Subject:Footskin
Entries
Entry 4319
Well, now, say fo' instan' [for an instance] if a woman has a husban' or a man dat is hard tuh handle, an' say dat he chases aroun' wit othah women an' she wants tuh take pos- session of 'im. She scrape de dead skin from de bottom of 'er foot an' she git a pint bottle or a half-pint bottle - howevah, an' she'll fill it full of his.
(Of what?)
A pint bottle of urine. She must have de slop jar, she must have dat perfec'- ly clean. She must see dat don' anybody urinate in dis jar but him. Now when she take dis bottle wit a screw top, an' she'll po' it two-thirds full of dis urine. Now she'll put de scrapin' from de bottom of 'er foot in dere an' she'll set dis bottle back in a dark place where dat nobody will see it. An' each mawn in' she'll make de screw on dat top fo' nine mawnin's, an' wit de last time she screw it, it wants tuh be tight where she cain't screw it no mo', yo' undahstan'. Den she keeps dat bottle back an' dat's supposed tuh make dis fellah jis' de same as a baby, easy tuh handle. Whatevah she says goes.
Entry 5036
Well, ah know dis tuh be a fac'. Yo' kin take a man's dirty sock dat he done wore an' run 'im off wit it. Or yo' kin tie a man up wit dat. (Well, how would you run a man off with that dirty sock? How would you do that?) Well, yo'd have tuh throw it in de rivah. Yeah. But now, if a woman wanta tie dis man wit dis sock, jis' lak he's leavin' 'er goin' wit anothah woman an' don't wanta harm 'er [him] no othah way. Take de sock, de dirty sock, an' cut de toe out, see, de heel an' de bottom. Well, now she cut 'er fingahnails an' toe- nails an' scrape dis ole dead skin heah on de bottom of yore foot - jis' scrape dat off. An' yo' wrap it all up in dat sock an' put chew a little [what?], an' den take yo' some thread an' tie it up, an' yo' put dat ovah de do'. Dat's tyin' de man at home. He cain't leave home an' go nowhere else. All yo' gotta do is stick it dere, see. Dat's all yo' gotta do wit dat.
Entry 5888
Ah know yo' kin take some of de hair from undah yore arm an' some from othah places an' - yo' know de private, an' take somepin an' scrape some dead skin from 'tween yore laigs [see later] an' give it to a man in his watah tuh drink. An' dat'll keep 'im down. (What do you mean by dead skin between your legs? From the bottoms of your feet?) [My From the bottoms of your feet? is not a leading question. It is the only thing possible informant could have meant; see the many rites about dead skin from the bottoms of the feet, none concerning dead skin between your legs.] Yessuh, an' dat'll keep 'im down.
Entry 5931
Dey take de hair off de left side of yore haid, yo' know, an' de toe- mils, an' scrape de bottom of yore foot ah think. Dat's tuh make de man love e - or love yuh, or stick [stay] aroun' yuh some Way or othah. (What do they do with that stuff?) Dey bury it - undah de front de do'step. If dey want chew dey put it undah yore do'step.
Entry 6173
Take de hairs from underneath yore arm an' de haid - yo' know, undah yore clothes down dere, an' wash yore feet. An' yo' know, sometime yo' don't wash yore feet in a long time, dere be lots of ole dead skin on it, yo' know, an' yo' kin take an' scrape dat off. An' den yo' kin take dis watah yo' see an' put it in sompin. A woman had mah brothah fixed lak dat. AN' AH PROMISED DE LORD AH'D NEVAH FIX A MAN NO HAY. IF ONE DON'T WANT ME, AH DON' WANT 'IM. So she had mah brothah fixed jes' lak dat - she had 'im fixed up jes' lak dat.
Entry 6355
Gittin' some of de man hair an' some of de dirt - jes' lak a woman she git some of de man hair an' git some of de dead skin from undah 'er foot, an' veah it roun' 'er wais', an' dat'll keep 'im mo' [more] close tuh 'er. (She takes some of his hair and some of the dead skin from the bottom of her feet and puts it together.) Yessuh.
