Subject:Lose
Entries
Entry 3119
Yuh take dat [bath] watah, put it in a bottle an' mix it wit wo watah, adx it wit salt an' gunpowdah. Throw dat in de runnin' watah, see. Dat will keeps yuh tied up. Well, it will make yuh lose ami bition fo' de woman dat yuh have, yuh undahstan'; an' it will keep yuh wit a mind - yuh undahstan', yuh will nevah be satisfied where yuh be yet.
Entry 6261
Dey'll fool roun' an' soon git a scissor [or] somepin an' cut off some of yore hair. Git dat hair an' put nine pins wit it an' some graveyard dirt an' hang it up in a tree. An' in nine days, eight or nine days, yo' loses yore mind. Well, dere's a way tuh stop dat, ef dey git it [your hair] an' yo' ketch de idea dat dey got it [your hair] befo' it's too late, or aftahyo go to de [doctor] an' bring yo' back [how to cure yourself]. Yo' kin go tuh de drag store an' buy dis ole rose watah an' mastah dat rose watah.
(How do you mean master it?)
Yo' kin go tuh de drug store an' buy yo' some old rose watah - smells good - a' yo' mastah it. [Mix it with] a quart of watah an' a teaspoonful of table malt. An' yo' use dat on yore head an' at nighttime. If yo' don't want'a do dat, yo' kin git chew somepin on yo' dat chew kin do without buyin'. Well, yo' arah [urine] penetrates through yo', yo' know. Well, YO' TAKE A PINCH OF SALT A'KETCH YORE WATAH WHILE IT'S HOT AT NIGHT, AN' PUT IT ON YORE HEAD 'FORE YO' 00 TUH BED, AN' ON YORE FACE. WELL, DAT HAIR WILL FALL OUT OF DAT TREE. YeS, su, hit'll fall out of dat tree. Dey run yo' crazy when dey hangs dat up dere. IF SOMEBODY DON'T BE SO BRIGHT, T'S GOIN' STAY UP IN DERE. As long as it stays up in dere, yo'll goin' [lose yoar mind]. [I turned off machine here and had to repeat substance of informant's words S y following statement.] (If you do that at night, then this spell will be turned back on the other person.)
Entry 6790
If a person bites yo' wit blue gums, yo' kin take a li'le of yore action, yore action an' put it on dere an' rub it in dere roun' good. (Rub it into the bite?) Yeah, an' go git chew some sulphuh an' burn it an' put it on dere, an' slip tuh 'is house. When yo' git dere, an' jis' lak yo' wanta a drink of watah, say, "Git me a glass of watah - git me some watah." An' carry a li'le dat burnt sulphuh wit chew an' - now, lak yo' wan' some watah. Rub it roun' intuh dat glass an' blow yore breath in it three times an' set it down nice, an' tell 'em tuh 'ave a drink of watah. He'll take a drink of watah an' he'll start tuh sufferin' wit de pyorrhea, los' [lostl de teeth outa his haid. (That burnt sulphur that you use in putting on your arm, that is out of the same batch of stuff?) Yes.
Entry 8623
Well, yo' see, jis' like a person asleep, they'll take this hair out de mold of yore had. Dey put it in a bottle. After dey put it in a bottle, dey take a lemon. Dey squeeze dat lemon juice in dat bottle, an' take yore name. Yo' write dat name nine times an' put it in dat bottle, an' shake it up, an' set in de sunrise side of de worl'. Jis' as de sun goes [from sunrise to sunset], dey say yo' lose yore mind.
Entry 8822
They kin take yore han'- writin' - dey kin receive a lettah from yo'. Dey take dat lettah an' dey clip all four cornahs of it, see. Don't clip the whole lettah, clip all fo' cornahs of it off like dat, see. Dey take dat lettah den an' dey burn a little hole in it right in de middle, see. Aftah dey have burnt dat den, dey goes out an' dey. gets a lizard, an' dey takes an' dey kills dis lizard, yo' see. An' dey parches 'im up to where dey kin make a powdah out of it. Aftah dey make dat powdah, den dey sprinkle it all ovah dat lettah, yo' see. Dey folds dat lettah up good, see, an' dey folds it up an' dey take it an' bury it some place in de ground, yo' see, an' yo' lose control of dat hand.
(I see.)
