Subject:Move
Entries
Entry 4035
(All right, go ahead.)
Well, dey git holt of some of yuh chamber lye. Dey take dat chamber lye an' go tuh de drug sto' an' git some calmels powdah [calomel].
(Get what kind of powder?) Calmels. (Cal - what they take for - in the stomach?) Nawsir [no sir], dis calmel yo' put on sores. Calomel. (Calomel. All right.)
An' put it in dere an' take dat chamber lye an' sprinkle it aroun' yuh house, an' yuh'll move.
(I see.)
Entry 4075
In a old-fashioned house, yo' know, dey go roun' in de cornah of de chimley. Well yo' go roun' in de cornah of de chimley an' git a pinch of dat dirt roun' in dere, scrape it up from de earth. An' den yo take some of dat dirt an' go anywhere dat a person is livin' at an' make 'em leave. [For other ex- amples of this outside chimney watercloset, see 203, p.57, lines 3-11; 3092, p.913, lines 5-9.]
Entry 4227
If yuh wanta make a person move, now yuh could do dis. Co'se dis is ve'y har' [hard] tuh git tuh do. Now, yuh know, de usual thin' de ladies use chambahs. Now if it's any way yuh kin git tuh dere house an' empty dat chamber lye on dere po'ch, well dat'll make dem move. Dat's kinda har' tuh git tuh do, but dat will make dem move. (If some woman was living here and I would want to make her move, I'd come here and take her chamber and empty it on the porch?) No, yuh wouldn't do dat, yuh wouldn't have tuh do dat. If she wuz livin' heah an' yuh want tuh make her move, yuh wouldn't empty hers; yuh would bring yuh's an' throw it on de po'ch. Yuh bring yores an' throw it on dat po'ch.
Entry 5516
People wan's people tuh move out of a house, why dey gits de drop on dat fellah when he's walkin' an' watch 'im, yo' see. An' prob'ly [they] take a bottle or maybe tobacco can or snuff- box or somepin an' git de dust out of 'is lef'-foot track dere. Prob'ly walk aroun' dat house an' throw it across it. An' well, dey can't live dere no more.
(Where do they throw it across?)
Throw it across de eaves.
(Right across the roof of the house?)
Yes, sir. As it go ovah, he leaves it open so dat it might scattah as it go across, yo' know. (I see, leave that bottle or can open as you throw it over the house, and scatter the dust over the roof. That will make them leave the house.) Well, dey becomes tuh be dissatisfied wit de house, won' be satisfied until dey move. An' it ain't goin' be very long befo' dey moves.
Entry 5676
Well, yo' take a person's foot track. Jis' lak if yo' wanta run some body 'way from town, move 'em, yo' take dere track. An' if dey goin' dataway, jis' go by an' ketch it from de toe heah, ketch it up from de toe back tuh de heel. Walk along an' don' stop an' pick up de track from de toe tuh de heel. Yo' jis' come 'long dataway an' carry it on home. An' soon as yo' git furt [far] as yore fron' do'step, yo' back back three steps from it an' throw it right ovah yore lef' shouldah. Take a li'le bit of sulphur in dis han' an' throw it ovah de right shouldah. An' yo' take de broom an' go tuh sweepin' it tuh de outside of de yard, an' dem people in less time den three days, dey goin' move 'way from dere. (The track you put it in your right hand and throw it over your left shoulder, and the sulphur you put it in your left hand and throw it over your right shoul- der.) Yo' take de track, see [demonstrates] dis is mah lef' [side]. Throw dat ovah yore lef' shouldah. An' de sulphuh yo' put it ovah yore right shouldah at de same place.
(You use the dirt from either track?)
Yo' use it from de right track.
(That is to make a person leave.)
Entry 6676
She [a woman living in Wilmington] has been hurt fo' 'bout twelve yeahs an' right now ven [when] de moon is young dey's [there is] somepin lak a coottah [= cooter, any of sev- eral turtles or tortoisesl, she calls it, somepin lak dese ali- gatah coottahs. She say it spluttahs [splutter = sputter or spatter from here- demonstrates on her side] an' goes up nex' tuh 'er heart, an' goes back down. An' she says ven it spluttahs lak dat, she kin heah it spluttahin' in watah [water], jis' lak if it runs up an' she cud [could] feel de li'le feets of it, yuh know, ven it's open-lak, lak it's scrattin' [scratching?]. It goes up from 'er right side crossways [right to left] up through 'er laig. [Does this symp- tom signify anything in scientific medicine? In any case, we have here again one of those psychology-and-time rites, see Pp.350-356, v.1.]
Entry 7661
Well, ah don' know about keepin' 'em away but dere's somepin yo' kin do dat he won't bothah yo'. Go tuh de graveyard an' git chew some graveyard dirt, go as fur [far] on de east side as yo' kin git it. Take yo' a piece of bran'-new cotton an' sew yo' up a ball of it [graveyard dirt] intuh dis cotton an' leave yo' a tail [long piece of thread] tuh it dat yo' kin throw it. [Several rites in Hoodoo use tails for throwing.] Yo' come along, ah wan' cha tuh move. Ah'm goin' walk by yore house an' say, "Move, yo' devil, move, '' an' throw it acrost chure house [demonstrates].
(Throw it back over your shoulder, your left shoulder away over the house.)
It goes ovah any part, de low part; ovah yore porch or anythin'. Throw it ovah dere an' yo' nevah look back: 'Move, yo' devil, move.
(And they'll move out of the house?)
Yes, sir. [This is another one of those rare swinging in a circle about head and letting-go rites.]
Entry 7693
They kin take those headbo'ds or any part of that bo'd, an' if they wan'a make yo' drift out of the neighborhood, they kin take that an' put it to the doorsill, if they know where they live at, an' make yo' leave there.
Entry 7699
Take de bo'd an' bring it on home an' burn it down on a - take de haid- bo'd an' yo' burn dat bo'd on a piece of tin, an' git de ashes an' yo' jes' take de ashes an' jes' go wheresomevah ah live at, an' go throw it dere roun' mah house. Dat'll jes' make yo' [me] move, dat's all.
Entry 7784
If yo' wanta make someone move or sompin lak dat, why yo' go tuh de cemetery but it have tuh be at twelve a'clock in de night. Jes' lak yo' know somebody died wicked, yo' jes' put a dime on dere grave an' git some of dat dirt. An' dey say yo' go tuh de fo'k of de road an' yo' put it down dere, an' yo' put so much on dere steps [or] on dere porch. Dey gotta leave den.
(You put this graveyard dirt...)
Yo' gotta pay fo' it. Yo' got it offa a wicked person's grave.
(And then you go to the forks of the road? What do you do out there?)
Put some of it out dere at de fo'k of de road. (Put some of the graveyard dirt out there and then you put some of it under the steps?) Yes.
(To make a person move.)
Yes, dey gotta leave, go eithah one of dem roads. Dey gotta go. (They would have to leave on one of those roads at the fork.) [Brunswick, Ga., (1201), 2017.1
Entry 7866
Well, ah've heard some of 'em say dat yo' could take a penny an' go tuh de cemetery, an' say one or two words an' [say to] jes' de person in de cemetery dat chew want 'em tuh work fo' yo'. An' yo' git a li'le bit of dat dirt an' come back home, an' take yo' some red peppah an' sulphuh an' put it in a sack, an' stick it undah- neat' de house. An' it supposed tuh move 'em in nine days.
Entry 7885
Go tuh a graveyard an' git graveyard dirt an' mix salt wit it an' whut's dis dey call some kinda sulphur.
(Sulphur?)
An' jes' sprinkle it round in de house and sprinkle it de way dey want chew tuh go. Sprinkle it all de way through de house. Well, dey gits chure track an' take it an' wrap it up in somepin - a cloth - put graveyard dirt wit it an' if dey goin' down to runnin' watah, throw it down in runnin' watah. (These are two different ways of making you move?) Yes. An' dey take an aig an' write chure name on de side of it an' throw it cross yore house an' break it: if it breaks cross dere, yo' gotta move; if it don't yo' git sick. If somebody [root man] don't do somepin fo' yo', yo' liable tuh die.
Entry 7918
If it's anyone aroun' here dat ah would lak fer 'em tuh move - ah want tuh move in de house or anything of de kind - ah kin go out tuh de cemetery an' git some dirt. Make three wishes, dat is, yo' know lak ah want dem tuh move an' stay away. Jis' throw it across de steps or in de hallway or in de porch, an' in three day's time dem people goin' tuh move.
(Move out of the house?)
Yes, sir. [Here 3 wishes replace the 3 Holy Names.]
Entry 8013
Ah learnt dat if somebody has enemies an' yo' wants tuh do 'way wit 'em or wants dem from roun' yo' or wants tuh kill 'em, yo' kin ketch a dog an' kill him, an' dig a hole an' place him in de hole flat on 'is back. An' whosomevah it is yo' has somepin 'ginst [against], yo' name de dog aftah dem as yo' bury him. An' yo' git 'im in an' all 'is feets up, an' as yo' fillin' up dis hole buryin' de dog, yo' tell it, say, "Ah'm buryin' yo' In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' ah hope yo' will move." An' jes' when yo' say move fill it up. An' dey cain't stay dere. Dey must go. Dat moves 'em away.
Entry 8211
(How would you make a person move out of the house?)
Well, de way ah would do dat - dere's two or three diff'ren ways of doin' it, but de plain way, dey say, fo' instan' maybe yo' live nex' do' tuh me, well ah'm gon'a wait until night, see. An' den yo' kin git some sulphur - in othah words some sulphur an' gun- powdah an' mix dat up. An' about de noon hour of twelve at night, midnight, well yo' kin sprinkle dat befo' de do' an' let it goes in de do'. An' undah nine days time dey'll move. An' dere's anothah way dat chew kin take dat track. Yo' kin take dey track or eithah dey photo or eithah dey name, an' put a rattlesnake mastah root, an' wrap it up wit dey name in it an' dat track. Dey tie it up real tight an' have it so dat it wouldn't sink, not immediately, an' cast it in a runnin' stream of watah. DE SWIFTAH DE STREAM IS DE QUICKAH DEY WILL MOVE. Some people says sompin about aigs, but ah don't use dat. (Well, now, to make them move fast, do you put that rattlesnake master and the photograph together and the foot track or just one of those with the root?) Well, yo' take rattlesnake mastah, de name, an' de dirt dat chew git. Well quite natchly [naturally], if yo' wrap it up in wool, it take quite a bit fo' dat watah tuh soak in dat wool, yo' know.
Entry 8626
What other way they say they can do?
(Yes.)
They can take your name and write it nine times and write the landlord's name nine times on top of your name. Then they takes a lemon, and they gets graveyard dust, Epsom salts, red pepper, black pepper, plain salt and takes a lemon and hulls it out and puts that name down in there and bury it in de ground de butt end up, an' when that name rots, that landlord will put yo' out.
(I see, the landlord will put me out?)
Yes. Yo' an' 'im fall.out. (Now, you say - you write my name nine times in a row, then you write the landlord's name?) Across it.
(You turn it like that [I demonstrate] and cross it?)
Cross it.
(You cross it like that or just write over it?)
No, over it but cross it.
(Oh, you cross it. You turn the paper upside down and write across it?)
[Names are on same line but upside down.]
Yes.
(Well, why do you put his name on top of mine?)
