Subject:Footprints
Entries
Entry 12692
Yo' heard of de polecat - a skunk. [Informant assumes they are the same animal, but some comment later.] Yo' git dis polecat muss [musk]. Dis [this] muss of a pole- cat is lak a perfume [like the muskox] yo' know. It smell, yo' know - loud yo' know. Git dat an' when he [rent collector or some unwanted person] comes back to yore house de second time - he ben [been] up dere, been dere de first time but he came back de second time. Take dat polecat muss [from an animal's scent bag] an' jes' sprinkle it aroun' - sprinkle it to 'em [sprinkle it away from your house]. Yo' won't be bothered wit him no mo'. [Magically this tremendous odor falls into some of visitor's first-visit footprints, which are still a part of the visitor and will affect him, driving him away if he returns.] (You mean anybody that is bothering you, or collecting bills or anything of that sort?) Take de polecat [musk or scent] an' sprinkle on his [visitor's tracks], why den yo' through wit him fo'evah. [The names polecat (Mustela putorius) an European animal, and skunk (Mephitis mephitis) a North American animal, are frequently in general speech interchange- able in the United States of America. Our animal here is a skunk. I have in- dexed or located it here in the "P" rather than in the "s" division of CHANNEL DE WORLD because it will precede a somewhat similar rite, one about the drop- pings, not any musk scent from the porpoise. Yet to both informants both sub- stances are evacuations.]
Entry 5681
Dey could go on down den an' dey could take yore track an' put it in a tater [potato].
(You mean an Irish potato?)
No sir, a potatuh, a sweet potatuh. Take yore track an' put it in a sweet potatuh an' stop it back up an' put a peg in dat tatuh an' throw it in de rivah, an' yondah yo' go. (That's to send you away?) Send joo right on away.
(Do they take both tracks or what?)
Take de lef' track, an' ag'in dey could take yore right.
Entry 1864
Well, if yo' comes to his house an' start away, dey take up de track an' chunk it tuhwards yo' an' yo' won't go back dere no mo'.
Entry 1865
Like if someone leave home an' you want 'em to come back, you take an' sweep dey track right back in de fiahplace an' dey're bound to come back.
Entry 1870
I heard dat dey could take your foot track, if you are talkin' to some- one an' they don't wan' chew to go. If you for example - you and your boy friend are together and he wants to make you follow him all aroun' the street, he'll turn you aroun'. He jes' take you by the hand and turn you aroun', all the way aroun' in your foot track, and take up your foot track he turnt roun' in and trow it over her [your] right shoulder and make you follow him fer der rest of your life. A boy does that to his girl or a girl can do that to her boy friend.
Entry 5311
If yo' wan'a git rid of 'em, don' wan' 'em come back tuh yore house, yo' take up dere track, de lef' foot track, an' carry it tuh a big ole - where a lota big ole red antses 'bout lak dat. Ah heard dey said yo' could take an' carry it dere an' put it intuh dat ants bed. Yo' have tuh go fo' nine mawnin's an' drop a little bit of dat track intuh de ant bed, an' den yo' really sure dat dey will not come back. Said dey will not come back.
Entry 5336
Yo' kin take up de track of a person, de hollah of de track of a per- son's feet, an' sew it up in sompin an' shet it airtight. An' dey will nevah rise, neithah fall, jes' be at one model stage. Ah have seen some people do dat.
Entry 5363
Take dat foot track up on a spade...bury it...dat'll cause yuh tuh leave.
Entry 5391
Dey say if yo' kin have a foot track - a person kin have a footprint. Yo' kin take de footprint of a person. Well, ah think dey say it's yure right foot. An' jes' take de print up jes' lak yo' would take up a print an' carry it home an' bury it undah yure do'steps. If it's yure enemy, he'll come tuh yo' fo' bread. Dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 5773
Dey kin take yore track an' stop it up an' go an' throw it in runnin' gatah. See, dat keep yo goin', keep yo' on de go. Yo' won' be satisfied no- ohere yo' go.
Entry 5774
Den when yo' walk out de yard, take de foot of it when yo' walkin' take dat track, dat lef' one, an' throw dat ovahbo'd. Dat'll run yo' away.
(Which foot did you say?)
Dat left foot [demonstrates].
(And you are bringing it back from the toe to the heel?)
Yes.
Entry 11478
FOOT TRACKS ALONE - for this special collection of hand-and-foot rites in CHANNEL DE WORLD - begins here. Foot track itself is an amazing part of HOODO0, occupying pages 2818-2937 in volume 4! Even this does not include those foot-track rites in the 1 1/2 volumes of interviews, or those rites where foot- track is not the principal ingredient. Finally, we must always remember that foot track originally was not the track of a shoe but a footprint of the bare foot containing perspiration and odor: "Take it [a person's foot track] and stop it up in a bottle and they tell me it'll kill you." [I would say this was a fast death rather than a slow death - these terms from HOODOO. A note of mine reads: After I asked (informant) which track, he said right. Do not use specification. In other words, if informant does not mention right or left, the choice is unimportant.] [Wilmington 202:3+ 85.]
Entry 11495
At forks of roads pick up left foot track, mix with dirt dauber nest, and drop into a gray horse track to "put you to traveling." [Notice the 4 travel agencies!] [Mobile, Ala., 971:3.]
Entry 11499
Take up dey foot track and put it in a bottle or a sack, bury under steps, "will hold you around the house or job." [Vicksburg 990:12.]
Entry 11537
"Yo' kin take a person's foot track. Start to de heel an' take it up to de toe an' put it into a dry place an' don't let it be where it kin git wet, an' den dey can't stay nowhere." [Sumter 2413:6.]
Entry 11551
"Get a piece of paper and measure their footprint and take that up in a dark place - in a dark closet, and spit 3 times at this in the dark and walk away. They claim that makes a person foolish, he won't stay no place at all."
[Fredericksburg by Ediphone.]
Entry 11552
"Take a person's footprint and measure it, and plant it in the ground, and they would be cripple from it." [Baltimore 59:1.]
Entry 11605
"Dey take dat foot track and put it in a piece of clot' and sew it P and take it to a rivah an' t'row it overboard...you'll mostly have to follow dat foot track. You go ovahboard and drown." [Charleston 574:3.]
