Subject:Feathers
Other forms: Feather
Entries
Entry 572
Well, this is fact - ah seen this. Ah went with a girl once to a hoodoo an' her husban' wus sick, an' he wus with anothah woman. See. An' he stayed sick, jes' goin' bad. An' so he tole her tuh go back an' look in de pillah an' she'd find a ball of strange feathers in dere. An' so she went back and she got de feathers out an' it wus a ball of owl feathers dat he wus sleepin' on. Yo' see, yo' take dose owl feathers an' yo' put 'em in yore pillah, see dey won't mix - dey ain't goin' mix wit de othah feathers, dey'll ball up together. An' sleep on it, see, an' dat runs yo' crazy, kill yo'.
(What did they do with them then, those feathers?)
Dey took 'em an' throwed 'em in de rivah, an' dat runs de othah person on 'bout dere business.
(The hoodoo man - was he colored or white?)
He wus colored.
Entry 3153
Take a black hen feathah. An' yo' know when yo' pull it out 'is wing, yo' git a little bit of juice in dere. An' sprinkle dat 'cross a woman, see. Or yo' kin sprinkle it in yore han' an' rub it in yore han' [and rub across a woman]. Dat's if yo' got a woman dat yo' don't wanta have nobody else. Jes' sprinkle dat in yore han' an' rub it in yore han' an' [rub it across her]. If a man tetch her, she fastened jes' lak a dog.
Entry 4076
Git de feathah from a black chicken, if yo' a man thirsty fo' a woman, in love wit 'er. Yo' take dat feathah from a black chicken an' yo' manage tuh git some of 'er ministra- tion. Now, de way ah've heard dis: if yo' kin git some of 'er ministration, an' yo' put dat wit dat feathah in dere. Den yo' take dat feathah an' put it in a bottle an' yo' put yo'self some spirits of tur- pentine in dere. Yo' put some dis othah stuff [urine? semen?]. Put some quinine in dere. An' den yo' take dat piece [hatband] or de bow, eithah one, outa yore hat, an' put it in dere. Let dat stay right dere nine days. [Auto horn.] Aftah nine days yo' bury dat thin' right somewhere 'bout de no'th cornah of yore chim- ley in de groun'. Den yo' go out dere an' yo' make watah on dat dere fo' nine days. Yo' pee on dat fo' nine days. Den dat dere - dat draws 'er 'fection to yo'.
Entry 5731
They take the right footprint and take this and wrap that in a rag. And put High John de Conquer and Adam-and-Eve, and they said a eagle's feather, and put that in a [the same] rag. And cut a hole with a auger in a green tree and put that in there. And strike nine licks on the stopper that chew put in there for nine days. And you do that in the morning before sunrise and then do it before you speak to anybody in the moring. That will put the person in a lingering condition and will finally die.
Entry 5840
Co'se yo' kin take, really. [a person's hair] an' ball it up wit hen feathahs an' throw it into runnin' watah wit yore left hand. Dat will run a person off. Yo' kin [take] hair, anybody's hair yo' know, an' knead it wit hen feathahs an' throw it into runnin' watah an' run any- body off - any kinda hen feathah an' throw it wit chure lef' han'.
Entry 6151
Yo' kin take a man's hair, or eithah a woman's, an' yo' kin take dere hair an' a chicken feathah outa de top of 'is head.
(A feather off the top of a chicken's head?)
Yes sir, an' wear it in yore stockin's or about roun' yore waist or somewhere. Den yo' - den dat'll make dat man or woman can't do no way, yo' can't go nowhere. (Can't go with other women or other men?) Yes, sir. (You have to take that person's hair and a chicken feather from the top of a chicken's head?) An' de hair from de top of 'is head.
Entry 6178
Well, it's anothah thing about de hair. Dey kin take de hair an' gain de influence or love of a woman, by yo' takin' it eithah to a lovedove [love- bird]. Git dat lovedove an' take de feathahs from 'im wit'out 'im bein' bushin' up or anythin' - yo' know, pick dem. Put 'em in de stove an' let 'em parch yo' know good an' dry. Den yo' take some of de hair from de lady - woman. Well, she take all dat an' make a powdah of dat. Well, first she'll put some of dat on yo' an' den she take de rest of it wit dat Adam-an'-Eve root. Den she wear dat in a bag, see. Well, dat will gain de influence of love wit 'er - well, it cause two peo- ples tuh come to git married.