To make him fall out wit yo':
(Oh, I see.)
Entry 8673
(Will you tell me just what they did?) Yeah, dey planted mah name an' buried me undah de steps. (How did they do it? How do you mean they planted your name?) They write mah name down on papah an' dey buried me undah de steps. (What did that do?) Dat made me move. (Oh, that made you move?) Yes. (Just write your name on a piece of paper and that made you move out?) Yes sir. Dey put mah name down, so dey say, nine times. Ah don't know [what they did].
(How many times?)
Nine times.
(I see.)
Entry 8680
Then, what they would do to make yo' move out of that house, they would get yore - try to get some close friend of yours to get yore right shoe. They Would burn that right shoe. They'd get up before day in de mawnin' an' burn that right shoe. Before twelve or one o'clock, they'd take that, they'd sprinkle it at yore door, dat [shoe ashes]. (I understand.) Well, they'd go to work then an' they'd get oil of cedar. (Oil of cedar?) They'd take oil of cedar an' they would pour dat down. (Where would they pour that?) They pour it right at your door [where they put the shoe ashes], at yore front door, where yo' are bound to come out over. Well then yo' get 'em [they have you!]. They would take yore name an' they would write it nine times an' they would fold that from them. They'd take that name an' they would bury that. Yo' begin to drift. Yo' wouldn't like that place, yo'd want to stay away from dat place. Dat's de place they'd drive yo' off.
(Do they bury that in any special place?)
They'd bury it at de door where yo' - or in de path, so you'd have to come over. They'd bury it so you'd have to come over it. Yo' understand.
(I understand. That makes you move?)
That'd make yo' move.
Entry 9184
Well de thing tuh do when a person's in yore house in ordah tuh make dem move, dey say yo' go undah de house an' take a bar'l [barrel] hoop, an' cut it half in two an' bend it an' stick each end in de ground an' leave a circle [arch] above. Den dey said dig a deep hole an' take de yellah of two eggs an' put in dat hole, an' put three pennies an' covah it up wit dirt. Dey say on de third day dey'll move.
Entry 9191
Whut ah heard dat dey could do wit chicken aigs. It's two or three diff'ren' ways tuh use chicken aigs. First, yo' kin take a chicken aig, a black hen aig, an' throw it on someone po'ch an' it'll cuz dem tuh move. Next, yo' could take a chicken aig an' write de name on it an' carry it out in de woods an' bury it, an' don't look back, an' it'll run 'em outa town. An' den... (Wait a minute! This second egg is a black chicken egg or any kind of chicken egg?) De firs' aig yo' throw in de house is a black chicken aig. De nex' aigs is any kinda aig, 80 long as it a fresh aig. Write her name on it an' carry it [out in de woods] an' bury it an' don't look back, an' come on [back home]. It run 'em outa town. Den, next - dat's de second aig. De nex' aig yo' kin take - yo' kin put it in blueing ovahnight an' hide it undah de house, an' [that] would cuz dem tuh be tire-nated [worn out] an' don' wanta be bothahed 'bout livin' in de neighbor- hood no mo'. Dey don't wanta live in de neighborhood no mo'. Dem de three aigs [3 things you can do with eggs].
(And the last egg is any kind of egg?)
De last aig is any kinda aig, but if yo' goin' tuh run yore neighbors....
Entry 9209
Take a hen egg an' if ah wanted tuh run yuh away from here, ah'll write yuh name on dat egg all 'round dere in diff'ren' words. An' ah'll pass by yuh house an' ah'll throw dat egg. Ah'll throw it ag'in yuh do', see. An' if dat egg bust on yuh do', yo' goin' leave. Yo' goin' git up an' leave from dere. An' yo' go on about chure business, go on. Break dat egg on de do' at night. [Informant says something after recording machine stopped.] (And you write that name in what words? What kind of words do you write?) Well, yo' use in vain [the Lord's Name in vain]. Yo' use it. Yo' take de Lawd an' den yo' cuss 'im.
(You cuss him and then you use it [the Lord's Name] in vain?)
An' use it in vain. Write dat on dat egg all around, yo' see.
Entry 9212
Yo' take dat egg. He'd have tuh move, he can't stay dere. An' yo' go right tuh de front do' or de back do', eithah one, an' yo' take dat egg an' yo' throw it, an' bust it right up tuh de side of dat house, an' dat'll move 'em. Dat'll move 'em easy.
Entry 9220
Suh [sir], ah've heard dey take a black hen aig, if yo' wanta family tuh move out de house an' yo' wants tuh git dat house, keep 'em"'way from dere. Take a black hen aig an' walk by at twelve a'clock at night an' throw it ag'inst de do' an' walk away an' don' look back. Dat's one thing.
Entry 9241
Wanta make dem move out, yo' come out heah an' take a aig an' bust it up ovah his front do'. Yo' git some of his dirt, some of his track yo' know, an' den pat it down good an' stick some nails in it, sompin lak dat, an' turn sompin tuh covah ovah it. In a few days he'll be gone away.
(Where do you put this stuff?)
Under de steps.
(Put a few nails in?)
Yes. Make it good, yo' know, lak a cake, an' stick some nails in it, an put it undah de steps.
Entry 9247
Ah heard if yo' wants tuh move someone out of de house neah yo', or eithah yo' wanta break someone up, dey tell me yo' go dere an' 'bout seven-thirty dat night, an' take yo' fo' solid aigs, chicken aigs, an' bust 'em on de top of de house an' yo' won't have any mo' trouble. Dey move out de house an' nobody won't know how dey move out dere or why dey gone.
(You take four eggs?)
Yassuh, fo' solid aigs. Back up fo' steps from de house, walk backwards fo' steps tuh de house an' bust dem fo' aigs on top of de house, see. An' yo' won't have any mo' trouble wit dem den. [Remember, we are not talking here about a mansion, but about a small one-story structure of cabin proportions. Walking backwards four steps and tossing four eggs over your shoulder on to the roof Would not require much skill or strength.]
Entry 9278
Take a black hen's aig an' write de person's name on it an' bury it. An' den take it an' throw it 'ginst de house, an' dey'll move out. (You bury this egg until it's rotten. Then you take it and throw it against the house.) Have dat person's name wrote on dat aig, an' bust dat aig 'ginst de house an' dey'll move out.
Entry 9280
Go an' git chew a fresh hen aig. Take it an' write dere name on it, see. Take it an' chunk it up on top of de house. In de nex' day or two dey gone
[move away].
Entry 9326
Take a aig - lak yo' wan' somebody tuh move, somebody wus livin' in a house an' yo' wanted 'em tuh move; or some woman wus lakin' yuh husban' an' yo' wanted 'er out chuh way or wanted 'er tuh git away from de neighbah- hood. Yo' take a fresh aig. Let de chicken lay de aig in de mawn- in', lak yo' go out in de chickenyard about seven a'clock, git dat fresh aig dat de chicken layed, yo' know soon in de mawnin', an' t'row it. An' git a fresh aig eve'y mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' t'row it on dat pō'ch. An' de tenth mawnin' when yo' look ovah dere, de person da' choo wan' tuh move will be gittin' ready tuh move.
Entry 9327
An' yo' kin take a aig an' run a person away from a place, if yo' got a neighbah an' yo' don't want 'em round dere. Yo' kin take dat aig an' bust it on dere house. Say fo' nine diff'ren' mawnin's yo' kin bust a aig on dey house an dey'll have tuh move.
(You just bust the egg on the side of the house, you mean?)
Yes.
Entry 9331
Dey tell, yo' kin take a aig, jes' take yo' a aig, a hen's aig, if dey's bothahin' yo' an' go tuh de house. An' go tuh de house an' git chew mo' [eggs], git chew nine aigs. Take nine of 'em - yes sir, nine aigs. An' den which- evah way dis person lives from yo', east or west - if yo' lives east, yo' git on de west side.of yuh house. An' he's comin' intuh yuh house maybe, say, talkin' tuh yuh wife, or keepin' a confusion in yuh family, an' yo' want 'im tuh stay 'way. Keep 'im from talkin' tuh dem, why yo' git on dis side of de house an' he stays east. Yo' git ovah on de west say evah mawnin' an' throw one dem aigs across de house, an' let it bust on de othah side. Says evah time dat he comes tuh do dat till yo' bust de whole nine aigs - nine mawnin's. Well den, if he come up, whoevah he is, dey say he can't stay in dat house no mo'.
Entry 9333
Well, de way dey tells me, an' ah have seen it did. Dey gits nine eggs.
(Nine eggs.)
Nine mawnin's. Yo' start 'fo' day in de mawnin', on a Tuesday, evah Tuesday. Yo' git up 'fo' day in de mawnin' an' take one-a [one of] dem eggs. Co'se yo' take de eggs, dem nine eggs, yo soak 'em in de chamber lye... [Here informant leaves chair and starts to demonstrate away from interviewing table and micro- phone. I often describe such demonstrations, but here I wanted a repetition of the words given before recording began.]
(Wait a minute! Will you come over here?)
[Informant returns to chair and repeats.]
Take nine eggs an' soak 'em in chamber lye, see. An' nine mawnin's see, 'fo' day, yo' take one-a dem eggs evah Tuesday mawnin' an' bust it ag'inst dat house. An' den yo' bust de last one, dat be de ninth egg an' dat be de ninth Tuesday. See. Well, in nine davs. ah'll betcha dey'll leave.
(I see. After the last egg has been thrown, then nine days later they'll go?)
"Fo' dem nine days latah. (Oh! I see.) [They will leave long before the 9 days!]
Entry 9338
Well, yo' take an' git chew some black peppah an' some cai-yanne [cay- enne] peppah, an' git chew a fresh yard aig. De one in dat house dat made yo move out an' tole [told] him some yarns [lies] on yuh, him an' dim [= dem = them] gonna be jis' lak cat's an' dogs, until dey go, see. Now, if yo' wanta git back tuh dat house [if you Want to move back into that house]. (What do you do with that yard egg and that stuff that you mix up?) Jes' throw it up 'ginst de gate or any- wheres inside de yard, if yo' kin git in dere, an' [when] dey gone off tuh make [a visit] or sompin lak dat. An' throw it down on de groun' in front-a dey do'. Yo' kin do dat.
Entry 9343
Ah kin move yo' wit a black hen's egg. Ah kin take dat an' go tuh yo' po'ch now an' bust one ovah dere, an' yo' sho' won't be dere. Yo'll move. [Porch is mentioned in a number of egg rites given elsewhere.]
Entry 9349
Well, jes' if anybody yo' want tuh move, if any of yore neighbahs is not so good an' yo' wanta move 'em.] But chew have tuh git a aig from a hen dat's been wit a roostah. De diff'- rence in dose aigs - yo' know de diff'rence in dose aigs? (No, I don't. Tell me about them?) Well, de hen dat doesn't be wlt a roostah, her aigs are round. An' de hen dat does be wit a roostah, her aigs is long. [Here as in the preceding rite, the symbolism of added length to the egg is obvious.] Well, yo' take one of dose long aigs an' yo' gits tuh de front do', an' yo' throws it ovah her house an' if dat aig busts yo're gone.
Entry 9350
Ah heard dat yo' could take a rotten aig an' make a person move out of de house. Break it on dere do'sill an' dat will make 'em move.