Entry 899
A girl hurt me, got betweeen me and a boy. I had two children for him. I was noticin' how she come aroun' and talk to him and things, and I didn't pay it no mind. I taken it for a joke. Well, it wasn't a joke. And so this girl got between me and him. And so she got my track and got two three-penny nails, she got my left track, and put them in a little white sack and bury it under mah door. And so mah feet went to swelling, and legs, and I didn't pay it much attention. I worked right on. And after awhile I got so I couldn't you know, it pained me. So I went de doctor and the doctor he bathed me for it, and it looked like all he did wouldn't do me no good. So an old lady, she lived aroun' there, told me to go to some kind of other, a root doctor. And I did. And so he told me that I was hurt, and told me I couldn't git it up from de door. He says I have to git somebody else to git it or git him. So I give him a dollar and told him to dig it up from mah door. So he did. And he told me what it was. And so he say he'd take this stuff and put it to her door and that's the onlyest way he could have it turmed off of me. And he turned it back On her. Well, she Was in the same condition. I got well.
Entry 1867
Hit wus a girl ah wus goin' wit an' ah been goin' wit her fo' sometime, 'bout a couple of yeahs, an' anothah boy come 'long an' got in 'twixt us, had her tuh de place she wouldn't pay me no 'tenshun 'tall. So ah goes to a ole fren' of mine dat wus a root worker, an' ah explained it to him an' he tole me, he say, "If ah kin git to it right at once." Said, "Soon as yo' kin git a chance, git some dirt out of de hollow of her foot track, at de left foot." Says, "Yo' ties it up in a pocket han'kerchief."
(That is your pocket handkerchief?)
Yessuh, mah pocket han'kerchief, an' he said, "Wet it wit Heart's Cologne an' yo' wear dat in yore pocket." An' so it wus about six or seven days, she wus in de field hoein' cotton an' ah walks close to de field an' ah got chance tuh git dis dirt, an' ah tied it up in de pocket han'kerchief an' goes on tuh town an' ah bought a bottle of cologne an' ah wet it. An' fo' 'bout a week an' a half ah say it wusn't any good, say, "Aw dere ain't nuthin tuh dis." But still ah carried - tryin' tuh see her. So dat Satiday evenin' ah seen her fatah an' he tole me, says, "Noble says she wants tuh see yo'." Tole him, "Okay." Well, ah try tuh stick out [hold back from going to see her]. An' so dat Sunday evenin' she came up on de church an' axed me, say, "Whut's de trouble?" Yo' hasn't been roun?" Say, "Well, yo' lak So-an'-So, didn't think dere's any use." An' from dat ah an' her start goin' tuhgether. An' ah went with her until she died an' dere wus no trouble atall. Lots of boys tried tuh go with her an' dey had lotsa money an' all, but ah didn't have any mo' trouble. Ah kept dat sack dere until aftah she died.
Entry 11490
Well, tuh make dem quarrel and git apart, if yo' kin git a woman track - de least bit out of her track, eithah one - an' go an' buy dis ground up peppah. Go in de henhouse and git de dried-hard-up [dried up hard] hen turd [dung]. Pound it all up tuhgethah. Git some of yore friends, if yo' can't do it yo'self, tuh go dere an' sprinkle some of dat in dey stove, an' if yo' go dere dey be quarrellin' - send 'em tuh jail tuh settle it. She git so outright mad until she hardly will fix dat dinnah or breakfas'. She's ready tuh leave yo'.
(That is to cause confusion in the home?)
Yes.
Entry 5362
Scrape de dirt an' put it in a sack.
(This dirt from the foot track. And what do you do with that?)
Yessuh, jis' bury it right in de ground. Dat will run 'em. Or if yo' don' wan' 'em come to yore home, yo' kin do harm wit it.
Entry 5656
Ah heard dat chew have tuh take nine spoonfuls of dirt outa dis per- son's track as dey go 'way from de house. Jis' go 'long an' take nine tracks of dey tracks, nine of dey tracks, yo' know, jis' lake one, two, three - nine. Git nine pinches of dirt outa each one dose tracks, dey said, an' bottle it up an' dey nevah would come back any mo'. (You get nine pinches out of these nine tracks or you get nine spoonsfuls. Which do you get?) Dey said nine spoonfuls.
(You take nine tracks, one right after the other.)
Yes sir, de way dey goin' from de house.
Entry 5948
Well, mah sistah, dey nevah did git along, dey'd always be hollerin' an' goin' on an' fussin'. I guess he got between 'er an' some man. She wuz tuh marry someone else an' dis fellah tol' 'er dat he wuz gon'a have 'er. Of co'se she nevah would - she took it tuh be a joke. An' sure enough he got revenge. So he taken, I guess by goin' tuh bed or somepin lak dat, he taken an' cut some hair from de top of 'er haid, an' 'er track, an' raked it fo'ward lak dat, from de heel to de toe, an' put it in some Hearts of Cologne an' put it in runnin' watah. An' she went crazy an' fin'lly she died.
Entry 11493
(That's to keep him. Now, if you want to run him away, what do you do?) Well, if you wanta run him away, you get his left track and take dat and bury it underneath de doorstep, and go dere every morning for nine mornings and say somepin to it, and he will never come back any more.
(What do you say to it?) Yo' jes' say, "I hope he'll never come back any more." (That is if you run him away.)
Entry 43
A woman right here in Beaufort Street, she got holt of a man's foot track and took it and while it was hard, you know, and put it in a bottle and took it in her house and put it right in front of her door - wrapped it up in a silk cloth and put it in front of her door and used it as a door stop, and as long as dat was dere why he would come back. When she moved she didn't take that with her and de [other] people moved in that house. Long as dis bag was dere he kept coming back looking fer her. He always was coming back looking fer her and de people would tell him that she didn't live there any more - kept coming back - coming back.