(She put some of her water - urine did you say?)
She put some of her [hair].
(From her head?)
Yes.
(And she puts them with these dove feathers that have been burnt up?)
Yes - yo' know, make a powder of it.
(And put it in this bag and wear it?)
Yeah, aftah she put some on de othah - on de man.
(Where does she put them on him?)
Jes' anywhere on 'is body while he's sleep. Den she take de rest of it an' she wears it in heah jes' in a bag, but she have to take a Adam-an'-Eve root, yo' know, tuh git de rest of de good out of it.
Entry 6179
Git dis dirt daubah nest an' chicken feathahs an' dat hair of de in- dividual, yo' know, dat dey'll wanta use, an' mix dat all up togethah, an' sew it in a little round piece, an' dey put one of dose papahs on it an' burn it. An' dat runs 'em crazy sometimes, especially, yo' know, if dey git enough amount of dere hair.
Entry 6240
One woman said once dat chew bo' a hole in a tree on de no'th side, a red oak tree, scrape de bark off. An' scrape off de first bark an' den scrape off de second bark, an' den bo' dat hole in de so'th side of a tree. Dat's fo' de hair. An' dey take yore hair an' a bird feathah, sompin wild feather, lak birds are wild things, an' fix wit it an' stop it up in dere. Say dat will run yo' crazy. Dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 6660
Sleepin' on a feathah mattress. Yo' kin take snake eggs an' put 'em in a chicken - [I mean] in a mattress where de feathahs is, yo' undahstan'. An' dem feathahs goin' birth dem eggs. Yo' undahstan'. See, dey got li'le bits of eggs an' dey'll birth dem eggs. An dem feathahs birth dem eggs. An' long as dem - aftah dem eggs hatched, dem snakes'll be in dere, yo' undahstan'. An' yo' sleep on dere an' it'll dry yo' up, jis' lak if yo' had consumption. An' yore lungs will be jis'as solid as dey is right now. [Solid lungs right now I do not understand.]
Entry 6725
Yo' take dat, but it must be a black chicken, black feathahs, an' yo' put it in a bucket. Take de feathahs an' put it in a bucket an' burn 'em while dey havin' spells. Jes' let 'em hol' dere nose right down ovah it lak dat, an' dey soon vell. Dey won' have no mo'.
Entry 6726
Dat's de way ah heard about a friz- zled chicken. Take a frizzled chicken an' if dere any poison aroun' yore house, if anybody put down any poison fo' yo' an' yo' got a frizzled chicken in dere, he git it up.
Entry 7207
Yo' kin take a sock.
(Take a what?)
Take one yuh socks an' now, what dey put in dat sock, now ah couldn't tell yuh. Take one of dose socks an' pin it. Ah know personally dis wuz done becuz it wuz quite natchel, yo' know, ah had a brothah a [that way], yo' undahstan'. Ah'm explain' tuh yuh good. He had a vein, a open vein, here, along here, along here an' right up dere [demonstrates]. [He was] hurt [tricked], yo' see. Dat's called swollen veins. (What kind of veins, swollen?) Swollen veins. Undahstan'? Well, yo' take dat sock. An' now, whut yo' put it in [in it], ah couldn't tell yo'. Dey put it - but take one of yuh socks. It wuz a black sock ah had, black silk sock. Mah sistah bring- ed it up chere. Ah wuz down dere two yeahs ago. Ah wuz down dere in '36. Well, ah'm gittin' it straight now. Dat yeah, dat's about right, ah wuz down dere in '36. We found dat sock, las' yeah: was '37, round, oh ah'd say round about de 20th of July, an' dat sock had - ah couldn't even lay on dat pillah [pillow]. Yo' undahstan', if yo' lay on dat pillah it hurt yuh haid, but now aftah - if yo'laid on it, an' den if yo' lak dat, if yo' don' git dat cured, yo' stay lak dat. One mawnin', see, when she found dat sock, it wuz balled up wit de feathahs in it. But whut wuz in dat sock wit dose feathahs, we couldn't tell, yo' know. It's quite natchel dat yo'd be scared. Cuz it only cost me $50 tuh git rid of dat. Well, now, ah tell yo' what she [doctor] did tuh git rid of dat. Ah went tuh a lady, undahstan'. She told me, say, "Ah'll cure yo'." An' told me where ah goes. Told me ah wuz hurt an' ah cain't stand tuh drink whiskey long, account dat vein bein' swollen, yo' undahstan' [demonstrates].