Entry 9787
In bad luck yo' kin take, if a person settin' tuh a table gamblin', git chew two needles, cross 'em in back of dere clothes, right in de centah of dere back. Cross 'em. Dat'll cause dem tuh lose. An' [or] eithah sprinkle some salt on 'em. An' yo' kin git a spidah an' put 'im in a papah sack or sompin. Long as he livin' yo' win in de game.
Entry 9966
Ah hear'd dat if - jis' lak if a man wants tuh be a swift gamblah, an' he wanted tuh be lucky in 'is gamblin', dat he'd ketch a toadfrog an' he'd cut 'is hin' guartah off - 'is left [hind] quartah - an' put it in 'is pocket. De longah yo' tote dis heah hin' quartah, dey say yo'd be lucky in gamblin'. An' den if yo' evah lose yore luck, why yo'd lose yore love. [The preceding folk- lore or hoodoo penalty was and still is new to me, uhich may be the reason why I failed to ask an obvious question. What do you Dean by love? Would you lose your lover or sexual potency? Could these final words be a proverbial saying?]
Entry 9987
Tuh git luck fo' gamblin' yo' goes an' git chew a toadfrog. If a man is a gamblin'-man, he goes an' gits 'im a toadfrog an' take dat toadfrog an' ketches 'im an' goes tuh any drygoods sto' [to distinguish from Wetgoods store!] an' buy 'im a box of black peppah an' red pappah an' some table salt. An' he put it in dat frog's mouth. An' when he put dat in dat frog's mouth, de frog'll go tuh coughin', an' he [man] come on back tuh dis gamblin' - where he be gamblin' at - an' he take dat salt an' throw yuh [his] han' out lak dat [demonstrates] tuh throw dat salt all ovah de whole crowd. An' dat frog he'll go tuh coughin' wit dat peppah an' will start tuh movin' roun'. An' he wins at evahthin' da' 'tis [that is] in de game. Jes' gits 'im a toadfrog, jis' a hoppin' toadfrog. Toadfrog anywhere hoppin' 'long - anywhere, jis' pick 'im up. Jis' reach down an' grab 'im an' take dat frog an' rub 'im in yore han' lak dat [demonstrates] an' go on tuh a game. An' go buy yo' some black peppah an' take it an' throw about a box in 'is mouth, an' shet 'is mouth up an' go on tuh de game. An' git chew a handful of salt an' when yo' git in de house, yo' take dat salt an' does lak dat [demonstrates]. An' when yo' do's lak dat, dat frog go tuh coughin'. When he go tuh coughin', well dat starts evahbody tuh lookin', an'evahbody lose all dey winnin's.
Entry 10567
Yo' gits a leather-[wing] bat an' yo' gits his heart an' yo' sew it up into a red flannel. An' gits a small piece of rock sulphur an' put it [in the flannel] together. Feed that, gi' [give] to 'em. Tell 'em [I am to tell my patient or client] while he losin', totes it in his left pocket so he kin lose. Well, when he lose as much as he wanta, change it ovah in his right pocket an' gamble right on an' he'll win.
Entry 10671
Put red peppah in dere shoes; it's gotta be pod peppah. If yo' can't put red peppah in dere shoes [shoes guarded too well], yo' kin git chew some of dis asafitidy [asafetida]. Dat's plain asafitidy an' dis heah bor- acic watah, an' use it an' sprinkle it aroun' anywhere dat dey have tuh cross, anywhere in dere path. Yo' kin use dat to make 'em lose out [lose a job or have bad luck].
Entry 11492
[This is the very first rite given by a young woman who came into the interviewing room without saying a word, not even answering my greeting, pulled out a deck of cards, and standing opposite the table in front of me began to run the cards - tell my fortune. I no longer remember ghat she said but I am certain it was something favorable or flattering. The rite given here is page or rite No.l of her interview. On this sheet I wrote soon after the interview: Memphis, second trip, 1518 [informant's number],43 Sages [this does not mean full pages but rites, some of them very short like the present one]. My comment at the close of 1519 [presumably on page 43] reads, ne girl, 1518, when she first came in, took out a deck of cards and ran through them. Will break up [interview later]. Several removed for cures and protectior To be guoted in part in Interview Section. This I never did.] Dey say dey kin git de dust from yore foot track an' use it, an' bury it some place an' cause yo' tuh lose yore eyesight, yore hearin's - accordin' tuh whut dey wanta do - yo' know, jes' 'fect any part of yore body. Dey kin cause it tuh be yore death or sompin lak dat. [As I have said somewhere in this section, in- tention is everything.] [Memphis 2685:1.]
