Subject:Hat
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Entries
Entry 3214
(Tell me that again now. What would you do?)
Take de bow out of a man hat. Yo've seen mens when dey buy hats, pull de bow out de hat an' burn it up, haven't chew? Dey won't nevah - very seldom yo' see a man wit a bow in 'is hat. Take dat bow an' tie it an' wear it right roun' heah, roun' yore private, wit a string. Jes' wear it right roun' an' he can't raise no heart fo' no heart fo' nobody but chew.
Entry 3603
Inside a man hat, de women take dat bow an' whensomevah de man - dey take dat bow out of de man's hat. Whensomevah dey go wit a man, dey takes a special piece [of cloth] to vipe wit, an' aftah takin' de piece to wipe wit, dey take dat bow an' dey tie it up in dat piece wit nine knots an' wear it aroun' dere waist. Well, hit'll make him follah lak one of dose animal do when dey hook 'im in de nose [a bull] wit dat hook, yo' see. Dat's fo' sure. Huh voice am sound sweetah dan any othah ooman, huh cookin's taste bettah an' evahthin'. He jis' git devoted to her so, until dat if he happen to do anythin' aftah she doin' dat, DE LAW SHOULD TAKE SIDES WIT 'IM BECUZ HE'S NOT OF HISSELF. (I see. Will she take a piece and wipe it after she's had intercourse with him?) Absolutely.
(I see.)
Entry 4076
Git de feathah from a black chicken, if yo' a man thirsty fo' a woman, in love wit 'er. Yo' take dat feathah from a black chicken an' yo' manage tuh git some of 'er ministra- tion. Now, de way ah've heard dis: if yo' kin git some of 'er ministration, an' yo' put dat wit dat feathah in dere. Den yo' take dat feathah an' put it in a bottle an' yo' put yo'self some spirits of tur- pentine in dere. Yo' put some dis othah stuff [urine? semen?]. Put some quinine in dere. An' den yo' take dat piece [hatband] or de bow, eithah one, outa yore hat, an' put it in dere. Let dat stay right dere nine days. [Auto horn.] Aftah nine days yo' bury dat thin' right somewhere 'bout de no'th cornah of yore chim- ley in de groun'. Den yo' go out dere an' yo' make watah on dat dere fo' nine days. Yo' pee on dat fo' nine days. Den dat dere - dat draws 'er 'fection to yo'.
Entry 4511
If she's got 'is hat, she kin take his hat an' hole [hold] it ovah a lamp an' let it git warm inside, an' den jis' take it an' put it right in de middle of de bed. He'll come home. (With the crown down or up?) Dis way, see [demonstrates].
(The crown down on the bed.)
Entry 4512
Well, if mah wife want me tuh stay home, she could take mah hat an' put on de bed. Take a little piece of green leaf an' put in de back of it [in back = behind syeatband] an' let it stay on de bed. Evah time he go tuh pass dat night he'll nevah go nowhere. (What kind of a leaf is that?) A peah leaf or eithah a green apple - de apples whut grown down heah [in this part of the country]. Eithah one of dose or eithah one dem leaves out de [something].
(Where did she put that hat?)
Right on de foot of de bed.
(He'd see it there wouldn't he?)
Wake up an' *see de hat dere but he wouldn't know how it got dere. He jes' lay down.
Entry 4513
A girl came from N'Yawk [New York]. She tole me whut tuh do if a man, if he doesn't love yo'. She tole me whut tuh do wit 'is hat. She said if a man doesn't love yuh an' yuh love him, dat yuh take his hat. An' when yuh walk off, yuh an' 'im walk off from de house, an' yuh turn roun'. Yuh know, perten' dat yo' have tuh go back tuh de house. An' yuh take his hat an' pull yore pants down an' rub it 'tween yuh legs twice an' walk on back. An' she said dis man would be crazy about chew. (What do you do when you turn around? You snatch his hat. You mean away from him?) Yuh know, some girls jes' take dere boy fren's hat an' put it on dere haid an' perten' dat it's cold or somepin an' jes' have on dere hat. It rainin' or sompin an' jes' have on dere hat - it rainin' or sompin. Dey jes' wanta put it on.
