Subject:Living
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Entry 1006
[Before leaving the subject of transference I must give here a remarkable case of disease transferred from the dead to the living:] Well, a man died with the T. B. An' another woman didn't like him [a living man]. She fell out with him because she like him an' he liked another woman. Well, she went to de graveyard [the grave of the man with T. B.] an' she got someone dat knew about dat stuff [graveyard dirt] an' on a certain moon dat bottom sand comes to de top. Well, they knew about dat. They knew jes' when those things would be, so she got this graveyard dirt an' she put it with something else an' she put it in a drink an' gave it to him. Then he begin to pine away jes' like he had de T. B. If yo' want a person to have heart trouble or something like dat, jes' like a person tuh die, why yo' go tuh de person that chew knew died wit dat, an' on a certain moon dat sand comes to de top - de top sand goes to de bottom an' de bottom sand comes to de top. An' yo' get dat sand an' put it in something - put it with something else an' yo' give it to them - an' they'll die with de same thing dat de person dat de sand come from died with. Dat's why lotsa people have such peculiar diseases an' we think it's one thing when it's another - it's not nachural. [Disease is not natural - see No. 647, p.218.]
(It's something that you put in some sort of food or drink.)
Yes sir.
(What do you mean by certain moon?)
Well, witchcraft mostly comes on a young moon.
Entry 6675
Now a terrapin is a thing, he crawls late at night, an' he crawls at certain times of de day an' he go tuh sleep. Now, dat terrapin yo' wanta wakes 'im at night. Dat terrapin will crawl out de day, an' if chew wanta git dat terrapin tuh hurt chew at night, dey'll capsize 'im from 'is den. Dey'll grab 'im an' dey may cut off 'is right laig an' call yore name. An' dey carries it tuh dey house, bury dat [leg] an' dey'll turn dat ter- rapin loose live. An' quick as dat swell up, where he cut off dat laig, dat right foot - quick as dat swell up, why yo' is a sick man. (That is one way, they use it. What about the other way?)
Entry 512
Dey claim if a witch ride joo it's a person dat's living.
(A person that is living - what about it?)
Dey say - now it's a ole story - dey come outa dere skin and comes in through a keyhole. Dat's de ole story - course it's almost impossible fo' yo' to believe it. Dey say dey comes outa dere skin and den comes in through de keyhole an' comes in only whilst yo' sleep an' rides yo' - usually be a ole woman - be a witch - turns to a witch - she be's a witch.
(How do you get rid of her?)
Well, nail a horseshoe up ovah yore do' an' she won't come in.
(Is there any way you can catch her?)
Well, dey say, de way yo' kin ketch her, say yo' kin take a handful of mustard seed and put it down right on de floor right round your bed, an' she got'a count dose seeds befo' she leaves an' dey say yo' ketch [her] dere counting de seeds.
Entry 12724
(Are they different from any other kind of rabbit or not?)
Jest looks de same.
(And where do you catch them then?)
Well, yo' kin catch 'em round the graveyard some place.
(And then what would you do with that?)
You will take his front right foot...
(Front right foot?)
Yes, an' wear it in your pocket.
(Do you kill the rabbit or what?)
Well, try to ketch him alive and take dat foot off an' turn him loose...dat's more better.
(Oh, I see. You don't kill him, just cut that foot while he is alive?)
And turn him loose.
(And now what did you say you put with that?)
You puts a little of dat High John de Conkah and a little of dat perfume and wear it in your pocket amongst your money. Them things supposed to be very lucky.
Entry 254
I git me a black cat. I'll take this black cat. I'll put dis cat on alive. I boil this black cat an' whutevah bone comes to the top of dat, that's called, they say, sellin' yerself to the devil. All right. I kin take that bone but I got to go to a house by mahself. An' in boilin' that cat I got to put a top on that cat an' boil this cat alive. An' I got to stand zamination between de devil an' his imps. It'll come a great many things. They come a whole gang of little people in there to dance with me. I've got to do this in the dahk. But when they git in they'll bring their own light, de own music an' ever'thing An' if I kin go through that zamination, an' that cat gits done - the meat boil offen that cat bone, the very bone that I want, the black cat's bone, is comin' to the top. Well, I kin git that an' tote it. Jis' as long as I kin tote it, I can go in your house or I kin walk up to you, take money out of yer pocket; or I kin go in amongs' a sto'keeper an' go behind the counter an' git the money out. They kin't see me come out. They may shoot at me an' can't hit me a' [or] nothin' as long as I keep that black cat's bone. I've sold mahself to the devil.
Entry 255
De way ah know it or de way ah've heard it - ah have nevah had any personal experience about it, but de way ah've heard it is dat yo' ketch de cat an' keep the cat nine days. An' in de ninth day yo' throw de cat into it - jis' as he is, life an' all - into a boilin' pot of watah, an' de bone dat bristles up out of his back aftah de boilin' is de bone which yo' want.
