Subject:Hair
Other forms: Hairs
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Entry 3252
If he is away from home dataway, yo' see dose red peppah pod, split de peppah open an' hull it out well - only one. Durin' de times he's sleepin', yo' take de scissors an' cut a little piece of hair off of dat, way down below. Put it in dat peppah, sew it up in a little band, an' wear it aroun' yore waist dat way. She may talk to men but huh mind will have no dealin's wit: 'em, yo' see.
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 5801
If dey got holt of yore hair, dey could take it - take yore hair, nine stran's of yore hair an' nine needles an' seven [nine?] threads of red silk thread, an' take an' carry it out jes' as de sun go down an' bury it. An' walk aroun' it nine times an' make a wish each time dey go roun' it an' it will cuz yo' - as yore hair begin to grow wit'in dat thread an' needles, sharp pains begin to penetrate through yore haid, an' as de hair grow, why de pains will grow.[ Washington, D. C., (642), 831:2+85.]
Entry 5875
Dey kin take two stran's of yo' an' mine hair, or eithah yores, an' ketch chew a live, any kinda fish yo' could git - git yore hand on, even dis goldfish - an' Me de tail of it an' put [the hair] in dere, an' turn it back loose tuh run in de water, an' yo' goes off as he go.
Entry 5890
(What do they do out there?)
Well, dere's sev'ral diff'ren' things dat dey do out at de fo'ks of de road.
(Well, tell me one of them, if you know one of them.)
Well, when yo' git to de fo'k of de road - co'se some people uses a lady's hair or her hose dat she wear or her urine or somepin lak dat. Well, in any way dat yo' wanta use her hair, yo' could take her hair when yo' git to de fo'k of de road, yo' could put 'er hair into de groun', but yo' must go dere evah day an' urine on dis hair, see. An' aftah yo' urine on it, yo' must curse it. Yo' have to curse it fo' it to work.
(What will that do?)
Well, yo' see - take fo' instance, yo' got a lady frien' dat yo' wants. When yo' git to de fo'k of de road, now yo' want dis lady frien' an' de lady frien don't want yo'. Yo' could make her want yo' by takin' - firs' yo' git three stran's of hair from 'er head, three from 'er eyelashes, three off any portion of 'er body dat yo' want, but it must be nine in all. Yo' have to take dese rine stran's of hair to do dis wit, an' if yo' got a lady an' yo' wants 'er, yo git dere an' yo' do dat wit it. An' if she's in China, she gotta come back to y~ Qou mean, you bury that hair out at the fork of the road?) At de fo'k of de road.
(I see.)
Entry 5967
Take a stran' of yore hair jes' as near de mole of yore head as yo' Kin, an' yo' kin take it an' take one stran' an' tie it into three knots. An crah mawnin' jes' at de dawn of daylight - de firs' mawnin' clip one dose knots out an' put it in de sweat of yore hatban' [sweat- bandl an' tote it arom' until de second morning. An' take dat stran' of hair out dere, dat first hot chew cut out, an' smoke it in yore cigaret right aroun' de forehead where de party [he or she] kin inhale de smoke of it. Well, dat is bringin' dere min' nearah towards yo'. An' de fo'th [second, see later] mawnin' clip de nex knot out. Yo' takes dat an' yo' take yo' a white piece of bran'-new homespun cloth an' ties it aroun' yore wais' an' keeps dat right nex' to yore skin. Dat nex' [third] morning take de nex' piece [knot] dat chew got clipped off from dose two piece [knots] an' yo' put it in yore pocketbook dat chew keep greenback [money] in dere. An' tote dem evahwhere yo' go. [Dem = smoke, waist, pocketbook]. An' jes' as long as a Woman dat yo' Wants - SHE'LL BE HANGIN' BY YO' UNTIL YO' MAKE OTHAH ARRANGEMENTS TO BREAK LOOSE FROM 'ER.
(You do that each morning?)
Each mawnin' until yo' use de last stran'.
(You do it the first morning, the second morning and then the third morning?)
Yes.
(And what did you say - you said, if you had something in your pocketbook?)
De las' piece - de las' stran' dat yo' cut off put in yore pocketbook an' keep it in dere if yo' got any greenback.
