Subject:Liver
Entries
Entry 3156
A girl tole me dat she could take beef livah an' cook it an' give it tuh me tuh eat, an' dat would cuz me, if ah went out wit anothah woman, dat would cuz me an' 'er tuh go tuhgethah lak a dog. Jes' beef livah. (She wouldn't put anything else with it?) Ah don't know whut she put wit it. She nevah did tell me whut she put wit it. [Surely not beef liver but dog liver is meant - see later sub- subsection (c) DOG, under subsection (1) CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE.]
Entry 3425
If yo' want two people tuh be tied up tuhgethah, jes' lak yo' know a man an' a woman goin' tuhgethah an' yo' want 'em tuh be brought tuh shame an' disgrace. Why then yo' git de [male] dog livah. Kill a dog an' git 'ls livah an' let - jes' [llke] ah wuz tuh cook livah fo' suppah. Well, now, ah put livah on yore plate, de dog livah on yore plate, but ah ain't goin' put it on mah plate, see. An' ah ain't goin' be wit chew. Ah'll play lak ah'm ministratin' an' can't be wit yo', see. [To be with him before the dressed liver performed its mission would break the spell; it could also be magically dangerous. Another example of the belief will be given later.] An' let dem use de dog livah an' yo' use de othah livah, yo' see. An' when dey go ahead an' be tuhgethah, dey'd git tied up lak a dog.
Entry 3433
Well, jes' lak yo' Want - if yore wife is a run-aroun' woman an' yo' Wanta ketch 'er wit someone, an' she all de time tellin' yo' dat she don't do dat.[ Well, all yo' gotta do is git yo' a dog - steal de dog an' carry 'im off an' kill 'im, see, an' git 'is livah. An' den when yo' git de livah, yo' jes' go on an' buy yo' a dime or so of de othah livah, yo' know, an' mix in it an' carry it to her dat night, dat aftahnoon, an' tell 'er to cook it fer supper, "I be home fer SUppah." See. AN' DEN SHE GO ON AN' COOKS IT. WELL, IT'S A KNOWN FACT DAT SHE BE WAITIN', WAITIN', WAITIN', AN' DON'T SEE YO' COMIN', SHE GOIN' GIT MAD AN' EAT HERS, yo' undahstan'. She goin' eat part of 'ers an- MAYBE IF SHE DON'T, WHENEVAH YO' COME IN, YO' JES' MAKE OUT LAK YO' GOT A PAIN IN DE STOMICK or yo' sick OR YO' DON'T FEEL LAK NUTHIN, yo' see. An' den she'll go on an' eat 'ers. See, an' 24 hours aftah she eat 'ers, why de nex' day or so if she go off, any time dat Week, any tIme - CO'SE YO' CAN'T EVEN HAVE NUTHIN TO DO WIT HER, see. [For other examples of this belief see Nos.3425 and 3431.] If she go out why yo'll find it out. See, yo' undahstan', she goin' git stuck. See, dat dog's livah make her, when she have connection wit de othah man, dat will draw de both of 'em togethah. Dey can't git away. See, he'll swell up an' she would too.
Entry 3434
It jes' lak dis: if yo' were a man - is yo' a man an goin' wit anothah man's wife. Now, lemme see if dat right. Yes. Aw - no. If yo' wuz goin' wit anothah woman an' yore wife found it out, an' she killed a puppy an' cooked dat puppy livah an' give it to yo', why yo' an' 'er [other woman] when yo' have connection yo' would git hitched [= tied]. Yo'd git hitched, an' yo' know it take doctors [M.D.'s] dat know dere business to unhitch yo'.
Entry 3436
Ah heard of dat. Dey tell me dat chew kin kill a feis' dog [a small dog] an' any way dat chew kin git any of de blood offa de livah of dat feis' dog [a feist] in any- thing at all to eat fo' him. Well, if he has anything to do wit anothah woman, it's natural he git stuck, yo' see.
Entry 3437
Jes' lak a woman's husban' runnin' roun' an' she wants tuh ketch 'im, why den she kin take - lak a fellah dat eat livah or somepin lak dat, why dey kin ketch a black dog, jes' a real black dog. Kill 'im an' take his livah. Jes' lak she would buy livah fo' suppah. Take dis livah an' give it tuh 'im dis evening. If he has intahco'se wit a woman, he git caught jes' lak a dog.
(Then they can catch him.)
Entry 3438
Dog livah will tie yo' up.
(Just how do they do that?)
Yo' gits dat dog livah. Cut dat dog while he live an' take de livah from 'im, an' dey'll take dat dog livah an' put it in whiskey or in de tea or anything, an' - if dey kin git to yo' - yo'll nevah do nuthin. (You say it will tie you up. How do you mean?) If yo' connect wit a woman - if a man connect wit a woman, git fastened.
Entry 3439
[Gyp or gip has been a common term in the United States for a bitch, the word deriving from gypsy or gipsy (chiefly British) and originally meaning a gypsy-like dog - a wanderer. Here, as so often in the United States, the female is accused of a trait not exclusively hers. Dogs - the males - as I know from experience can be male tramps. Finally, Gyp or Gip is - used to be at least - a favorite name for male or female dogs.] Yo' kin take a dog's livah now, if yo' wife is havin' intahco'se wit any othah man an' yo' wanta ketch up wit 'er. Well, yo' kin kill a gyp dog an' yo' kin care [carry] her two slices of dat livah an' let 'er eat it, an' de very nex' time, if it's de nex' day or de day aftah, she have intahco'se wit dis othah man, why dey git hung jes' lak dat gyp dog would.
(A GYP DOG? WHAT KIND OF A DOG IS THAT?)
A SHE DOG.
(THEY CALL THEM GYP DOGS DOWN HERE.)