Entry 9358
Say fo' instance if yo' own a piece of property, or if yo' don' own a piece of property. Heah's a fellah livin' intuh a house dat chew would lak tuh move in. Yo' take a aig an' yo' write de person's name, whoevah it might be, on de aig three times. Yo' take dat aig, aftah yo' write de name, an' shake it lak dat [dem- onstrates] an' dat'll make it, de white an' yallah come tuhgethah yo' know. An' yo' put dat aig away fo' nine days, see, an' it'll spoil. An' den yo' take dis aig an' throw it on de top of de house dat de person is livin' in. An' dey'll move.
Entry 9361
Dem rotten eggs, yo' could take nine of 'em an' put dem undah anybody's house an' dey will move.
(What do you mean, you just put them under the house?) Write dere name an' throw 'em undahneath de house. (Make them move.)
Entry 9362
Dey say dat chew kin take a aig, rotten aig an' put peppah, cayenne pep- pah in it. Jab a little hole, yo' know, in it [the egg]. Put cayenne peppah in it an' shake it up, an' throw it ontuh yuh do' nine days, mawnin's. An' den, whenevah yo' git up in mawnin', take peppah an' salt, an' where yo' walk 'long, jis' sprinkle it all behin' dem. An' dey tell me dat'll make a person move away from dat place. (Now, you mean you take a different egg each morning?) No sir - yes, sir, a diff'- ren' aig fo' nine mawnin's. Dat's whut dey tell me. (In addition to that, you have to put this other stuff in there?) Dey tell me yo' jis' jab a little hole in it [the egg]. (You do both of them, to make them move.) Yes, tuh make dem move.
Entry 9376
A black hen chicken aig, well dey take an' load it wit sulphuh an' gunpowdah [punch a hole in the egg and insert sulphur and gunpowder]. An' take it an' pass by yuh house an' throw it ag'inst chure house lak dat, de front do' dat way demonstrates]. Splash it dat way. It usely [usually] makes yo' move.
Entry 9380
Yo' kin take a black hen's egg, soak it in vinegah 3 days an' go out at midnight at 12 o'clock, de time de clock strike 12 o'clock, an' throw it ovah de house an' dey'll move.
Entry 9381
Yo' kin git dose chicken aigs an' go tuh a individual do'. Take de aig an' throw it on de steps an' crack it. Well, dat's a warnin' tuh yuh dat chew gonna move sometime but yo' don' know when. But whenevah dey take dose aigs an' dey have sompin ag'inst yuh, why dey'll bust three. Well, den when dey bust dose three aigs at yuh do'step, nuthin undah de sun kin keep yuh dere.
(Just any old kind of chicken egg?)
Any kind. It de very same as de chicken egg, de bird egg [ = you can do the same thing with a bird eggl. Regardless tuh whut kinda aig it is, if yo' bust dose three, it's real dat chure leavin'. [The use of bird eggs is rare for this kind of work.]
Entry 9384
Jis' lak whut ah said jis' now, if yo' want somebody tuh move. If a person in a place an' yo' an' 'im can't git along an' yo' want 'im tuh move, why yo' bust a chicken aig on de do' an' dat make 'em move. Yo' have tuh bust a aig fo' three nights. Dey bust dem dere twelve o'clock an' [or] fo' o'clock, an' dey gotta be eithah black hen's aig or red hen's. [Red hen is rare under any circumstance.] An' dat'll make 'em move, but dey gotta bust 'em on de do'.
(At either twelve o'clock or four o'clock, three nights.)
Yes, sir.
(How many eggs do you break?)
One.
(Just one, you do it three nights and they move?)
Yes.
Entry 9386
Jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh move anybody from heah dataway, or move 'em out of a house or anythin' of de kin', why yo' go tuh work an' yo' take a hen aig an' yo' write three letters of dey name. (Three letters of their name. What three letters do you write?) Well, yo' kin go tuh work an' yo' kin write evah third lettah, jes' evah third lettah. An' yo'll take it an throw it up 'ginst dere do' at night, anywheres 'ginst de wall of dere house, an' let it run down. Bust it. Well, dey can't stay dere, dey'll move.
Entry 9387
Ah've heard dat dey take a black hen, three black hen aigs an' go to, put undah yuh steps, an' yo'll leave - can't stay dere.
Entry 9391
Dey kin take a black hen aig an' throw it across de house three times an' move a person.
(Do you throw that same egg or three different eggs?) Three diffren aigs becuz de aigs is liable tuh break, three times. (One right after the other, and that will make a person move?) Yes.
Entry 9402
Jes' lak dis man is heah in dis house an' ah didn't want 'im livin' heah - jis' lak fo' 'im tuh move outa heah - ah'd git me three aigs an' dey have tuh be rotten dough [though], dey have tuh be rotten eggs. Ah throw dem aigs ag'inst dis house, but ah goes nine steps backwards an' ah throw 'em ovah mah shouldah. Dat's whut ah do wit dem aigs den. It be any time of night or any time of day. An' den ah come dere an' sprinkle a li'le dust aroun' dere, dis same dust whut ah got, graveyard dust, an' dey couldn't stay dere. Dey gotta leave.
(You walk backwards from the house?)
Nine steps, nine steps backwards. Not backwards from de house, backwards tuh de house. Jis' lak if ah wuz 'cross de street, ah'd walk backwards tuh de house, not from it, den throw 'em ovah mah lef' shouldah.
Entry 9404
If yo' don' want nobody else tuh move in dat house, yo' jis' go an' git chew some fresh hen aigs, an' yo' [write] de name roun' dat fresh hen aig. An' go dere jis' as de sun risin' an' throw dem aigs jis' on de side - bust 'em all ovah dat house. (Which side do you use?) De sunny side of de house. Jis' go up tuh dat house - jis' lak de sun risin' 'fo' day early in de mawnin', an' yo' go right up tuh dat house an throw dem aigs up dere, up de side of dat house. (You throw those eggs against the east side of the house and no one will rent that house.) Go dere 'fo' sunrise an' throw 'em 'cross dere. Keep 'em in bad luck, keep 'em movin'. Jis' take dem fresh hen aigs, an' yo' don' lak de person in dat house. An' yo' know dey name, yo' jis' write de name all ovah dat aig, an' yo' go dere an' throw dat aig on dere house at sunrise in de mawnin'. Jis' lak de sun rise disaway, yo' go dere an' throw it disaway [demonstrates].
(You throw it the way the sun rises.)
De sun rises [demonstrates].
(You throw it and turn to the west, though. You throw it toward the sunset.)
An' dey'll have tuh go.
Entry 9405
Git three fresh aigs an' bust 'em on de do' face fo' nine mawnin's. Dat'll make 'em move. (How could you bust those on the door-face for nine mornings if you only had three eggs?) Ah could. Evah nine mawnin's bust three fresh aigs on de do' 'fo' day. (For how long do you do that?) Fo' nine mawnin's. (You only use three eggs altogether?) Ah said three aigs evah mawnin' - three aigs, fo' nine mawnin's. An' bust 'em on de face of de do' an' dat'll make 'em move. [This is an excessive number of eggs but anything is possible in hoodoo.]
Entry 9411
Take de aigs sometime, don't chew know, an' jes' lak if anybody have a house again, take two aigs, see, an' put undah dat house an' dey'll move.
(Any kind of eggs.)
Any kind of eggs.
Entry 9418
An' if yo' wanta send somebody away, take a black hen aig an' when yo' urinate, yo' urinate on dat black hen aig. An' when yo' go out de gate, throw dat ahin' yo' an' let 'im bust. Dat's whut ah hear'd 'em [say] but now ah don't know...
[I interrupt.] (When you go out the gate how do you throw it?) Jes' throw dat aig behin' yo', yo' know, an' see, it'll bust. An' de people dere will move away. (That will make them move out of the house.)
Entry 9419
(To make this person move out of the house what do you do?) Take dat aig an' tote it in yore pocket fo' one day, twelve hours. An' when yo' go tuh sleep dat night, de first thing yo' do: in de mawnin' when yo' git up, yo' pee on dat aig. An' when dey ain't nobody lookin', smash against de do'knob, right up against de do' somewhere about de do'knob. An' dey'll move outa dat house.
Entry 9430
They take a black hen egg an' cayenne peppah an' guinea watah - er, yes - an' chuck it at yore door.
(What is that? What else do they take, now?)
Cayenne peppah, yes; a black hen egg...
(A black hen egg and then what?)
An' guinea - not guinea. Aw shucks they call it...
A black chicken egg, cayenne peppah...
(Yes, all right.)
An' yo' mix dat togethah.
(What do you mix now, what kind of water?)
War water!
(Oh! All right!)
An' yo' take an' yo' chuck it at dere door. Now, yo' see, yo' take a black hen egg by itself an' yo' chuck dat at yore door fo' nine mornings, an' dat makes yo' move an' makes yo' an' yore husband or yo' an' yore neighbor fight until yo' go to jail. (I see. All right.) Now, dat war water, just sprinkle it all around yore door. An' yo' just take a whole bottle of it an' mix it wit cayenne peppah an' den chunk it an' it busts at yore door. Yo' are sure to go to jail.
(I see.)
Entry 9435
[They] tell me yo' kin take a aig an' go dere, an' don't let 'em see yo', an' jis' make a wish an' throw dat egg at de house, dey tell me, an' dey will move.
Entry 9437
Tuh make 'em stay.away, yo' kin take a black hen's aig an' at night, ovahnight, yo' go dere an' take dat aig an' chunk it ovah on top of dere house, anywhere an' make a wish, say, "Ah wish dey'd stay from mah house. Ah'm tired of dem worryin' me. Ah'm tired of 'em." Jes' chunk dat black hen's aig, yo' know, ovah de - on de house, on de porch, anywhere. An' den de nex' mawnin' dey mo' den apt tuh git up an' move. Dey move out from de house. [I frequently heard preceding word tired as tied, the past tense and past participle of verb to tie.]
Entry 9478
Yo' takes cookin' salt an' sprinkle it in front de do', sprinkle fer t'ree mawnin's. Den de fo'th mawnin' de people will move out. Evah mawnin about - time about 'fo' 6 o'clock.
Entry 9480
Yo' say yo' wan' zem tuh move out dis house. Git chew some salt an' carry it unbeknown tuh dem an' sprinkle it across de sill of de do' - see, right crossin' de do'. All right. Well, now, yo see, dey gotta step ovah dat. An' when dey open dat door de nex' mawnin' comin' tuh go out where dis here salt is, yo' see, dey goin' tuh pass ovah it, yo' undahstan'. Why dey gotta sweep it outa de house outa de way. An' when dey go tuh sweep dat salt away from dere, see evahbody in de house follah it. Won't be long, maybe. Ah've had dat done tuh mahself all right.
Entry 9484
Go tuh de sto' an' buy yo' cookin' table - box of cookin' table salt. An' if yo' kin git a chance tuh go tuh dat house, yo' put it roun' tuh de fo' cornahs. Put about a tablespoon of dat tuh evah foah cornahs of dat house. [4 corners outside and 4 corners of each room]. An' yo' go inside an' yo' put as much as yo' kin in each cornah of dat house. Don't care how many cornahs it's got, yo' put some in each cornah - a tablespoonful. An' dey have tuh move, can't stay in dere.