(She'll go on back to the house wearing his hat?)
Uh-huh. Do it twice.
Entry 4514
Yuh could go to any tree - take de top outa a woman or a man hat, but dat will run 'em crazy. An' yo' bo' a hole in dis tree an' take dat hat [top] an' put it in dere. Den cut chew a little piece of stick dey call a peg an' yuh drive it in dere tight. See, lak dat. See, yuh drive it up tight an' yuh smooth it off. Well, dat tree - dat green tree, dat flesh [bark] will grow ovah dat, an' dat will run 'em 'way from dat place.
Entry 4515
If a man lef' home an' yuh kin fine [find] any one of de hats dat he have wore, or any of 'is undahclothes, yuh take it an' cut chew a piece off it. A woman kin do dat, cut a piece off it, an' tie: it up in a red little cloth. Put a white piece of cloth ovah it an' sew it up an' tote it in yuh pocket. An' by an' by dis man will come back home an' he won't know how he come back home. Jes' come right on back to yuh.
Entry 4531
Dey go tuh work an' take de lef'-footed stockin' an' git chew some brimstone an' some spice. An' cut de stockin', de heel of it on down tuh de toe, an' burn dat tuhgethah - burn de stockin' an' makes a powdah out of dat. An' den goes tuh work an' grin' up dat spice an' grind up - when yuh grin' up de spice, den yuh goes tuh work an' yuh grin' up dis brimstone. An' mix it all tuhgethah an' yuh kin take it an' rub it in a hat - in his hat whut he use. Dat will make him stay home.
Entry 4534
I had a half brothah an' he wuz goin' wit a girl in Washington [D. C.]. Her name wuz Cornelia A. An' so he stopped goin' wit [her] an' went tuh goin' wit anothah girl. Den like a crazy he turned dis othah [second] girl down an' went goin' back wit 'er [first girl] again. So he tells mah mothah. I don't know, but he said he had a straw hat. She takes 'is hat an' she put somepin, I don't know, in dere. But anyhow, his whole eyes became jis' as white as dis papah [probably my open Numbers Book on the table], black an' all. He got so he couldn't see a wink. He died in jis' about three months afterwards.
[Snow Hill, Md., (Informant 93).]
Entry 4546
If dey jes' take some of yuh hair out chure haid, dey takes dat hair an' buries it. See, dat's tuh git chew in de action tuh work like dey want chew tuh work. An' jes' like if dis cap [informant's own], OR DIS HAT [MY BLACK HAT ON RECORDING TABLE]. Dis heah boW yuh see in dis cap [demonstrates], why yuh kin take dis bow heah out of dis cap an' run me crazy. See, ah gen'ral' [generally] WHEN AH GITS A CAP OR HAT AH ALWAYS TAKES DIS [demonstrates] OUT, CUZ IT'S DANGEROUS, see.
(Well, how would they do that?)
Well, dey takes dis bow heah out of yuh cap or hat an' dey takes dat bow an' dey dresses it, see. Dey dress it wit dis heah, some kinda whut de' call Hearts Cologne. Takes it an' put dat on it, an' dis heah stuff dey call - dat's a great thing - table salt. Dat's great. Dey take dat an' put dat in dere wit it an' dey sew it up, an' dey try tuh work in a way tuh git where yuh stay at. See, play partnahs wit yuh. An' when dey git tuh where yuh stay at, dey put it up ovah yuh do'. Den, when yuh git tuh actin' funny an' gittin' crazy [anything of yours over a door you walk under makes you light-headed], see it will run yuh crazy, an' yuh won't even know whut it's all about.
Entry 4626
[The number of the size of a hat is rare in hoodoo, this could be my only example, though I am certain that many men while gambling have on the spur of the moment used his own or another person's number. The following rite, missed by my transcriber, is a pencil abstract of mine while checking cylinders.] "Take hat bow and the number out of hat - and put grain [ground or powdered] lodestone with it - make a bag - put [on it] old Hearts Perfune - wear next to skin - can't quit you."
