Subject:Dog
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Entry 225
They said they were going down a woods road one night and they said this dog ran up and ran through the legs of the horse and right on between the buggy wheels and ran on off into the woods. They thought it was someone trying to put bad luck on them. They thought it was a spirit, they didn't think it was a dog. They thought it was some spirit someone had sent out for you know, to kin'a cunjure them. [The reader can see at once that this dog was not an ordinary prowling animal meeting by chance a horse and buggy. A natural dog would never have met a horse head on, running between the four legs and then the four wheels, two legs and two wheels each side of him - quite a feat at night! This dog Was going in the opposite direction to cross the occupants of the buggy.]
Entry 226
If you are a sinner, you will come in any kind of shape. I know a man at home who died and his home had a black dog in it all the time. You could see it, too.
Entry 227
I heard a man say he was coming along one night and there was a little bit of a dog come trotting along behind him. He said he hollered at the little dog and asked him where he was going. And the little dog still kept trotting out after him and he turned around and kicked the little dog. He said the little dog rose up high, as high as his shoulder was, and liked to scared him to death. He ran until he fell. The dog was supposed to be an evil spirit.
Entry 368
Go out to de fo'ks of de road an' stand when yo' git to the fo'ks of de road. Yo' goes out there an' meets - somepin comes to 'im. Dey say somepin comes tuh yo' an' tells yo' to come to de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's an' meet jes' whatevah he wants done. Jes' lak if he wants tuh be a musician. Well, yo' take an' go to de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's, if yo' wants tuh be a piano player or guitar player, yo' take that guitar an' go to the road fo'ks fo' nine mawnin's. When yo' git there then start tuh playin'. Well, dere somepin comes up 'cross de field behin' yo' lookin' jes' lak a cow. Well, maybe it have great big eyes when it git there. Why heah come snakes - a snake will come up there. Heah'll come a cat up. Heah'll come a dog up. Heah come a lion. Heah come a beah. Maybe a big smoke drop down ovah yo - drop right down ovah yo' an' yo' stand there an' meet that fo' nine mawnin's an' aftah de nine mawnin's, yo' supposed tuh leave an' go play any kind of music dat chew wanta.[ Fayetteville, N. Car., (1422), 2562:5.]
Entry 466
Ah heard dat a wumman jumped out de skin an' - it was in slav'ry times - say, ev'rytime dey'd go out dere yo' see, dey said dere would be a white gyp dog; a white dog would be trottin' round all de time, ev'rytime. Said, at last one mawnin' dere was a man took a axe an' chunked it at dat dog an' cut one of his laigs off - de front laig off. An' dey say dey picked it up an' it turned back to a nachur'l han'. An' dey went in an' tole - de han' had a gold di'mon' ring on it, an' dey showed it to de marster an' he tole 'em, say, dat look lak mah wife's han', an' dey went in dere an' he tole 'er, "Lemme see yah han'." An' it Was her han'.
Entry 1226
Say yo' could take a dog when she's in heat an' kill her an' if anybody had consumption or T. B. or somethin' lak dat an' cook her unbeknown to 'em an' let 'em eat it, dey say dat would cure 'em.
Entry 1233
Well, a dog now, if yo' got de yellah ja'ndice an' yo' can't be cured from doctors, yo' have to catch it - it's hard to ketch - yo' has to ketch dat dog's urinate. An' den yo' take, yo' don't let chure patient know that, but yo ketch his [dog] urinate an' yo' mix it up in his bread an' yo' let him eat that bread, an' it cures the yellah ja'ndice.
Entry 3427
Othah things about a dog, ah hear'n 'em say. Yo' could take a dog's livah if yo' wanta. Jes' lak if a woman's husban' goin' wit anothah one [woman] an' she [wife] wanted tuh ketch up wit 'im an' couldn't ketch up wit: 'im no way, an' she take dat dog livah an' cook it an' let dat man eat it. Well, when he go back to dat woman an' have connection wit 'er ag'in, dey git hang up.
Entry 3428
Well, yo' see de way dat's done, it's lak a man an' woman's havin' connection - white an' [or] colored, yo' know, togethah, an' de woman Want 'er husban' tuh stop. Why yo' git dat dog livah an' cook it, yo' know, an' den have her husban' eat it fo' suppah, yo' see. He eat an' den he go out, de firs' thing he git in 'is min', 'bout dat colored woman or whatevah woman he's wit, an' he go dere an' git wit dat woman, an' de doctor [M.D.] have tuh git 'em apart.
Entry 3429
Dat is to say, to tie up a person. If a man thought 'is wife wuz run- nin' aroun', he could kill a dog an' git 'ls livah an' feed de livah to his wife; an' den if de man come dere an' have intahco'se, he would git hung to her lak de dog.
Entry 3430
Yo' uses dog livah. Ketch a dog an' git 'is livah. Dey does dat to ketch a man an' a woman tied up.
(How do they do that?)
Kill de dog an' git de livah an' feed de man on it, an' he go an' have [con- nection] wit a woman, why den dey git tied up. So when dey git tied, why den dey'll be shown out to de world - evahbody will see 'em. Ah've seen dat.
Entry 3435
Yo' could kill a dog, a puppy don't yo' know, an' take his livah out don't chew know an' fry dat. Put it wit some ole livah don't chew know from de sto' when yo' fry dat. Give it to yore ole man. He shore [sure] eat dat wit de dog livah. An' jes' whatsomevah woman he runnin' roun' wit, foolin' wit, well when dey ties up togethah, dey'll jes' hook up togethah, yo' undahstan' me. Dat's whut it take to make dem two, yo' know, git hook up togethah an' yo' can't git 'em loose - yo' undahstan'.
Entry 3440
A man kin kill a proudin' gyp an' take dat livah an' cook it an' let 'is wife eat it, an' if she went out near anothah man, dat's where she'd be found. [My following comment is not a gratuitous remark of mine. I am merely re- peating what informant had added after I had turned off recording machine. Other examples of these brief additions will be found in the text.]
(There's no way of getting them apart.)
Entry 3442
Dog livah, dey claim dat yo' kin git a dog livah whilst a dog is proudin', if yo' kin git dat dog livah, an' if yo' husban' is goin' wit a woman - a man an' woman is goin' togethah, an' if yo kin git dat dog livah an' give it to dem to eat, dat dey would git hung.
Entry 3443
Dey ketch a dog whilst she's in heat an' takes de livah an' fix it up intuh a man. A woman give it tuh a man if she wanta ketch 'im - jes' lak if dis man is goin' out wit othah wimmin. Whenevah dis man go tuh be wit dis othah woman, dey find 'im fast.
Entry 3450
Ah don' know of anything but yo' know ah've heard of diff'ren' things. When a bitch is gwine wit a dog yo' know, if a woman would ketch dat drooling8 from dat dog - de dreenings [drainings] - an' rub 'em on 'er husban' place, an' he go back dere [to that other woman] ag'in, it'll be de cause of he bein' lined up wit 'er jes' lak dem dogs.
(With this other woman?)
Yes.
Entry 3463
Dey said dat if a man is goin' wit anothah man's wife or girl frien', or whosomevah dey wants dat does not belong to dem, an' dat individual gits a dog an' dey feed dat individual on de livah of de dog - say fer instance, if a man got a wife an' he ketches 'im a dog unbeknowst to her, an' dey kill dat dog an' dey gits de dog's livah an' dey feed dat wumman den on de dog livah, but [she] suppose dat it come from de market. Well, she eats dat livah an' den any man goes wit 'er aftah den, why will git lined to her.
(Is there any way that they get them apart?)
Unlined? Dat. dey lose one or de othah. ONE OR DE OTHAH HAS TO BE KILLED. I've seen one or two cases lak dat, but DE WOMAN WAS LOST BUT DE MAN WAS SAVED. DEY MORE ( OR LESS TAKE DE WOMAN.
Entry 3465
Yo' jes' kill a li'le dog, any kinda dog, an' take his livah. Take it an' flour it an' fry it, fix it, an' he eat a piece of it, an' den de firs' woman dat he go tuh have, dey git stuck togethah dat way. [This was the logical place to stop recording, but informant immediately con- tinuing forced me to repeat his last statement in the form of a question.]
(They have to kill the woman?)
DAT OUTA HER, CUZ IF DEY GO TUH CUT IT OUT SHE GOIN' DIE. [FayettevIlle, N. Car.,
(1450), 2335:4.]
[We are concerned here with the simple knot, one of the oldest and most Fl portant inventions of man. What would he have done without it? No wonder the tying of a knot soon became and has remained for the untutored mind a great magic rite, one of confining the spirit, making it submissive to the tier's will.]
Entry 7290
Dat's jes' in case de law chasin' 'em wit de hound dogs. Dey tell me dat - people say dat dey kin go through a cow's lot or anywhere dat dey kin git to fresh hill of dat, where she jes' dropped it, an' wipe dey feets in it an' dat will turr de dogs around right dere.
Entry 7320
Yo' go to de graveyard late at night an' run yore han' dat deep down into de head of grave [demonstrates].
(The length of your arm.)
Yes, an' git up some dirt. If yo' is in prison or anythin' an' yo' kin - dey goin' run yo' wit hounds, or anythin', yo' take dat dirt. Pay dat - put a penny dere, Pay dat [dead] man. An' take dat dirt an' yo' go out. When de hounds git aftah yuh, yo' jes' throw dat dirt all around in a ring an' go ahead. When dey git dere dey'll run back to de house.
(What do you mean you throw that dirt all around in a ring?)
Jes' lak yo's turin' around.
(Throw it around yourself, and then you go off and you get away?)
Yes.
Entry 7328
(You take the graveyard dirt and put some turpentine in it.)
[I am repeating what informant had said.]
But take - have yo' a bottle of spirits of turpentine an' git de graveyard dirt. An' when yo' go to handle yo' shoes, go tuh dis one. An' den yo' go pull off de othah shoe an' put on yo' othah [first] one an' po' dirt in it - po' dirt in de [each] shoe an' po' spirits of turpentine on de bottom [outside]. An' de dogs won't chase yo', dey can't ketch yo'.
Entry 7335
If a fellah wus to kill somebody an' try to git away an' dey had de hounds chase 'em, ah know dey could throw 'em off de track so dey wouldn't ketch 'em. He could take off 'is shoes an' use de passage from 'is bowels, an' leave it in 'is shoes an' de hounds wouldn't bothah 'im no mo'.
(In both shoes?)
Yes, in both shoes.
Entry 7912
When yo' wan'a steal chickens, when people have dogs, dey say, if yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' git de dirt, an' if yo' throw it on a dog, de dog will not bark. Now, whur- GRAVEYARD DIRT ON DOG - WILL NOT BARK thah it's de scent of de daid bodies in de earth, ah don' know but it aczhooly [actually] happened.