Entry 6378
Yo' soak yore feet an' den yo' git a knife an' scrape dat skin off - some of dat dead skin. Make it up an' put it in sompin tuh drink. Nachurally ef yo' drink tea, put it in yore tea or in coffee. An' take yore fingahnails an' toenails an' parch dem an' beat dem up an' put it in coffee or tea. An' wash undah yuh arm an' put dat in de tea. Dat vill make 'em love yuh, make dem real jealous of yo', too. An' ef yo' don't min' 'en, make 'em kill yo'.
Entry 6380
[This may be my only example of the rare term badge, meaning hand, or toby or mojo.] If yo' wanted 'er tuh love yo', why yo' jes' take some of - jes' lak yo'd take a bath an' git some of de dirty skin from undah de bottom of yore feet, de hollah of yer lef' feet. Trim yer fingahnails good an' close an' git some of de dirt from undah dere. Take dem an' parch dem, parch de fingah- nails. Parch dese fingah- nails brown, beat it up, an' git some of 'er hair an' burn it - de hair from 'er haid an' burn it. Mixes it tuhgethah wit Hearts Cologne an' sulphur, an' weah it undah-yer lef' arm as a badge.
(Wear it under your left armpit as a badge.)
An' in seven days she'll eithah come or she'll write yo' a lettah.
Entry 6382
Well, dey will take dat an' have yo' lame all de time. (What do they do with that then, after they scrape the bottom of the feet? What do they do with that then?) Bottle it up wit some stuff dey call de blue vitrus - wit blue vitrus. An' den dey take it an' aftah dey put dat blue vitrus in wit it, dey take it den wit a mixture fo' tuh do yo' harm - me harm, or somebody else. Don' care whose [who] 'tis. Dey'd mix it, yo' know, an' driv' [drip] it [bury bottle so that it leaks] long wherevah yo' have tuh go, fo' tuh strike yo' wit pain [in the feet].
Entry 6384
Dat he tole yo' concernin' scrapin' part of de foot, didn't he [my contact man]? [My contact man always required a rite before anyone could enter interviewing room. We wanted to be certain informant knew what we wanted. The rite in- formant gave now follows.] Yo' wash 'am an' evahthin' an' yo' take an' yo' scrape a li'le bit of de skin off yore foot. Ah don' know if white folks do or not. Ah know colored do, but now yo' - co'se ah nevah knowed zactly whut dey [white folks] do. Yo' take an' scrape de foot an' - take a knife, a dull knife so yo' won' cut chure foot, an' scrape it lak dat. Yo' take an' put it in a li'le [can or jar] top an' put it in de stove [oven] an' brown it. When it brown - yo' mix it [with] black peppah an' put it in de stove. An' whoevahyo' Wanta see, dat all yo've gotta do. An' whoevah dat chew want - whatevah one yo' want, yo'll have 'em right down undah yore foot. Dey'll come an' give yo' evah- thin' an' stick right tuh yo'.
Entry 6391
De bottom of de feet, dat didn't happen tuh me once, but.it happen by dem people though. Yo' take de bottom of yore feet an' yo' take yore toenails an' yore fingahnails off. Yo' trims 'em yo' know wit de scissors. An' yo' takes dat an' yo' burys dat, see. An' when dey burys dat, dat keeps yo': aroun' home - keeps yo' from goin' away. An' dat makes de woman keeps yo' all de time undah huh control.
(I see, I see.)
Entry 6393
Ah've had a li'le experience. Dey say dey kin take de skin off de bottom of yer feet an' put it in - jis' lak dis [points to ashes and ash tray on inter- view table] de bottom of yer feet. Wheresomevah [whatever container] dey'd put it [footskin] in, dey dig a hole an' buries it, an' den turn it [container bottom upwards]. See. As hit [= it, the footskin] fade away, as
[likewise] yo' fade away.