Entry 4682
Dey kin take dat, take dat bow from mah hat, if anybody git holt of it, lak dat [shows his hat]. Yuh see, dere it's hot now. Yuh see ah'm sweatin'. Sit down dere, yuh undahstan', an' takin' a knife an' scrape it outa dere, jis' lak dat, an' take all dat dirt an' sweat out of dere tuhgethah, an' git it outa dere till dey git quite a nice bladeful. Git about a knifebladeful out de bow of de hat, yuh undahstan'. An' yuh take dat an' yuh go tuh work, yuh undahstan', an' go tuh a tree an' digs yuh a hole in dere. Gits yuh somepin othah tuh gouge yuh a hole in dat tree lak dat dere. An' den take dat knife an' wipe dat thing off on a li'le piece of rag, an' take an' shove it back in dere. An' git chew a stoppah, make yuh a peg tuh fit dat hole an' drive it in dere. Drive it in dere tight jis' lak dat. Yuh kill 'em, bash it - hit ovah 'is haid.
(That gives him a bad headache and kills him?)
Kill 'im.
Entry 4936
If a woman would take a man's sock, jis' when he take it off, an' take it an' wear it in 'er hat, say dat would make him wan'a be wit 'er. Jis' lak if a man, yuh know, didn't care nuthin about 'er, an' she wanted dis man. Den if she would git hold of one of 'is socks, she would take his sock an' put it in 'er hat; an' as long as she keeps dis sock in 'er hat, well den dis man would wan' tuh be wit dis woman. But dey say yuh had tuh spe- cially have a dirty sock.
(Either sock, it doesn't make any difference?)
No.
Entry 5252
Well, now, if yo' wan'a person tuh leave, say leave town, yo' kin take 'is shoe. Take one of 'is shoes an' take it tuh de railroad an' turn de shoe de way de train's comin', de way yo' want 'em tuh go. An' when de train runs ovah dat, yo' call 'is name an' have some graveyard dirt. An' jis' drop three pinches down in 'is shoe an' slip dat shoe on de railroad an' de train will run, yo' know, hit runs ovah de shoe, an' he's wit dat [train] crew. Yes sir, dat will lose him. (You don't put that on the rail, you just put that on the track? Between the rails?) Yeah on de track - NO, PUT IT ON DE RAIL!
(Oh! the train actually runs over it.)
Yes sir, runs ovah it.
(Either shoe is all right?)
Don' make any diff'rence.
Entry 5494
Take his hair...
(With that little bow.)
[Bow was mentioned before I turned on recording machine.]
Yes, take de hair an' put it in a bottle an' bury it. Yo' buries dat. Bury dat wit some of 'is tracks. See, yo' take an' bury dat wit some of 'is tracks. Dat will make him follah yo' evahwhere, anywhere yo' go. (What else do you put in that bottle?) Some of 'is hair, some of 'is dust out from undah 'is feet, an' den some of de ravels from 'is undahclothes - from undah 'is arm an' yo' know down below.
(Some of the sweat.)
Yo' know, jes' lak dey'd git chure dirty clothes an' ah'd take some of de ravels. An' put it in a bottle, undahstan', an' yo' carry dat an' bury it. Bury it out at chure do'step. He'll follah yo' anywhere.
Entry 5498
Well, yo' take a stran' or two of yore hair out chure haid an' dey'll take an' git de bow out de back of yore hat. Yo' take dat hair an' de bow out chure hat an' yo' git a few grains of sand outa yore shoe track - out de streets an' den take an' put it tuhgethah. Sew it up in a little bag an' put it undah yore steps an' yo' cross ovah it. Why dat jes' upsets yore mind altuh- gethah. Dat's de way dey trick yo' dataway.
(Now whose steps would they put this under, mine or...?)
Dey put it undah de steps where yo' come ovah. (Well, now suppose they got all that stuff from me. Would they put it under Ty step or under your step?) Undah de step dat chew goes ovah.