(This vein runs right?)
Straight through me.
(Right straight along your back, that swollen vein?)
Yes, sir. An' ah went tuh dis lady, see, an' she tole me, say, "He's got a thing hid." Told me jis' lak whut it wus lak. She live on 923 [Something Street]. Ah'm try- in' tuh think of de name. Yo' kin put dat down, two diff'ren' things. But any- way, nevah mind about dat.
(Oh, that's all right.)
An' she commence right here an' measured dat place right here, right dere [demonstrates]. She say, "Dere's a knot dere."
(Right here, where?)
Dere's a knot or somepin. Well, she massaged dat knot an' rubbed it an' she tell me, say, "Yo' go home an' go tuh de druggist." Now, listen good. "Go tuh de druggist an' git a bottle of household - do yo' heah dat?"
(Yes.)
Household ammonia.
(Household ammonia.)
Household ammonia. You git a box of Epsom salts. Yo' git chew dat much salt- petah. Yo' won't want make too much. Dat much saltpetah. Yo' put dat in yuh bath watah. Don't put no salt in it - ah mean not salt, don't put no soap in it. But aftah dat, dat cleah ammonia. Dat's all. Jis' lak in place of puttin' soap in it, put dat household ammonia in dere an' dat saltpetah an' de Epsom salts in dis watah. An' takes yuh bath in it. Nine nights do dat.
(Nine nights?)
Nine nights an' throw de water tuh wherevah de sun risin' at. An' it'll soor cure yo' of de trouble. Well, dat's whut ah did. Well, it cured me.
(That's what cured you?)
It cured me. Now, here's de way. Now, ah'll take, jis' lak, yo' got tuh start it. It deal wit pain [demonstrates].
(Right from the top of your head.)
See dat li'le knot dere, see dat knot dere. It's a pain right dere. Well, now, yo' jis' put dat [mixture] on. It'll move from dere, start from right dere tuh here [demonstrates]. (It'll move from the top of your head down to the bottom - the back of your neck.) Back tuh dis here [demonstrates]. Dat narrah [narrow] eyeball bone.
(The pain is right behind the eyeball?)
Eyeball. Leads from dis eye right chere, right chere. Here's de othah. An' right along dere it's knots be showin' dere, an' it feels though dere's somepin inside. Some knots showin' dere. Well, dis lady tole me dat it wuz done through whiskey. Say, "But chew looks an' yo' will find it in yuh mattress," she say. But it wusn't in no mattress. It wuz in a feathah pillah; an' yo' would find vhutevah it is in dere. It wuz wrapped up. An' she tole me when ah find it, burn it up. Well, dat's quite nachel, 'cuz ah did dat, see. Ah burned it up in de fiah. Well, now, mah sistah, yo' see, when she slept on dis pillah, it burt 'er haid so dat she'd move dat pillah. But it wasn't fo' her, it wuz fixed fo' me. Whut fer? Yo' see some people wanta hurt me. An' ah wanta explain dis sah way, 'cuz yo' know ah nevah done used explainin'. An' ah, ah'se jes' explain zahself.
Entry 8086
Turn 'im [his photo- graph] down tuh de ground an' make a wish wit dat black hen feathah an' yore wishes will come true. An' at de dawn of day, read a chaptah ~ read de 36th chaptah of de Psalms of David. Yo' pray tuh God an' ast 'im fo' whut chew want an' yo'll be purtty lucky tuh git it. (Use the person's photograph. How do you use that black feather? What do you do with that?) Lay it across de pichure, turn it [picture] down tuh de ground.
