Subject:Repeat
Entries
Entry 5552
Now ah have heard dat if yo' wanted tuh vanish a person, in uddah words, dat's runnin' 'em off, drivin' 'im on. Yo' git up early in de mawnin'. Say ah were goin' dis way, but chew don't go in de direction ah'm goin'. Yo' come from de direction ah'm goin'. An' git a little of de dirt right out de hollah of mah track.
(How do you scoop that up?) From de toe [demon- strates]. (From the toe to the heel.)
Right in de hollah of it. See, yo' take dat sand tuh a runnin' stream, an' throw dat sand in dat runnin' stream, an' repeat de Three Highest Names. Jes' throw dat sand in de runnin' stream.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will run dem off.
Entry 6142
[Later during interview informant gives another version of the four- strands-of-hair rite:] Dat's wus'ah [worse-er] den de fo' strands of hair, undahstan'. Den yo' kin take - go git dat fo' stran's of hair. Take dat needle dat de lady sews wit an' wrap it up an' put it wit dat fo' stran's of hair, an' put it in de mouth [informant means toe] of yore shoe, an' wear it dere, yo' undahstan'. An' IF SHE LEAVE YO', DEN DE SUN AIN'T SHININ' OUT DERE - can't leaVe yo'.
(Put four strands of her hair in your shoe?)
Wear it in de toe of yore shoe, way up in de toe, put it up dere where it won't git lost when yo' pull off yore shoe or yore sock - jes' pack it in dere. Let it stay in dere. But it's de quickest way tuh git 'em - dat's it, yo' undah- Stan'. But now YO' MUST KEEP DAT UP ONCE A MONTH. DON'T DO IT JES' ONE TIME, IT DIE DOWN. DAT MEANS, SEE, DAT ONCE A MONTH DE MOON CHANGES. Do it OnCe eVah month.
(On the change.of the moon.)
Entry 7497
Go tuh de graveyard ag'in an' take a piece of silvah. Yo' take a large piece of silvah when yo' want chure work done. Yo' go tuh a baby's grave - yo know, a child's grave, an' yo' say - face de risin sun - an' yo' say, "In de Name of de Fathah, an' Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Ghost, de man dat killed mah husban', brothah, sis- tah or whoevah it wuz, ah want chew tuh bring 'im back befo' de sun sets." An' dey say gen'ly [generally] comes. Come back an' connect aroun' where he kin be caught.
Entry 8503
[For burning, see also long mar- gin title LAMP.] If yo' wanta git somebody back tuh yo' or somepin, well yo' would - if yo' were usin' somepin lak yo' were goin' tuh burn somepin tuh bring dem back. Well, yo' would repeat dere name. Yo' repeat dere name, say, "Well, Johnny, let Johnny - Hoodoo Conjuration - Witchcraft - Rootwork come back." Well, fo' so many times whilst chew were burnin' yore - whut dey use tuh bring 'em back yo' see.
Entry 8573
If yo' wants them to come there, sign their name on plain paper. Then they'll put this gunpowder in there and light and burn it. That brings 'em back. And repeat de Lord's prayer 9 mornings.
(Do you burn that just for one morning or for nine mornings?)
Naw, yuh burn it fer just one time but juh have to say de prayers for nine mornings.
Entry 8887
As the proof, yo' will take a Bible, the Testament. Yo'll take a great big brass key. Yo'll place it in that Bible. Tyin' it well, hold it with two individual forefingers sayin' this word: By St. Peter, by St. Paul, by the Lord that made us all, if Chester have my pocketbook, leave the Bible, key, turn an' fall. An' if he's got it, it'll turn an' fall. Yo' kin call twenty differen' men's names an' when yo' get de right one, it turns. De other individuals, it stays neutral.
(I see. Then what Would you do to make him bring it back, anything?)
Why yo' go to 'im an' yo' tell 'im to bring it back, if yo' found out fo' sure he got it.
