Subject:Grass
Entries
Entry 1262
A grass known as five-finger grass, they say, if you git a hold of that grass and take a piece of - a real light piece of papah and write the 23rd Psalms on this piece of papah, tie this piece of papah and this five-finger grass up with some clean piece of cloth and wear it next to your body [skin], no one can't harm you with any tricks and things. [This cloth-paper package is a hand.]
Entry 3549
(Well, how does she tie up a man. She takes a piece of what yo' call a grass rope an' whilst he's asleep, she'll take de measure of 'is body. She'll take de full measure of it.
(Of his body?) Yes, sir. What I mean, I can't explain rlght [I don't want to come right out and name it]. (Oh, I see. Yes.) [Yes = continue.]
Well, she put nine knots in dat an' she takes nine hairs from right close to his body. Yo' undahstan' what I mean?
(Right near it?)
Yes. Well, she takes dis an' she ties it in dere an' she ties it aroun' 'er wais'. An' she puts nine knots in dere an' she wears it aroun' 'er wais', an any woman he go to fool wit, he cannot have her.
(I see. But she must have those nine knots.)
An' evah knot supposed to have dis hair in dere. Yo' undahstan' what I mean?)
(She what?)
Evah knot she made [in the grass rope], she have a stran' of dis hair in dat. (Oh! Each one of these knots she made, she has a hair in that knot - one of these nine hairs in that knot. I see.) Yes, sir.
(And she wears it around her waist like a string, and it must be a grassrope.)
Yeah, grass rope.
(Grass-rope string. I see.)
Entry 9305
Yo' take a black hen aig if a person has murdered somebody, take two. Lak if de person wuz murdered, yo' put a aig in each one of dere han's, a black hen aig. An' be shuh [sure] it's a black hen aig, an' put it in each one of dere han's. Git a piece of grass rope. (What's that?) Dese heah ropes whut people ties bundles an' things with. An' yo' git a piece of dat an' yo' make nine knots in it, an' yo' tie it on dere wrist. An' when yo' git ready tuh bury dat person, yo' turn dere face bottom upwards [back of head upwards]. An' de one whosomevah murdered 'em gotta come back where dey did dat murdah. Wit dat black hen aig.
(Do you tie that rope on just one wrist?)
On both of 'em, both wristses, put a aig in each han' an' shut dat han' up. An' when yo' git ready tuh bury 'em, yo' turn dere face down. Yo' see, dey gen'ly [generally] bury people wit dere face up, in place of puttin' de face down tuh de bottom of de coffin.
Entry 10629
Take Eve-an'-Adam root an' Queen Elizabeth root an' five-finger grass an' bind dem together an' put on [them] whiskey, an' let it soak fo' seven days to abstract dere pow- ers. An' yo' take yore- self: yo' bathe yore body, anoint yore body [with this concotion] an' dey say dat will bring back love an' luck to yore lose ones, put man an' wife back together.
Entry 11144
All yo' gotta do, go to yo' do' and make a cross on it.
(Cross on it like an "x".)
Yeah, an' put some joint grass in both sides.
(What?)
Joint grass.
(Joint grass.)
Yeah. Put one so, and one so. Cover 'em up. Nevah go dere.
(Under your door?)
Yeah.
(Where do you make this crossmark? On the door or doorsill?)
No, on de ground, in de dirt. You put it in de dirt, dat way, den yoa pat one dat way and covah it up like nuth [is there].
(Where do you put this grass?)
Right front of yo' do'. Den throw some night watah [urine] on it and it's okay, or some green moss, and [or] cow manure. (The law won't be able to come in then?) No, they won't find you. You'd walk right by 'em and he wouldn't bothah you. (You don't cover up this grass?) Yeah, cover 'em up. (You bury the grass, I see.) Nobody see you.
Entry 11646
(Five-finger grass.)
Five-finger grass, and I'll put this five-finger grass in under the faucet.
(Near the faucet?)
Yes. And I'll take me a piece of John de Conquer and go out like that and that long a piece too - have it in my mouth, go out like that - I will be chewing as I go on [to see the boss]. And while I'a approaching you, I'll do like that [demonstrates].
(Spit around.)
Yes. Then I go begin ask you my favor and I won't go away unheard.
(I see, I see, but you must have that five-finger grass in your pocket.)
Yes. Yes, sir.
(I see. What do you carry that for? What's the idea of that?)
That five-finger grass, that's attractive; more, that's to make things at- tractive, that's John the Conguer's master. Must break down all the friction in between you [two], you understand. [As I have probably explained else- where, originally five-finger grass was the name five-finger given to 4 plants: the common cinquefoil, oxlip, bird's-foot trefoil, and Virginia creeper. The hoodoo root shop, mail-order firms, and individual root collectors surely extend- ed the list.]