Entry 9502
If yo' kin git intuh dere house, take table salt an' carry it tuh de front do' an' throw it out. Jes' come right straight through de house, sprin- klin' it as yo' walk through, an' sprinkle it down an' name it till yo' git tuh de walk where it goin' out [to street or road] an' dey'll move out very shortly behin' yo'. (You go in the back door and walk right through the house?) Walk right through the house an' sprinkle it as yo' go out.
Entry 9505
Dey take salt nine mawnin's an' put it from de front tuh de back, miss nine mawnin's, an' den put it roun' nine mawnin's, an' den in twenty days dey'll be gone. Dey couldn't live dere any mo'.
(That is to make them move out of the house?)
Make them move. (In putting this salt from the front to the back, do you go through the house or round the house?) Roun' de house, de outside, nine mawnin's an' den yo' skip. Den yo' do de othah nine mawnin's. Dat's two nine mawnin's, jes' skip one nine an' den put it roun' dere nine - outside of de buildin'. Ah've heard 'em say dat would make dem move, dat dey'll nevah have good luck wit dat house. An' dey can't stay dere any mo'. (In other words, you simply go round twice, nine mornings?)
Entry 9515
Take table salt an' sprinkle it roun' de do' fo' nine mawnin's, an' dey gotta go.
(bey have to move out of that house.)
Entry 9603
Well, yo' git some fish brine an' some gingah an' red peppah an' boil it tuhgethah an' put it about; wit a teaspoonful of spirits of turpentine which is hot, gives it powah, see. An' yo' take dat an' boil it an' go dere an' sprinkle yore house round yore do'steps. An' dey gotta go when dey git a place dey don't wanta stay dere, an' dey'll move without [giving you] any trouble. (There won't be any trouble getting them out of the house.)
Entry 9614
They kin take salt, cayenne peppah an' saltpetah an' sprinkle it. Take off of [back of] old broken looking glass that quicksilvah-like, yo' know, an' mix it all togethah. They kin throw it right up in the door an' sprin- kle it all aroun' the door. An' that'll make yo' move.
Entry 9618
Wal, ah tell yuh how dey do dat. Dey take some salt an' sulphuh an' red peppah an' mix it tuhgethah. Go dere at night, chew know, an' sprinkle it ovah huh po'ch [her porch], right down in fron' of 'er do'step. Den she gits all intendin' tuh leave dere. She can't stay on account'a dat red peppah jis' runs 'er crazy.
(That will make her move out of the house.)
Entry 9658
Dey kin make yo' move wit saltpetah, brimstone an' table salt - jis' plain table salt. An' po' it by night, chew know, at de do' or sprinkle it roun' de do', an' yo' shuh of makin' 'em move.
Entry 9667
A shell - yo' see, w'at ah shoot in a gun. Git dat gunpowdah [out of the gunshell]. Git choo a box of sulphuh an' [a box of] salt, an' dig a hole right off down in dere in front dat-a do'. Don't put it on de step, dig a hole in fronta de do'. Put some tuh de back [door] an' some tuh de front [door]. An' ah bet chah, ah guarantee dat woman wouldn't stay tuh dat house fer one day 'fo' [before] she'd be huntin' huh anothah house. [Almost every- ohere in these volumes to get a box of sulphur, salt, anything, means a new or amused ingredient. Often the remainder must not be used for any non-hoodoo pur- pose.] [This man "said he was from the South and didn't speak well" - note made at time of recording.]
Entry 9669
Yessuh, dere's somethin' dey kin git tuh git 'em away. Git 'em high Life an' saltpetah an' salt an' sandalwood incense, an' mix it up an' throw aroun' yore house evah mawnin' befo' de sun rise. (What is high life?) Ah dunno. It's somethin' yo' git outa de drug sto'. It looks jes' kinda greenish lookin'.
(Is it a powder or a liquid?)
It's a powdah. It's kinda lak sulphuh but chew cain't sprinkle it down where it rains, 'cuz it swells 'way up. Yo' use it when it's dry weathah.
Entry 9670
Well, ah been tricked one time by some of mah things. A girl lived in our home an' she fell out wit me concernin' a man. She'd taken a dress of mine, one of mah monthly period cloths, an' some of mah hair an' got underneath de ahm [arm] where ah sweat at, an' taken it an' cared [carried] it across [town] tuh a man [cunjureman]. (Wait a minute! What did she get from under your arm, the hair or just the sweat?) De sweat from de dress. An' she'd taken it tuh a man an' she had it mixed wit graveyard dirt, peedles an' pins an', well one or two mo' thing but de man [healer I went to] didn't name 'em, see. He put it in a jah [jar] an' brought it back tuh our house unbeknown tuh all of us, late hour of de night, an' buried it. Now, it wus buried out 'bout along by de lavatory, see. Well, one Sunday mawnin' ah was sittin' on de po'ch an' ah got up an' ah went out tuh de lavatory. An' ah had a spell. From den ah commenced tuh feel as though....
(What kind of a spell did you have? How did you feel?)
Ah felt as though ah was dyin' fo' a few minutes. Well, ah started back tuh de house an' when ah got back home, ah tole mothah tuh call de doctah. Our lavatory was out from de house. An' she said, "Well, whut's de mattah? Yo' don't look sick?" Ah said, "Well, ah am." She said, "Well, yo' don't look sick." An' so ah went on de porch. She said, "Go back an' lay down, if yo' want me tuh call de doctah. Don't stan' on de front porch." Ah said, "Well, ah cain't lay down." While she was callin' de doctah ah went runnin' down tuh de drug store. Seemed as though mah mind wus leavin' me, see. An' all ah could have on mah mind right den was dyin' or eithah seein' mahsel' confined in a 'sylum. See? An', well ah got back home an' de doctah came out. He examined me thoroughly. He said nuthin was wrong. Well, ah knowed it was somepin wrong. Still, he said it wasn't anything wrong. Well, mah mothah tried two mo' doctahs. Both of 'em said dere wasn't anything wrong. She'd taken me crosstown tuh a man by de name of Mr. Lee [a root doctor].
(What town was this?)
Waycross, Georgia. Yes. An' ah went ovah dere on Lee Avenue tuh Mr. Lee. An' he tole me of dese things dat had been taken from me. An' tole me dat de onliest way dat he could get dis spell offa me was tuh dig dese things up. An' tole me de charges of diggin' it up. An' he say he knowed dat ah didn't have much money, an' ah could pay dis on installments. See, dat he would charge me $25 fo' takin' dese things up. See. So he charged de $25 an' mah mothah paid 'im ten of it down. He came ovah tuh our house an' he digged dese things up. Dug 'em up an' it was in a jar an' it was stopped up tight. An' it looked as though it had begin tuh kinda rot. See. He'd taken it out. He got a pan of warm watah an' put some lodestone in it an' a little salt. Taken dese things an' po'd 'em in dere. An' - well, ah don't know whut he done wit it. Ah know he'd taken it wit 'im whatevah it was, see. An' he didn't nevah give me anythin' tuh take, but grad'ly by degrees dis spell commence tuh weah off, until now ah'm fine.
(How long ago did that happen, did you say?)
That's been - ah imagine now - dat's been around seven or eight months. No longah, no soonah. [These are the experiences difficult to find.]
Entry 9675
If dey move in dere an' yo' don't wan' 'em in dere, git chew some pea- nuts an' burn 'em. Take an' put chew some salt tuh 'em, an' put some right up undahneat' dat house. Dey'll move out. Keep dem out. Make it [house] crossed, too. (Cross the house up.) [The house is crossed so that no one can live in it, until some person uncrosses the house.]
Entry 9680
[Take] potash whut chew wash clothes with, an' take table salt, an' take dis here sulphuh, an' take one of dese here John de Conkah roots, an' put all dis tuhgethah, an' yo' take it an' bury it undah de steps. Don't let no one see yo'. If anybody move in dat house an' yo' don't want 'em tuh move in dere, dey ain't goin' stay in dere. Dey can't.
Entry 9688
If they don't like you and want you out of the way, the way they do, they goes to the [hoodoo] drug store and they buys some steel dust and lodestone. And they put black pepper and salt in it, and they sprinkle it around your step, see. And when they sprinkle it around your step, that'll move you.
Entry 9705
Well, dey say yo' kin take sulphuh an' salt, an' yo' kin jes' go dere lak yo' visitin'. An' yo' kin go dere an' strew it roun' dere in dat house as yo' walkin' roun' dere. If yo' got a coat dat's got a hole in de pocket, yo' kin run yore han' down in dat pocket an' yo' have dis in a papah or somepin, dat yo' kin jes' lose a li'l' bit at de time out'a it. Yo' have yore han' [in your pocket]. [This hole-in-the pocket is fairly common and known everyvhere.] Or yo' kin walk behin' 'em, lak it somebody yo' talk wit a whole lot, an' yo' kin jes' sprinkle dat salt an' sulphuh. An' in talkin' tuh dem yo' ldn be cursin' dem in yore mind.'Son-of-a-bitch, git out!" Sompin lak dat. An' it's true dat dey will move. In de ninth mawnin' de' will move.
Entry 9720
Take a bar of Octagon Soap [trade name] if someone want chew to move out dis house. An' jest take yo' a nail, a tenpenny nail, if yo' want to stay dere right along, an' drive in dat nail [soap]. An' put dat in de no'th corner [ a cor- ner on the north side] of de house, an' dere can't nobody git chew outa dat house long as yo' wanta stay dere.
Entry 9736
Take new tenpenny nails an' nail it up here [demonstrates by pointing] in each corner of the house [inside the house], or either on the outside in each corner of the house. An' the next morning they'll be out that house. [Here we have a simpli- fication of the preceding picture-frame rites, signifying the "4 corners of the world" with a cross in each corner.]
Entry 9738
They can take four new nails, tenpenny nails, and they can bring 'em - if yo' got a field out there or something or garden, they can bring 'em an' cross four of 'em in the four cor- ners of that place you got, and you got to move. Yo' can't stay there, yo' got to go, if they cross four of those nails in each corner. But yo' going to make six- teen nails in them four corners. Yo' got to move when them sixteen nails are crossed. Yo' can't stay there, regardless of how it is.
(Where do they put them?)
Put 'em in each corner in the four corners of that place whatever yo' got.
(That property?)
Yes, that property. [Here we have either the complete picture frame in each of the 4 corners of the property, or else in each corner 2 nails cross each other making 2 separate crosses - a doublecross!]
Entry 9748
Ah've hear'd of usin' bran'-new wire nails, if a pusson stayed close toh yo' an' yo' didn't want 'em tuh live dere. Yo'd take nine new nails an' drive 'em down between yuh house an' dey house, an' in nine days dey'll move. Ah've hear'd of dat.
Entry 9751
Take nine nails an' drive dem in de steps, de do'steps, an' de person walks across dose nails comin' in dere, fo' eight or nine days, an' de first thing yo' knows, dey's movin. [8 days meaningless!]
(That will move them, driving these nine nails down at the doorstep?)
Yessuh.
Entry 9753
Take nine bran'-new wire nails an' drive 'em right in de path right in de front of de house, right in de walk where yo' go out; [also] nine needles an' nine pins. An' turn 'em towards de east. Dat'll make yo' go. (Now [I demonstrate] this is the path. You drive the nine nails down there, nine needles and nine pins. How do you mean you turn them toward the east?) Yo' turn de haid toward de east.
(You drive them in on a slant then? That will make you move out of the house.)
