Subject:Knots
Entries
Entry 631
Take a girl an' a boy, yo' mo' den apt tuh find a pair of 'em together an' dey be seein' which one of 'em love each other - dey pulls knots in strings to see which one of 'em kin hold de longest. (How do they do that?) Dey'll, yo' know, jes' take a piece of a string an' tie whole knots an' she pull on it an' he pull on it. Well, if de knot that she pull on don't come out, her love is still sticking; an' if he pull on it an' it jump out, why dere ain't nuthin' dere fo' him atall. Ah've done dat mahself.
Entry 2913
They takes a cord string and they measure [foottrack] from the toe - thisaway [demonstrates].
(Back to the heel?)
Yes. Put a knot in the head at the toe, and one in the middle, and one exact on the heel. You take that cord - you measure it. You take that cord, see, and you take a black candle and you make nine notches in the black candle, and you stick that [knotted string] in the candle and burn it upside down. (How would you stick that string in the candle?) You put the string on the side of candle and you stick it in there - pins in it.
(You hold that string onto the candle while sticking pins in it.)
You hold the candle [demonstrates] and just stick a pin in the candle and the string here - right at the toe and you stick it like that. And then you burn it upside down. (You put three pins in there [for toe, middle and heel] - and you burn the candle upside down.) [See margin-titles with pins.] Yes, sir.
(How long do you burn that candle?)
You burn it - one hour Monday, one hour Wednesday and one hour Friday, until you make, burns up those nine notches. You got your candle and you put your notches in it - nine notches. And after the nine days, then you got the case, you see.
(What would they do that for?)
To make you move. (What would the burning of this candle do to me? And that string, what will that do to me?) Oh, that make you travel far away - go on about your business. Travel away off.
Entry 3218
She takes a cord string.
(She takes a cord string.)
An' she ties nine knots in dat string. She takes a cord string an', yo' know, she [informant hesitates]....
(What does she do with it, measure him?)
Yassir. Dere's two or three diff'ren' ways yo' kin do dat.
(Tell me the two or three different ways. Tell me the first way.)
She kin measure him an' tie nine knots in dat string an' den she kin - she ties it aroun' 'er wais'. Den she kin git a new domestic piece [a piece of new domestic] of cloth when she have - yo' know, when she - whenevah she have intah- co'se wit 'in. She don't have intahco'se, she'll let 'in have it. An' den she take dat an' she cuts it out in a heart - de shape of a heart. She puts it in 'er. shoe an' he sure can't - he can't go, he can't do anythin'
[with other women].
Entry 3379
Dey tell me dey ties three knots in a string an' wear dat. Dey tell me dat will hold somebody.
(What do they do with the string?)
Dey take an' put three knots in it an' gits a dishrag an' tie it roun' dere wit dat. (What will that do?) Dat will hold a man an' keep 'im from runnin' aroun'. (They just take a string and a dishrag. That's all? She doesn't use it on him or anything?) No, jes' wear it.
Entry 3380
Or eithah take a dishrag aftah yo' use it washin' dishes wit it. Yo' kin take dat dishrag an' wipe a man wit it an' fold it up an' put it ovah yore do', or eithah put it in de bottom of yore shoe an' wear it. Well, he can't raise no heart fo' no one. (Which do you tie?) Jes' tie de dishrag in nine knots, or eithah yo' could fold it an' wear it in de bottom of yore shoe, or eithah up ovah de do'.
Entry 3381
(TELL ME THE ONE ABOUT THE DISHRAG, THAT MY BOY [Sorry! No disreSPect.]
SAID YOU TOLD HIM. Begin right at the beginning and tell the whole story now. About the dishrag.) About de dishrag, now. If yo' wanta keep - say yore husban' home from bein' wit any othah woman, or anythin' lak dat, why yo' supposed to, while he's asleep, yo' take de dishcloth an', yo' know, have it a little damp - not too wet, jes' kinda damp- an' yo' supposed to wipe him wit dat. Yo' see, yo' wipe 'im down dere wit it. Den yo' take it an' yo' double it up - fold it up. Yo' has a cord string an' yo' wrap it nine times, yo' know de long way down. Ah show yo' [demonstrates]. Jes' fold it up lak dis, an' yo' carry de string roun' dat nine times, see. An' den aftah carryin' it dis nine times, yo' take it an' yo' tie nine knots in de end of it. An' when yo' take it, dn yo carry it out. Yo' know, carry it out de do' when yo' goin' out an' bury it at de side - lak if yo' goin' out, lak dat gate, yo' bury dere. Well, when he goes out, why he ain't no good no mo' in dis house, but whenevah he came back on de inside to yo' why he's all right. But when he go out, why dere nuthin 'tall to it.
Entry 3470
She kin measure him down dere, take an' measure hisself when he 'sleep. An' she kin take a ribbon an' put jes' how long it is, she kin put dat many knots in it an' wear it aroun' 'er lef' laig. An' he cain't do nuthin but wit dat woman.
Entry 3513
Well, he jes' takes 'er an' when he deal wit 'er he takes 'is hans'- scuff, takes a ten cents linen pocket hans'scuff, not a cotton hans'scuff, an' he use dat. Well, yo' know what. He takes dat an' ties three knots, ball it, an' stick it in 'is pocket an' take it on wit 'im. When he come back she be dere jes' lak she wus when he lef' 'er - if he take dat wit 'im.
Entry 3514
Well, if yo' be's wit a man, an' de cloth dat yo' use, yo' take dat cloth an' let it be a new cloth an' tie three knots in it, an' jes' put it anywhere where de air don't git to it.
Entry 3515
Dat's fo' anybody tuh do anything to yo', see, lak if yo' go wit a woman, yo' know, an' anothah woman, see, dey have yo' tricked an' dey wear it roun' dere waist. Jes' lak a string, any kinda string dey wear roun' dere waist. Dey tie three knots in dere an' wear it roun' dere waist.
(What do they do with that string first or that cloth?)
Dey do nuthin but take a plain knot an' tie it. [Wilson, N. Car., (1456) 2647.
Entry 3519
Well. dey take a cord string, lak a. twine string, an' take de length of 'is private. Well, yo' make three knots right in de middle of dat, dat'll keep 'im from: bein' wit somebody else. It will fall evah time he go wit somebody else same as a [dishrag?]. (What does she do with that string, then?) Take dat string an' keep it, wears aroun' 'er waist.
Entry 3520
[Informant's opening words answering a question of mine were probably something like, "She could measure him." I then turn on recording machine:] (How would she measure him?) Well, take a cord string an' ketch 'im when he's sleep or sompin an' measure him, an' tie three knots in it an' put de othah knot in 'er back an' [to] hang it [round her waist]. Put three knots in it an' tie de othah knot - de last knot tie dat string in 'er back, de third knot. [In other words, that third knot, that middle knot, she puts right in the mid- dle of her back, and then ties the string around her.] Yes. [This is an untied string with two knots of the measure to the front. A third knot appears when she ties the two loose ends of the string at back of her waist.]
Entry 3522
Well, that's so he can't have anothah woman.
(Well, how would she do that?)
She jis' take a string offa some of 'er clothes an' measure dis man, an' den take anothah string an' tie onto it, long enough to reach aroun 'er waist, an tie three knots in it an' wear it aroun' 'er waist. An' as long as she got dat aroun' 'er waist, he can't have anothah woman. (I see.)
Entry 3525
(You tie three knots into a string. Yes?) Ah show yo' now. Yo' ties in dat string dem knots, dey got chew tied - yo' can't leave yo' see.
(Well, would they do anything else with that string first?)
No, don't do nuthin else wit it. Dey will git a piece of yore hair aroun' yore private, yeah, an' tie it in dere, an' yo' can't - see now, dat's three knots in dere an' yo' can't leave. Yo' can't go wit no othah woman but de one.
(Well, what do you do? Tie that hair into that string? Tie it in the knot?)
Knot. Tie 'em in a hard knot.
(Well, they use a piece of string though?)
Yassuh, dey roll it up dere, roll de string once on it, tie 'em. Den she wear 'em roun' 'er...
(Round her, near her privates?)
Yes.
literal tying of hair into string/hard knots, with an attributed partner-restriction effect. Keep private-area hair and the limited no-other-woman/cannot-leave claim as the source presents them; do not convert them into proven impotence. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 2432) · Read full source (printed page 2433)
Entry 3526
Take a bran'-new pocket han'ke'ch'ef, white han'ke'ch'ef, an' jis' lak a woman an' a man be tuhgethah yo' know, an' let 'im have intahco'se an' she not have nuthin, an' jis' dry 'im wit de han'ke'- ch'ef. Tie it in three straight knots, yo' know, catahcornah. Jis' tie it in dem three knots an' put it right undah de mattress on de side where he sleep at, an' dat'll stop 'im from runnin' roun'.
Entry 3528
When a woman wanta make a man lose his nature, dat's by ovahfeedin' 'im wit dis monthly - a man, dey take his discharge an' take de pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' iron [it], tie three knots in it, an' throw it in de bottom of de trunk. He wouldn't fool wit 'em, not until he dead. (With any other woman.) No more good. All 'is nature will go to his head, an' den he'll come to be a man usin' wit 'is mouth. Dat's why a lotta fellahs use wit dey mouth an' can't use down below here, becuz dey nature is taken away from dem. [In hoodoo every ailment and misfortune, including impotence, is caused by a spell or conjuration.]
(They use this nature on the handkerchief and iron it.)
Iron it an' put three knots in it.
Entry 3530
Mah gran'mothah tole me dis, an' I don't know whethah it's true or not. She wuz ole, I think she musta knowed. Said yo' take yo' a bran'-new pocket han'ke'chuf an', when yo' have connection wit 'im an' yo' - know how yo' do - yo' bring it towards yo' three times an' wish. Make a wish yo' know so he will nevah bothah about nobody. An' yo' take dat pocket han'ke'chuf lak dis, an' tie three knots in it, an' wish all de while yo' tie dem knots in it, an' take it an' bury it undah de doorstep. An' yo' go on in de house an' long as dat is dere, he can't bothah wit, make no love wit no othah woman but chew.
Entry 3531
Yo' kin keep yore husban' from a woman lak dat, he cain't raise up fo' a [another] woman. Yo' kin take a bran'-new cord string an' name it 'im, an' perhaps while he's sleep, yo' measure him, an' yo' tie three knots comin' to yo', an' yo' tell it whut chew don' want 'im tuh do. Den yo' take dat an' tie it an' wear it aroun' yore wais'. He cain't raise up fo' nobody but chew.
Entry 3532
She measure his privates an' git de measure of 'is privates, an' git de length of 'is privates, how it is den, an' tie three knots in de back of de string an' three knots in de front, an' tie it aroun' 'er wais' where it'll come 'cross 'er privates lak dat. It'll cause him tuh come back home tuh 'er. An' if he don't come back home ag'in, he druthah [rather] come aroun' 'er an' be wit 'er, if he's wit somebody else; but he'll nevah git de thrill outa othah people dat he will [with] 'er. He'll come back an' fo'th tuh 'er. She wears three knots right in de front of dat thing, an' three knots in de back, an' ties it roun' de side down heah [side depending on whether tier is right or left handed].
(She ties a piece of string to this piece?)
Naw, jis' a piece of cord string, see. [This means that her original string was long enough to be tied about her Waist.]
Entry 3533
(And would she do anything else then?)
Well, she kin take an' kin have him.
(What?)
She kin have him, have intahco'se wit 'im, an' take an' tie a string aroun' 'er waist wit a knot in it; wit, yo' see, what come from 'er an' 'im, puts four knots in it an' tie it aroun' 'er wais'. He'll stay dere an' [something = finish?] his days. (I see.)
Entry 3535
A woman kin tie up a man. Ah guess yo've hear of dat. Ah've experi- enced dat. Ah wuz dataway fo' eighteen months. Well, de way a woman does it. When a man have connec- tions wit 'er - at least has dealin's wit 'er - aftah dey have connections, den she takes yo' know an' cleans 'erself wit a bran'-new pocket han'ke'chuf. An' den she ties it in fo' knots, an' she takes it an' sews it in de mattress; an' as long as it dere, yo can't have any dealin' wit any othah woman. Evah time yo' go tuh have dealin wit a woman, yo' know, yo' fall. If she git pregnant, aftah de chile born, somehow uh nothah he's free. But in othah words, de way a man gits out of dat condition, he goes an' takes an' does de same thing wit 'er. Undahstan', when he has dealin's wit 'er, an' cleans 'isself wit a bran'-new pocket han'ke'chuf an' tie it in fo' knots, an' bury it andah de front do'step, an' den he jes' as good as he evah wuz befo'.
(But if the woman has a child then that spell is taken off the man?)
De spell goes off de man. Ah experienced dat.
Entry 3536
(Tell me that from the beginning.)
Jes' lak yo' want 'em to love yo', yo' take a han'ke'chuf - or'nary han'ke'- chuf. Yo' want 'em to not - yo' don't want 'em to love yo' hard. Jes' tie it in fo' loose knots. Well, den, if yo' want 'em to love yo' hard, tie it fo' hard knots, one in each cornah: one at dat cornah, one down below, one down below, one at de othah end. Tie dose fo' hard knots, hard as yo' kin draw it. An' tote dat in yore pocket.
(I see.)
Entry 3538
Dey say, jes' lak if yo' got a man an' yo' think a whole lot of 'im, an' yo' don' want 'im tuh run roun'. An' dey said when yo' an' 'im have any- thing to do wit each othah, jes' take dis han'ker- cheff or cloth an' tie a knot in each cornah. Take it an' sew it up in yore mattress an' dey say dat sould - jes' lak if he go an' makes a date wit anothah woman, he would fall, yo low. But it's some kinda perfume dat yo' git. Yo' kin git it at any Five an Ten Cent Sto'. Ah fo'git de name of it. Ah know it when ah see. Take dis per- fume an' yo' put on dis stuff [in the handkerchief]. An' yo' git it an' yo' supposed tuh fold it dis way: to yo' half way, an' fold de othah part back. An' den take a string an' tie aroun' it tight. Carry it up ovah yore head three times an' put dis Lucky Heart Powder [trade name] in it, if yo' have any, an' den take it an' sew it up. An' den yo' got 'em.
(How do you fold that handkerchief, now?)
Fold it three times dis way an' three time back dat way. Double it de two cornah lak dat. (You have the handkerchief out flat like that. Then you fold it three times. Now, here's the handkerchief. Suppose you show me how it's done.) Yo' fold it three times here: one, two, three, till yo' get it exactly in de centah of de han'er'cheff. All right. Den yo' fold it three times away from yo': one, two, three. Den yo' take dese two ends an' fold 'em as yo' kin. An' git it jes' as tight as yo' kin possibly git it. Yeah, an' take a cord string an' tie it around. Wrap it jes' as tight as yo' kin git it.
(What do you do with that then?)
Jes' sew it up in anything. If yo' have little bag, den sew it up in a little bag, or in yore mattress or sompin.
Entry 3540
Ef yo' a woman an' jis' lak yo' gon'a have a dealings wit a man. He comes an' yo' don't, but yo' see he do's. All right, git up an' git dat cord string - an' he done - an' dip it in dere an' tie all dem knots in it an' wear it roun' yore ankle. (What knots? How many?) Yo' have tuh tie five knots. Put it [string with 5 knots] in dat han'ke'chuf an' put it roun' yore laig. Yo' cain't git rid of 'im. (What did you do with that handkerchief before? Before you put the knots in it [the string]?) Oh, yo' use dat han'ke'chuf.
(You wipe him?)
Yes.
Entry 3541
Whut a woman kin do tuh make de man behave himself an' make him be happy at home wit 'er alone an' nobody else. Jes' lak she go on an' have con- nection wit 'im, take a clean piece of cloth, even now it might be a pocket han'- ke'chuf, but jes' since it's new, ain't nevah been used, an' jes' use dat at dat pahtic'lah time an' tie it up right tight. Tie five knots in it. But firs befo' she tie it, write his name on a piece of papah five times an' hers on dere five times.
(How do you write that on that paper?)
Write his'n lak dis an' turn it aroun', yo' see, jes' lak dis [demonstrates]. (You write his five times in parallel lines and then turn the paper around and write hers across that five times in parallel lines.) An' den aftah she write it on dere, she take it an' burn de fo' cornahs - jes' burn de little tips of de fo' cornahs of dat papah. An' roll it - fold de papah up, bring it tuh 'er an' be talkin' tuh 'im, "Ah mean fo' yo' tuh come heah. Ah mean fo' yo' tuh behave yo'- self an' come home. Ah'm tired of yo' runnin' roun' wit wimmins, an' ah mean ah don't want chew go out no mo' wit no othah wimmins, cuz ah'm enuff womens fo' yo'." An' jes' talk tuh 'em an' take dat an' put it In dat han'ke'chuf an' roll it up good - continue rollin' it up. Dis might be de han'ke'chuf but it's gotta be biggah'n dat. An' roll it up jes' lak dis here an' keep on rollin' an' keep on rollin' wit dat - wit dat name in dere, keep arollin' it. An' den take it an' sprinkle it good wit John de Conkah Powdah - dat's conkahin' 'im, John de Conkah Powdah. An' den tie five knots in it all de way, five knots clean on in dat han'ke'chuf [demonstrates] - dat's two, an' [put] three 'long heah, an' tie it jes' as tight [as you can].
(Then you keep tying it into a ball?)
Tie it into a ball an' put it - open a hole in de mattress, sew it up in de mattress an' let it stay dere. He'll be tuh de place he won't look at no- body.
(Now in fixing this handkerchief did she use it on herself or?)
Dey both use it.
Entry 3542
Ah tell yo' now jes' like dis, jes' like yo' got some ole clothes. Now yo' wear dose ole clothes, yo' undahstan', an' pull off de dirty clothes. Yo' pull it off an' she put it up; see, yo' Won't have nuthin to do wit dose clothes any mo'. Well, prob- 'ly she might git a piece of de seat of yore slip, yo' undahstan', an' cut it out yo' see. Well, perhaps she might git a piece from undah yore arms. See, yo' know jes' where yo' sweat, yo' see. An' den ag'in, she might git chure hat band or somepin like dat. Yo' know dese little bows in yore hat, she might take dat out, see. Well, she'll take dat an' she'll put some of dis - git a little car- bolic acid an' pot salt an' a little red peppah. An' she will git she a bottle of Coca Cola. She will sprinkle dat, see. An' befo' she sprinkle it why she will tie it up an' she'll put seven knots in it. Dat odds [odd number] yo' know. Now, see, seven knots. Well, she tie dat up, yo' undahstan' an' put it into yore pillah, see, cuz yo' know a woman makes de bed all de time. Yo' don't have no dealings wit beds - yo' wouldn't even think of it, see. Well, yo' have to stay home an' den ag'in yo' wouldn't even think of no othah woman but 'er.
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 3550
De stockin's [are] fo' love affairs. Now, dey kin take mah stockin's or mah socks - man or woman, don't make no diff'rence who it is, an' dey kin cut de toe of dat sock off an' de heel part of dat sock off, see. An' aftah dey cut it off, den dey tie it wit nine knots. Now dat's fo' love, [but] dat's not tuh drew [draw] dis love. It's lak if yo' loves a lady - ah should explain it tuh yo' lak dat. Jes' lak if ah loved a lady mahself an' she quit me fo' some othah man, an' ah don't want Ter tuh be intimate wit dis man. Prob'bly she could be wit 'im, but still she couldn't have no intahco'se wit 'im. Yo' undahstan'. All right, aftah ah cut de toe of 'er sock off heah an' de heel of 'er sock off - yo' know women don't har'ly wear stockin's now, some of dem wears socks now. Aftah ah cut dat off, ah takes me an' sets down, an' ah cuts it intuh a kin'a string-lak. Aftah ah cut dat off, see - ah wan'a show yo' whut ah'm talkin' 'bout. Ah think ah got a han'ke'chuf in mah pocket heah. Let dis kin'a be de toe of 'er stockin'. Ah cuts dat off, yo' undahstan'. Den ah takes an' tear dat, an' aftah ah tears dat, ah sits down an' ties me nine knots. See, nine knots In it in a diff'ren' form. An' aftah ah tie dose nine knots, ah pull dem darn tight. An' aftah ah tie dose nine knots, ah takes me a needle. Aftah ah git it all tied up, ah takes me a needle an' ah pins dat - see, wit de needle an' one of de pins. Now, [if] ah kin git a chance tuh git tuh her home, ah go tuh her home an' ah put dis in de middle of de bed. Prob'bly if it's too much [several beds] - if not, if it's only one, ah put it in de middle of it. [The center of a bed is the fifth pOint Of the quincunx.] NOW ANYBODY DAT SHE WANTS TUH INTAHCO'SE WIT, SHE CAN'T HAVE NO FEELIN' FO' DEM AT ALL. NOW, HE KIN DO IT, PROB'BLY HE WILL, BUT SHE WON'T HAVE NONE - NO FEELIN' FO' HIM AT ALL. [This Same nO feeling WIll alsO be found in No.3569.] DEN OTHAH WAYS ABOUT IT. Ah kin take her sock or 'er stockin's an' ah kin cut dat off ag'in, an' not even tie dem nine knots. Jes' cut it off an' take an' go tuh de woods. Now, ah'm goin' tuh de woods an' ah git me whut chew call herb stuff, now. Ah'm goin' tuh de woods an' ah git me whut chew call a holly leaf. Yo' [think] it's some Christmas holly wit berries on 'em, but dere's othah holly leafs hasn't got no berries on 'em - got dose sharp thorns on de leaves of 'em. Now, ah'm goin' dere an' take dose thorns. Ah'm gon'a git me nine leaves an ah'm gon'a break off all dose thorns on de leaves. Aftah ah done cut dat end of dat sock off, put it intuh a mere bottle - a half a pint flask. Put dose nine thorns offa all, each one, of dose leaves intuh dat bottle. An' aftah ah put it intuh dat bottle, den ah takes me a little of whut dey call - it's a water lily, it grows in de water. [This is probably the white-flowered species (Crinum amer- icanum), popularly called swamp lily (see 3246) of the southern United States.] Gits a bud outa dat. An' aftah ah gits dat bud outa dat, den I gits me jes' a leetle bit of salt, an' about, jes' aroun' about, a tablespoonful of hot peppah whut dey call red peppah. An' ah kin parch dat peppah [pod] now, or eithah ah kin let it be [buy it] in de cans. An' put it in dere wit dat an' stop dat bot- tle up. An' ah kin take dat bottle an' ah kin go home an' bury dat bottle any place in mah house ah wants tuh bury it. Take dese two fingahs [demonstrates].
(0f the right hand.)
Of de right hand.
(The index finger and then the finger next to the little finger?)
Dat's right. If she but been to mah house one time, ah kin take dese two fingahs heah an' git me a sharp match stem an' pick dese fingahs until dey bleed. Now her name is Miss H. M. Smith or H. M. Williams. Wit de blood of dat, dat come outa mah han's, ah writes 'er 'ritial - see, "H. M." See. An' puts dat in dat wit dat bottle an' bury dat bottle. Now, ah'm drivin' 'er tuh me, see. Ah'm bringin' 'er tuh me. Ah'm not drivin' 'er from me. Ah'm bringin' 'er tuh me. See. Now hit gotta set dere fo' nine mawnin's, an' aftah dese nine mawnin's den, in de tenth mawnin' yo' see her comin'. Don't kere who she is, she'll come.
Entry 3553
An' if yo' don't want yo' husban' to go wit anybody else, yo' kin take jis' a bran'-new piece of cord string an' measure de size of 'im down dere an' tie it in nine knots, each knot comin' to yo'. Tie it very tight. It's what yo' call tyin' a man up. Tie it very tight an wear dose nine knots aroun' yo' an' evah time he come in contact wit anothah woman he will be ready, until he git to de actual place, an' den he'll fall.
Entry 3554
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey take yore chamber lye an' if dey're still in dat house, yo' go to dere house. An' if yo' want to urinate, say, "Well, ah'm goin' to go to de bath- room." She give a jar to yo' an' yo'll urinate. She'll take dat an' as long as it contain no othah but yourn, she'll take it an' stop it up in a bottle. She'll take dat an' hide it somewheres. An' aftah she hide it somewhere on yo' [not on the man's person but about the house], yo'll find dat yo'll nevah be able [to have another woman] - she only. She take - aftah she gits yore chamber lye, she takes a string an' she'll measure yore private. An' aftah she git de length of yore private, den she take an' she make nine knots in it, drawin' to her evah time. Each time she draw a knot, it's drawin' it to 'er. Den she'll take an' she'll wear dis string aroun' 'er waist nex' to her skin, mo' so. An' den she'll take yore chamber lye an' hide it. She hide dis from yo' an' evah time yo' try to take intahco'se wit some othah woman, it drop. Yo' nevah can do it.
Entry 3559
Yes sir, dat's tuh keep a woman from - a woman keep a man from runnin' out wit anothah woman.
(How would she do that?)
She ties nine knots in dat string an' she measures it. Anyway dat she git dat string aroun' 'is private, why den she holds it lak dat. An' she - she might be drunk or sompin. Dey might be drinkin', playin', an' he won't not be thinkin'. An' she git a chance to git one knot in dere, why she got 'er han's on 'im, why den she goes off an' make de other eight. An' she wraps it roun' 'er waist. Why dat will stop a man from runnin' out in de streets, too. Dere sev'ral diff'ren' ways.
Entry 3560
Den yo' kin take a woman an' let 'er have intahco'se wit yo', an' take a piece of white cord, any bran'-new white cord dat jes' come off de wrappin [ball] ain't nevah been tied roun' nuthin. An' soak dat in 'er chamber lye an' jes' discharge aftah yo' git off, yo' know, uri- nate. Soak dat an' put eight knots roun' it an' tie de ninth knot right ovah her navel. Put de ninth knot right ovah her navel, an' yo cain't go off an' do nuthin else wit nobody, but jes' go right back to her, whethah she's a man's wife or a man's woman. An' yo' kin do de same thing on 'er, see.
(The discharge and your urine on it?)
Yessuh. [Both interviewer and interviewee are a little fuzzy here about a very fuzzy subject!]