Entry 789
There wus a man by the name of E., lived about three miles from here. My mother and father in their younger days dey used to believe in cunjuration. My mother got sick an' always complaintin' with her feet, an' so she sends fer this man, whu' choo call dese high men, an' he come over an' tole her whu' choo call her fortune. He says, "A woman has measured yore foot, foot track." An' he says, "She's got it buried under yore step." He says, "You'll not git well until this here measure is taken from under yore steps." So he says, "I'll have it taken up fer so-an'-so much money." An' she tole 'im she'd give it to 'im - or her father tole 'im he'd give it to 'im - to go ahead an' have it taken up. An' anyhow, he says, "You wait until the third day [magic delay] - on the third day," he says, "I'll come over here at seven O'clock," he says, "an' I'll have this measure takened up. So anyhow, when he went under the steps that night [three days later] - I'll tell you my belief after I end my story - and he come out wid a little stick about that long wid nine notches cut into this stick. [Notches are unusual, knots are common.] It was so many on one side of the stick, the notches, and so many on the other side - jis' the same you scallop anything. [Scallop - this is an old-time waterman and oysterman talking.] He come out an' he showed 'em this stick that was buried under the steps. Next, the thing he hauled out an' shows 'em wus a little red bag [a hand], that long - a red flannel bag about that long. So the next thing he shows 'em wus a little bottle [another hand] wid a whole lot of little somepin or others in it. I don't know whut wus in it - it looked like snake sheds or some kinda sheds. He comes out with that an' he shows 'em an' says, "That's whut wus buried under yore steps." I figured on that after awhile - I figure on it - an' then I had my opinion. I jis' thought that he'd put it under there hisself. That's sixty years ago [1876] on the Island here. [I was talking to this old man in the Negro home where I worked and in which I was about to spend the night described in the Introduction. His name was F. Milburn - this was Tuesday, December 8, 1936.]
Entry 1123
I've heard of them taking black pepper and putting it in the shoe to keep a person from getting the dirt out of their footprint. They said the footprint won't register in the sand if they have black pepper in the shoe. [Snow Hill, Md., (83), 2:22; Nansemond Co., Va.] [Black pepper like red pepper usually occurs in combinations of ingredients; it being less frequently used than red.]
Entry 1866
(Suppose a man is running around with another woman and his wife wants to break it up and make him stay at home. What would she do to make him stay around the house?) She would tie him to herself with footsteps; her footsteps and yours. She would tie him around her.
(Well, how would she do that?)
You get in there - some of de steps coming in, she ties that, takes de dust - I mean de track from your foot and she brings that in and takes her foot track and brings that in and she tacks dat under de carpet or at foot of de door. That holds you there. There's two spirits of two people.
Entry 1869
An' a man - de only thing to do to make him come back, when yo' be goin' out git de dirt out of nine of his tracks right in de palm of his foot - yo' know where he step on - de palm, an' take it, an' take de chewin' gum out of yore mouth, an' his hair. Yo' git close enough to git some of his hair out of his haid. An' put it in a bottle an' bury it under his room where he's supposed tuh sleep - yo' know, that's if he yore husband, an' bury it undah his room. An' then yo' go to that bottle twice a week an' tell it, says, ask it - close yore eyes an' ask if he wus really comin' back. An' they say them little things in dat bottle will turn round an' round, an' den nine days after dat, he be back.
(She puts this hair and his track and this chewing gum in this bottle?)
In de bottle an' bury it under his room.
Entry 3880
So well, dey do so much wit chure footprints. Now, dey say perhaps, if dey wanted to git aftah yuh sure 'nuff [enough], dey would have to git sompin inside of yuh. Dey would have to git sompin othah inside of yuh to make it work, to make it take well. Now, dey go to work to get somepin othah in yuh now. Ah tell yuh how it is. Dere's nuthin too low fer some wimmin to do's - nuthin in de world. Now, ah've seen wimmin, ah've known wimmin, dey even totes livah undah dere dress, all-like dis mawnin' until prob'bly time fer yuh [a man] to come in [to eat]. An' cook it an' a little of dere, yo' know, in wit it an' season it up wit onion. An' yo' eat dat, why dey hardly [= strongly here] got chew fixed dere way.
Entry 3934
[Take] de toe of de socks, an' git a piece of de middle, an' take dat socks an' 'er periods cloth.
(NoW you are taking her sock and her period cloth or are you taking my socks?)
Her socks an' her periods cloth. An' git some of de hair from roun' 'er pri- vate down dere, an' a little from offa heah, de mole of 'er haid, an' put it all togethah an' step to de do'. If yo' see her go outside in de yard, step to de do' an' ketch up as much of 'er track, lak dat, an' put it altogethah dere. An' ball it up an' sew it up tight as yo' kin git it, see. An' bury dat an' put in de mattress or de pillah right where she puts 'er haid. An' yo' got 'er jes' as yo' wanta - like a footstool.
Entry 5309
Dey take a man's track an' put a little grease mixed up in it. Go tuh a red ants nest an' put it in dere. Jes' lak dem ants is runnin' an' gwine, it will jes' have dat man jes' all stirred up all de time. But ah ain't nevah tried dat.
Entry 5318
Pick up de track an' mix sugah wit it an' put it in a ant bed. An' evah time dem ants git tuh workin', dey work dat track up an' stuff. Don' care where yo' is yo' gotta go.
(That is to send you away?)
Yes sir.
(You mix sugar with that track?)
Mix sugah wit it, so de ants goin' work it. Yo' know de ants goin' be aftah de sugah.
Entry 5324
If yo' know it's yore husban's track - yo' see 'im when he make dat track [as he leaves home], she kin go däh [there] an' git de dirt out de hollah of 'is feet. Jis' pull de dirt back tuh 'er out de hollah dat feet ovah de heel. Bot' of 'em. An' take it home, yo' know, an' put it in a bag, an' put some salt wit it - nuthin but salt. Make de bag strong enough, an' wah [wear] it right undah 'er right ahm. An' dey say he'll come back, straight back home.
Entry 5326
Dey kin hurt chew wit yore foot track.
(How would they do that?)
How would dey do it wit yore foot track? Dey kin even take up de dirt dat wuz undah yore foot tracks. Bring dat dirt up an' put it an' keep it dere in a place. An' dey could put a little ashes on yore - on dat dirt. An' dey take dat an' dey'd have yo' so yore feet would take de eetch [itch].
(That all they'd do?)
