water. An' de bone dat goes up de stream is de bone, but chew has to turn yo'self to de bone and speak, yo' know, a curse three times - den turn yore back to de bone and pick it up. Pick de bone dat goes up de stream - de good luck bone goes up de stream and all de bad bones goes down stream.
Entry 268
If ah wus goin' tuh have a black cat bone an' had to use it fo' mahself, ah would take an' git me a black cat with not a white spot on him an' ah [would] take an' cook him real done. Ah would take that cat to the runnin' watah an' throw him in dere an' all de rest of de bones dat sink dey ain't no good. De one dat stays on de top is perfect. Ah take dat bone in mah han's an' carry it cross mah face an' cuss God an' say, "Ah don' believe it's a God."
(Show me how you do that.)
Supposed to carry it cross lak dat, backwards an' forwards an' cuss God, "Ah don' wanta be saved. Ah don' believest in God. Ah wants dis tuh command me. Ah've sold mahself to de devil."
(Then what do you do with that bone?)
Well, take dat bone an' do anything wit it.
Entry 284
They claim you go to the fork of the road fo' nine mornin' straight. You walk backward. You curse the day you were born. You curse the sun, the moon. You curse God. Then they'll sell theirself to the devil. The ninth mornin' they'll take a black cat to de fork of that road an' they'll git a tea- kettle of water boilin'. They'll take dat cat an' they'll t'row him down in dat water an' let him cook to pieces. An' then they'll take a - somepin, an' they'll fin' one of them bones. an' they'll call that the black qat bone. An' they sell theirself to the devil an' they be able to do all kin' of matter.
The informant reports nine mornings at a road fork, walking backwards and cursing, with a black cat brought on the ninth morning and a bone sought. Selling oneself to the devil and gaining powers remain attributed claims; this sequence is not combined with different neighboring cat-bone accounts.
Entry 2375
I know that they can make you move. They can go to the drug store and git what they call war water, and pass your house at night and throw it like that, and when you throw it say a curse, and make a oath, and they'll move - they'll go to jail an' [or] move. Yes sir, I know that, positive fact - they'll move.
Entry 2585
An' if yo' sellin' likker, it's a simple thing an' it don't cost but a nickel - spill salt. Git chew a box of salt - S-A-L-T. An' yo' sprinkle from de corner of yore house or yore fence lak dat, chew know, round dat way an' cuss em - yo' know, call dem by dere names an' curse them out an' they cannot enter yore premises. Dey can't come dere.
(You begin to sprinkle that salt down where?)
Jes' lak, yo' see, where did lot run. Yo' sprinkle it from right in front of yore do' right straight on 'cross.
(Just in front of your property?)
An' cuss 'em out. Turn roun' lak dis yo' see [demonstrates], cuss 'em, "Don't come in mah house." Cuss 'em out - talk nasty to 'em. Jes' lak dat an' turn yore back an' don't look back. Keep talkin' to 'em, "An' don't come back. Don't come tuh mah house. ". See. An' dat's easy tuh be done.
Entry 2599
Now say dis foot track - yo' could take a person if dey come to yore house an' yo' do not wants 'em no mo', take some of dat footsteps [foot tracks]. Well, yo' could take some salt an' pitch it behin' 'em an' curse 'em, wishin' 'em tuh stay away from yore home. Well, dey'll nevah return back any mo'...
[I was too quick turning off machine.]
(What is that?)
Hot footstep - immediately dey walk out. [Usually this is called hotfoot, a hotfoot powder being made for this purpose - see p.590.]
Entry 2839
(Well, how do they burn those black candles on you? How do they do that?) Well, those black candles, you take them and roll them in saltpeter, and cay- enne pepper, and cook[ing] - table salt. You roll them good in there but you dampen this candle 'fore you, 'fore you do that. You dampen it just a little bit - you know, just pass the rag over it, dampen it. (With water?) Yes, with a little damp rag, you know, so it'll stick to it. Just roll it good - roll it good and then you light it, you light it and burn it. Don't put it out - just let it burn all day. Just burn all day and you'll just worry that person so that he'll just - he don't know [what] he do, almost wanta kill hisself.
(Well, how do you know whom that candle is for?)
You call their name and be cursing them, what you want to happen to 'em - want 'em go and jump overboard.
Entry 2888
(Now, how would they burn a black candle?)