Entry 3562
Yo' take a string an' measure dis person, an' tie a knot at de end of dat string. Yo' see, tie a knot at de end of dat string. Yo' see, tie a knot at de end of dat string, at de firs measurin' place an' den yo' tie it, an' from dere on yo' tie eight more which makes nine, an' den yo' kin eithah pin it aroun' yore ankle wit a sil- vah dime. Stick a hole in a silvah dime an' wear it aroun' de ankle, dey won't love no one but yo'. Well, NOW SOME PEOPLE SAY DEY USE IT FER CRAMPS [see Nos.1516-1517], BUT DAT'S ALWAYS AS AN ALIBI. DAT'S [LOVE IS] WHUT DE USE IT FO'.
(They say they use it for cramps, but they really want to keep a man.)
Entry 3563
Heard of 'em tyin' knots in a cord - jes' in a piece of string. Dey say if a man wanta make his wife stay home, he git a piece of cord de length of de bed an' let it stay dere one night an' she sleep on it. Den take it off an' put six knots in it, thinkin' about 'er, an' den three mo' knots In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost. An' den take dat string an' wet it in chamber lye. (Wet it with him?) Yes sir, an' den take de rollah [roller] out de bed [one of the 4 casters on bottom of the 4 legs of the bed] on dat side an' put it up in dere an' push de rollah back in, an' dey say de man's wife will always stay home. De rollah, take it out an' put dat piece of thread up in dere an' den put de rollah back in.
Entry 3564
Yo' goin' wit dis woman an' she want yo' all to herself, wit all yore affection to her, why she jis' git a little string of some kine - some kinda fine cord or even a piece of thread. When yo' an' 'er go to bed, measure - put one knot in de end, an' she measure yo', yore instrument, see, tie dat knot. Well, aftah she measure yo', den she tie a knot dere. Den [after] yo' - all's up [yo' all is up], an' yo' is gone, or somepin, she put jis' as many knots in dere: if she wan' chew to stay wit 'er a lifetime, jis' put nine knots, see, in dat space of yore instrument, yo' undahstan'.
(Nine knots [including those] between those two end knots?)
Yeah, nine knots in dere, an' take dat right in dere, an' if it's not long enough, put anothah piece on it an' pin it aroun' 'er waist. As long as it stay dere, why yo'll fall fo' her all de time. Regardless of who yo' have any affec- tion about, why yore mind will be on 'er.
Entry 3565
[My opening comments here as in so many places are primarily either to put informant at ease or to suggest that he or she speak louder.]
(That's a boat whistling - the boat coming in from New Orleans, I suppose.) Yes, I guess so. (What did you say, now?)
I said dat she would take a cord string an' tie nine knots in it.
(What?)
A cord string.
(Oh, a cord string. All right, what would she do?)
An' tie nine knots in it an' take two grains of black peppah [see later] an' tie it in each one [end], yo' know, an' she would wear it. Of co'se, anything dat's bein' used lak dat, ain't supposed to wear it aroun' de waist. She'd have to keep it nex' to her.
(I see. Well she would have to put - you mean black pepper?)
Black peppah - no [not ground black pepper], you know black grain peppah.
(What kind? Black grain pepper?)
Black grain peppah. Yo' jis' tie dat black grain peppah.
(You just tie this one thing in each.)
Yo' tie it in each tying in the string, yo' know. (You mean those little round pepper things - little round, they are about the size of a bullet shot?) [I wanted to be certain that informant meant whole black pepper. This exces- sive repetition may also mean that I was having trouble with the recording. Gun shell shot would have been a better term.l Yeah, but yo' have to double de cord string.
(You do what?)
You have to double it.
(You have to double it?)
Double the cord string.
(How do you double it?)
Why yo' know how yo' take a string an' double it?
(Yes.)
Yo' ties de knots in it. (Oh, you tie the knots in the double string - nine knots. But you tie these pieces [whole black peppers] in the end?) In each end.
(I see.)
Entry 3569
Fix it in a way dat she wouldn't forgit 'im, yo' know, when he come back. Now he's git - he'd take an' he'd git 'im a piece of cord string. He'd ketch 'er while she's asleep, an' he'd measure her. See, he'd measure her. Now, when he'd measure her, he'd take an' he puts a knot evah inch of dat string. He puts nine knots but he'd put 'em an inch apart, see. Now, he puts dem nine knots a inch apart an' he folds dat string up an' he tries to make it in nine wraps. As he wraps it aroun', yo' know, he make nine wraps outa it. He'd go an' he'd git 'im a bran'-new silk pocket han'ke'chuf. He'd tie dis in dat pocket han'ke- chuf an' he'd put it in 'is back pocket an' keep it dere in 'is back pocket. An whenevah she go to do anything, her feelin' will fall an' he'll know it, cuz one of dem knots goin' to come loose. See, one of de knots will come unloosed. Evah time she goes to start he'll know it, cuz one of de knots. I don't care if he goes to New York, when she goin' to do anything, one of dem knots vill come un- IOOSEd, BUT SHE AIN'T GOIN' TO HAVE NO FEELIN' FO' DE FELLAH SHE'S WIT, yo' see. SHE MIGHT DO IT, BUT IT BE AGAINST 'ER WILL; an' HE'LL [HUSBAND WILL] KNOW IT, CUZ ONE OF DEM KNOTS WILL COME LOOSE. [The PreCeding SHE AIN'T GOIN' TO HAVE NO FEELIN' FO' DE FELLAH SHE'S WIT is also believed in Waycross, Ga., see No.3550.]
(How would he measure her? Here she is. How would he measure her?)
[Here she is: indicates that I pushed my Numbers Book (see illustration at end of volume 2) over to informant.] Well, he'd take it straight up an' down, yo' see. (Straight up and down - from the top to the bottom. I see.)
Entry 3570
Well, dey has nine knot to tie, dey tie 'em in a length of dat length [demonstrates].
(About a foot.)
[These knots on the string are tied a foot apart.]
Yo' tie eight. Evah knot chew tie, yo' names whoevah yo' want dere love. Yo' name dem, yo' want dere love an' bring 'em back to yo'. De last [ninth] knot chew tie, yo' tie dat knot, yo' tie dat string roun' yo' an' yo' wear it; but chew 'noint it wit dat holy oil (see p.588) an' den yo' wear it roun' yore waist. An' dose people will love yo' an' always be dere. Ah know dat pos'tively fo' mahself. (You take any kind of string to do that?) Yes - no, ah take a cord string, yo' know, jes' lak yo' buy a package. Yo' take a cord string an' do dat.
Entry 3571
Yo' could measure him to keep from bein' wit anothah woman, but heah's whut chew gotta do. Yo' could take a simple thing as a piece of cord - whut chew tie a package wit - an' measure it down [not up] his thing an' knot it nine times in each little space. [Keep the knots close together.] Knot dat cord nine times an' keep it tied roun' yore waist. An' he couldn't raise a heart fo' no othah woman.
Entry 3582
When yore husban' lie down to take his rest, when he git tuh sleep good, git chew a cord string. Git chew a cord string an' take it an' measure it an' tie nine knots in it. (Measure him. Where does she measure him?) Start tuh measure him from de head down to de toe, an' put nine knots in dere, an' take it an' tie it - tie nine knots in dere an' wear it aroun' yore waist.
(What will that do?)
Evah time yo' tie it yo' call 'is name an' tell 'im tuh come back to yo'.
(What are you doing that for, tying those knots for?)
Well, dat's tuh bring him back home.
(Make him stay home?)
He'll stay home when he come back.
Entry 3583
(Just a minute! Tell me the whole thing.)
Well, dey say yo' kin have a cord string in de meantime, an' yo' kin have it fixed so when yo' go to use it in yore rag, an' hit'll git not much on it yo' see. An' den yo' tie nine knots in it an' let 'er wear dat aroun' 'er waist. An' [dey] say, den she can't do anything.
(He can't.) He can't do anything but wit 'er.
Entry 3584
[Rites of where to measure a man have al- ready been given, but for the sake of completion here are a few more examples of length, width and length and width. Length of person's body rarely occurs in this type of measuring.] Measure him, measure a person, an' tie nine knots. Aftah yo' git de length, den yo' tie yo' nine knots, an' yo' take it an' yo' wear it roun' de top of yo'. [Informant either demonstrated or I turned off machine, missed the words about leg.]
(Oh, round the top of your leg like a garter?)
Yes. Take it off at night an' git up in de mawnin' an' put it on. He cain't do nuthin. Any time he start: [I interrupt].
(Why do you take it off at night?)
Well, he den kin find it. See, yo' pull stockin' off wit 'em, becuz' dey liable tuh go tuh feelin' roun'.
(You hide it at night?)
Sho'.
Entry 3591
A woman kin take a man an' take his concern when he sleep, take a cord string an' measure his concern wit dat cord string, yo' see, jes' in de middle [center] yo' see. An' she'll have a certain mark dere, yo' know, how long [thick] it is. An' she kin put nine knots in dat string right in dat certain place an' wear it roun' 'er waist. An' ah bet chew ten dollahs tuh fifty, yo' couldn't fool wit a woman. Evah time yo' go tuh fool wit a woman, it will fall right lak a rag right heah.
Entry 3592
An' if she got yo' so dat yo' couldn't fool wit no othah womens - prob'ly she done given yo' some appearance [menstrual blood], dat anywhere she be at, yo' wants to be dere wit 'er. Well, quite natchly [naturally], yo'll say to yoreself lak dis, "Huh, well, ah could fool wit mah wife so, an' when ah git aroun' othah women, den ah can't do nuthin. Which yo' really is, but de ninute yo' aim to do things, yore courage will leave yo'. Well, dere wuz a woman, she got a cord yo' know, jis' lak any little fine piece of line.
(A cord, yes - a string, yes.)
Well, she done - while yo' sleepin', she done cut de length of yo'. She done cat de length from yo' an' how big aroun'. She done cut dat. She'll put knots in de twine. She'll put nine knots in de cord. She take dat cord an' she put it right ovah herself lak dat, add it to anothah piece of cord, an' she'll put nine knots in 'er cord what she got, an' she'll wear it aroun' 'er waist, but de knots in yore length dat goes ovah 'er, she got it right in front ovah 'er pri- vate. An' jis' as long as she got dat roun' 'er, yo' couldn't fool wit no othah womens.
Entry 3593
Take a string an' measure his thing, an' tie a knot in it at evah time yo' measure it. Yo' measure de length an' de width of it - ah mean around it. Take it an put some of 'is come wit it an' wear it an' he cain't git up no heart fo' her.
(How many knots do you put in the string?)
Nine.
Entry 3594
Yo' want [to] make her stay wit chew, yo' jis' - yo' take her when she 'sleep, an' yo' come dere an' measure roun' 'er wit a string; an' yo' make nine knots in de measure dat way an' yo' tie it, hang it roun' yo see. [Measure roun' 'er = circumference, a circle, a confining symbol; measuring and circle being confining devices.]
(Round your leg? The man ties it around his leg? That holds her?)
Yessuh.
Entry 3595
An' dere's anothah way to tie yo' up. Take - a woman kin fool wit yo' an' git de measure of yore stick, an' put nine knots in it, an' wear it aroun' 'er laig, an' yo' can't have no connection. Yo' may try to have connection wit de party, but evah time dey start, yo'll have de ambition but...
Entry 3597
A wumman could take a string an' tie nine knots in it an' when he goes wit 'er she could measure his privates wit it. (After she has tied nine knots.) Yessir, she could measure his privates wit de string aftah she tied de nine knots in it, an' take dis string an' wear it roun' 'er waist three days. An' aftah she wear it roun' 'er waist three days, take it an' burn it up, an' he couldn't have no intahco'se wit nobody but 'er.
(Well, couldn't he ever git rid of that?)
No, unless somebody wuz jes' smart enough [a two-header], yo' know, tuh tell him how tuh git relief.
Entry 3598
Jes' he be - yo' tyin' 'em togethah now, see. All right, jis' lak ah got a boy friend an' ah say ah'm worried about 'im, he 'bout to git away from me wit some othah woman. All right, me an' 'im go tuh bed an' we have connection wit each othah. All right, he steals de cloth whut he use, or ah steal it from 'im, yo' undahstand. He goin' an' tie it up in nine knots an' we goin' be togethah till dem knots git rotten.
Entry 3602
Now an' den wit 'er.
(What will that do?)
She be layin' down wit 'im an' she have her a piece of yellah cotton.
(Yellow cotton?)
Yes. An' when she go wit 'im, she wipe 'im, she wipe 'im wit it. She takes dis yellah cotton, make nine knots in it, an' put it in de cornah of 'er mat- tress - sew it up in de mattress. He can't git a heart fo' nobody.
Entry 3604
Dey say yo' kin take a new piece of material an' - if yo' have intah- co'se wit a man lak dat, an' tie nine knots in it, wear it roun' yore waist nine days an' buries it - dey say, why den dat man can't have no othah woman but yo'. [For new material, see also Nos.3543-3548.]
Entry 3605
Take some of de hair from undah his clothes an' some of de hair from off de woman an' tie it up in a pocket han'ke'ch'ef wit nine knots, an' tote it in yore pocket.
(This woman would take some of his hair down below?)
Yes sir.
(Just the hair, and what would she do with that?)
She would tie it up in a pocket han'ke'ch'ef.
(What would she put with that hair, anything?)
She put her hair.
(Where would she get her hair?)
Outa down below.
(She puts it in the handkerchief, any kind of handkerchief?)
Yes sir, jes' a white han'ke'ch'ef. An' tie it in nine knots. She does wit dat hair an' she jest tote it, put it in her pocket an' tote it.
(What will that do then?)
Well, that will stop him.
(Stop him from running around with other women?)
Yes sir, hold 'im right dere.
Entry 3606
Dem dere tyin' dem knots, yo' see, is a question lak yo' has to use othah stuff wit it, yo' see. It's prob'bly lak if yo' git a woman's sick rag or somepin lak dat an' tie nine knots in it, yo' see, an den place it into her bed. Well she'll come to be sickly all de time. Dem nine knots yo' know dey use fo' a whole lotta things.
Entry 3607
Well, sometimes dey will tie nine knots in a string an' dey will wear aroun' dere laig underneat' de - if dey want to. An' dat keeps a man tied up. Jes' put nine knots in it an' wear it around dere laig. (What do they do with that string first before they tie those nine knots in it?) No, dey don't wear it atall. Jes' tie nine knots in it an' wear dat aroun' dere laig. An' dey wear dat.
Entry 3609
Ah heard dat chew could take sompin jes' lak some of yore fingahnails, toenails, things from out undah yore toenails, an' trim 'em an' put: 'em in whis- key an' let 'im drink off dat whiskey. An' say dat he'll come back. An' dey say if yo' wanta keep one, tie nine knots in a string an' have lak sompin to dc wit 'im, an' let some of dat stuff git on it an' wear dis string aroun' yo'. An' dey say dat will keep him tied to yo' where he won't leave.
Entry 3611
Ah heard dat if yo' didn't want chure woman to leave fo' nobody else, dat chew take an' take a string outa her petticoat or 'er bloomahs or somepin lak dat an' git it wet wit some of 'er monthly stuff, an' take an' tie it in nine knots an' wear it roun' yore waist, dat no othah man can't mess wit 'er. Evah time he go dere he'll fall right down dere evah time.
Entry 3612
Fo' a man to lose his nature an' - lak if he has a woman an' she loves 'im, or he has a wife an' she loves 'im best. To remove him from 'er, or to take his nature away, she'll take a string, a cord string an' she'll measure his private an' den she puts nine knots in it. See. An' aftah puttin' de nine knots in it, den she'll take it an' she'll bury it or tie it undah de bed an' sleep on it. Dat is to take away his nature. or to keep 'im from goin' wit anybody else.
Entry 3613
Tie knots on a string an' tie it on to de lowah part of de body, an' tie a piece of cloth to dat, an' evah time - why dey have anything to do wit de fren', why dey take whut dey got fixed lak dat an' let him, yo' know, wipe wit it first. An' he wouldn't have mood, no wants fo' no othah woman but 'er. (Well, would she tie those nine knots first into the string?) [She had said nine knots before machine began to record.] She tie dose nine knots first, an' den yo' sew it onto a little bag, an' keep it right aroun' yore waist. An' evah time dat she be wit im, she would let Tim use it but not she use it. An' do dat fo' 'bout nine times. Well, aftah nine times, why yo' take an' bury it undah yore do'step, an' he wouldn't have no use fo' no othah woman.
Entry 3614
Yo' kin tie nine knots into a cloth if it's a cloth dat yo' use wit anybody, or dey usin' a dirty garment. Yo' tie de nine knots into de cloth an' bury it to de sunrise. It'll pine de person away.
(You mean any garment that the person has used?)
Yes, an' dey won' feel sick, dey won' feel bad or nuthin - jes' dry up on earth.
Entry 3617
Ah have lived wit a woman in dis city, an' ah found some hair, colored man's hair or coman's hair, an' one penny sewed up in a sack an' a string wrapped aroun' it, an' de string had nine knots in it an' a rabbit's foot. But ah knows one thing dat ah couldn't have nuthin else to do wit no othah woman but 'er. But how dat wuz, whut she did, ah don't know. But ah foun' it in 'er purse.
(She did this to you?)
She did dat to me.
Entry 3619
A string, an' measure it, de length of 'is [privates] an' tie nine knots in dis string. Now, if it's not long enough to go roun' 'er waist she might piece it out. Now she tie dem nine knots an' she [wet] dem nine knots in turpentine an' wear dem nine knots right below 'er stomach in front [mons veneris], an' in time won't have no nature fo' nobody but 'er.
Entry 3623
When yo' have a intahco'se wit 'im, yo' take yo' a co'd string an' don't yo' come. She don't come wit 'im. She jes' wet dat co'd string in dat come an' 'is chamber lye an' tie nine knots in it an' wear it aroun' 'er waist. An' take de measure of 'is [penis] an' tie nine knots in dis co'd string an' wear it roun' 'er waist. Dat will stop a man from runnin' aroun' an' he cain't git up no heart fo' no othah woman. When he go it will fall. Dat ties up 'im.
Entry 3627
Yo' could win a man. Yo' could take, yo' know, a string an' put nine knots in a cord string an' put it in turpentine, yo' know, an' wear it aroun' yore waist, an' it would keep 'im from havin' dealin's wit any othah woman but chureself.
(Well what do you do with that string first before you put the nine knots on it?)
Well, yo' take an' put nine knots in it, see, an' make a wish an' put it in dat turpentine an' tie it aroun' yore waist, an' evah time he git ready tuh have a intahco'se wit any othah woman, see, he couldn't.
Entry 3628
Dey [a woman] could take a piece of their [a man's] underwear that they [he] wear right close to them [him] an' rip it right on down jis' where they [he] button the underwear. An' then she takes that an' ties it in nine knots, an' make evah one of those knots to her an' make a wish [as each knot is tied]. Then yo' take this piece an' yo' tie it aroun' de leg an' wear it - eithah leg, it don't make any diff'ren'. Either yo' take it an' tie it aroun' yore waist. An' as long as yo' wear that knot aroun' yore waist, he cannot leave her [you].
Entry 3629
Takin' yore chamber lye an' usin' dat an' yo' can't - yore dick won't rise till yo' see her, yo' know.
(Well, how do they use that? Do that?)
Put it in a bottle an' tie nine knots in a string, an' put de string aroun' de bottle an' put it up ovah top de door where yo' go out at; an' when yo' go out, dey lay dat bottle an' yore dick won't rise. An' while dat bottle layin' down, yo' come back an' den dey set it up. Yo' set de bottle up an' yo's all right den. (Well, what do they do with this string first? Where do they get the string first?) Wet it in de watah.
(Oh, they wet this - in whose water?)
In yores. (The woman gets the string and wets it in the man's water, and she ties these kmots in it.) Yes, ties nine knots in it. I hear'd of peoples takin' yore hair an' puttin' it in a rag, puttin' it in a bottle an' puttin' some vinegar wit it, an' puttin' it up ovah top de door. An evah time yo' go out dey lay dat bottle down, an' yo' have to come back; an' when yo' come back, dey set dat bottle up, an' yo' is all right.
(What would she do about getting his nature? What would she do with that?)
Put it in a bottle an' lay it 'cross, put it up in de do'r - see, anywhere yo' go out. An' when yo' go out she lay dat down when yo' come back, she stand it up. But yo' kin easily do somepin fer dat. [Norfolk, Va., (469), 475:7.] [I had intended to comment at the end of KNOTS NINE about the number of them in HOODOO. Instead I write a few words to fill in the end of this page.] [I agree with the informant who supplies our first margin title: AH'M GON'A TELL YUH SOMEPIN OTHAH DAT BEAT DE WORL'. Snail rites do beat de WOrl'. They are so amazing I have been more than generous with examples. HooDoO as a whole will show that no special effort was made to collect them, because sex in itself was never emphasized in field work. When I first heard about the snail rite in 1936, I thought the man was lying - see 3635.]
Entry 3726
An' de dishrag in de same lak mannah. Take dat dishrag an' she'll wipe it, dry off wit dat dishrag. Don't make no diff'rence if it's dry or if it's been used in grease, an' dat takes 'er courage away. Takes all de nature away from 'em. Now if a woman ties yo' lak dat now de way dat she do, she'll wait till he's asleep an' she'll mess roun' wit chew an' she'll hang her gown or sompin ovah yore haid till yo' go tuh sleep yo' see [common rite]. An' she'll git a cord string an' she'll measure de length of yo', an' den when she measure de length of yo', she'll tie dat many knots in it, see. Den she'll tie it roun' 'er laig, right around de [calf] of 'er laig, or else roun' 'er wais'. Most of de time she tie it aroun' dere. Well, yo' find it an' yo' mistrust dat. Well den, yo' don't know whut tuh do, yo' tried evahthing, go to de doctors [M.D.'s] an' still dey ain't done any good. Well, yo' lay awake until yo' ketch 'er asleep, an' den yo' slip to her an' take dis cord string off of 'er. An' den when yo' take dis cord string off of 'er, while she's 'sleep, yo' kin take dis same [string] in lak mannah an' measure it [her] dis way, see. An'when yo' measure it dat way, an' den dis way, an' yo' tie it in string in dat shape.
(In a round shape?)
Yes, an' den yo' take dat same string an' yo' sew it; see, sew it from dis heah, dataway. Jes' cut it out an' sew dat togethah. An' dat will git off yo an' git on 'er. Den yo' take yo' some warm watah, as warm as yo' kin bear it, an' put table salt in it an'.wash yo'self real good. An' git cedar oil an' rub - jes' yo'self real good. An' take yo' a dry rag an' wipe down. Dry it off real good an' dat'll do away wit it.
Entry 3769
Whilst he's asleep at night, takin' a cord an' takin' de full length of 'is private, tyin' nine knots in it, wearin' ti aroun' 'er waist, an' he'd lose all ambition fer outside women. He kin go.... (What did you say?) He'll be dataway, no use fer outside women, until he take some penny nail - five penny-nails.
(Wait a minute! The penny-nails, you take five of them?)
Five of 'em.
(Yes?) = [Continue.]
Put 'em in a quart bottle of watah an' drinkin' de watah off it. Dat will release him.
(That will give him the advantage, take that away from him?)
Absolutely.
Entry 3770
Nine penny-nails, put [in] a quart bottle of watah an' take it three times a day, see. Dat will kill dat what she give yo'. De way she goes in dat way - undahstan', whenevah yo' have connection wit 'er, any discharge she wipe wit a han'ke'ch'ef of some kind, an' you [she] tie nine knots in it an' tie it aroun' 'er waist, see. Well, dat makes 'im lose ambition fer de [other] woman. He may be hard an' he may aim to get on to marry de woman, den he fall, loses ambition fer no one else but 'er.
Entry 3775
She git a dishrag an' she'll tie three knots in it: ONE ON DE END AN' ONE IN DE MIDDLES AN' ONE ON DE OTHAH END - make three knots. She'll have dat rag damp. When yo' make a connec- tion wit 'er dat night, she won't come herself. Yo' understan' whut ah talkin' about. She'll make yo' do it. When she do's dat she'll tie it up an' she'll put it undahneat' her mat- tress right undah yore haid, where yo' won't know nuthin about it. An' prob'ly yo' go dere to anothah woman to try to make a connection wit 'er. It'll be hard when yo' git up dere, but aftah yo' git up an' start it'll jes' fall right down.
[Here follows the cure for the preceding rite.]
Dere's a weed grows in de woods, dey call it a horse nettle. It's a little weed dat has a little button on it - little berry, yo' see - an' de root is about dat long. An' dat root got little lumps in it. Evah two or three inches dat root got a little knot in it. Well yo' take dat an' yo' drink dat fo' about nine mawnin's.
(What do you do with that root?)
Well, if anybody know it, dey kin go out in a country place an' git it. Yo' takes it an' yo' cuts it up, an' puts it in a bottle, an' yo' PO' SOME OF DIS GOOD WHISKEY ON IT, an' drink it fo' nine mawnin's, an' dat'll bring it back to yo'.
(Bring his nature back.)
Entry 3779
De same as dey would have a connection wit 'i, an' take dat cloth an tie it into nine knots, an' wear it in de toe of dere shoe, but now whut else dey would do wit it ah don't know.
(That is to take away a man's nature?) Take his nature from him. [Informant continues but I turn off machine until he begins something of promise:] (You went to a fellow, you say?) Yes. (Was he one of these wise people?) Yes sir, an' he tole me some things tuh do. (What did he tell you to do?)
He tole me tuh go on back an' evah mawnin' when ah rise from de bed, go on an' git me a towel. In othah words tuh buy me nine new towels an' evah mawnin' take one dose towels an' wash good wit it, an' when ah git through wit it, throw it away an' don't use it any mo'. Fo' nine mawnin's. So ah did dat an' it kinda brought me back.
(You did that and it brought back your nature?)
Yes sir.
(Well, now, you didn't wash with anything special? You just dry with that?)
Jes' a common towel. (And you think that this woman fixed you up by tying those knots in that towel?) Yes sir.