Yessuh.
Entry 9755
They kin git 9 tenpenny nails an' they urinate on 'em. Let 'em stand 3 days an' go on the north turn [see later] an' throw it under the house an you'll move. [This is my penciled transcription of the original made a few years after the recording. In that greceding bracket were the words end over side, indicating I knew this prepara- doaa was thrown under the north side of the house; yet a pencil line at the bot- to of the page adds sounds like "tum." My pencil also added the words profes- sional and excellent, reminding me that her cylinders had been missed by my transcriber and later shaved! This also happened to another unique woman at Memphis and a remarkable man in Jacksonville, Fla.]
Entry 9759
You kin take these nails, tenpenny nails, and you kin drive 'em in the ground where some person that you doesn't like or want to move them, you move them with nails. And when you drive 'em in the ground and make your wish, you drive 'em head down an' p'int up. Or you kin drive 'em at your doorstep and nail them down under your control. You use nine nails.
Entry 9817
Git chew some needles, lak a pack of needles, an' jis' befo' dey be used [get new needles]. An' lak - go right, [points] lak dat dat person's do right dere. An' git dat needle, yo' know, an' dig dat needle [into the door], yo' know. Plant it jis' lak yo' dig it in roun' lak dis [demon- strates]. Dig one lak dis, put one lak dat, an' take one, yo' know, crossin' it right in front [of] dat per- son's do'. See. [All this has been acted out.] An' when dose needles begin tuh git rusty, well dat jis' begin tuh make 'em upset in de house, yo' see. It will make 'em upset wit de landlord an' den de landlord put 'em out. [The pre- ceding dat dat = that that = that is that = like that is that person's door.] (On that door, you put one needle like that [I demonstrate], and then you put one needle like that. Follow me [pay attention]. You put one needle like that, then you put one on top of it like that, and then you put another one on top like that. You just keep crossing them. How many do you put in there?) Yes, yo' put nine.
(That is all you have to do, use those nine needles?)
Use those nine needles.
Entry 9861
Yo' kin trim a fat-lightah splintah, lak a peg outa it, an' yo' ketch dat toadfrog befo' de sun rise. Anyway, kill 'im befo' de sun rise. Yo' push dat peg through 'im an' yo hold 'im dere until he dies. Den yo' take de peg outa dere an' tie a cord roun' 'is feet, an' yo' kin hang 'im up any- where on a bush. Or jis' take a stake an' put 'im on it an' make yore wish, In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an'Holy Ghost. If yo' wan'a person tuh move, yo' kin stick it up an' make dem move; if yo' want luck, yo' kin stick it up an' make yore wish fo' luck.
Entry 9869
You get the frog and you whip it and you beat it, and you put it under the person's step before it die. And, I guarantee, that will make 'em move.
(I see.)
Entry 9873
Yo'll take dat toadfrog an' yo'll dry 'im, yo' see, an' dere's two ways yo' dry dem toadfrogs. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' let it be lak - makes a powdah outa it, yo' see, an' yo' sprinkle dat. Dat's fo' gittin' outa a home, too [making a person move]. Den, yo' kin ketch a toadfrog an' don' kill 'im, if yo' wants tuh send a person away ag'in. Ketch a toadfrog an' don' kill 'im, an' den let 'im go off an' die. Yo'll cut 'im at a place whah [where] yo' kin put dese names in dere; lak yore name or some- body yo' have wanta send 'em 'way from dere. Yo' see, yo'll go tuh work an' yo'll cut dat toadfrog, an' it's a way dat dey kin put dat papah up in dat toadfrog an' turn 'im a-loose an' let 'im go, an': jis' [the way] as he goes dem people'll go.
Entry 10552
Gits a leather-wing bat to run people 'way from dey house - jes' lak de person nex' tuh me. Git de leather- wing [never leather-winged] bat an' git de ashes of him. Burn de whole body. Burn him up an' git his ashes, an' take an' place dat [ashes] down in dere wit some good fresh hog lard. Put it [mix- ture] down in dere path an' dat will move dem.
(That will run them. They have to walk over that?) Yes.
Entry 10639
An' den ag'in yo' see where dem little antses come in yore house - yo' see dem antses comin' in yore house, strollin' in lak a little trail. Pret- ty soon yo' goin' move from dere. Dey [law] come an' move yo' out. Yo' goin' leave, too. (When you see the ants com- ing in that way.) In dat house - dey make a trail in dere, de little antses, one right after de othah, some comin' an' some goin'. Dey goin' move yo' out an' yo' goin' go, too.
Entry 10648
[Well, if somebody livin' next do' an' yo' wanta make 'em move, yo' go out in de woods an' yo' come to a ole tree wit aplenty of dem big red piss-antses in it, an' ketch as many of 'em as yo' kin. Put 'em in a snuffbox an' carry it an' put it under dere steps. Dey ain't goin' be dere long. Dey gotta go.
(That will run them away.)
Yessuh, shore will leave dere.
Entry 10659
Yo' ketch one dese big ones - big red ones - an' yo' take three of 'em an' put it [them] in a bottle, dese red antses. Yo' put 'em in a bottle, three, an' buries it tuh de steps. Dat's tuh broke up de house an' family an' make dem move out.
Entry 10673
Take some cayenne pepper and asafeda- tee and sulphur, and as soon as you get a chance, put it in each four corners of the room, and they'll have to move out. Can't stay there.
Entry 10710
[They] take it [sulphur] and they're burning it. Read a certain chapter in the Bible [given later]. If you read it for - like if today's [today it is] at twelve and tomor- row evening at six, and six tomorrow morning, and maybe twelve tomorrow night - for three nights. Contains nine [see comment later] nights because you use it as a different hour. And then you pray over it. And if it's a person that you and them can't get along, and you burn that sulphur, each time that you reads a chapter [= preceding pray Over it]. Well, then they'll finally move away.
(At six and twelve each day for nine days.)
For three days. [Here I stop machine and restart it to repeat missed words.]
(Read the chapter of the 100th Psalm.)
[Here is a time rite I did not fully understand during its recording. At a later date and with greater experience, there would have been more questions. Even at the interview doubt appears in my words: At six and twelve each day for rine days. Actually, informants nine was a slip of the tongue. Hence, for 3 days a person reads Psalm loO [meaningless for the present purpose] and burns sulphur at 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock, night or day. These 3 times are staggered over the three-day period, no two at the same hours. As I have said somevhere in HOODOO, burning sulphur in a room can be a rugged adventure. Therefore, at the end of 3 days burning, who moves, enemy or burner?]
Entry 10715
Ah heard dat chew could take a bird nest. Yo' could take a bird nest if dere wuz someone interfere [interfering] with yo' in yore business or livin' in yore sec- tion close about chew. Yo' take a bird nest an' take some table salt an' put it in dis bird nest, an' take dis nest an' throw it up on top of de house. Any per- son botherin' yo', dey'll move out an' keep goin'.
(Throw it on top of the house of the person that is bothering you?)
Yessuh. Dat's right, take de bird nest an' put de salt in it. An' jes' tear it down, jes' sit dere an' tear it down, an' put dat salt in it, an' throw it up on top of somebody house. Let de nest be fulla salt an' dey will scatter - dey'll move on out.
Entry 10774
Well, whut ah've heard is this. Yo' git some snuff - that whut chew dip [what you pick up by dipping thumb and forefinger into it] an' mix some dirt with it, jes' dis natural dirt out heah [in the yard or field]. Mix it together an' sprinkle on de po'ch. An' den take a broom an' go backward, sweep backwards that-a-way [demonstrates]. Sweep it on out backwards that-away. An' then aftah yo' do that, then mop de po'ch with some Red Seal Lye an' [or] Red Devil lye. That's [use] one of 'em.
(What will that do now?)
That'll make 'em move, an' ah mean make 'em move right now. (Well, where would that be. In case, like right over here, if I wanted to get rid of them, I would do that in my own house?) Yessuh, make them move.
Entry 10784
Walk roun' de house nine morn- ings an' sweep in front of yo' do'. (How do you mean you walk around for nine mornings?) "Fore de sun rise, jest walk right round de house. (Nine times?) Nine mornings - once every morning an' sweep in front of yo' do'. (You walk around the house and then you sweep in front of your door. Well, what will that do then?) That will make 'em move.
(Make this person move.)
Entry 10816
Yo' take a new broom, yo' see. Yo' take a new broom, if yo' go move in a house, an' always have a new broom an' have a loaf of bread an' a box of salt. An' it's lucky, a new broom, if yo' sweep yore house. An' nevah tuh go, tuh go [to] work an' leave it [when you move]. Nobody will have it, because it will bring evil into de house. A new broom.
Entry 10817
[Well, yo' take bluestone an' saltpeter an' yo' sprinkle it into de floor an' den yo' leave it dere. Yo' put dat together an' yo' burn it. See, yo' burn dat together. An' de next morning yo' git up an' sweep nine times, fo' nine mornings, see. An' dem people be gone 'way from dat place. Dey can't stay dere. (In other words, if I am living in a house, and somebody comes in there and burns this bluestone and saltpeter, it would make me move out of the house.) Make you move out. (Well, then I would have to sweep this [these] ashes nine times for nine mornings, sweep it out of the house.) Jest sweep to de steps fo' nine mornings an' yo' can't stay dere.
Entry 10840
Ah hear 'em say dat dey take a buzzard aig. Yo' git hit dey said an' yo' heat it hot.but not cook it, an' yo' could carry it to a certain place around a person's house, de do' where dey visit around. An' yo' put dat - name it, yo' see. Yo' write dere name on it an' it'll either run 'em away from dere or dey nevah would have no success dere. Ah heard dat.
Entry 10856
Bury "blackcat ashes, " obtainable from a mail-order house in Memphis, Tenn., sprinkle where victim walks, saying "move, '' causes that person in mind to move. [All this was years ago. The label on the box did not read "Black Cat Ashes but "Ashes only - with the picture of a black cat on the box!] [Mobile, Ala., 882:2.]
Entry 10875
(Well, now, how would these people make you move out? What would they do to make you move out?) Oh, that. That is very easily done. You see, you kin take - you know, two tom cats fights whenever they meets. Well, they kin git to you very easily. You git two tomcats - their manure. That [is the] frontyard there and that [is the] front porch. I will take, if I wanted to do you harm, I would take my left hand any time at night and I will probably throw it [manure] over that porch or over dat front yard where you gotta cross for to come into the porch. I will throw it thataway, see, as I'm going on up. I would walk de lenk [length] of that porch or de lenk of the front yard. I will take my hand, the left hand, and throw thataway, and don't ever look back. Well, you bound to cross it. Well you, if you stay there, you'll stay there in trouble; tormented forever and you'll be glad to get out, because them two tomcats - just like they was fight- ing all the time, that will keep you like that.
(I see, but you have to get the two tomcats.)
Yeah, the two tomcats. Well you take them two and you kin [do] enything and break up enybody - break up eny home.