(Then what do you do with that bone?)
Yo' wear that bone on yore person. Dat's de lucky bone.
Entry 4733
Take dat chicken an' bury 'im alive undahneat' de hearth. An' yuh take, see yuh take all de insides of de chicken out, an' yuh take de person's undah- clothes. Take de person's underclothes, as much of it, yuh know, dat's got'is, whatevah it is, yuh see. Yuh kin take dat, in de seat of it, an' put it in de chicken an' sew 'im up, if he's alive. An' yuh kin put 'im undahneat' de hearth, or any place, or bury 'im, undahstan'. An' whoevah dat person is, when dis chicken dies, yuh'll die, too.
(The chicken is alive?)
Yessuh, a live chicken, an' a roostah. Yuh don't kill 'i. Yuh jis' cut 'im Open an' take it out jis' as quick as yuh kin, an' push de chicken back tuhgethah an' bury 'im in dat hole while he's alive an' kickin'.
(Any kind of a chicken will do?)
Any chicken will do.
Entry 5856
Yo' split de tail of a dog or rabbit, anythin', an' put dat person's hair on dat tail - lay it in dere, fold it an' lay it in dere, an' den sew dat tail back up an' wrap it up so dat it cain't come out. He'll grow back togethah, an' long as dat varmit livin', why dat person will be crazy minded - go tuh de 'sylum.
Entry 6336
Well, dey kin git holt some of yore hair. It's 'cordin' to whut dey wanta do wit yo', why dey kin take dat hair. Now, if dey wanta partly run yo' crazy, frenzy minded, dey could take dat hair an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up an' pore watah on it.
(Any kind of water?)
Any kind of a watah po' on it. Let it stay until it become to be - DAT WATAH GOIN' MAKE DAT HAIR 'LIVE LAK A LITTLE LIVE WORM IN DE WATAH, yo' see. Well, WHEN DAT HAIR BEGIN TUH GIT 'LIVE, dey take an' po' dat Water out an' t'row dat bottle in de rivah. Let it float on de way down - on - on - on. T'row it away. Whenevah dey throw it down, dey [the thrower] jes' turns aroun', dey don't look back aftah it a'gin at all. Well, dat run yo' crazy.
(They pour the water out that bottle before they throw it into the river?)
Yes, 'fore dey t'row it in de rivah, dey must keep it nine days aftah yo' put de watah in it. Yo' keep dat bottle 9 days. Have it roun' yore house an' IN 9 DAYS DAT HAIR WILL COME TO LIFE. (Yes, but I mean, you leave the water [hair] in the bottle when you throw it into the river?)
[The word water in my question is a slip of the tongue for hair.]
Yeah, oh yeah. An' de bottle's goin' float on, be goin' right on doon wit de stream.
Entry 6531
Now dey tell me yo' kin take red ants. Go tuh a red ants' bed, jis' lak if yo' wants tuh run a person crazy. Yo' kin go tuh a red ants' bed an' git dose ants an' kill 'em. An' take 'em out in de sun an' let [put] 'em in de sun an' let 'em dry. Don't dry dem in de shade. Yo' know, put 'em in de sun an' let 'em dry. An' give it tuh de folks den in sech as dey bread, or one sech lak dat, an' dey says it will create live things tuh come up an' down in 'em.
Entry 6532
Goin' tuh a red ants' bed - jis' like yo' wanta put ants intuh some- body. Dat will jis' eat 'em up. Jis' git dem antses an' take 'em outa dere an' put 'em in anything dat dey'll parch up tuh a dust. Put 'em in dere live an' put 'em where dey'll parch up tuh a dust. An' git de Bible an' read de 37th Psalms while it's parchin', an' take it out. An' anything yo' put dat intuh, if dey nuse [use] it, drink it or eat it or anything, why dem ants will come alive in dem - jis' eat 'em up. [Why Psalm 37 should be used, I do not know.]
Entry 6538
(Your grandfather told you that?)
Mah grandfathah, he wuz a ole, ole Way-back man. He says dat de way dese chings happen tuh yo', yo' know dis time of yeah, de spring of de yeah, all in- sects an' birds are matin'. So dey ketch- es dat bird an' kills it, an' dey puts it away an' let it dry. Den aftah it dries, it'll crumble, yo' know, lak powdah, an' den dey'll powdah dat - crumble dat ovah yuh food, an' yo' eat dat an' den it'll come alive - somepin in yo'.