Entry 3836
Well, dey say yo' take a piece of string, not a rag string but a cotton string yo' know, an' yo' tie a knot. Now, evahone says if yo' wan'a man tuh love yuh, or a woman, yo' kin jes' squeeze dat little thing [finger] on yore lef' han' [demonstrates]. (Squeeze the little finger on the left hand.) Squeeze it till it git kinda dead [numb], yo' know. Den yo' take a needle an' jes' keep pickin' till yo' git one drop of blood. An' yo' take dat drop of blood an' put a little bit on all nine of dem knots, an' weah it roun' yore waist. Dey'll run crazy ovah yo'.
(You take that blood from your own finger?)
Yes.
Entry 3908
Git a string an' tie three knots, a man would do dis, an' git a drop or two of blood from a woman an' wear it aroun' 'is waist, an' he'll be able tuh hold dat woman. (Where would he get the blood from her?) Durin' de time of 'er ministration.
Entry 3909
He'd [author's contact man Carter] ask me if yo' wanta woman to stay wit yuh, how coot [could] cha make 'em stay wit yo'. Well, ah've been tole, see. Now jes' like she's - jes' like she goes an' have her, yo' know what I mean by dat. Well, yo' git dat rag an' yo' wrop it up into anothah rag, see, an' yo' tie it longways an' yo' bring it across [demonstrates]. Yo' put three knots in it, see. Bury in yore yard. Well, she couldn't leave yo' fer nuthin in de world. She goes, but she will have to come back. (Here's her rag, and you put it here and wrap it up. You have another rag there.) De longways first, one knot. No, don't put no knot longways. Yo' jes' - jes' like yo' tie a package, yo' see. Tie it longwise, an' come an' tie it across.
[Tying this package longwise and across makes sign of the cross.]
(You tie the string.)
Yes.
(I see.)
Sure, an' yo' put three knots in it.
(Three knots into that.)
Three knots onto dat cloth yo' tie up de rag in.
Entry 3910
Well, yo' kin take nine knots, yo' know. A woman kin take dat rag, yo' know, an' tie nine knots in it an' [or] she'll take a string an' tie nine knots in it, yo' know. An' when she make yo' coffee, see, she drop dat string in yo' coffee fo' about sev'ral mawnin's an' yo' become, yo' can't hardly bear 'er out of yore sight.
(What does she do with that string first?)
What she do wit de string, she take de string - yo' know whut wimmins have while dey be - an' git dat on de string yo' know, an' den put nine knots in it an' put it in de coffee. (That is from her monthly cloth. She puts nine knots in that and then puts it into your coffee.) Yo' drink of dat, see, an' yo' come to - yo' can't do wit'out 'er.
Entry 4215
A woman kin do de same thin', jis' lak she want me an' ah don't want 'er. Well, she kin git a piece of yuh shirt an' tie it in nine knots an' put it in 'er watah, her urinate watah, an' let it stay in dere fo' three mornin's. If she kin git dem nine knots back into mah pocket or in some of mah clothses, dat will draw me an 'er back tuhgethah.
Entry 4607
[A woman] take dat little bow out de back of yore [his] hat right back heah. Tie three knots in it an' take dat an' WEAR IT AROUN" HER BREAST, OF 'ER NIPPLE dere. An' if it doesn't stick to dat, take yuh some tape an' an' dat'll make him come back tuh her, aftah he's worn it fo' de grease tuh come outa his head. [For some reason there is little material about wearing anything on the breast or between the breasts. Sometimes this could be included in worn over the heart.]
Entry 4610
Heard dat wimmins - de way dat dey would kinda trick mens yuh know. Jes' lak dat ah'd go tuh some gurl's house an' wuz a married man an' she wuz likin' me an' ah wouldn't take up very much time wit 'er on account mah wife. Why ah hang mah hat up an' perhaps ah may git up an' per- haps ah may git up an' go git a drink of watah, sompin, an' she'd pull de bow outa mah hat an' tie it on a string an' tie nine knots in it an' wear it roun' 'er waist, in ordah tuh make me leave 'way from mah ole lady an' come tuh 'er.
Entry 4612
(I didn't understand what you said at first.)
Dey take dat bow in de man's hat an' put it in a piece of new cloth, tie it round [with string], put nine knots in it [string] an' put it round yore waist. An' dey say yuh wear dat an' dat'll keep dat man dere an keep 'im from goin' off. If he gone off, yuh git somebody to git it fo' yuh an' he'll come back an' stay dere.
Entry 4613
Well, yuh take dat out of a man's hat, chew know, de little bow dat's right back of de hat heah, out of de man's hatband. Den yuh git a little hair from de mole [mold] of de head - no, yuh git three strands right out of de mole of de head. Chew wrap dat aroun' dis little bow an' git chew a piece of new cotton cord, cord string, an' yuh wrap dat aroun' an' tie nine knots in dat string. An' den yuh put undah de little flap of yuh shoe - yuh know dat inner sole, or de heel of de left shoe. An' as long as it remains in dat shoe, dat person's supposed tuh remain dere.
(That's all for love.)
Entry 4614
(What about that little bow?)
Yuh take dat little bow - it used to be olden times when yuh wore corsets - but dey don't wear corsets no mo'. Dey wears supports. Now, if yuh wants tuh... (Well, what did they do in the olden times with the corsets? Tell me that first, what they did with that; and then you can tell me what they do now. You see?) Yuh see, dey can take dat little bow an' dey can kill yuh wit dat little bow. An' dey can make yuh go crazy - no, not go crazy out of de mind, no. Jes' [like] if yuh got a wife an' she loves yuh, or ah got a husban' an' ah loves 'im. Ah'd fix 'im so he'll jes' stick wit me. He'd turn 'is mind clean offa evah body but me, an' he wouldn't keep a nickel in is pocket fo' hisself. It's all fo' me. Ah could take an' jes' be - ah could bring boy frien's in dere on 'im an' he'll jes' love me jes' dat much [more]. Well, DAT OLE HOODOO [MAN] DEN WHAT AH USIN' KNEW, AN' LIVES AROUN' HERE, he say he [husband] jes' love me dat much, but [I told him?] not tuh open 'is mouth an' say nuthin. [A NOTE OF MINE HERE SAYS DO SLOWER LATER. INFORMANT WAS TALKING FAST.] AH COULD TAKE HIS MONEY RIGHT IN FRONT OF 'IM AN' GIVE IT AWAY. HE'LL JES' LOVE ME JES' DAT MUCH BY BEING HOO- DOOED.
(How would you prepare that bow? That little bow?)
She takes it an' she put it in 'er pocket, down intuh dat little thing yuh see. Yuh untie dat bow an' yuh tie nine knots in dat bow, an' put it straight where it would have been weared down in dere. Well, dat's jes' as if yuh have a tool, yuh know, not what she love yuh; cuz if she love yuh an' if he loved yuh, dey wouldn't want tuh bring somebody else in de home an' go off an' have.... But yuh are jes' undah a muddle. Yuh can't say nuthin, yuh see. Yuh can't do nuthin, yuh see.
(Do you dress that little bow any Way?)
Yuh dress dat little bow wit love powdah. Dey got some powdah - dey got some cologne dey call love cologne. Well, yuh done use dat Follah-me-boys. Dat's good.
[Follow-me-boys appears several times in HOODOO.]
(What 1s?)
Follah-me-boys.
(Follow me, boys.)
Dat's good.
(Is that a powder or perfume?)
Dat's perfume. Now, dat Follah-me-boys - yuh kin use Follah-me-boys right now, yes sir, right now. Yuh kin Walk out from right dere - IF YUH DON'T BELIEVE DAT'S TRUE, an' [then] GO BUY YUH A LITTLE BOTTLE OF FOLLAH-ME-BOYS, AN' YUH JES' SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE BE FOLLAHIN' YUH. BUT DEY WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT DEY FOLLAHIN'. YUH SEE, DAT'S A HOODOO COLOGNE. (I see. Now, in the old days they used to wear the corset, nowadays they wear?) Dey weah dem girdles now. Yuh see, yuh take, if yuh want dat tuh control yuh man or yuh woman. Yuh put it in yuh girdle, weah it in yuh girdle. Nine knots.
Entry 4615
Dey kin take de bow outa yore hat, dose bows in yore hat, an' run yuh crazy. Dey take de bow in de hat an' run yuh blind, jes' make yuh blind. Take de bow outa de hat - inside of dat band, take dat bow. An' it's tied. An' un- tie dat bow, stretch dat bow out. Aftah yuh stretch dat bow, den yuh git chew some cologne. An' yuh take Heaxts Cologne, it's a powahful thing, an' put in dere, dat little ole flask - in dere wit dat bow of dat hat. An' aftah yuh put- tin' dat bow outa dat hat, den yuh takes - now dat's tuh be worn. Now, dat's fo' wimmin tuh do. Yuh takes mens, dey don't have nuthin like outa a hat fo' a man tuh do anythin' wit 'em. But dat's wimmins do dat. Yuh take - ah kin go wit a woman an' ah left 'er, ah quit her. Well, she take dat bow. Dat's tuh run me crazy or tuh drive mah love tuh 'er. Yuh undahstan'. Now, she'll take dat bow outa mah hat an' she'll untie dat bow an' she'll put dat bow in a little ole flask - little small flask. Dat's tuh wear on 'er. An' aftah she do dat, den she go uptown an' she git 'er some Hearts Cologne. Now, WHENSOMEVAH DAT AH GOES TUH INTAHCO'SE WIT 'ER, yuh see, den SHE'LL TAKE DE CLOTH DAT AH USE. AN' SHE'LL NUSE DAT CLOTH ERSELF, BUT SHE WON'T USE IT IN DE SAME MANNAH DAT AH USE IT AN' DE SAME PLACE DAT AH USE IT. See, jes' lak now she take de cloth heah [demonstrates with handkerchief]. Well, if ah nuse it heah, she ain't gonna use it dere. Yuh undahstan', she gonna move off furthah. SHE GOIN' TAKE DIS PART CHERE [used by man] AN' PUT IT IN DAT BOTTLE. See, wit dis boW off mah hat. Now, when she put dat in dat bottle wit de bow out de hat, she wear dat fo' nine mawnin's. An' aftah she wear dat fo' nine mawnin's, she goin' take dat an' she goin' tie her nine knots in dat bow. Den she bury dat on de young moon - when de moon jes is young. An' aftah she bury dat, it stay buried dere until ah comes 'er way. NOW, de ONLIEST WAY DAT YUH KIN REMOVE DIS, YUH HAVE TUH GO DERE AN' GIT IT UP YORESELF. [First you must know where to look! This means a doctor or fortune- teller who has many methods for a problem like this.]
Entry 4616
Say dey could take dat bow outa yore hat an' said a woman could take a thread string an' tie it [bow] in de middle of it an' den tie knots on each side [of bow] an' wear it aroun' 'er wais', an' den he be crazy den about 'er.
(You tie knots on each side of the bow after that?)
Each side of de bow, yes.
(That's 18 knots altogether?)
Yes. [My statement about 18 knots does not come out of thin air. It indicates either informant is repeating the description of a rite, leaving out details as usual; or else I forgot to turn on recording machine in time to obtain opening details. My 18 knots means 9 knots on each side of the bow tied in the center of the string, making 19 knots, or counting the knot tied about the waist, 20 knots.]
Entry 4778
Take an' cut off de end of 'is shirttail an' tie it in nine knots an' put it right in de house. Take jis' a little bit of 'er chamber lye an' cook it in some bread. An' he'll nevah go nowhere. [We have here two separate rites used as one for good measure.]
Entry 4779
A woman could take a man's shirt an' tie nine knots in it, yuh know. Dem knots tied, see. (What does she do with the shirt then?) She take de shirt an' put it undah 'er pillah see, an' sleep on it.
Entry 4781
Tie nine knots in yore - jis' lak yuh pajama strings or sompin lak dat. Jis' tie nine knots in it an' it'll make yuh successful.
Entry 4782
When anyone leave home, jis' lak de man leave home an' gone, de woman she'll take his, some of 'is clothes, his drawahs whut he's had, his undahweah, an' tie it nine knots tuh her, an' take an' put it in some secret place undah de house, or undah de sill undah de house, or in de bedroom flat down undah de dressah, an' he cain't stay away. He got'a come, he got'a come. Ah know dat.
Entry 4783
Git some of yore undahclothes an' git de seat of 'em right out where it right 'twixt yore laig. Well, dey kin tie nine knots in 'em an' dey tell [say] de doctor [M.D.] has tuh op- erate on yuh. Dey [these knots] tie nine knots in yore stock [= stuk = gut], in yore intestine, yuh know.
(You mean they get the back part of the seat?)
Yeah de back part.
Entry 4784
Knot an' tie it nine times, an' drive it ag'in in a hole. Bo' a hole [in a tree] an' hit off yuh. Aftah yuh git it roun' a person's wais' or somepin, somepin puhtainin' [pertaining] tuh 'is wais' or laig or somepin of dat kine [kind], git a piece of 'is clothes. (What will that do then?) Dat will kill yuh. (You mean, they take a piece of my clothing an' tie it in nine knots, and then put it in this hole in a tree. And then what will it do?) Den go dere an' hit it evah mawnin', once evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's. An' dat kill yuh.
Entry 4950
Well, if a woman git holt of yore socks, she kin take it an' tie it in a knot, an' put it up over de do'; an' as long as she let it stay up dere, she will rule yuh. Yuh see, yuh an' 'er git along fine.
(One sock, does she take, or both of them?)
Take de left-foot sock.
(A clean one, or a new one?)
No, sir, a dirty one. Yuh wife wanted tuh keep yuh and yuh wanted tuh leave, she'd take yore sock an' tie it in three knots, an' put it up ovah de do'; an' as long as hit dere, yuh won' leave her.
(What sock would she take? Either one?)
De left-foot sock.
(A clean one?)
A dirty sock.
Entry 4951
A [dirty] stockin', yuh takes it an' ties three knots [one on top of the other - a threefold knot] in it. Dey say yuh take yeh right one. Gits yuh some Hearts Cologne, po' it in dere. Gits yuh nine pins, nine needles, an call dis person by name, whosomevah it is. Make yeh heart wish. See, jis' like if yuh wants yeh sweetheart tuh do sompin, tie dis tuh yuh. Every time yuh make a knot, pull yeh string [stocking] tuhwards yeh an' call dere name three times. An' put dem pins an' needles in dere [in the threefold knot]. Yuh takes dem pins, yeh lays de pins dis way [demonstrates].
(Alternate heads and points.)
An' yuh puts dis cologne on dere. An' yuh kin weah dat in yeh pocket. Dat'll make yuh - if yeh girl away from yeh, she'll come tuh yeh.
Entry 4953
If it's yore wife or husban' or anythin' lak dat gone, den yuh take dat sock an' yuh tie it in three knots. An' name it De Father an' de Son an' de Holy Spirit. An' yuh put it up somewhere in yore house in a secret place, an' dey'll return if dey gone. An' if dey air [are] deah an' raisin' confusion wit yuh dere'll be peace.
(Do you take either sock or both of them?)
Well, yuh kin take one if yuh cain't git holt of both of 'em.
Entry 4957
Ah heard dat dey take a man's socks an' tie it in three knots an' bury it undah de steps. If de foot of de sock's turned toward de house, den he cain't leave home.
(Just one of the socks, either one?) Eithah one.
Entry 4959
If yuh wanta make love wit anyone - yuh love dem an' yuh wanta git dem somehow or 'nothah, yuh see. Yuh git one foot of dose socks, one foot of 'em, an' yuh take an' yuh tie it in de top, as near de centah as yuh kin. Aftah tyin' it in de centah, den yuh turn it dataway an' yuh tie three knots on dis end - fo' on dat end. Dat's seven ain't it? Seven - have to be odd. Den yuh take an' come on back tuh yore home an' take 'em an' put 'em down, say, "By de he'p of God ah'm gon'a be wit chuh." An' yuh shall git 'em.
(Where do you put them down?)
Put 'em right down anywhere in yore home. Nowhere else but in yore home.
Entry 4960
Ah heard dat chew could take a person's sock an' tie it intuh nine knots, an' carry it tuh some runnin' stream an' throw it in de stream. An' right where dat sock stop at, yuh will stop. Yuh will go jis' like dat sock go. Yuh continue tuh go, yuh know, if it wuz tuh swim. Yuh know, like de tides be up, an' it wuz tuh carry de sock tuh Savannah or Jacksonville, or wheresomevah de sock stop at, yuh'll stop dere.
Entry 4962
Yuh kin take a woman's stocking an' tie it in nine knots an' put it in a coffee can with live lodestone an' powdered alum an' a lick of dis heah Hearts Own Cologne an' one needle, sewin' nee- dle, an' yuh kin stop dat [coffee can] back up, an' yuh kin tie her dere jis' like she's lef' yuh an' she had come back. She'll stay dere jis' as long as dat, stay dere until dat stockin' molt away in dat can. [A lick of Hearts Own Cologne sounds unusual, even though lick can mean a small quantity. Previously I had never heard of a lick of perfume! Hearts Own here sounds like heartshorn, a pronunciation that confused me when I first started working in the South. I have discussed this elsewhere.]
(What do you do with that can?)
Well, yuh kin place it in yore trunk. Put it in yore trunk or any place like dat, yuh know, safe keepin' where nobody won't harm it.
Entry 4963
Dey take his right- feet sock an' put nine knots in it an' put some sulphur in it. An' den yuh put some bluestone in it. Bury it at de right feet [side] of de steps an' dat will keep 'im home - keep 'im from runnin' aroun'.
Entry 4964
Ah heah of 'em takin' stockin's an' a girl tie a man up tuh 'er, yuh know, where he cain't quit chah [her]. An' tie nine knots in it an' Weah it undah de mattress - keep it undah de baid mattress, an' he won't nevah quit 'er. Jis' do 'im any kin'a way she wants tuh.
(Would they do anything with that stocking before they tie it up in a knot?)
No, not anythin' - jis' take it, yuh know, an' jis' tie it. Tie knots in it an' weah it undah de mattress.
(That would be her stocking?)
Her stockin'.
Entry 4966
[The following rite is a first class sending-away rite told as a bring- ing-back rite. I have marked this informant on the original transcription page ng (no good), which some- times merely means not a good informant, or an in- formant with little worth- while material. The purpose here, though not normal, becomes magically legimate by intention. Reversal is also a piece of magic.]
(About the stocking foot?)
Yes, so fur as de stockin' foot, yo' kin do her stockin' foot an' cut it off at de toe yo' see. Dat's mos' where dey sweats at - de toe of it. Yo' take dat, a small piece, an' put nine knots in it, see. Put it in a bottle an' take a piece of papah an' yo' put 'er name on dere. Yo' put dat in dere an' go tuh de rivah an' throw.it ovahbo'd. See, den dere's no mo' tuh dat.
(What will that do?)
Well, so fur as dat, it bring 'er back if yo' wants 'er back. Yo' kin bring 'er back an' she cain't leave when yo' do dat. See. She gotta stay dere until she die. She gotta stay dere.
Entry 4999
Dey ties dat fo' love. Dey say dey take a woman's stockin' an' keep it out fo' so many days, er [or] so many mawnin's, an' dey ties it in so many knots - three cord knots. Yuh know, tuh love ah reckon. Dey wan' chew tuh love 'em. Three tuh four knots. An' den dey take de foot of dat stockin', take a nail dat's not got a head on each end - jis' a nail bent kinda like dis [demonstrates a staple]. Drive it in de north cornah [side] of a tree. An' dey say long as dat knot tied dere, why yuh an' dem people will be tuhgethah.
Entry 5505
Yo' kin take her right foot track. Now, lak yo' tryin' tuh make love an' dis girl doesn't want tuh make it wit yo'. An' jes' lak it seem yo' couldn't make it up wit 'er, an' in kinda speakin' tuh 'er, yo' goin' try tuh make it some- how wit 'er. Well jes' take her right track den an' jes' take yo' a flannen rag, yo' know de red flannen rag, an' jes' git 'er right toe track outa dat toe where dat dig up. Git dat. Git about as much as yo' kin pick up [with your fingers] an' put it in dat flannen an' do [tie] it up. An' git some red peppah an' put it in dat, an' git some of 'er hair. If yo' don't do it jes' den, it may be a month or it may be a yeah yo' gotta work. Git one stran' of 'er hair out 'er haid. Don't git de lef' foot, git de right one. An' when yo' git dat, put it in dis rag an' jis' wrap it up. Sew it up. See. Well, aftah yo' sew it, make a knot. See, right befo' yo' git roun', make nine knots in it; an' de las' one at de end of yore sewin' let it be nine knots. See, jes' make nine knots befo' yo' close up de end. See. An' jes' 'ninte [anoint] it good befo' yo' go tuh sewin' wit dis. Let it be a cloth string or cotton thread string. Well, jes' use spirits of turpentine, jes' ninte [anoint] it good wit dat, an' jes' make de nine knots an' den yo' got evahthin'.
(What do you do with that bag then?)
Jes' tote it in yore right pocket - keep it. An' she'll come tuh yo', BOY. [This is the second time I have been called boy.]
Entry 5521
Ah heard dat dey kin take yore track from de toe, take it right back'ards. An' take dat track an' tie so many knots in a string, an' hang it ovah de middle of yore do'. An' let it hang right in de centah, an' de man shore will stay right dere.
(Wait a minute! What do you do with that foot track then?)
Jis' hang it up dere.
(What do you put the foot track in?)
Put it in a cloth an' sew it up, an' hang it on a string right ovah de do', ovah de middle of de do', an' dey say de man always will stay dere.
Entry 5523
Now yo' kin take sand outa nine of 'er tracks. Now dis is fo' leavin' yo' undahstan'. Yo' take sand outa nine of 'er tracks an' tie it in nine knots in a piece of gingham cloth, bran'-new ging- ham cloth, an' carry it an' put it up undah her do'step. An' she'll leave him two days aftahwards. (That is to make her leave. What tracks do you take, one right after the other?) Yes sir, one right aftah de othah.
(Left and right, left and right, [until] you get nine of them.)
Jis' git nine.
(That is to drive her away. But you must put them under her doorstep.)
Undah 'er do'step.
Entry 5548
[They would] tie - dey'd make nine knots in dat foot track. (How could they make nine knots in that track?) Well, dey'd measure it.
(Oh, they'd measure it. I see.)
Yo' have to measure it. Yo' make nine knots.
(In that string?)
In dat string, an' yo' take dat string an' yo' tie it tight an' bury it. Yo' see? An' yo' bury it in any yard way in de back undah of a tree. Dat would make dem person leg draw up.
(Make the leg draw up?)
Draw up.
(I see.)
Yeah. (Now, would you measure either one of those tracks, measure either one of them?) Yeah, it would have to be one of 'em, de lef'. [New Orleans, La., (798) 1113:1.]
Entry 5632
Ah heard a ole man say if yo' had a bad enemy, ah mean neighbor an' he come tuh be a enemy, he said, dat yo' could take his track. Take a track of 'is. An' he said yo' could take some black peppah an dis pulverize - yo' know yo' take peppah an' make it outa tobacco [pepper out of tobacco equals snuff]. An' he said yo' git some of dat [also] an' tie up 'is track. Tie it up good in a rag. An' take dat rag an' dey said tie it aroun' dere good an' tight. An' den take a stick an' put it down in de watah - runnin' watah. An' he said, when yo' do dat - an' leave it dere In de Name of de Lawd. An' fix it so it will be weighted down an' watah run ovah it. DEY GOIN' DOWN DAID. Now, dat's whut ah heard about it - a enemy.
(They put black pepper with that?)
Scuse me. Dey put black peppah an' salt, a tablespoonful, an' dey take de red peppah already ground an' put it.
(Cayenne pepper?)
Yessuh. An' put it in dere. An' den aftah yo' do dat, po' de salt all ovah dat, an' take an' tie it up In de Name of de Lawd. An' put nine knots in dis rag. An' den aftah yo' put dose nine knots, yo' take an' drive down de rag through a stick - drive through de rag de stick to hold it down dere. Den yo' lay a rock or somepin ovah it an' let de watah run ovah it. An' dat'll make 'em move from dat place. Dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 5956
Anything like a person's hair, you take that, you see, and you get this srahpin' twine. Now, then you take a red flannel or new yellow cotton, it's a homespun, and just a square, and make the little bag, four cor- ners. And you wrahp it up. You kin wrahp ar eitherwise you kin sew it. But always bring it towards yah, and tie it in a fat knot and make your wish. If you're wrahping it, chew know, why evah knot, cvah time you wraap, you wish that he may come to you, and you wish that he may be yours, and you wish that he may be mine and do whatever I want him to do, and sish that he may gave me mah money, and this In the Name of God. I wish that he Se united in holy matrimony, or anything like that. You see, just whatever your Tishes is. And then, you see, you tie it. And each time you wrahp it towards Rh, why that's bringing him to yah, bringing the person to yah. And you tie 1. And the last knot you tie is the last wish that chew make. You wish that Lemay be yours or may be mine all entirely and do just as I say In the Name Of God.
Entry 5957
All right ah'm gon'a tell yo'. Ah known a frien' of mine run wit one of mah frien' [friend's] girls, women, heah yeah befo' las'. He had 'er to git, to steal some of her hair down heah, some of her hair while she - an' she sick, yo' know. An' she got dat, she got dat an' tied it up in a - put it in some watah. Put it in a jug an' tied it up an' run 'er crazy. She nevah did git bettah. She had to leave home an' she died right den in de hospital.
Entry 5965
Take de hair if yo' wanta gain a person like a frien'. All right, chew take de hair right out de mole of de head an' yo' takes it an' takes dis perfume. Or yo' may give it a little twist, an' take one of dese little cotton strings an' tie it at each end, an' yo' puts about 'leven drops of perfume in it - an' yo' [puts] dis in it. Dat's to keep it moist an' keep it goin' [feeding it]. Jes' as long as yo' feed, dat's as long as dey gonna stick [to you], an' if it gits dry, dey dries up on yo'.
(As long as you keep that package moist.)
It jes' keeps 'em to love yo'
(If this dries up the person will die?)
No, he won't die but [if it dries up] he won't like yo'. Dat's to gain in love.
Entry 5966
Git chure hair an' run yo' crazy.
(What do they do with it?)