Entry 6021
Dere one thing yo' kin do wit hair. Yo' kin take hair, nine stran's of hair out de top of yore haid. Ah'm tellin' yo' de way ah know, now. Ah don' know de way anybody know it, tell yo' de way ah know. Take nine stran's of hair out de top of yore haid an' git a white pocket han'kercheff, a bran'-new white pocket han'kercheff, an' put nine pins in it. An' wrop dat nine stran's of hair up tight wit dat nine pins, an' put five drops of Heart Cologne fo' nine days. An' put it into a dry place an' let it stay about nine days an' den take it up an' put it anywhere on mah body. Or de Woman could put it anywhere on 'er body where it won' git wet an' wear it. An' dat'll gain a man fo' yo'. A man'll go tuh her an' nobody else cain't git dat man but 'er. Dat man go tuh 'er.
Entry 6055
Yo' take a little hair out de mole of yore haid an' take a little strand from heah.
(Down below?)
Yeah, yo' take dose two an' yo' cross 'em ovah, jes' lak dat yo' see [demon- strates].
(Cross one over the other in the shape of a cross.)
An' yo' git chew a brass-eyed needle an' yo' run it right through dere - one of dose strands, yo' see [demonstrates], right through dere. Den yo' put it in 1 snuffbox an' take it out to yore front po'ch an' bury it right undah yore do'- steps, right undah yore do'steps. (What will that do?) Dat will make 'em come all de time. (You take one of the hairs and thread a needle with it? The other [six] hairs you just leave them as they are?) Dat's right. Put 'em in de snuffbox. (YOU HAVE THREE HAIRS CROSSING THREE HAIRS AND THE SEVENTH HAIR YOU PUT IN THE NEEDLE?) Dat's right.
Entry 6075
She could git 'is hair from 'is private an' de hair from undah 'is left arm an' nine stran's outa his head an' bury it undah de steps. Dat'll make him be's home; he goin' stay roun' home.
Entry 6076
Ah have heard dat chew could take a person hair an' gain de influence of 'em by carryin' dere hair in yore pocket. Yo'could take dere hair an' git chew a piece of bran'-new cloth, piece of bran'-new white cloth sech as be de - yo' know, don't be flowered lak dis. Yo' know, jes' any kin'a bran'-new cloth dat don't cost but 5c a yard - plain cloth. Yo' kin take dat an' take nine stran's of a person's hair an' carry dat nine stran's of a person's hair in yore pocket nine days, an' DE NINTH MAWN- IN' yo' git up outa de bed an' yo' say de THREE GOD MANHEAD: God de Father, God de Son, God de Holy Ghost - de ninth mawnin'. An' yo' take dem nine stran's of bair an' WALK TO DE BACK DO'. Wit yure left han' throw dem nine stran's of hair away. Don't look back aftah yo' throw 'em away, jes' throw 'em anyuay. Don't look back aftah yo' throw 'em. An' de person who yo's in love wit, y jes' lak yo' throw dere hair away, dey'll come back to yo'. [Even cloth at 5c a yard vas amazing back in 1939 - see INTR0., p. XXXV for date.] An' if it's a person dat chew wanta git away from yo', de seventh day yo' cake dat hair an' walk to de front do' jes' at sunrise an' say de THREE GOD MANHRAD, an' put it right in de centah of de do'step - right in de centah of de do'step. Den take a horseshoe - YO'VE SEEN A HORSESHOE - an' lay dat horseshoe right down ovah it; jes' yo' know square each way, jes' so it'll extend each way an' it'll be level each way. Yo' take dem nine stran's of hair an' dig a little hole an' bury it. Put dat horseshoe ovah it. Take yo' nine pins an' drive down in dere. Jes' try tuh drive 'em on top of de head of each othah it'll be bettah. An dat'll drive 'em away from yo', so yo' won't have any trouble wit dat person any
(You cover up that horseshoe so it can't be seen?)
Yes sir, yo' covah it up lightly so it can't be seen. [Despite the absence of pubic or armpit hair in this rite, I have placed it here because of 9 hairs snd9 days.]
Entry 6077
Ah heard dat chew take nine stran's of yore hair, lak yo' wanted yore basban' or sompin lak dat to stay wit chew. Take nine stran's of yore hair from undah yore arm, undah yore left arm, an' nine from down heah, an' trim mine of yore fingahnails, an' put 'em on de [stove] lid an' parch it, an' sift it op in some dough or cake or sompin an' let 'em eat it. He'll nevah leave yo'.
Entry 6084
Well, ah heah 'em say dat dey take de hair from undah yore arms an' de top of yore-haid, an' dey say take an' tack it on a piece of pastebo'd - put it in a little bag an' tack it on a piece of paste- bo'd. Den throw it in runnin' watah an' dey say dat'll, jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh drift 'em away from yo', dey say dat would make 'em walk off in de rivah.
Entry 6085
Make them come back? I don't know about the track [foot track to bring a person back], I jes' know about de sock.
[I turn off machine but decided to hear about the sock.]
