Subject:Pour
Entries
Entry 4074
Dey could do dat. De way ah know dey do dat, dey take a ole gun. Yo've seen dese ole-time guns, de ole muskets we call 'em, shot wit a cap on 'em. Yo take yore chamber lye an' den po' it in dat gun an' stop it up an' put de gun up de chimley. Let de barrel be pointed out. An' dat will hol' yo' watah - yo' can't make watah. [Freud would have had a field day, had a patient seen this rite in a dream!]
Entry 5073
Take an' git dere socks. An' take his socks an' wash 'em. An' take de watah an' put it in a bottle wit de soft watah, sompin lak rain watah, in a kinda crystal watah. Let half of it be de watah from washin' de socks an' half of it be's de crystal watah.
(Soft water?)
Yeah, take dat an' put a little sugah.in it an' put Epsom salts in dat. An' yuh take an' burn de incense an' de red onion - lump incense - on de stove, an' sprinkle a little sugah in it. Dey mos'ly use sugah mos' in anything. An' yuh burn dis lump incense an' de red onion on de stove an' call de name three times. Burn dat fo' 'bout nine mawnin's an' he'll come back an' dere won' be no trouble.
(What did you do with that sock water? What did you do with that?)
Take dat an' set it in de no'th cornah of de house an' keep it dere fo' three days - three tuh nine days. An' yuh take it out an' yuh po' it 'cross de do'- steps an' aftah it dries... [I turned off recording machine too soon or accidentally and had to restart it to repeat informant's words.]
(He'll come back?)
Yessuh.
Entry 5080
(Get a piece of the garment?)
De sock.
(Of the person who is gone?)
Yes, an' he takes it NOT LARGAH DEN A POCKET HAN'KE'CH'EF. Taken dat piece not largah den a pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' take it tuh a runnin' stream of watah, tuh where rock run ovah - a stream from nature, earth, dat run ovah rocks. Wash it three times an' fold it up when it's wet, an' po'l vinegah ovah it, an' go tuh de graveyard an' git some li'le clay. Wrap it tight, real tight, an' put it in brown papah, three layahs of brown papah, an' turn it, twist it, an' den put news- papah round it, an' burn de newspapah off it an' let de brown papah covah it. An' den take it aftah dat an' wrap it up in a flesh [soft] towel lak dat. A towellak dat, one dose turkish towels. Take an' bury it in red clay an' let it stay dere seven days, an' den move it. Aftah seven days yuh'll move it. An' when yuh move it, den go an' bury it right by de rock, by dat stream, an' let it stay dere 21 hours, an' den move it - throw it away. She'll be back in 21 days.
(Where would you throw that away?)
Anywhere.
Entry 5088
Yuh kin [take] yore shoes an' yuh kin put alcohol in yore shoes an' wrench [rinse] it roun' in yore shoes. Yuh kin take dat alcohol out an' yuh kin po' it into any kinda drink an' give tuh a person. Well see, when yuh take dat alcohol an' po' it intuh any kinda drink an' give tuh a person, why dat'll give him den - his mind, he'll lose his mind. HIS MIND GONE FROM 'IM RIGHT STRAIGHT.
Entry 5322
Well, git his track - git nine track comin' tuhwards yo' an' git it an' put it wit some red ants nest - in de red ants nest, an' some salt in it. An' stir it roun' an' talk tuh de red ants an' tell it whut chew want done, work an' all, an' he'll come back. (That is to bring the man back? You get nine tracks as he is coming toward you?) Yes.
(Just one track right after the other, I see.)
Entry 5721
(Have you ever heard of a person getting hold of your foot track and doing something with that to harm you?) Well, dey kin.
(What could they do with that?)
Well, dey kin take dat, take dat wit gunpowdah, an' while yo' are sleepin', call yo' an' yo' answah. Dat's yo'. Dey got yore spirit den. See, dey got chure spirit. See dat's all dey want. An' den dey kin take it tuh a tree, say a gum tree, an' dey kin split dat gum tree an' tack it up in dere.
(What do they tack up in there?)
Dey kin tack or eithah kin splice [split] it [tree]. Put dat right in.
(What do they put in?)
Put de track - put de track in dere. See, de tree will burn.
(What do they do with that gunpowder?)