(That is to upset my mind?)
Yassuh.
Entry 5753
You can go to work and take nine drops of chamber water and get nine drops of dirt out of the hollow of the right foot and get a little piece of bow out of the hat and then carry it to somebody else's house and they po to that somebody else and want to move in with them. You bury it right under dhe door. [By hand Doctor Frank Hall, near Suffolk, Nansemond Co., Va., see - INTRO., V.1, p. XXXIX, line 25f.,1958, p.573.1
Entry 5897
Dat is fo' a woman tuh git a whole lotta influence ovah 'er husban' or 'er sweetah' [sweetheart], so as tuh control 'im. She takes 'is hat an' bur- ies it in de graveyard. An' she re'lly, if he's vicious an' mean tuh 'er or sompin lak dat, an' if she's a woman dat lak tuh have her own way an' run aroun' wit othah men lak dat, why she'll git some of 'is hair an' bury it in de grave- yard, an' dey tell me he come right down undah 'er control.
Entry 5997
Well, yo' take a lock of yore hair an' de band [bow] outa de back of yore hat, an' yo' stick a brasshead needle in it, an' put it in a Hearts Own Cologne bottle. Stop it up an' turn it bot- tomside upwards undah de front steps. Well, yo' wouldn't have no care fo' nobody else but me.
Entry 6037
(What do they do with that bow?)
Take de bow out of a man's hat an' a little bit of de hair out of de mole of 'is head, an' put it in a bottle an' bury it in de north cornah of yore yard, an' he'll nevah leave yo'. He'll go but he can't stay. [Here is a good and brief example of a rite that could have been indexed or ordered under either the pre- sent hair or under the later hat bow in section SWEAT. If a little urine had been added to the bottle, we would have had three possible classifications.]
Entry 6123
Some takes dat. (That little bow from a man's hat?) Yessuh, an' a dime, a new dime, an' strain it wit hair from down heah, if dey kin git it, or eithah out de mole of 'is haid, an' dey sew dat up in a little piece of flannen rag an' put it in de bottom of dere foot an' wear it.
(What do they do that for?)
Dat's fo' tuh keep 'im controlled.
Entry 6462
Well, ah've [heard] dat dey takes yore fingahnails. Yo' know, jis' lak yo' have a sweetheart or somepin-lak an' prob'ly dat chew don' want 'im an' he think dat chew don' wan' 'im. If he kin git chure fingahnails an' a, yo' know, jis' as if yo' cut yore fingahnails an' den take his fingahnails an' yore fingahnails an' put dat tuhgethah, an' take de bow outa his hat an' he puts dat wit 'em. Den he takes an' binds 'em up in a li'le secret place an' he carries dem wit 'im, an' he makes yo' wan'a stay in touch wit 'im.
Entry 6577
Ah heard a woman in Birmingham, Ala., say dat if yo' had a enemy an' if yo' wanta git de enemy out de way, say yo' could take a lizard an' dreene [drain] it. Yo' know, make de blood come outa it. An' take dat lizard's blood an' put it on a rag all de way roun' de rag. An' den take dat bloodly rag from de lizard an' put it in de band of a hat. An' dey said dat yo could take dat from a lizard an' put it in dere, an' in nine days, lizards be run- nin' all roun' in yore haid an' up an' down yore body.
Entry 6653
Ah've seen 'em take de band whut be in a hat. Dey kin, yo' know, put dese heah snake shells [sheds], where dey fix mens blind lak dat. (Do they put the whole snake shed on there or what?) Well, they put it all de way roun' in yore hat. Or dey kin jis' take a piece where - see, when yo' sweat from de band of yore hat, well, dat will git most of dat snake shed, see an' den dat stuff will jis' run all in yore eyes, face, sompin lak dat. Git in yore eyes den an' it will blind yo'. Yo' go blind.
Entry 7112
Take 'is hat an' lay it up undah de bed bottomside upwards, an' dey'll [he will] sleep dere until she comes back.