Entry 8016
If sompin [project?] dat ah wuz behin', or some money or sompin dat ah wanta put dere, ah go tuh one of dose trees, de 'simmon [persimmon] tree or juni- per, jes' eithah one ah choose tuh put it dere, an' ah'll take a dog or a cat an' bury dis money in a cat or a dog, evah which one ah choose. Hold 'im up dere an' ah'll kill 'im, an' den ah'll bury 'im right dere on top of dis money. An' ah'll bury 'im wit 'is right feet up an' 'is left foot down, of de front ones, an' de two hin' foots stickin' straight up. Bury 'im flat on 'is back, [feet] stickin' up straight right dere. An' tell 'em, "Ah puts chew heah in ordah tuh stay till dey come an' dig." Den ah bury roun' on de top of dat, an' when ah bury dat right up dere, if yo' don' come an' git it, cain't nobody else come an' git it. (How do you have this dog set up with one foot up and one foot down? How do you do that?) Well, yo' know, if a dog dies, he dies tuh de right [whatever that means: on his right side?]. Well, yo' kin bend one of 'is feet lak dat [demonstrates] an' let de othah one jes' lak he be's standin' up dere. An' dem two hin' ones, let dem two be stickin' up. An' when yo' covah dem, put 'im deep enough tuh covah dem all up. An' yo' bury him wit dat right feet at a angle, an' de lef' one straight up.
(That is the two front feet?)
Yes.
Entry 11302
[There are a number of these dog-in-you beliefs and rites in HOODO0:]
I have heard about people putting a spell on a person and that spell killed them, and while they are dying they bark like a dog. [New York City, by hand, inform- ant No.1, Julia, from N. Car.1
Entry 11312
Cut some hair outa a dog's tail an' make him stay at home. Bury it undah de do'steps jes' lak yo' do [hair of] a person.
Entry 414
Ah have went out wit some fellahs tryin' tuh dig money. A gang of us decided tuh go out an' dig money. We went out one night. Ah taken mah old car an' driven out one night an' stopped it up at de edge of de woods an' we went all down - took our picks an' shovels an' went on down an' started tuh diggin' de money. Well, we supposed to have de money once right where it was. Well, yo' make a white mark. Git chew a bottle of sweet milk an' make two or three marks all de way round with this milk - all de way round dis place, jes' lak dis table, yo' makes yo' a round one [circle of milk round the treasure]. An' dey all gits inside of that place. Well, we started tuh diggin' money an' we dug there, an' dug an' dug an' dug, till we got close to it. An' as we got close to the money an' we listened out an' we heered somepin comin' 'long dat be's a-hollerin' an it wus a big cow come right up to de - right up close to dat line an' jes' stood up dere an' hollered. Well, he left away an' heah come a great big bulldog an he gone up dere. He went away an' aftah while he left an' nobody stopped. Well, on dis side heah come anothah - heah come lion up. He come up an' dere didn't no one say anything, dey stood a-diggin' right on. Snakes an' ever'thing crawled all de way round an' dey nevah did stop diggin'. We looked up an' dere come a big ball of fiah right down an' jes' look lak it's goin' drop right down. It come down so fur an' stop an' a man spoke an' said, "If yo' don' move, ah'm gon'a drop it. Ah'm gon'a drop it on yo'." An' one de fellahs got scared an' dropped out de line an' it musta been a great big blue smoke an' a big ball, an' de money went an' we nevah did see de money no mo' - it jes' bo'ed a hole in de ground an' went on out lak dat. We didn't see no money atall - it wus gone.
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 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 8014
Do dat tuh a man if dey wanta run 'im away from town or if dey wanta kill 'im. See, prob'ly yo' wanta kill dis man. If yo' wants kill 'im, cain't git rid of 'im, he goin' wit some daughtah [or] 'nothah, or somebody's daughtah, an' dey cain't git rid of 'im wit'out killin' 'im, yo' jis' take an' git chew a dog. Ketch choo a dog dat some of yore neighbah's have dat yo' know 'is name. Yo' know de dog's name, an' yo' know de man's name, too, see. Well, yo' git de dog an' yo' carry him off in de woods somewhere an' bury 'im. Kill de dog, see. Yessuh [yes sir] kill de dog, take him way off in de woods somewhere an' bury him. An' yo' bury him wit 'is heels up about dat much [demonstrates] out de dust. Leave 'bout dat much of 'is feets out de dust. Jis' leave his feets out de dust. Well, dat's if yo' wants tuh kill de man. When yo' leave his feets out while yo's covahin' 'im up, when yo' turn 'im up, git 'im placed on 'is back real good, jis' lak yo' want 'im. An' while yo' covah 'im up, yo' call de dog's name nine times, an' yo' throw nine shovels of dirt on 'im, high 'nuff tuh git 'im covahed up. An' git 'is feets up above 'bout dat fur [demonstrates] 'bout couple inches or prob'ly couple an' a half inches. An' den aftah yo' git 'im covahed up an' git ready tuh leave him, say, "Ah hope yo's daid, In de Name of de Father, [Son and Holy Ghost], " an' call de man's name fo' time. An' walk away from de graveyard [burial place, not graveyard] an' don' look back at it. If yo' look back, it's not any good. Don' look back while yo's leavin'. An' dat'll kill de man. Now, if yo' don' wanta kill 'im [the man], yo' jis' wanta git 'im outa town, yo' don' kill de dog when yo' bury him, yo' see. Yo' don' kill de dog daid, but chew cuts: 'is throat or prob'ly knock 'im in de haid, so yo' leave him in a slum- bah. Put 'im in de ground an' yo' leave two of 'is feets out. Yo' leave two of 'is feets out. When yo' leavin' de graveyard [of the dog] yo' call de man's name nine times an' weah a cross pin. Yo' have tuh git a cross pin. Prob'ly go tuh Kress [Kresge] or somebody, any place, an' git a pin wit a cross on it. An' yo' weah dat cross pin tuh de grave where yo' dere messin' wit de dog. An' when yo' git ready tuh leave, yo' sticks it up in dere in de grave lak yo' do a tombstone, an' den de man will leave town.
(You kill this dog somewhere out in the woods?)
Yes.
Entry 10896
You take a black hen's egg, be sure it's a black hen's egg, and you boil it, and you doesn't get it completely done. Then you take and cut it in two, half in two, and if it's a woman and a man you want to break apart, separate, you get a male cat and a female dog, and give one half of the egg to the dog and the other half to the cat. And then they say after the dog and cat eat this egg, why, you make them fight. That's what separates them.
(Which half do you give to the dog and which half do you give to the cat?)
You take an indelible pencil and you write the man's name on one end and the woman's name on the other end of the egg. And you see, when it boiling, see, the name's right on through on the egg. And you see, you gave the man's name to the [male] cat and the woman's name to the [female] dog.
Entry 10912
If yo's a man an' maybe yo's goin' tuh see dis woman ovah heah, an' go s [after] dis woman ovah heah, ah'll git a piece of yore clothes, yo kmo, jes"aLll' scrap. Ah'll git a scrap of his clothes, clothes whut [both] chew weah, anything. An' ah'll take dat an' put dat tuhgethah an' take a pinch of de dog hair, yo' know. De dog an' de cat don' like one 'nother, yo' know. De dog an' cat fight. Take de hair out de front, out de cat, an' put it in a piece of yore clothes an' de woman's clothes tuhgethah, an' ah'll bind it up an' ah'll bury it roun' dat way, side de road. So dey says. Dey nevah kin live no mo' tuhgethah. (They can't live no more together. You take a piece of the man's clothes and a piece of the woman's clothes and you take this hair from a cat and from the dog, and you ball them up and bury them beside the road. That makes them fight and they can't live together.) Yes.
Entry 10919
Mix cat and dog hair with seven ingredients: pepper, bluestone, sulphur, salt, asafetida, etc., put at door; people living there will fight like cats and dogs. [Richmond, Va., 303:10.]
Entry 395
(Who was this man?)
He wus a Powhatan - a mulatto, yo' know.
(That's down here near the water, isn't it?)
Dat's down heah cross de town.
(You say a Powhatan is a mulatto?)
[Momentarily, I do not understand him. A mulatto by dictionary definition is half Negro and half White. My informant calls this man - part Negro and part Powhatan (American Indian) - a mulatto.] Is a mulatto man. Someone killed him an' dey killed this man an' dey buried dis man an' at de head of his grave they buried $300 an' his cousin when he came from up in de country - he had found out about de money. He wus told dat de money wus buried there, which it wus. It wus said then that this man went there to dig up this man - dig up this grave an' git this money. He thought the money wus his'n. An' whatevah partic'lar time he goes there, an' when he got near to it, de place where de money wus buried - it wus silver money - dere jes' come a whirlwind or a storm an' about a dozen dogs, an' the wind blew an' he had tuh run away from dere immediately, with de hole open an' de money wus dere visible.
(He couldn't stand it?)
He couldn't stand it. De evil spirit or whut it wus, it wanted tuh git this money - he had to run off an' leave it.
Entry 411
(Suppose you and I are going out to hunt this buried money - well, you tell me all about it.) Well, ah'm goin' tell yuh. Ah lived in a place once up in Georgia that they told me there was some money buried, an' dere was a old bachelor, dey said that run de salt mill dere had buried his money. An' we went out to dig dis money an' we found - well, dey claimed dat it was. Sound [we sounded] down dere, sound like money - ah mean like a can or pot or something. We went to digging at it. An' it had - was growed up a little tree, a little hickory tree right where it was. We dug up dat tree - it was in de wintertime, cold up [had turned cold]. We dug up dat tree - it was solid, good an' solid, little hickory, an' a little ole rattlesnake run in de hole. So we came out of it an' went an' tole de white folks about it. Dey went there - dey got instruments an' went dere an' dey said dat it was something come like a big bull; looked like it goin' jump right in de hole on 'em. They run out. They went then an' sot little tumblers of whiskey around, filled 'em fulla whiskey, an' they digged then, an' dey tole me "cause ah'd known about it - it was much as one man could roll away on a wheel- barrow. They knowed de gentlemen an' knowed whut kind of whiskey he liked [see Spirits and alcohol, in Index]. (You were telling me something about killing a dog. You started to tell me about killing a dog.) Well, they tells me that yo' kill a dog or snake or something an' bury with that money, an' it will take care of it.
(That's to guard the money?)
Dat's tuh guard de money - or a man or anything lak dat.
Entry 424
After I married Mr. Banks, there was a big crowd went out one night to hunt money and they were getting to the box. They had a woman reading the Bible. They always say to read the Bible to keep down the spirits. They had one man that was digging in there, he had one leg, and he had on a red shirt. And they say everything came in the shape of dogs, hogs, and everything. The last thing came was like what they call a red devil. He had to tail to him, long ears, and a spear in his hand, and spoke. And he said he wanted the man with the red shirt on. It so scared them all they all run away. And they left this poor man in the hole by his own self and he had a hard time getting out because he only had one leg: That ain't no lie. They went digging in there and all got scared and left. A lot of the men are dead and a lot living today. They never got the money. I don't know how they located it. They seen the box all right when these things came. There's certain Scriptures you read for spirits, they say. I don't think this woman could of been reading the right one or the spirits wouldn't have come so fast and scared them.
