Subject:Nervousness
Entries
Entry 6551
Git a red frog an' git some of de warts off 'im, an' some of 'is blood. If yo' kin slice him in 'is hind laigs dere, yo' know, git some blood outa 'im dat way. Take one of dese Warts an' boil it an' make yo' a tea outa it. An' take some'a de blood an' git intuh dis tea an' give a fellah a dose of it, he will become nervous, jis' lak he would have de St. Werdis [Vitus'sl dance. His arm or 'is hand or wherevah in it takes place at - he be settin' still an' soon as he gittin' settin' still, be jis' all ovah shake lak dat [demonstrates]. But yo' gotta git one of dose ole red toads dey call 'em, dese red speckled ones - git one of dem.
Entry 795
I knew a man that was said to have a spell put on him. He was a lawyer who didn't believe in anything. Anyhow, he had something that they deemed to be a nervous breakdown. They had three doctors with him. It seems that he would be up today but tomorrow he would be in the same condition. In the meantime, a woman came to his wife and told her that she knew somebody that could do him some good. She said to the woman, "I will do anything to try to help him, because he cannot go to his office and all of his business is going to pieces." She said, "I will bring the man to your house tonight and he will tell you what you must do." On the designated night she brought the man. The man went in to the lawyer's wife and told her, "This is a spell that is put on your husband by conjuration. I can help him. You, tomorrow, go to the bank, get me seventy-five dollars in silver [silver dollars] and have it here tomorrow night when I come." In turn the man left. The next day the woman went to the bank, got the seventy-five dollars out in silver and brought it home. When the man came next night, he took this silver, and he had this lawyer lay flat on his back, and he laid this silver all up and down his breast and all around. He bound it every one in its place till he had the seventy-five dollars on his body. He said, "Leave that be for three days and I'll be back." He went away. The third night he was back. He unbound the lawyer and took the money out. Each piece of the money was black. He took it out and laid it down and said, "See herel" When he got the seventy-five dollars off it was all very dark. And he said to the man's wife, "Now, I will rake all of this into this bag and I will cast it into oblivion, and he will get well, because this is his disease that's in this silver." So he took the silver and went away and stayed away for quite a while. When he came back the man was up and about the house. And he said, "Are you getting better?" He said, "I don't know. I don't feel so strong. I don't feel like going to my office. But still, I am convinced of the fact that something must of happened to me." He said, "That's all I want' - that's the conjureman. "All I want is for you to be convinced that you are conjured. Now, that you are convinced, now I will begin to work on you. He kept working on the man till he got about five-hundred dollars out of him - and the man by that time was in such a low state of health and of spirits - till he had to move out of the house that he had been owning for about sixteen years and go into another that was given him by a white man. And he stayed there as a baby for three years till his hair was gone. He was just like an invalid. And about three years ago he died right in Orangeburg [South Carolina]. [New York City, (10), Ed.] [The preceding subsection, Doctor and Doctor, gave some beliefs and practices emphasizing the difference between the primitive thought of hoodoo's magic world and the modern thought of science. Now comes a survey of doctor's entire career. As an introduction to the following margin-titles, I will use a story permitting us to watch two doctors on the same case, one succeeding the other; the first a country doctor, the second a city doctor. Medical doctors are also involved at the beginning.]