Entry 10880
Heah's anothah instan' [instance]. Yo' kin take a black cat an' cut some of de hair from right undah his tail. Well, yo' take some Hearts Cologne or eithah whiskey. Well, yo' bury it. Yo' taked dat cat hair an' yo' sew it up, put it wit dat whiskey. But chew bettah, if yo' kin git any part of her undahweah, or if it's a man, any of his clothes, yo' kin make 'em go like dat. Jes' bring it right back dere an' jes' drop it right in de yard, any place dat he kin walk ovah it. Or eithah yo' kin git some of dere dirt. Jes' watch hin an' whenevah he come out - man or woman - git some of de dirt of one of de shoe where he track ovah an' mix dat. Mix it in wit dat hair. Yo' kin make 'em move out de house like dat. (This cat hair - suppose you are driving me away - you get some of my hair and the cat's hair and put this in some of my clothes and put it out where I can walk over it. That's to drive me away?) Dat's to drive you away. [Brunswick, Ga., (1188), 2002:8.]
[Two cylinders later informant returns to black cat hair:]
Ah always heah 'em say keep dat same black cat hair, keep it round yore place an' keep it wet in vinegah - ah mean in Hearts Cologne or good whiskey - dat black hair. Keep it round yore place. Tell me dat's lucky fo' yore business.
(How do you get that black cat hair?)
Why, yo' ketch a black cat, any black cat, an' jes' cut de hair from undah his tail or his belly part. [Brunswick, Ga., (1188), 2004:11.]
Entry 10882
Well, if yo' livin' heah an' somebody want chew tuh move out, ah know whut dey kin do tuh make yo' move. Well, de way ah've heard it an' de way ah've seen it did, yo' git a black cat an' a dog an' make dem fight, an' git some of dat hair. Den yo' git some of whut dey do, de passage, an' dry it up tuhgether, an' put dat hair in it. While dey all growled up an bristeld up, yo' git some dat hair out dey back. Rub it tuhgether an' let it dry until it git plumb ontuh a powder. Put it in de stove an' parch it until it git tuh a powder. When it git tuh a powder, den yo' git somebody if yo' cain't go tuh de house, yo' git somebody else tuh go dere, yo' understan'. Dey go dere wit dat powder, have it hid, an' sprinkle it in de fo' corners of dat house. Dey'll move undah five days. Dey cain't stay dere. [I would call this a quasi- quincunx rite, the fifth point being the 5 days. At the moment I do not recall anything similar, though I am almost certain that there is.]
Entry 10899
[Here is another person whose cylinders were missed, an excellent pro- fessional worker:] Cat and dog, mix hair after making mad, put salt and pepper with, sprinkle across yard saying, "Niggers and whites don't agree, and cats and dogs can't agree, move."
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 10972
Take a fresh-laid aig [often called yard egg] an' put it up on de do' facin' [top over door uninclosed leaving a ledge] on de do' yo' know lak, an' dat'll move dem. [Uninclosed space over door indicates an unfinished or shed-type build- ing. For a similar over-the-door rite, see No.11044.]
Entry 11035
I've heerd of 'em usin' chicken feathers - feathers, bluestone an' saltpeter an' sulphur. Yo' place dem things together an' yo' would take 'em an' burn 'em into yore house. Jest say, fo' an instamce ah wanted to make yo' leave, ah could take all dat stuff a' place it into de house an' burn it fo' three days, an' dere ain't no way in de vorld yo' kin stay in dese house. Yo'd have to leave, ain't no joke.
Entry 11060
Dey tell me, says, if yo' wanta make dat person move out, dey tell me yo' git some stuff [soot] from up de chimley an' sprinkle it round de do' evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's, an' dey'll sweep dey ownself away 'cause dey'll sweep dat dust - soot - away from de do'. (They are sweeping their own chimney away?) Yes sir.
Entry 11134
Take it [manure] from a bull and yo' mix cayenne pepper and salt and saltpeter together, and carry it tuh someone's home dat you dislike. Yo' mix it all together and you put it out and let it dry. After it dries you crumble it up and powder it. Jest like someone would live here. You wouldn't want all tuh come out; jest want one person tuh leave dis place. Well, you would take it den and go and sprinkle in de yard and around de do' and call dis person's name. Dey can't stay dere. Dey'll have to move out, go some- where. Dey can't stay dere.
Entry 11141
When the landlord gives you a notice, you take that notice and you fold it in the shape of a bouquet - like a come. You get up over the front door and make a cross up there. You take that notice and if there is any way to hide it, like up here [points], up over here, that nobody can see it. Make that cross up there and take that notice and cross and nail it up there. Put nine tacks in it so that nobody won't detect it up there, and he you] will never come in. That's to cross the landlord.
Entry 11157
Now, if yo' don' wanta take an' do dat, chew kin git chew some devil heart watah [hoodoo store preparation?] an' bluein' an' shake dat up an' bust dat bottle. Git de devil heart watah an' put it into dat bottle; den yo' git chew some bluein' an' put it into dat bottle. An' take dat bottle an' shake it up an' wherevah de person livin' at, yo' bust dat bottle in front dey do' an' dat make 'em move.
Entry 11178
Take three pieces of devil's-shoestring an' put it [one] on top of each other. An' de shortest piece, jest how long yo' want dem to stay dere, yo put it on dere long, yo' know, an' cut it in a piece like dis an' dey'll move. Ah see dat tried. (Where do you put that devil's-shoestring then?) Down at dey front do'step. (You take three pieces. Here's the long piece, and you put a shorter piece on top, and a shorter piece on top of that, and you bury it that way?) Bury, cover it up, or either put it in a box or somepin an' put it down dere, an' dey'll leave, dey won't stay dere. [These 3 pieces of different size mean almost simultaneously: (l) you decide to move, (2) you prepare to move, and (3) you move. This can be done in 3 hours or 3 days or 3 weeks. Reader may not find everything in the rite but it is there.]
Entry 11180
( Git devil's-shoe- string an' yo' take an' bury hit at de fo' corners of dat person's house. Den yo' git underneat' de house an' bury it right in de center of dere bed, an' dey'll be uneasy an' restless, dissatisfied until dey move.
(You have to get five pieces of shoe-string altogether - devil's-shoestring.)
Yes.
Entry 11182
Yo' kin git chew some lodestone [see later], it's sompin dat's lak a incense.
(Lodestone?)
Yes. All right. Yo' take dat an' yo' take some brown sugah an' yo' take some bluein' an' Redbird Epsom Salts an' devil's-shoestring, an' yo' mix allah [all of] dat up tuhgethah, an yo' sprinkle dat aroun' de house. Dat's tuh make dem move. [There appears to be at least three types of what is called lodestone: ground particles or a lump that can be pulverized, both at- tracting iron; and a third substance that is merely an incense.]
Entry 11190
Ah heard dey go an' git a dirt dauber nest an' some cayenne peppah an' sprinkle it undah de do'step an' turn yore back an' nevah look back, an' nevah look back, an' say "good-by." An' dat'll make 'em move an' dey cain't come back again.
Entry 11194
When yo' got somebody an' wanta make 'em move out chure house, [or] out de house nex' tuh yo', yo' git chew some dirt dabahs [larvae and their cells] but de wasp makes de nest. Yo' git dat dirt [and larvae]. Yo' git chew some cayenne peppah an' some Epsom salts and gunpowdahs, an' yo' mixes all dat up tuh- gethah. An' when yo' mixes dat up tuhgethah, yo' t'rows dat aroun' 'bout twelve a'clock at night - not in de day, at night. At twelve a'clock at night yo' t'rose it undah de step, an' when yo' t'ro' it yo' say, "Jes' lak ah t'row dis heah powdah, dat's de way ah want dem [you] tuh move out dis house." [For a special appreciation of the mud dauber and its larvae, see interview "TOMB OF DE BABE OF BETHLEHEM," Pp.1325-1335, v.2.]
Entry 11195
Throw mixture of dirt-dauber-nest powder and gunpowder near home for 9 mornings to make people move. [Wilmington, N. Car., 274:8+85.]
Entry 11196
You go out there and dis dirt dauber nest, yes. (What would you do with it?) Chuck [it] underneath de house - drop it underneath de house - an' make de folks mind upstir an' make 'em move.
(I see.)
Entry 11197
Dirt dauber powder in bottle, put under brick of house, "dey leave dere." [This probably means under a house but covered by a brick, not to hide it, but to add weight to your intention. Also under the house would mean removing a brick from one of the piers on which lowland houses rest; the bottle then being under a brick. Also possible but more difficult, unless everyone was away for the day, would be the removal of a brick from the hearth.] [Wilmington, N. Car., 261:4+85.]
Entry 11202
Git 'em out of a house. Dey got some of 'em back dere now. Yo' kin git dirt dauber nest. Yo' know whut dey call dirt daubers. Well, yo' git dat an' cayenne peppah, but yo' have tuh git in de house tuh do dat. Yo' cain't do dat on de out- side of de house. See, cayenne peppah, Epsom salts, sulphur an' powdered asafetidy. Yo' know whut dey call powder asafetidy. Well, dey mix dat tuhgether. Well, if yo' cain't git chure tobacca, yo' kin git dis scotch snuff an' yo' mix dat, but chew gotta git in de house dat yo' kin sling it back in dere. Yo' know, an' 'noint de house, an' dey'll move.
(You just throw that in the house and these people will move away.)
Yes.
Entry 11221
Now, yo' take de [chicken] aig an' broke a little hole in it an' put some of dis graveyard dirt - jes' a drop of it - an' de dauber nest [dirt] an' throw it on de house, and run 'em away.
Entry 11223
Take dirt dauber, cai-yanne peppah an' grave- yard dirt. Dat's tuh make people move, too. Yo' puts dem things intuh a ole cup an' yo' make a powdah of it, an' yo' go an' throw it aroun' dis place where yo' want de people tuh go.
Entry 11224
(What do they do with that?)
You see, you take the dirt dauber's nest and you'll mash it up good, and that dirt dauber's nest can make [a] fuss [quarrel]. And the dirt dauber's nest is good - now, dirt dauber's nest would be, if you got a sprain...
[Here I turn off machine but immediately restart it.] (And do what?)
[Take the dirt dauber's nest and get you some little] guinea peppers and get you some graveyard dirt [guinea peppers and graveyard dirt restarted machine] and fix that together, and then you can make a person move. I don't know where to[!].
(Well, how would you handle that?)
You see, you mix it all up together. Now, just like you go away, [like] you turn your back [to go away]. Well, I'd go throw that all around, or get some of it in your house. See, you'd pass over that. [Then you would soon leave that house or town.]
Entry 11231
Yo' steal a person's dishrag an' hide it in de henhouse tuh make 'em move - make de person move. Jes' lak yo' didn't like me an' ah wuz in a place by yo' or sompin an' yo' didn't want me there, why yo' would steal mah dish- rag an' hide it in de henhouse 'mongst de chicken nests.
Entry 11379
Git a brand-new three-cornered file; see, a brand-new one - three- cornered file. Yo' kin git one fo' a nickel right down to Kress [= Kresge, now K mart]. At fo' 'clock in de mawnin', if yo' want dis house [house in which I was then interviewing informant], see, if yo' want me [to] move outa dis house - not outa town now - jes' outa dis house. Yo' comes dere to de step an' stick it fur enough [under] so nobody kin see it, see. An' den leave it an' de folks will leave dis house.
(They will move out?)
Oh, dey gotta, ah seen dat happen.
Entry 11380
Git a ole rusty file, understan, what somebody haven't used and you kin file that file. In other words dig a hole about two steps from the door- step and put a hog foot down in dere. An' then go about two steps further and you drive that file down about two inches under the dirt. An' of course when you drive it down in, using three words. Conseguently, it won't be long till that's gone. (What three words do you use?) Well, you drive that down, In the Name of the Father, Name of the Son and the Holy Ghost.