(Face it down.)
Entry 8902
Chicken feathahs - a black chicken. Take black chicken feathahs an' put hit undah de steps. Whenevah a person steal or anythin' lak dat from yo', when yo' expectin' somebody tuh come in on yo', don't chew know, befo' dis chicken die, put dem feathah undah dere, an' dat'll scare dem away. (If somebody is coming fn to steal something from you?) Yes, if yo' expectin' a burglah tuh come in, yo' git three feathahs out of 'is left wing befo' he die an' bury dem undah yore steps. An' whenevah he comes aroun' tuh bothah or anythin', why dat chicken will run 'im away from dere.
Entry 8993
Yo' wanta know 'bout whut ah would do to keep people 'way from me. Ah go ketch one dese wild birds an' ah pull a feather out of his right wing an' burn it, an' burn quick- silvah with it, an' ah sprinkle this around the co'thouse do'. Well, dat beat 'em in all sech case.
(That is to beat a lawsuit case.)
Entry 10176
A bird's nest - a person can take some of your hair and put it in that bird's nest, you see. And take some of that bird's feathers and put that in there and then take your hair and put it in there. And then every, every morn- ing they take and set a light [candle] right in there [the nest] but not burn the nest. Just take that light and set that light in there [in a drinking glass]. And if they want to do you harm, get you some coarse snuff [often leaf of dried tobacco rubbed in hands] some hot pepper [sauce] and put it in there. And burn a light on it for nine mornings - you see, one hour for [each] nine days.
Entry 10566
Yo' kin use a bat an' git his blood under- stan' or either git a feather off of a bat an' it's luck; either git a feather off of a bat an' it's lucky. If yo' git a bat an' it stay in de house a certain length of time, it's a sign of death, if he fly in de house.
Entry 10711
( Git de featbers out de bird nest aa' bar den, an' dey take dat an' put it in a person's hat, an' dat runs 'en crazy.
[Mephis, 1519:8.]
Entry 10841
Taking a buzzard feath- er an' bury it to yore do'step an' dat'll drift yo' 'way - make yo' leave home. Way- cross, Ga., (1095), 1766:4.]
Entry 10842
Git de buzzard feath- ers. Burn dem all around yore place or jest burn 'em in yore yard - anything. Now, dey are very lucky.
Entry 10843
Ef ah wanta run yo' crazy an' ah don't like yo' nohow, ah lin take a buzzard's feather. Ah'll go tuh yore house an' ah'll take dat buzzard feather an' ah'll ran 'em 'bout fur as yore do', an' den yo'll git foolish, an' gamder aroun'.
(You just put it over the door?)
Uh-huh ovah de do'.
Entry 10844
Wal, dey tell me yo' kin take a feather out of a buzzard, yo' know ane dose ole bone feathers, an' keep dat an' yo' cleans yore teeth. Scrub yore teeth. Dey say dat's a perfect medicine to you. Dat's all ah evah heard. Ah don't know no hoodoo aboat a buzzard feather. (That's to preserve yoer teeth.)
Entry 10960
Dey use de chicken's blood fo' evilness, but now, it's somepin else dat dey have tuh use wit it. Dey takes chicken blood an' writes people's name wit it. Dey have tuh use a feathah. Dey take de feathah out of de chickens tail. Take an' write a person's name wit chicken's blood an' kill 'em. Why yo' uses dat feathah fo' yore pencil an' yo' kin write dere name in de fo' cornahs on anything an' fold de fo' cornahs, jes' lak dat. Why dat gives 'em a awful mind. If it don't kill 'em it will jes' [have] dem passin' away all de time. (What do you do with that paper then, after it has those names on it?) Take dat papah aftah yo' put dat name on it an' bury it in undah dey do'steps or any place wit dat chicken blood on it. Yo' write dey name wit de chicken's blood, dey perfect [full] name fo' times on de fo' cornahs of dat papah, an' fold it an' bury it undah dere do'steps or undah yores, any- body's elses. It don't make any diff'rence jes' since it's in de earth. An' as dat chicken blood passes away, why it gives yo' success. Dey cain't stay any place.