Entry 7146
She'll take his shoes an' turn 'em upside down...take his hat, pin it [up] over his head.
Entry 7390
Well, de person dat killed dis person...the dead person, - yo' go to your hen-house where your poultry an' git chew a hot laid egg - a fresh laid egg, yo'understand, two of 'em an' put one in each hand.... If not that, yo' take this dead person's hat an' put it ovah their face see....right ovah his face. If yo' don't do dat, yo' take [demonstrates] his pocket han'kerchief an' spread it one corner on each side of the corner - heah an' one up heah, yo' see.
[I now describe his actions:]
(You take this dead man's handkerchief and you put it like a diamond over his head.) Dat's right, one point to the top of his head and one at his throat and one toward each shoulder. Dat's right. An' de hat yo' take an' place it right ovah his face.
(These are all separate ways of doing it.)
(To bring back the man who killed him?)
To bring back de man dat killed de man.
Entry 7794
(Tell me that again, now.) Dey put it in de band of yuh hat. (This graveyard dirt?) Graveyard dust, put it in de band of yuh hat an' it fall down in yuh eyes an' cuz yo' tuh go blind.
Entry 7841
Dey kin take dat bow an' keep yo' wit a headache all de time. Dey odll take dat bow an' take it tuh de cemetery tuh a ole grave an' go tuh de haid of de grave an' call yore name an' bury dis dere, an' say tuh de spirit in de grave, "Why, keep dis till ah come fo' it." An' until dey come, why yo'll have de head- ache. If it's a stockin' dat's been worn, if it's a dirty sock, not one been washed, dat dirty, dat have de sweat or presparin' [perspiring] from 'er feet, don' chew undahstan', den yo' kin take dat an' take hit tuh de cemetery. An' put [it] down at de foot of de grave, not de haid but de foot, an' say tuh dat spirit: Keep dis till ah come back. An' dat puts dis woman's mind on yo'. Now, when yo' git tired of 'er, yo' have tuh go an' git it up an' throw hit in runnin' watah.
Entry 7852
Git fo' fat lightah splintahs. Trim 'em off an' make a peg out of 'em two tuh de haid an' two tuh de feet [of the grave] an' put in de middle [of grave] de name or de hat. Place it or eithah de linin' from de hat or eithah de brim of de hat, jes' so it's de scents of de body, an' bury it right intuh de grave. (You bury it right into the grave.) Yes, an' dat would take a deeply 'fect. Dat of co'se will - ah've always find dat tuh put dem in de grave, mahself. Yo're worried, jes' have yuh worried an' grieved. An' jes' worry yo' ownself tuh death. (Well, why do you use those four splinters? Is there any purpose in using those?) Yes sir, dere's a purpose of usin' dose, becuz dat is pinnin' [pinning]. Jes' lak yo' take a nail an' nail a board on a wall [pin or nail a board to the wall]. Well, when yo' use dose an' put de person's 'fect [= effects = good or personal propertyl, de hat or somepin, in de grave an' pin dose pegs, dat is pinnin' 'em down.
Entry 8507
Well dey use a catfish bone. It's one dose li'le fo'ked bones an' it's kinda shaped lak a ink pen. Yo' seen some fish bones dat's kinda shaped lak dat. (When you get this bone out of the catfish, what do you do with that then?) Yo' dip it in ink an' write chure name wit dat catfish bone, an' fole dat papah tuhwards yo' lak dat. An' yo' stick it down in de fo'k of dat bone, an' yo' place it wit a string aroun' [demonstrates]. (I will write your name with this fishbone on a piece of paper, and just keep folding it to me. Then, what do I do with that paper then?) Well, yo' weah dat in yo' hat. Dat's tuh draw dem.
(Do you use ordinary ink in that pen?)
Yes.
Entry 9065
Well, yo' could take an' go down [to buy bluestone] an' yo' would place dis bluestone intuh yore hat; see, bluestone an' saltpetah intuh yore hat - see, intuh yore hatband - an' turn yore hat [backwards]. Jes', say, fur an instant [instance] yo' take dis hat [my black hat on interviewing table] an' turn it backwards onto yore haid.