Entry 6442
You could take yore toenails, your fingernails, the dirt from under your feet, an' you could put that in a bottle an' you could feed a man on such as that. Spread it [on his food] when you give him somepin to eat. That'll make him crazy about choo, keep him from goin' away from you.
Entry 6443
Take de dead skin from de bottom of yore feet or yore toenails or some- pin' like dat - triimin' 'em, yo' know. A person kin take dem toenails an' jis' like if yo' walk, yo' take dis step an' dat step. Now dat dus' created dere from undah yore foot, put some in dis track, where yo' done walked; an' put some in dis one where yo' stepped. An' jis' keep yo' on a wandah, goin' on all de time awalkin'. Yo're nevah satisfied no more. But yo' see, dey does dis to dat stuff. Dey puts...
[I interrupt.]
(Toenails. And then you would put it in one foot track, and then into another foot track?) An' some in de othah one. Divide it up.
(You might begin with the left, or you might begin with the right?)
Yo' begin wit de right foot. Yo' see, yo' watch 'im walkin'. Co'se yo' know de right from de lef' in de direction dey's goin', but yo' wanta be sure yo' git de prints. Yo'll see de prints an' know one foot from de other. Yo' put it in de right foot firs'. It's quite natchel [natural] dat a person steps off on 'is lef' foot mos' any time when he's alone. Well, yo' put it in dere an' yo' git dis...
[I interrupt.]
(You take that and you put some in the left and you put it in the right, too?)
An' some in de lef'.
(I see. All right.)
Yo' dig a li'le hole wit yore pocketknife. Yo' know, jis' kiver [cover] it up. An' dat'll put 'im dissatisfied, so dat he won' even be satisfied nowhere he goes. He's jis' like a man when he done killed a man. He's afraid de law's in here, he's afraid de law's in dere. He's on de go all de time.
(I see.)
Entry 6446
Well, see - jis' lak yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road. An' dey supposed Th be crossed lak dat [demonstrates]. Well, yo' take dat part of it - dat's de same as buryin' it an' [or] throwin' it in runnin' watah. Yo' take de skin from dey feet, de one's [feet] whut chew wanta do somepin tuh "a, yo' undahstan'. Well, yo' takes it an' yo' scrapes it back. See, jis' lak da [demonstrates]. If yo' from or tuh yo' lak dat. If yo' are cleanin' dere feet, yo'll have dat chance. Yo' take it an' bury it jis' lak ah tole it. An' o takes it tuh de fo'ks of de road an' throws it ovah yore lef' shouldah. An: look back at each one of de fo'ks, an' den go on where yo' goin'. Makes a as nark in de road an' turn aroun'.
(What will that do to them?)
Dat'll make dem go - jis' insance [insane]. An' dey mind nevah will come tuh 'em lak it supposed tuh.
Entry 6452
All right, now, heah's anothah one yo' kin take. Yo' be's roun' some person an' yo'll say, "Lemme look at yore feet." Yo' kin take - yo' know dis heah thick skin dat be's in de bottom of a person's feet. Yo' kin scrape out dis thick skin. Jis' scrape a li'le bit offen dis thick skin an' hold it in yore han'. An' if yo' wanta trick a person, undahstan', jis' lak yo' roun' an' someone sleepin' heah, an' yo'all had a argu- ment or sompin, see. Yo' take dat dere scale offen de bottom of dere skin an git chew some sulphuh, undahstan', an' yo' git chew some red peppah. Well, yo' mix dat tuhgethah. All right, den yo' go an' git chew some wild animal blood, an' put dat in dere. All right, aftah yo' mix dat up good, yo' git chew a li'le box, an' put it in a li'le box an' carry it in yore pocket. An' de nex' thing yo' do wit it, yo' carry it tuh a graveyard. See, yo' goes tuh de graveyard an' yo' do's lak dis, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' stan' up [demonstrates], an' de grave is back dere, yo' stan' up by dis grave [like this].