(I see. What will that do to them then?)
Well, they have to go. That will set them going.
(Make them move.)
Entry 11388
Take a file an' place it undah yore [their] do'step, dat cause 'em tuh move. Git a piece of dere clothes, yo' know, a piece of cloth in dey garment. Prob'ly a person when dey washin' or sompin lak dat, not knowin' dat yo' have anything against 'em, cut a piece of dere garment off an' use it. Bury it undah yore [their] steps. Yo' have to do it at night quite natural.
(Whose steps do you bury it under?)
Undah dere steps. (If I wanted to harm you, I would get a piece of your garment and bury it under your step?) Yes.
Entry 11650
Well, you get you some flaxseed, see, and you sprinkle that flaxseed around the door. See. And when that - whensomever that flaxseed begin to come up, well, after that flaxseed is grown about two or three inches, well, I'll guarantee you, that after a period of time, that you have to move; 'cause I've seen that happen, in my neighborhood. See.
(Here in New Orleans?)
Yes, sir. [Flaxseed put this rite into witchcraft, they being used to catch a hag or witch, see Nos.508-509, p.153, v.1. Was this a method for moving a witch from a neighborhood or annoying him or her?]
Entry 11686
Yo' go out dere 'fore day in de mawnin' an' git a twig offa tree at de fo'ks of de road an' use it. Yo' kin use it fo' luck, fo' bad luck, an' dey use it with dis red flannel. Ah 'magine yo' seen red flannel. Yo' use red flan- nel. An' git chew a twig while de sap is in it, but chew cain't git it when it's dry, at de fo'ks of de road. Dat cause people tuh has spells, fallin' outa beds, agony in de haid, agony in de feet, athaletics feets an' all lak dat. (What do you do with this twig? How do they work that?) Well, yo' git chew a piece of red flannel an' git chew some turpentine an' asafetidy an' boil it all tuhgethah in 'bout, jes' say 'bout a cup of watah an strain it an' po' all dat drugs [dregs], let say yo' has drugs tuh it, an' strain it through dat red flannel. An' aftah yo've strained it through de red flannel, den yo' use only de watah, understan'. Set dis watah in a dark place in a closet an' keep dis twig in dis red flannel wrapped. Yo' kin weah dis roun' yore neck fo' luck fo' yo'self. An' de watah fo' bad luck yo' kin sprinkle around a person's do'steps tuh cause 'em tuh move. If yo' wanta sprinkle it fo' luck, if yo' Wanta sprinkle it, yo' kin sprinkle it tuh cause 'em tuh move. Yo' kin sprinkle it fo' a person dat's sick, tuh make 'em have iller health. Yo' kin sprinkle it where a person is sick, tuh make 'em have bettah health; accordin' tuh whut chew magic' but chew gotta git it from de fo'ks of de road 'fore day in de mawnin'.
Entry 11691
Well, yo' take de colored folk graveyard - yo' nevah been dere, is yo'?
(No.)
Well 'scuse me - dis heah is de white folks graveyard [demonstrates], yo' undahstan', an' de colored folk graveyard come lak dat dere tuh de fo'ks of de road lak dat. Well, yo' kin go right chere 'tween de colored folk graveyard an' de white folk grave- yard, an' any man whut owe yo', take an' write a let- tah, yo' undahstan'. Yo' ain't gotta git no lawyah tuh 'rest him. Yo' go right tuh de fo'ks of de road lak ah tell yo' an' jes' pick up lak dis heah jes' pick up lak dis heah [demonstrates] de white folks graveyard in dis graveyard, yo' understan'. Yo' go right dere tuh dis heah an' take yore han' backwards an' take it up...
(Pick up what?)
Pick up his track backward. An' don't cay [care] if ah owe yo' or anybody owe yo', pick it up backwards, yo' undahstan', an' don' say nuthin 'tall. Jes go home.
(Tell that over again.)
Ah said, any colored man - if yo' open up a place right heah - yo' got dis place right heah now. If ah pass by or anythin' an' yo' not friends wit me, understan'. Well, lak ah wus walkin' from dis side, an' den - well, yo' jes' ketch mah track lak dis heah [demonstrates] undahstan'. An' de sulphur, so dat yo' don't go out dere an' fight dere in de [street]. Yo' go round back in de sto', undahstan', an' set it right dere in de cornah an' yo' jes' shake dat sul- phur up fine, undahstan'. "Fore dat sulphur git burnin' good, yo' undahstan', in dat fo' cornah of de house. See, dat's a cornah of de house, dis a cornah, an' dis a cornah, an' dis a cornah. Well, when yo' set dat table yo' gits a little bit an' sprinkle in dat cornah, dat cornah, dat cornah an' dat cornah. Dat fo' cornah of de house. An' den de man ovah nex' do' can't - de Irishman or Jew or [who?], yo' undahstan', he say tuh dem, "Dis man has opened a place of business heah. Ah been befo' he come heah an' he got mo' customahs den ah got. Ah think ah'm goin' move."
Entry 11736
To make 'em move outa a house, we'd [we root doctors would] use somepin - say we'd use somepin in de do', don't chew see. We used somepin in de do' each mawnin', yo' know, somepin tuh frighten 'em. Well, say, we'd use somepin like de graveyard dirt. We use somepin like de graveyard dirt.
Entry 11739
Yo' go down, dig in de center of dat grave an' keep adiggin' till yo' git way down fur as yore hand kin reach. An' yo' pull dat dirt up, see; an' yo' git dat, see, an' go. (Then what do you do with that dirt, now?) Yo' takes it an' den go 'long dere an' put it on de steps. (How would you put it on the steps?) Git chew a lump piece, jes' two pieces lak dat. (What kind of pieces?) When yo' git up dere [on the grave] yo' reach down in dere an' yo' jes' goes - yo' reach down [in there] as fur as yo' kin reach an' put it [this dirt] on each side [of the steps]. (On either side [on both sides] of the step. What did you say it would do then?) It would make 'em leave home.
Entry 11743
Graveyard dirt is fo' movin', too. Yo' takes de graveyard dirt an' mix it togethah wit different kinds of peppahs. An' yo' takes dat an' yo' throws it undahneath de steps, but when dey goin' tuh do sompin lak dat, why yo' Would have tuh go nights when people sleep an' nobody's around, an' throw dat undahneat' de steps. See, an' dat'll make people move too.
(What do you mean by all kinds of pepper? What do you mean by that?)
Dat's black peppah an' dat's red peppah. Yo' see, dey got a little peppah dat comes in a pod, little short pod [finger pepper] an' all dat's hot-hot - cai- yanne peppah an' de black peppah.
Entry 11744
If it's someone behind yuh, the one - you know, someone behind yuh what rid them[-selves] of other people, they will pick it [your foot track] up and mix it with graveyard dust. [Long pause.]
(All right, go ahead. What else?)
And they, they'll take that and mix it with graveyard dust, and they will take and fix it together and sprinkle it around your door, yuh see. And they will take and make - mix it with pepper, black pepper and cayenne pepper, you see. They mix all that up together and they sprinkle it around your house, and that will make for confusion with you and your neighbors, and that will cause you to have to move.
Entry 11835
I get some gumbo filet. That's what you put in gumbo. Perhaps you don't know what filet is. It's a leaf [from sassafras tree] that grows out in the woods, and it ground up and it is used instead of okra, when you making gumbo and the okra is not in sea- son. That is what you call filet. I get a pail of that and I get some garlic and some whiskey and mix those three together and pur [pour] it under the steps, or either if you come out of a alley, I pour it up side the alley, that you come out of, and you would have to go.
Entry 12154
Now, if a man's stayin' on a place an' yo' want him move'd from dere, yo' cut chew a growin' hickory stick an' carry it an' bury it down at his do'. If dat man has a mule, yo' kin always notice dere's a certain corner dat mule go tuh pee. Bury it right down somewheres near dere an' let it dere fo' nine days. Take it out. Let dat be on de young moon. An' go on to de cemetery an' bury it, but bury it wit de big end [of the stick] towards de sunset. An you' ll be right dere till dat house burnt down. (You have to bury this stick right where this mule waters on.)
Entry 12192
Said they git three horseshoes, an' go in de street an' pick [up] cigaret pack, an' git de tinsel [tinfoil] offen dere an' cover dose horseshoes up, an' bury 'em undah de step of de house. Dat will make dem move out. (You take three whole horseshoes and cover them with this tinfoil, and you bury them under the steps?) Yessuh. [For tinfoil not from street, see 12186.]
Entry 12229
They says to have luck: well you know you kin take a piece of lode- stone. You kin take a lodestone an' git choo piece of'High John de Conkah root. An' yo' kin take dat an' put it in a piece of red flannin [flannel], an' take an' sew it up. An' git choo some perfume an' pour it over there. An' you'll have good luck in any games you go in. You will win. That's to draw luck - lodestone would. Jis' bathe [usually feed] it [with the perfume] say about 3 times a week to keep it kin'a mossted [moist]. An' that lodestone will grow. See, that would grow...jis' as long as you keep [feeding it] the larger it be. An' as it grow, little hairs will come out, little teenny hairs. Yo' kin see 'em comin' out. It's a lodestone, look jis' lfke a piece of coal [several places in HOODOO this is called black lodestone]. But only them hairs...an' they will move too. You could take a piece of that an' lay it on this table [between us] in one place, an' then you go back about a half an hour after, it'd be done moved.
Entry 12319
Yo' take some wood from a tree where de lightnin' struck an' throw it on yore hearth, make yore wishes, an' dere be wrath in dere all de time. An' yo' take dat light- nin'-struck tree an' throw it under dere house, dey'll have tuh move. Dey can't stay dere. (When you throw that piece of wood on the fireplace there will be fighting in the house all the time?) Yes sir.
Entry 12320
Well, any kinda tree but de lightnin' have tuh be done struck it.
(Well, what would they do about that?)
Well, jes' lak now if yo' prob'bly be mah next-do' neighbah an' ah can't git along wit chew or sompin of de kind in no way ah do, an' ah wants tuh move yo' from dere, an' de light- nin' done struck a tree or sompin lak dat. Ah jes' go dere an' take a ole piece of wood - jes' a ole slab or sompin off dere - sompin lak dat chew know an' throw it anywhere round yore house an' yo' gotta go.
Entry 12321
Git a piece of, yo' know jes' de lightnin' strike a tree or sompin othah lak dat. Tell me yo' kin git a ole piece of wood yo' know, from de tree yo' know, where de lightnin' has struck, an' throw it underneath dere house an' dey tell me dey'll move.
(They will move away.)
Entry 12336
Either they could go to that person's house an' sprinkle lime aroun' de house, under de do'step. Dat'll run 'em out, make de folks have some kind of feelin' dey jes' cain't stay there. [Somewhere there is also an example of this from Fredericksburg, Va.]
(Make them move?)
Yeah. [Fayetteville, N. Car., (1426), 2572: la.]
Entry 12456
Den dere is other people believe dat dey kin take - track a mole and get him up and take dat shovel dat he uses off of him. And anytime after night- fall, go to de door and dig a trench from de door to de street, and dey'll [people within] leave. (I didn't understand ab about that mole. You take that...) De mole is got a peculiar foot to him. It's shaped somepin like a heavy shovel - one of 'em. Well, dat's de one he use to open his tunnel as he is going through, and it looks almost de same as ivory - solid white and sharp and curved-like. But you take de foot from de mole and go to de do', and you will dig a trench from de do'ah out to de street.