Oh, yeah. Dey take it from dere. Dey gotta git dat ashes at de full of de moon. See, if dey git dat ashes when de moon is weak, it won't do yo' nuthin. (Well, what do they do with that ashes [and] with that [track]? Then what do they do?) Stop it up. Dey got'a stop it up. Dat's goin' tuh give yore foot de eetch. Dat's when dey wan'a fix yuh so yuh can't walk.
Entry 5329
Ah heard of a person kin be walkin' along an' a person kin take yore track, an' put it in a papah bag or eithah sew it up in a rag, an' carry it tuh rmnin' watah an' put it in, an' it'll cuz dat person tuh go - jes' keep goin'.
Entry 5337
Ah know if yore man wus tuh go off - ah know dat if yo' git 'is track an' put it in a bottle an' throw it off, he won't come back. But if yo' wan 'im back, why yo'd use de ban' out 'is hat.
Entry 5339
Well, yo' see, jes' lak if ah's walkin' across de street - yo' know, if ah wanta do yo' a injury, ah'd go dere an' ketch chure track, dig it up an' put it in a bottle an' pee on it, an' put salt an' peppah, an' jes' stop it up an' bury it in de groun'. An' dey pine away. Dey wouldn't live but a few mo' months aftah dat.
(What foot tracks do they pick up? Both of them?)
No, jes' one, de left foot.
Entry 5344
Say dey kin take yore left-foot track an' start tuh de toe of it, an' make right back tuh de heel part of it, an' take an' stop it up in a bottle. An' go tuh de rivah when de watah's goin' out [tide-water river is going out] an' throw it ovah dere, [they] say, an' yo'll have tuh go.
Entry 5346
Dey gits de foot track up an' dey carry it tuh runnin' watah. An' stop it up in a bottle an' carry it tuh runnin' watah an' tho' it ovahbo'd, an' dey kin run a person crazy - unsettles dere min' an' go crazy in de haid.
Entry 5347
Dey say if yo' walk in any sand an' dey wat'cha [= watch you] an' dey take up de lef'-foot track. Take up de lef'-foot track an' de' [they] put it in a bottle, an' dey stop it down tight. An' dey say if dey throw it ovahbo'd, why yo'd be gone 'bout chure business outa dis city. Yo' go on out dis city.
Entry 5354
They claim that if you take some of the dirt out of their track and put that in a rag and throw it in the fire and burn it, that they won't come back any more.
Entry 5356
When a person comes to your house and you don't want them to return, you take the dirt up out of their track and put it in the stove and burn it.
Entry 5370
Now, if yo' wanta woman tuh leave her husban', yo' meet 'er in de street at a sandy day...when de win'...when de sand is dry. Yo' set some'ere she comin' by, an' when she pass yo', yo' take her right track. Yo' care [carry] a j'int of a cane, care it along, an' open one en' of it, an' take her track an' put it down in de cane. Place some cotton on it, an' den take an' go tuh de stoah [store] an' buy yo' some cologne, a bottle of cologne, pu' it in deah, on deah, an stop it up. An' de nex' day yo' git tuh de same place... If yo' see her passin', any street, an' stop deah, an' she will say sompin tuh yo'. An' den she will take up wit joo. But she won't know about it. Aftah yo' fix it up, care it tuh yo' - yo' care it wit yo' all de time in yore pocket. An' jis' as long as yo' care dat cane, yo' got de change of 'er.
Entry 5372
Ah have done it. Ah have a man ah wus goin' wit an' he quit me. An' ah went tuh work an' taken dirt, pull it back towards me on de bottom of his right feet. An' ah'd taken it an' put it in de cornah of mah house an' stayed in dere. An' when ah done dat, it weren't but two days he come right back tuh me. (Which track did you pull, the one that was going away from the house or com- ing to you?) De track comin' tuh me. Comin' tuh me, not goin'. An' if yo' pull it out from yo', he'll leave.
Entry 5373
Ah heard dat yo' take dat. Lak de track set dat way, dat's de toe. Rake dat dirt back dat way [demonstrates].
(Toward the toe.)
Yes sir, an' if yo' wanta do 'em harm, rake it back dat way an' carry it tuh runnin' watah, an' throw it in an' dey'll run away - go crazy-lak, yo' know. If yo' wanta do 'em good, bring 'em home, lak yore wife would be gone, yo' take it from de middle of de foot back tuh de heel, bring it in an' put it in de cornah of de house, in a good place where nobody won't intahfere wit it, an' dey say she'll come home.
Entry 5377
Well, [if] ah wanted tuh make yo' have bad luck. An' ah would ketch yore footprint in de sand an' ah would go tuh de risin' of de sun, an' jes' take de heel of yore feet - jes' de heel of it, an' den take de toe of it. Tie it up inside of a white cloth. An' den ah'd put red peppah an' den ah'd git dis devil's snuff, whut dey call now is devil's snuff [snuff from the devil's snuffbox]. Dat's in a ball. Yo' kin find it all roun' toadstools where dese little frogs be [see FROG DUST, TOADFROG BREAD, DEVIL'S-SNUFFBOX, Pp.562&72, No.250; and elsewhere]. An' ah take dat an' ah mix it tuhgethah an' ah'd burn it. Ah'd take de ashes out an' go tuh de fo' cornah of de earth an' put it in de palm of mah han' an' blow it, an' say, "From good tuh worse yo' go." An' dat's de way of takin' a person's footprint.
(Now do you take either footprint or both of them or what?)
No, yo' take one. Yo' take de lef' foot.
(And you say that you burn this devil's snuff?)
Yo' burn de dirt, burn evahthin', tie it up in a white cloth an' burn it all tuhgethah, see. An' den take de dust from it an' go tuh de fo' cornahs of de earth.
(What do you mean, go to the four corners?)
See [demonstrates by pointing to the corners of the room] dere's a cornah dere, dere's a cornah dere, an' dere's a cornah ovah heah, an' a cornah ovah heah, see. Well, yo' kin take dat to de fo' cornah of de earth yo' know. See, if yo're in a big house an' yo' have a fence. In any house - it don't have tuh be a big one. Jes' go tuh one cornah of de house, de nex' cornah an' den - see, lak dat [demonstrates].
(You face each corner.)
Each cornah.
(In other Words, yOu simply BLOW THIS STUFF IN FOUR DIRECTIONS.)