A black candle? You take a person's name on a piece of paper, you write it nine times thisaway [demonstrates]. Nine, like you make a cross - nine times thataway, nine times thataway. And you - every time you light that candle, you go there, you curse, you say, "You son-of-a-bitch, you ought to be dead." You see? Well, the candle'll start to popping - you see, the candle'll start to popping. When the candle start to popping, well, you go over there and you - you sell yourself to the devil, you don't say anything about the Lord at all, you saying that to the devil. Say, "You son-of-a-bitch, you ought to be dead, the way you treat me." Well, the candle'll pop - pop like that. Now, when that black candle go out, and you have your house dark, nobody pass through, nobody go you see. You have that. You don't - nobody goes there but yourself. You don't want nobody to see what you doing, because its a lot of people know what those black - know the black candle is no good. It's bad, you see. Well, so you takes it and go ahead on and lights it, and when it gets most out, he can't go nowhere. He'll have to stay there to watch it. And when it get down low, low - well you burn it three days, you see. Now in the morning you burn that. You light it at six o'clock in the morning, twelve o'clock you light one, and three o'clock you light the other one, you see. That's what you do. And then that's for - that make's he be going - starting to getting sick and droopy - and after that he'll pine jis' away. And he'll stop and say, "Ooh, my head hurt."
Entry 5533
They measure your footstep with a string and tie that around a ten- penny nail, and drive it right in the ground where you have to step over ft, and that puts a curse on you. [Fredericksburg, Va., (45), by] Ediphone.]
Entry 5574
Providin' if yo' wanted me tuh leave town, say dat chew would git some, ah think it's red peppah, an' dat chew would call me, an' say dat yo' wus callin' me by mah name. An' so dat yo' would git de red peppah an' dat yo' would give me a cuss. In othah words, yo' would git mah track an' yo' would throw it towards de sundown, an' use dat cuss to go away. Dat's de only thing ah know. (What would you do with the red pepper? What track do you take, either track or it doesn't make any difference?) Always de left track.
(Well, how do you use the red pepper?)
De red peppah an' de track go tuhgethah.
(And you pick up the left track, mix the red pepper with it?)
Mix de red peppah in wit it.
(Then you throw it toward the sundown?)
Toward de sundown.
(And say?)
"Go, So-an'-so [a cuss word in here] an' stay."
Entry 6011
They claim that peoples got it from under your doorstep with your hair mixed in with it. Well, they say that is to cross you away. Just like, you know, I was in love with a man and another woman wanted dis man. Well, if she could get some of my hairs, she'd go and get her a dozen new needles that never been used and pins. She'd stick the pins this way and stick the needles this way [cross them], and when she get ready to put it down, she'd stand it on its head on de sharp part, cuss it and tell it to go.
(Where would she put that?)
Put that at your door.
(And she uses twelve new needles and pins - six new needles and six new pins.)
Entry 7468
Well, if a man kill a man an' yo' know where he's at an' yo' want 'im to die, at de same moment durin' de right time, yo' takes three eggs. (What kind of eggs?) Black hen eggs. Yo' go to 'is house an' yo' throw dat egg on 'is house an' call 'is name an' cuss 'im de same time. Nex' mawnin' de undahtakah dere - de coffin man.
Entry 8143
Take dey photograph an' yo' kin go tuh a point of a road [fork of road] too, wit dat. Yo' go tuh a point of a road wit dat photograph an' yo'll go tuh work an' yo'll write dat per- son's name on dat photograph, an' yo'll turn it upside down, an' yo'll put it dere wit bad wishes. Yo' gotta say bad things an' yo'll bury dat photograph an' put it dere wit bad words, an' yo'll turn it upside down fo' nine days. [Here recording machine turned off momentarily while informant spoke about name mentioned later.]
(You do that at the fork of the road?)
Yessuh, at de fo'k of a road.
(How do you write that name on the back? Just write one name?)
Jis' dat fellah name. Yo' don' wan' chure name dere.
Entry 8636
Well, you can take a lemon and put your name and his name - not his, but jes' like he got some woman; yo' understand [and you, a woman, want] to separate them. Well, yo' write it [her name] down nine times all kinda ways, and then you put aloes. Yo' can put cayenne peppah an' salt, some dat have never been used, a fresh box of each - that have never been used. An' yo' take that an' yo' put it in de lemon, an' yo' put it [lemon] in a vinegar, in a bottle of vinegar. [To put lemon in bottle, cut it in 4 parts - see No.8632.] An' yo' shake it like that, an' kick it all around de floor, like yo' dog it. AN' JES' LIKE YO' "DOG" THAT BOTTLE [TREAT IT LIKE A DOG] THAT JES' DE WAY HE'LL "DOG" HER and [they will] break up. Jes' like yo' kick de bottle, yo' know, knock it around - jes' take your feet, yo' see, an' kick it an' curse it - that is the way he'll do to her. An' then they'll separate.