Dat gunpowdah will keep it hot. Keep yo' hot. Yo' can't stay no one place. Yo' nevah be contented. [In the present rite a part of the victim's spirit, his foot track, has already been caught and mixed with gunpowder in a bottle - see PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE SPIRIT, p.2lf. For good measure informant now catches spirit re- maining in victim's body by calling his name and closing bottle when he answers (see TO CATCH A SPIRIT, p.24f.). Whether these two wholes or two parts of the spirit unite in the bottle, or the gunpowder keeps them dancing apart, I do not know. Evildoer pours contents of bottle into a split made in gum tree and re- moves wedge. The word gum adds to the confusion.]
Entry 7055
If she take his watah, chamber lye...
(The man's?)
Dat's right, but it have tuh be his wife.
(His wife would do this?)
Take his chamber lye an' stop it up in a bottle but don't bury it. Keep it concealed fo' nine days, an' aftah nine days yo' take dat bottle an' po' it on de sundown side - aftah yo' stopped it up in de bottle. An' he would have no taste fo' likkah or any othah strong drinks - no mo'.
Entry 7654
Well, ah hear'd dey say yo' kin take graveyard dirt - yo' kin take dat graveyard dirt - go down dere at night an' dig right ovah de heart of de grave. Den bring it back an' put it umdah de steps an' po' vhis- key on it fo' nine mawnin's. Den yo' go back dere an' yo' take dis dirt up an' put it in a piece of white flannel an' take de dirt an' bury it in de ground an' let it stay dere. After yo' take it up an' put whiskey on it an' put it undah de step in de groun'. An' if dere any- one [there] dat don' lak yo', dey can't stay dere. [Is whiskey on for 9 mornings a delayed payment for the graveyard dirt?]
Entry 7719
Now, yo' take an' yo' go tuh de graveyard, an' yo' write her name down three times on a piece of papah, an' change on de stob on de grave, yo' know. Pull it up heah [de- monstrates], see, an' put it down heah [at the foot] - yo' take de haid [headboard] tuh de foot, yo' see. Well, she done left yo' an' yo' want 'ah [her] back, see. Take de haid [board] tuh de foot an' change it [with the footboard]. Dat's to come [to bring her] back. See, she have tuh come back dere.
(What do you do with that paper?)
Dat papah, yo' got 'ah [her] name on it an' yo' [demonstrates] put it down dere an' yo' put it [pour] in some whiskey an' drive it [footboard in hole]. (You put it [paper] in that hole where you pull up that headboard and put it [headboard] to the foot. Then you take the footboard and put it back in the hole in the headboard's place?) Dat's right.
(Then she'll come back?)
She'll come back. [Paying the grave spirit with whiskey is fairly common.]
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 8682
Yes, yo' could take a sheet of papah wit lines on it an' write. Now, if she wuz a married woman an' yo wanted her, yo'd write her name [demonstrates] on dis line an' yo' turn de papah ovah an' write his name on dat line. See, her name would be goin' disaway an' 'is name dataway.
(Which way would her name be going?)
Yo' see, both sides [of the paper] has lines. Well, yo' write 'er name on dis line an' yo' turn de papah ovah an' write his name [over her name]. Well, yo' see both names wouldn't run togethah. One would run dat way an' one dis way [in the opposite direction]. Well, dat's de breakin' up [opposite of putting together] part. An' yo' would wear these names in yore shoe fo' three days, an' on de third day yo' take it out befo' de sunrise an' jes' tear it in small pieces an' bury it. Yo' wouldn't bury it very deep. Jes' rake back a li'le dirt, enough tuh keep de wind from blowin' it away. An' ever' mavnln' befo' de sun rise, why yo' put jes' a li'le chamber lye on it, an' yo' would say a prayer. (What kind of a prayer?) Yo' would say, "Lord, ah'm doin' dis in Yore Name fo' peace." An' yo' see dat "peace" would mean yo' wouldn't mean de man no harm, but chew would jes' want dis woman. An' yo' would do that fo' nine mawnin's an' de ninth mawnin', why dis woman would come to yo'. An' de way her an' her husband would split up, why he wouldn't have any suspicions of anyone. Then her mind would go from him an' his mind would go from her, an' would [go] to the one that wuz doin' this, that she loved. An' she would nevah know, or he would nevah know jes' how they broke up. But then yo would git de woman that yo' wanted.
Entry 8698
Then you can git a bottle of vinegar an' write de name upon a piece of Venrick parchment.
(What kind of parchment?)