From de palm of yore hand. [For another blowing rite concerning foot track, See preceding margin title BLOW BREATH 3 TIMES.] [St. Petersburg. Fla., (1045) 1695:7.]
Entry 5386
Dey tell me dey kin take yore footprint, de dirt from de palm of yore foot, an' put it ovah de do' an' compel yo' tuh stay. [The hollah [hollow] of the foot is occasionaly called the palm of the foot.]
(Do they take either foot or both?)
De left foot.
Entry 5387
An' den yo' kin take - an' take yore lef' track. Yo' kin take a man's lef' track, if he don' wan'a stay wit chew - yo' an' 'im busted up. Yo' kin take it an' take an' put it in a new piece of cloth or eithah jes' put it in a li'le bag of some kind, li'le new bag. Make a li'le bag. An' lay it up ovah de do', see. An' he'll come back home.
Entry 5407
Dat is, if it's a woman an' yo' wan' 'er tuh visit dis place here, yo' see. Yo' kin always have her tuh come here by dat foot track, if it's any way dat de foot track, if it's been rainin' data- way, if de soil is soft enough fo' yo' tuh gathah some of dat up wit dese two fingahs. See, takin' de length of 'er feet dataway an' drawin' 'em slightly dis way [demonstrates].
(Take the thumb and the little finger.)
Dat's right, see.
(Of the left hand or right hand?)
Right hand, see. Drawin' 'em slightly dis way [demonstrates].
(You catch it up between those two fingers.)
Yes sir, an' aftah pickin' it up, yo' see, take dat an' bury it undah yore step where yo' live at, where yo' wan' 'er tuh follah.
(I see.)
An' she be accustomary woman come in dere - yo' understan' daily.
(I see. Just take that one pinch?)
Yes sir.
Entry 5408
Take yore foot track - see, yore right track, take dese two fingahs right chere [demonstrates].
(Which hand?)
De right hand.
(The thumb and the forefinger.)
An: dey go down in de middle of yore tracks an' git a pinch of dat dirt three time right in de middle of yore tracks. Put it in dat cologne bottle. Put it half fulla watah an' bury it undah yore do'. Evah mawnin' yo' be tuh 'er house. (The woman does this to a man, so that he will come to her house.)
Entry 5452
Ah would go an' ah would fin' de foot tracks, an' ah would pick up de dust of de foot track - where de foot track made a print. Ah would go tuh de graveyard an' ah would git some graveyard dust, an' ah would mix it all tuhgethah, see. Den ah would place it in mah shoe an' walk on it. Dat would make yo' come - jis' like yo' hate me, are an enemy against me, undahstan', dat will make yo' come tuh like me.
Entry 5456
De left foot, gits it from dere where yo' make yore track. Jis' lak yo' make yore track dere in dat sand, well ah come back down dere an' ah see yore track. Den [I] come dere an' jis' git up one teaspoonful of dat dirt out chure track. An' den yo' take dat dirt an' sulphur, graveyard dirt, salt. Mix all dat tuhgethah. An' den take dat thing an' jis' whatevah dey wanta do wit yo', dey kin do it.
(What would they do with that?)
Well, dey could take dat an' if dey want chew tuh leave from dere, don' wan' chew roun', if yo's ahindahin' 'em any, jis' send yo' on off. Dey won't nevah have no mo' tuh do wit yo'. Dey ain't goin' be any way bothahed. Dat's fo' a hinimey [an enemy] of yourn.
(What would they do with that dirt in order to send me away?)
Why dat's whut dey do wit it. Jis' take an' mix all of dat tuhgethah whut ah tole yo'.
(But what do they do with that after they mix it together?)
Well, dey will take dat den an' carry it - dey kin bury it. An' when dey bury it, why dat jis' got chew upset. Yo' jes' got'a leave dere. Yo' can't do any- thing atall.
Entry 5512
Also, I have heard, that if you see a lady or a gentleman that you like very well, and there is no ways in the world that appears to you that you can change their affections, so then the next thing for you to do, should you see them traveling, you get close enough to them to get their footprint, but remember, in getting their footprint you want to get it just exactly in the hollow of their feet, their tread I mean, at all times the right foot, not the left, and secure it and keep it, and you will get what you want. [old Point Comfort, Va., by Edi- phone.]
Entry 5524
Dey take dat an' make yo' love 'em. Take dat track out de hollah yore foot. Take it up - jis' lak yo' take up, jis' lak dat [demonstrates], lak dis de hollow of it. An' put sugah in it an' put dis powdah in it, dis same love powdah. Put it in it an' tote it in yore pocket. Dat will make dem love yo'.
(You take that out of either track, either the right or left?)
De right.
Entry 5581
Well, say fo' 'ninstance [an instance] ah had a wife an' ah wuz doin' all dat ah pos'bly could do to make life happy fo' her, an' jis' as soon as mah back wuz turned she prob'ly had - she wuz sweetheartin' on me, see to someone dat didn't mean anythin' to her prob'bly, but would put her name in de streets. Well, ah prob'bly would git aftah 'er about it, tell 'er dat ah heard dis an' dat about 'er, prob'bly se purtty straight evidence. She seem tuh give it de lie all de time. Well, oog ah'm gon'a look out fo' mahself, see, an' see if ah kin ketch 'er. Whut ah know about dis? Well, prob'bly time mah back's turned she's always cat in de street somewhere. Well she's comin' home. Well ah prob'bly gon'a take de dust of 'er shoetrack - de print of it. Well ah'm gon'a take it an' ah'mgon'a aooceive it into a bottle - jis' de dirt of 'er track, 'ceive [conceive] it in de bottle. Git me a bunch of needles, git me a little piece of wool cloth, an' stuff in dat bottle. [But first], put jis' as many needles in dere as ah could git Orossvays. Den ah take dis bottle an' will conceive it tight [with the wool cloth aa cork?] an' put it undah de do'step. Dat'll end 'er rompin' de streets so h. Well, now, ah'm goin' ketch dis man [my wife was rompin' de streets with so much]. Ah'm goin' ketch 'im goin' away an' ah'm gon'a take his track an' ah'm gon'a conceive it in a bottle, jis' as ah have said about mah wife - needles an' de cloth de same way. An' ah'm gon'a conceive dat, an' ah'm gon'a take it den to some deep runnin' watah, an' throw it in a place where it will nevah grow dry - watah dat'll nevah be still. Dat'll keep 'im always driftin' an' nevah is contented an' nevah successfully through life. Dat's in ordah fo' me tuh have peace an' respect of dat kind.