(You stand up with your back to the grave.)
Wit yore back to de grave, an' yo' chunk dat an' yo' say, "Ah hope yo' go 'vay from me. Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, go 'way." Yo' throw dis back when yo' speak de las' words. Dey gone an' yo' don' have no mo' trouble wit 'em.
(What will that do to them then?)
Well, he'll leave yo' an' yo'll nevah see 'im any mo'. Yo'll nevah see him any mo' an' nevah have no mo' [trouble].
Entry 6467
Yo' git some of de daid skin off de bottom of yore feet an' let it git good an' dry. Den yo' write dem. Yo' save dat an' yo' write dem an' dey write chew back. Well yo', when yo' answah dere lettah yo' put some of dat daid skin in de lettah, see. In eight or nine days dey'll coze back.
Entry 6473
" Yo' could take an' scrape out from under yore feet an' put it in a - sew it up in a little cloth an' veah it roun' 'er waist nine days. An' squeeze it in 'is food fo' nine mawnin's. Dat's de way yo' make him love yo'.
Entry 6477
Yo' kin take jis' de dead skin. Yo' wash yore feet, soak yore feet ah mean tuh say, an' den yo' wash it, an' den yo' take dis dead skin an' scrape it off yore feet. An' den yo' wash de plate. Git chew a plate dat yore wife or sweetheart or who yo' got goin' eat. An' yo wash dat plate wit all dat dead skin, see. An yo' let it dry on dere, an' den yo' let 'em eat outa it, an' yo' nevah git shet of 'em.
Entry 6488
Take de skin from undah yore feet. Yo' wash yore feet clean an' den yo' take a knife, jis' lak yo' scrapin' yore feet an' carry it back dat way, back tuh yo'. An' take dat an' mix it wit some sugah an' put dat in sompin tuh eat. Yo' give dat tuh 'em.
(What will that do?)
Dat will make 'em bring yo' evah cent dat dey git.
Entry 6492
De way yo' do dat, yo' have tuh cut 'em to yo' disaway, see. (Cut your fingernails?) Cut ary [every] one of 'em - cut all ten of 'em to yo'. Do yore toenails de same way - cut 'em to yo' all de time. Yo' git deg a bottle of Hearts Own Perfume an' put dat in dere. Den yo' kin set dat D8 anywheres.
(What will that do then?)
Dey'll be sickly all de time. Dey will not be healthy.
(The person whose fingernails and toenails you have.)
Yes sir, keep 'em. Yo' know when dey cut de toenails an' fingernails, yo' bor, dey gen'ly [generally] throws 'em out. Well, yo' see when yo' cut chure toenails disaway an' yure fingahnails, well po'don' scrape dat [bottoms of feet] from yo', yo' scrape it back tuh de heel.
(You scrape the dead skin back to the heel.)
Yes, scrape all dat tuhgethah an' den put it in dat perfume bottle an' stop it up. But it'll work quickah - hit'll work bettah by turnin' de bottomside up- wards.
Entry 6494
Dat would make yo' painful. Yo' scrape dat off de bottom of a person's feet an' den put it in a glass - in a drinkin' glass. Jis' put it in a drinkin' glass an' put 17 drops of kerosene on it. Put 17 drops of kerosene on it, a pinch of sulphuh - jis' lak yo' put a pinch up lak dat, of sulphuh. An' git some borax - take a level teaspoonful of borax an' put in dere. An' jis' let it set up.
(Where?)
Jis' let it set somewhere in a dark place lak up in de loft of de house or in a closet where nobody nevah visit at. An' it will dry out de marrah in 'is arms.