What dey do? Dey tie it up in knots an' put it in a book. Conceal it. Or othahwise dey could tie it in knots an' put it down in perfume [in a bottle]. (Put it in a book and seal it?) Put it in a book and let it stay in dere - yo' know jes' close it same as [you press] a leaf. [At the turn of the century and earlier the pressing of plant leaves in a book was a common practice.l An' den dey kin take it an' tie it in three knots as much [tight] as possible - jes' tie in three knots an' put It down in perfume bottle an' stop it up in dere, so nobody can't get to it atall, so derefore, why it will commence to run yo' crazy. Yo." will always suf- fah wit de headache. An' it will start right from here [demonstrates], right in de back dere.
(Right in the back of the head. Well, where will it go from there?)
Well, it transfah [demonstrates]. STARTS RIGHT IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD AND GOES ON TO THE FOREHEAD.
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 5968
Yo' wants de woman an' man be fightin' all de time - yo' wants de man outa here. Well, see, jes' like yo' wuz de woman's sweetheart. Undahstan'? An' yo' want 'im outa dere. See, you'd make her git some of 'is hair. Undahstan'? Tie de cord string aroun' it. Undahstan'? An' put fo' knots in it an' wear it right aroun' 'is waist, an' dat will cuz de man to leave dere an' dis othah man'll come in.
(I would put that around my waist?)
Yes, sir.
(To make that other man go away?)
Dat's [that's to] cuz 'im to be battlin' an' she'd tell 'im she would leave 'im.
[Since the house is the woman's, this means he must leave.]
(I see.)
[Years ago, soon after its collection, I marked this rite doubtful, but it is quite possible. The man who Wants into the house has complete control over the man within the house. The 4 knots symbolize the four corners of the earth [Rev- elation 7:1] often concerned with sending-away rites.]
Entry 5969
If anybody git any of yore hair, dey kin run yo' crazy with it. Tie it in five knots, if it's long 'nuff, an' throw it in de rivah. Ah knows dat.
Entry 5970
Jes' lak if yo' love a man an' yo' wants 'im. Well, if yo' kin git a strand of 'is hair out 'is haid or eithah a strand from below see, an' take it an' put it into - yo' know, jes' put it in sompin dat chew kin tie it in knots. Take it an' tie it aroun' yore waist an' wear it. He'll be wit yo' all de time.
(You said so many knots before.)
Nine knots dey say.
Entry 5971
Ah heard dat dey could take a stran' of yore hair an' tie it into nine knots, an' dat will make yo' leave.
(What will they do with that hair then?) Well, dey puts it in de rivah for tuh drive 'em.
Entry 5972
Now if dere a ole lady yo' can't git away from yore house- dere a ole lady dere or someone roun' dere an' yo' want 'em tuh leave an' yo' can' git rid of 'em, stick roun' wit 'em where de man git 'is hair cut or sompin lak dat. Git some of 'is hair, see. Git some of 'is hair an' put 'is hair in a little flannel rag an' use some Heart Cologne. An' yo' take dis hair an' dis Eeart Cologne an' yo' do it up in dis rag. Don't sew it, yo' tie wit cotton string an' yo' do it up good. An' jes' befo' yo' do it up, tie nine knots in it, jes' about a inch from de end of de cotton string. Tie nine hard knots in it an' 'noint 'em all good in spirits of turpentine, an' make a wish evahtime yo' make a tie. See. Evahtime yo' make a tie in it, wrap it aroun' an' make a tie. Well, yo' make a tie fo' nine times, an' den jes' put it in yore pocket an' walk on tuh a runnin' creek an' throw it in dere, an' don't look back, keep a-goin'. Yo' won't have any trouble wit 'em atall no mo'.
(Runs him away.)
Yessuh, he gone.
Entry 5973
If someone wuz tuh take yore hair tuh run yo' crazy, dey'll begin tuh take yore hair - takes nine stran's of yore hair. Dey wouldn't take ovah nine stran's of it. Dey'll tie around it de third time - take it jes' lak yo' wrap yore hair wit a string, a thread wrop aroun' it de third time. An' dey'll tie nine knots in it. Den dey'll take it an' take it at 'leven a'clock in de mawnin' - no, dey go in de mawnin' at 'leven a'clock, an' be dere at 'leven a'clock, to any runnin' watah an' throw it in dere. Dat's jes' all tuh git chw 'vay from heah. Throw it in dere, says, "Take him away, take him away, take him aaay. Nevah return. He's trouble long enough." Yo' goin' leave dere.
Entry 5974
Yo' kin take some of a person hair an' put in a bottle an' stop it up an' yo' carry dat bottle wit yo' evahwhere yo' go. An' dat person, nowhere dey go - an' dey keep a headache, dey keep sick - an' nowhere dey go dey would be satisfied. Yo' kin take nine stran's of a person's hair an' Put nine knots in it an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' in nine days dat person sull die.
(Take nine strands of their hair and you tie nine knots in that hair?)
An' yo' kin throw it in runnin' watah an' in nine days dey'll be daid.
Entry 5975
An' if yo' got a sweetheart an' she got long hair, yo' wants tuh make er love yo'. She got long hair, yo' take nine: knots in 'er hair; if yore girl frien's got long hair, yo' make nine knots in 'er hair. An' if she got short hair, yo' git nine stran's of 'er hair. An' put it in a bottle of Heart Cologne an' stop it up tight an' yo' use it fo' nine mawnin's. Yo' jes' put it right on yore body fo' nine mawnin's, quit off fo' nine mawnin's. When yo' use up de whole bottle of Heart Cologne, den yo' use it as reg'lah as yo' feel lak. Dat's tuh make yore girl frien' love
Entry 6091
Yessuh, yo' kin take a woman, she kin take her hair an' take yore hair. (The woman would take some of her hair from her head and some of your hair, and what else?) An' take yore private [hair] while yo' sleepin' an' wrap it aroun' an' tie three knots in it an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne.
(How would she get that off then?)
Yo' see she tied it in knots, yo' see, an' slip it off lak dat, an' take it an' put it in a bottle of ten-cent Heart Cologne, an' yo' can't fool wit any othah woman but 'er. (You can go with other women but you can't do anything with them, but you can still do something with her?) Yo' kin still do something wit 'er.
Entry 6880
Well, a woman kin be in de family way an' aftah she in de family way, why den yo' takes whut yo' call a mare rope. Listen good. (I understand.) An' aftah dat mare rope dere, it's tied. Yo' takes dat mare an' let 'im [!!!] cross de rope nine times. Yo' fix dat, run 'em cross. Den yo' cut dat rope, cut it off from dat mare an', if yo' kin, put it in 'er room anywhere dat she livin' at. An' any time dat she cross dat rope dere twice, she shall have dat child crossways in 'er an' dey have tuh take it from 'er.
(All right. Now, how can you take this off of her?)
Well, aftah yo' go tuh work an' fin' dat, dat is a fact dere. DEN YO' BEIN' WHUT YO' CALL A "TWO-HEADED DOCTOR" DERE, an' yo' wanta git 'er off it. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' go down tuh a runnin' stream, an' yo' git dat same rope. De people goin' tuh bring yo' de rope, yo' know, when dey come tuh do yo'. Den yo' take dat rope dere an' yo' wait 'till night, twelve o'clock at night. Den yo take dat rope an' tie nine knots. An' de people dat she say dat put dat rope dere, down dere fo' her, take dere name an' put it dere nine times in dis knot. Yo'll throw it dataway [into the running streom] an' let it go down. Yo'll find dat de rope will pull a li'le bit tuh yo', but dat ain't nuthin 'bout dat dere. It'll go right on. [That Pull a Zi'le bit tuh yo' by the rope, is that the spir- it within trying to prevent being thrown into the water?]
(And the spell is off?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 7156
After he's gone to sleep, look, she takes one of his shoes an' turn it to the head [of the bed] an' the other one to the foot, see, tying three knots in her underslip, an' he'll sleep there until she return back an' re- move those shoes.
Entry 7162
Well, she could take her undahweah an' jis' put it up ovah de head of de bed. Or eithah take a sock - her stockin', yo' know, a dirty stockin' an' tie three knots around it - like he's layin' in de bed, see, an' jis' lay it right cross 'is neck. AH (She takes her dirty stocking, and it has three knots in it, and puts it right around his neck?) Jis' lay it right ovah 'is neck [demonstrates]. (She puts the three knots right on his throat, and just lays it right over his neck. And he won't wake up until she gets back?) Until she gits back an' unloose de stockin'.
Entry 7214
Dat whut chew call tyin' down. Dey'll wait until de man come in an' go tuh sleep, an' dey git a bran'-new ball of cot- ton yarn an' puts it on de inside of de baid, where de man gotta sleep. Why dey measure from de tip of 'is haid tuh de sole of 'is feet. Tie a knot tuh de neck, an' tie a knot tuh de waist, an' tie a knot tuh de knees, an' tie a knot tuh de ankles, an' tie one tuh de sole of yuh feet [5 knots]. An' den dey take dat an' dey care [carry] it undah de baid tuh de side dat he sleeps on an' tie it, yo' know, undah de springs wit de two ends tuhgethah double. Tie it right undah where [demonstrates]. Dis part of de body.
(Near the backside?)
Yes. Dat keeps 'im down, dat keep 'em from runnin' aroun'. [Charleston, S. Car., (514), 599:5.] [For more material by Doctor Glover, see Pp.2258-2259; No.112, P.41; No.272, P.79; and No.335, p.99.]
Entry 7256
(What do they do with that hair?)
Well, dey'll take dat hair an' dey'll tie it aroun' dere waist, yuh know. Tie dat hair wit string an' make nine knots in it. Aftah dey make dem nine knots in it, well in about fifteen days yuh'd go crazy, if yuh don't go see about chureself. Yuh'd have tuh go tuh some strong two-haided person an' see about chureself.
(Where do you get this hair from?)
Out of yuh ear.
(And what do they tie that to?)
Aroun' dey waist.
Entry 7395
If a man murdah somebody an' git away from home, if yo' could git a piece of 'is garment an' twist - jis' lak yo'd git yore shirt, jis' git 'is shirt an' put sixteen knots in de tail of 'is shirt, an' dey say he couldn't stay 'way, no way tuh escape. He'd have tuh come back an' surrendah himself tuh de officahs.
(You get the shirt of the fellow who did the killing?)
Yessuh, jes' lak ah'd kill someone, yo'd git a garment dat ah been wearin' - jis' lak in a shirt or any of mah undahweah.
(That would bring you back.)
Entry 7816
In some parts of the South they claim if you get some dirt from the cemetery and put it in a box, and place it under the steps of your enemy, it will cause trouble in their home. And oft times they sought a cunjure-man and he in turn gives them a piece of rau- hide, and tells them at intervals to tie a knot until that string is exhausted. That will do away with the evil spirit. [Informant Was born in Jacksonville, Fla.]
Entry 7817
If a person away an' - yo' could take yo' a cotton string an' yo' tie dose nine knots tuhgethah. Yo' sew dose nine knots up intuh a bag an' yo' take graveyard dirt wit'in dose knots. An' yo' take dat bag an' put it some- place in yuh clothes whut chew veah nex' tuh yo'. An' yo' weah dat bag wit dat string in dere twixt yo', an' dat'll bring 'em back.
Entry 7951
Take a piece of de coffin.
(What kind of a coffin?)
Aftah a person is buried an' it done rotted.
(Well, what do they do with that?)
Dey take dat an' dey bury somebody else wit it - in de family. Takes a piece of it. See, aftah yo' done buried somebody in a coffin. Well, yo' know, quite natchally a cof- fin rots lak nuthin an' when it rots it comes tuh a powdah; but if dey kin git a piece of it, or if dey don't git a piece of it, dey kin git de powdah from dat coffin [or you could probably buy coffin dust at some hoodoo drug store!]. Jis' de dust off dat coffin. Dey take dat an' dey git 'em a silk han'ke'ch'ef - git a silk han'ke-ch-ef. Yo' put dat intuh dat han'ke'ch'ef. Now, when yo' put dat in dat han'ke'ch'ef, dey got nine needles an' dey got nine pins, but dey git 'em right outa de store. Dey ain't nevah been used. Now, if dey wus goin' tuh bury, say if dey wus goin' tuh bury me, or mah sistah, or somebody in mah family, dey'd git dat an' dey'd git 'er name. An' if dey kin git de - see, de tongue, yo' see, de tongue of yuh shoe.
(Yes, the tongue of the shoe.)
If dey kin git dat, dey git dat an' dey puts dat wit dat. Now, when dey git dat all tuhgethah....
(What do they put the name on? On some paper?)
No, on - I take de seat of dere undahweah, de back part, any of dere undah- weahs - see, any part of it, de back of yuh shirttail, yo' see. I take dat an' I am goin' tuh pin it down, tight as I kin git it, an' I am goin' tuh write yuh name on tuh dat. Now, when I write yuh name on tuh dat, I wrap dese things up in dere. When I wrap it up in dere, I tie. When I tie it, I tie it up wit nine knots. I tie wit nine knots. I bury it, if I want.tuh; an' if I don' wan' tuh bury it, I kin throw it in de rivah, yo' see. Kin throw it in de rivah or bury it. When I bury dat, why den I got choo where I wan' choo. Yo' got tuh go. Dat I done harmed yo' in an' somethin' will happen tuh yo'.
Entry 8576
Take yo' a thread string an' put chew nine knots in it an', as ah would say, use a cat an' a dog, an' yo' git some hair from de back of dere neck, an' jes' make a bundle of it, yo' know, altogether an' put chew nine knots in de thread an' bury it right in dat do' there. An' yo'll nevah come inside chere. Yo'll always pass by, yo' wouldn't nevah have no visitors to stop heah.
(That's to keep somebody from coming in or to make them leave the house?)
Dat's if yo' heah, yo'll leave heah an' yo' won't nevah come back heah; or if: it's anybody yo' don't want tuh come in heah, yo' do dat an' dey won't come in heah. But yo' should have dey name, de person name in that. (Now you tie the nine knots in the thread after you have wrapped it in this bundle?) [That was not a sensible thing to say, even though informant's words about the knots are ambigious.] Yeah, yo' tie nine knots in de thread an' put it in de bundle wit de hair of de dog an' de cat.
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 8663
(Measure you with cords? How do they do that?)
Well, jest like if I know yo' is five feet or [and] six inches, or three[!] feet six inches, ah'll walk by yo' an' ketch de height of myself. [He compares his height with that of his victim's.] Ah take a length of cord an' go [step] back an' put it in nine [loose] knots. Den ah'll call yo name. [Then the knots are tightened.] Den ah'd go back an' get me dat stuff [previously mentioned] and get some graveyard dust an' set it up dere, right dere. Run yo' away or make yo' do enythin' ah wantcha [want you] tuh do - leave de town [for example].
Entry 8686
[To stop a person influencin' in de world an' cut his success off, de way yo' do dat. Yo' git, yo' know, some of dis copris [copper] wiah. Yo' know dis roun' wiah kinda lak gold wiah. (Like the electric light wire?) Yes. Well, yo' take dat an' den yo' call this individual's name an' yo' tie three knots in it an' tie it roun' a green 'simmon tree. His success or his influence will be cut off. (A piece of copper wire, any kind of copper wire.) [These two notations of mine emphasize the confusion some informants had between copperas and copper. Present informant says copris.]
Entry 8773
If yo' want a man tuh leave town an' travel all his days an' don't stay no place long, yo' take yo' cord string whut chew git yo' round dese groceries. Yo' seen dat. An' when he git dat cord string, he put nine knots in it, but don't have none loose [have knots loosely tied]. An' den when yo' go to his do' an' call him three times, an' aftah callin' him three times, dodge [away from door] an' don't let him see yo' tightenin' dem knots. [The voice is caught in the tightened knots.] Git chew a gun an' anywhere de d'rection dat yo' want 'im tuh go, yo' put hit in dat gun.
(Put the string in the gun.)
Put de string in de gun an' stick a piece of papah in dere tuh wad it down - lak de ole muzzle-loadin' gun lak we used tuh have yeahs back - fifty yeahs ago [50 years before 1939, date of interview] an' shoot it in dat d'rection. He'll nevah stop travelin'.
Entry 9027
Well, this devil's-shoestring, yo' take dat an' yo' tie it in three knots. An' as yo' carry it ovah an' tie it, yo' look through it [the open loop before tying] an' yo' say sompin In de Name of de Lord. Ask de Lord tuh do sompin fo' yo', jes' whut- somevah yuh want him tuh do fo' yo', see. An' yo' tie dat three times [make 3 knots in the loop]. An' evah time yo' tie dat three time, yo' hold it up an' look towards de sun, see, an' ask de Lord tuh do sompin fo' yo' - whutsomevah, jes' lak yo' in co't, say, "Don't let 'em sentence me, let de case go ovah, " or "Let 'em give me a chance, " or sompin lak dat. Dey three things dat chew ast dem; diff'ren', see. Evah time in tyin' dis devil's-shoe- string an' dis [knot?] yo' puts dat in yo' mouth an' yo' chew it. An' de whole while yo' chewin' dat root, yo' got de co't on yore mind an' de Lord, askin' Him in yore mind tuh do sompin fo' yuh.
Entry 9091
Yo' kin use dat [string] fo' lawsuits. Jes' lak if yo' was in a lawsuit, somebody had yo' prosecuted an' yo' had tuh [go to court] an' if ah wuz a witness against chah. Ah don't care how many witnesses against chah, yo'll [tie] dat in about nine knots. Evah one of us - yo'll tie us down in nine knots, an' we can't harm yuh. Yo' don't do no mo' den tie dat. Yo' jes' tie dem knots an' tell it whut chew want it tuh do. See. An' when yo' tell it whut chew want it tuh do, it goin' work directly de way yo' say.
(Then what do you do with that string?)
What chew do wit it den? Jes' hol' it in yore han' tight.
Entry 9092
Jes' lak yo' got a case in co't, sompin othah lak dat, yo' kin tie - ah think it's twelve knots in a string. An' take an' put it [string] on a stick, yo' know, an' cut so many notches. Ah think it is nine or twelve notches in dat stick. Drive it yo' know lak a peg at de da'k cornah of yore house, an' dey tell me dat'll cleah yuh in co't. (You have to have as many notches on the stick as you have knots on the string?) Dat's right.
Entry 9305
Yo' take a black hen aig if a person has murdered somebody, take two. Lak if de person wuz murdered, yo' put a aig in each one of dere han's, a black hen aig. An' be shuh [sure] it's a black hen aig, an' put it in each one of dere han's. Git a piece of grass rope. (What's that?) Dese heah ropes whut people ties bundles an' things with. An' yo' git a piece of dat an' yo' make nine knots in it, an' yo' tie it on dere wrist. An' when yo' git ready tuh bury dat person, yo' turn dere face bottom upwards [back of head upwards]. An' de one whosomevah murdered 'em gotta come back where dey did dat murdah. Wit dat black hen aig.
(Do you tie that rope on just one wrist?)
On both of 'em, both wristses, put a aig in each han' an' shut dat han' up. An' when yo' git ready tuh bury 'em, yo' turn dere face down. Yo' see, dey gen'ly [generally] bury people wit dere face up, in place of puttin' de face down tuh de bottom of de coffin.
Entry 9781
Take a needle an' sew nine knots in de left corner of a man's shirt, in de tail of it, an' that will keep them from runnin' around.
(Make him stay home?)
Entry 9943
Yo' got a enemy an' yo' don't want 'em an' [or] yo' jis' lak a man come in an' take yuh wife. Now, it's two ways tuh do it. Yo' ketch a toadfrog dat hops an' yo' take a brass pin an' scratch 'er left laig. An' yo' git a raw [not spun or twisted] thread. Tie yuh 9 knots in it. Scratch de left laig an' ketch 9 drops of blood, see. All right, yo' tie it [thread with blood] on de hind right laig an' yo' meet de sun before it rises in de mawnin' [you do this before sunrise]. An' make a wish, call dis person's name an' turn yer haid toward de rivah [the Mississippi] an' tell 'uh [her] tuh go. Call it three times jis' lak it's Mary, say: Mary go! Mary go! Mary go! Well, de way dat frog go [after you turn him loose] dat's de way whoevah it is vill go.
Entry 10241
Measure a man. Yo' kin take a new cord string. Dat's whut ah heard. An' take his measure dis way, de long Ways, an' dis way [probably made a sign with fingers]. (Around.) Yes. An' then yo' tie those knots. Tie one [knot] in each end [of length measurement string] and tie de othah two [ends of] around [measurement], one right here jes' around dat way. An' wear it right in front of you, see. An' dat'll make him stay at home. [To repeat: a knot is tied at the end of the usually new cord held against the body. A second knot indicates end of the length. While second knot is held at the beginning of the circumference measurement, a third knot in the same string will establish the end of this double measurement. Remember, measure- ment is taken while man is asleep.]
Entry 10242
I've heard of 'em takin' a handke'chief an' measurin' [a man's penis] so many inches, don' choo understand. I don't know whether it's six inches or what it is. An' they'll tie it. I think, the handke'chief in three knots, an' they will bury it. That'll make that man, don' choo understand leave home. That's what I heard 'em say. That'll make that man leave home, don't choo understand an' go the Way that they want 'em to go. They's some women, don't choo understand, they - you know - they don't [want] de man themselves an' they don't want choo to be there wid your people. An' they'll do anything in the world they kin to break 'em up.
Entry 10243
Take a piece of cloth, [they] say, an' ketch him asleep an' measure him, measure his penis. [Knots not tied]. An' aftah she measure it, den she wear dat aroun' her waist, yo' see. An' den dat's tuh tie him up. He cain't have nobody else but her. [One cylinder later informant repeats this rite from the man's point of view; see rite following present one.]
Entry 10246
Ah seen tie knots. Go off an' have intercourse with a woman an' tie knots in dat hans'cuff to tie her up.
(Just how would they do that?)
Well, dey take dere pocket hans'cuff an' de' tie it up, tie nine knots in it. Take de pocket hans' scuff den an' put it in a jar, an' put de jar down where she kin walk ovah it or walk undah it, eithah one, an' she'll always be fo' dat person.
(A man would do this to a woman.)
Uhmmm.
Entry 10247
Tie knots in a string an' measure the length of a man, an' wear it roun' yore laigs [either leg] an' he can't have a woman.
(How many knots would you tie?) Nine.
Entry 10248
She take an' tie nine knots in a string fo' her husban' so he couldn't have connection wit nobody else but her. She take nine knots - jes' lak mah [his] shirt, she'll take mah [his] shirt see an' tear a string out of it, an' tie nine knots in dere an' she wears it in her shoe. Dat will keep him from havin' connection wit any othah woman.
Entry 10251
Well, now jus' what one [woman] he be with. And the one what wants to stop him, well she'd get her a yard of brand-new yellow cotton [usually called homespun = unbleached cotton] and she'd take an' when they go to bed, and then they finish, well that's what she use. She use [wipes him with] that. And she have her piece of [white cotton] cord and she takes the measure [of his penis] and she puts nine knots in it, in each [this one] piece in the white cotton [cord]. Well, she keep the white [yellow] cotton [piece] up under her mattress and the cord with the nine knots in it, she wears it around her waist. And every time, if that's his wife, and he leave his wife to go to his lady friend, well there's nothing doing [with the other woman].
Entry 10252
[This rite comes in two parts:] (l) [A woman will] take his shirt, fold the arms together, crossing [each other], put on side of bed where he sleeps [put under mattress]. [The folding of shirt arms is a sym- bol of dead man in a coffin.] He'll be back. (2) [If he runs around with other woman, here is what she does.] Quite natural she kin git de measure of his private down dere an' tie as many knots in it as he [his] private is long, an' wear it aroun' her waist. Dat'll stop him.
Entry 10256
And a woman can, like she got a man, you know, and he is going to another woman. Well, when she have him, she take a brand-new piece of cotton [cloth] and catch that, see, and she put 9 knots in it, an' jes' put a hole anywhere in the mattress and jes' stick it in the mattress.
Entry 10257
Well [into a cloth] you can take a man's stuff, and take it and make nine kmots in it [cloth] and take it and sew it up in east part of the - at least in the west part [of the bed]. And after you sew it up in there, jes' left [leave] it stay there. And if he's sleeping on the front part of that bed, it has a tendency to make him stay home, not to run around. Stop him from run- ning around. (Where do you sew that thing up? In? How?) Well, like this is - well, you put it right in here [points to bed in hotel room where I was interviewingl. Sew it up in this mattress, right in here.
(On the west side of the bed?)
Yeah, towards the east.
(Oh, you sew that on the east side of the bed?)
Yeah. [I did not explore this symbolism: east to rise with and west to set with sun. For this symbolism see No.10261.1
(I see, in the mattress?)
In the mattress. And that has a tendency to keep [him] from running around, quiets him down. [Wiping-cloth enclosed by 4 corners of bed makes a quincunx.]
Entry 10258
Yo' take yore towel whut chew use in interco'sin' wit a man, yo' take it an' tear it in nine strands an' tie nine knots in it, an' sew it up in de mattress in de place where he lay. He can't mess wit no othah woman but his wife [with you]. (You take this towel that you wipe with and you tie it in nine strips. Nine knots in the whole or the whole thing together?) Tie it together in nine knots.
(You tie all these strips together in nine knots?)
Yes sir, an' sew it in de mattress under de place where he sleeps.
Entry 10394
Woman takes cord string, measures man's pri- vates, ties measurement into 14 knots, and wears it just about [above or below] the knee. [Memphis, 1559:9.]
Entry 10594
(How do you do that?)
Take a brand-new piece of silk. Ketch that bat, cut him open while he alive. Take the heart out of him and take that brand-new piece of silk [ribbon] and cut it [the size you need], Wash that bat's heart off and put it in there. And take it and wrap it up, and sew it up with pink thread - pink thread. And take it, if you don't want to make nine knots in it, and wear it around - let it drop right down, right down here [demonstrates] below your heart.
(Wear it around your neck so it will hang down near your heart?)
Yeah, yeah. And if you doesn't want to do that, why you take it and tie it [usually to the wrist or on the arm] and shoot dice with this hand [demonstrates].
(With your right hand.)