Entry 541
I was about ten years old. Well, mah grandmother used to tell me if ah wouldn't be good that a hag. she would come at night an' ride me. Well, ah never did believe it tull - when ah'd go to bed, jis' about ev'ry mawnin' jis' about fo' 'clock, it would always be some dark woman would come an' git right on mah bed an' seemed if she tried to choke me. An' she'd be chokin' me an' chokin' me an' it seemed like always jis' de time ah'd be tryin' tuh holler she'd choke me all de tighter. Well, she kept doin' dat fer about a week - she never would choke me to death but she always would choke me where ah really would be stran- gled. She did dat about two weeks out of ev'ry month an' it wus jes' like dat fer about six months. De doctor he said ah was nervous. So my mother she kept on tryin' ev'rythin' an' so a ole lady [doctor] tole her to take straws an' put 'em in de center of bed at night when ah go to bed, like a cross, an' dat would stop it. Well, she tried dat - two crosses dere fer a while an' fer a while de woman she'd always come an' bother me but she never would come near to choke me, she'd stand off with one of her hands up in front of her face. So mah mother she started to put mah brother in de bed to sleep with me. Well, instead of bothering me de woman would go to mah brother an' bother him, an' she did him de same way she did me fer a long time until she had him where he Was gittin' pore - losin' weight all de time. She tried de straws on mah brother but dey wouldn't help him at all. So she would take him an' put him in bed with her an she could wake up an' really see him choking at night. But de woman never did come bother me long as: de straws was in mah bed. So de ole lady tole my mother that it wasn't but one thing fer her to do, that Was to burn this heah sulphur in all de rooms at night befo' we go to bed - shut de windahs tight down an' wouldn't open up de windahs no mo' atall at night to let air in - let her in - fer at least a month. So mah mother she did dat for at least a month. Well, grad'lly - we'd always hear a noise lak somebody scratchin' on de side of de windahpane tryin' to git in. So purty soon it stopped an' mah mother she could raise de windahs again. But always, along about around de full of de moon, dis woman she'd come back. She always would come back an' yo' could hear her laugh - a funny laugh at night.
(But she never bothered you any more?)
Nevah bothered us any more but she always jes' come back an' laughed.
Entry 4711
She take de bow outa a man's hat an' she takes an' put it in a small bottle, yuh undahstan'. An' she take dat bottle, yuh undahstan', an' takes some whiskey an' po' in dere on it roun' about every month, see [feeding this hand - see p.578]. he'll jis' be worried aftah her all de time.
[HERE A BLACK PERSON CALLS A WHITE PERSON, "BOY."]
(What would she do with that bottle?)
Well, she'll take dat bottle up dere yuh know, an' she keep dat bottle an' feed it all de time.
Entry 8308
Well, dere sev'ral things dat chew kin do wit dat. Now yo' kin take a person's - now lak if a person is off an' yo' wanta draw dem tuh yo' wit dere photograph. Yo' kin take dat pichure an' yo' kin turn it - it will show yo' see. Yo' kin take dat pichure lak dis tuh de east part of de world - yo' kin take dat pichure an' turn de face of it lak dat [demonstrates] in de dark. (The face to the east?) To de east. See [demon- strates] lak dis is de face here. Yo' do dat, see, lak, an' let it be in de east part, an' let de face be towards dat way. An' nine mawnin's yo' go tuh dat pi- chure an' lak, if yo' face de haid up dere, yo' go tuh it lak dis [demonstrates and talks].
(Have that part upside down, turn it upside down and talk to it.)
Talk tuh it.
[Informant demonstrates while I describe demonstration.]
(Now this picture is upward on the mantel [of the interviewing room], but the face is against the wall facing to the east and the head is up. When you go there these nine mornings, you pick up the picture and just turn it back so that YOU ARE TALKING TO THE FELLOW WHOSE HEAD IS UPSIDE DOWN. ALL RIGHT, NOW, WHAT DO YOU SAY?) Well, now, yo' call 'im by his name.
(You call this picture by his name.)
Jis' lak, fo' instance, say his name is John. Yo' jis' take his pichure up an' say, "John, ah mean fo' yo' tuh come home, '' say, "yo' heard me talkin' tuh yo'. Come home, In de Name of de Lord." See, an' if yo' use a holy name, why yo' kin call, CALL DAT HOLY SPIRIT'S NAME, yo' See, SUCH AS JACK OR WHATEVAH SPIRIT NAME YO' USE. Call it dat way. When, if yo' not dealin' wit de spirits, why den yo' call 'im [the man]. Jis' call 'im, say, "John, ' say, "ah mean fo' yo' tuh come home." Say, "Yo' know ah want chew tuh come home. Ah mean fo' yo' tuh come. Yo' heerd me callin' yo'. Come home!" See, an' talk tuh 'im dat Way. Turn it [photo] an' leave back up dere; but do dat as early as yo' kin in de mawnin' 'fore twelve aclock, see. An' if yo' don't ketch it in de mawnin' 'fore twelve aclock, den yo' ketch it at nine aclock at night or eithah right aftah twelve at night.