Entry 592
Well, I've hear'd of 'em gittin' dirt from de fork of de road. Well, if a - you could go to the fork of the road and git dirt. You works with a mirror. You takes a mirror and you bury it at the fork of a road. Understand? And you let that mirror stay there for three days and afterward you digs this mirror up, and you don't want to be de first one to look into it. Let a cat, either a dog, look into it first. Then after that you can know just what you wants to know through this mirror if anything coming against you.
(You can see it in that mirror?)
Yes, sir - that what ah knows about the fork in the road.
Entry 1224
Den you kin take and feed dat dog - kill dat dog and get her blood while - if she's howling and gwine on and cuttin' up, and feed it to a person and he'll howl jest like dat dog. He'll howl - you'll put him to howlin', you see, put him to howlin'. He jest howlin' like a dog: [For another method of making a person bark like a dog, see No. 775, p.256.]
Entry 1225
T. B's? There's a Way to kill that.
(How would you do that?)
You take a fat dog, you try to get a bird dog - like anyone got T. B., and you takes and you cut that fat off there and you fry it and get that grease, and you bottle up that grease and you keep it on ice or something like where it won't spoil, you know. And give her, this person that got the T. B., one tablespoorful of that grease for every meal she eats. And because this is - T. B's a germ that gets in your system and medicine can't get there, but this here grease it gets there from that dog and it kills that germ.
Entry 1227
Dey use dat for asmee. Boil it, de dog livah - boil it right on de stove an' give 'em de juice of it.
(That cures asthma.)
Entry 1229
Whenevah - if yo' have a dog, watch de dog carefully an' see whenevah he has an action. Den yo' git his manure whilst it's fresh an' place it in a quart cup of water an' den yo' boil it down to a pint an' den use it wit a cloth to dab dat in good - dis out-flannen-an't [= anointment (an't) out of (out) flannel (flannen)] it used to cure de piles.
Entry 1231
I have seen people use the mess from a white dog to cure people - to cure lockjaw.
(Well, how would they do that?)
Cause, you see, my brother had lockjaw and a white dog done his business and the man told my mother to take it and put it in a cup, an old cup, and pour boiling water on it and let it stand one hour and then drain it and let it get cool, and put spirits of niter in it and his jaws will come unlocked. My mother did that. I've seen it.
(I see. Did you come from Louisiana? Were you born in New Orleans?)
I was born in Bayou [something] Parish Louisiana?
(Where?)
Bayou Lafourche, Assumption Parish. [A few miles down the Mississippi River there is a Lafourche in Lafourche Parish.]
Entry 1232
Even if yo' bald, git de milk from de dog an' bathe de part dat's bald of the cranium an' yore hair will event'lly grow back.
Entry 3414
Yo' kin ketch a houn' see when she's in heat - a bitch at least, when she is in heat, an' raise up 'er right hind laig an' cut it. (Cut it?) Yeah, an' git some blood from it, see an' put it in a cup. Put it in some of 'er coffee or tea, anything she drinks. Let 'er drink it an' if a man go to her, she'll get stuck an' can't nobody get 'em loose until yo' come back an' give her anothah drink of dat stuff. [For like cures like. see p.349.1 DE DOCTOR [M.D.[ KIN GIT 'EM LOOSE BY KILLING ONE OF 'EM, BUT CHEW KIN GIT 'EM LOOSE AN' SAVE BOTH OF 'EM.
(WELL! HOW CAN YOU DO THAT?)
JES' GIVE 'EM A DRINK OF DAT - FROM DAT CUP WHAT YO' KET' DE BITCH'S BLOOD WHEN SHE'S IN HEAT. Yo' know a bitch runnin' roun', an' yo' raise her right hind laig an' slit it. Jis' cut a gash enough to git some blood an' put dat blood in dere. Put a drop of blood in 'er cup of coffee or tea or somepin an' she drink it see, an' if a man go to her, why he gona stick.
(He'll get stuck.)
An' den when yo' come back [from finding a bitch] - evahbody roun' dere yo' know, doin' somepin fer 'em, see - no soonah yo' come back an' yo' walk in, an' picks up a dose of somepin [coffee or tea] an' put [in it] a drop of dat blood an' give it to her, an' she'll git back all right.
Entry 3416
Jes' lak if yo' wanted to tie a woman an' a man togethah. Jes' lak if a woman wus goin' wit chure husban', or he wus goin' wit 'er. Jes' lak hen yo's dog be matin', yo' kin take yore pocketknife an' cut dat dog enough tuh bleed. Ah mean jes' in a piece of cloth or sompin. An' aftah it bleed on dis cloth, yo' take it an' carry it home wit yo' an' put it undah yore mattress, an' dey'll be tied togethah. Jes' fold it up in two ways - jes' lak heah mah han'kchuff now. Aftah yo' git de blood on dat - YO' DON'T MIND ME STANDIN' UP? Aftah yo' 股商 git de blood on dere, jes' fold it lak dis[demonstrates]. (Wait a minute! You fold one half to the middle and then the other half. You fold one half to the middle and the other opposite half to the middle. Then you fold it lengthwise to the middle, each side.) Den yo' put it right undah yore mattress where [the side] yo' sleep at.
(Nine folds.)
[Only one way can I understand nine folds. Surely the design here is 9 squares, a tick-tack-toe diagram, several examples of which appear in HOODOO. The handkerchief is folded twice, the two folds overlapping evenly, creating 3 equal and horizontal oblongs. These are turned vertically and folded twice, again both folds overlapping evenly, creating a stack of 9 squares. Instead of saying You fold one half to the middle, I should have said You fold one half toward the middle.] (Well, don't you do anything else with that blood first before you put it under your mattress?) No, jes' take dat blood on dis han'kschuff, lak ah got mah han'kschuff in mah han', an' put undah de mattress. In three days time dey'll git tied up.
(You don't put the blood on them or anything?)
No.
(Which dog do you get the blood from, the male or the female dog?)
De male dog.
Entry 3418
Git a ole slut dog. Yo' heah 'em talkin' about mens an' womens being stick tuh one 'nothah an' couldn't git 'em loose. Well, dey jes' take dese ole slut dog dat run about, yo' know, de muss [usually mess] dey have at de time dey are proudin' - see whut ah mean, tuh mate wit de othah dogs. Well, yo' kin jes' cut dat little tip off down dere, cut dat off. An' well, go in where she makin' sandwiches or sompin lak dat an' give it tuh her. See, if yo' think she goin' out an' can't stop, an' yo' wanted tuh ketch dat man an' dat woman tuhgethah, yo'll shoo [sure] git 'em - she'll stay dere. [The word prouding is quite common in hoodoo; it merely means swollen. Years ago I used to hear the word proud in connection with a wound - the flesh of the sore had begun to proud. One dictionary calls its use to describe certain female animals obsolete except for dialect.
Entry 3419
Dere wus a man goin' wit a girl an' he couldn't do nuthin wit 'er. Well, she'd have connection wit othah men, an' he couldn't ketch 'er, an' he couldn't ketch 'er. Well, dis same John McKinna, he lived at Clinton [N. Car.], he said, "Ah'll tell yo' whut tuh do." An' he tole de man whut tuh do. Well, he take a dog when she wus proudin' an' he cut it off, an' he goes home an' he wipes 'is gal wit dis thing. Now, dis wus at Wilmington [N. Car.], an' he said de nex' time dis man an' dis woman have connection, dey'll git hung up jes' lak dis dog did. An' IT WUS A WHITE MAN HAVIN' CONNECTION WIT A COLORED WOMAN. An' ah did know 'er mah- self, ah wus stayin' dere [Wilmington] at dat time. An' de doctor [M.D.] had tuh git 'em apart, an' de only [thing] he did wuz tuh give de woman a black pill. He kill 'er tuh git 'em apart. Ah saw de woman mah ownself. [Doctor McKinna appears or will elsewhere in HOODOO.]
Entry 3420
Yes sir, ah heard about dat. Dey say dat when a dog is in heat, yo' take an' cut de end of a she dog'8 - de she dog, jes' dat tip-end of it. An' yo' take an' bake it till it git hard to a dust. An' den yo' take an' sprinkle it ovah a person feed, an' den he or she, or whoevah it 'tis have a connection wit anothah person, will hitch up lak a dog.
Entry 3421
In matin'-time wit dogs yo' kin git a piece of de hair out of a dog's chest an' neck up in here an' swinge [singe]. Burn dat hair real good an' burn it down to sompin - into a ashes. Jes' burn it slow but burn it into ashes where yo' kin jes' - whenevah it's rolled up, mashed up, it ain't paid much 'tention to. An' sprinkle it in a man's food, if he runnin' roun'. An' sprinkle it in 'is food or eithah in a woman's food, any individual's food, an' let 'em eat it.
(Then what happens if they eat it?)
Well, if dey eat [it] an' happen tuh start tuh runnin' roun' ag'in, well dey'll git tangled up jes' lak two dogs.
(Stuck.)
Entry 3422
Yo' kin take de hair from a dog or a cat when dey proudin' an' yo' singe it, burn it yo' know, parch it an' git it in dey food where dey kin eat it. an' when dey eat it, it will make 'em hitch up. An' a drop of dat blood, dat dog's blood - a drop of dat in dey food, yo' see. An' if dey runnin' aroun', de husban' or wife, an' yo' ketch 'em doin' dat, dey'll hitch up. Not till nine days dey come apart deyself.
(After nine days.)
Can't loose 'em. Stay dat way nine days.
Entry 3437
Jes' lak a woman's husban' runnin' roun' an' she wants tuh ketch 'im, why den she kin take - lak a fellah dat eat livah or somepin lak dat, why dey kin ketch a black dog, jes' a real black dog. Kill 'im an' take his livah. Jes' lak she would buy livah fo' suppah. Take dis livah an' give it tuh 'im dis evening. If he has intahco'se wit a woman, he git caught jes' lak a dog.
(Then they can catch him.)
Entry 3438
Dog livah will tie yo' up.
(Just how do they do that?)
Yo' gits dat dog livah. Cut dat dog while he live an' take de livah from 'im, an' dey'll take dat dog livah an' put it in whiskey or in de tea or anything, an' - if dey kin git to yo' - yo'll nevah do nuthin. (You say it will tie you up. How do you mean?) If yo' connect wit a woman - if a man connect wit a woman, git fastened.