(Just turn your hat all the way around backwards. Wear it backwards.)
Turn de front intuh de back, see. An' he - he couldn't do nuthin.
(The judge wouldn't do anything to you?)
Nawsir [no sir]. Jes' turn yo' loose. To wear anything backwards or wrong- side out protects against ghosts, witches and trouble.]
Entry 9335
Yo' mean tuh keep de officahs off. Well, it's jes' dis much about. it. Yo' kin go tuh work, yo' do's dat - supposed tuh be - wit hen aigs. Yo' kin go tuh work an' git chew nine hen aigs. No, don't make any diff'rence, any kinda aigs, yo' know. Yo' git chew nine aigs an' yo' kin go tuh work an' take yo' a hat whut chew weah on yore haid, an' yo' put dose nine aigs in dat hat an' set it at chure do' - ah mean, anywheres at chure do'. An' take yo' nine sewin' needles, stickin' needles. Put de needles intuh dat hat. An' den de really fac' 'bout it, keep it covahed up an' see dat nobody puts dere han's nowheres about it. An' 'long as it really sets dere, why co'se de law nevah goin' worry yo'.
(You don't have to keep that hidden?)
Oh yes, yo' must put sompin ovah it. Yo' know, have it some place or 'nothah where nobody's li'ble [liable to] 'sturb [disturb] it.
(Where do you put those needles now?)
Yo' drop dose needles right in de hat.
Entry 9518
[New Orleans was the scrubbingest place of them all, special prepara- tions often being called a scrub.] She take some salt watah an' evah mawnin' befo' day - it wouldn't be quite light yo' know - she'd take dat watah an' scrub de whole place an' scrub 'er room. An' when he'd come she'd rest his hat, lak anyone would do yo' know. An' she'd have a soft damp rag wit de same solution, an' when he'd be readin' or othahwise lak dat, she'd dampen his hat, jes' take it lak dis [demonstrates] an' dampen it.
(Just dampen the hat with the rag. What is that supposed to do then?)
Keep him dere, yes. [To keep him from being taken away would have been a better answer.]
Entry 9784
To keep the law away? Well, I want to tell you. Well, you keep the lag off - of course, you can't keep 'em away, but you can get so that he'll never catch you or nothin'. You understand. You bootleggin' he'll never catch you or nothing. You understand. Well, you take you two - that's a separate thing - and yoa take two pins.
(Too what?)
Too stick pins.
(Two stick pins.)
[The ordinary pin is frequently called "stick" to distinguish it from safety pin.] And wear it in a cross, like a cross, and wear it right up in the center of your hat, you see. Right in the center of your hat, like this here [demonstrates by pointing to inside of his hat].
(Inside.)
Yeah, inside [demonstrates again].
(Like that, inside.)
Yeah, inside your hat.
(You get these two straight pins.)
Two straight pins. You put a cross on you, see. And a course, the law'll be looking for you but he'll never get you. Only way he'll get you, he got to walk up on you. But you always kin git away from him.
Entry 10711
( Git de featbers out de bird nest aa' bar den, an' dey take dat an' put it in a person's hat, an' dat runs 'en crazy.
[Mephis, 1519:8.]
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 12082
Take dat bow outa de back of a man's hat an' wet it wit Heart Cologne an' wear it roun' her neck an' gain him. (What will that do?) Keep him home. [Wilson, N. Car., (1499), somewhere near cylinder 2667 which contains material by 1499.
Entry 12083
Right next to dere close garment. (That little bow out of a man's hat.) Right next to 'em underneath de arm. Make yo' love each othah, yore love won draw away. It become closer.
Entry 12103
A woman kin take that [man's hat bow] an' sew that up in her gartah, you see. You understand, sew that up in her gartah an' put it in a jar, an' pour perfume on it, understand, an' a little of her chamber lye. An' sew it up, you lnow, on the inside an' put it in her gartah, an' wear it aroun' her leg.
(This bow out of his hat?)
This bow out of his hat. That'll hold 'im.