About de sock? Take a sock, a dirty sock, an' take it an' put hair from undah is arn, 'is head, an' on 'is private, in de toe of it, an' take an' roll it to yo', an' roll it an' roll it 皿til yo' git to de end. Aftah yo' git to de end, why mke yore wish. Wish he'd come back or wish he'd stay dere, an' bury it undahde foot of yore steps. Dat'll make 'im come back an' he'll stay.
(Either sock is all right?)
Eithah sock is all right.
Entry 6086
Well, ah heard in mah days past if yo' had a woman or a man an' yo' wnted tuh make love wit 'em an' wanted tuh make 'em stay wit yo', [take] some [hair] from de centah of de top of dere haid an' some of de hair from dey body down heah. An' some of de hair from undah dere arms. An' Cobine dat an' carry dat wit yo' to a young grave, where yo' could bury it. Or, yo' know, yo' could take all of dat an' if yo' wanted to make a person leaveyo', S0 dey'd worry 'bout yo' an' wanta come back to yo', but dey couldn't come back yo', jes' throw it in runnin' watah.
Entry 6087
Take his hair [from his head], de hair undah his nose, an' de hair from down dere, an' den wear his picture, an he'll come back.
[I do not recall nose hair elsewhere in HOODOO.]
(What would you do with that hair?)
Jes' wear it, wear it all de time.
(From his head, his nose, and down there. Wear it and he'll come back.)
Entry 6088
Take three stran's out chure haid an' three stran's down below, an' take it an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up. Yo' buries dat.
(What do you do that for?)
It'll kill yo'. (Do you bury your own hair?) Yore own hair. (Won't that kill you if you bury your own hair?) It'll kill yo'. (You Want to kill yourself?) Run yo' blind, sho' it would. [We do not understand one another. Informant merely Bys your stopped-up hair will kill you, whether you or enemy does it.]
Entry 6141
Well, now, if a fellah got a girl, a wife or sweetheart, whatevah he intend 'er tuh be, he go right tuh work, jes' lak mah haid or yore hair right dere an' git chew fo' strands of hair. Be combin', git roun' lak dat, or yo' kin fool wit 'er, make out yo' goin' play an' git it, an' git holt of fo' stran's right out de mole of 'er haid right dere. Dey kin take dat fo' stran's an' put it yore right shoe in de toes or de mouth of it up heah. Fold it tuhgethah an' put it up in dere an' yo' wears it in dere. Now, yo' wears dat in dere, undahstan', an' evahwhere yo' go she'll go. An' if she wants tuh quit - she kin git mad, yo' know - yo' got 'er tied. An' she gits mad an' stays off at some of de neighbor's house an' part up wit yo', lak she not comin' to yo' fo' sometime, well 'fore de sun go down she's right back wit yo'. Can't stay 'way atall.
Entry 6142
[Later during interview informant gives another version of the four- strands-of-hair rite:] Dat's wus'ah [worse-er] den de fo' strands of hair, undahstan'. Den yo' kin take - go git dat fo' stran's of hair. Take dat needle dat de lady sews wit an' wrap it up an' put it wit dat fo' stran's of hair, an' put it in de mouth [informant means toe] of yore shoe, an' wear it dere, yo' undahstan'. An' IF SHE LEAVE YO', DEN DE SUN AIN'T SHININ' OUT DERE - can't leaVe yo'.
(Put four strands of her hair in your shoe?)
Wear it in de toe of yore shoe, way up in de toe, put it up dere where it won't git lost when yo' pull off yore shoe or yore sock - jes' pack it in dere. Let it stay in dere. But it's de quickest way tuh git 'em - dat's it, yo' undah- Stan'. But now YO' MUST KEEP DAT UP ONCE A MONTH. DON'T DO IT JES' ONE TIME, IT DIE DOWN. DAT MEANS, SEE, DAT ONCE A MONTH DE MOON CHANGES. Do it OnCe eVah month.
(On the change.of the moon.)
Entry 6143
(What else do they do with the hair?)
Well, yo' kin take it an' use it in anothah way. Dey kin take yore hair - dey git it in certain places.
(Where?)
In de mole of yore haid, or in de temple, or down below, an' dey kin wear dat hair in dey foot - de shoe. Put it in dey right shoe. Put it in a little thin piece of cloth, yo' know, flannen cloth an' wrap it, an' yo' git some of dis what chew call van-van an' wet it wit it. An' puts it in de bottom of yore shoe an' put a piece of newspapah on top of dat an' wear daily in yore shoe. Well, dat kinda runs yo' crazy 'bout 'em.
(Hakes you like the person?)