Entry 6500
Dey scrape it offen de feet an' den dey take dem fingahnails, dey trim dose, an' dey git de dirt off de toenails, from undah de toenails an' undah de feet, an' put all dat tuhgethah an' powdah dat up an' dry it. Den when dey git dat powdah up, dey put dat in a bottle. Dat's when yo' want 'em tuh love yuh an' yo' can't do 'em no harm. Yo' put dat in a bottle an' den yo' fill dat bottle wit chure urinate wit dat stuff, an' let it sit dere nine days befo' dey use it. Den aftah de nine days whenevah dey fix yo' a meal or anythin' lak dat tuh eat, or anythin' tuh drink, dey will put a teaspoonful of dat in there fo' yo'. Well, den dat gits chew jis' dey way. Gits yuh down undah dere foot an' yo' can't do no mo' den dey wan' chew tuh do.
Entry 6511
Take yore toenail an' scrape from de bottom of yore feet an' put [red] peppah in it, an' throw it intuh run- nin' watah an'yo'always achin'. Yore feet an' things always achin' - hurt chew. Dat de hot foot.
Entry 6514
Yo' kin take an' put it in whiskey, or yo' know anythin' dey drink, amything lak dat an' make 'em wil' [wild] 'bout chew. Takes de skin, dead skin off de foots, scrape it an' put it in dere. Make 'em wil' 'bout chew.
Entry 6517
Cut off de fingahnails, see. An' den wash de feet an' scrape dat dead sti from undah de bottom, an' put it in whiskey an' let it set so many hours. See. Den dey strain dis whiskey an' put it back in de bottle. An' den dey give it tuh de party, see, dat dey fix it fo' tuh drink. Dat's tuh make 'em love 'em.
Entry 6519
Ah've heard dat dey take de fingahnails an' toenails. Yo' mean tuh make a person love yo' or sompin lak dat? Yes, ah've heard of peoples takin' peoples' - takin' yore fingahnails or some othah person's fingahnails. Ah've heard tell of 'em takin' yore fingahnails an' toenails an' scrape from de bottom of yore feet, an' put it intuh whiskey, if a person drink whiskey, don't chew see, an' give it tuh a person.
Entry 6523
Wash de feet well an' scrape dat dead skin. Fo' instance, if a man is accustomed tuh drinkin' wine, when he drink, yo' see, take dat dead skin tied up in a piece, put it down in dat bottle, an' full dat bottle full of wine. Leave it stay in dere three days. Restrain it an' give him dat tuh drink. Dat's caused aplenty ulcahs in de stomach an' things, but it gen'ly [generally] makes de man, yo' undahstan', he have a certain amount of de woman's blood [essence that comes from the skin of her feet] it seens lak, an it make him [his] whole ambition an' mind be directed on 'er.
(I see.)
Entry 6524
If yo' scrape de bottom of yuh foot, lak yo' is in love wit a man an' someone else in love wit 'im. Well, yo' scrape de bottom of yuh feet an' put it intuh 'is coffee or in 'is food an' make three wishes. An' he will stick tuh yo' jis' as long as yo' give 'im dat.
Entry 7660
Git chew a li'le graveyard dirt, if yo' kin git on de east side of a grave. Git chew some white vaseline an' make yo' a salve [with this graveyard dirt]. Make dat salve an' yo' kin 'noint dat person unbeknown tuh 'im, an' he'll go lame. He'll nevah be no mo' good in dat foot as long as yo' 'noint 'im. But yo' have tuh 'noint 'im fer nine mawnin's wit dat graveyard dirt an' dis white vaseline an' de stuff dat chew scrape from undah 'is foot - kin'a dead skin-lak yo' gotta git from undah 'is foot. An' he'll nevah be no mo' good in dat foot.
(That foot is supposed to go lame. I see.)
Entry 11390
[Since these three divisions of our margin title are listed both sin- gly and together in the following rites, I have for convenience combined them here in one margin title; this title later to be followed by a closely related but sep- arate margin title FOOT PRINTS or FOOT TRACKS. These latter in former times and through much of the year were made by the skin of the bare feet. Other rites about these four aspects of the human body are scattered throughout HOODOO.] Fingernails in food helps love matters. [Wilmington 83:4+85 & Richmond 348:1.]