Subject:Incense
Entries
Entry 3926
A woman, dey kin take her min'stration an' a piece yo' know, an' dey kin throw it in de rivah or yo' kin bury it. If yo' bury it, it will kill 'er; if yo' throw it in de rivah, it will run 'er an' she'll nevah come back. But dey dresses it. See dey puts dis powdahs on it, incense powdah, an' yo' pin it up wit new pins, bran'-new pins in a bottle.
Entry 4168
Dat stuff yuh talkin' about burnin'. Ah make a wish an' ah will scrub de steps down in chamber lye an' dat will draw trade.
(What do they burn, you say?)
Jis' incense.
Entry 4170
Burnin' sensen [incense] in yuh house an' chamber lye an' lye. Yuh know, have chamber lye an lye mixed tuhgethah, constratin' [concentrated] lye. Dat bring luck an' keep folks passin' in. An' burn sen-sen.
(Keeps the law away?)
Sho'. [As the preceding and following rites show, chamber lye and lye are used for scrubbing.]
Entry 4171
Now yuh kin take dat urine an' burn yuh some incense yuh know. An' den take dat urine an' put chew some lye an' sugah in it, an' yuh kin scrub yuh front po'ch wit it, see. Jis' keep it right in front of yuh house an' it will bring mens intuh yuh home. Really will do it.
Entry 4303
Dey take socks or stockin's an' put dis lump insaint [incense], dey chamber lye. Cut de bottom of it out, roll it an' put it in a bottle in de person's chamber lye, an' dey say dey kin keep 'em. Dey'll nevah separate from 'em.
Entry 4681
Dis little bow here [demonstrates] dat ah've got 'im mah hat chere, a woman kin take dis bow an' - an' take it an' put some peppah in it an' salt an' some incense, an' take it an' bury it, yuh see. An' bury dis bow accordin' tuh de moon. But she gotta bury de bow when de moon is young. An' as de moon go down, de old- ah it git, de more it take effect on me. Ah'd git a misery in mah head, yuh see, until de moon go down. When de moon go down in darkness, well ah'm certain tuh lose mah memory. Do yuh hear? [My hearing is supposed to be weak.]
(I see.)
Entry 5073
Take an' git dere socks. An' take his socks an' wash 'em. An' take de watah an' put it in a bottle wit de soft watah, sompin lak rain watah, in a kinda crystal watah. Let half of it be de watah from washin' de socks an' half of it be's de crystal watah.
(Soft water?)
Yeah, take dat an' put a little sugah.in it an' put Epsom salts in dat. An' yuh take an' burn de incense an' de red onion - lump incense - on de stove, an' sprinkle a little sugah in it. Dey mos'ly use sugah mos' in anything. An' yuh burn dis lump incense an' de red onion on de stove an' call de name three times. Burn dat fo' 'bout nine mawnin's an' he'll come back an' dere won' be no trouble.
(What did you do with that sock water? What did you do with that?)
Take dat an' set it in de no'th cornah of de house an' keep it dere fo' three days - three tuh nine days. An' yuh take it out an' yuh po' it 'cross de do'- steps an' aftah it dries... [I turned off recording machine too soon or accidentally and had to restart it to repeat informant's words.]
(He'll come back?)
Yessuh.
Entry 5104
Ef a person git one of yuh shoes, ef dey put bluestone an' sulphuh an' beat it all up tuhgethah an' git some of dis stuff from de drug store dey call de incense, dey put dat in de bottom undah yuh shoe. Yo' know de li'le piece dat be's up in yuh shoe [insole]. Put it up undah dere an' put it back down. Well, when yo' put dat shoe on, yo' goin' always stay sickly, an' yuh feets will start tuh swell.
Entry 6786
Yo' scrub yuh steps wherevah yo' may be, yo' know, down wit de nine buckets of hydrant watah; [I mean] eight buckets down, yo' know, an' de las' bucket throw it up. An' smoke yo'self in dragon's blood an' wash yo'self down wit linseed oil. (What will that do?) Dat'll keep 'em from harmin' yah. An' keep yuh salt throwed aroun' yah steps, wit chamber lye - yah know, yahurine. [There are many scrubbing rites in Hoodoo, most of them from New Orleans, some of them complicated. For a few of these beliefs see margin titles WATER and WATER THROWN (pp.740-743) and SCRUBBING in INDEX (vol.5). The present 9 buckets of hy- drant water - considered running water and therefore of magic power - are for rinsing what has been scrubbed. Eight buckets are dashed down; the ninth bucket is tossed up into the air, either all at one time or a particular number of times.]
(You do all these things together?)
Yo' mix dat [salt and urine] but yo' smoke yuhself in a new can by itself wit dragon's blood; or insant [incense], dat's good. [This is a protection rite against hoodoo of any kind.]
