Subject:Homespun/Yellow homespun
Entries
Entry 3485
If a man leaves yo' an' yo' wants 'im back, de thing about it, yo'll have tuh git in wit 'im an' go tuh bed wit 'im, undahstan'. Well, if yo' go tuh bed wit 'im one time, yo' could buy a halfa yard of yellah homespun cloth an' aftah yo'all finish whut chure doin', yo' kin jes' stick dat yellah home- spun, dat halfa yard of yellah homespun an' wipe him down wit it three times. Yo' undahstand me, wipe him down three times an' git a thin [well-worn] dime from 'im. An' take yore time, take dat yellah homespun cloth to de cornah an' double it. Evah time yo' fold it, fold it towards yo'. An' git a piece of thread an' tie dat an' bury it at chure do'steps. He come right on, straight on back tuh yo'.
(You put that little dime in the corner of this cloth and keep folding it up.)
Towards yo' evah time. [This woman spoke in a whisper all through interview.]
Entry 3546
If yo' got a man an' don't want 'im tuh have nobodys else but chew, yo' could tie him in nine knots in a towel or a new piece of yellah homespun. [Yel- low homespun is the same as yellow or unbleached cotton in preceding rite.
Entry 5177
Den yo' git de shoes, yo' take - cut a li'le piece outa de bottom of dat shoe. When yo' cut a li'le piece outa de bottom of dat shoe, yo'll fix dat up in a li'le piece of cloth, a yellah homespun cloth. An' yo'll wind dat, yo' know, wit a string. An' yo'll have in dat nuthin but sulphuh an' eatin'-salt. An' yo'll put dat in dere, an' yo'll tie hit tuhgethah intuh dat li'le piece whut yo' cut out dat shoe. Well, now, if yo' hit [aim] tuh bring 'im back, well yo'll take a li'le piece of saltpetah an' yo'll put [make] dat in a powdahs - all dem into a powdahs, an' yo'll fix dat into dat li'le package. An' aftah, yo' wind dat li'le package up an' yo' bury dat at de back of yore house. An' when yo' put all dat in de back of de house, den yo' call 'im three times - woman or man - an' dey cain't he'p but follahin' back. Now, dat's fer as ah know 'bout dat.
(Do you wind it in any special way?)
No pahtic'lah way but jis' long as yo' know it tied.
(And can you send them away with the same thing?)
No suh, ah don' know if yo' send 'em away wit dat.
(You mean that piece in the shoe, that piece inside [insole] that you pul]
up?) Dat's right.
Entry 5802
Take a person hair an' all yo' kin do - take a person hair an' wrop it wit some whut chew call yallah [yellow] homespun an' wrop it up in it an' weah it in yore pocket. Dat's love. An' it [hair] will grow in your pocket. Long as yo' keep dat hair, her mind will be on yo'; but de day yo' lose dat hair, why yo' ain't got nobody.
Entry 6706
Now ah tell yo ag'in, it have tuh be yo' unahstan' [under- stand]. Yo' have tuh git some earth from outa de groun', but yo' gotta be sure dat it's black dust - black earth, yo' see. Well, den yo' need tuh git halfa teaspoonfula dis sulphuh, den yo' have tuh git halfa teaspoonfula black peppah intuh a one-inch bag, yo' see, an' it have tuh be pure yallah homespun cloth. An' den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' puts dose tuhgethah, an' one red peppah. An' den yo' sew it up dere in de flannen [flannel]. Heah's a li'le bag dat yo' totes along in dat, yo' undahstan'. Well, it's no chance of no one playin' yo', anythin'. [This may be primarily a gambling hand, but it protects you against conjur- ation of any kind.]
(I see, eats it up.)
Eats it up, takes it 'way.
Entry 9449
"Fore yo' go down tuh de bossman, yo' git chew some salt, git chew a box-a [box of] bran'-new salt. Den yo' take dat salt an' tie it up in a new piece a yellah homespun, an' yo' put it in yore pocket. An' yo' take yo' some loose salt, have it in yore han', an' yo' sprinkle it all roun' where yo' - [do] not let chure boss see it - all roun' where yore boss makes tracks at. Sprinkle it all roun' dere an', see, salt conkahs. Salt is a conkah thing. Salt conkahs a lotta things yo' know, jes' even cookin' salt. Yo' kin do a lotta things wit salt. Dat's good.
Entry 13345
For love, I'll tell you w'a' you kin do. You kin take a piece of yellah homespun, split it, take it now. Well, take your chamber lye, dat you use over dat night.- make over dat night. You take dat an' heat it in a little pan. Take dis piece of homespun, wipe it under your left- foot bottom. Wipe it under your right [-foot bottom] with dis piece of homespun. An' den, after you do dat, you take it an' wipe it under dis [demonstrates the left] arm, an' wipe it under this [demonstrates right] arm. After you do dat, you wipe down dere [at pubic region]. After you do dat, why you take a little bottle about dat long [shows a little finger] a little vial. An' push dat homespun, put it down in dere. Take dis water [urine] w'ere [what] you heat, pour it into dere. An' take nine pinch of love powder, nine drops of Heart Colognes [Hearts Cologne] an' nine pinch of spice. Why you kin put dat in dere, into dis bottle, an' stop it up tight. And any time you wan'a, it'll make you come. Put dat in some applesauce, peas, or anything, nine drops every time, an' he'll give you jis' w'a' choo want an' love you.