Entry 11017
Now, yo' kin take a underweah, a underweah whut yo' got on yore chest like dis heah [evidently opened shirt to show underwear]. Don't ca' if it's a thick one or either a thin one - underweah. An' ah kin take dat, an' three rooster feathah - hen or rooster, any kind. Ain't gotta be but one kinda feathah, dat's de feathah come out de wing. All right yo' promise me yo' gonna [not work in Savannah!]. Dat woman ovah dere, yo' understan', suh. Yo' wanta bring her back jes' lak yo' got life in yore body an' ah got life in mah body. Well, ah kin git dat [done] jes' as easy as anything. Jes' git dem three feathah lak ah telled yo'. Understand, an' git dere undahweah, an go right out in de woods to a green pine sapling. It isn't goin' dirty yo', an' git chew a rusty nail - not no new nail - a rusty nail an' put dat undahweah jes' lak dis heah [demonstrates].
(Put that underwear up against the tree.)
Put dat undahweahs on dat pine saplin'. Yo' understan' whut ah mean? Yo' take dem three feathah an' put 'em lak dat [demonstrates], yo' understan'.
(Put the three feathers on the underwear.)
Put de underweah dere first to de tree - yo' listen whut ah'm speakin' - an' take de three feathahs an' put 'em lak dis heah Idemonstratesl. But yo' stick dat nail 'fore yo' nail dat underweah, understand, where [demonstrates] nail de undershirt up dere an' dem feathah right dere. All right, den chew go back. Don' teli none of her fren's. Dey don't [know] whut chew been doin'. In eight day's time she'll be to yo' residence.
(That's all you have to do to bring that woman back?)
(You put her underwear up there. You put the nail up there an' put [hang]
the underwear on it with the feathers?) The chicken ain't gotta be daid atall. [Pull the feathers out of a live rooster.]
Entry 11018
Now, dere one chicken feathah you could use, to do any harm, dat's a frizzly fowl. A frizzly fowl is good and is bad, onnerstand. Now, yo' kin take a feathah from de top of a frizzly fowl's head and you kin take a feathah from de top of a frizzly fowl's back. And you kin take dat feathah what you git from de frizzly fowl and take one new pin and pin dem two feathah togethah and I kin take dem feathah and put 'em in your bosom or anybody's bosom and you is a crazy man ovahnight - in an hour.
(Supposed to make him lose his mind?)
Yes, sir, crazy fer de next. Yo' kin put 'em in dere dis hour and de next hour somebody gotta tie 'em down.
(Well, what else can you do with that Frizzly hen? Can you do anything else?)
Yes, you kin use de bun gut, you know.
(Gut? The intestine? The testicle?)
[My preceding questions merely ask for more information. The meaning of the word bun in the sense of anus or buttocks I had known for years, but bum gut did not penetrate immediately because I had translated the words into rotten gut
[stomach trouble, etc.l also a folk term.]
Dat's real good. You kin take dat and kill a nation. [You can kill a nation because of all that hoodoo poison that goes through a frizzly hen - see margin title DOCTOR FRIZZLY Pp.59-63, v.1, and many places.]
(How Would you do that?)
Well, you take dat and you cook a soup. Cook in a chicken soup, onnerstand. Well, I hate dat house dere. I wanna poison dat whole house, but dey is my neighbors. Well, I git dat soup and carry over dere, go across wit it.
(You poison them?)
De whole house. But now you gotta put in dat, Doc - des scrape dem in it - de fingernails. Keep dem dirty and scrape 'em - [into the soup].
Entry 11019
(Ever hear of them using chicken feathers for anything?) [An old note of mine adds: Always asked this question to see whether Negro believed in witch wreath.] Well, er...ah.... Jis' lak a person doin' somepin tah yo an' yo' wanta git rd of 'en, yo' take some of de feathahs outa dey bed shere dey sleep at an' yo' put dis oil of bergamine [bergamot] an' sweet oil togethah an' jis' grease dose feathah with 'em, dat chew got out de bed from where dey sleep. Jis' grease dose feathahs with 'em an' take 'em an' put 'em in a can or somepin an stop 'em up, an' take 'em tuh de south side of a tree not very far from dey house an' bury it dere. See. An' when dem dere feathahs will finally pine away - dey'll jis' pine away tuh nuthin. Dey jis' git sick an' dey sick on dey stomick an' dey jis' ache all ovah. An' it jis' sompin lak de rheumatism an' cain't no doctor [M.D.] do 'em no good an' event'ly dey'll die.