Entry 5585
Git nine new needles an' a piece of red flannel, an' git a spoon an' take out de tracks, de middle of de tracks, an' bottle it up an' put it in run- nin' watah. Dey won't come back any mo'. (You get this dirt out of which track, both of them?) No, de right.
Entry 5766
Well, if anybody wanta run a woman or a man away, yo' git de - in de middle of de track yo' git dat dirt out of de middle of de left track. An' take dat dirt an' take it tuh a stream of runnin' watah an' fold it up tight in a li'le rag an' put it in dere. An' it will float away, an' dat will drift dem clean away.
Entry 5767
Yo' take de lef' track, if yo' kin ketch de lef' track. Yo' take up dat lef' track an' throw it in a runnin' stream an' dey'll leave town. Wherevah dey go dey won't stay long, but ah don't know whut hour yo' do dat. Yo' have tuh have a pahtic'lah hour tuh do dat.
Entry 5768
Dey say dey kin take some of yore footstep. Take some of dat where yo' make yore footstep an' take some out de palm of yore feet, right where de centah of yore feet. Take an' put dat in a bottle, cork it up an' throw it in a runnin stream. Dey say dat'll put chew tuh goin'.
(What foot do they take?)
Say de left foot.
Entry 5769
Take yo' footprint an' take it up on a bo'd or sompin where yo' wouldn't lose none of it, an' carry it tuh a rivah, a runnin' rivah an' throw dat in it. Why dat'll make yo' keep goin' all de time.
(How many tracks do they take up or any particular one?)
Jest one, either one.
Entry 5770
Take dey foot tracks an' throw it in runnin' watah ovah yore lef' shouldah. Throw it in runnin' watah an' yo' supposed tuh go.
Entry 5771
Take yore track - yo' go along an' jes' take yore han'fulla track an' grab it up quick lak dat. An' carry dat tuh runnin' watah an' throw dat in run- nin' watah, an' dat will make 'em leave home.
Entry 5775
Dey said dey pick yore track up aftah it git hard yo' know. Dig it up, de whole track an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' dat would run yo' crazy or somepin lak dat. Make yo' - yo' know, can't stay in one place.
(Running all the time.)
Entry 7341
Ah jes' heard dem say dat dey wear salt, table salt, in de shoes an' nobody couldn't git dere track. Couldn't pick up dere foot track.
Entry 7486
Ah've heard of dem takin' de man's tracks, de one dat done de killin', taken 'is tracks an' puttin' dat dirt into de casket, jes' sew it up in a bag, an' put it right into de casket, an' dey claim dat man, if he leaves, he will come back. (The man that did the killing, he will come back if his foot tracks are buried in the casket.) In de casket wit de dead man dat he killed.
Entry 8211
(How would you make a person move out of the house?)
Well, de way ah would do dat - dere's two or three diff'ren ways of doin' it, but de plain way, dey say, fo' instan' maybe yo' live nex' do' tuh me, well ah'm gon'a wait until night, see. An' den yo' kin git some sulphur - in othah words some sulphur an' gun- powdah an' mix dat up. An' about de noon hour of twelve at night, midnight, well yo' kin sprinkle dat befo' de do' an' let it goes in de do'. An' undah nine days time dey'll move. An' dere's anothah way dat chew kin take dat track. Yo' kin take dey track or eithah dey photo or eithah dey name, an' put a rattlesnake mastah root, an' wrap it up wit dey name in it an' dat track. Dey tie it up real tight an' have it so dat it wouldn't sink, not immediately, an' cast it in a runnin' stream of watah. DE SWIFTAH DE STREAM IS DE QUICKAH DEY WILL MOVE. Some people says sompin about aigs, but ah don't use dat. (Well, now, to make them move fast, do you put that rattlesnake master and the photograph together and the foot track or just one of those with the root?) Well, yo' take rattlesnake mastah, de name, an' de dirt dat chew git. Well quite natchly [naturally], if yo' wrap it up in wool, it take quite a bit fo' dat watah tuh soak in dat wool, yo' know.
Entry 8913
Take de white of an aig an' beat it, an' if yo' know which way dey come in yore house, providin' if yo' wasn't dere - see, if yo' knew which way dey come in, yo' take dat white of a aig an' beat it. Take yo' some brown sugah an' lay it on de stove. Burn dat sugah an' take de white of dat aig an' put it where he came in de do'way. An' he will be de second one or de first. Yo' cooks de yellah but don' eat it. An' he'll be de nex' one come back to yore house, de one dat stole it from yo'.
(What do you mean you put that white of the egg where he came in?)
Yo' takes de white of dat aig.an' if yo' kin find his track, puts it in his track an' takes it up. Yo' takes up his track an' ties it up in a cloth an' put it up ovah yore do'. Quite natural he will come back [for his track which is a part of him].
(What do you do with that yellow of the egg if you don't eat it?)
Yo' takes de yellah of dat aig an' cooks it, dries it up. Yo' cooks it hard an' let it dry lak. Yo' boil it an' grind it up in de palm of yore han' lak dat, until it come to a dust. Yo' takes de dust of dat an' mix it wit dat whut yo' have taken up from his feet, an' dat would draw him back. Wit dat alum dat would draw him back. Yo' takes de alum an' put it in it. Dat alum is a drawin' somepin. See, ALUM WILL DRAW ANYTHIN DAT CHEW PUT IT ON MOSTLY. YO' take N put it on dere an' it will draw him back. [It is a common belief in hoodoo that alum draws, draws up, but I wonder about alum being used here. Is informant confusing the albumen of egg white with alum? Is he calling egg white alum?]
Entry 9953
(Will you talk louder?)
See, scrape de bottom of yuh foot.
(Yes?)