Makes yo' love 'em.
Entry 6169
"Bout dat hair proposition, ah hear dat dey take yore hair an' dey takes three Camel Cigarettes, an' takes a strand of yore hair, takes a straw an' push in dere. Push one strand of yore hair in dem cigarette apiece an' den smoke one of dem cigarettes a day, smoke de othahn de next day, an' de othahn de nex' day, an' dey say dey got de woman den tuk in [= took in = taken in = tricked].
(That takes the woman - gets the woman to love them.)
Entry 10214
I hear dat she could take a strand of häh out of a boy's head an' - this is a little bad - put it down an' [while he is asleep] measure hisself [she measures his penis with his hair]. An' she took that hah an' put it in a bag, an' put it up under huh ähm where she sweat at, an' he couldn't do nuthin to no other woman but her.
Entry 11855
Well, yo' see now, it's anothah story. A lady an' her husban', yo' know, dey were gittin' 'long all right. So she saw somebody else she liked an' so she, yo' know, comes right to de front of it wit her husband an' dey nevah wanta agreein' in de home, so she say, "Well, ah dunno, seem lak mah mome is gittin' too upset. Ah dunno, seem lak ah dunno whut tuh do." So dis kept on workin' lak dat. So ah guess in travelin' an' talkin' roun' - prob'ly in, up an' down de streets, so dis [would spread] - 'nothah man or woman, somebody, say, "Whut? Yo' dunno whut tuh do wit chure home?" Says, "No." Say, "Don' be silly, go an' git chew some luck." Said, "It'll make yore home all right." Say, "Will ah be able to work ut? Ah don' know whut tuh do or how tuh do it." So, [she or someone] said dat dis man says, "Well, ah'll see yo' ag'in an' talk wit chew."
['"Dis man" wanted time to inquire about doctors.]
"Okay." An' so prob'ly latah dey got tuhgethah, see. Say, "Seem lak mah home is still gittin' worsah an' worsah an' 'stead a-git' tin' bettah, ah want chew tuh prove whut chew wuz talkin' tuh me 'bout." Says, "Okay." Says, "W'yn't [why not] yo' git chew a cah [car] an' go down South an' git chew some luck. Don' chew know whut tuh do tuh take ca' yo' home?" Says, "No." Says, "Well, ah've got de money if yo' kin git a cah." Says, "Well, ah kin git chew a cah all right." So he got a cah an' so dey went down South. So de ole man commence 'splainin' tuh him whut it wuz all about. So he tole 'em, says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do." Says, "Yo' right easy when she go tuh bed," says, "at night," says, "cut so many strands of her hair." Says, den go down below an' cut so many down dere." An' he says, "Yo' git dat all tuhgethah an' put a lil' of 'er sickness. Ketch onto her monthly an' take a lil' of 'er sickness, an' two strands off 'er haid, two down there, an' a lil' of her sickness, yo' know. Put dem togethah an' tie it up in a lil' bag." An' said, "An' every month when she be lak dat, yo' watch closely an' yo' git a drop of her sickness an' jes' damp it wet lak dat, see, an' she be all right. She'll take care of yo'."
Entry 12229
They says to have luck: well you know you kin take a piece of lode- stone. You kin take a lodestone an' git choo piece of'High John de Conkah root. An' yo' kin take dat an' put it in a piece of red flannin [flannel], an' take an' sew it up. An' git choo some perfume an' pour it over there. An' you'll have good luck in any games you go in. You will win. That's to draw luck - lodestone would. Jis' bathe [usually feed] it [with the perfume] say about 3 times a week to keep it kin'a mossted [moist]. An' that lodestone will grow. See, that would grow...jis' as long as you keep [feeding it] the larger it be. An' as it grow, little hairs will come out, little teenny hairs. Yo' kin see 'em comin' out. It's a lodestone, look jis' lfke a piece of coal [several places in HOODOO this is called black lodestone]. But only them hairs...an' they will move too. You could take a piece of that an' lay it on this table [between us] in one place, an' then you go back about a half an hour after, it'd be done moved.
Entry 12548
(For a man to hold a woman.)
You take 9 of her fingernails and 9 of her toenails, and then get a red onion, and get 9 strands of hair out de mole [mold] of her head. And take that onion, red onion, and cut it open and dig a little hole in it. And then take them 9 toenails and 9 fingernails, and that 9 strands of hair out of her head, and place together and put it in there, and stop that onion up. And go round the house towards where the sun rise, and dug [dig] a little hole, and put it [in] there and then cover it up. [Copied from my rough original pen- cil transcription made soon after recording; original copy attached.]