Entry 9134
Yo' take yo' nine leaves of sage - yo' seen sage - green sage. Yo' take nine leaves of green sage an' yo' put it in de bottom of yo' shoe. Yo' firs' write de twelve disciples names on evah leaf. Yo' know, jes' lak Petah- Paul-John. Yo' write de twelve disciples name on evah leaf of dat sage. Put one in yore right shoe an' one in yore left shoe, an' yo' go down befo' de judge, yo' could repeat dem same words dat ah said jes' while ago: Three daid men looked outa de windah; one had no lung, de othah had no tongue, an' de third wus deaf, dumb an' blind. Holy Spirit, speak fo' me as ah pray tuh three times a day. Only goodness an' mercy shall follah me tuh mah grave. Yo' jes' go in de co'thouse attah dat an' when yo' git up befo' de judge jes' continue tuh say dat, an' he'll dismiss yo'. He will eithah give yo' a sus- pended sentence or turn yo' loose.
Entry 9245
If yo' have anything dat chew wants done ag'in wit a aig - a aig is a valuable thing. If it's anything dat chew want done wit a aig, write upon yore aig whut chew want an' put it in yore mouth. See, put de whole aig in yore mouth. Write jis' whut chew want On dat aig an' put it in yore mouth, an' walk tuh de east cornah an' west cornah an' de south cornah - jis' walk in evah cornah of de house, an' turn yore face tuh de east an' make yore wishes wit de aig in yore mouth. Yo' gits yore.wishes.
(You do that at any time?)
Jis' any time. If yo' wants sompin tuh happen, anything dat chew want [to] happen.
Entry 9347
Yo' kin roll it on yore hearth, a chicken aig. An' roll it on yore hearth an' say de Lord's Prayah. Call de guy's name dat chew wants. Whosomevah yo' want, he'll come. He will, so dey tells me wit dat chicken aig. [To roll is an important and common rite in Hoodoo. Rolling commonly means to you or away from you.]
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 9508
Now if yo' runnin' a gamblin' house, sellin' whiskey, got women, if yo' wanta be lucky 'bout dis thing, always keep in yo' place loose salt, ice cream salt. Git de ice cream salt, it's in big lumps. [Ice cream salt is rare in HOODOO.] Dey says yo' could swallah oneof'em[lumps], deygood fo' yo' stomic anyway. Jes' put one in yo' mouth an' swallah it an' dey says dat ev'ry once in a while jes' scattah some all round de house. It roll up lak snow [informant not a native of place where we are talking] or sweep it out. Dey says de cops or p'lice will bar'ly evah pass by; if dey do, dey speak tuh yo' an' wave dere han's. Yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's straight an' den yo' skip nine. Dey tell me dat'll work fine. An' ah believe some people's doin' it right heah [in the city] now, 'cuz ah been heah a long time. Dey say dat's a fact.
Entry 9579
When dey come in, an' as dey go out - yo'd have yore salt an' yore peppah, an' as dey walk out yo' sprinkle it right behin' 'em. An' as dey go out - yo' have yore broom- sweep it [salt, pepper, and tracks] from inside right on out. Say, "Don' come back, don' come back." Yo' repeat dat [incantation] nine timies, evah time dey come an' fine'ly dey'll stop comin'.
(That will keep anybody away - the law or anybody.)
Anybody - de salt an' pepper in dere tracks.
Entry 9587
[My informant gives the complete rite first and then much later during the interview adds a note about it.l And then they say you kin take and put salt and pepper in your shoe, if you wmta git a fellow. You know, take salt and pepper and put it in and wear it in ygmr shoes.
(In both shoes?)
Yes, in both shoes - yes.
(That's to get him?)
You know, they have a little saying about: If you want a fellow, I'll tell you what to do Just get some salt and pepper And wear it in your shoe Just red pepper, you know. Not black pepper, but red pepper you know.
(That's a little song, you say?)