Entry 3441
Well, if a man got a wife an' she's runnin' roun' an' he wanta ketch 'er, an' he can't ketch 'er, well, he kills a dog dat's proudin' an' take de livah. An' jes' lak yo'll go uptown an' buy hog livah or cow livah, an' take it home an' let 'er cook it an' eat, an' de man dat she have connection wit, dey'll tie up jes' lak two dogs.
Entry 3445
Jes' lak we were talkin' 'bout back heah while ago, if a person git hook up lak dis, yo' give 'em dog livah an' dat will relief 'em. Dey tell me dat will relief 'em, give 'em dog livah. (If the man and woman are stuck together, you give them dog liver to eat. That'll unfasten them?) [This is an example of like cures like, see margin title, p.394.] Yes, dog livah will unfasten dem.
Entry 3447
Dat's simple. Dat's a real trick, dat is. Yo' go to work an' ketch a dog dat's nevah has been mated. An' she begin tuh start tuh mate, yo' kin always tell, yol see. Den yo' go to work den an' take dis dog an' spear[?] her an' git de proud bag.
(After you get what?)
After yo' spread[?] de dog an' take out 'er proudin' bag an' den bang dat up an' let it git dry lak a bladdah den, where yo' kin pound it up. [The preceding word spear or spread is probably spade, the obsolete fon of spay, though spade is not quite as obsolete as the lexicographer thinks, I having heard it frequently through the years. No matter what the word, the bitch's ovaries are: extirpated.] Well, now, all a man's gotta do when he make a connection, he jes' put some of dat dust on 'im, yo' see, den dat gives a woman's womb an' [the] nature of a dog, don' yo' see, cuz de dog wus in heat but yet she had nevah mated. An' dat gives de woman - it grasps de dog to her, yo' see. Den when a man has connec- tion wit 'er, de head of his [penis] will swell an' de womb [vagina] will shet [shut] down on 'i. An' den when it shets down on it, dat will cause it tuh swell, an' dat's whut hangs 'em up tuhgethah.
Entry 3448
Well, dey say yo' kin take a dog an' kill de dog an' take 'is livah. An' dey say, when a man go to have intahco'se wit a woman, an' yo' kin git de chance to git it [the liver] on 'im some Way or 'nothah [they will be- come tied]. An' dey [cannot] git unloosed unless de doctor [M.D.] come to 'em. If dey's 'fraid of anything lak dat whenevah dey goin' out fo' dat, why dey kin jes' take a red onion, yo' know, an' jes' kinda lightly rub it on dereself, an' dey say nuthin lak dat would happen.
Entry 3452
A woman had a bad husband an' she wanta bring a shame on 'im to de public. She can't keep 'im at home. Git a dog when he proudin', when kin anothah dog be hung to her. Ketch dis dog aftah a dog got loose from 'er. Take yo' a rag an' ketch de dog, wipe him lak dataway wit de rag in de back, carry it on de house an' put dat rag down. It will eithah do one or de othah of 'em - it will hang a man to a woman or break dem up. Won't have no mo' trouble outa him wit dat part, or hang 'im dere. Or she'll come to be sick, yo' know, an' jes' fall away to nuthin.
(The other woman will?)
De othah woman will.
Entry 3453
Why when yo' go to fool wit 'er, git dat livah an' rub on 'er.
(What kind of liver?)
Dog livah. Rub on her an' anybody go to fool wit 'er, why she hang lak dat. Or yo' eithah take some dog slime an' put.on 'er an' she'll hang lak dat.
(Dog what?)
When a dog come yo' know, take de dog - git some an' put right in 'er, put on an' rub ovah 'er. I seen em jes' hang up togethah.
(Just put that stuff on her, this nature from the dog?)
Yes, jes' take a rag an' wipe her up dere wit it - make no diff'rence if - jes' take an' rub it on 'er, why he'll, jes' soon as he be dere it will stick 'im soon he go in dere. When he git wet, why it jes' stick 'im, see.
Entry 3455
If yo' be fortunate 'nuff fo' two dogs tuh make connection lak dat an' jes' lak one be yore dog, an' yo' take a piece of cloth an' go right dere an' she watah [nature, not urine is meant] on hit, an' yo' take an' go to de man an' yo' wipe dat man down wit dat cloth. When he go tuh de othah woman, dey'll be jes' lak dem dogs.
Entry 3456
Yo' go ketch a dog when a she dog an' he dog, then dey mtie", ab°git some of 'is nature from de dog an' put it on de woman, dey say. Aa' yo'croao - yo' make one straight up an' one across lak dat. [The sign of the cos 1s marked over the vouan's valva adth che dog's semen.] Yo' don't let 'a bo it, choo know - jis' azboo [as yoa] playin' wit 'er. An' [they] tell me if any othah man have anything to do dlt 'er outside of yo', he'll stay dere jis' lak a dog when he goes in a bitch. Yo' boo how long dey stay togethah.
Entry 3457
Well, ah got a girl fren' or wife an' she's runnin' wit some.an an' ah reckon ah wanta ketch 'er, go tuh where two bulldogs tied up. An' take a pockt han'ke'chuf or eithah a new piece of vhite boe spun cloth an' vipe dose dogs off wit it, an' yo' ties it up. Yo' ties it in a knot, a hard knot, an' yo' totes it; an' whenevah yo' have connection wit dis woman, yo' wipes 'er wit it. Yo' totes it in yore pocket.
(What does that do?)
Dat makes yo' ketch 'er.
(What will that do to that woman then?)
It will make her an' a man git tied up.
(If she goes with another man.)
Entry 3458
Take a dog an' ketch 'i, a boy dog, an' ketch 'im an' cut his balls out an' cook 'em, cook 'em right soft an' den crumble 'em up in 'is [a man's] food. Dat's if 'is wife wanta ketch 'im. An' put it [in] somepin tuh eat an' den if he goes wit any woman, she'll find out who it is he goin' wit. When he go tuh be wit dis woman dey'll git hung up... [Three dots show that I turned off recording machine and restarted it in time to catch: Yo' have tuh kill one of 'em.
(To get them apart.)
[The testes of roosters and other male animals have been used for centuries as an aphrodisiac.]
Entry 3459
Yo' kill a dog an' take his tools - yo' know, dem little bags whut he got. Dey tell me yo' kin take dem an' powdah 'em up an' yo' kin give it to a man in 'is whiskey or eithah in 'is coffee, an' dey tell me dat make him tie up wit a woman jes' lak a dog tie up wit anothah dog. If yo' wanta ketch - dat's how yo do when yo' wanta ketch 'em, dey tell me.
Entry 3460
An' people pay to go see it. Yo' know how dey do it. Yo' ketch a dog in heat, see. Yo' know a dog proudin' aroun'. An' kill it an' git 'is [her] livah outa him [her]. Carry it on home - wrap it up in a piece of papah jes' lak de othah livah. Fool 'er, yo' know. Slice it up. An' don' chew eat none of it, let 'er eat it. An' when she eat dat if she go [demonstrates] dat's what will happen to her.
[Informant's demonstration was probably interlocked fingers.]
(She will get stuck to the other fellow?)
Yes, sir, git stuck together. DEY HAVE TO KILL ONE OUT TO DE HOSPITAL TUH SAVE DE OTHAH.
Entry 3462
Ah know of a woman an' a man dat been goin' togethah an' dis man wife wanted to make dis man 'shamed an' dis woman, an' let 'em be caught an' let de public see 'em. An' so she'd taken an' got sompin from a dog, an' fixed dis man. Whut ah mean she taken an' gits a dog discharge. [She] do wit 'im lak dey wuz goin' have one an' afterward - or if she wuzn't goin' have one - she would take dis an' put it on 'im. An' den he'll - an' [if he] have anyone, an' dey git hung lak dogs.
(Is there any way of getting them apart?)
Yes, ah know a way yo' kin git 'em apart, an' ah know a way dat dey didn't git 'em apart? DEY HAVE TUH KILL ONE AN' SAVE DE OTHAH ONE.
(How did they get them apart?)
Ah know in one case, see, de party dat do it kin git 'em apart.
(How do they do that?)
Wit watah, yes. Put in on 'em, jes' lak yo' do a dog.
Entry 3464
If dey wan'a person to stop slidin', well dey said yo' take two dogs in de spring when dey havin' intahco'se an' dey're hung. An' yo' take a han'ke'- chef an' ketch some of dere nature. Keep it. An' den if yore boy frien' slides [cheats] on yo' to de extent dat choo wan'a stop 'im forevah, aftah yo've had a intahco'se wit 'im, dry 'im wit dis han'ke'chef. IT'LL LAST A WEEK. De first woman he goes wit he'll git hung wit 'er.
(It'll last a week?)
It'll last on 'im a week. HE CANNOT WASH IT OFF. Den if he goes wit anothah woman wit'in dat length of time, de first woman he goes [with] he'll git hung wit 'er an' yo' cannot git 'em apart. YO' HAVE TO TAKE 'EM TO A HOSPITAL AN' DE RE- SULTS IS DE WOMAN WILL HAVE TO BE KILT, becuz de longah he stay in 'er de largah he swells. YO' HAVE TO KILL DE WOMAN OR DE MAN, SO DEY USUALLY KILL DE WOMAN AN' CUT 'IM OUT. An' dat ends dat slidin'.
Entry 3981
De female sex jis' take her own urinate an' use it on 'er male - make him become humble, see. Yuh kin jis' try dat, yuh know, even on yuh animal. [I had heard so often the basic rite of urine in food or drink, I turned off my recording machine; but the final word animaZ brought me to life with some sort of question: Animal, did you say? What did you say?] I say, yuh kin even take yuh animals. Use it on a dog. Yuh kin use yuh uri- nate an' let 'im use - use it in 'is food an' he becomes domestic an' humble. So it is wit de female [what] dey kin do wit de male. She kin use dat an' make him become submistic [submissive] an' humble - make him become submistic an' huml ble tuh 'er - in ordah dat she kin handle him.
Entry 5744
Ah know about whut chew do wit de tracks. If yo' have a enemy or any- thin', anybody dislak yo' or anythin', an' dey wan' chew tuh leave town or sompin lak dat. Dey'll meet chew an' git chure track an' take it an' mix some dog hair an' cat hair. Yo' know cats an' dogs disagrees in anythin' lak dat. An' takes nine straight pins an' ben' dem tuhgethah, an' put dem in de fo'ks of de road, an' yo'll leave town. An' if it's a woman an' a man dat loved one anothah an' de' meet one 'nothah ag'in, dey be hatin' one 'nothah jis' lak cats an' dogs, be mad an' wanta fight an' kill up one 'nothah. No mattah how good dey is in love, dey git apart.
(This is to separate a man and his wife. Whose foot track do you take?)