Venrick [a trade name?] parchment. An' they put this in this bottle of vine- gar with cayenne peppah, see. An' they roll this bottle aroun'. Go to de back door an' roll it all de Way tuh de front. (Just a moment. Do they roll it with their hands or feet?) De feet. Dey kick it wit de feet an' as dey kickin' it, dey use de words, "As dis bottle rō' [rolls] ah wan' choo to do de same." (I see.) An' they take it an' dey bury it on de science [signs of the Zodiac]. Dey will do this work by science, by de twelve science [signs].
(Well, what sign would they use on that?)
On de Balance.
(Oh, the sign of the Balance.)
Yes, on de Balance; yes, sir. See, dat's when de earth has power. An' dey buries dis bottle bottom upwards. An' de next mawnin' they get up before de sun rise an' dey pour dat hot water on dat an' de bottle busts [bursts]. Den dey move.
(I see, it will make them move.
Entry 9032
De nex' thing, tuh mah idea, whut's good, take some of yore fingah- nails. Trim yore fingahnails off. Go tuh some watah an' git dat daid skin undah yore feet. Scrape it down. Put it in sompin an' let it dissolve fo' nine days. Den take dat an' strain it. Have it in watah, an' jes' lak de jedge would have a sep'rate pitcher he drink out of, put dat ovah dere in his pitcher. Jes' lak yo' de jedge of de co't, put dat in yore pitcher. See, de chance is de co't goes up dere soon an' dey have evah-thing lined up, de jedge an' de jury. Put sompin in [the pitchers of] both of 'em. Ah'm de crim'nal. Ah'm de crim'nal, yo' know, an' yo' goin' try tuh send me tuh de chain gang. Git tuh arguin' on dat thing. Aftah while dey gits sorry fo' yuh. Things is workin' mah way. Whut chew want 'em tuh [do, that will do it]. Yo' couldn't do it. Simple things whut ah learnt wit de business [of being a hoodoo doctor].
Entry 9365
Well, yo' take a chicken aig an' yo' kin broke dat shell, an' put dat in a cup or a [saucer], de yellah, not de white, jis' de yellah part of it, an yo' beat dat up. Yo' git chew den de thing yo' calls Seven Yeahs Adventure. Didja [did you] evah heah about dat? (Seven years what?) Seven Yeahs 'Venture, yeah. (Adventure or [something] or what?) Deventure. Deventure, yes. Yo' know, yo' drops jis' about 12 drops of dat in dat an' stir dat up. Beat dat up jis' lak yo' gon'a make - yo' see, yo' po' dat in fo' bottles [demonstrates]. Put one heah, one dere, one dere, an' one heah.
(Sort of shape of a cross.)
Yas, an' aftah dat ain't no man kin harm yuh. house
(Where do you put those four bottles?)
Yo' kin put dose fo' bottles aroun' in yuh yard [like this]:
[The house in center of cross forms a quincunx.]
Entry 10019
Take a black cat an' have oven heated hot, dat's got a lid on it, an' take dat black cat an' put 'im in dat oven, see. An' put de lid on it an' cook 'im. Call 'im [cat] by name whutevah it might be. It may be Tom an' it may be Jim. Dey have diff'ren names. Whatevah 'is name be, yo' call it, an' he'll answer yuh! He'll tell yo' 'zakly what bone tuh take. Dey tell me he'll tell yuh tuh take de short bone. Take all de - aftah yo' burn 'im up, take de bones an' carry 'em tuh swift watah, see. An' pour all dese bones in de watah. An' de bone dat goes up de stream, dat is de bone fer yuh tuh take. Dat's whut chew do. [This is probably the only black-cat-bone rite in which the name of the cat is called! Lid on an Oven is unusual!]
Entry 10212
Tuh separate 'em. Yo' take dis man when he deal wit yo'. Yo' wanta break dem [man and other woman] up. Yo' take dis man when he deals wit yo' an' yo' take dat towel dat yo' an' him uses, see. An' yo' take dis towel tuh dis woman's house - if yo' kin locate where she live at - dis woman he's runnin' roun' wit. Den yo' bury dis towel down right at her do'step, where she have tuh come out at. Yo' bury dat towel dere an' den yo' take some bluein' - Purity Bluein', see. See, yo' takes bluein' an' ink an' mix it up combined. Yo' kin jis' sprinkle dat towel, on dere, an' den yo' bury dat towel right up undah- neath whah she have tuh walk at. Dat'll break it up. Dat break it up, too.