(And you say you do this for nine days?)
Yes sir, fo' nine days.
(And that will bring him back?)
Dat'll bring 'im back. An' den again yo' kin use salt, jis' common cookin' salt tuh bring a person back whatevah direction. If yo' know whatevah direction de party is in - say, north, east or south - whatevah direction, yo' kin jis' take a li'le pinch of salt an' go tuh de do' in de yard where yo' kin throw it. All right, throw it in dat direction an' call 'em by dere name. An' call 'em in dat way an' dey'll git so restless an' uneasy, an' dere mind will jis' git on dat place where yo' want 'em tuh come, cuz dey'll have tuh come.
Entry 8852
Dey kin take yore handwritin' an' mess yo' up a great deal. An' maybe kin take yore handwritin' an' by takin' a glass an' holdin' ovah yore handwritin' like dat an' read yore writin' through a glass. An' aftah yo' read yore writin' through de glass - read down from about de second line - den cut de second line in a "v" shape an' throw it in de fire at sundown, an' dey say dat will give yo' a nervous feelin' in yore hand. (Like you would hold a mirror over this writing and you read that writing in the mirror. Read down to the second line. And then how do you cut that?)
[See my comment on word mirror at end of rite.]
Dat's right, cut it in a "v" shape.
(How do you mean cut it in a "v" shape?)
Jes' take a scissors. (Here's the letter now. [I hand my Numbers Book to informant.] Here, what would you do with that?) In a "v" shape...
(How do you mean you cut that in a "v" shape?)
Now, jes' lak dat's a line an' dat's a line an' dat's a line [informant is pointing to lines in Numbers Book]. Read tuh de third line an' den take a scis- sors an' cut a "v" shape in dat. (You cut a "v" out of it, make a hole like a "v". That's the little piece you throw into the fire?) Yes. [My word mirror in paragraph 2 was badly chosen, magnifying glass in the pre- ceding rite would have been much better; but best of all, the meaning here is surely an ordinary drinking glass. Few persons receiving letters and intending evil work with them had a magnifying glass handy. Quite different are these two glasses. Look through a magnifying glass and you see the real world enlarged; look through a cheap drinking glass, probably an ex-jelly glass in informant's case, and you behold a distorted world, the confused and unreal world of hoo- dooism. Understand, look through the mouth of the drinking glass and out through the bottom; use it as a magnifying glass. After three consecutive lines of the letter are read, a solid "v" shape is cut with two strokes of the scissors from the second line and dropped into a fire. This 'V' shape can be made on either edge or side of the page. Though informant says nothing, I suspect he did not touch the "v" with his hand, but clipped and carried it to the fire with the scissors. His own fingerprint Would not be burned. WHAT DOES OUR "v" SIGNIFY? First, since this trick produces a nervous feeling in yore hand, our 'v"', despite its solidity, symbolizes the Roman numeral V, the Arabic numeral 5, the 5 fingers of the hand. Second, our solid "v" is a triangle, showing that this rite works In the 3 Highest Names. True, the triangle should be equilaterial for the Trin- ity, but do not expect such theological accuracy of hoodoo. Three, our "v" as- sures Victory or success for the rite.]
Entry 11579
Get a person's foot tracks and cause 'em to wander away, and that they don't want nothing atall.
(Well, what would they do with that track?)
They take about nine pinches of it from your right foot and that causes you to gettin' worried, you wanta go. And in nine days, if somebody don't do somepin fer you, you'll just wander - you ain't satisifed no place you go.
(After they get the dirt out of the track, what do they do with that?)
Well, you see when you [they] get those nine pinches of dirt out of the track, they take it and they sew it up in a bag. Well, the person, you know, don't care for you, they'll wear that with them. Well, you can't get it, but if someone gets ahead of you [some- one tries to get it for you], like you go to some witchcraft person [who] is ahead of you, they [culprit] can avoid [him] by throwing it in running water.
Entry 12285
Dey tell me yo' kin tie three knots on a string an' put it in anybody's pocket an' dey mind will jes' stay on yo' all de time. Dey'll jes' worry, be worr'ed an' nevah satisfied no place dey go.