Entry 11020
If you wanta break up individuals - you has chickens in de yard and you wanna break up a woman an' a man. You feed de chickens and you ketch hold de rooster's tail, pull a feather out of dat. He fly away and you ketch his tail, you know. You call de pus- son name and say, "Yah big so-and-so from so-and-so, " you understand, dat break de man away.
(You say that as the rooster flies away. You pull the feather out.)
Yo' git hold dat feather and say, "Break up so-and-so with so-and-so." If yo' wanna break a woman loose from a man, you pull de feather out of a hen.
Entry 11021
Black chicken's feather. You kin take that and you - you git de feathers from a jet-black hen and you git to de party's bed and you stick it right between de pillowcase and de pillow. Let them sleep on it. And it'll cause their sudden death. It may be in some other part of de house or in their sleep. Just as quick as that.
Entry 11022
Well, yo' take those chicken feathers - you know, jest like you take 'em and burn 'em. Put 'em in a piece of tin and burn 'em, and then take the ashes from 'em and you know - burn 'em, don't put much [feathers], jest put a [few] after you dry 'em and - they jest look like powder. Then you put it in the water and drink off it and make yo' franzy. You know, you hear of people being franzy, yo' know. Makes you franzy-minded. Not criticize, you know what ah mean. [Unknown to informant this could be a black chicken feathers rite, or black feather could have been mentioned before recording began.
Entry 11023
jes' lak yo' have a sweetheart an' yo' want him tuh come tuh love yo' [want him to fall in love with you]. Yo' want him tuh come tuh love yo', yo' take an' draw de feathers out of dat cock's tail, an yo' press 'em three times in his hand. An' den yo' take his [dis?] hand [hand] an put it into yore right hand pocket an' look him dead in his eyes an' den kiss 'im, an' he will take sides with yo'.
(You take the feathers out of any cock's tail?)
Yes sir. [Surely the woman does not put the man's hand into her right pocket! She takes feathers, probably 3, from the rooster's tail and presses them into the man's hand 3 times to absorb his perspiration. The feathers themselves become a hand or jomo. This she puts into her own right pocket.]
Entry 11024
Ah heard of 'em using chicken feathers tuh make 'em move. Well, dey take de chicken feathers - dere's a mice [sounds like lice] on every chicken feather, chicken mice [mice?]. (You mean lice?) Lice. Dey takes dem lices offa dat chicken an' take his haid, his bill, an' beat dat up fine an' put some kerosene an' some sulphur in it, an' dat'll make yo' move. Put it in yore mattress or under de haid of yore bed.
Entry 11025
Dey use chicken feathers dey say fo' bad luck. Probably if yo' got some chickens or sompin lak dat an' ah wanta make yo' have bad luck, ah kin take de feathers from yore chick- ens and burn 'em in mah stove. See, an' use de ashes an' dese chicken fea- thers an' take 'em an' sprinkle 'em all round yore house. Dat will cause all yore chickens tuh die, or someone in yore family to die, or sompin lak dat. Dat's whut de' call a re- buke to a family. Or either if ah should happen to have tuh buy a chicken or sompin lak dat, ah kin git some of yore dirt from roun' in yore yard where yo' have travel on, an' use it an' burn it an' cause yo' tuh have bad luck to some of yore family or either probably to yo'.
Entry 11026
You kin get a black hen's feather, git chew a little black molasses, and take you a little of dis ole card weed, they use to call it - grow in de fields. (Card weed?) Dat's right. It bears a long seed-like along in de fall of de year, and it's a lot of yellow dust on dat. You git chew one of dem, git de longest one yo' kin find. If yo' go to a bush, git de longest one yo' kin find. You take dis chicken feather and dis black molasses and you boil it like a tea- like. And you kin slip some of dat to a fellow and it ain't very long 'fore dat Weed will sprout into his veins. [At one time I thought this weed might be the card teasel or cardthistle. I'll leave this for the expert in folk names for plants.]