Take his'n an' hers. Take his'n, yo' know, de lef' goin', an' bring it up ob yo' lak dis, an' take hers an' bring it up tuh yo'. An' mix it tuhgethah dt de hair out yore haid, if yo' kin git it. Eithah if yo' cain't git de hair oat dere haid, den git de dog's hair - yo' know, de bristles an' de cat's bris- tles, an' mix it tuhgethah wit nine straight [bent] pins.
(Wait a minute! You take the man's left foot, you say?)
De lef' foot track.
(And what about the woman's?)
Take de lef'. Uh-huh, take one goin' an' de othah one comin'. Dere's one aiie' one way an' de othah one comin' de othah way.
(Whose do you take going?)
Take de man's goin' or eithah de woman - it don' make no diff'rence, so dere's e goin' one way an' de othah one comin' de othah.
(And you bury this out at the forks of the road?)
At de fo'ks of de road, but chew mix dem cat bristles an' dog bristles wit dat track. Den take nine straight pins an' bend 'em. [Waycross, Ga., (093, 1760:6.]
Entry 5853
If yo' have a wife dat won't stay at home, always ready tuh run off. Well, now, if yo' kin cut de hair off a dog's tail an' git chew some hair outa her haid, an' put dat hair togethah an' wrap it up in a flannel rag, an' yo' bury dat at de do'step, an' dey all of 'em stay dere. Dey won't leave.
Entry 5854
Well, de slobber off a dog. Yessuh, yo' take yore hair an' put it on de roof of 'is tongue, an' den yo' give 'im somepin tuh make 'im go mad, see. An' dat causes yo' tuh go crazy. (What about the slobber then? He only slobbers after he goes mad, is that the idea?) Yes.
(That is to run you crazy?)
Yes.
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 5856
Yo' split de tail of a dog or rabbit, anythin', an' put dat person's hair on dat tail - lay it in dere, fold it an' lay it in dere, an' den sew dat tail back up an' wrap it up so dat it cain't come out. He'll grow back togethah, an' long as dat varmit livin', why dat person will be crazy minded - go tuh de 'sylum.
Entry 5857
I've seen 'em git hold of haah an' put a runnin' fits on people by takin' dat hāah, ball it up in sausage. Jis' take some of yo' hāah an' ball it up in sausage meat an' give it to a dog. When dat dog eat dat meat an' dat sausage will pass out dat dog, but dat haah won't come out. An' when dat dog have runnin' fits, yo'll have rrnnin' fits. [A runnin' fit is a leaving-home or wandering-about spell.]
Entry 6542
Tell me yo' kin take a dog hair, see, an' if dey cook it in yore bread an' git chew tuh eat it, it will fill yo' full of li'le things lak grubworms an' things. Eat chew up inside.
Entry 6687
They tell me that if you can get a hold of dog's hair and cat hair, and fix it so that it can get into the food of an individual, that after they eat it, if it stays in 'em for nine days, it turns to worms. And those worms get in their body on the inside and they finally die from the effect of it. [Elizabeth City, N. Car., (182), 554:9.] [Readers will notice I have changed the title of this subsection from the one originally given in volume 3 under CONTENTS FOR VOLUMES 3 AND 4. This change perely returns to my original title CURE AND PROTECTION in volume 1, pages 410- 519, emphasizing once again, as in the introductory comment that folk medicine in hoodoo or witchcraft has a protective or preventive side (p.3077). A com- plete list of cures and prevention of ailments and disease cannot be known until the completion of the INDEX to occupy all of volume 5.]
Entry 6782
If bitten by a dog, catch the dog, cut hair off end of his tail, bury under the steps. Keeps you from bein' poisoned. [This is an unusual version of 'the hair of the dog that bit you." Poison here does not mean hoodoo poison but rabies. Even so, persons could have been found who would have said some evil- ainded person sent a mad dog to bite the victim, thus making it a hoodoo poison affair.]
Entry 6783
Yo' take - jis' lak if a person has azmē, a dog dat 'is passage be turnin' white. Yo' git holt of it. Yo' take dat an' yo' burn dat an' put it intuh 'bacca an' let 'im [patient] smoke it, an' it's good fo' de azmē.
Entry 7277
Said dat he could take de man dat he killed an' jump ovah him dis way [demonstrates] an' den jump backwards, but he do's it fo' three times an' den he goes on away. An' dey said he can't be caught, de hounds can't trail 'im. [Forwards and backwards is one time; do three times.]
Entry 7289
Dey say yo kin go through a cow lot, slip through a cow lot where dere manure, an' dat will kill de odor, an' de dogs can't git de trail.
Entry 7291
Well, dat fellah will run till he git to a cow pasture, an' when he git to a cow pasture he go on through an' he step in de cow manure; jes' step on de cow manure an' jes' keep a-goin'. De dogs won't nevah ketch 'im.
Entry 7293
Jes' lak ah go an' kill someone an' ah wants tuh git away, see. Ah heard dat chew kin go in a cow stall an' put both foots in de cow manure, yo' understan', an' ah done walk on off an' de dog kinnot trail yo'. Don' care where ah go, de dog will come up to de stall - come dere an' stop right dere.
Entry 7295
A dog won't track yo', yeah. Yo' kin keeps dogs from trackin' yo'. Yo' mean bloodhoun's. Yo' go to a cow stable an' yo' run fourteen steps, yo' know steps, an' git cow [manure] - yo' know, quite natural yo'll put it in de tracks where yo' step an' den go round. Don't come back to de same tracks, go round, yo' know, leavin', an' dey can't track yo'. Dey stoppin' right dere.
(You take fourteen steps into what?)
Fourteen, yo' know. Lak yo' goin' off - ah mean, yo' done left de stable now. An' mean yo' goin' on off on yore way. (Oh! You walk through this cow manure and then you walk - you take fourteen steps. Then you make a circle around those fourteen steps and go on about your business.) Dey can't go a bit furthah den right dere when dey gits to dat.
Entry 7298
One thing yo' kin do, yo' kin go tuh a stable or a cow lot an' walk in dere. Den yo' kin take othah - somepin lak turpentine - jes' lak dat an' put on yore feet, an' de dogs couldn't trial yo'.
Entry 7300
Well, yo' kin take some spirits of turpentine an' wet chure shoe wit spirits of turpentine or undah yore feet, an' yo' kin - he won't bothah yo'. Eithah yo' kin run through a cow lot where a cow pasture is, an' dey ain't comin no fu'thah an' dat. De dogs cain't track yo'.
Entry 7301
(You mean, if they put dogs on your trail?)
Yes. All right. If yo' figure dey goin' to put dogs on yore trail, if yo' can jes' make it out of town, anywheres, jes' git a little turpentine an' put it in yore shoe. All right, de first place yo' can, git out in de woods where a cow at - fresh cow's manure dere. Yo' step in it an' yo' can walk right on anywhere yo' want to. Dere's nobody goin' to bothah yo'.
(Dogs won't track you?)
Naw, de dogs ain't goin' to track yo' atall.
Entry 7303
Ah heard dat jes' lak if yo' git in any trouble - anythin' lak dat - jes' lak if ah would kill a man or sompin othah an' ah wanted tuh git away, why ah would go den to a graveyard an' ah would git some graveyard dirt an' put it in both of mah shoes. Well, ah kin go - if it ain't nuthin but turpentine gum, it bes' tuh be turpentine spirits though, an' wet de bottom of mah foots in dat spirits. If ah can't git tuh de spirits, gits gum outa a car [truck collecting turpentine gum] an' jes' step in it. Go on, a dog can't trail yo' no way.
Entry 7304
Well, ah've heered 'em say dey do somepin sep'rate wit it. Dey take it an' kin take de graveyard dirt - now, jes' lak if yo' or ah wus on de [chain] gang an' ah Wanted [to] git away, why jes' if somebody git to a graveyard, ah would take dat dirt an' put it in mah shoes, right undah de sole, hollah of mah feet. Well, yo' see, a dog couldn't track dat.
The informant introduces hearsay and a conditional example. '[chain]' and '[to]' are editorial insertions within the printed speech; the tracking claim remains source-reported.
Entry 7305
An' dey put bloodhoun's in behin' yo' or sompin lak dat, yo' know, yo' kin go to de graveyard an' git some dirt out dere, all down to de elbow [dig in- to grave elbow-deep] yo' understan', an' take de graveyard dirt yo' know an' wear it in yore shoes. Keep sprinklin' it in yore shoes an' wear it.
The informant describes dirt from a graveyard in a hypothetical pursuit. The bracketed explanation of digging elbow-deep is editorial matter within the printed speech.
Entry 7306
Jes' lak if yo' would do somepin an' dey would git aftah yo', git de dogs aftah yo' or de hounds aftah yo' to ketch chew. Say yo' could go to a graveyard an' git some of de dirt an' git chure feet wet wit it. Wet chure feet an' put some of it in yore shoes. Dose dogs run yo' to de graveyard but dat's fur as dey could run yo'. Ah've heard dat.
The informant gives a hypothetical pursuit account and closes with 'Ah've heard dat'. The dirt and dog-tracking claim remains hearsay rather than a personal escape account.
Entry 7307
De reason yo' use graveyard dirt, lotta people jis' say fo' instance dey kill someone an' dey git away an' don't want 'em tuh track yo'. Yo' put some of dat graveyard dust in yore shoe. Well, de bloodhoun's won't trail yo' or nuthin. If yo' want git de bloodhoun's off yore trail [another method] den put red peppah in yore shoes.
(So that bloodhounds won't track you?)
Yes sir.
The informant reports hypothetical pursuit claims for graveyard dust and a separate red-pepper method. '[another method]' is editorial; the interviewer's question and the informant's answer remain separate.
Entry 7319
If yo' do anythin' an' gittin' away an' de dogs in behin' yo', go to a cemetery to a fresh grave an' run across a fresh grave an' git chew some dirt an' make yore track an' put dat fresh grave [dirt] in it. Take dat fresh graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it around in a circle an' go on off. An' de dog couldn't go no furthah den dat track from dat cemetery dirt from de fresh grave.
(You sprinkle it in a circle.)
Yes, make a circle round lak dat.
(Where do you make the circle around?)
Jes' where yo' standin' at. Jes' take yore dirt an' git chew a handful an' sprinkle it round like dat an' go on off dataway. De dog wouldn't come no fur- thah den dat dirt, where dat dirt at - couldn't pick it [track] up no mo'.
Entry 7323
A fellah could - jes' lak he kill someone an' he wanted tuh git away - go an' git some of dat graveyard dirt of de fella dat he killed an' wear it inhis shoe, an' den endurin' [during] de time dat he wearin' dat in 'is shoe - dat is, if dey wus crowdin' 'im wit dogs or somepin lak dat, go on through some big bunch of cows [to step in cow manure] an' go on about 'is business. An' de dogs couldn't trail 'im.