Entry 3441
Well, if a man got a wife an' she's runnin' roun' an' he wanta ketch 'er, an' he can't ketch 'er, well, he kills a dog dat's proudin' an' take de livah. An' jes' lak yo'll go uptown an' buy hog livah or cow livah, an' take it home an' let 'er cook it an' eat, an' de man dat she have connection wit, dey'll tie up jes' lak two dogs.
Entry 3444
Yo' know de colored people laks livah, laks tuh eat livah yo' know - beef livah, calf livah. Well, quite natchel [natural] dey cooks de dog livah. Well, now, quite natchel, he laks livah, yo' see. But now, yo' wouldn't prepare dis livah fo' me, if yo' didn't care nuthin about me. Dese wimmins genly [generally] use dat on dere husban'. Dey usin' dat to tie him; if he goes out anywhere, why he'll git hung jes' lak a dog would. Dat's whut dey do wit dog livah.
(That's to shame him or something if he's caught.)
Oh! he git caught. Dere ain't no doubt about it. He'll swell up. An' de only thing dat kin unswell 'im - co'se de doctor [M.D.] kin do it, but quite natchel he might not he'p 'em [be able to help them] if dey settin' down a couple of days. He put a piece of ice right dere, an' dat ice gotta have at least three minutes, an' it will untie 'em. If she haven't got no ice, no good ice watah where yo' kin bathe 'im back down [my root doctor informant is now talking about his own professional abilityl, or bathe her down where it swellin', den he'll git fastened dat much tightah an' de doctor [M.D.] have tuh unloosen dem. Give 'im somepin tuh cool 'im down an' throw de swellin' down. Dat's why some use it - dem dat's mean enough - use dog's livah fo' dat. Dat's whut dey do wit it.
Entry 3445
Jes' lak we were talkin' 'bout back heah while ago, if a person git hook up lak dis, yo' give 'em dog livah an' dat will relief 'em. Dey tell me dat will relief 'em, give 'em dog livah. (If the man and woman are stuck together, you give them dog liver to eat. That'll unfasten them?) [This is an example of like cures like, see margin title, p.394.] Yes, dog livah will unfasten dem.
Entry 3446
[The following belief indicates that there is something strong and powerful about dog liver, even for the dog itself:] Yo' kin take a dog livah, if de woman's mad wit chew an' at 'er. Git de dog livah an' some kinda othah livah an' cook it, an' don' yo' eat none of it. Give dat to de dog an' he'll run away an' won't nevah come back. Take de two livah an' fry it togethah see, an' she won' know it.
Entry 3911
I've heard dis-like, it seems purtty bad. I don't guess it would suit yore occasion. Now I heard talk of lotsa men an' girls dat I really been roun', an' said dat dey really did it, an' a boy couldn't go no place wit'out dey'd be right - yo' know, she couldn't go anywhere wit'out 'er husban' or man or fellah or whutsoevah it might be, be right where she wus. Yo' know, jis' like sometime a woman have periods, she would go to de stores an' buy some kin'a red meat, choo know, dat produce a lot of blood - sompin like livah or steak or sompin like dat. An' she said dat she'd taken dis steak [or liver] an' beat it up an' taken one dem things [menstrual cloth], yo' know, from roun' 'er concern, an' wrap dat thing up in dere, an' wore it jes about a half of day an' taken it right off. An' when 'er husban' come in she, yo' know, cooked it fo' 'i. An' he went on an' et [ate] it. An' she said dat she cain't even git rid of 'im, an' she don't wan'a stay wit 'im, or cain't git rid of 'im. Yo' know, some witchcraft tole her about it. An' she says [saz not sez] it really happens fo' a fac' [fact]. An' I do know dat he's stays tuh wery lovin'. But anothah man stay wit 'er right now. But 'er husban' cain't stay away from dere. He's goin' dere to care [carry] 'er some money dis aftahnoon. He tole me so. He gon'a bring 'er some money fer 'er an' 'er baby.
Entry 10941
Ah would jis' simply - ah would make me a smoke, an' dat would knock evahthing in de haid. (How do you make that smoke?) Ah would make it wit de fish livah an' heart. Ah would take de fiah an' ah would put de heart in a saucah an' leave dat set fo' 'bout nine days. An' aftah dat ah would take a furnace an' ah would take jis' a li'le small pinch of it. An' it drives all evil spirits clear away. Absolutely.
(What kind of fish do you use, any kind of fish?)
Catfish. De oldah de catfish is, de bettah it is.
(Now you make this smoke, then what do you do?)
Dat explores all ovah de house where yo' live. De party dat wants tuh git chew out, dey cain't be successful.
(If I want to stay in the house, I make that smoke and they can't move ne out?)
Can't move yo' out.
Entry 12067
Handwriting thrown into running water or the ebbing tide runs you By: [Elizabeth City 403:9.]
Entry 12476
Well, if a person do sompin an' dey wanta git away an' dey got 'em trail'-lak, say fo' instance, dey put de policemen on dere track or put de bloodhoun's. Dey git bloodhoun's behin' 'em an' trail 'em. Dey git a piece of beef livah an' jes' rub dat blood in de bottom of dere shoes. Dey git 'em some garlic an' chop garlic up an' put it all in de bottom of dere shoes. An' wheresomevah dey makes a track, kin nuthin trail 'em.
Entry 12900
[These following rites, excepting a few new locations of beliefs and a detail or two, add little to the dog rites in volume 3, numbers 2408-2419.] Dey tell me, dat if you having trouble in yore home with your family, dat if yo' wanta ketch 'em so dat yo' know who it is yo' havin' trouble with, dey tell De to takes yo' a piece of dog liver an' give it to yore wife, an' whenever dis fellah come back in dere, why he'll be fastened dere an' stay until yo' come.
[W11son 2647:16.]