Subject:Harm
Entries
Entry 6237
Well, yo' kin take de hair out de comb if yo' cain't git it no othah Way, an' yo' kin go to a tree, a green tree, an' bo' a hole in dere an' stop dat hair up in dat hole when dat tree is yet alive an' de germ [sap] is passin' in dere up an' down, an' dat will run dat individual crazy. Dere no air kin git in dere wit dat hair.
Entry 8307
Yo' could take a pichure. Now, if yo' wanta do good, if yo' wanted de person tuh love yo' or somepin an' - yo' put dat pichure tuh de haid of yore bed, an' call de person's name nine mawnin's. An' wit a pin dat's nevah been used, a new pin, yo' put nine holes intuh dis pichure fo' nine mawnin's. An' while yo' punch dose holes, yo' talk tuh de pichure jis' lak yo' talkin' tuh de person. An' aftah de nine mawnin's, jis' whatevah de statements were dat chew made, dat person will do jis' lak yo' ast dem tuh do, but chew must keep dat pichure dere.
(You punch one hole each morning or nine holes?)
Nine holes for nine mawnin's.
(That's nine times nine?)
Eighty-one.
(And you keep it at the head of the bed?)
Yo' keep it dere tuh de haid of yore bed.
(Now you do harm you say with the photograph. Tell me about that.)
Well, if yo' wanta do harm wit de pichure, yo' could take dat pichure an' yo' take dat tuh de graveyard, an' yo' go an' yo' call de spirits of de dead. When yo' think dat de spirit is dere, yo' take out nine han'fuls of dirt out of dat grave. Den yo' place dis pichure down dere an' yo' explain tuh de spirit jis' whut yo' want 'em tuh do tuh dat pahticlah [particular] person, see. An' what- evah yo' say, den yo' pay dat spirit.
(Well, now. What do you usually pay the spirit?)
Well, it goes - Well, NOW DE FIRST DEGREE IS THREE PENNIES. DE SECOND IS NINE AN' DE THIRD IS THIRTEEN. [I do not recall that these sums of money paid the spirit are called degree elsewhere in Hoodoo.]
(Then you cover that picture up in there?)
Let it stay dere. An' yo' have tuh explain tuh dis spirit whut tuh do tuh dat pahticlah person, an' pay dem tuh do dat. Dey'll do it jis' lak yo' ast dem tuh do.
Entry 8577
Yo' could take a silk stockin' dat anybody's used an' had dey sweat on it, an' go tuh de fo'k of de road at twelve a'clock at night an' bury it. Yo'll take a brand-new pocket han'ke'ch'ef, any kin' dat a person is got dat sweat on, an' yo' kin put dere name down wit it an' tie it up nine times, an' bury it right at de fo'k of dat road at de hours of twelve a'clock at night. (What will that do?) Whut dat do? Well, dat's if yo' wants tuh do a person harm. Yo': see, dat's whut dere sweat take, any- thing dat have been used. But chew kin git de new pocket han'ke'ch'ef, an' dey don' have tuh use it, an' git dere name an' yo' kin do 'em harm.
(You tie that handkerchief nine times.)
Yo' tie it nine times lak dis. Say fo' instance if dis is de han'ke'ch'ef. Well, if yo' wanta do anythin' an' yo' wanta do anybody harm, yo' don' bring it to yo', yo' bring it from yo'. See, an' evah time yo' tie it, lak yo' take de end of de pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' yo' tie it once. Yo' have dat one piece of papah dere wit de names on dere. Yo' take an' put anothah piece 'cross dat an yo' tie it ag'in, until yo' make dem nine. Git de han'ke'ch'ef big enough dat chew kin make dem nine knots. An' yo' buries hit. Nine pieces of papah wit de name on it.
(The name of the person on each piece of paper written once.)
See, until yo' put nine pieces of papah, an' each piece of papah wit de knot. An' yo' bury it.
Entry 8772
They say if yo' take de twelve apostles an' write 'em on [a piece of paper or twelve sage leaves?] an' put 'em in yore left pocket or eithah yore left shoe, why dey say dat'll keep harm from comin' to yo'. [A note following write 'em on reads: A noise made here so do not know what they were written on.]
Entry 9664
All right. Well, first, if they trying to harm you, you get you some Epsom salts, take you some table salt. All right. And you take you some warm water and let that set overnight. Then you take you a good bath with that. Well, they can't do anything with you.
Entry 9836
Git chew nine needles. Yo' have tuh git de goldhead [usually goldeye] needles an' put five of 'em haids up an' turn fo' of 'em [heads] points down. An' yo' kin bury dem at chure gate where de people walk ovah - at de front gate. An' nuthin in de world will do yo' any harm.
Entry 9864
[As another protective device by using a frog eye, we have the follow- ing rite:] If someone wants tuh harm you, to keep 'em from harming you, you must get a frog. You gets a frog and you kill de frog. After you kill the frog, you just take the heart and the gizzard out. You take the heart and the gizzard out. [I failed to ask for a description of a frog gizzard, probably assuming stomach was meant. The true gizzard of course, is the second (posterior) stomach of birds.] Then you dry it - you dry it right in the sun-like. Just good sunny days put it out. After you dry the frog eye and it's heart, you take...