Entry 7324
Jes' lak if somebody kill somebody, well dey git de track dogs on dere track. Well dey kin go tuh de graveyard an' git graveyard dirt an' put it in de bottom of dere shoes. Well de track dogs couldn't track 'em. Also, dey kin git cayenne peppah an' put it in de bottom of dere shoes. Well dat cayenne peppah yo' know will strangle de dogs so dey git off de track.
Entry 7329
About de graveyard? Say if dey should do anythin' in de city an' dey wanta dodge de law or keep de dogs from trackin' 'em, dey go to de graveyard an' git de graveyard dirt an' put it in dey shoe; an' dey sprinkle a little turpen- tine, yo' know raw turpentine, in dere an' de dogs couldn't track 'em.
The informant describes a hypothetical attempt to evade pursuit using graveyard dirt with turpentine. The tracking claim remains source-reported.
Entry 7330
If yo' done a crime an' yo' don't want de houn' tuh track yo', go to a graveyard an' git dat fresh dirt - lak a party's been bur-ried [buried], today git de fresh dirt. An' rub de bottom of yore foot wit some turpentine an' dat dirt an' de dog can't track yo' no fu'thah. Wal ah know fren' of me done dat his- self.
Entry 7336
Take a onion - yo' bit a onion an' rub it on de bottom of yore feet an' de dog can't trail yo'.
Entry 7337
It [red onion] will grow back hair. Yo' take it an' rub it on a bald spot an' it will grow back hair. An' den it's good to keep dogs from runnin' yo'. Lak yo' a prisonah, gits out of a [chain] gang or anythin' lak dat, yo' put de salt an' [red] peppah an' de red onion togethah an' put it in yore shoes, an' dey can't run yo'.
Entry 7346
All right, if a man kills anybody an' he wants tuh run away an' dey can't ketch 'im, he gits down an' he takes jes' a little bit of turpentine an' puts it in de bottom of his shoe, an' he walks on de ground till he git to a railroad an' he pull off all his clothes an' throw it all 'way. Well, dem dogs cain't follah him a bit fu'thah den dat railroad. When he gits on de railroad, dey cain't follah him a bit fu'thah den dat railroad track.
(Why couldn't they follow the railroad track?)
Cuz dat's cold - see, dey cain't.
Entry 7349
Ah heard dat if yo' wuz tuh do anythin' an' run away an' dey put de dogs behin' yo', den if yo' wuz tuh keep gasoline an' spirits of turpentine on yore feet, den dey couldn't track yo'.
Entry 7350
Yes, in dis way: Ah don't know whethah it's fact dat de law couldn't find or not, but ah do know dis one thing. If yo' were tuh do sompin chere an' dey wus on yore - say, if dey had hounds runnin' yo' or sompin, yo' could put turpen- tine an' red peppah undah yore shoe sole an' dem dogs couldn't track yo' no fu'thah dan where yo' use dat material. Right dah dey'd lose track an' dey couldn't start it.
Entry 7791
If yo' wanta break up anybody, if yo' kin git de black cat hair an' black dog hair an' gunpowdah, an' graveyard dirt, an' wasp nest an' dirt daubah nest, put it tuhgethah an' mix it, an' shoot it an' dat'll break 'em up. (Where do they shoot this stuff?) Jes' put it on a li'le shovel an' throw it up out- do' at night. [The preceding word shoot has been retained by present informant in the baseball sense: he shot the ball to second base, meaning he threw it as hard or as fast as he could. Shoot can mean to send swiftly along as to shoot guestions at someone. Here we have an example of how original rites can be changed: A person may not own a gun, es- pecially the old-fashioned muzzle-loader implied here. Besides, shooting a gun at any time could attract attention. By using a shovel we return to rites of letting the wind blow things away.]
(Where do you do this?)
At chure home or anywheres.
(If I were trying to break up somebody, I would do that at my home?)
No, at dere house.
Entry 7911
If you want to go to stealing, you go to the graveyard and get some dirt off of a fresh grave and go into a man's yard, barn, and take anything they want and the dogs won't bother them. That would be his night password. [Informant 8 years old when Civil War began in 1860.]
Entry 8013
Ah learnt dat if somebody has enemies an' yo' wants tuh do 'way wit 'em or wants dem from roun' yo' or wants tuh kill 'em, yo' kin ketch a dog an' kill him, an' dig a hole an' place him in de hole flat on 'is back. An' whosomevah it is yo' has somepin 'ginst [against], yo' name de dog aftah dem as yo' bury him. An' yo' git 'im in an' all 'is feets up, an' as yo' fillin' up dis hole buryin' de dog, yo' tell it, say, "Ah'm buryin' yo' In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' ah hope yo' will move." An' jes' when yo' say move fill it up. An' dey cain't stay dere. Dey must go. Dat moves 'em away.
Entry 8015
Ah learn how yo' kin kill a dog. See, yo' kin take an' kill a dog, yo' know, an' dig a hole, see. Yo' put dis dog in de hole, undahstan', an' have his haid up, yo' see, an' have his feets up. See, have him propped up in dat dere hole good an' solid, undah- stand. An' den yo' take an' git a li'le of dat dog's blood. As yo' covah dat dog up, see, befo' - don' put no blood on top of de dog when yo' take de blood, but aftah yo' git 'im covahed up, den puts dirt on top of 'im yo' undahstan' an' put de blood on top of de dirt, on de grave. Jes' sprinkle it down in dere, sprinkle it good. See, yo' let it drop back down in dere an' yo' drop back heah. All right, de time when yo' kivahin' [covering] up dis heah grave wit dis dog in it, yo' name dis person nine times. Yo' name de person nine times. An' when yo' name de person nine times, aftah yo' name dis person nine times, why yo' keep on po'in'[pouring] dat down, an' yo' say, "Daid, daid, daid, ah hope yo' be dyin'." An' nine days aftah yo' name dis dog nine times an' covah him up, in nine days dem people is daid.
(You do this to get rid of an enemy?)
Yassuh.
Entry 8724
(Dog hair and cat hair, how do they use that?)
Well, yo' take dat dog hair an' dat cat hair together, an' yo." put maybe sompin, my name or yore name, anybody dat chew wanta call. Dey will fight lak cats an' dogs, man an' his wife. Yo' jes' put dere names together, an' yo' take dat cat an' dat dog hair an' yo' put it together, an yo' put red peppah an' sulphur wit dat an' yo' burn dat. Dat will cause 'em tuh fight lak cats an' dogs.
Entry 8937
To keep a dog from interfering with you, take a piece of biscuit or a piece of bread and wear it under your arm, then take that to any man's house, no matter how bad his dog is, give him that piece of bread, any hour of the night, and he will eat it, and you can go there and he won't do anything.
Entry 10360
If man and woman stuck, cut a black dog, rub some of the blood between them [then in a parenthesis I have: (slap it on three times? recheck). What that means is quite clear; use 3 times]. [Charleston, S. Car., 629:6.]
Entry 10361
Give woman dog blood, if she goes with another man they become stuck [Charleston, 617:4].
Entry 10655
Mah paw [father] said you could go to a hot [busy] red ants' bed an' get dem red antses an' bake it in some bread an' give it to a houn' dwag an' make im tree possum. [This is general folklore, not hoo- doo, but it was too good to omit! Besides maybe the hound was hoodooed! For another rite to make dog hunt better by feeding him ants, see the following rite, No.
(Your father told you that.)
Entry 10657
Ah tell yo' 'bout a red ant's bed. If yo' got a dog in yore yard an' want him tuh be bad, yo' kin put nine red ants' in some bread an' give 'im. Yo' couldn't even come in dat yard where he wus. Dat dog would tear yo' up.
Entry 10882
Well, if yo' livin' heah an' somebody want chew tuh move out, ah know whut dey kin do tuh make yo' move. Well, de way ah've heard it an' de way ah've seen it did, yo' git a black cat an' a dog an' make dem fight, an' git some of dat hair. Den yo' git some of whut dey do, de passage, an' dry it up tuhgether, an' put dat hair in it. While dey all growled up an bristeld up, yo' git some dat hair out dey back. Rub it tuhgether an' let it dry until it git plumb ontuh a powder. Put it in de stove an' parch it until it git tuh a powder. When it git tuh a powder, den yo' git somebody if yo' cain't go tuh de house, yo' git somebody else tuh go dere, yo' understan'. Dey go dere wit dat powder, have it hid, an' sprinkle it in de fo' corners of dat house. Dey'll move undah five days. Dey cain't stay dere. [I would call this a quasi- quincunx rite, the fifth point being the 5 days. At the moment I do not recall anything similar, though I am almost certain that there is.]
Entry 10883
If yo' wuz in dis house an' ah wuz in dis house an' ah wanted tuh make yo' move. Yo' know a cat an' a dog can't git 'long, if both stay at de same place, unless dey's raised tuhgethah, an' dey enemies against each othah anyway. Well, yo' take de dog hair an' de cat hair an' put it together. Take yo' some Red Devil Lye an' cuss 'em out. Tell 'em, "Go, yo'all can't stay tuhgethah, mus' go." Call his Dame. Jes' yo' wanted tuh move 'em an' cuss dem out. Sprinkle it down where dey gotta walk at, see. Cuss 'em out.
Entry 10884
If you want to break up a person, you kin take the dog hair, you know; like the bristles of cat's neck. You know, where bristles up, you understand. Where she bris- tles up back there. And then oa the dog's tail you cut out some hair, like if you Wanta break up a person. And you take and put that stuff together and puts some salt and some cayenne pep- per with it. And you write their name down 9 times. And you go and throw it in the fire, you say, "I wan' choo to fuss, fight and bust up: In the Name of the Lord." That's wha' choo do with that dog hair and that cat hair and things. Or else you kin take doze things, the cat hair and that, and you kin take it, you kin make a fuss in the home. You kin break up a person. Put the sugar and cay- enne pepper with it. You kin throw it all through the house, under the house.
Entry 10885
Yo' know a cat an' a dog don' lak one anothah, hardly evah see one dat's friendly. Yo' take some hair offa de dog's back an' offa cat's, an' yo' could mix it together an' put it in yore fiahplace an' burn it, or in yore heater or whatevah yo; got, an' dat'll make folks fall out. (Would I burn that in my house or take it over to the house where the people are that I want to fall out?) If yo' at they house an' they gotten a fiah, put it in they house.
Entry 10887
Take de hair out of a dog hair an' de hair out of a cat tail, or eit- her git it out of one of 'em's tail an' de other out one of dere haid - either one of dem animals. Yo' kin git dat an' put it together, an' when yo' put it together, yo' put it an' makes a ball of it. But den yo' wanta put it - yo' jes' have de least little bit of peppah in it, any kinda peppah, an' yo' make dat ball with a string to it. Put de string lak dat, but yo' take de biggest part of it now - chew git dat cat hair an' dat dog hair an' yo' put it in a piece of cloth an' den yo' git three pods of rat manure, an' yo' put dem in an' sew it up together. Yo' make dat ball together an' yo' kin come roun' - if it mah pump or mah bucket or any- thing, an' den yo' dump it in dere three times. An' den yo' throw it away. Dat'll broke us up fo' life, won't.enjoy life no mo'. Ah see dat done.