Entry 12318
If yo' burn a tree - if yo' wuz out with a person an' yo' take an' note where there's a lightnin'-struck tree, an' yo' split it up an' carry it to 'em fo' wood an' he burn it, even unknowingly, he'll lose his home. It's bad luck to him. (You give the fellow bad luck by giving him this wood from this tree?) Even if he didn't know it - he might not have but two pieces of dat, but he'd lose whatevah he had.
Entry 13445
Yo' kin take a rattan stick, jes' lak a person wuz workin' against yo' or somepin an' wuz doin' some things fo' yo' or yore enemy, yo' ketch 'em out, an' take a rattan [walking?] stick an' whip him an' dat'll make him lose all his power. He cain't do nuthin. [Surely working against yo' includes trying to hoodoo you.]
Entry 8798
Dey kin take yore han'writin' an' cuz yo' to lose - burnin' it up an' lose de strength of yore han'.
Entry 2105
A king snake, git his hide yo' know an' skin 'im. Take his hide an' make yo' a underwearing belt out of it - make it jest lak yo' make a money belt. Dey say if yo' put a dollah in dat belt or any piece of paper money - yo' jes' put it in dere an' wear it, dey say if yo' gamble, don't care how much money yo' lose, when yo' git back to dat dollar yo' goin' win in de game. Long as yo' kin keep dat dollar in cir- culation yo' won't nevah lose it when yo' wear it in dat belt. When yo' quit yo' jes' put it right back in dat belt.
Entry 2107
Well, fo' instance, if yo' would give a woman a dollah, papah money an' if she didn't want chew tuh have any money at all, she would take dat dollah an' she would burn it to ashes. An' aftah she burn it to ashes she would open de palm of her han' an' she would blow it; an' yo' see, she would blow dat money in de othah han'. Dat's de same Way de money would go an' yo' would nevah be able tuh keep any - yo' will nevah be able to keep any.
Entry 4347
Tuh work in [on] yuh mind, cause yuh tuh lose yuh mind or somepin like dat, why dey could git hold of yuh - well, if dey git hold of yuh urine or any- thin' of dat kind, why dey will put it into a bottle. An' dey carry it tuh runnin' watah an' dey throw it in dere. An' by washin' it dataway, why it takes yuh mind from yuh, cause yuh tuh become mindless.
(Do they throw that any special way or just throw it in?)
Yeah, dey claim dey throw it towards de east.
Entry 6153
If dey braid yore hair an' spit in dere han' an' fix yore hair, ever' bit of it will come out, cuz mine came out. (Just spit in their hand and rub it in your hair?) If dey spit in dere han' an' fix yore hair. (Just rub their hands over your hair as if they were attempting to fix [arrange] it?) [Notice how I have repeated informant's dere (as their) and fix; this being a frequent practice of mine. Similarly, informants often repeat my words.] Yes, man or woman, don't make no diff'rence. Cuz ah know mine come out an' it nevah did come back no mo'.
Entry 6239
They say you can meet people that go deep into that [work you inquiring about] and involve their whole mind in it. They supposed to can get contact with Satan at the crossroads, but the words that they say in certain ceremonies they go through with, well I don't know that part of it.
[At this point I probably ask how I could protect myself against evil work.]
There are several things you could do to protect yourself, but in protecting yourself you sometimes have to hurt the other party. Now, if a person is going to get, say HOODOOING me, well he's got to make me lose my mind if he possibly can. Well, I can go to another per- son [fortuneteller, rootworker, hoodoo] and I can find out that he's trying to make me lose my mind. Well, I can make him lose his mind before he can make me lose mine, as my only means of protection in that case. Now natchly [naturally] I'm an enemy to this person and I can't get up close to them myself, but if it's a man I can put some woman up to stay with him all night and get just a teeny bit of his hair on the left-hand side of the temple, on the left temple. And we take that hair and write his name on a new piece of paper, and we put that hair with salt and pepper in that paper, and we fold it very tight. Then we go to the woods at the beginning of spring and we bore a hole in a tree, and we take a hammer and nail, and we nail that piece of paper just as far up in the tree as we can - upto Che end Of the naiI. AND THE IDEA IS, WHEN THE SAP RISES THIS PERSON WILL BEGIN TO LOSE THEIR MIND WHEN IT REACHES THAT PAPER, AND WHEN IT GOES COMPLETELY UP TO THE TOP OF THE TREE, THEIR LIVES WILL HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY LOST; AND WHEN DE FALL COMES AND THE SAP GOES DOWN, THEY DIE.