Entry 7252
Ah heard dat dey goes out an' gits incense an' dey burns incense. An' aftah usin' incense in dere house, dey goes tuh work an' dey git dem ademity cards - imadenithy. [At a guess I would say these are identity cards, cards containing pictures of people, which the rootman shuffles to increase the number of customers. This is a rite to increase business.] Why, dat's from de rootman. He'll go out an' he git dat an' he'll chew [it], an' evah time he chew dat way an' he'll spit. Evah time he chewin' an' he spit, why it draws a crowd mo' largah an' largah an'. dey content.
Entry 8197
Take yure pitchure an' put it in a looking glass [the carboard behind the small.hand mirror having been removed]. An' turn it [photo] upside down [against mercury backing of mirror, restoring card- board back] an' put it undahneat' [you] an' sleep on it or walk on it or put it somewhere somebody'll tread on it an' break de glass, an' yo' [person of photo] got tuh come back. Go tuh de do' an' burn some disinfect [disinfectant] an' make yure wish [wish] an' burn it in de house. Den go to de do' an' make yuh wush [again] an' come back. An' 'at [that] been done in Short[?] William Street alley [here in Richmond]. Den [another method] yo' put it [photo without mirror] undah- neat' de carpet or in a trunk upside down tuh draw yuh back. Well keep yuh on yure haid or yuh feet till yuh git back home. An' use dat powdah, insex, love insex [love incense] dey call it. Burn it on a stove.
Entry 8722
They take sulphur and saltpeter and incense an' burn it together, but chew got to name it, dey claim. An' as it goes up, de effect of it, de scent dat goes out, comes out from it, de individual dat happens to inhale it, why dey get to a place dat dey can't stand anythin'. Makes dem fickle-minded dey tell me. An' dey get so after while dat yo' get 'em confused about anything. They finally lose dere mind.
Entry 8734
This what they have done, when they want yo' to move out de house an' de neighborhood where dey livin' at. Dey goes to de Crackerjack Drug Store an' gets bluestone. Understan'? Gets bluestone an' gets some incense, an' fix dat up together, an' put it in de bottle. An' takes their name an' write it nine times an' put it in de bottle. An' turn de bottle upside down 'neath de steps an' they have to move.
(I see. In how long?)
In nine day's time they leave dere.
Entry 8991
(Now, right at the beginning. You said, he was brought before the judge because he did something.) If yo' go to - if yo' had did somepin othah, an' de judge goin' try yo' fer it, an' yo' was out under bond, yo' read de 109th Psalms ever' mawnin' befo' sun- up, ever' mawnin' three times fo' seven mawnin's until yore trial time. An' den when yo' go down, yo' done read dat, yo' done read an' yo' done read. An' yo' read it. An' de Lord, yo' has asked 'im to an- swer your question. Well, yo's seeking advantage of the judge, an' when yo' goes down, he goin': have mercy. on yo'. He might be goin' try yo' an' give yo' life or your neck, but when yo' go down dere, aftah yo' done read dat seven mawnin's an' burnt dose encense [in- cense] when yo' read it - yo' goes down, an' he'll find, he finally say dat. He'll turn yo' loose. He ain't goin' find yo' guilty. He might fine yo' $100 or $2. He may not fine yo' nuthin, jes' let yo' go on, dismiss de case.
Entry 9089
Dey claim that if yo' use God's Name three times aftah usin' three different kind of roses, one a red rose, a white rose, an' anothah a kind of a pink rose - after usin' those roses - they boil those roses an' get de juice out of 'em an' takes a bath in dat juice. An' den take dat juice an' put a little bit in a vial or sumpin like dat in de pocket. An' put a mixture in dat wit High John de Conkah an' bluestone an' aloes an' incense; an' den use de word, "God de Father, God de Son, an' God de Holy Ghost" fo' nine times in de court- house. Dat'll be impossible fo' a judge to give a heavy sentence. [Elizabeth City. N. Car. (482), 498:8.]
Entry 9711
Salt an' sugah an' perfume; de three combine an' dey say dat brings de crowd in. Or eithah de kind of incense yo' burn will bring 'em in.
Entry 9846
(What's that?) Take nine needles... [I interrupt.] (You take nine needles.) Put 'em in a cross [form] - see, right across dataway; jis' dataway, see. An' put 'em intuh a bag of red flannel an' keep it 'nointed; good perfume, not de cheap, yo' umdahstan'. Put it intuh a bag an' put anothah bag aroun' dit. An' keep it 'nointed wit incense in dat red-flannel bag. [This red-flannel bag here represents the heart. Small needles can be placed head to tail or point, a symbolical crossing; or actually cross them through material in the bag. For this type of hand or mojah, see No.2163, p.621, vol.1 and elsewhere.]