Entry 12104
I've heard 'em talk about they kin even git de bow out chore hat. Jis' like a girl got a boy friend and she love him and he don't love her. And she want him and he don't want her, she kin git a chance to tear de bow out his hat and wear it in her shoe - in her shoe, see - that'll run him crazy [about her].
Entry 12105
Hear dey take de bow out of a man's hat. Take de bow out of man's hat an' wear it in de toe of dere shoe an' dat will make 'em leave town. [This looks more like holding a man, but intention is everything. That bow in her shoe is a walking bow. It keeps him walking.]
(Well, who would do that, primarily?)
De woman would take de bow out of a man's hat.
Entry 12106
I would get me a tie, this bow tie off of a man's hat, and cuttin' a piece out of his drawers, and takin' some of his ministration [semen] and stickin' it in his shoe, his right shoe, and that'll make a man love you or stay with or be good to you. And when you put it in his right shoe, you take some of your ministration [menstrual blood] and a little cloth, and hold it over a cloth, and po' [pour] water over it [preceding cloth acts as strainer]; and if he drinks coffee or tea, put it in that. And that'll make him love you. You do both that together: let him drink it. Wear it [hat bow] in your shoe. And the time he wears those shoes out, he's fixed [hoodooed] for you then.
Entry 12128
(What does she do?)
She gets some steel dust.
(And what does she take?)
The bow out of your hat. And she mix it with this bow and this steel dust together. And she put it right in the front of your hat thataway. She slips it back in there. See, when you perspire, why the steel dust will run with it and go into your eyes.
(What will that do?) Run you blind.
Entry 12129
If you don' want her no mo', after she come back to yuh [she have left you] - if yo' don' wan' her no mo', so's [= so as] yo' kin [get] control [of] yo'self - [you] kin git dis bow heah [he points to my hat with micro- phone on interviewing table] out de hat. A-tall [at all = whatever you do] don' chew take it [out]. Yo' tell her, say, "Ah wanta see dis bow heah, " lak dat. Say yo' wanta see dis bow. An' lak yo' wanta see de bow, yo' put de bow in your han'. An' when she put de bow in yore han' [after she remove it from the hat], yo' goes right to a white- folks graveyard - or a colored-folks graveyard - an' git a han'fula dirt lak dat. Don' git it from somebody [who] was buried dere yesterday [or] lak day 'fore dat. Lemme show yo' now. [Informant demonstrates on the floor of the interviewing room.] Yo' kin pick up de dirt lak dat. Quick! Don' let nobody see yo' pick it up. An' put it anywhere in yuh pocket. Ain't gotta put it in no papah. All right. Den yo' come back [home]. Yo' take dat bow an' yo' set an' yo' sprinkle it [with the graveyard dirt]. Understand?[He sprinkles graveyard dirt on a hat bow her hand had touched.] If she got a $1000, she'll pay yuh to make her husband take her back. But yet, he don' want huh, don' want huh no mo'.
Entry 12130
Yo' know whut yo' kin do wit dis bow a'gin. Well, yo' kin take dis bow heah yo' understand [again he refers to my hat on interviewing table]. An' yore wife will jump off today or tomorrow an' marry to de othah man. Two yeahs yo' livin' wit her, see. She don' mean yo' no good. She leave a little out. Look heah, she leave a little out dis high. Yo' know dis top, dat high on yo'. Say, dat ah'm yore brothah. Ah ketch yo' an' take dat. Understand, see. Yo' take dat bow lak ah tell yo', lak dis heah. Understan', goes right tuh de rivah. Ah don't mean no stop-watah, ah mean runnin' watah - dat be goin', runnin' 'long lak dat. An' she'll run yo' off, right on down [to the sea]. Well, when yo' git tired, yo' don't wanta run so far, cause yo' don' know where dey stop. Dat bow may stop at de sea.