Yeah, with your right hand. You take it and tie it around [right wrist or a arm], and you always good for seven licks.
(Seven licks.) [Seven successive throws or attempts.]
Seven licks. After you've had them seven licks, why, you pass the dice. When they get back to you, you can taken 'em up, you good for [another] seven licks.
Entry 10619
Well, if yo' have a person tuh leave yo' an' yo' wanta bring dem back- yo' loves dem. Yo' loved ones gits scattahed off an' yo' wanta bring 'em back tuh yo'. Dere's two roots grows in de woods, ah'm tellin' yo' truth, dey has two leaves. We calls 'em Eve-and-Adam an' de roots of dem roots is got two little knots about little bigger den a coffee bean - two little knots. One of 'em is a woman an' one is a man. Yo' take 'em an' dry 'em on a stove. Put 'em on a stove an' dry 'em dere stiff an' spongy - spongy like a sponge. But chew cut 'em up when dey gits dry an' make a softa powdah outa dem - a soft powdah. If dat woman drinks coffee, tea, or anything dat she drinks, well yo' kin jes' sprinkle jes' a little bit in de bottom of de cup an' den pour on it. Pour a drink in an' den she drink dat she'll be crazy 'bout chew. Ah believe dat's de truth. Ah'm halfway telling yo' by experience. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1008). 1630:3.]
Entry 10678
Yo' got a girl friend an' yo' like her. Yo' tie nine knots in a string an' pin it in her back [on her clothes in back] while yo' lovin' her. Pin it in de back. Tie nine knots in it an' pin it in her back while yo' lovin' her, be huggin' an' kissin' her.
(What will that do?)
That will make her love yo'.
(You yourself take the string?)
Yes sir, tie nine knots in it an' pin it in de back like yo' got chure arm around her. (You have to pin it on her back clothing, and that's to make her love you. How do you mean make her love you?) Well, that makes happiness wit yo' an' her. [For woman to tie a silver dol- lar into a man's shirttail while he is loving her, compare, p., v.]
Entry 10798
Dat's another thing to move a man or move a woman. Put dat [broom] down by yore fireplace dere an' let it stay dere every night fo' nine nights yo' put it dere. Put dat down crossways, cross yore fire- place, an' den yo' - befo' yo' do dat dough, if yo' kin be fortunate enough to git a piece of dere garment or sompin like dat, an' tie it onto dat broom in seven knots, down next to de bushy part of it, an' let it stay down dere nine mornings. Put dat in nine nights. Dey travelin'. Yo' be discontented where yo' [he] at. About de tenth morning he goin' leave dere, yo' see. Dat's one way ah've heard about de broom. Dat'll run him. Move yo' either away from yore town or against yore success - somepin like dat.
(Who would do that? The woman would do that or the man?)
Either one.
(Somebody living in the same house or just living in the town?)
In de town - either way.
Entry 10897
I've heard of dey usin' cat hair or dog hair or - I'll tell you. You kin take a dog and you git some hair right from her rear end, you understand; right near where at she do busi- ness, you understand. All right. You take dat hair and you swinge [singe] it, you see. You gits enough [hair] so you kin swinge it, where you kin find it after you done it. You put it on a piece of clot'. Why you jes' set a match to it and swinge it, see. "Fore [before] it burn too much, why you put it out, you smother it you see. After you smother it, de clot' you burn it on, why you don't take it off dat cloth. You jes' tie it up right in dat same cloth, you see. All right, you put nine knots in dat. After you tie it up you put nine knots in it, and perhaps you tie it around your waist, or you could make a sling and put it around your neck, or you could sew it up in your weskit [vest] lining, or sompin like dat, or coat linin', or dere's several ways to tote it. See. Why dat's de way you do wit dat [cat] hair proposition.
(What good will it do you to carry that hair?)
That stand fer a lotta things: dey kin pass poison [you] and it won't hurt you. You can do anything you want with it.
Entry 11179
Lak yo' would leave some of yore wearin' clothes, why she could take some of yore underwear an' she kin ball 'em up. Now ah had dis trick tried on me, but ah don't know what 'fect it was takin'. But ah happened to be lucky tuh find it. Had a piece of dis devil's-shoestring an' she had three knots tied in it. (In the root or in the clothes?) In de root. Yo' know dat lak a string. An' she had it tied wit three knots, an' ah run 'cross it ah guess befo' she got it placed where she wanted it. But dey say as long as she keep dat knot tied in dere, she have de knots tied in it, yo' can't git away from her.
(After she had this wrapped up in your underclothing?)
Yes. Dis woman she had mine wropped up an' put right undah whar ah wuz sleepin' at. An' whether she goin' let it stay dere or not - but some Way ah turn roun' an' found it.
Entry 11184
Devil's-shoestring, yo' know it grows long, an' yo' tie nine knots in hit an' wear hit roun' yore waist an' dat'll he'p yo' tuh go through it, too.
(Through what?)
Any kinda trouble, anythin' - he'p yo', lucky.
Entry 11185
Ah heard dat yo' could git devil's-shoestring an' go to de window fo' nine mornings [face] tovards de sunrise an' make a wish. Jest whatsomevah yo' wish to come true. And loop [circle] say whatsomevah yo' wish [through it] an' tie it in one knot fo' nine mornings till yo' git nine ties. Then take it an' put it up ovah yore do'. De wish will come true.
(Any wish will come true.)
Yes sir... [I turned off machinetooquickly, hadto repeat his lost words.l (And you look through this loop as you tie it?) Look as de sun, jest as de sun be rising. (You look through that loop that you are making.) Yes sir.
Entry 11236
[Since we are now in the letter "D" of CHANNEL DE WORLD material - a division arranged alphabetically instead of sectionally to avoid typing compli- cations - the following 30 pages or more will be concerned with doctors, something by them or about them. Doctors of course will appear among later letters of the alphabet, but here was a convenient place to concentrate some of them. I begin with a folding rite that contains a close relative, a wrapping rite. The verb to fold does not appear in the index of Folklore from Adams County Illinois, 1st ed., 1935, and I doubt its appearance in the indexless 2nd ed. There is an index only in the files of the Center for the Study of Comparative Folklore and Mythology, University of California, Los Angeles, California. De- spite rarity, HOODOO has a number of folding rites, some of them quite compli- cated: Nos.3126, 3182-3190, etc., v.3 and elsewhere. To fold to you or away from you is a usual theme, but our present rite is an accordian fold. Especially interesting to me is the doctor, place of hearing, and time. My record concern- ing him reads: "Thurs. Feb. 15, 1940, informant No.1565, man 45, Crackerjack Store, paid, ng." (From note books E Series, 2nd New Orleans trip, numbers of informants 1558 to 1605). More about that ng in a moment. Informant was brought to me by the black man preceding him, a man who worked at the Crackerjack Store - sometimes called drug store - a famous hoodoo emporiun of that date. During the following interview I was utterly unaware that this would be my last dat at Pat- terson Hotel, 759 S. Rampart St., corner of Julia, New Orleans, La. Years later I would pay my respects to the old building by printing her picture at the end of HOODOO volume 2! The folding rite follows:] Say fo' instance yo' wanta git rid of a man. All right yo'd git his photo- graph, not a tintype. Git a cardboard [photograph] an' de medium size. Git it an' fold it in half an' find, say lak a dead chicken or a dead dog or somepin aroun' [or lying about] wit maggots. Ah mean large-size maggots as dey walkin'.... Well, yo' crease de photograph in nine folds an' as yo fold it in de nine folds, yo' drop a maggot in each one of 'em; in every fold until yo' git de nine mag- gots. Den yo' git chew a piece of separate black cord an' tie it [folded photo] nine times; den yo' git chew a piece of red [cord] an' yo' make six knots [about folded photo]. An' put in dem nine knots an' six knots.... Dat [package] is representin' dey cof- fin. Aftah yo' git through wit dat, den yo' wrap it up in a piece of cloth, which would be about fully de same size, an' git chew de nine of spades, an' wrap dat up nine times, an' jes' take an' fold it wit [3 ingredients]: one flake [flick = pinch] of salt, an' one flake of black peppah, an' one flake of red pep- pah - cayenne peppah. An' wrap 'em all up. An' yo' close it up an' regardless of whut de individual's name may be, yo' put it down nine times in a piece of silk tissue papah, fold it every time nine times. Take a match an' burn it, an' as yo' burn it, leave dem ashes go right on top.... Den yo' take all dat cloth [the several packages together] tuhgethah an' reenfold it [in one cloth] an' git chew some rivah sand, an' jes' put it in dere an' dry [tie] it up [into one pack- age]. Den yo' goes on tuh de neahest runnin' watah dat yo' kin git tuh an' dig yo' a small pit, jes' a small hole.... Dig it out six inches, jes' as dere grave. Aftah yo' do it, den yo' says - be mastah of de ceremony which is his funeral. As yo' be blessin' de body as it goin' down, every word yo' say yo' curse in between it, which is his name in between. An' as yo' doin' dat, den yo' throws a little bit of sherry wine, or if he drinks, regardless of whatevah it is, jes' throw it right on in dere....an' covah it up - an' drop it as it [coffin] goin' doup: [After this mock funeral ceremony] nine words yo' says, every day nine words, an' in de 18th day whoevah de individual will be, dey comin' unnormal deathly sick. De doctor [M.D.] or no othah one will undahstan' his case no kinda way. He'll die an' swell up [he'll swell up and die] in de next, say six or seven months, or maybe in de comin' future yeahs, from dat date.... (And you say you say nine words to that thing each day. Have you any special words you say?) Lak if de individual wuz a gamblah or a thief or a murderah, he may come home an' he'll be worried or somepin. Well yo' jes' curse him in dat name, "Yo' son of bitch. Yo' bastard. Yore mothah's no good. Yore fathah's no good. An aftah yo' hit me, whut ah won't do tuh yo'." An' aftah whut chew do to him, yo' say a prayah, "Name de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, Amen. "... Every day [the unrecorded things done I pick up in my following comment].
(You say just nine prayers like that. Nine things you say.)
Cussin' him all de time.... [Informant had seen his best days as a doctor, that is why I preserved the remainder of his interview under the last alphabetical division XYZ. Those 4....indicate repetition of what had been said.]
Entry 11644
You take an' get you a twine string an' put five knots in it, see. An' then, after you put those knots in it, then you'll wrap it roun' another string; you know, like a string where you go on Broad Street [and buy something]. Dey, you know, bind it [package], tie it up. Well, jes' put them knots on that string. An' tie it on that string an' jes' wear it all the time an' [it] help you, keep you from havin' those fits.
Entry 11846
Dey takes a strand of your hair an' tie it in nine knots. Den dey vill have you just like dey wanta, anything dat dey want you to do. And dey got chure hair, such as [both places] or love lettahs, why you'll be behold [usually beholden] to dem. See, 'cause dey got dat hair down in dat perfume and it's stopped up [in a bottle]. You more den apt to [give in] to dem right away.
Entry 12280
Yo' kin tie a knot in a rope or either in a pocket han'ke'ch'ef or sompin lak dat an' yo' kin use it. Dat's whut dey call a jinx to peoples. Ah could tie a knot in yore pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' dat could be a jinx to yo'. An' aftah [that] ah wash it an' den pressed it out. Dat's ohut dey call a jinx to a person. It's no luck to nobody, a pocket han'ke'ch'ef wit knots in it. Or either some peoples passes by yo' might seen clothes line hangin' out. Peoples could put knots in dat fo' a jinx to peoples which dey call bad luck. An' den dey kin fix it in dere fo' luck fo' peoples. It's a certain way dey tie it. Some of 'em tie it in a bow knot an' some they call it in de crawfish oot an'....
Entry 12281
Yo' kin during so many days tie knots in a string an' dey say dere a way of dressing dat. Git chure clothes an' put [knots] in dat an' bury it. When dem 9 days out yo'll be a corpse. (How would you dress those strings, those knots?) Dey dress with whut chew call - it's a root dey call a ~uampole root." It grows lak a great big white onion...
[I turned off machine and turned it on again.]
(It's a bitter weed, you say.)
[Is informant talking about wild onion?]
Yes sir, a hog loves it, de bitterest in de world. He scream when eatin' it. [This screaming sounds like folklore.] An' if yo' bite it an' swallow dat, it Will tie yo' up inside an' kill yo'. [Is this based upon pigs hunting for truf- fles, the pig being hit on the nose when he finds one (the cause of the squeal) so that he does not eat it?]
(Constipate you?)
Yo' kin bite it but don't swallow it.
(That's warpole root?)
Yes, wampole root. Dey takes dat string an' de salt[?] outa wampole root until dat thing git wet through an' through an' put dem knots in it. It will tie yo' up jes' lak...
(That is to tie your bowels up?)
Yes sir. Yo' heard of people wit locked bowels from dat. (What do they do with this string first? Do they have to get it out of your clothing or something?) Dey git chure clothing an' wrap dat string wit it. (Oh, you wrap that string around your piece of clothing.)
Entry 12282
Well, whenevah yo' wanta tie up a person, yo' don't want 'em to have success, yo' put so many knots in a raw cotton thread an' put turpentine on it, an' yo' read ovah it de 22nd Psalms. Read ovah it nine days an' then yo' put that string right behin' there [points to door]. (Behind the door?) Yes.
Entry 12283
I've heard that they take a string, one that you've worn, and take it and get hold of it, and tie a knot in it and name the knot, and ever knot is named, and they tie so many knots in that string; and then they take those knots and put them down where the individual has to walk over them. And after he's walked over 'em as many times as there are knots in that string, then that individual will become confused in his busi- ness affairs and also in any kind of work that he has to do, and he gits so he can't do it.
Entry 12284
Yo' kin git saltpetah, sage, alum, sugah an' salt - yo' know - stuff, yo' know, whut he nuse [use]. Yo' know, salt an' sugah an' stuff lak dat whut chew wanta know in dose strings. Yo' say, "In de Name of de Fathah, an' de Son, ah'm bringin' yo' back tuh me." Call his name, see, an' say, "Long as yo' eat sage, as long as yo' eat sugah, drink sugah in yore coffee" - sompin lak dat. An' call dose names, an' tie dose strings, an' tell him yo' want him tuh come back tuh yo'. Well, he'll come den. An' aftah yo' tie dose strings, put dose strings in a pile an' sprinkle dis saltpetah an' stuff ovah it, an' red peppah, an' yo' take kerosene. An' den yo' say, "In de Name of de Fathah an' de Son, ' an' burn it. An' put it out in de yard an' let it smoke.
Entry 12285
Dey tell me yo' kin tie three knots on a string an' put it in anybody's pocket an' dey mind will jes' stay on yo' all de time. Dey'll jes' worry, be worr'ed an' nevah satisfied no place dey go.
Entry 12286
Now, ah [woman] kin be wit a man, but ah kin be wit any man an' ah gi' him a cloth tuh wipe on, say, "Now, yo' jes' take dis cloth an' wipe on it." Now, ah ain't nevah com in' - 'scuse de 'pression [expression] but chew wants heah de truth on it. All right, say, "Heah, yo' wipe on dis." Well, he wipe on dat, or else ah'll wipe him on it mahself. Well, ah ain't nevah done nuthin. Dat jes' him done come off dere, ah ain't nevah done nuthin. Now, ah'm goin' keep dis. See. All right. Ah'm goin' keep dis. Ah'm goin' keep dis an' ah'm goin' tie it jes' lak ah needs tuh tie it, see. An' ah'm goin' use it jes' lak ah needs tuh use it, undahstan'. He don' know nuthin 'bout whut ah'm goin' do. Dat's jes' fo' a woman, see.
[Here I turn off machine too quickly and must repeat her lost words.]
(Put three knots in it?)
Three.
(After those three knots are in it, what do you do with them?)
Ah take dem three knots an' ah keep dem. Ah keep dem three knots fo' nine mawnin's. Ah lay on 'em fo' nine days, jes' lay on 'em if it's mah haid - jes' yherevah ah put 'em in de bed it's all right. Den he bound tuh come back. He bound tuh make love tuh me.
Entry 12287
Jes' lak yo' wants tuh choke a person. Yo' wanta jes' choke 'em an' he don't know whut might cause him tuh choke. Yo' take a string an' yo' measure it jes' about two feet long, an' yo'll tie three knots in it. After tyin' three knots in it, yo'll take kerosene an' wet dem knots jes' - jes' take yore two fingers an' wet dem three knots dataway. After yo' wet all three of 'em, yo' take it den an' yo' go tie it on a limb or sompin an' let it hang dere. Well, long as dem three knots is hanged why a person always - jes' lak dey hate chew - yo'll always have trouble in yore throat. (That string doesn't come in contact with the person I want to choke does it?) Dat's right, yes. Jes' lak a person always wanta choke an' dere be's jes' lak flem.
Entry 12288
Ah heard tell of a person takin' a string - a cord jes' like dey ties - if yo' want a person hurt. Why, where it will kill 'em, yo' know, or sompin like dat. Jes' git some of dis heah string an tie 9 knots in it, jes' as tight as yo' kin. An' bo' a hole into a green tree, any kind of a tree, jes' so it's green, an' put dat knot in it, dat dere string dat chew tied dem knots into dat tree, an' stop it up.
(Don't you say anything or do anything?)
Nosuh, jes' makes 'em sick till dey dies.
(You have to get a string from them, or what?)
Yassuh, from dey house. Anywhere roun' dere house yo' git dat string dat dey been usin'.
Entry 12289
Tie 9 knots into twine string or raw cotton string an' wear it around their waist, an' they say just once in a while they just dip it in Hearts Cologne and they own water [urine]. That's sure to hold them.
Entry 12290
Go tuh any groc'ry an' git chew a new piece of cord dat haven't been used, whut chew tie up packages with, an' jes' lak anything dat yo' wish, an' nine is yore... [What? Number?] Take nine tuh do it. Yo': can't do nuthin until nine days. Jes' lak yo' git up dis mawnin', say, "Ah'm goin' start dis mawnin' an' ah want sech- an'-sech a thing tuh happen.' Jes' tie one knot [in] it an' make yore wish re- gardin' tuh whut it is. An' de nex' mawnin' de same thing fo' nine mawnin's. It'll come true.
(What do you do with this string after all these knots are tied in it then?)
Let it hang right dere, an' when de nine days up, an' yo' sure yo' got de nine knots, jes' take it an' git chew some sulphur an' some salt an' burn it right in yore fiahplace.
Entry 12291
Wal, say yo' tie twelve knots in a cotton string an' wear dat string right on - next to yore flesh. Quite natural yo' dresses dat string wit not a thing in de world but Hearts Own Perfume an' wear it right nex' to yore skin.
(What do you wear that for?)
Well, yo' see dat give yo' luck - keep hard luck away from yo' an' bring good luck to yo'.
Entry 12292
Dat's in de lines of castin' a spell upon a person. Go tuh work an ties 36 knots, if yo' wanta cast a spell upon a person. Put a spell upon a per- son, ties thirty-six knots. Take a strand of thread and tie 36 knots an' let 'em be three inches apart. Dose knots, let 'em be three inches apart 'sposed tuh be in dat thread. An' yo' wil] throw dat thread, after yo' git dose 36 knots tied in it, why den yo'll throw dat thread ovah yore haid an' don't look back. An' yo'll step out de road - anywhere's dere a road - from de middle of de road, throw dat thread ovah yore haid an' don't look back. An' dat will really, de fac' 'bout it, suh, will give dem a purtty tight time. Make 'em crazy - whushy in dey mind.
(How do you know you've got the right person when you are tying those knots?)
Why dere 36 knots! "Cos' yo' know yo' absolutely got de right person.
Entry 12301
Pass a hole into a lemon an' squeeze de juice out of it an' full it up wit sulphur an' brimstone an' salt. Take nine pins an' put through it an' den wrop it up jes' as tight as yo' kin, an' tie nine knots in it - into de string dat yo' wrop aroun' it. An' stick nine pins in it an' go ahead. (What will you do with that then?) Well, jes' carry it with yo'. (What is that supposed to do then?) An' den ah'll go ahead an' attack whatevah busi- ness yo' wanta attack, an' dat supposed to help yo' accomplish it.
(Any favors or anything of that sort?)
Yes.
Entry 12421
He lay down in de bed - jes' like he lay down. Now, you go right dere when he's sleeping. Git a little cord, new cord, and if he stiff and hard [if his body is stretched out] you kin measure, you know, right straight on down to yore [his] feet.
(From your head to your feet.)
Yes sir, and then you put nine knots in it, see, an' tie 'em around yore Waist - jes' like you'd lock a person's trunk, dey can't git out - can't gc no more, can't go.
Entry 12422
If yore husban' is runnin' aroun' an' yo' want him tuh stay at home, yo' ketch him 'sleep an' yo' git chew some tape, dis white tape whut de lady- folks trim dey dress wit. Yo' git chew some of dat an' yo' ketch him asleep an' yo' measure him, long enough, an' have de string kinda long enough dat chew kin make nine knots in it, aftah yo' measure him. An' yo' take dat tape an' yo' tie it to any tree. Jes' tie it up on any tree, an' he'll stay home. He won't go out nowhere an' run aroun'.
(Any tree outside the house?)
Any tree outside of a house or in de yard or anywhere, jes' any one any- where yo' kin find one. Jes' take it an' tie it up to it an' leave it stay dere.
Entry 12423
Now, she kin take a piece of cord, or a piece of string, or anything lak dat an' measure him, yo' see. Yo' ketch de string tight an' yo' measure him. Den aftah measurin' it, yo' tie dem nine knots, an' yo' put it in a bottle or put it in a can or any- thing lak dat an' throw it in de rivah. Yo' see an' dat'll keep him driftin' - jes' keep a-goin'. Dat's when yo' wanta run a fellah way.
Entry 12570
To git a man an' keep him, that he can't git away. When he goes to sleep and likes he makes a rise, you know, you git you a cord string when it do, you measure it from the tip to the end to where it starts at, and you tie nine knots in that string and put that around your waist. And regardless of what you do or what- ever he can't go. He'll follow you all over the world. He can't get away from you.
Entry 12898
Woman's drawers, why you gotta tie nine knots in them.
(How do they do that?)
How would jew do it? Jes' take a cord, you know jes' like dis is heah [electric cord from my machine to floor plug]. You see, dat cord. An' tie it round dere nine times. Take it down, see, and you measure it up side wit sompin of yours, and then put 'em back. Well, she'll go out. She can't sleep with no man, she's gotta come back.[ The magic here is simple and direct, the woman is unable to stretch her legs apart!]
Entry 13135
[When dey git your socks - gits a man's sock, chew mean? Why he can't fool wit no othah woman. (How do they fix those socks up?) All you gotta do is take dem socks an' tie nine knot in 'em. See, jes' tie de foot an' take a string, a cord, an' make nine knots to dat sock, an' when yo' done tied de nine knots, den yo' take all de cord off an' shake dat stuff up, an' put it back where he kin git it to seah. See? An' he can't do anything.
Entry 13221
If a man leaves home an' a woman wants tuh make him come back, well - vell, ah understan' she could take de measure of his whole body an' dat she could take de measure of his- self, an' tie nine knots aroun' it. An' den at de bed where he sleep, de side dat he sleep on, tie it de whole length of de bed. An' den whatsomevah... Yo' know yo' always have a spirit dat chew pray tuh, well are him tuh back yo' up, yo' see. An' make yore wish whut chew want him tuh do. If yo' want dat man tuh come back home, make yore wish an' den scrub yore house oat wit sweeten watah. (What do you do with that length from the head to the foot? What do you do gith that length, that string?) Yo' measure it...yo' tie it de full length of de bed, yo' know, on de spring- Lak, from de haid tuh de foot.
(You don't tie nine knots in it do you?)
Yeah, nine knots.
(And you tied nine knots in the other string too?)
No, yo' tied nine knots in dat string.
(What do you do with that short string?)
Well, dat othah short string yo' wear aroun' yore waist.
Entry 2750
[Here is another example of the glove-shaped hand, but unlike the former rite (1990, p.584) we now have one in a candle atmosphere - New Orleans is near. More important, the following story shows some of the listening prob- lems of collecting, among them - speedy talker, confusing pro- nouns and references to persons, delayed explanation, all sorts of things.] Well, they say if you were living here and they wanted tuh move you and run you away - well ah know of a lady, she fo' every morning fo' 'bout nine mornings - she bought a bran'-new box of salt and she took dis salt and cayenne pepper and she would sprinkle it, yo' know, from de front to de back and fo' that reason it would cause a confusion, you know, in the house and they all wouldn't live so good, you know. An' so she would take it and she would sprinkle all over when everyone, say, Wouldn't be noticing, you know. She would do that and then when they all would leave, she would take. She went out to the graveyard early one morning and she got some graveyard dust offa someone's grave, and she brought this dirt back, yo' know, and she'd taken it and where this landlady lived, slept, she unraveled [took out a few stitches of] her pillah and she put it [graveyard dust] in dis pillah. And she had a glove - [look] like it was a han' - and it [the graveyard dust] was in this. And she stuffed it with this graveyard dirt. And she says she mixed it [the graveyard dust] with a - wherever she got dis rattlesnake dust from, ah don't know, but she musta got it from a rattlesnake or something, and she mixed it with somethin' and she stuffed, sewed it in dis pillah while de landlady was gone. [She starts to say the graveyard dust was mixed with rattlesnake dust. Was it? For snake dust, see No. 690, p.230; also No. 1433, p.468 - "an original and brilliant piece of therapeutic thinking."] So after, for about a couple of weeks this lady suffered from her head laying on dis pillah. She suffered severely from her head, you know, and she didn't know what it was, you know. She begin to git dizzy and feel bad, and so she said she was going to see what caused dese headaches. And everything she could take Wouldn't do her any good and so she went tuh a couple of fortunetellers. And so finally a ole lady tole her, fortuneteller told her, said, "Well, yo' ought to look about yore bed," say, "it look like you can't get along in de house, there's always a confusion and everything." And so she said, "You go look up in your mattress, your pillahs or something." So she didn't pay any attention to it all [atall = at all]. So finally she made up her mind to do that. Took her pillahs out and she un- raveled de pillah and she found dis glove stiff like a hand, yo' hand, and so she opened it and she found all de stuff in dere, those different things. An' she didn't know what de cause of it, you see. And so she was afraid and she got someone to look after it fo' her. Well, she'd taken it to dis lady and ast her, and de lady tole her it was graveyard dust and rattlesnake dust and she wanted tuh - someone wanted to make her move or either kill her or something like that. [The preceding account is one of our many examples of that important element in hoodoo theory and practice - the doctor's ability to analyze and identify immediately the nature and cause of an ailment. To look at a handful of dirt and say that it is a mixture of graveyard dust and rattlesnake dust is quite a trick. Only our former doctor-druggist-chemist could have done as well (see No. 1593, p.498). To say these two dusts in a glove in a pillow caused the headache is quite a - well, even doctors admit this knowledge is a gift. At least, though on a lower level, we can now answer our former question - "Was it?"] An' so dis lady [roomer] in de house, you see, she would every morning [for 9 mornings] she would sprinkle dis here cayenne pepper and dis salt all ovah de house. And so after a while they [landlady] asked - cause dey [landlady and roomer]didn't 'gree, yo' know, 'count de fuss and everything - after while they asked her to move out and she [roomer] said she was going to return it back to this person [landlady].