(You boil this weed and the molasses and the feather all together?)
Yes.
(And how do you give to him?)
Well you gotta slip it in somepin dat he eats.
(Oh I see, and this weed will sprout in him. What will that do?)
It don't sprout into his system, it forms into his veins; just cripples hi up, bad laigs.
Entry 11027
[That is] bad luck around the place. That [is] the cross. Yo' just put them in an old pa d put them in the back yard, and smoke them around the place wherever they want the person to leave fro, or don't want them to get along.
(What kind of feathers do you put in the pan?)
Black feathers, black chicken feathers.
Entry 11028
Ah've heard of 'em usin' dem jest tuh bring luck to de bome.
(How do they do that?)
Dey burn de chicken feathers, yo' know, jest lak ah'd have me a pan an' ah jest git me some of dat same sulphur an' brimstone an' dem chicken feathers. Now, they are lucky. Ah know dat fo' a fact, ah've tried it. An' yo' burn dem around de house. Now, dey are lucky.
Entry 11029
Cuz' if yo' do, it jis' move yo' away. Jis' lak de dust be goin', yo'll be goin'.
(What is this about now?)
If yo' burn chicken feathers in de yard an' jis' lak yo' burn 'em an' where de smoke go, yo'll be gittin' out dere an' yo'll go, too. (What do you do with chicken feathers, when you kill a chicken then?) Well, yo' take an' put 'em in a sack, dry 'em; put 'em in a sack an' dry 'em an' put 'em in our pillahs - make pillahs. Dat's all we do's. (How do you get rid of them? You don't keep all your chicken feathers. What do you do with them to get rid of them, then?) Ah keep all de chicken feathers. [These people I talked to, almost all of them living alone and poor, bought few live chickens.]
Entry 11030
Like you sleep on dis pillah, well if I kin git a chance to steal dat pillah while you away, well I will open dis pillah up and git de feathers out of it. And I will leave them all over and I will slip it down to a running stream. (What do you do with those feathers then?) With de feathers, wrap them up in dis bag or rag, dish- rag, bundle 'em up, an' ah throw 'em in de running stream and dey go away.
Entry 11031
Yo' kin take black chicken feathers an' take nine of 'em an', yo' know, tie de ends of 'em together an' hang 'em up ovah anybody's haid. An' every time dey walk in dere, dey'll feel funny an' dey won't even stay dere no mo'. (You take these nine feathers from a black chicken and tie them together like a necklace?) Yes sir, tie 'em together an' hang 'em up ovah anybody's haid where dey gotta pass at.
Entry 11032
Suppose that you leave home and the woman want to bring you back home, Want you to come home. Now, what will she do? She'll take a feather out of a rooster and get a forked stick, like this [demonstrates] cut it off here, stick a feather in that, by splitting it, you know. And stick the rooster feather in it, and name that rooster feather for whatever de man is named. And stick it in de back yard, where she want him to come, just with the top of it out, and he'll come back.
[Here is the forked or "Y" stick.]
(Just the top up with the feathers on the two sticks up?)
De fork [corrects me by demonstrating]. (You put the fork down in the ground. And that handle - so the handle is split with the feather in it?) That's it.
(But you cover that up a little bit?)
You cover up de wood but leave the feathers sticking out.
(Oh, you leave the feather sticking out. I see.)
Because the feather is named him - is named for him. Leave the feather sticking out. Say, now like, "John, I want you to come home and stay here." You stick that down with the feather out, and John will come.
(John will come home.)
[While machine is turned off, informant explains and I repeat it.]
(Now, "John, go away from home." You prepare it the same way and bury it. Then they take it up? Then he'll leave home?)
[Informant repeats what I had missed.]
Now, if you want John to go from home, why you just name that same thing to John and carry it out from home and bury it and den he won't come home. (Oh, you bury it away from home! But if you want him to come, you bury it in the back yard?) Yes, sir. [A note of mine in green ink years ago reads: notice symbolism. I suppose this means: to bring back, the handle or stem of the Y stands up人; to send away it stands Y - the shooting away position for a rubber-shooter. For a similar "Y" fork rite, see in wishbone rite in No.]