Entry 11647
Dey tell me yo' kin take de grass dey call de five-finger grass in yore pocket, wear it in yore pocket in yore pocketbook, an' de judge, de jury or de magistrate cannot convict yo'.
Entry 11648
Bringing in customers. Well, first start yo' off burnin' some incense. Yo burn yore incense an' den yo' use de five-finger grass. Hang it up anywhere in yore place of business. Den yo' keep a High John de Conkah roots. Dat would increase yore business.
Entry 11732
They kin hant [= hoodoo here] choo to death by throwin' a ole grass around yuh do'; yo' know, dried-up grass. An' you git you some kerosene oil [kerosene] an' some ashes [from fireplace or stove] an' all like that, an' throw it right around your do' an' dat'll make you move out. [Informant here has combined two separate rites: first one, anything dead left or thrown at your door will hant (haunt) or hoodoo you; second one, fireplace ashes (originally) or kerosene (another substance connected with fire) will conquer the dead grass.]
Entry 11733
He'd git dis green grass an' take that grass an' put it in the stove an' let it git real dry. An' after it git real dry, he'll take it an' ball it like that [demonstrated by balling an imaginary handful of grass in his hands]. An' yo' kin take that, an' at twelve o'clock at nighttime, jis' put it in front of your door. An' do that evrey [every] night at twelve o'clock, and the Law [police] won't bother you.
Entry 12721
An' anothah thing, yo' ketch a rabbit an' yo' cut his foot off, his left foot, an' turn him loose an' let him go. An' git chew a piece of devil's- shoestrings an' a piece of five-finger root. An' yo' put them three things tol gethah. An' yo' jes' take it an' wrap dat devil's-shoestrings round dat rabbit foot, an' yo' sew it up in a piece of red cloth, an' yo' make a sack out of it, bag-like, an' yo' feed hit on Hearts Col Ogne. An' dat's anothah thing fo' a job - good luck. Long as yo' tote dat yo'll git a job anywhere.
(You get the left foot. Which one? He had two left feet.)
De left front feet.
Entry 12774
If I wanta harm yuh - if I wants tuh harm yuh, I'm goin' show yuh de way I'd harm yuh. Now, ah've got somepin dat ah wants to git nex' to yo' fo'. Ah'll come to yore house an' sit down an' talk wit chew today. Dat to git de sense to see what chew, yuh notice me about, if yo' don' notice me too much. Den tomorrah when ah come back, ah bring my dose [mix- ture] what I wants to git nex' to yo', an' sprinkle it in yore house. An' de day what chew got - understand, dat what chew got. When ah leave yo' house, [you] will always wanta see me all de time.
(Well, what sort of dose would you fix up?)
Well, ah'll fix up sompin wit lobelia and hippo - lobelia and hippo root. [This may be my only example of Hippo, the name of the blood flower from the Bahamas.] Now ah git blacksnake powder or rattlesnake powder an' tie yo' up.
(Rattlesnake powder?)
Rattlesnake powder an' tie yuh up. Yo' take dis rattlesnake powder - yo' take it an' bring it wit chew out de Woods an' yo' put one knot in it. Git de blacksnake-shoestring [he means] de devil's-shoestring. Tie dat together an' ah've got chew.
(What is this blacksnake root that you tie up?)
Blacksnake root? Blacksnake root supposed to conkah anything yo' start after, an' rattlesnake powder...
(Rattlesnake powder?)
Rattlesnake powder, dat's a big bush grows about dat high an' grows about dat wide [demonstrates]. Yo' kin take it - yo' kin go to de woods an' take it an put it in yore yard or plant it in yore flowers. But it's no good heah to yuh, yo' gotta git it out de woods. Git chew five-fingah grass. It grows about dat high [demonstrates]. Yo've seen snake's tongue, ain't chew? Well it jes' like a snake's tongue. It grows about dat high [demonstrates], from de ground an' it spread out jes' like a snake's tongue.
(Well, what do you do with that five-finger grass?)
Yo' take dat an' bring it to yore house an' conkah anybody dat chew wanta come by. Anything dat come to yo' mind to do, yo' kin do it. Yo' don't miss nuthin.
Entry 12927
(How do they use that?)
Well, they tell me that you have to get it at midnight.
(This shame grass.)
Shame grass.
(What does it look like?)
Well, it's, has thick leaf and if you run your hand over it, the leaf will wither up. If you put your hand over it, you can tell it. (I see.) And you can take the root of that and mens carries it in their pockets or either chew it in their mouths. And every what [whatever] they walks up to a woman and wants her to [do], command her to do, she'll have to do just what he says do. You takes it - you can tell it. It's a herb that grows and runs on the ground like a vine, and the minute you do like that [touch it] the leaves will close together.
(That's all he does, just chew it?)
You chew it or either carry it in your pocket. And any time you rubs it in your hands and lays your hands on her body anywhere, she'll do just what you Want her to do.