Entry 9705
Well, dey say yo' kin take sulphuh an' salt, an' yo' kin jes' go dere lak yo' visitin'. An' yo' kin go dere an' strew it roun' dere in dat house as yo' walkin' roun' dere. If yo' got a coat dat's got a hole in de pocket, yo' kin run yore han' down in dat pocket an' yo' have dis in a papah or somepin, dat yo' kin jes' lose a li'l' bit at de time out'a it. Yo' have yore han' [in your pocket]. [This hole-in-the pocket is fairly common and known everyvhere.] Or yo' kin walk behin' 'em, lak it somebody yo' talk wit a whole lot, an' yo' kin jes' sprinkle dat salt an' sulphuh. An' in talkin' tuh dem yo' ldn be cursin' dem in yore mind.'Son-of-a-bitch, git out!" Sompin lak dat. An' it's true dat dey will move. In de ninth mawnin' de' will move.
Entry 10687
[There are two types of baths in HOODOO: the ordinary bath to clean yourself, the real bath water, and the ceremonial bath for numerous purposes such as gambling luck (see PARSLEY in this section), for health, love, etc.] Stop up bath water in a bottle, set it in sun until hot and foamy, add salt and pepper; you'll begin to itch and burn, "you have come under their curse."
[Washington, D. C., 822:6.]
Entry 10973
[After THE AMAZING CHICKEN EGG (pp.3714-3776, v.4), also egg beliefs concerned with murder (pp.3276-3285), and eggs everywhere in HOODOO as parts of other rites, there are still a few left, most of them too short for margin titles of their own. That is why I have grouped them here, underlining key words.] Take a fresh yard-egg [very common name on lower Mississippi River for an egg laid naturally by a free-living chicken, not by a chicken living its whole life in a one-cubic-foot wire cage prison], not a grocery egg [says my informant, who could have added that it was also an unfertilized and unnatural egg]...write the person's name on that egg...3 times...cross the Mississippi River and when you gets in de middle...throw that egg over your left shoulder and you curse it; that break 'em up. [New Orleans, La., 1185:6.]
Entry 11786
An enemy fixes up your name with graveyard dirt, throws it into run- ning water, says what he wants done, cursing you and telling you to go, and then leaves not looking back. [Washington, D. C., 804:3.]
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- Curse Canceled — Volume 1, entries 1077. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → FOLK MEDICINE → FOLK MEDICINE (1) PRINCIPLES OF HEALING.
- DOORSTEP - SHOE UNDER - TOE IN - CURSE — Volume 3, entries 5129. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
Source passage
continuous interview · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
Ah go tuh town
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
[downtown to buy that]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
yo' see - yo' know, de ole-fashion iron fo'k wit de wooden handle, wit de fo' prong. Ah go tuh de Kress
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
[Kresge Co.]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
an' buy me one dose iron fo'ks, an' ah walk tuh de do' an' stab it three times
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
[with the fork prongs]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
say,
recited or prescribed formula · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
"Move!"
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
Co'se yo's gotta be riled when yo' want 'em tuh move.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
[Riled shows anger like laughter a magic rite - see comment later.]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
Yo' say,
recited or prescribed formula · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
"Git outa heah, J yo' son-of-a-bitch! Leave! Move! Git outa mah path!"
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
[She demonstrated.]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1860
Dat move 'em.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
[I describe demonstration.]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
(You pull the fork out.)
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
Walk tuh de do' an' pull it disaway.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
(Jab the fork into the door.)
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
Intuh de do' an' pull it tuh yo'. See, yo' pullin' 'em outa dere.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
(You do that on the outside of the house?)
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
De outside of de do'. See dis do' here
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
[demonstrates]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
[She points to the door of the Eureka Hotel room in which I interviewed - see INTRODUCTION, v.1, p. Xxx111.]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
editorial gloss or commentary; supporting excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
[To return to the preceding anger rite. All rites such as this one concern the magic of imprecation or malediction. They are numerous. Laughter as magic appears to be rare. I can think of only one at the moment, that of keeping po- lice from your house - see interview of informant 1376, THE KNOWIN' WOMAN, soon to follow, and the explanation given there.]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 1861
locally coherent subpassage
Keep actor demonstration and Hyatt interpretation distinct; no formula efficacy is asserted.
closed_printed_instruction_and_demonstration_commentary
She demonstrated and the door-of-hotel identification are editorial reports of interview action.
The imprecation/malediction and laughter comparison belongs to the editor.
An enacted demonstration in the room is not proof that the described removal succeeded.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 3, p. 1859 · Vol. 3, p. 1860 · Vol. 3, p. 1861 · Vol. 3, p. 1862