Entry 6544
Dey take cat hair an' dog hair an' place it intuh a man's food, an' if dat'll remain dere 'bout nine days, well, it'll turn, yo' know, lak hair worms. An' den it'll stay dere 'bout six or seven months, den it beginnin' tuh form snakes. Whenever dose things get live, yo' know, dey jis' crawl an' crawl about. Well, it's quite natchel [natural] den dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 6566
You go to the drug store, they got what you call dried tadpoles there; and if you get them internal, they'll come to life and breed there and you'll have to go to a cunjure to get them out. [Sorry, I forgot in 1936 to ask where this drug store was. [Fredricksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6580
May water, cayenne pepper, nine pods of pep- per, salt; bathe down and take physic. Live things come out.
Entry 6582
[I know of them] doin' things wit de scorpions. Ah've seed dat done 'caz ah waited on de woman. Dey ketch a scorpion an' kilt: 'im an' let 'im dried. Dis was a bright [skinned] woman an' dis bright woman wus givin' dis dark-skinned woman trouble wit 'er husban'. An' she taken de scorpion an' kilt 'im an' she cured 'im dry, jis' lak if yo' dny anything. An' she crumble dat up an' put it in some whiskey, an' she called er an' give her a drink of dat whiskey an' - IF AH NEVAH MOVE AG'IN AH'VE SEEN OSE LITTLE SCORPIONS, DEY COME BACK ALIVE. DEY CREATED IN 'ER. Dem little scorpions jis' like dat.
Entry 6585
Ah heard of 'em usin' a scorpion fo' makin' live things in people. Well, ah heard dat dey take 'im an' put 'im in a open SPIDER [FRYING PAN ON LEGS] one dese ole spidahs whut has a lid tuh it. An' jis' make fire enough in it where dat he'll jis' run aroun' in dere until he dies. An' let 'im bake till he gits where dey kin crumble him up an' make a powdah. An' den dey tell me dey kin put dat on a person an' hit'll go through de skin an' come de same thing 'live in de person.
Entry 6596
Take dat snail. Take his shell an' put it in likkah an' let it stay in dere an' turn intuh a snail. An' yo' drink it yo' git dem snails in yo'.
Entry 6604
Ah had a cousin once. He wus co'tin [courting a girl an' he nevah did ma'y [marry] her. An' 'er mothah fixed 'im up an' a live snake come outa his laig. But how she done it he nevah did know.
Entry 6609
Yo' take a snake an' when he git angry kill 'im. An' dey take dat snake an' hang 'im up an' let dat blood drip. An' when de blood drip, take dat blood in a bottle an', lak if any- body dat yo' don' lak, a person yo' don' lak, yo' put dat blood intuh dere whiskey. An' dat poison a person. Say dat put live snakes in some persons.
Entry 6617
Ketch a small snake 'live an' put 'im in some whiskey - cut 'im an' let de blood, a couple-a drops of blood drop intuh dat whiskey, an' give it tuh a person dat chew wanta have 'em. An' dere. will grow in 'em live snakes, in de person. (How do they get those snakes out?) Well, now, how dey would git de snakes out. Co'se dey would have tuh be got out by some othah person.
Entry 6652
Well, dey tell me dat if a person wanta poison anothah one, jis' lak - AH RECKON DEY CALL IT WITCHCRAFT. AH DON' KNOW WHUT DEY CALL WITCHCRAFT. AH DON' KNOW EVEN WHUT DAT IS. But anyway, ah'm talkin' 'bout whut ah have heard, whut folks tell me. Say, jis' lak yo' might wanta poison a man or woman, or somebody else ah didn't lak, ah would hunt a snake, de skin offa dat snake, dey shed. Ah take dat shed an' ah would carry dat an' pound it up an' put it intuh dis an' hang dat up in de chimley where it keep warm an' hot fo' nine days. Den yo' take dat aftah yo' let it stay nine days, take it down an' yo' kin - dere'll come live thin's in it from dat shed. An' yo' take dat den an' put it in othah whiskies an' give it tuh someone an' dere come live things in 'em.
Entry 7219
(You say you used to say your prayers?)
Yes, sir. Ah believe in God, ah trust in Him. Yo' know, God Himself...
[I turn off my recording machine too quickly.]
(What did you say about God?)
God, Himself, wuz de best hoodoo evah wuz known. [Madam Collins of Memphis, Tenn., says something similar: De sacrifice dat yo' offer up tuh Jesus removes de "trick, " fo' he is de "trick" giver an' de "trick" taker (p.994, line 6 fol. from bottom of page).] Yo' have tuh have faith intuh mos' anythin' yo' go intuh. If dere's no faith, dere's very li'le hopes, an' yo' have tuh put God in front. Now, He's de Supreme Being of de world, an' certainly in dis life we have tuh use God; but if we don't, we cain't git along. If it wasn't fo' Him, we couldn't breathe, den we couldn't live. He must open de way fo' us, give us our health an' strength.