(Was that here in Alabama?)
Yes.
(Well now, go right ahead.)
Well, after she did that - yo' know, she [landlady] did that to make 'em [her] move or to keep her [landlady's] husband, you see. So she [landlady] kept her
[own] husband. And so this other hoodoo lady [roomer because she used hoodoo]
tole her [landlady] that she would return it back. So she [evicted roomer] comes and gits dis hen's aig - a black hen laid dis egg, and she wrote the name [see later] on it. They were living in a house kinda lak dis [house in which I was interviewing] wit a glass do' in de front, chew know, in de house. So soon, early one mawnin' she comes an' throws dis aig up side de door and broke de glass, yo' know - throw de black hen's aig up there. So when he [landlady's husband] goes out - get up dat mawnin' soon - he didn't know - so when he looked all de egg spattered in front of de do' and de glass was out, yo' see, and he walked ovah it befo' he knew it, yo' see, so he looked on de shell and saw where de name was wrote chew know - her [his wife's] name and his name was wrote on dere. And so she said, "Well, dey did dat to break us up - broke dat aig up side de do' to break us up." So she said - an' so she got lye and swept - yo' know, swept it all out an' cleaned it up, yo' know. An' so dis lady [roomer] wrote her a letter and tole her that "Seven years wouldn't be too long for a raccoon to weah a ruffle-bosomed shirt. That's the way she spoke. (Wait, will you talk a little bit slowly. "Seven years wouldn't be too long for a raccoon to wear a ruffle-bosom shirt?") That means she would get her, yo' know. An' so dat was de words she wrote to her. [I know nothing about this stylish raccoon. He sounds like early American ruffled shirts, but the saying or proverb may come from the stage or radio.l An' so finally she would - yo' know, she would burn candles on dis man. She went got - an' got a candle and every time on a certain hour, noonday an' like dat, she would burn dese candles wit his name wrote on it. Black candles, yo' know, and she wrote it on dere. Well, he couldn't stay here and he couldn't stay there, yo' know. He was jest kept, yo' know, like he was, yo' know, de mind up- set all de time, yo' see. And so he got so that he didn't [live] peacefully wit dis woman, because every morning fo' nine mornings, she would come there and had something like - ah don't know whut kind of dust it was - but it was - when you look at it, it looked something like black peppah, yo' know, powdered peppah. She'd sprinkle it all roun' dere do'step, yo' know, fo' nine mawnings. An' he came there and so she took one little piece of his hair out de top of his head while he was asleep, and she sewed that up, and had that fixed with something and put it in a little red bag and sewed dis little red bag up, an' taken a cord string like and put nine knots in dis cord string and she wore it around her waist.
(What else did she do with that string first? Anything else?)
When she took dat string she rolled it in something, yo' know, in some kinda dust, yo' know. She rolled dis string in some kind of a dust, dipped it in dis dust and jest as yo' tie those knots, jest like dat dust would be in dose knots, too, yo' see, because it would wear off, you know, say, just straight round her Waist, but it would be in dat knot, yo' see. An' nine knots she tied it around her waist wit dis little red bag wit his hair in it. An' she took one of his socks - yo' know, one his left socks, and she carried it and had dis sock dressed, vo' know, and she buried dis sock at de foot of her steps, underneath her steps, she buried his sock so he couldn't stay 'way from there, yo' see. Said that she had him so that he had tuh come there. See. And so yo' see, well, he would get so he wouldn't give her any money and some- thin' like that, and so dis ole hoodoo lady tole her to get him to give her one silver dime, yo' know, of his money. And so he didn't know what she wanted him to give her dis dime fo', but she got a dime out of him. And she went an' she had dis dime dressed until it turn almost black like a penny, and she put a hole in it and she wore it around her laig, yo' know. And that's where so she could git his money, you see. She was trying to git him away from dis yere woman [his wife], yo'see. An' so, see, she didn't know that this other woman had his sock buried at her do'step. She had his sock buried there and she was still continuously burning dose candles. And every time she'd come roun' she had some kind a powder tied up in her hans'cuff that she would sprinkle. He thought it was jest powder whut chew powder yore face. It smelled sweet but it was some kin' of love powder yo see. An' she had a little somethin' like a tablet. She'd offer him meals. She would [drop] that in his tea or his coffee.
(Like a tablet?)
Like a little tablet, yes. It would dissolve, you know, an' you couldn't see the mixture in there. You couldn't see the mixture, you know, and you couldn't taste it, see. Well, he would drink this, see. Well, he would drink this and therefo' he couldn't stay away for she had that in him, yo' see. Well, see, she wanted to git dis other woman [wife] out de way, and that's [the reason] she went there and broke dis aig up side her do'. An' she give him those little tablets in his coffee or tea to drink, see, and he begin to suffer wit his stomach badly, an' all like that, and he began to look frail, and look bad, yo' know, because she said if she didn't have him, he could not do her [his wife] no good. See. An' he begin to look frail and bad, an' so no doctor's medicine didn't do him any good. Every time he'd go tuh a doctor, it would make him worser. Yo' know, when you've hoodooed anybody, doctor's medicine not good fo' you, you know. An' so he went - and every time he'd take a doctor's medicine, it would make him worser. And so an' ole lady came by one day and tole him dat he was fixed, chew know, that he was hoodooed, see, because he never would git well, yo' know. And on a certain kinda moon he would git like - git in a fit chew know, kinda rave. And so the ole lady told him that if he'd pay her a sum of money, she could cure him - yo' know, she could git him outa dis kinda fix: An' so, he finally jest scuffled up de money some kind of way. And so she'd taken and brought some saltpeter an' tole him fo' 'bout nine or ten mawnin's to take a bath every mawnin', every day, in dat saltpeter - bathe in that. An' she went out and got some roots out of de woods, some kin'a calomel roots and every- thing and he had to chew dose roots, yo' know - calomel roots, like white-look- ing roots, and she tole him to chew a piece of dat, chew know. An' he had to chew dose roots and he had to take a bath in saltpeter fo' nine mawnings. She made him up a mixture of medicine, chew know. She put so much of turpentine - looked like coffee, somethin', where you see it would settle at de bottom. Well, he had to shake it up and yo' know he would take that, chew know. And after he would bathe in dat saltpeter, he had to take dat medicine and then chew dat root, chew see. An' den she told him at certain time - if he would chew it often - that would pass from him. See, when he chews dose roots, dat calomel yo' know worked up in him. Well, yo' see, after he'd taken that and she tole him that ninth or de tenth day something would pass from him, yo' see - but sure enuff it did. When hit pass from him, yo' know, like de calomel worked him yo' know, it passed somethin' looked like little worms - passed from him little bita worms. An' she tole him that if those worms hada stayed [in] him, it would form like little frogs, and things like that was goin' form in his intestines, inside, chew know. And it pass from him like little worms. And when it passed out, she showed it to him, iThis whut pass from yo', this whut they was puttin' in yo'." [There is one strange feature about so many of these passages of worms, snakes, or lizards. The patient does not see them until the doctor has made an examination and then shows them, or sometimes merely tells about them. No doc- tor has ever gone so far as to say, "If you see them you will die." For further accounts, see Live Things In You, Pp.227-239, and Index.] See, that would kill him slowly, yo' know, and so he was pinin' up and every- thing. So he passed little worms from him in de tenth day - little worms and little somethin' she said was gon'a form frogs. Whatever this was dis woman put in his coffee for him, yo' see, that was forming in him - that would form in him, see, because she got these little tablets and she got this rattlesnake dust - some dust from under a rattlesnake, wherever she got it from and say - and put it in dere, put it in him, fix him so he would stay with her. [Choppy place in cylinder. The old hoodoo woman told wife] if she could get holt of him, she say, if she could get a holt of him and git a little piece of his shirt, she could, yo' know, could stop dis fit on him. See, every change of moon he'd have these spells. [Here are four similar beliefs about fits from general folklore: (1) "Epilep- tic fits...more frequent and...severe during the increase of the moon...." (2) "If anyone has fits, take off their shirt...while having it, cut out the piece over their chest and boil...when cool...give to the person to drink...." (3) "He was having one of these fits. She pull his shirt off over his head, put it on a pan and set it on fire...took the ashes...to feed him a spoonful before each meal...." (4) "Remove the person's undershirt...after an attack, let it smolder on live coals, mix a teaspoonful of these ashes in a glass of holy water, and say In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...must be administered three times a day." From FACI, 2ed., p.248.] Well, this ole lady, finally this ole lady died, see - dis ole lady whut was fixing him, yo' know. Well, she died. Well, yo' see, dey found all kinds of stuff, different hoodoo stuff in her place, where dey went tuh see, yo' know, when she died, an' everything. [For finding spells at hoodoo woman's home when she dies, see No. 239, p.66.] Well, this lady, every change of de moon, she still havin' fits. Yo' know, when de person die and fixed yuh, yo' know, yo' don't nevah git ovah it, yo' see. Yo' see, because dey died befo' dey could take it off dem. See. An' she still had those fits after and nobody couldn't take it off because dis was de woman dat put de spell on, see. [See If Evildoer Dies Spell Incurable, p.396.] And so everytime de moon would change she would go crazy-like and see dis man. See. And then when she seen, she didn't want him. Well, finally, this woman went crazy and nobody couldn't do anything for her because she was de one put de spell on her, yo' see, and after she went crazy, well, dey sent her to asylum and after she went tuh de 'sylum, den she died, you see. But de spell was still on dis man, yo' see, after she died. Yo' see, she never did git her mind back. An' so dis man, yo' see - after he come back - he was already heah, and so after she died, it was still on him. He couldn't git it off him because dis ole lady was de one had buried his socks fo' him and he didn't know where. Differ- ent fortunetellers had tole him that she had somethin' of his'n buried somewhere and if he could find it and dig it up, why that could git him bettah, yo' see, because she had got the worms out of him. See. So she had his left sock buried, took his left dirty sock. She fixed it an' buried it underneath de step. And so he would dig all in de yard to try to find where she had buried it. Well, finally, he jest - seemed like he said he had a dream one night to look under his step: They something tole him to look under his steps. [For spirits warning in dreams, see pp.27,116, and Index.] An' so he got up early hisself one morning and went out there an' was digging around under his steps. And when he dug aroun' he struck something like a little can, and when he opened de little can - de top of dat little can, de dust jest flew out, and when he pulled it out he saw one his dirty sock had been buried under there. And in that sock, he opened it, it had some kind of powder and a little rag, and it had nine needles and nine pins sticking in it - nine wit de heads down and nine needles wit de head up. See - in dat sock and so it was sewed up in dat little rag in his sock. And he'd taken dis sock, de whole thing and he carried it tuh a ole man. Yo' see, he carried it tuh a fortuneteller and tole him, say, "Well, dat's whut she had buried, yo' see - why you couldn't stay away from her." An' so, when he'd taken dat and dose little needles - dose needles been in dere so long dey was rusty. An' sos he'd taken dat herself and she washed it in saltpeter - see, she washed dat in saltpeter and he thought she was curing him, but she was making him worser fo' it - 'cause he wanted tuh go back to his wife, yo' see. De woman died dat broke him from his wife. Dat's de one made him move out de house and break up his home, yo' see. An' so he went back then to his wife and try to live with her, see, an' everything. Well, he couldn't live with her because they both died and de spell was on him, yo' see.
(This happened right here in Mobile?)
Yes.
(All right, go right ahead now.)
Well, he'd gone back to his wife, yo' see, after a certain length of time - so many years, yo' see. An', yo' know, he begged her pardon for the way he did her and de woman. She knew dis woman had broke up her home, yo' know, what she did, because afterwards she found out what she had sprinkled all around in her home, yo' know, fo' de confusion and fo' him tuh mistreat her, yo' see. Well, he'd gone back to try to live with her again, yo' see. And so his wife was afraid and so she thought she would have him fixed her- self. After this woman had him that way, she thought she would go an' git some- one to do him the same way, see. So she goes to a fortuneteller and dey tell her that the only way she could do anything with him was to have him dressed. See, was to have him dressed so that - if she don't, he would leave her again because dis spell was still on him and de woman was dead and every change of de moon, he would leave her. See, he had dis spell on him, and said de woman was dead and she was de one had to git it off him. Well, sure enough, every change of de moon he would leave her but she wanted tuh have him dressed. So this fortuneteller wouldn't tell her whut to do, but she sent her to some- body else. So she went - say she jest tell de fortune but de lady had to go to an ole hoodoo. So she goes out in de woods to an ole hoodoo lady and dis ole lady tole her that yes, she could dress him and fix him so that he couldn't leave her. He would have to stay right there, you know, he couldn't leave her. And so she tole her to git her a sum of money and bring it back and she would dress it. [In the preceding paragraph: (1) Some fortunetellers do all types of hoodoo work, or put another way, some hoodoos and doctors tell fortunes; other fortune- tellers, like this one, refer patients to a hoodoo doctor or a specialist. Even I the, Author Becomes a Specialist, on page 278. Is there another example of hoodoos imitating modern medical practice? Yes and no. Specialization in heal- ing is as old as primitive medicine-man and witch-doctor. Temple incubation Was a speciality of early Greek healers, ancestors of present-day Doctors of Medi- cine. (2) "out in de woods." Here is the old witch of fairy tales and reality. For this isolation as well as personal appearance, see pp.294-301, especially Nos. 849 and 859. (3) For dressing the money, see one man's remarkable version of this rite - Trickery by Doctor. Cast it into Oblivion, p.268. However, not all dressing of money is trickery.] Well, she did that. She went to this ole lady, and dis ole lady tole her that every three hours - she give her some kind of something like incense to burn. Tole her to burn this incense every three hours, and sulphur. Tole her to burn incense and sulphur and write his name on a white candle and roll it in some sugar. See, she said sugar, seemed like that would make everything sweet fo' him, yo' see. Salt is for confusion, chew know and sugar is for sweet. See, that's the way it works. Tole her to roll dis candle in sugar and write his name backwards on dere, yo' see, and stick it in a little saucer and put it in de cor- ner of her room. See. And jest 'bout time de spell come on him, fo' her to burn it. See. An' dat would make it sweet and de spell wouldn't be on him. An' so tole her to take dat candle and burn it and then to burn dis here sulphur every three hours in her home - this here sulphur and this incense. The incense is sweet too. That makes a sweet smell in yore home. Well, she did that. An' she tole her whenever he take a bath - see, next time he'd take a bath - tuh bring a little of his bathwater. Put it in a little cup or something, stop it up and bring it tuh her - what he bathe in. Well, she fixed his water. He didn't know, yo' know, she was goin' tuh pore de water out after he'd taken a bath. She took some water in de cup, some of his dirty water, and she carried it to dis lady. She stopped it up in a little bottle and carried dis dirty water to dis ole woman. Well, dis ole woman, she took his bathwater that he bathed in and she mixed it with something else in a bottle and shook it up and tole her to take dis bottle and bring it back and stand it up in de corner of her room where ain't no one kin see, and everytime he'd go out de do', she goes an' watch his feet and git his left track and bring de dirt back to her. Yo' know, jest take her han' and rake dat track back and wrap it up in some paper and keep it in her purse. Well, every time he would leave dat would make him come back. See, when you git his tracks dat'll make him come back. Well, whenever he would leave out, sure enough she went and got his track. See, she got dat track and she wrapped it up in de paper and had it in her purse and she had dis water in her room, yo' know. An' so, every three hours in de day she would burn dis here stuff, yo' know [this candle and incense and sulphur]. It acted all right for a good long while but see, every once a while, it would die down - it would die down and den she had to go an' do it again. Dis acted all right for a little while, till he begin to git in a rage agin, yo' see. So dis lady tole her that on the way she had to get something in him. See, she had to fix him in that way. Yo' see. [The preceding paragraph reveals one of the great principles of magic, perhaps the greatest after intention - magic power is not permanent. Our best examples of this are those magic objects closest to the believer's heart and mind - the hands. Among their many characteristics, these helpers: (1) have degrees of power (p.576), (2), observe a time limit (p.577), (3) must be fed (p.578f.), and (4) need recharging, which sometimes requires a doctor or a specialist, a hand- maker. A hand lives and helps only because a spirit dwells in it. Even when all amenities and regulations have been kept and the indwelling spirit is contended, it can be killed - chased from its temporary home - by the spirit of a stronger hand. Killing happens often in a gambling game where every man carries a hand. So, here is another rule of magic - a weaker spirit cannot function in the presence of a stronger spirit. But the owner of the weaker hand can kill the spirit or power of the stronger hand - page 641 and Index.] Well, she thought she was fixing hi - instead of fixing him fo' good, she was fixing him fo' bad looked like, don't you see, because whut dis woman give her, de mixture in his food, see. She wouldn't eat what he eat, yo' see, because she Was putting it in his stuff and sprinkling it on his meat. You see she would put it on de meat that he would eat. An' so when he taste it - de different taste in de meal yo' know and wanted her to taste, she proclaimed that she didn't like that kind of meat. Yo' know, she'd make excuse to keep from eatin' it herself. See. And see, every time he'd eat dis meat hit would make him sicker, see. But she put it on his meat. Dis woman give it to her and told her to put it on there and so he found dis here dirt in her purse, yo' see. He opened de pa- per - he went in her purse and he found dis dirt in dere, see, but she didn't know that he found the dirt. He kept the dirt fo' to carry it tuh see what it was. See. An' so he carried dis dirt to see whut it was. And dey told him it was his tracks - one dem hoodoos, another one, tole him it was his tracks, and says, this woman is giving him something in his food. Well, see, he would eat this food, yo' see, and he got so that he would dry up - dried up jest as little as he could be. It was whut she was feeding him off of.
(Put them [his foot tracks] in the grave?)
Yes. An' she tole him - dis hoodoo lady tole him that it wouldn't be long 'fore dey be burying her by she burying dese tracks. And so dis hoodoo woman gave him something. Yo' know, he didn't know that this woman was dressing dis other one fo' him, see, an' so when he goes back to her, something she puts on him, well he got it on her, see, by being close together, got it on her and she come with something like a itch, yo' know, all over her. [For an amazing example of this common trick, see No. 10, p.7.] She had an itch all over her and she'd go to doctors an' everything and de more they would treat her fo' dis itch, de worser it would git. And so it kept itching till all between her fingers got sore - see, all between her fingers become broke out like you would have pellegra yo' know, all that itch. But it would git between her fingers and all her nails and it got between her toenails. See. An' she broke out in sores, sores all be- tween her nails an' everything tull they had to bathe her hands and wrap 'em up in a piece yo' know. And all between her body - all down there between her body, she broke out in sores and everything, yo' see. And so she thought about this letter dis woman wrote an' tole her that seven years wouldn't be too long for a raccoon to wear a ruffled-bosom shirt. See, that whut she meant, she was goin' tuh kill her - see, tuh get dis man, see. An' she had dis man dressed fo' her. See. Well, after she broke out in sores and everything like dat, well, see, he had done buried her tracks to de graveyard, you see. Well, finally dey couldn't cure her and she broke dese sores all out and it come on de inside eatin' her up. Whut she had got inside her, it would just ete her on through, ete her up. An' she died. Finally she did bury her. See. An' so this woman told her dat, see, and dey all remembered whut she said - that she would do that to get her. An' after she do that - after she [roomer] got this man, yo' see, then this man disliked her. After he had done killed his wife and hoodooed her, well, he disliked her, see. He turned against her then, and so after he turned against her, he say, jest like she killed his wife, he would turn that right back on her and do her de same way, and she told him that he couldn't do it. See. An' so he said, "Surely could." Well, after dis man tried to fix her she would go an' git cured, see, bathing in dat saltpeter and salt, see, and that would keep everything off of her. And she wouldn't eat anything from him, see. An' so finally, he brought her some ice cream and she ate the ice cream. She didn't think anything Would hurt her, see. An' she ate de ice cream and after she ate de ice cream, dis man tole her he would get her. See, 'cause he had done went back to dis ole [hoodoo] lady dat killed his wife, to fix her. An' dat ole lady put de stuff in de ice cream - gave it to him and he put it in de ice cream.... [The hoodoo woman told the wife to] "Get a piece of his shirt-tail and his bathwater." Yo' got whut she got, yo' know, from him. She had tole her to take that bathwater and she put dat piece of shirt-tail in dis bottle, see, and she sticks nine needles and pins in it and shook it up and told her to take that and go in one fo' corner of de house and bury that.
(One of the four corners of her house.)
Outside - not under the steps - de fourth corner of her house and bury it and then jest, as she burying it, she had to say some kind of hoodoo and put a evil curse on. Cause she knew that the water had him fixed - his bathwater - and he had to go cross de water. So finally he takes a notion to leave - to leave her, see. And so she said, well, to cross water - well, that would make all that go back [on person fixing his bathwater]. So he left here and so he went an' got on a ship and went away cross de water. He was leaving across de water to git dat off him. Said that this woman know that he was going away, said she'd rather fo' him to leave and not come back. The one he went back to - de woman died.
(The woman killed his wife and then he killed this woman. That the idea?)
No, de woman got killed - dat de one he was running around wit. He couldn't git de spell off him an' so he goes back and makes up with his wife. See. This woman was living in the house and broke his wife and him up, yo' see, and tore up de home and the wife left and that give her a chance. See, she put dis stuff in her pillah, and so then after the woman got out, de wife turned it back on her. See. An' so she [roomer] lost her mind an' everything and de ole woman dat fixed de wife, she died, see, and dey couldn't git de spell off [the wife]. See. And dis woman [roomer] went crazy and dey sent her away and she died. Then he finally makes up his mind to go back to his wife, yo' see, to git a reconcilia- tion with her, yo' know, tuh beg her pardon, after so many years. Well, you see after he went back with his wife - she knew that this woman had done her that and broke up her home - well she didn't care for him much. But he wanted - but he had dis spell on him - dey both [women - roomer and hoodoo woman] died and dey couldn't git de spell off him. And every change of de moon he'd have these spells, see, because dis woman throwed dis egg and put dis spell on him. He had these spells and so the wife said that she would go have him fixed so she could keep him. So she goes tuh have his fixed, yo' see, and dis woman tole his wife to git his bathwater, see; and then git dis candle and roll it in sugar - see, that was to make him sweet.
(Well, now, whose track was buried out in the grave?)
Oh, it was this woman's track that was buried out in de grave.
(Which woman, the first one?)
The first woman - she was de one.
(There are only two women in the story?)
That was all - one man - two womens and one man. De wife and de woman and dis man. (The woman who was trying to take him away died in the asylum. Then the wife died too, didn't she?) Well, later - after - but he went back to the wife. See. And after de wife didn't care fo' him, see, then she fixed him so he wouldn't have these spells - she tried to git these spells off him, so she would git de candle and roll it in sugar an' everything. An' so then she seen she didn't care for him and then [he] goes and has her tracks buried in de graveyard, see. Dis man fixed her.
(What was he fixing her for?)
Cause she didn't want him. (Was she trying to kill him or was he trying to kill her? Or was he trying to make her take him back or what?) Well, he wanted her to take him back. Well, after she took him back, you see he would git dem spells on the change of de moon and he would leave again. He wouldn't act right. See.
(When did he cross water?)
Well, he crossed water when de woman tole him dat de only way he would git dis spell off him, he would have to cross de water. See.
(The spell his wife put on him or the spell the other woman put on him?)
It's de spell the other woman put on him.
(The part that was in the beginning of the story?)
Yes, that goes in the beginning of it. You see, de wife is de one that burned de candles on him and tried to git de spell off him. So he goes and gits his wife track - he's de one - de hoodoo woman told him to bury it in de graveyard, and he went and buried it out dere like she told him.
(That's what killed her?)
That whut killed her and that's whut made her think of de letter that she re- ceived a long time ago. See, dis ole lady was working on 'em both. See, she was pretending to be friends to each one of 'em, but she wasn't. [For doctor "pretending to be friends to each one of 'em," see two excellent examples, No. 780, p.257, and No. 782, p.258.] See, dis same ole lady died, yo' see, who was pretending to be friends to both of them, but she wasn't. Yeah, he had to cross water to git rid of his sins, because she had his water and everything buried in de fourth corner of her house. So, that itch when she broke out like that, that whut killed her. And he couldn't git those spells off at de change of de moon - he would go crazy and everything. They both [women] got out of dere [died] and dat's when dis [hoodoo] woman [told] him he would cross water. See, he took a voyage away cross water - see, he left to get rid of this. And de last that they heard from him, dey said he was gittin' better of those spells.
intended household discord attributed to salt/cayenne sprinkling. No clinical diagnosis, proven causation or definite aggressor/victim identity is inferred. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
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Entry 458
My father had a grey horse at home. He bought him from a very old man and this was his [the old man's] riding horse. Ev'ry morning he would find two little stirrups tied in his mane. The horse wouldn't get fat. Ev'ry morning my father would comb that all out nicely, each night when we get through feeding, and the next morning those two little knots would be tied in there. You would hear the horse groaning and groaning at nighttime. Someone told us that the old man was riding the horse and to turn the horse around the other way in the stall. After that the horse got all right. It was that old man. It was sold in his estate and he didn't want anyone to have it.