Entry 10610
If yo' vanta build up yo' a trade, or somepin lak dat, jes' have a lotta customah. Yo' go tuh work an' take dis sane stuff ah tellin' yo' 'bout, de Adam an' Eve. Take Adam an' Eve an' some bushes dat grows in de woods called de heart leaves [some plant with cordate leaves]. Git some of dat, but don' take de leaves, take de stem - it's got a red stem. Take de stem an' wrap around dat Adam an' Eve an' bring it back ovah to de house dere an' yo' parch dat stem. Aftah parchin' dat stem, yo' pounds it into a powdah, an' carry it an' drop it all ovah dat house. Dat's conkerin' 'em. Drop dat ever' mawnin' 'fore de sun rise. An' yo' buys yo' a lucky star [incense molded into the shape of a star] an' yo' light dat lucky star an' sprinkle a little bit of dat stuff [parched heart leaf stem] ovah it; jes' a little bit, sprinkle it ovah it, 'fore de sunrise. Have it so dat it burn out 'fore de sun rise. An' when it do dat, sweep it on out, an' mo' customah commence comin' in, reg'lah an' reg'lah an' reg'lah. Have to hol' up burnin' it sometime [because you have so many customers].
Entry 10768
Well, they claim that if you take gunpowder and bluestone and aloes, and there's another stuff they use where they burn. Let me see. What is the name of that, what the Cath'lics use? Incense! And burn incense along with that. And bura all of it together, it'll have an effect, a tendency to keep bootleggers [he means the police] away from your house, and the law can't have an effect on you.
Entry 11122
Draw a coffin, draw the person image in the cof- fin they want to die, then call [victim], then write their name, burn under incense smoke.
Entry 11182
Yo' kin git chew some lodestone [see later], it's sompin dat's lak a incense.
(Lodestone?)
Yes. All right. Yo' take dat an' yo' take some brown sugah an' yo' take some bluein' an' Redbird Epsom Salts an' devil's-shoestring, an' yo' mix allah [all of] dat up tuhgethah, an yo' sprinkle dat aroun' de house. Dat's tuh make dem move. [There appears to be at least three types of what is called lodestone: ground particles or a lump that can be pulverized, both at- tracting iron; and a third substance that is merely an incense.]
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 11727
Dat goofer dust is made from incense. Yo' take dis lucky incense an' yo' kin burn it an' poun' it up in a can yo' know. Git it out somewhere roun' yore neighbor's an' sprinkle it, yo' know, roun'. Dat makes all of 'em come influenced to yo', yo' know.
Entry 12211
Dey tell me yo' buy some insane [incense] an' yo' burn dat every Friday, an' Friday nights, an' dat will make yore place come to be lucky. An' some say yo' git dis John de Conkah an' put it in a cloth an' sew it up, an' put it round yore waist an' it makes yore home be happy, an' yore place be lucky an' successful.
Entry 12212
Yo' could burn this incense. Some of 'em burn it befo' twelve a'clock in de day, an' dat will draw in a crowd. (If you are selling anything?) Yes. If yo' sellin' or either if yo' rentin' de rooms, dat will rent dem fo' yo'. Burn de incense befo' twelve a'clock.
Entry 12213
Yo' git some incense an' mix a little sugah with it an' yo' burn dat. Dat's drawin' power, dat draws. An' yo' burn dat at hours, yo' know: lak six a'clock, twelve an' six in de evenin'. Dat draws mo customahs.
Entry 12216
Well, yo' goes tuh work an' yo' git chew some incense an' yo' burn it in yore lamp or anywhere, roun' evah mawnin' 'fore de sun rise. An' yo' talk tuh de incense whilst it Smokin' - whilst it burnin' - an' say whut chew want it tuh bring toward yore place, an' dat will bring yo' good luck.
Entry 12217
Well, sometimes yo' kin take incense. Yo' know what dat is. Yo' burn it Thursdays an' Wednesdays. An' yo' take an' wash yore front steps wit dis salt dat chew makes ice cream out of. Den yo' throw de water inside an' let it run outside. Let it run back outside. Den yo' Wash dose things. Ah know dose are lucky.
(Then you wash what?)
Yo' wash yore front out [sidewalk off]. Stand in front an' po' yo' water up [to the building] an' let it run back down [to gutter and] out. An' wash de place all out good an' burn it [incense] Thursdays, Wednesdays an' Mondays.
(Any particular time those days that you burn that incense?)
Well, it's best tuh burn it 'bout five [usually 6] an' twelve.
(Five when?)
In de evening, twelve in de day.
Entry 12345
Yo' git chew a piece of lode- stone an' yo' put it in a little piece [of cloth] or yo' kin put it in yore pocketbook, an' a piece of dat in- cense, an' put it together an' keep it. An' yo' tote it in yore pocketbook an' every time yo' go to work, why yo wash yore face an' hands in dat Van-Van an' dey won't turn yo' off.