Entry 12499
[As in the preceding rite, only my attached pencil resume remains: "1 needle [down],1 needle up, let pin go between an' put in [stick into] hat bow [with] sugar and garlic an' wear next to you." What simple instructions: 1 needle point down,1 needle point up, and 1 pin between the 2 needles. Remember, we are sticking these needles and pins into a hat bow. Here we have a magic design, the oldest type of folklore in existence, examples by the thousands, and older than written history. We Could play with the present possibilities but suppose we confine ourselves to 4 of them: In diagram 1 the points of the needles do not touch the pin; in diagram 2 the needle points touch the pin. The heads in both diagrams form a triangle, symbol of the Trinity or the 3 Holy Names. In diagram 3 the pin crosses the centers of both needles and it separates them or is between them. Again the 3 heads form a triangle. More than this, we now have 2 Greek crosses tt or a double- cross, if you decide to undo your work. again diagram 4 again separates the several times in HOODOO. The 6 spokes of the rimless wheel of course construct 3 X'CRoSSES.]
Entry 12742
Dey kin take yore shoes dat chew wear every day, if dey kin git holt of it an' if dey kin git a rattlesnake. Git de haid. Git him mad an' git dat rattlesnake haid an' dry it. Let it come so yol kin jes' compound it up. Understand, compound it up good an' put it in somewhere - inside de linin' of his shoe. It got linin' in dere, an' it surely runs yo' off. Or yo' kin put it in de band of yore hat. Either one. Den yo' can't see. It will blind yo', cause yo' know yo' sheds yore skin, an' yo' kin git blind from it. Jes' as shure as....
Entry 12880
Dey take dese redhead scorpion. Ah know of a woman blind her husband dataway. Take a redhead scorpion an' git rid of yo' dataway, too. Take a red- head scorpion an' kill it. Put him out, yo' know, in de sun an' let hi git good an' dry. Dat head'll dry yo' know, it will git hard an' dry. Take an' beat it up fine an' it be like powder. Yo' know, mash it up. Den put it in de band of dere hat, like chew know around.
(Inside the band of the hat?)
Yes, dats right, an' yo' see dat sweat run down in dere eye. Blind 'en jes' as when yo' come in dis world.
Entry 13099
Oh, dey'd run yo' crazy in a way wit it, wit de dust from a rattle- snake's rattles. Take de dust out of a rattlesnake's rattle an' put dat in dat bow or either sprinkle it inside of dey hat, an' if dey sweat from it, why it will run 'em blind. Ah know two-three blindin's heah today dat result of dat thing.
Entry 13102
Well, yo' see a snake. Well yo' git de shed of a snake, when he shed it, an' jes' pound dat shed up. Beat it up fine an' take an' sprinkle it in yore [victim's] hat, in de rim of y re [his] hat.
(Sprinkle it under the hatband - under the sweatband?)
Yes, right round in dere. Put it where he kin git it an' it will run him jes' as blind as... [a bat or something else].
Entry 13105
Dey put dust in your hat so you'll go blind. Accordin' you'll lose your hair. (What would they do? How would they use the dust that way? Have you any idea?) Well, they'll go ahead and, you know, dere's somepin dey calls dragon's blood dat you get from de drug store. You kin get dat ole dragon's blood from de drug store. You kin get dat ole dra- gon's blood from de drug store and you sprinkle it on de inside of your hat, an' a little small piece of dis ole snake's shed. Or place it in de binding of your cap or hat, somepin like dat. And when you begin to sweat den de effect will take on you, sometimes you'll go blind from it an' you taken wit de headache.
(It runs down into your eyes?)
Dat's de idea and cause you to go blind and you are taken wit de headache.
Entry 13107
Dere is such things as dat. Dere's a little graveyard dirt. You kin get it in - you get graveyard dirt and you get de dust from a rattlesnake's rat- tle and make you a powder of it. And den he'd come along and 'tempt to play with you. Take your hat off, "Oh, dat's a nice hat." Take your hat like dat and probably look at it. Put dat dust in dere and you put your hat on. It may be warm or it may drift down your face if you perspire, or anything, run down and blind you. You never will see again. (You have this rattlesnake dust and the graveyard dust mixed.)