Entry 1209
If they put somethin' down fo' yo' tuh walk ovah, yo'll take devil's- shoestring. Yo' know dis devil's-shoestring. Yo'll git dis devil's-shoestring an' yo' tie it round, possible round heah.
(Where?)
Round yore laigs - devil's-shoestring tied around yore laigs an' let it stay right there round yore laig nine days. After nine days yo' take it an' tie you nine knots in each one dem strings yo' got round laig. Den yo' kin walk ovah anything dey put down dere - won't harm yo'. Tie dat devil's-shoestring right round heah - two strands of it. An' after nine days, den yo' tie nine knots in it an' wear it nine mo' days, understand, an' then yo' kin walk ovah anything an' it ain't gonna hurt cha.
(You tie one piece around each leg just below the knee?)
That's right.
Entry 2277
If yo' want a enemy tuh stay outa yore house - don't want him in dere - yo' take dem scissors an' den yo' bind dem together jes' lak dat an' den yo' git chew some black thread an' den yo' tie nine knots in de bindin' an' hang 'em up near de do'. Dat enemy whut yo' don't want in yore home, she [he] won't come in dere.
(You tie those nine knots in the string to what?)
Yo' see, yo' put both de points together an' den yo' wrap it [in a piece of cloth] an' den tie it wit dis black thread an' hang it near de do', an' den dat enemy whut yo' don't want in dere won't come in dere.
Entry 4608
(That little bow.)
Jes' tie about three knots in it. Jes' tie three knots in it an' wear it round yore waist. Den dey cain't go wit nobody else but chew. [Wilson, N. Car.,
(1471).2652:22.]
Entry 4952
Dey tell me dat yuh kin take a woman's stockin' - take a woman's stock- in', carry hit an' tie it undah a baidspring wit three hard knot in it, until de third mawnin'. An' de third mawnin' git up an' take de stockin', an' if yuh got a straight path go from yuh do' out - out chure back do' where yuh travel de mos', an' bury it in de earth. Dat'll run a woman distracted. If yuh care anythin' fo' her an' don't care fo' no one else tuh have her, an' keep dem from havin' 'er, dat'll keep 'er, drive dem away from dere.
(Now, do you tie those knots one on each day or three at once.)
[This could be a leading question but see one knot each morning - No.4961.]
Tie one - like jis' if yuh put it in dere tuhday, one today; one tomorrah an' one de nex' day. De fo'th mawnin', loosen it. An' de fifth mawnin' bury it in de track yuh travel de most.
Entry 4958
Take de sock an' tie de sock in three knots an' bury dat undah de front do'step. Dat bring a man back, or a woman, or even yore chile. Eithah sock.
Entry 737
Well, oftentimes fellahs carries a lucky piece in dere pocket. Maybe it be lodestone or John de Conker or five-finger grass or some kinda perfume in lodestone - oftentimes fellahs carries it. An' den sometimes fellahs has a pocket-piece like dis dey carries fo' luck. Dat's a piece of John de Conker [he shows it].
(How do you prepare this?)
Well, yo' take it an' yo' put it in a little bag like dis [he shows it].
(In a red flannel bag.)
In a red flannel bag. Yo' take a piece of lodestone an' put in that bag with it an' yo' take a little bit of sachet powders an' put in dat bag. Yo' take a silver dime an' put it in dere between de lodestone an' High John de Conker root. Take yo' a piece of white thread an' carry it round dat-a-way nine times. Yo' carry it round dat-a-way nine times an' take it right in dere wit yore finger an' bring it right dis way nine times. Tie it into nine knots. (Now wait a minute. The first time you carry this thing away from you or towards you?) You carry it away from you nine times.
(On this side here you tie a knot?)
No sir, yo' don't tie no knot - yo' jes' carry it heah.
(You just hold it there?)
An' hold it there, yo' understand, an' make a loop ketch it - don't tie nc knot atall, make a loop ketch it. Bring it back to yo' nine times. An' yo' bring it back to yo' then nine times an' tie nine knots in it right in de center like that. All right, yo' carry it this-a-way nine times.
(Nine times lengthwise - away from you?)
Yes sir - right this-a-way nine times. All right yo' git done with it an' yo' take a straight pin an' stick right down in there - right in de top. Take dis bag an' yo' tie it real tight - tie in de top like dat an' wear it either up heah or in yore left pocket.
(Either under your heart or in your pocket.)
Or either in yore left pocket.
(And what is that bag supposed to do for you?)
Dat supposed to give you luck - drive away de evil spirits an' bring luck an' success an' make friends wit everybody - yore enemies will be yore friends, fellahs who don't like yo' will come tuh like yo'. Ah've got a piece of dis John de Conker [which he had just showed to me] supposed to be good fo' dat. Yo' supposed tuh use it wit holy oil. Dere's a oil dat yo' use wit it - it's a little red oil, dey call it de holy oil. Yo' have to order it. Yo' takes dis oil an' yo' keeps it 'nointed wit dis - keep dis root anointed wit dis oil. [The technical word for anointing is often called feeding.] An' when yo' git ready tuh leave home dat mawnin' yo' take some of dis oil an' po' it in yore han' an' rub it on yore han' dat-a-way an' rub it cross yore chest like dat - jes' like that. (Your right on your shoulder and you bring it down across your chest. And your left hand you have on the right side and bring it straight across.) Straight across it like that. An' while yo' doin' that why says de Our Father prayers.
(That's when you go down to get a job from the boss?)
Yes sir.
(That little red bag like that - where do you get those, buy them?)
Ah ordahs 'em.
(Oh, they have draw strings on them.)
Ah ordahs 'em from Tennessee.
(From Memphis - the Curio Products Company?) [That probably surprised him.)
Yes suh. Ah makes a straight nail for runnin' a person crazy by usin' three strands of dere hair in a pine tree -
(Oh, you told me that.)
Entry 1759
Ah hear talk of that. Yo' kin work lawsuits with that even much. Take 'em an' tie 'em in de center - de broomstraws, dem short pieces. Yo' git a piece - Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft.- Rootwork - of shame brier root an' put in between dem straws, an' if yo' wanta come out ahead in anything lak dat, an' yo' got de broom straws, yo' tie 'em together. But yo' always lay it - if he killed an' yo' wanta win, yo' gotta come up higher. Dem othah joints gotta be shorter den yours. An' when yo' git 'em up dere high, yo'll be above, an' even yo' above dat shame brier root. Den yo' kin take de rattlesnake master or a piece of root of hit an' yo'll hold them right together, an' then yo'll tie nine knots in dat string an' yo' tie 'em well. An' then yo wrop it up. Yo'll fix them things an' yo'll tie 'em up. When yo' tie 'em up den yo'll wrop 'em up in a piece of red flannel an' yo' tie it up: An' all you have to do den whenevah yo' go, always, if yo' have to meet a lawsuit or anything, yo' put it in yore pocket an' yo' nevah have to be tried. Ah seen 'em work that.
Entry 1933
That's used for gambling.
(How do they handle that?)
They take graveyard dust and white sand and put it in a tobacco sack. Take a tobacco sack and wash it out in clear water and turn it wrong side out. And [take] two teaspoonful of graveyard dust and two teaspoonful of salt and a silver dime. And tie 'em nine knots - tie it nine times, which would make 81 knots in de sack and wear it in yore pocket.
(What do you do with that white sand?)
The white sand - that's a - they use that in place of steel dust.
(Well, do you put it in that sack, too?)
Yes, sir.
(How much?)
About a teaspoon and a half of white sand. (I see. What do you mean by tying nine knots? How could you tie nine knots in that sack?) Well, you see, there's two strings to it.
(Oh, yes.)
And you take and every time you tie a knot, you.tie it to you, you know. You see, tie nine knots in it, see. And after you tie the ninth knot, you see, well then you turn that sack like this.
(How do you mean, you turn the sack? How do you mean?)
Just take the sack like that and hold the strings - hold one string in this hand and one string in this hand and turn the sack over to you [demonstrates].
(You swing the sack over toward you. I see.)
Yes. Then you tie nine more, you see. Nine times nine is 81. (I see. You have to swing the sack at the end of each nine knots. You pre- pare that for what? Gambling you say?) Yes, sir.
Entry 4954
Well, ah know dat if a man leave a woman, or somepin lak dat, if yuh take a stockin', de ole dirty foot of a stockin' an' tie it up in three knots, an' put it undah yore bed an' sleep on it fo' three nights, an' make yore wishes tuh come true, fo' him tuh come back tuh yuh an' be in love, dat yuh could aftah de three nights take dat stockin', an' take a box of new salt an' sprinkle it ovah dat stockin', an' den take dis salt an' build a fire, an' put dat stockin' on de fire an' burn it. Burn it In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost. Said dat would draw yuh back tuhgethah.
(Whose stocking would you use, his or yours?)
Yuh use yore own stockin'. Dey always tell me yuh use yore own stockin' fo' dat, eithah stockin'.
Entry 7216
Git de width of yore body [demonstrates]. Git a cotton string lak dat an' put nine knots in it, an' take it out an' tie it tuh a tree, or sompin else [fence, etc.]. An' when dat string rots or comes apart, why it'll cuz yo' tuh fall in sickness or prob'ly dead sometime.
Entry 832
Sometimes all they have to do is to touch you. I wanted to remember a boy and after he [a cunjure man] touched me I couldn't remember him. I didn't know what he [boy] looked like. This [spell] lasted over a year. I couldn't see [remember] this boy. I was in a family way. His mother got this cunjure man to make me forget him. He came to my house, I was in this condition, and he put his hand on my stomach and thinking of the boy when he did it, and after he removed his hand I couldn't think about him [boy]. I would see his pitchure but I couldn't think of anything of him. When this [spell] work off [after a year] it turned back on this boy - he got so he was loving me. After this spell was broken this man [cunjure man] came to me and told me he did it. He told me to put it back on the boy, the boy was in New York and would come back. He came back. I didn't marry this boy. He also gave my mother a little bag to wear on her stocking. My mother's thinking of putting me in trouble [worrying about daughter's condition]. After he gave her this bag she seemed to forget all about me being in trouble. She didn't think of it until the year was up. He told her to wear this bag. He put it there himself, on her left stocking. It had a string on it. He tied it around [her] himself. It was a little black bag. It contained something that smelled like spice, like cinnamon. Whenever he come in contact with you he kinda hypnotized you. I don't know where the hoodoo man came from. This happened in Newport News [Virginia]. His [boy's] grandmother did most of it. She died about two years afterwards. The last time I seen her she had great big knots on her face like some animal. She died a horrible death. It must of went back on her, too. I thought it'd come out on the baby but it didn't take any effect. Only he has funny little spells. Ev'ry night when he goes to bed he'll holler in his sleep. He always did do that from a little baby on up, even now. He's eleven years old.
Entry 1049
Well, I kin make a little baby - accordin' who got a sickness, got any kind of disease, and how many times I have it. (You what?) I make a little doll baby, purtty it with all kinds of ribbons, you know, and I can - if I got any. kind of disease, just how many times I had it - and I make a knot in there so many times. If I had it three or four times, I makes [three or] four knots in that piece of ribbon and I tie that baby and I go and I drop it. The one that picks it up is the one that gets that - it be's off of me, I won't have it no more.
(I see. Well now, first you do something else. You have a disease, you say?)
If I had it, yes.
(Then what do you do?)
Wind the disease on the doll.
(You take the piece of ribbon?)
Take the piece of ribbon - get me - make a purtty little doll - make it like a saint - nobody will notice it cause it's purtty, and I get this pink ribbon and I tie it in a knot just how many times I had the disease, you see.
(Every time you had it. You tie a knot for each time you had the disease?)
Yes. Uh-huh. Tie them and put it on that doll - it go off me. Go off and leave it drop - it don't look like you drop it, just let it down in the street on the sidewalk anywhere.
(I see.)
And one person will pick it up. When they pick it up, well they gets that - it off on you then, no more for you.
Entry 1126
Heard dem say yo' go in de woods like dat an' git yo' some rattlesnake marster or blacksnake root, an' git a string an' tie it tight in so many knots.
(How many knots?)
About six knots - dat's a long string. Well, yo' wear that round yo'. If yo' don't yo' have to, yo' know, keep it in yore pocketbook - or either wear it round yo'. Dey say yo' holdin' dem den.
(By wearing that root - that's the way you do it?)
Yes sir, that's, yo' know, he pin de othah fellow. Yo' know, lak somebody wus goin' hurt chew an' yo' git dat root, why yo tyin' 'em up. See, yo' jes' tie dem knots - jes' as many kmots - why yo' tyin' den up.
(You don't mention anybody's name or anything?)
No sir, yo' jes' tyin' 'em up.
Entry 1368
If you be having chills, you see, [you] kin take a piece of cord string and just as many chills as you done have, you just tie a knot in there and dip it in some turpentine and tie it back round yo' waist; if you done have five chills, you put five knots in that string there and tie it round yo' waist. That's going to stop them chills.
Entry 1369
That's another thing in chills that you kin do. You kin take a cord string and fit it around your waist, that is, leave it long enough to tie. And if you having any chills or anything like that, you put it down in turpentine and pull it out - dip it down with your finger and tie it around your waist. It's a sure cure for chills and fever. It'll re'lly break 'em up that will, too. Put nine knots in it - see, nine knots and if you do it, you ain't goin' to have no more chills. You might have one more but after it you won't have no more. Wear it nine days around your waist and after that you kin take it off and burn it up. Them chills is gone. [Cf. No. 1019, p.390.]
Entry 1370
For backache you take a cord string and you tie nine knots in it and get you a bottle of turpentine and wet that string good in that turpentine and wear that around your waist. And that turpentine will kill the pains in your back.
Entry 1371
Git chew a string an' tie nine knots into that string an' dip it in de turpentine an' tie it roun' dey haid an' dat a good cure fo' headache. Ah've tried that, yes. [Cf. No.1024, p.391.]
Entry 1373
If it's a fever dat chew have nevah been cured of befo' - that is if it's a fever dat yo' wus goin' round wit - if it wus malary fever - that yo' could take an' tie nine knots in a piece of string an' take an' tie it round yore waist an' sleep wit it at night, an' git up in de mawnin' time an' go an' tie it round a tree - jes' any kinda tree an' leave it wit'out lookin' back.
(That would cure you?)
Yes sir, dat would cure yo' because ah've done dat.
Entry 1589
Well, fo' chills yo' take a raw cotton string an' wet it in turpentine, an' jes' lak yo' had two chills or three chills yo' - jes' as many chills as yo' have had - yo' tie that many knots in de string an' wear it round yore waist an' de chills will be gone.
Entry 1619
If they try to harm you and you know dey Wanta harm you, you takes a ball of thread - spool of thread, put nine knots in it. Call three colored fellah - three white fellah - three any man names dat any man you call is a great liar, an' you puts knots in it. Ev'ry time you knot it, you pull de knot to you; but if you finish dat end, you fling the other end around and you pull that to you. You take dat and make yo' water on it - de night water on it yoreself for nine mornings and take it and tie it around yore waist. Nobody kin harm yuh. [Informant is one of 6 or 7 doctors interviewed in Charleston: "Tues., June 29, 1937 - Charleston, S. C.... San Mongain - (R.D.)- good - brought by [[doctor]] Glover" - Numbers Book 442-621. Several years later while checking his cylinders against the transcription, I added a comment to his number in Numbers Book,"(use with care)" - meaning some of his material was not too good.]
Entry 2217
But if yo's makin' whiskey an' yo' scared de law runnin' on yo', yo' git gueen weed root an' yo' git it near - on de low end of de mountain. Yo' cain't git it on flat country lak heah. Co'se up roun' mah home close tuh de Blue Ridge Mountains yo' kin fin' all kinda roots. Mah granddaddy, he's been huntin' those things all his life, even in slave time. Yo' git one dem queen weed roots an' yo kin take dat roots an' boil it. It got a elbow on it ovah five j'ints an' de j'ints is ovah a inch jes' lak dat - knots, all lak a rattlesnake's tail, yo' know, got dat bell on de rattle- snake tail. Well, it got lil knots on it an' yo' kin tell where dose j'ints is yo' know. Yo' take three of dem j'ints an' boil it in a lil hot watah. When dem three is boiled in hot watah, yo' put 'em down undah yore front do'step an' de law will not pass ovah there. He'll stand out an' he'll talk to yo', see - 'Well, ah heared so-an'-so 'bout chew, but ah tole 'em it warn't so." See. He'll vell fo' yo' 'fore he gittin' out de car, "Come on, buddy." Well if yo' bury down somepin an' yo' ain't dere, he won't come ovah dere. An' some of 'em do happens somehow or'nother tuh come ovah it sometime, but if dey do, dey'll git down in dey laig an' nevah will be no mo' good. But he'll go roun' tuh back, now, an' come in, if yo' don't set one at de back. If yo' set one at de back, put one or two elbow - not three. See, ah gene'lly put three at de front - one fo' yo' fren's, one fo' yo enemies, an' de othah one fo' de law. See, yore fren's will gi' yo, harm yo, see; an' yore enemies will, dey won't do anything to yo', only steal from yo', see. Dat's why yo have tuh put three.
Entry 2248
(What do they say about that?)
Well, now if you want a job and can't get no job, well now, you goes to these white people's house and ask them for a job. They'll turn their back on you. Well, you go back home and get you a piece of red flannel - red flannel cloth, tie three knots in it, tie it around you calf up here - right round down below your knee.
(Either foot?)
The left foot, uh-huh, and saturate it good in spirits of turpentine and you go the next day. You go there and they more than apt to give you a job.
Entry 3610
If a man is runnin' aroun' wit a woman - yo' mean yo' don't want 'im to fool wit dat othah woman?
(Yes.)
Well, dey say, yo' know yo' got a husban'. Well, when yore husban' go wit yo' an' yo' an' 'im connects togethah. Well, dey say, yo' takes a piece of cord string. Well yo' catches dat, an' dey say yo' ties dat in nine knots. See, an' yo' ties it aroun' yore wais' an' yo' wears it aroun' dere all de time. Well, he can't fool wit no othah women but yo' becuz yo' got 'im all tied up.
(I see.)
(What can he do?)
He else will have to git it from yo' [the woman]. He has to go to somebody [hoodoo] an' dey'll tell 'im dat 'is wife got 'im tied up. Now, he may kin catch yo' in de bed asleep at night an' cut dat string from aroun' yore wais', yo' see. An' den yo'll notice dat de nex' time he go wit yo', yo' see, dat's de way dat is.
(He has to get that cord from you?)
Yes.
Entry 3618
As ah 'fore said awhile ago 'bout a woman usin' 'er cloths, especially if ah don't use mine, or if ah use mine heah, she would use hers heah. All right now, ah kin be done wit de woman an' stretching out. Now ah'm tellin' yo' dis heah whut ah experienced mahself. Dis heah not whut ah heard, ah experienced it mahself. Crosstown heah last year [1938] ah wus hurt lak dat wit a woman, see. But ah didn't have no itchin' fo' no woman. Well, ah went to de druggist an' bought whut chew call courage pills an' othah kin'a pills. Dey didn't do any good. All right, ah kin'a heard a - ah heard of dis heah talkin' of takin'yore nature from yuh an' ah caught on to she musta had me tied up. An' ah went to her one night, ah said, "Lookit heah, " ah say, "ain't chew got sompin near yo' of me? Or got me fixed some way?" She say, "No." Well, den ah thought about dis heah method of takin' de nature from yo' in de bed, yo' know. Yo' wanta know about dat? Well, she went to de job - went to her job dat mawnin', an' while she wus gone ah tore up de mattress an' foun' dis mess. An' when ah found it, hit wus nine knots tie in a piece of cloth, de same cloth dat she used on me but not on 'erself, see. Now she had it tied in nine diff'ren' knots, jes' nine knots all crossed up in all kinda diff'ren' ways, an' she wore dat. Whut chew call wear, she wore dat roun' 'er waist. See. She had one cloth an' had it tied in nine knots an' she wore dat. An' she had anothah dat she put ovah - lak she puttin' a bandage ovah it, an' she wore dat right on 'er stomach roun' dere. Ah could roam aroun' town, anywhere in de world, see any people, jes' havin' fun. Now, ah couldn't git up no nature fo' 'em. Ah could go to any woman. "Lookit heah, " ah say, "how about gittin' some so-an'-so?" All right. An' go right dere, an' jes' as de minute ah start, it be lak dis heah [evidently demonstrated with a dropping finger or hand]. Until when ah found dat mess, an' when ah found it ah didn't even bothah atall. Ah made her took it out. An' aftah she untied it an' took it, den ah had [my nature again].
Entry 3621
Den yo' kin take a piece of cord string an' put nine knots in it. Git chew some turpentine an' put it up an' down in dere an' put dat roun' yore waist. Yo' can't git up a courage tuh have an intahco'se wit no woman.
(Well, don't you do something with that string first?)
Jes' only put - no, dat's anothah diff'ren' one altogethah. But see, dat nine knots, an' worked in dat turpentine, put it roun' yore waist. Yo'll have a hard time, yo' know, to git courage fo' 'er.
Entry 3622
She kin take a cord string, see, an' evah time - tie nine knots in it an' evah time she have some dealin' wit 'er husban' put a little dat on dat cord string, see. An' it's a little turpentine ah think goes wit it, see. An' den he won't have any nature fo' any othah woman.
(Where does she keep that string?)
Around her waist.
(She ties those knots in it?)
Yessuh, ties dose knots in it - see, until she gits nine.
(She doesn't measure him with that string or anything of that sort?)
[My leading question here makes informant's answer measure from a distance useless.] She gen'ly [generally] measure from a distance first an' den ties de knot in dere.
Entry 3626
Say fo' instance, if a woman is havin' intahco'ses wit a man an' she don't want anybody else tuh bothah wit de man. Well, now, one of de towels dat she might use, she takes 'is urine an' she take dis towel an' she wash it in dis urine - de same towel dat de two of dem use. An' den she tear a string offa de towel an' den she make nine knots in dat string, an' if it's not large enough tuh go roun' 'er body she'll make a 'ddition [an addition] tuh it jis' since she make nine knots. An' dat's supposed tuh keep 'im tuh de place where he cain't have any nature fo' anybody but 'er. Dat's whut yo' call a cross [or crossing up a man]. Dere people dat could take dat away, but ah have tuh give yo' mah best knowledge of it.
Entry 3715
Beef gall is sometime that is used to bring a man's nature back when a woman done tied knots aroun' - nine knots aroun' 'er stomach. (Well, how would you handle that? How would he get his nature back?) You use - take ordinary beef gall, if a man drink coffee, or whatevah drink he drink. Take or'nary beef gall an' make coffee or whatevah it is, make it strong enough dat yo' kin put one drop into dat an' he won't taste dat gall in dere, an' let 'im drink it, yo' see. An' if a woman is got a knot aroun' 'er stomach, an' she wears dem nine knots aroun' 'er stomach to kill a man's nature, yo' give him dat beef gall. Jis' continue givin' 'im dat beef gall, an' when dat string bu'st on 'im, he'll become a normal man when dat string bu'st on 'er. Long as he take dat beef gall an' urinate through 'is penis, dat string will continue wearin' - wearin' - [away].
Entry 4611
Ah took evah one out of mah cap dat ah'm got now. Yeah, yuh know, mah grandfathah learned me dat long time ago. Dey takes dat bow out of dere an' dey ties it on a string. Dey ties nine knots in a string. An' in tying dat knot dey lets dat bow hang right between dere laigs, an' if yuh say yuh don't want 'em, dey runs yuh crazy wit dat - wit dat bow, dat little bow.
Entry 4780
She git 'is undahweah, tie nine knots in it, an' put it undah 'er pil- lah. She kin make him come back. [Wilmington, N. Car., (334), 273:7+85.] [This cylinder, 273:7, appears with informant No.268 on p.215 of HooDoO, beginning, "One time I was cunjured, I was about sixteen years old." Knots do not appear. This is the first conflict of cylinder numbers I have found in HOODOO.]
Entry 4956
Take a man's sock, a dirty sock, an' tie three knots in it an' throw it in de runnin' watah. An' if de sock go down de stream, de man will go behin' it; if it go up de stream, he'll go behin' it. [Up de streom here means a tidewater river.] In- formant's statement misses the point of this rite. In at least two other examples, we also have a divination added; if the sock goes downstream, man will leave by boat; if upstream, by land or train (inland instead of seaward as at Brunswick); or, if man has not yet left: downstream indicates he will go, upstream he will remain.]
(What are you doing this for?)
Run 'im off.
Entry 5022
Ah heard tell of a man dat de woman miss 'er stockin's. She didn't know where he stockin's be, an' he had de stockin's. She jis' would wear 'em, an' he tie 'em in a heap of knots an' tie 'em tuh 'im. He have a silvah dime, yuh know, wit a lady haid on it; an' he had a piece of new homespun an' tie it tuh 'im. An' dat would fix de wumman so she won' run roun'. (He took two of her stockings and he tied them into one knot or how many knots?) He jis tie 'em right straight up tuh 'im - tie 'em tuh him, keep a-tyin' 'em up.
(And he put this in a piece of new homespun?)
Tie 'em in a piece of new homespun - aroun' it.
(Then when he got these all together, what did he do with the whole thing?)
He put 'em undah de cornah of 'er house.
(That's where she found them?)
Yeah.
Entry 5896
Well now, whut about de frog. Dat's about a woman's hair. Well, yo' din take her hair an' TIE IT TO A TOADFROG an' he'll hop aWay wit it, an' DAT'LL DC HER SIT DOWN AN' SLEEP ALL DE TIME. An' if yo' TIE IT TO A BIRD an' let 'im fly away, dat'll MAKE HER HAVE DE aDaCHE all de time. Yo' PUT IT IN A BOTTLE AN' STOP IT UP an' go to runnin' watah an' throW it in rumin' watah, an' dat'll run 'er off. An' a man kin take it an' PUT IT IN 'IS WATCH FOB or EITHAH TIE IT UP IN A RAG, THREE KNOTS in a rag, an' put it in his Watch pocket an' dat'll make her love him.