Entry 10018
Well, ah hear'd dat dey take dis black cat - ketches a black cat wit not a white streak on 'im any place. An' dey takes 'im an' puts 'im on - starts 'im off tuh boil. An' when yo' git chure watah boilin', jis' drop dis live cat in de watah. An' den when yo' drop dis live cat in de watah, den yo' lets it boil all tuh pieces. Yo' take it tuh a swift stream, tuh a stream dat is runnin' swift, an' yo' po's it in dere. An' den de bone dat goes up de stream, yo' git dat bone. An' den dey say yo' kin go do anythin' dat chew wanta do.
Entry 9876
Dey have used frogs wit de hard lumps on dem [toads?].
(How would they do that?)
Let 'em dry an' throw it undah de house. Yo'll nevah go an' neithah come.
(How would you get rid of that?)
Well, all yo' got'a do, jes' take de frog an' pays 'im a [silver] dime. An' when yo' pays 'im a dime, yo' ketch 'im alive an' yo' stick im on yo' do's. Stay wit chew a length'a time an' den he goin'a run dem out de house. (You do what?) Stick 'im alive on de backa yo' do'. Yo' ketch 'im an' take 'im swallah a dime. An' take a picket [stake] an' put a picket in 'is haid two han's [feet], bottom 'ands [back legs], until he come tuh be dry. When yo' want 'im tuh go out dere, den yo' go out dere an' den throw im dat same distance [direction] where dey is. Den he do yo' work.
(He'll [second toad will] throw off the other frog.)
[Two toads are used here, the first one thrown under victim's house so that he can nevah go and neither come. To counteract this spell, victim or his doctor catches and pays another live toad to work for him.] Yeah.
Entry 9981
If yo' wanta be a gamblah an' win good, yo' git chew a frog an' put it in yore pocket, an' put a little table salt in it [pocket]. See, if dis heah are de gamblin' hall, yo' know, yo walks in, an' if yo' vanta beat in de game, yo' jis' valk on in wit both hands in yore pockets jis' lak dis [demonstrates]. Stan' aroun' a little bit. Aftah shile maybe yo might be holdin' de cards or whutsomevah de game dey playin', yo' kg, an yo'll win evahthin' in dat house. But dat frog gotta be live.
(Do you put this salt on the frog?)
Yes.
(Right on the frog?)
Right on de frog. Keep 'im live in yore pocket. [St. Petersburg, Mla.
(1024), 1657:9.]
Entry 10952
In case yo' poisoned when yo' bitten by a snake, yo' kin take a young chicken an' split him wide open while he's 'live an' put it on dat place, bind it roun' tight, an' dat vi draw off de poison from dere,
Entry 11842
[THE LETTER "H" OF CHANNEL DE WORLD BEGINS HERE and SO dO some extra rites about human hair, a subject already largely concentrated in pages 2937- 3049, volume 4. For various reasons hair, not always the primary element of a rite, is widely scattered throughout HOODOO. The following beliefs about hair start with a few longer rites, which are followed by many brief statements with- out margin titles but with the key words being underlined.] And again they say if you take it [a hair from per- son] and put it [in] some kind of manure or somepin - like if you have a cow or somepin round the lot and they do fresh manure. Say, if you take this hair and bury it in there, and set this manure about in some shady place maybe it won't dry so fast, and say let it stay there. And you take it out of there and put it in a bottle of rye whiskey, a pint bottle of rye whiskey, and say in nine days it will be a snake. I've heard that. (But they don't put that snake in you though? That snake they don't put in you?) Well, if you drink the whiskey, if you drink the whiskey before the thing kin, you know, come to be whole, well hit will come alive in you.
(I see, but you have to put it in this cow manure?)
No, take the hair out it [the manure] if you know right where you put the hair in.
Entry 13079
Ah've heard dis. Yo' kin jes' run a black- snake down or ketch hin 'live an' cut his tail off. An' take it [tip of tail and blood] an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' hit'll make yo' as good a jomoh as yo' want.
(That's for luck.)
Entry 13084
Take dat hair [from an enemy]. An' dey take dat hair an' put it in a blacksnake tail. Ketch a live blacksnake an' put it in his tail an' turn dat blacksnake loose, an' jes' as fur as dat black- snake goes, yo'll [the enemy] go too. Yo'll [enemy will] follow dat blacksnake. [This could be my only example of this unusual rite.]
Entry 13230
Take a stave an' nail it down dere, jes' nail it down an' make a wish. Wish nobody could nevah live dere again, an' nobody can't live dere again, an' nobody can't live dere in peace. If dey move in dat house dey'll move out, dey jes' can't live in dere.
(Where do you put that stave?)
Jes' kinda in de middle of de lot-like. [Here is the center of a square or parallelogram, a quincunx rite.] If de lot got a garden or anything yo' know, jes' stomp it down, an' say, "Ah wish dat nobody would nevah live an' have suc- cess heah any mo'."