(Just a moment, you said the frog's heart and gizzard before?)
Heart and gizzard, yes.
(Yes.)
[Yet, I still think the word is eye rather than gizzard.]
After you dry it thoroughly, then you put it - you could put it in your purse and just tote all the time and no one can harm yuh.
Entry 9892
Yo' take dat frog an' yo' write dis name on a piece of papah. (What name?) Anybody's name. An' yo' tie it roun' dis live frog an' carry it an' throw it in de runnin' stream of watah. Tie it tight where de papah won't git off in a runnin' stream of watah. Dat's a party dat yo' wanta do harm tuh. Well, dat'll carry him right on off in dat rivah.
Entry 9965
Take a toadfrog an' skin 'im an' put 'im in yore pocket, an' nobody cain't hahm [harm] yo' no way. An' yo' [also] kin go all ovah in games, play games, an' yo' win.
Entry 10055
Ketch a black cat an', yo' know, put 'im in a hot pot of watah, see. An' dey say de lucky bone'll rise, yo' know, tuh de top of de watah. Dey take dis [bone] an' go tuh de forks of de road nine mawnin's. Say yo' go dere tuh meet de devil. An' say, if yo' go, yo' know, in any place [to rob it or where you could meet trouble] an' long as yo' keep dis bone wit 'im [you], yo' know, nuthin wouldn't hahm [harm] 'im [you].
Entry 10058
Take a black cat an' throw it in a pot of hot watah... [I turn off machine here be- cause rite did not appear to be promising. This was a frequent habit of mine to save time and cylinder space. Once more I shall stop machine before letting it continue to the end. My questions show what had been omitted.]
(After they boil this black cat what do they do?)
Take 'is bones, all de bones an' carry it down tuh de...
[I stop machine and then begin again.]
(After they get this bone that goes up the stream, then what do they do?)
Dey take it an' goes tuh de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's an' pray tuh de Lord an' say dey sell deyself tuh de devil. An' den dey kin do anythin' dey wan'a do an' can't nobody hahm 'em.
Entry 10173
[I know something] on that charm. (What kind of charm is it?) Dey gits a red can'le - some gits a black one - an' w'atsomevah mah name is, if he wants tuh harm me, he'll take it an' write mah name on dat. Den he'll burn a certain amoung every day. Somepin like dat.
(And then what happens?)
Jis' accordin' tuh w'at dey want tuh do tuh yuh. If dey wan'a make yuh sick... [This is different from the usual headache caused by candle burning on you, see p.834, v.1 and elsewhere.]
Entry 10698
[Unlike the preceding rite, a hoodoo one, this following example can be religious, though mechanical. These I often did not collect or collected later discarded.] If it wus me an ah thought some- body wus tryin' tuh harm me, zh'd git de Bible an' ah'd read de 4th chapter of Psalms; from de 4th chapter of Psalms to de 17th chapter of Psalms. Ah'd read de 4th chapter of Psalms espec- ially. Den ah'd read de llth chapter of Psalms and de 8th chapter of Psalms. 血' all de time ah readin' dem Psalms, why don't forgit de prayer - de Our Rnther Prayer.
Entry 11073
Well, if you wants to stop 'em, if yo' goes out, from the law getting in connection with you. That's very easy to do that, too. Here's whut chew do. Yo' [go] an' git chure own garment, git a piece of your clothes that you had on this day, that has perspiration on it, an' git a piece of theirs. Take those two pieces together an' tie 'em with a piece that you don't want. Tie 'em together and put 'em in a running stream of water. And they never will do nuthin to yo'. That nmning stream takes away the evil thought between you an' him. Run that away. Run that spirit away. [I had asked about keeping the law away from the house, but informant turns my question into anyone seeking to harm you. You begin your protection with a piece of clothing you wore that day, because the perspiration in it is a part of your spirit, hence the whole of your spirit (see PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, p.21-23, v.1). Next, you obtain something recently worn or handled by the enemy. Then, using a spiritless piece of clothing you have discarded, you tie your spirit and enemy spirit together, making a tight knot. And immed- iately and finally you rush off and throw this package into running Water. Run- ning Water kills or purifies evil work. You understand, of course, that the evil spirit permitted itself to be tied only because it was being tied to you, now even an easier prey. This rite is called a trick. I did not understand this rite when I heard it back in 1939; the reason why my note about informant on the original transcription reads, use with care! This rite is logically illogical!]
Entry 12246
You git you a assafidadee [asafetida] see, an' beat it up fine, an' put some turpentine in it, some Hearts Cologne. And git chew a piece of John de Conkah root, and cut dat up fine and sew it up tight, and wear it right around yo' neck, an' leave it lay right on yo' chest, and nothin' kin nevah harm yo', if somebody goin' poison you.
(Nothing will ever harm you, I see.)
Even if somebody give you [him] sompin to eat, it couldn't go into his stomach. His stomach like a stone.