(You are supposed to go out and'drink that water?)
It jes' make us fall out fo'evah.
(If you drink the water?)
Entry 10888
( Git some of the hair off of a cat's neck an' git some hair from back of a dog's neck. You know a cat an' a dog will fight. An' put it together an git some pine straw [dried pine needles] and care it to the fork of a road an' burn it up. They say they'll go together no more; they say every time they meet one another they fight. [The male and female victims are not named here but the in- tention is there to identify them.]
Entry 10889
There Was another boy fell in love with her and she did with him and I went a trying to break 'em up. I goes and gets me dere lef' - a handful of dr dirt out of de lef' track from her and a handful of dirt out of his. I moxes doze two toget- her. I goes and gits me a dog, and I goes and gits me a cat, and I cuts de tip end off of each one of them's tail. I mixes them together with that sand all out of each one of doze tracks. I t'rows dem into a fire stove. I says, "Cats and dogs can't get along together, I'll be damn if you all shall." And it worked, broke dem right up.
Entry 10890
Take cat hairs an' dog hairs an' mix it together an' throw it around undah that house, an' nobody lives there. (Why won't they live there?) Why? Because when they git in there, it'll be confused so they cain't stay there. Dog and cats don' like each othah. Dat's whut chew call a black art trick.
Entry 10892
Well, the first thing that happened, this girl, other girl, was going with the woman's husband; and she [other girl] wanted the woman's husband for herself, and the woman wanted the husband at home. And she [other girl] told me that she was going to make them [husband and wife] get along bad. So she put some dog hair and some cat hair dat - you know, caught 'em fighting and cut the hair out of the dog and the cat, and put this hair together and put it in there, in his coat lining. And she say, whenever he go home that would cause he and his wife to get along bad, and they'd set up argue, fuss all the dune. Quite natural nobody wants to stay with anybody like that. After which, ohen they separated - the man and wife - den she wanted him back.
(The wife wanted him back?)
The wife wanted him back. And to get him back, she decided to get to him and soft talk, you know, love and talk to get him back home to have intercourse with hin, and then she was going to take part of his and keep it at home. She say she tie it in a rag and put a silver dime in the corner of the rag, and she stick it under her bed mattress, and that would make him to come back to where be left froa.
(Well, then, did he come back?)
Yes, he came back.
(Oh, he came back all right.)
Entry 10893
Take some of yore hair an' wrap it up wit some of your dfscharge an' put it on a dog's back or either a cat. Jis' take a strand of thread an' take yore hair an' tie it in a little knot right to their [the dog's] hair. (Tie to them in the back and the back of a dog?) Yessuh. (Well, what is going to ' happen then?) Well, the dog runs - he goes about an' dat puts chew tuh walkin' an' den yo' jis' wander on away.
(And the cat the same way?)
Yes. (That is all you have to do, use this hair and this discharge and tie it. What do you mean by discharge?) [I have discussed this problem elsewhere.] Yes. Well, it's jis' lak yo' know, yo' know if yo' have a interco'se, yo' see. (You do that if you want to get rid of the person? Who does this, the woman to the man or the man to the woman?) They both kin do it - de either one de same way.
Entry 10894
Any kind of cat hair and a he dog and a she cat to run a person away - break 'em up.
(How do you do that?)
You take this hair and you mix it all up together like that - the hair of the dog and the cat. The dog and cat don't mate together. Call this man John. Jis' say, Mary, you and John can't stay together. Well, then you get this gunpowder and you get nine pods of red pepper, and you put that all together. Don't burn it in de house. Make a fire out in de yard and burn it, and make your wishes and they gone apart.
Entry 10897
I've heard of dey usin' cat hair or dog hair or - I'll tell you. You kin take a dog and you git some hair right from her rear end, you understand; right near where at she do busi- ness, you understand. All right. You take dat hair and you swinge [singe] it, you see. You gits enough [hair] so you kin swinge it, where you kin find it after you done it. You put it on a piece of clot'. Why you jes' set a match to it and swinge it, see. "Fore [before] it burn too much, why you put it out, you smother it you see. After you smother it, de clot' you burn it on, why you don't take it off dat cloth. You jes' tie it up right in dat same cloth, you see. All right, you put nine knots in dat. After you tie it up you put nine knots in it, and perhaps you tie it around your waist, or you could make a sling and put it around your neck, or you could sew it up in your weskit [vest] lining, or sompin like dat, or coat linin', or dere's several ways to tote it. See. Why dat's de way you do wit dat [cat] hair proposition.
(What good will it do you to carry that hair?)
That stand fer a lotta things: dey kin pass poison [you] and it won't hurt you. You can do anything you want with it.
Entry 10902
You clip de hair off de dog W'ere he bris'led up, a bad dog, an' a he cat. An' yo' mix that hair together jis' like yo'd mix up salt an' peppah. Then mix that wit de person name. You kin use like that an' yo' kin make a per- son move. You take de dog hair an' cat hair, an' yo' mix it jis' like yo' do salt an' peppah, an' yo' put this red ciyine [cayenne] peppah wit it. Yo' git bitter aloes, Yo' git yo' some John de Conkah root; not the powder, yo' git de root, yo' boil that. Yo' mix this dog hair an' cat hair together, an' yo' have that in a big bucket with hot peppah [pepper sauce] in there and war watah. An' whosomevah it is you want to move you take it to de house an' sprinkle de porch, chuck it back under de steps. An' de next day they cross over it, de next mornin', comin' out. It jis' make 'em move.
Entry 10904
Yo' kin cut dat out from dog's - out from back de dog's neck an' yo' kin cut it out from back of de cat's neck, an' yo' put it at chure do', yo' see. See, dat separates man an' his wife. See, de cat an' de dog squabblin'. An' yo' jis' tangle dat hair up together an' yo' jis' put it down aroun' an' dey will separate.
Entry 10906
Take the - like they got a white dog. Well, you see, they [white dogs] make white - white stuff you know, down here. Well, you take that [white manure] and when that's dry, get the dirt dau- ber and get that cay- enne pepper, Epso salts, black pepper, salt, and red pepper- the red cayenne pep- per. You [know] the regular red cayenne pepper. And take some of the hair out of the dog's back and some out of the cat's back. You know cats and dogs can't agree. You know they'll fight. Well, they put all that together and fix it up, and then throw it around peoples' houses and make them fight.
Entry 10907
Git de cat hair an' de dog hair an' mix it together, an'( den when yo' mix it toget- her, den yo' git chew some dis same brimstone; an' burn anywhere outdo's, an' it will 'sturb a community, 'cause confusion.
Entry 10917
Tie together hair from dog's back and hair from cat's back and nail it some place; every time they meet they will fight. [Richmond, Va., 306:2.]
Entry 10918
Mix cat hair and dog hair, burn, put ashes in house to cause disagreements, fighting, etc. [Richmond, Va., 378:4.]
Entry 10920
Mix hair from a male dog and a female cat, burn and make wishes to break up a man and woman. [Elizabeth City, N. Car., 394:1.]
Entry 10921
Make a cat and dog fight, take hair from each, burn this on the prop- erty line between the parties you want to have fight. [Norfolk, Va., 492:4.]
Entry 10923
Tie cat hair and dog hair together, burn near a house, and it will break up the couple living there. [Charleston, S. Car., 541:1.]
Entry 10924
Mix cat hair, dog hair, red pepper, dragon's blood, candle wax, burn; person getting scent of this will have "roaming mind." [Charleston, S. Car., 610:12.]
Entry 10930
A cat or a dog, when yo' see 'em round in yore yard, it's either a sign of death or sickness. [At the moment I do not recall ever having heard this rite before. It shows the fear or awe of strange animals, the unusual of any kind!]
Entry 11136
Not a milk cow, but git de whut-dey-call-it cow.
(The bull?)
Yes. If yo' kin git dat, den yo'll take dat an' a white dog's nunbah two. Dat [these two] be made up in a powdah an' yo'll sprinkle dat anywhere yo' passes an' de people pass, an' de' cain't git a job no way. Dey cain't git a job noway. But chew put peppah an' yo' put dat salt an' anything lak dat an' yo' put dem hot things in dere. Dat'll keep 'en aigoin'
[Number two = dung.]
Entry 11293
Ah heard dat dey take de dog, if a woman wanted tuh git somebody outa her way - no doubt if, it jes' a friend of hers [get rid of a rival]. Den, if she Would take de dog, prob'ly kill de dog an' take de dog's heart - it wasn't de livah - it was de heart of a dog, an' den take de heart [center] out from undah his hoof [pawl. Jes' take dat piece of meat out from undah his foot dere, an' take de heart of a dog. An' yo' takes dat an' yo' cooks it an' yo' makes a salve out of it, jes' cook it down tuh a salve. Take de watah off or de grease or whatevah it is. If yo' jes' git dis on her any place - jes' git some of it on her any place, fo' five [4 or 5] diff'ren' times, den yo' could cause dis wo- man jes' tuh run an' huffer jes' lak de dog does. Jes' run jes' lak yo' see a dog run 'long wit his tongue hangin' out. Well, dis woman she would git jes' lak de dog [less attractive to man both were after].
Entry 11294
Ketch a dog and git his - see, de place in a dog's face right heah where [demonstrates]. Pull dat hair out. An' jes' in de middle of his back, de same amount of hair dat yo' pull out of his face. An' put it into a rag, a spotless white cloth er rag. An' yo' put chew some sulphur an' yo' put chew some gunpowder in dere - gunpowder and sulphur. Yo' tie dat up in dere and make out lak yo' workin' in de yard. As yo' workin' roun' de yard, take a look an' see if yo' see either one of dem would have yore - ef yo' worried about yore husband. If yo' see either one of dem comin' past yore house, yo' jest take it up an' take it ovah to heah an' throw it dis way [demon- strates]. Jest drop dat thing down.. "Co'se it got a little gunpowder an' it will pop an' it will break 'em up. Dat will break dem up, ah know dat. (That is if this woman is fooling around with your husband, you do that to break them up.)
Entry 11298
Certain kind of things about de bristle of a dog. Git de bristle of a dog, nine strands [hairs] of it. An' yo' git dat bristle an' yo' know, yo' kin take it an' wrap it up. Ball de clothes up in it an' he be mad all de time. No satis- faction no way atall. Mad all de time an' den he'll jest naturally go crazy.
(You just get these bristles from the dog.)
People say dey know dat shore to be done.