Entry 11033
Dey take a black hen feather an' take dat an' put it in some blood, an' den keep dat in a jar, an' dat'll keep yo' from bein' fussin' an' argument [arguing] all de time.
(What kind of blood do you put that in?)
Oh, yo' have to have some of de one whut chew thinkin' of, whut chew love. (Get some of their blood on this feather and keep it locked up and that is to make them love you?) Yes. Ah say yo' kin git a black hen an' take dat feather an' put it in blood of somebody whut chew love an' put it - but yo' gotta have it in dat jar or a bot- tle or sompin. Stop dat up an' keep it dere, so dat same party will be thick wit chew all de time.
Entry 11034
Ah heard dem usin' a chicken feather. Yo' take a black hen feather an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' stop it up airtight. Dat's good fo' luck.
(You carry that for luck.)
Entry 11035
I've heerd of 'em usin' chicken feathers - feathers, bluestone an' saltpeter an' sulphur. Yo' place dem things together an' yo' would take 'em an' burn 'em into yore house. Jest say, fo' an instamce ah wanted to make yo' leave, ah could take all dat stuff a' place it into de house an' burn it fo' three days, an' dere ain't no way in de vorld yo' kin stay in dese house. Yo'd have to leave, ain't no joke.
Entry 11036
Ah've heard dey take feathers - take an' cut de feathers an' burn 'em an' throw de ashes out. Jes' lak yo'd be worriet wit somebody dat chew didn't want around, yo' takes de feathers an' burn 'em an' throws 'em [out] an' den when- evah yo' throw de feathers out, dey tell me dat throws out chure friendship. Jes' lak if dey love tuh come tuh see yo', an' yo' didn't want 'em dere or somepin lak dat. Dat breaks up friend- ship between yo' an' dis person.
Entry 11327
(Your mother was sick?)
Uh-huh an' de doctor said dat somebody had put somepin down for 'er. So I kin remembah dat he dug up - you know, dey had dese fireplaces, an' he had taken up threw whole bricks. [I] remembah when he'd taken up dese bricks. Dey had a bot- tle buried an' had a form as a baby wit feathahs. Dat Was sewed up in a piece of yellah cotton [or unbleached homespun] an' in dat - see, he opened it - an' in dat dey had a red piece of flannen an' red cayenne peppah intuh dis bag. An' dis baby had its legs an' feet an' arms made outa feathahs.
(Chicken feathers?)
Chicken feathahs. An' some of 'er hair was in dis bag. An' so he tole my mothah tuh leave it tuh him, dat he would 'tend tuh dat bag. So, well, I don' think he did anythin' good enough. But still he put somepin else down dere, but my mothah always said dat whoevah put dat stuff down; dat dis man instead of workin' fuh 'er, he was workin' fuh de people what put it down. An' she didn't give him dat. [Patient keeping doll baby is most unusual. Poor doctor!] (Well, how was your mother sick? I mean - how did she happen to call him in? How did it start?) She had, she was kept wit dese wretched headaches, you know, an' she had de [medical] doctor, couldn't do nuthin. She kept sick all de time an' was jes' pinin' away tuh nuthin. An' so somebody told 'er tuh see one of dese root doc- tors. An' so she got one. An' de time he come dere, he says, "Yes, dere's somepin right here." An' she [said], "Dere's somepin dere? Go get it." He went an' got it. Looked like he know right where 'twas.
(Was it inside of the house or outside?)
Inside de house, in dat hearth, 'neath de three bricks, an' dere it was all laid out fer 'er. (Was this thing in a - what did you say the name of the thing, this feather thing was in?) In a, you know, a bag, in a yellah cotton bag. Was made on purpose fer it, so it would be shaped all of de baby.
(The bag was in that shape, too.)
[The bag was a baby doll form stuffed with feathers.]
Uh-huh. Dey done fixed it an' had made it out of feathahs, an' put it down fer 'er. Now, my mother's ['s = was] sick all de time.