Git dat dirt out from under de track dere, see, an' put it in a bag, yo' uni dahstan'. Sew it up, yo' see. An', so ah'm told, git a toadfrog. Sew 'im up in dere wit dat bag. Dat is what dey call a hoodoo bag. See, dat's got chew hoodooed den. Dey'll take dat, take dat an' tote it. Yo' undahstan'. An' takes it an' yo' weahs it dere in yuh house, put it some place in yuh cornah, an' dat'll bring about dat, yo' see.
(Well, what will that do to me, if they put that in the corner of my house?)
Well, dat'll cuz yuh - yo' can't stay at home. Yo' go mindless, yo' udah- stan'. Prob'bly set chew crazy or somepin lak dat. Yo' ain't at yuhself. Always runnin'. Can't stan' still.
(How many foot tracks of mine would they take up, I wonder?)
They wouldn't want but one.
(One?)
One.
(Would they take the right one or the left? Either one?)
Either one.
Entry 10831
Well, if yo' want somebody tuh come in de same do' of yore house all de time, yo' git chew a straw out of a broom. If it's a man, git de bow out of his hat; if it's a woman, jes' take one of her tracks. An' take dat straw an' stick nine straws around yore front, an' dey [man or woman] won't nevah come in yore back do', dey will jes' come in de front do' all de time. (Well, what do you do with that stuff that you get from them? Where do you put that?) Put that? Yo' put it with de straws. If it's a man, yo' take an' put one up ovah de do' - see, one of dem straws. Yo'd have tuh have nine straws from yore broom, yo' understand. An' if it's a man, yo' take one [broomstraw] with de bow of his hat an' stick it up de do'. If it's a woman, jes' take her track an' where yo' put dis straw, put some of dat dirt right down aside of dat [foot track] right round in front of yore house. An' dey coming dataway all de time.
(Well, why don't you want them to come into the house any other way but that?)
Well, dat's in case a man got a woman an' she messin' with anothah man, an' she kin always have him tuh go out de back do'. See, make him come in de front do' an' he kin go right on out de back do'. Have it locked an' he won't nevah go to de front do' - see, nowhere but de front do'.
Entry 11540
Pick up foot track from toe to heel, throw into running water, you can't stay home. [Richmond, "no reference, informant good, try to chedk."]
Entry 11545
Right foot track sewed in bag with lodestone, pepper, hair, in run- ning water, runs you crazy. [Vicksburg 1003:2.]
Entry 11546
Take left-foot track, put in can with red pepper and name, throw in- to running water, "put you to going." [Mobile 943:4.]
Entry 11603
Carry person's right foot track tied in handkerchief. [Wilmington 144:2.]
Entry 11606
To throw foot track into running water gives you a "traveling mnd."
[Wilmington 96:1+85.]
Entry 11607
Right foot track in sack, tie in running water, you'll go crazy.
[Wilmington 213:3+85.]
Entry 11608
Throw foot track into running water to send away; sometimes wrapped in paper, sometimes put in bottle, sometimes thrown over left shoulder. [4 separate beliefs from Fredericksburg by Ediphone.]
Entry 11610
Foot track into a sack into running water, keeps you drifting.
[Vicksburg 1037:6.]
Entry 11612
Stop foot tracks up in bottle, throw overboard; if you don't drown yourself, you sure will leave home. [Charleston 623:2.]
Entry 11616
A man is brought back by the woman wearing his foot track and hair, or a piece of his clothing, next to her skin. [Petersburg 422:4.]
Entry 11617
To bring a man back, a woman puts his left foot track in a paper bag and wears it on her bosom. [Wilmington 197:3.]
Entry 11725
They claim they get a whole lot of stuff and put in there, High John the Conqueror, nimphel[?] weed [etc.]. Put all of them weeds together and beat them up good, and call that goofer dust. You are walking along in the mud and you put your whole footprint down there. They claim they can sprinkle that dust in there and make you butt your brains out. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone 39.]
Entry 8564
Git de dirt from a person foot track an' yo' could put some steel dust with, an' hair from undah yore arms, an' yo' could bury it, an' yo' could keep a person down lak that. Either yo' could make 'em travel. Yo' could take a person's foot tracks an' yo' could take de steel dust, hair from undah yore arms an' dirt from undah yore fingernails. An' yo' take dis ole [anything you measure with] yo' know de length that yo' measure. Measure it [foot track] crossway an' straight up an' down, too. An' yo' could write de name [on a piece of paper or article used for measuring] an' bury it an' yo' keep 'em down. An' yo' could take a piece of their sock with that, yo' understan'.
Entry 8912
Den if yo' got a idea dat I stole it - yo' know, like if I steal somepin from yo' an' yo' got a idea - I seen yo' come aroun', I mean. Yo' kin get some of my foot track or anythin' an' I'll bring it back, but if yo' don't know.... [I tum off recording machine here because rite did not sound promising. Then he says something about foot track and I begin to record.]
(What do they use?)
Well, yo' know, wheresomevah yo' step like dat, see right between de palm of yore foot an' de heel; see, yo' get a knifebladeful an' yo' put it in a handker- chief an' fold it.
(How do they fold it?)
[Informant begins to demonstrate.]
Fold it to yo' an' den fold it...yo' fold it like dat, an' den back like dat, but yo' don't want a rag as large as dis, see. An' den double it over like dis, back like dat. Well yo' won't want no - no piece no bigger'n [bigger than] dat in dere. An' den put it undah yore do'step an' cross it evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' name it, like if my name are John, see. Yo' cross it evah mawnin fo' nine mawnin's an' call my name 'fo' sunrise. De ninth mawnin' yo' go dere an' take it up, an' den yo' pick it up an' put it in yore pants, anyhow yore belt, an' de ninth mawnin' ah'll be dere.