Entry 7196
[I do not know whether this doctor's given name Was Tobey or it came to him because he made Tobeys, meaning luck pieces or hands or jomoes. He is the man who drives out disease spirit on p.2259f., vol.3.]
(Doctor Casson?)
Cating.
(How do you spell it?)
Casing[?]. (I am glad to see you, Doctor. I want you to talk loud to me, I don't hear so well.) Me too. (All right, we will both talk loud then. All right. Well, tell me something about yourself.) About mahself? Me or mah trouble? [Dis Cason come to tell me his own troubles thinking as some informants before and after him did, that I was a root doctor from New York City:] (Anything. I've talked to a lot of very good root doctors and I - just tell me anything you want to tell me. I want to hear about how they say people harm you, you know; or how they say to cure you; or things of that sort.)
[There being a brief silence I continue.]
(Did you know old Doctor Buzzard?)
Ah know 'im but he died.
[The ice having been broken I continue.]
(How long has he been dead?)
He wuz about sixty some odd yeahs ole, but he wuz a good doctor. Ah learned many incidents from undah 'im 'fo' he died away. He'd git a man outa trouble. Ah learned a few turns from 'im.
(Well, would you tell me some of the things you learned from Doctor Buzzard?)
Ah learned usin' a bee.
(All right, how did you use that?)
[A unique technique follows:]
Has yo' got a hive of a bee, yo' kin take one of bee drones outa de hive, take a paah [pair] an' yo' kin learn 'em some a [of] de people. Ah putten sveet- nin' tuh de table an' putten dat bee intuh it tuh feed. When yo' wan' 'in tuh go out, yo' kin name a puhson [person] man, jis' call 'is name an' putten spots of white on 'is ahm, his back, not on 'is haid. An' he goes tuh dat same puhson dat chew call 'is name. An' when he's got through wit yo' business dat chev'd sent 'im, he'd come back tuh yo' an' yo'd undahstan'. If yo' say tuh 'im tuh come back, he'll come back; an' if yo' say tuh 'im tuh stay, he won' come back. But he's [he has] two [things he can do]. One, tuh travel wit chew 'cordin' tuh yo' case, whut yo' case would be. See whut ah mean. Ah wan' 'im tuh bring a message back when yo' conkah yo' bettah [when you outwit the enemy]. If yo' is in a lawsuit an' is sent intuh de jail fo' tuh be in co't [court] an' if yo' miss an' tell tuh 'im 'fo' [before] yo' git dere, yo' trail'll almos would be ovah den. But chew see in dose time dose people used tuh walk - work at short ends 'fo' yo' could start a trial dat yo'd be dere. De jury'd cut chew off, dat [becausel yo' shall not come up tuh de requirements. [In olden days it was sometimes difficult to meet the requirements for attend- ing courts and juries would not wait. To be on the safe side you either slept the preceding night in jail or had Doctor Buzzard send his bee specially fed to delay jury action. This information Was on a cylinder pause but is known from my following questions.]
(You say Doctor Buzzard taught you that, told you that?)
Yeah.
(What did you say you fed this bee?)
Feed dese bees on honey an' syrup, but use de ingredients of yo' scent.
(Of your what?)
Of yo' scent.
(Scent? You mean sweat of the body? Perspiration?)
Yeah. Put it on a piece of bread dat has sorghum an' dey suck dat from it. AN' ALL DE TIME DEY COME JIS' LAK A PET CAT TUH YO', AN' WHEN HE LET DOWN [ALIGHTS], YO' KIN RUB YO' HAN' ON 'IM AN' HE'D KNOW YO' FROM ME. See whut ah mean?
(And then you send this bee out to do your work?)
Anythin' yo' wanta send 'em [to do] an' dey care [carry] it out.
(DOES HE CARRY MESSAGES THEN?)
CARE A MESSAGE - JIS' WHUT CHEW TELL 'IM.
(HE'D TELL THE PERSON?)
ALL YO' GOTTA DO IS TUH TALK TUH DE BEE JIS' LAK YO'D TALK TUH RADIO OR ANY- THIN' DAT CAIES [CARRIES] A MESSAGE. AN' CALL DE MAN NAME. TEACH 'IM DAT.
[Few more lines to this but nothing new.] [Charleston, S. Car., (503), 547:1.]
Well, listen here an' ah'll tell it tuh yo'. AH LISTEN N IN DE WORLD ON DIS. DEY ARE IN DE WORLD. DERE'S A STORY SAYS DAT DIS WORLD IS KINDA ROUND, FO'[FOUR] CORNAHS OF IT. DERE AH HAS A FO' [FOUR] SQUARE [PROPOSITION]. Here is eas', sō't, no't - eas', wes', sō't, nō't - fō' [four] part[s] an' DE TERR'TORY WHEAH YO' HAS TUH GIT A PERSON OR KNOW A PERSON. [You are WOrking in a four- sided world.] [To] git a puson [it is necessary] DAT CHEW KNOW DERE NAME. Yo' Wan' 'em tuh come back home. Dey go off an' yo' wan' 'em tuh come back home. Make a fo' square [draw a square]. Write in dere: 1 an' 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7- 8. [He draws a square and writes in the numerals.] SEE, DIS IS DE WORLD, IF DEY IS IN DE WORLD AT ALL. DAT IS, HERE'S DE CENTAH OF DE EART'. All right.
[He begins to fold up the paper.]
(You fold that up.)
Fold it up, see. Yo' fole dat fo' cornah up an' de way dat chew put dat, de way dey come back. Now here is some question ah have tuh tell yo' 'bout. OUR MOTHAH HAS TUH TOTE US NINE MONT'S TUH BRING US IN DIS WORLD, SO DEY GOTTA CALL [A PERSON'S NAME] NINE TIMES. An' aftah [as?] dey call nine times, dey gotta stay in a cer- tain position, somepin lak dis [demonstrates]. Not lyin' up by raisin' it ovah yo' haid, an' puts it down. Put it down undah de foot of de do' [door]. An' in nine days time he'll walk in de house.
(Walk in the house. That's to bring the man back.)
Or a woman back.
(DO YOU WANT TO KEEP THAT PIECE OF PAPER?)
WELL, AH GOTTA KEEP DIS BECUZ DIS IS SOMEBODY ELSE'S STUFF DAT AH'M USIN'.
(OH, WELL, COULD YOU LET ME COPY IT BEFORE YOU GO?)
YEAH, YO' KIN COPY IT. [I believe that piece of paper, the world diagram, is copied in my Numbers Book.]
[Doctor Cason's material on p.2259f. in vol.3 comes in here.] [548:1.]
(What can I do to keep them from harming me?)
Well, yo' is travelin' ovah de worl'. Yo're travelin' ovah de world, yo' UndahSaN', de WOrld. AH TOTES A LI'LE BAG AROUN' MAH WAIS'. AH TOTE NINE KNOTS, ONE DIME AN' TWO PENNIES. Dem li'le articles stuck in dere. An' when ah gwine out, regardless of where ah goes, ah fin' dat somebody has done talk about me or no.
(Well what if they put something in the ground for you to walk over?)
Dat don' make no diff'rence. (What else do you put in that bag, besides those dimes and pennies? What else do you put in that bag?) I put a powdah in it. (What do you call that powder? Do you know the name? Can you think of the name?) Ah don' know. Lemme see.
(And a string that has nine knots.)
No string, a cord.
[He produces a ball of cord string.]
(Is that the cord, the ball of cord that you use?)
See [demonstrates] ah double dat up. Make nine knots outa dat. [Tie nine knots in the doubled cord, 1 Den ah ties a li'le roots.
(You tie some roots on that cord?)
Naw, ah don' put dat on dere.
(This powder that you use, what is the name supposed to be?)
Well, ah buy it an' den ah'll use diff'ren' article dat ah fix.
(Well has this powder a name?)
Yah, is a name but ah jis' cain't call de name of de powdah now.
(You send away and get it some place?)
Yes, any one of dese ten-cent box, big boxes, ten-cent box. Ah use dat. An', if dey not frien'ly an' yo' wan'a be coaxin' a pusson, yo' mix up certain amounts of dat an' about two teaspoonsfula cocoa.
(For to drink?)
Yes, sir. Dat says yo're coaxin' de mind of a pusson wit dis powdah. Yo'll use one or two spoonsfula powdah in dere. (You take one or two spoonsful of this powder. And then what do you put that in? What do you do with that?) Well, yo' fix up dat. Put roots an' stuff an' yo' pennies an' things whut yo' gona put in de bag. See whut chew kin make a bag outa firs'.
(What do you do with that cocoa [powder] then?)
Well yo' put about a teaspoonful in dat. Put it in, mix it wit de powdah.
(I see. Well, what sort of roots do you put in there?)
Well, yo' use de devil's-shoestring. Yo' unnahstan' dat? Do yo' know dat?
(I understand. Yes, ah know that.)
If yo' see it, yo' know it? (No, I wouldn't know it if I saw it, but I know of the root. I mean I've heard of it.)
(This is to coax the person?)
[I refer to the doctor's preceding words: yo're coaxin' de mind of a person.]
Yas. He comes tuh yo' ways. He's gotta come. Dey ain't no way in de worl' dat he kin git aroun' from it. An' while he might have made up in 'is mind tuh do harm, he's gotta come tuh do good.
(What did you just say, if things are what?)
[I had turned off machine and am now asking him to repeat.]
Ah said if thing goin' bad wit chu, yo' goin' tuh be at trial in de mawnin', yo' put a piece of dat root in de mout' an' pass it between yuh laigs. PASS IT BETWEEN YUH LAIGS ONE TIME.
(Pass it between your legs one time.)
Care [carry] it in yuh mout' - care it in yuh hip pocket on de wrong side an de case'll be thrown out. [549:4.] (Now suppose I'm not feeling well and I come to your house and I say, "Doctor, I don't know whether I'm sick or whether someone has put a spell on me." Now, COULD YOU TELL WHETHER I'M JUST ORDINARY SICK OR WHETHER I HAVE A SPELL ON ME?) Yas.
(How would you tell that?)
I'd feel yuh breath [pulse?].
(What do you do then?)
Well, ah tell yo' by yuh breath an' ah test yo' by yuh speakin'. An' ah come aroun' an' tell yo' whut it is.
(Well, how would you test me by speaking?)
Well, yo'd have tuh talk an' ah test yo'. Ah kin tell yo' feelin' 'cuz yo' son't be feelin' all right. Yo' kin talk so's ah kin git anythin' outa yo'.
[550:2.]
Ah nevah have experienced dat aroun', but ah have take de linin' outa man's bat an' put watah on 'is brains.
(Well, how do they do that?)
Well, dey do's somepin wit dat.
(What for example?)
Well, dey git dat linin' out - see, of co'se [course] ah don' follah dat [he does not do evil work].
(I understand.)
AH THINK AH'VE GOT TUH GO BACK TUH MAH BOOK TUH GIT DAT.
[To do this type of work he would have to consult his hoodoo book.]
(I see. What book do you use?)
AH USE DE "PSALM OF MOSES."
(The 6th or 7th Book of Moses?)
[I turned off recording too fast for an answer.] [551:1.]
(HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED THIS WORK?)
WELL, AH WUZ ABOUT FORTY.
(HOW DID YOU HAPPEN TO GET INTO IT? HOW DID YOU HAPPEN TO TAKE UP THIS WORK?)
Well, I WaS - had a jOb. AH WUZ 'TENDIN' TUH DIFF'REN' SICK. AH LEARNED TUH NURSE. Ah used tuh tend tuh git medicine fo' womens dat wuz havin' de baby. Ah took dem up by mah brain. An' ah studied a whole lot of it, dat tell about de practice of it. Ah didn't have tuh study no book fer dat, but ah knows a whole lot. Ah learned about John de Conkah, Adam-an'-Eve, rattlesnake root [I mean] mastah. All diff'ren' thin's. An' ah know whut dey fer. [551:2.] (WHEN YOU MEET ANOTHER ROOT DOCTOR AND HE HAS SOME GOOD REMEDY, WILL YOU USE THAT REMEDY THEN FOR YOURSELF?) WELL, AH TELL YO'. DON'T CARE WHO AH MEET, AH DON' WORRIES [BOTHER] WIT NONE OF DEM. DEY HARDLY WORRIES ME BECUZ DEY ARE NOT TUHGETHAH. [THERE IS NO ORGAN- IZATION OR FRIENDSHIP AMONG DOCTORS.] YO' WALKS AT ME AN' AH WALKS AT YO'. AH TRY TUH GIT IN YUH PATH AN' YO' TRY TUH GIT IN MINE. AN' AH DON' WORRY WIT CHEW. (I see, you work for yourself alone. Some of these root doctors will do things against you?) Yes, sir.
(And I suppose there are some who claim to be root doctors and are not.)
AH - AH'VE GOT MORE [TO MY WORK THAN BE] WIT 'EM. DEY ONLY TRY TUH MAKES MONEY AN' DAT'S ALL, BUT AH TRIES BY DE GOOD LORD TUH DO WHUT AH SAYS.
(I understand.) [551:3.]
Take yuh chamber lye an' put it in a bottle an' cork it up tight. An' goes tuh de watah's side an' [when] de tide goin' down. Yo' wave dat ovah yuh haid nine times an' throw it back ovah de shouldah an' walk aways from dere. An' wherevah de tide care [carry] 'im, it'll care dat outside; an' wherevah it'll lodge, wherevah de chamber lye drop out, [that] draps yo'. Ah knows. Ah hear'd dat done all right.
(You throw it back over your left shoulder or your right?)
Left. [551:6.] An' de way dat dey used - dere's two wavs tuh usin' 'em.
(There's two ways [I begin by repeating his words] to use these chicken eggs?)
Yes, two ways dat ah know of. Dey will write yuh name on dere an' yuh street an' yuh numbah. An' dey will write out de numbah of yuh days on dere.
(The number of your day. What day?)
Any day dey Wanta give, nine days or ten days, or anythin', any days dey Wanta give. An' dey'll take dat an' put it in a careful place, a certain place where no one kin see it. Or dey kin bury it where dey don't want 'em tuh see. Den, if anybody do anythin' tuh yo' fam'ly, any of yuh fam'ly people, yo'll write on de egg an' 'is street numbah of 'is place. An' anybody yo' know daid, yo' go out tuh de cemetery 'fo' he's buried, an' put dat [egg] in 'is lef' han' an' shut 'im [egg with name] up. An' put 'im [named egg] in. An' dey cain't stick [the town]. "When dat breaks, dey gone.
Entry 8021
Ah tole yo' 95 percent of de people in dis town an' othah towns have got frauded outa money goin' tuh people, yo' undahstan', who claim dey kin do dose things an' frauded 'em outa money wit'out any proof. Yo' git a bone, a dead person's bone, yo' undahstan' an' yo' Would bury it undah de step where de party is at, tying nine knots in dat bone, yo' see, an' it will keep sickness in de house, yo' see. It will keep de people who can't undahstan' one anothah - man, wife and daughter, dey can't undahstan' one anothah. Dey all pull contrary somehow or anothah, see. An' dey will nevah make de end Iends] meet.
(Well, how do you tie the knots in that bone?)
Tie them in a cord an' den tie de bone wit de cord.
Entry 10654
If yore daughter mā'ys a man dat chew don't want her mā'y him, if yo' don't [want] him tuh have her, an' she goin' do it anyhow, ovah yore control, yo' go tuh a great big red ant nest. Dem big red ants, on a sand hill where dey be - a big red ant bed. Yo' ketch up a bottle of 'em or a buck- et of 'em, whut [whatever] yo' kin git 'em in, where dey can't git out. Den go tuh a young dogwood tree dat grows, a young dogwood tree, jes' one, one or two yeahs ole - a lil' young one dat Sprout up. Yo' goes an' take yo' a long white thread-string an' tie yo' nine knots in it, jes' lak dat. Yo' go tuh a young dogwood tree at chure farn. Yo' meedn't bother tuh cut it up. Take dat thread-string an' goes roun' an' roan' an' roun' down tuh de root. Wrap it roun' dere an' draw it tight, roun' an' rou' Tie it dere. Take dem ants an' come back an' go up tuh de house wit dem ants, an' &sys, if yo' want de man tuh leave, yo' says, "Ah means fo' dis man tuh leave yo' in a mng, as fast as dese ants is crawlin' on de ground." Dem ants done go oeg dere at once. An' if not, yo' kin say, "Ah want chew tuh come back home tuh mah booe, Mhere yo' left out of, as fast as dese ants is runnin' on de ground. Ah mean yo' not tuh walk back. Ah mean fo' yo' tuh run back." Yo' let dem ants out. Let dem ants out dere in de yards, an' first thing yo' know, dem ants goin' tear right Off [run away as fast as possible]. Yo' kin watch 'em, see 'em, tear right outen de house, leavin' dat way, goin'. Dey ain't goin' undah de house. Dey goin' from de house, every time. Well, den yo' turn loose dem ants an' do dat way lak dat, an' in about six, seven or eight days, natchly [naturally] see, somepin git wrong in de house an' she git dissatisfied, she gather up her clothes an' come back home. An' if not - now if yo' mean fo' him tuh go, he'll slip off de house an' he'll go tuh his home. He's gone. An' de dogwood tree wit dem nine knots an' de strings, dat's is down on him. Dat dogwood tree dat yo' go out dere, an' dem nine knots in dat white string dat chew wrap round dere tight an' tie it round dat dogwood, dat dogwood is fo' him, dat's down on him. Yo' ain't gotta do dat fo' her, if yo' daughter come back. Yo' go ahead an' talk tuh 'em [ants] when yo' git dem ants bed, turn 'em loose in de house an' say, "Ah want chew come back home fast dese ants is runnin' way from dis house."
(In other words, you are sending the man away and bringing your daughter back?)
Yo' send de man away, understand, an' let her stay dere if yo' wanta. Yo' make him leave her.
Entry 11983
Tie 9 knots in person's hair and throw into running water, having first turned around 9 times while wishing victim will never return. [Washington, D. C., 837:2.]
Entry 12424
An' jis' lak if yore husban' is runnin' aroun' an' yo' don' want him tuh run out with wimmins. Yo' take a cord string an' measure hisself, yo' know, at de length, an' yo' tie nine knots in dat an' yo' wear it roun' yore waist. Dat'll keep him at home. [Memphis 1520:12.]
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 3547
Git a bran'-new han'ke'chuf. She use dat - jes' lak if yo' [a woman] wanta take his nature away, yo' undahstan'. If yo' [a man] don' Want 'er tuh go wit nobody else, yo' use it, see. Take a bran'-new han'ke'chuf an' she wipe wit it but not chew, see. Perten' [pretend] lak yo' did but chew didn't, see. An' yo' go an' put it ovah de do'dere [door of interview room referred to], see. Take dat piece out an' put ovah de do'. If yo' don't do dat, yo' kin take dat - yo' kin take it an' put it in de mattress. An' tie it in nine knots an' put dat in yore mattress. An' evah time he go tuh be wit anybody he'll fall.
Entry 10245
Dey say dat chew tie seven knots or nine knots. [Fire in grate cracks, a cold rainy day.] It's always a odd number. An' tie it [this knotted string] around people an' dat will cause dem to have disconnection [be impotent] wit wimmin folks. [That fire in the grate cracked all day and I wore a long overcoat all day while intervieving! The rosin in the pinewood did the cracking.]
Entry 1367
[A few knots were given in Nos. 1016-1025, pp.389-391.] Fo' cramps, or say if yo' havin' chills an' fever, tie one [string] roun' her waist an' put three knots in dere an' wear it. Do dat, dat'll counteract that.
(Just tie these three knots into a string?)
Yes.
The eligible wording is the interviewer clarification, followed by Yes; the earlier bracketed string remains a separate editorial insertion.
Entry 3127
Now, a woman in de town heah - yo' got a woman an' yo' wants tuh hold 'er. If a woman git away from yo', why den yo' goes tuh work den an' take some of 'er cloth, her cloth whut she use, yo' know. Yo' take dat an' yo' measure on yore fingahs part of it, an' den yo' wear dat yo' see. Put about nine knots in it an' yo' wear dat. An' in wearin' dat, dat will hold 'er dere wit yo' - she cain't git away.
(What do you measure that cloth with? Your finger or what?)
Yes, jes' ketch yore fingahs [demonstrates].
(Right along your middle finger.)
Now, her, when yo' gittin' dat, den yo' take yore fingah an' measure 'er, yo' see. An' den yo' come, aftah measurin' 'er - well, den yo' measure dat cloth.
[I now comment upon the preceding rite to be certain that I understand it.]
(After you measure her with your finger, you measure that cloth with this. You take this piece of cloth long enough, just as long as that measure, then you tie nine knots in it, and you wear it around your body. That holds her. She can't have any other man?) No, she cain't.
The informant says about nine knots; the later interviewer restatement says nine. Both wordings remain distinct.
Entry 10378
Measure man with new yellow cotton, tie 9 knots, and wear around waist [Norfolk, 458:4].
The condensed instruction names tying nine knots in its measurement and waist-wearing context. This does not establish a performed act, effect or universal knot rule.
Entry 10380
Penis measured, 9 knots in string, worn around her waist.
The short or reduced account names nine knots in string alongside measurement and waist-wearing. It does not establish original wording, a performed act or a universal knot rule.
Entry 10383
Woman measures man's penis with black thread, ties 9 knots in it and wears around right leg. [Washington, D. C., 816:1.]
The account names nine knots in black thread and wearing around the right leg. Its short-or-reduced presentation does not establish an observed act or a universal procedure.
Entry 10384
Woman measures man, talks to the string while tying 9 knots in it, drawing each knot to her as it is being tied, and wears around her leg. [Wash- ington, D. C., 805:4.]
The account names nine knots, talking to the string and drawing each knot toward the woman. It supplies no spoken formula or established performance or effect.
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- KNOTS 9 - AFTER WRAPPING 9 TIMES — Volume 3, entries 3381. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → DISHRAG.
- RIBBON - KNOTS IN FOR INCHES - WEARS ABOUT HER LEFT LEG — Volume 3, entries 3470. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → KNOTS AND TYING → UNNUMBERED OR SPECIAL KNOTS.
- KNOT 1 - TIED IN TWISTED MENSTRUAL CLOTH; KNOTS 3 IN STRING - DROP OF MONTHLY BLOOD — Volume 3, entries 3908. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD → "HER PRIVATE TIME".
- KNOTS 3 - INTO STRING TYING UP PACKAGED CLOTH — Volume 3, entries 3909. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD → "HER PRIVATE TIME".
- KNOTS 9 - IN HER CLOTH - INTO COFFEEPOT — Volume 3, entries 3910. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD → "HER PRIVATE TIME".
- 9 KNOTS TIED BY WOMAN IN MAN'S SHIRT - IN HER; URINE 3 MORNINGS - THEN HIDDEN IN HIS CLOTHES — Volume 3, entries 4215. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- KNOTS 9 - TIED IN CLOTHES; HOLE IN TREE - HIT 9 MORNINGS — Volume 3, entries 4784. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → CLOTHES EXCLUDING HAT, SOCKS AND STOCKINGS, AND SHOES.
- KNOTS 1 OR 3 — Volume 3, entries 4950. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- (3) 3 KNOTS TIED IN 3 HIGHEST NAMES — Volume 3, entries 4953. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- KNOTS 3; (1) ONE ON TOP OF OTHER - PULLING STOCKING TO YOU; CALLING OWNER'S NAME 3 TIMES EACH KNOT TIED; STICK INTO THIS THREEFOLD KNOT - 9 NEEDLES - 9 PINS; ALTERNATING HEADS AND POINTS - FEED HEARTS COLOGNE — Volume 3, entries 4951. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- (7) DOORSTEP - 3 KNOTS UNDER — Volume 3, entries 4957. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- KNOTS 7: TIE 4 IN TOP OF SOCK; TURN AND TIE 3 IN BOTTOM - SAY; BY DE HE'P OF GOD AH'M GON'A BE WIT CHUH — Volume 3, entries 4959. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- KNOTS 9; (1) IN SOCK - INTO RUNNING STREAM — Volume 3, entries 4960. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- NORTH SIDE OF TREE; STAPLE STOCKING WITH 3 KNOTS — Volume 3, entries 4999. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- KNOTS 9 - FOOT TRACKS 9 - TIED IN NEW GINGHAM - DOORSTEP — Volume 4, entries 5523. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- KNOTS 3 - IN BOOK OR BOTTLE OF PERFUME — Volume 4, entries 5966. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- KNOTS 3 - IN HAIRS 3 - CLIP OFF 1 KNOT EACH DAWN; 1ST SMOKE IN CIGARETTE - 2ND ABOUT WAIST - 3RD IN POCKETBOOK — Volume 4, entries 5967. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- KNOTS 4 — Volume 4, entries 5968. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- KNOTS 5 — Volume 4, entries 5969. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- KNOTS 9 - WEAR ABOUT WAIST — Volume 4, entries 5970. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- 3 KNOTS IN HER STOCKING; ACROSS HIS NECK KNOW DAT'S A FACT. — Volume 4, entries 7162. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → TO KEEP PERSON ASLEEP.
- (15) SHIRT - TWIST 16 KNOTS IN — Volume 4, entries 7395. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- KNOTS 14 — Volume 5, entries 10394. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SEX AND IMPOTENCE REAPPEAR.
- KNOTS - IN ROPE OR HANDKERCHIEF - JINX TO PEOPLE; PEOPLE PASSING BY TIE KNOTS - IN CLOTHESLINE WASHING; BOW KNOTS OR CRAWFISH KNOTS - NO LUCK TO NOBODY — Volume 5, entries 12280. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- KNOTS - TIE INTO ANY THREAD FROM VICTIM'S CLOTHES; BURY WHERE HE WALKS - AFTER HE PASSES OVER THEM; AS MANY TIMES AS KNOTS - HE WILL FAIL IN BUSINESS — Volume 5, entries 12283. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- KNOTS 36 3 INCHES APART IN THREAD - STOP IN ROAD; THROW KNOTTED STRING OVER SHOULDER - NOT LOOKING BACK; GIVE DEM A PURTTY TIGHT TIME... WHUSHY IN DEY MIND — Volume 5, entries 12292. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".