(With this foot?)
With dat foot. And dey claim dat whoever liyes dere will really leave dat house. Dey'll follow dat path out to de street - be gone. Dey'll vacate de premises, dey won't stay dere long.
Entry 12509
Go to de sto' an' buy a onion an' yo' chip it up fine an' yo' tie it up in a rag an' chunk it undah de lady's house. An' let it stay dere fo' several days an' den yo' send somebody ovah dere to git it. An' dey go ovah dere an' git it an' Open it up, an' jes' throw it out in de road in front de house an' den dey'll move.
(Any kind of an onion.)
Yes sir, any kin' onion.
Entry 12525
Dey say yo' could take a red onion - well, ah know dat's a fact. Ah nused [used] tuh buy 'em an' peel 'em. Mah ole lady she'd go to cook an' peel 'em an' jes' throw de skins out - out de do' an' yo' can't stay in nobody's house. Dey uill put chew out.
(Why?)
Why? Don't know. Say, jes' yo' throw dem skins - onion skins or hull whut yo' peel - jes' keep throwin' 'em out de do', roun' de do', an' dat man will soon have yo' to move.
(You don't mean it's because of the odor of the onion or anything do you?)
Naw sir, but ah don't know. It's jes' bad luck.
Entry 12529
Dey said dat chew take a red onion an' split it in half, when it partways growin'. Split it lak dat an' sprinkle some sugah in it, an' carry it to a person's step an' bury it. An' dat will separate dem an' it will run dem away from dere - separate 'em or run de party out de house. Make 'em move.
Entry 12533
Yo' kin git chew - yo' know whut red onion is. Ah don' know whether yo' eat 'em or not. An' jes' git chew a red onion an' cut de root of it off. Jes' cut off a piece an' git chew some graveyard dirt offa man's grave - some ole wicked man, some- body whut's daid, an' some cayenne peppah. Mix it all up an' stop dat onion up with dat onion top. Stop it back up wit dat piece whut chew cut off.
(You put this stuff in that onion?)
Right back, yes, put it in dat onion an' stop it up an' put it in dat per- son's house.
(What will that do then?)
It move 'em out dat house.
Entry 12544
Dey tell me yo' git some lodestone an' git chew some sen-sen an' a red onion. An' yo' peel dis red onion an' take de hull an' drop de sen-sen down in it. [Sen-sen Was or is trade name of small lozenges to suck to sweeten breath.] An' yo' look in de east an' ask de Lord tuh move yore enemies an' bring yo' luck an' peace. An' den yo' sprinkle de sugah ovah dis same thing an' dis red onion. An' yo' walk to yore front do' an' walk back- vards to yore back do' nine times, aftah yo' fire it back. Dat will bring yo' peace an' yo' be's successful wit chure friends.
Entry 12655
Yo' git chew dis peppah, peppah sauce, an' yo' git a tea- spoon an' yo' put nine drops of dat peppah sauce in dat teaspoon an' stop it up in a bottle. Go undah de house an' bury it upside down. Dat'll move 'em - move anything yo' please, anyone yo' wanta do.
Entry 12694
Dey kin throw aigs at chure do' [one way of moving you] an' den yo kin put stamps undah de rug, de stamps yo' put on de lettah, new stamps. Turn 'em bottomside upwards. Yo' put two undah dere - three or fo' stamps is all ah know. (Put them under the rug?) Yessuh, but don't let de folks know yo' put 'em undah dere. Yo' have tuh slip 'em umndah dere when dey not watchin' yo'.
(What is the idea of putting stamps under there?)
Dat'll make 'em move. [Stamps of course mean you are taking a journey. If these stamps had heads, I would say they were pointed to the door. There are the other stamp rites, usually under letters, in HOODOO.]
Entry 12714
Ah say yo' kin take a rabbit if a person - jes' like if it's a man or a woman, yo' kin take de lef' hin' feet [foot] of a rabbit after yo' done killed him. Yo' take dat lef' hin' feet of dat rabbit an' if yo' wear it in yore pocket or yore purse or sompin [MAY BE ONLY MENTION OF PULLING TENDON - TO IMPRESS?] like that, whoever yo' Want tuh [be] round or sompin, well yo' jes' take that if yo' keep that rabbit foot bathed in dis heah Hearts Perfume - if yo' keep it bathed in Hearts Perfume and git chew some dragons blood and sprin- kle on it, and wherevah yo' go, yo' know it's a little cord in dat rabbit's feet, yo' kin pull it an' it seem like it's alive. [Pulling tendon of rabbit foot is rare in rites.] And if yo' go round wherevah yo' go, if yo' take dat piece of root out of yo' pocket or either yore pocketbook, and if yo' jes' touch de person whoevah yo' want or sompin like dat, yo' kin get 'em. With the lef' feet of de rabbit. (Do you touch them with your hand or must you touch them with the rabbit foot?) With de rabbit foot. (And what do you do with that cord [tendon]? Yo' pull it.
(When do you pull it?)
Whenever yo' git aroun' 'em. See dat [tendon] work duh foot.
(Oh, you must pull it when you touch them, you mean?)
Yeah, see, when yo' go in yo' jes' pull it, see. That means yore workin', yo' know, de rabbit's foot - dat little piece of cord dat's in it, yo' know - little stringlike yo' could put it and: it will work. It come out of de feet chew know, piece of de flesh - whatevah it is - when yo' cut it off. Dat's de lef' hin' foot of de rabbit.
Entry 12757
Yo'.git red beans an' yo' git gumbo file an' yo' soak them beans in that gumbo filé an' peppah, but yo' jis' put the least watah that they'll jis' swell up, yo' understan', in that file, enough to jis' git chure han in de can or somepin...otuc chew got 'em in. An' jis' stir 'en up an' throw 'em undah de step or in front dey do' - anywhere so loag as dey roll. [This is a rolling rite.] That'll move 'em.
(Do you take any number of red beans or just a handful or...?)
No, yo' git only a nickel's worth or half-a-nickel. Yo' gotta have plenty, dey gotta have movin' power. [That half-a-nickel was and still is a ney eri pression to me. A gumbo is many kinds of a thick stew in New Orleams - see The Original Picayune Creole Cook Book, pp.26-30, the 1938 editioa, de ove I bought in New Orleans that year. File, not filet, is a powder, a seasoning made from tender sassafras leaves. Gumbo filé is a special type of gcg. Be have several other red-bean rites in HOoDO0.]
Entry 12930
Ah learned about de new shingle from a house, sech as bad luck or like dat. Dey said dat if yo' have - jes' like dis building heah an' yo' ovah yondah somewhere. Git chew a new shingle an' bring it an' tack it on dis buildin', if yo' want anybody to leave out from dis buildin'. When yo' tack dat new shingle on dere, dey said it won't be long befo' someone will take sick in dat house, an' aftah dey take sick when dey git up, dey'll leave out. (You tack a new shingle on somebody's house.) [Waycross, Ga., (1159), 1935:4.
Entry 13258
If they run me out, then I will fix that house so no one kin live in there.
(I see. How is that done?)
Well, when I move out, you understand, I would sweep up all my trash. I don't wanta leave none of my dirt. I'd take up all my rugs and carpets and things, and I'd sweep the floors. I will get sulphur, you understand - I will get sulphur. I will get de oil of cin- namon. Yo' know what de oil of cinnamon is. I will get cayenne pepper and I will put it in de four cor- ners of dat room, and I will light it and I will fasten de windows down and de doors down and let it burn - with a curse. No one never will move in there. As they move in, they move out. And if they do move in there - there wouldn't a soul move in there what wouldn't have death in the family. [In former days the cursing of a house like this Was a serious business and most people moving in would have had it uncursed by a doctor.]
Entry 13413
They say you can put some kind of powder on you - call it war powder war water. They say you can put that down there at their door. See, you wait until they come out and after they come out you put that down there at their door. And when they go back in, well they will create trouble. Seems their husband and them will start to fight and then their minds be all upsetted and they don't stay at that house no more. They moves away, you see. That's how you do to get rid of them.
Entry 13415
War powder - go to the drug store [and get] some war water powder, [I mean] some war water, and you go and sprinkle that around the door every morning before day, before the sun rise. You sprinkle that around the door. And that will get them away from there. They tell me they cannot live there.
Entry 13417
They take war pow- ders an' war water. You git it from the drug store. An' take this bottle an' put it in. Go in front of their house an' throw it an' break it. Well, it make 'em move.
Entry 13418
If yo' wants tuh make a person move lak dat, well yo' go an' buy some war watah. Yo' understan', dat war watah, an' yo' pass in front of de do' lak if yo' had tuh pass in front of de do', an' if yo' have tuh throw de bottle across de house, yo' make yore wish. If yo' jis' break de bottle in front of de house an' make yore wish, why yo' could break 'em up an' make a big disturbance. Make 'em move an' de house would be upsetted. Yo' could upset de home.
Entry 13419
If yo' wanta make me move. All right. Well you get some war water. All right. You take that and you put that in some water - half a bucket of water - not too much. Well, you don't have to put it in the house nowheres, but put it around on the steps.
Entry 13421
That war water, that confusion in the house. See, I would go by the house at night, understand, w'ilst they be sleepin'. Understand that? An' I would sprinkle this house. [Good heavens! don't get any of that on you, all materials in hoodoo are dangerous. See many places.] Jis' like if I sprinklin' the house I wouldn't say nothin'. [Does this mean silence is a part of the rite or informant would not tell victims he was sprinkling them!] Sprinkle the house fer 3 days. See, I come out late hours at night. Then they'll have to move.
Entry 13428
Kin you understand what I say, now?
(I understand now.)
To make you move out of the house, you go and get some holy water, see [and] war water and you sprinkle that. And then you go to the graveyard, get some graveyard dust, and you go and sprinkle it with black pepper and salt. And you sprinkle it all around the step and put it underneath the steps. If it got a brick there, you put it underneath that, where they can't see it. And when anyone can't see it, it's more better. When you come down the steps and walk away, you'll cross over it. See, when you cross over it, then maybe you'll start to go black [not feel well] and then you'll come back 'round and you'll start to scrubbing - get some lye. You says, somebody's been sprinkling me. All right. You'll go and get some lye and your urinate, and take it and scrub that up. Well, the next morning, I'll go back and do the same. And when you do find it, you say, "Well, I'm going to move. Somebody is sprinkling 'round here. They must be wanting the house or something." And I done move out of the place. So that's why I give it to 'em and that's why I move.
Entry 13436
Ah've heard dat yo' kin go to a creek an' git some of a creek's watah - where [there is] a runnin' creek - an' git some of de watah an' bring it back an' sprinkle it in de yard. Jes' po' it round in de yard but in po'in' dat watah round in de yard, yo' gotta git some of dis heah John de Conkah. An' take an' boil dat watah good an' boil dat John de Conkah an' sprinkle it all round yore yard. An' dat's tuh make any man or woman move. Move them outa de house.
(Why do they use running water?)
Ah don't know. Ah always heah people talkin' an' ah have used it mahself. [Answer to my question; run you away like running water.]