Entry 12428
Take gunpowder an' milk, a woman's breast milk, jes' take an' 'dult- erate it out an' give it to a woman. Give it to 'em in anything, make 'en evil, cranky, an' all lak dat, makes 'em nervous. (You mix this gunpowder With this womam's dlk. and that makes then fight all the Une?) Yessuh.
Entry 8807
Dey say if dey git hold of yore han'writin', aniybody's han'writin' an put it in vinegah an' bury it, it'll upset 'em a lot; upset dey nerves an' dey can't write an' can't do any- thing.
Entry 8827
Yes, ah've heard dat if yo' take dat han'writin' an' if yo' cut de fo cornahs - yo' takes de lettah an' yo' takes an' fold it tuhgethah an' yo' takes dose fo' cornahs an' yo' clip dose cornahs off. Yo' takes dose cornahs an' yo' puts 'em right tuhgethah an' cut 'em ag'in. Yo' have tuh cut 'em as many times as yo' got fingahs. An' evah time yo' cut 'em yo' have tuh lay all de points de same way. An' den yo' take dis han'writin' an' yo' takes an' burns it. An' den yo' - whatsomevah, jes' lak yo' take an' hold it ovah sompin an' burn, den yo' takes de li'le ashes or dust from whatsomevah it is, an' yo' goes an' bury it. An' when yo' bury it, yo' bury it in a hole wit a cut jes' lak de lettah supposed [to] be cut. Yo' turn dese points jes' lak yo' have turnt dese points on de lettah. An' den dey say dat dat will make yo' so nervous, when yo' git ready tuh write ag'in, yo' couldn't write atall, couldn't write a scratch.
(In other words, the hole is in sort of the shape of a diamond?)
[A square or oblong with 4 cut off corners is scarcely the shape of a diomona!]
Yeah. (And you have to keep cutting those squares and keep putting those pieces to- gether.) Uh-huh, until yo' cut 'em ten times [for the number see comment later]. Den yo' take dose squares [triangles] an' yo' burn 'em. Den put 'em in de di'mond- square [hole] an' bury 'em.
(That makes you nervous in your hand?)
Yeah. [In this rite we are asked to accept a fantastic number of triangles. We begin with the original 4 triangles by cutting off the 4 corners of the let- ter. These we must cut 10 times, quite an exercise in geometric progression: (lst cut) 4 triangles, (2nd cut) 8, continuing the doubling with 32,64,128, 256,512, 1024, and 2048! Adding these 10 cuttings of triangles we have 4092 of them! And don't forget: each time yo' cut 'em yo' have tuh lay all de points de Same Way!!! Had my informant said 3 cuttings,4,8,16, he would have remained within the realm of possibility; but not 10 cuttings! The ashes from these tri- angles are buried in the diamond-square hole, a hole shaped like the former old- fashioned coffin, the head part with cut-off corners. In the present rite the cut-off corners are also given to the bottom of the coffin symbol. Here again I think informant is mistaken. The coffin symbol should be the shape of the orig- inal envelope.]
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 13229
A man kin go tuh work jes' like yo' workin' fo' a man. He kin go tuh dat man house where yo' handle roun' an' drive a spear down fo' yo' sharp - sharpen at both ends an' drive it down, it's not - it's sorta flat yo' see. See, den yo' sit dere an' dig a hole round it enough tuh take his knife an' whittle it up sharp. Den cover it ovah where yo' can't find nuthin. An' yo' ain't goin' stay dere, yo've gotta go. Yo'll be on pins all de time. Dat's whut chew call settin' 'em on pins.
(You put this piece of wood down in the ground around his house?)
Yes sir, sharpen it tuh de end an' sharpen it tuh de top but chew drive it down befo' yo' sharpen it. Den yo' take yore knife an' sharpen de top part. Den cover it up.
Entry 1564
Take a snake shed when yore nerves is bad an' rub it in yore han's like that - jes' rub it in yore hands until it git fine, jes' rub it all ovah yore hands. It will stop yo' from bein' nervous. [Since the nerve ailment shingles (herpes - creeping things or reptiles) is caused by a snake, nervousness is cured by a snake - like cures like (see p.394).] [See also Blacksnake, Rattlesnake, etc. and Index.]