Entry 11308
Take a cat, or either a dog, an' if he won't stay home.... Yo' let de dog in de do' - lak dat do' dere - an' den pull de do' to an' den pull him out, jes' enough to git some of dat hair in dat do'. An' den he won't go off nowhere, Won' stay off.
Entry 11317
(What's that?)
(Bull dog manure?)
Bull dog manure. They'll take bull dog manure and wasp nest. Parch them down to a powder. It'll 'come pulverized like powder. Put them together and mix them. Come to your home where you and your wife been getting along nice and smooth Walk right in that home and talk with your old woman, just come right in the house and throw it around.
(Just sprinkle it around?)
Yes. You begin to squabble and fight and the next thing you know, why one of you is gone away from there.
(I see.) I see.)
Entry 12476
Well, if a person do sompin an' dey wanta git away an' dey got 'em trail'-lak, say fo' instance, dey put de policemen on dere track or put de bloodhoun's. Dey git bloodhoun's behin' 'em an' trail 'em. Dey git a piece of beef livah an' jes' rub dat blood in de bottom of dere shoes. Dey git 'em some garlic an' chop garlic up an' put it all in de bottom of dere shoes. An' wheresomevah dey makes a track, kin nuthin trail 'em.
Entry 12488
Graveyard dirt in shoes to keep dogs off trall. [Known everyvbere.]
[Newport News 506:3; Charleston 601:3; Vicksburg 1043:1.]
Entry 8576
Take yo' a thread string an' put chew nine knots in it an', as ah would say, use a cat an' a dog, an' yo' git some hair from de back of dere neck, an' jes' make a bundle of it, yo' know, altogether an' put chew nine knots in de thread an' bury it right in dat do' there. An' yo'll nevah come inside chere. Yo'll always pass by, yo' wouldn't nevah have no visitors to stop heah.
(That's to keep somebody from coming in or to make them leave the house?)
Dat's if yo' heah, yo'll leave heah an' yo' won't nevah come back heah; or if: it's anybody yo' don't want tuh come in heah, yo' do dat an' dey won't come in heah. But yo' should have dey name, de person name in that. (Now you tie the nine knots in the thread after you have wrapped it in this bundle?) [That was not a sensible thing to say, even though informant's words about the knots are ambigious.] Yeah, yo' tie nine knots in de thread an' put it in de bundle wit de hair of de dog an' de cat.
Entry 10276
I know at one time a woman and a man were very familiar towards each other, they would do anything they were inclined to do. So at last one day this woman decided that she would take the measure [circumfer- ence] and the length of her sweetheart. And after doing so - just as if you would go and measure a dog's tail. I don't care how bad the dog is, I don't care how much stranger he is, you can measure his tail and take the length of the measure and bury it at your doorstep, and that dog will never depart from you. So this woman, after taking the measurement of this man, goes to work. Then she decreed that, I want this man for myself individual. She would go to work and take this measurement, and wrap it up in a bundle and put it in a bottle, and put this measurement in her trunk, with a small quantity of her urine with this; and stopped it up and put it in her trunk and let it remain. And this man then would always forever be ravish with her and always wanting to get to her. You measure with a piece of string, stick, anything. You put that in the bottle with the urine. The man, you measure the length; the woman, you measure the size. He would do the same sort of thing with her measure. [Hamp- ton (Old Point Comfort), Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 10881
Well, jes' lak dis, if ah wus de type of dis kind, dat ah wouldn't wanta see a woman an' a man gittin' along, see, an' ah wanted tuh part dem. Listen good - an' when dis dog an' ket. Yo' know kets an' dogs will quarrel some- time. Well, when dis dog make dis ket kinda angry, dis cat will bring up her fur on her back. Well, an' de same time yo' take a knife or scissors - shears, at least yo' should call 'em, an' cut a little piece of dat.
(Cut a little piece of what?)
De hair out de ket's back. Listen, an' a little of de dog, when dey in dat angry nood [mood] - jes' lak dey would be angry, yo' know. An' yo' take dat an' sew it up in piece of black cloth, whut chew would call broadcloth. An' bury it under de steps, an' dey couldn't git along nohow in de world.
Entry 10886
Take a black cat hair, dog hair - don't make no difference whut kinda dog - an' nine grains of peppah an' some of dey urinate, an' put it in a bottle. An' if yo' wanta break up any- body, take dat nine grains of peppah, Heart Cologne, an' dat dog an' cat hair, an' bury it where dey walk, either one of 'em. Dey git so dey soon bust up.
Entry 10910
Used for back luck, too. They take a dog's hair and a cat's hair and put it together, and the person's name with it, and sew it up together an' bury it close to that person's house. And they'll want to kill everybody in that house. They get together like cats and dogs and they're fighting and killing one another and scratching and biting going on something terrible.
Entry 10911
Dog manure an' dog hair - see, dey gotta git dat dog an' cat tuh fightin'; see, if yo' Wanta separate a man an' a woman. See, yo' git - lak mah, ah have two little white dogs now. Well, yo' git a cat an' git dem tuh fightin' an' clip de hair right quick while dey both mad. Yo' put dat tuhgethah, dat cat hair 'de dog hair, an' dog manure an' cat manure, an' rat manure. Well, yo' ba de three things don' git along, don't chew? Yo' know de cat hates de rat 'de dog hates de cat. So yo' throw dat in dere. It really separate any man wife an' it will make 'em move. Throw it in de room, jis' lak ah come in ah. Fo' instance, ah wanta have sompin in mah han'. Ah could be sittin' heah 'd coald be jis' sprinklin' it aroun'. [I replaced the original four-letter odd by amure.]
Entry 10914
I know what they do with that. Just like if you has a sweetheart and she done left you and is living with someone else, well you take this dog hair and cat hair and you mix it to- gether, see. And you get you a lemon. (A lemon?) Yes, and you cut this lemon open and you stick this dog hair and cat hair in there with their name - their full name. Put it in there and mix it together with cayenne pepper - in the lemon - and bury it and they never get along.
Entry 10916
Heard dem say if folks wanta give you bad luck, dey kin go to grave- yard and git graveyard dust. And they kin take - and dey kin git some hair off a dog's back and cut de hair off a black cat's tail, and bury it under yore door, and dat will give you bad luck. (All those things together?) Suah [sir], all dem together and tie dem in a sack and put it under yo' door and give yo' bad luck.
Entry 11297
If someone done any harm to yo', yo' ketch yo' a dog - not chure dog, neither yore cat - an' yo' take dis dog an' shave de hair from right underneath his tail, right dead up close to his tail as pos- sible. Shave it off an' take dat an' take an aig, an' break dis aig an' take de yellah out of it an' leave de white, an' den yo' put dis hair in dat shell. Den yo' set it in de stove wit a little sulphur in it an' parch it. Jes' set it in dere lak yo' bake a apple an' set it in dere till it's parched till it crumble down de center. Don't yo' have to mash it - jes' crumble down in de pan. Den yo' take it out an' bury it at de front step. Dis individual who have done somepin to yo' will come back - come back to yo' an' beg yore pardon - either [or] he will go so far away till yo'll nevah have no contact wit him any mo'. Dat's whut dat'111 do. (That is all you have to do - use that dog hair and that eggshell and the sulphur?) An' de sulphur.
Entry 11306
Yes, sir, ah heah 'em say if yo' got a dog. Ah hear'd 'em say if yo' have a dog at yuh house an' dat dog keep goin' in somebody's house, or won't stay away, yo' kin take some of de hair out 'is tail, an' take it an' put some salt wit it, an' take it an' bury it at yuh steps, undah yuh steps. Dey say dat dog'll nevah leave dere no more. (I see, that keeps the dog at home.) [The addition of salt to this rite is not common.]
Entry 11314
Take a dog's hair if he's bad - mean, cut off de end of his tail an' bury it right down to de do'step, an' he'll be all right.
Entry 12900
[These following rites, excepting a few new locations of beliefs and a detail or two, add little to the dog rites in volume 3, numbers 2408-2419.] Dey tell me, dat if you having trouble in yore home with your family, dat if yo' wanta ketch 'em so dat yo' know who it is yo' havin' trouble with, dey tell De to takes yo' a piece of dog liver an' give it to yore wife, an' whenever dis fellah come back in dere, why he'll be fastened dere an' stay until yo' come.
[W11son 2647:16.]
Entry 4378
Yuh take yuh passage [excrement], yuh take dat an' stop it up in a bottle. Yuh kin take de hair offa end of a dog tail, a black dog, an' put it in dat bottle. An' squeeze dat lemon juice on it. An' it's no mo' tuh it. Yuh take dat bottle an' bury it. Yuh cain't make no passage no mo'.
Entry 4579
On a dog's tail an' cat's. Three stran's of dog hair an' three stran's of cat hair an' put it in dat bow. [See later.]
(This bow on a man's hatband?) Yes. An' dat'll run 'im crazy. (What you do is let it stay on thebow?)
Yes, put it in de bow of de hat an' let it stay dere.
(Three strands from the dog's tail and three strands from the cat's?)
Three stran's.
(From where?)
From undah 'is tail. Yuh know dat an' kinda plat it tuhgethah-like an' put it right in dat little bow on de hat.
Entry 10353
Penis captivus caused by rubbing person with dog semen or juice, which must be taken when two dogs are hung together or just separated. [Petersburg, 425:2; Newport News, 496:7; and from slut only Elizabeth City, 407:6].
The short account names dogs and cites three sources; a bracketed note restricts 'from slut only' to the Elizabeth City citation.
Entry 10356
Woman takes new piece of cloth, wipes both dogs; woman does this, but she must not "discharge" [whatever that means here] but let man "discharge"; sews rag [this new cloth] up in pillow, he can't have anyone but her [Norfolk, 457:2].
The short account says both dogs are wiped with a cloth. It expressly leaves the meaning of 'discharge' uncertain.
Entry 10357
"To tie" or 'to line man, takes the fluid when 2 dogs come apart, wife wipes down with it [Norfolk, 487:1].
The short account associates fluid with '2 dogs come apart' in a reported tie/line account; its clipped wording remains unchanged.
Entry 12903
To make the man stick, use liver from male dog; to catch woman, use liver from female dog. [Charleston 612:3.]
The item distinguishes male-dog liver for one stated aim and female-dog liver for another; neither claimed result is established.
Entry 12905
"Use a black dog wit a woman; a cur wit a man. Kill black dog after that [dog] has copulated, bury liver under leak of house; ' woman and other man tied. [That word copulated looks like my substitution for a more usual word. The remaining part of the liver used is buried under the drainspot from the roof.] [Charleston 629:9.]
The opening instruction names a black dog and a cur; the editor later flags a probable word substitution in the same item.
Entry 11303
They say you can put something on them and they will howl like a dog.
[Newport News, Va., Ediphone, informant No.28.]
The report says unnamed targets will 'howl like a dog.' Dog is a comparison, and no actual animal or demonstrated effect is established.