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 12233
Dat High John de Conkah root by hitself, yo' kin take dat in de mawn- in' an' yo' kin git up 'fore de sun rise, an' dere's a word dat chew have tuh say befo' de sun rise, an' look to de east. Po' a little of it out of de bottle, de liquid offa de root into yore han' an' rub it cross yore face three times. (What will that do?) Dat's to inherit mo' money. (What words do you say?) Jes' say, "So we live, so we die, ' po' a little bit in yore han' an' rub it cross yore face an' look to where de sun risin' in de mawnin'.
(What kind of liquid do you put in the bottle?)
Yo' kin put gin whiskey on it, or eithah Hearts Cologne - nuthin excusin' dat. Hearts Cologne or eithah pure gin whiskey [gin or white whiskey].
Entry 12691
If a man wanta ketch 'is wife, jes' lak in some act or 'nothah, den yo' takes oak ashes. Take oak ashes an' pine straw [dried needle on ground, also called shatters in the South]. An' yo' take an' put dose oak ashes ovah dem an' yo' puts one hole in de can an' let de can leak aftah yo' puts watah in dere. Den yo' takes oil an' yo' puts oil - po's oil ovah dat an' let de oil run through, an' den as de oil meets wit dis heah straw an' oil an' straw mix wit dis watah dat he has po'd on dere, den dat will cause dis man an' woman tuh go tuhgethah. An' de day he would po' de oil in - see, he done put de watah in dere an' let de watah drip through de straw an' oak ashes. Den he puts de oil in dere, an' den at de minute dat he puts dis oil in dere an' de oil drip through tuh de ashes, den dis heah woman she'll be wantin tuh git tuh dis man, but now de woman she'll have tuh burn dese ashes. See, he'll git huh tuh burn de ashes fo' him. An' den she'll be wantin' tuh git tuh dis othah man, an' whenevah she gits wit him, den he goes where dey's at...tuh fin' dem den. Wheresomevah - if he fin' dem dey'll be tuhgethah.
(Just associating together.)
Yes.
Entry 12932
Ah knows dat's all right about de shoes. Jes' say if yo' an' a woman wus in love tuhgether, an' by some means dat chew think dat dis woman is not de right woman fo' yo', an' yo' wants tuh git loose from her, yo' put on yore shoes an' jes' git out an' valk. Walk fast. Yo' know dat chure feet will perspire but not smelly. Pull den shoe off an' po' some wine in 'em an' drink dat wine. Dat'll separate yo' an' her. [For another drinking-out-of-shoe rite, see 12896, p.4412.
Entry 13430
If you been tricked and have dese fainting spells - any kind of spells been put on you. See, dere's a way fer you to do - is fer you to go to de person dat you think put 'em on you. Speak to him about it. Well, you see him den and you tell him how you been tricked and all like dat. Say, dey can't look at you straight to save his life because he put it on yo'. Den after yo' git dat, den you go to swift water, ah've been told. And git dat swift water and bring it back and boil it and put cayen- ne pepper in it. See, cayenne pepper and ginger. See, dat's power - dat's strong. See, dat have a great odor to it. Take dat and boil it and salt, an' carry it to his doorsteps an' yo' kin take yore time. Let it be 'way in de night, way about twelve or one clock an' pour it at his doorstep. An' it will turn de trick right back on it. Yo'll git well and it will go right back on him.
Entry 13453
If yo' wanta make 'em move out? Ah tell yo' zactly whut ah do. Ah git some new sparklin' wine an' put it in one dese little toy jugs yo' git out de ten-cent sto', an' go right dah [there] befo' day in de mawnin' an' where he have tuh come out de gate, an' po' it down an' call on de: Three Names, de Fathah, Son an' de Holy Ghost. Vanished! It won' be long 'fo' de're [they are] gone.
(You - all you do is pour some new wine down?)
Git some new wine an' put it in one dem new toy jugs yo' see dere. An' den go dere 'fo' day in de mawnin' - don't let daylight ketch yo', an' dey'll go on.
Entry 13455
An' if ah have a enemy that's botherin' me, ah supposed tuh git - yo' know somebody coml' tuh me an' jis' botherin' me all de time an' ah wanted tuh run 'em away. Ah kin run 'em at twelve a'clock in de night. Ah'd buy me a jug of wine an' put a dime jar of mustard in a jug of vine, an' po' that jug of wine right at de hour of twelve a'clock right at de do'step, but be sho' [sure] not tuh let de wine, tetch me. [There are numberous varnings in HOODOO by professional workers not to let any of the in- gredients used touch you.]