Entry 6450
Dey hoodoo - tell yuh whut dey, yuh know [with] whut dey. stick on stamps.
(Mucilage, it's like gum?) [This sort of thinking can happen!]
Dat's right, somepin like gum.
(Mucilage, paste?) [Again I OFFEND THE OCCASION with MUCILAGE!]
Yes, sir. Put dat in a bottle an' put it in dere wit de fingahnails an' toe- nails an' shut it up, stop it up. (What else did you say? You said you put something else in that bottle. What did you say?) A little limewatah.
(A little limewater and what else?)
Dat's all.
(Did you say something else about water?)
No, sir.
(I see. And what will that do?)
Well, jis' keep it - tote it.
(Well, what will it do?)
Whut'll it do?
(Yes.)
Well, it'll cuz yuh tuh have - toenails, fingernails, lose all of 'em, see. Toenails always be sore, toes always be sore.
Entry 10274
Dey have to take de measurement of a man, say it's such as a man run- nin' aroun' after women. An' if a woman take his measurement with a piece of string, an' his water, an' put it in there [bottle], as he go to fool with any other woman, whenever she shake this [bottle] up, he'll lose all nachure fer any other woman but her. She keep that [bottle] in a secret place, an' whenever she think that he's doin' somepin wrong, shake that, an' nachurely that would cause him to lose nachure fer any other woman but her.
Entry 10585
Jes' lak if yo' wanta gamble an' yo' don' wanta lose, yo' won't lose. Ketch a bat an' cut his heart out whilst he's - cut his heart out. Ketch de bat an' git his heart whilst it hot, an' put it in a piece of silk cloth, an' sew it up wit dis silk cloth an' tie it roun' yore arm. An' as long as - yo' can't lose in no game of cards yo' play.
Entry 9969
Yo' take a frog and dry him. You take a frog and wrap him up and let hin die himself. Don't you kill him. Well, when he gets dry, you tote that in your pocket. You can take that and you can do anything you want with that frog. Just like if you a dice shooter, or anything I like that, you rub that [dried frog]. Jis' put it in your pocket and take and put your hand on that [frog] and go to work and shoot dice. Be lucky. Jes' like if you had one game, and if you don't have success with that, turn your back on that game. And select you a card place, if you play cards, and you'll lose one or two games and you know that you ought to win, turn your back on that game.
(How do you mean turn your back on it?)
What I mean, walk away from that game and go to the next game.
(I see, if you have this frog in your pocket.)
drying/state of the wrapped frog after the stated let-die instruction. Keep Don’t you kill him and let him die himself as the source’s wording; do not describe the text as harmless, or replace it with active killing. rubbing the carried dry frog before dice play. Resolve the pronoun from actual complete narrator context, not only the bracketed gloss. conditional lack of success at gambling and changing games. Preserve don’t have success, the card-game losses and the practical walk-away explanation. expected winning contrasted with one or two losses and leaving the game. Preserve if you play cards, one or two losses, ought to win and the instruction to move to the next game. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 10686
Person running a gambling house soaks dice in banana oil to make customers lose. [Presumably this belief is based upon the belief or fact about a banana peeling being slippery.]
Entry 10601
[This is the only rite in HOODOO where informant pretends I am the proprietor of a gambling house. Several of these pretenses elsewhere in these volumes I have called my being a guinea pig; a willing one, if it produced a hoodoo rite.] You can take a bat and take and kill a bat. You can take the wing, you bury the wings. Just like if this is a house where you going to gamble at, you bury one wing on this side of the house, one wing on that side of the house. You take that backbone of that bat and you get you some emory dust, you get you some Hearts perfume [has a number of small red hearts on label] and you get the name of the man that's running that place.
(You mean that gambling landlord.)
Like you is the proprietor, I'll get your name.] I'll put all of that together and wrap it in a flannel, and I'll put that in my house. See.
(Not in the gambling house, but in your own house?)
In my house, and as long as I'm got control of that thing, I kin control that gambling house. I'll be winning. I may go in there and lose a dollar and a half today, lose a dollar and a half this evening. I'd go back there tonight [or to- morrow] and I would win.
(I see.)