Entry 11280
Yo' kin take a pusson's shoe an' yo' kin measure de length of dey track an' yo' kin go tuh a spring. De spring yo' know is 16 inches wide or 20; de 20 is de length. If it ain't ovah 20 inches wide, yo'd measure dat shoe an' measure dat spring fo' ways, on dat shoe track. An' dem people come tuh yo' an' dey borrow an' borrow an' borrow. Well, yo' got 'em steppin' den, 'cause yo' done took advantage of 'em. Dey come tuh yo' tuh bor- row a match or sompin all de time. Well, de way fo' yo' tuh do den, yo' go ahead an' yo' git chew some bear roots, lak it [root] be's on [in] de swamps. [Bear root I am unable to identify. It may be the bearberry (Ilex deidua) of southern U. S. A., or less likely the inkberry, a holly (Ilex glabra) of eastern North Am- erica.] Yo' boil dat bear root good till it turn yallah. Bear roots are sorta black-yallah root-lak. An' yo' boil it an' boil it an' boil it, until it git feelin' right soft-lak. Den yo' take dat out an' clip 'bout dat much off of it [demonstrates], an' de fust chance yo' git yo' pit [put] it on anythin' fo' 'em tuh drink - anythin'. Well, yo' gotta git some on anythin' yo' give to 'em, or eithah yo' git a chance tuh put a piece in his pocket. He'll wandah away an' yo'll nevah see him. If yo' git ary a piece of it in his pocket.
(The spring you measure. You mean that has got water in it, a spring?)
Yeah, a spring dat have watah in it. Yo' measure it fo' ways, with his foot- track - have de length of his track. But a silk string. Don' have no othah kind of string, any kinda silk string. Don' care if it's offen a woman's stock- in' laig. An' measure it [spring] fo' ways. If his track will measure eight inches, measure it, an' if it's a sixteen inches spring, measure it twice fol ways [measure it twice on each of its 4 sides] an' yo' can't be wrong. Fo' ways. An' if yo' hit it jes' right, he'll come to yore house de same time de next time. Don't care if it's ten a'clock in de day, yo' done it, he'll be in yore house at ten a'clock tonight tuh borrow sompin. He gotta know sompin it... [he must know what you are doing to him].
(What does he come to borrow for?)
Well, yo' gittin' - worryin' him yo' know. See, dat's buryin' his track yo' know. Dat's drawin' him to yo', yo' know, by doin' dat.
(What do you draw him to you for?)
[Here is the secret of the rite.]
Draw him to yo' fo'? Well, jes' lak if yo's mad wit him or sompin, yo' know, an' yo' wanta aggravate him or somethin' othah, yo'd do dat. [My informant's reason for drawing the borrower to him just to annoy him does not make sense. A constant borrower you would want to keep away. Surely this is the remmant of a rite on how to bring a witch bewitching you to your house so that you could refuse to loan anything and free yourself from his or her spell. See "Never Lend to a Witch, " No.16338, p.875 and elsewhere in that witch- craft section, FOLKLORE FROM ADAMS COUNTY ILLINOIS, 2nd ed.]
Entry 11492
[This is the very first rite given by a young woman who came into the interviewing room without saying a word, not even answering my greeting, pulled out a deck of cards, and standing opposite the table in front of me began to run the cards - tell my fortune. I no longer remember ghat she said but I am certain it was something favorable or flattering. The rite given here is page or rite No.l of her interview. On this sheet I wrote soon after the interview: Memphis, second trip, 1518 [informant's number],43 Sages [this does not mean full pages but rites, some of them very short like the present one]. My comment at the close of 1519 [presumably on page 43] reads, ne girl, 1518, when she first came in, took out a deck of cards and ran through them. Will break up [interview later]. Several removed for cures and protectior To be guoted in part in Interview Section. This I never did.] Dey say dey kin git de dust from yore foot track an' use it, an' bury it some place an' cause yo' tuh lose yore eyesight, yore hearin's - accordin' tuh whut dey wanta do - yo' know, jes' 'fect any part of yore body. Dey kin cause it tuh be yore death or sompin lak dat. [As I have said somewhere in this section, in- tention is everything.] [Memphis 2685:1.]
Entry 12016
You can bury a person's hair with the measure of his foot track to run him crazy. [Fredericksburg by Ediphone.]
Entry 12845
Put salt in foot tracks to keep person from harming you. [Memphis 1550:2.]
Entry 4185
See, yo' kin take a man's chamber lye, yo' undahstan' me, an' yo' kin put it in a bottle, an' yo' kin git 'if lef'-foot track, an' yo' kin git jes' a little tiny bit of powdah'd alum an' put dat in dere, an' yo' kin git a table- spoonfulla yores. (Of your what?) Of yore - yo' undahstan' me, yeah, of yuh chamber lye. An' yo' could step in one room an' let 'im be in anothah, an' yo' could call 'im. An' when he an- swah yo', jes' stop it up tight. An' bury it tuh de back steps or de front steps, an' dat will always keep 'im wit chew. Ah know dat mahsel' [myself].
Entry 5330
Dey kin take de foot track an' put it in a bag an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' dat'll make 'em have a ramblin' mind an' leave from away [leave away from here] - continue tuh travel.
(Either foot track?)
De right foot track.
The informant describes taking a foot track, bagging it and throwing it in running water, then specifies the right foot track in reply to a question.
Entry 5383
He watch cheh, yuh comin', an' he take up yore foot track comin' tuh yuh. An' den supposin' yuh wanta drive him away frum yuh, yuh turn de foot: gwine an' den dey follah dat. Keep de fellah lak ah foretole yuh. Dat man go 'way. Dat man give anythin' if he go way from dere. If he wan' chew come tuh 'im dis Way, he take de track comin' tuh 'im. He got chah den comin' dis way.
(When he picks up the track coming to him, then he kills that track?)
No, he gotcha, [got you] comin' 'is way. But he want chah go away from 'im, he pick it up an' throw it where yuh gwine. Yuh throw it from yuh, throw it de way yuh wanta, but chew won't see him when he done do it.
The informant describes taking a foot track with different directions for coming toward or going away, and rejects the interviewer's suggestion of 'killing' the track.
Entry 11539
Scoop up the going track from toe to heel, empty it into a snuffbox and bury under the middle of doorsteps to "make 'em not run around so much an' stay home." [For snuffbox under steps, see No.11564.] [Mobile 968:2.]
The account specifies a going track collected from toe to heel; the staying-home claim and later cross-reference remain distinct.
Entry 5382
Den yo' kin take a person track an' pick it up comin' tuh yo'.
(Either track or both?)
Both of them. An' yo' put it where yo' kin keep it warm an' dey'll follah yo'.
The informant describes picking up a person's track and predicts that the person will follow. Footprints is a contextual reading; the action and effect are unverified.