Yes, but you wanta get a box of salt that ain't even been used out of, you see. Go to the store and buy you a brand-new box of salt. Then you wanta get you a strand of [red] pepper: [pep- per pods] where's never any been used off it. See, if there's any been used off it, it's not any good. See, get you a strand of pepper where there's none ever ben used off it. And then you get a pod - you get you three pods of pepper in your shoe. And you cut one up in one shoe and you cut the other up. You cut half a one [pod] in this one [shoe] and half in the other [shoe]. And each time you cut the pepper you sprinkle some of that salt, you see, and make your wish.
(In doing that you use three pods of pepper?)
Yes, you use three pods.
(You put half in one shoe and half in the other?)
Half in one and half in the other.
(And you cut the second pepper in half?)
Yeah, you... (I [you] cut the first pepper in half, then you put some salt on top of that in the shoe and make your wish?) And make your wish. (Then you take another pepper and cut it in half and put it in the shoe, and then put salt and make the wish, that way?) Yes, three times.
(I see.)
That makes just three times cuttin' [3 peppers or cut] and you make your wish co see him. And then you wait three days to see him. An' he doesn't do like you want him to do in those three days, why you do that again, you see. But you use tree pods of pepper then. Well, probably see, he might come but not up to like yoa'd like for him to come. Well, you'd use three more, see. That makes nine pods, see, and then that makes nine days. See, everything works at nine days. And you know, they say for the right conjuration and for it to do right like you wmt it to do, you wants to work it on the last quarter of the moon, when it's dark nights, and then you see the results on the growing of the new moon. You see, as the new moon grows, why he'll come to you. [This is often called a put- ting-together rite. In the following subsection see onion cut into 4 parts, No.9596.]
Entry 9666
Yo' take an' git a salt [salted] fish an' put it in watah an' scale de fish an' clean 'll. If yo' wants tuh [have?]'i open or sompin lak dat an' take all dat [insides out] - if yo' don' wanta throw de guts an' all intuh yore, in fronta yore do', take dem out an' throw de fish watah an' evahthin' right out in front [of your house] an' de people will come tuh yo'. (That is for customers?) Yessuh. (For what - what kind of a business?) Well, any kinda business yo' want, whethah it's a whiskey business, or whethah it's business in a sto' or whut. Anythin'.
(You say you take a salt fish?)
[Informant's opening words: git a salt fish...put in water and scale...an' clean 'im had confused me, especially the words put in water.] Takes salt fish, scale 'im.
(What kind of a salt fish?)
We gen'ly use salt herring, or any kinda salt fish. We generally gits de real cheap ones. [Informant definitely means salted fish.in a can or tin. One fish at lease is soaked in water to obtain the brine, scaled or skinned, and then split open sad cleaned. The fish essence in the water fishes for customers, the salt in the water kills anything put down by an enemy to stop the arrival of customers.] An' den, ag'in [another way for trade], take urination an' put salt in it an' throu it de direction where yo' see big crowds. [Just as the urine of a dog attracts other dogs, likewise human urine attracts people or customers.] Do dat fo' nine mawnin's. De crowds will come right towards yo'. Ah saw dat done.
(If you are selling whiskey you do that?)
Yes.
Entry 10134
[Well, jis' say fo' instance if yo' had done kilt a man or somepin lak dat, well now heah's [what you do]. If de road goin' no'th an' so'th - well, prob'ly if it's goin' east an' west. Well, [demonstrates] heah come de mainline road comin' down heah. All right, heah come two fo'ks comin' intuh de mainline road right chere. (Making a big "Y".) Yeah. Well, now, dis man - if yo' done kilt a man an' don' want 'em tuh hahm yo', yo' ketch yuh a black ket an' yo' cut 'bout, well yo' may say about three inches of his tail off. Well, when yo' git tuh de fo'ks of dis road - now, mind yo' now, dis is de mainline road comin' down heah. If dat's a pale [dirt?] road, if it's goin' east an' west, or eithah no'th an' so'th; well, now, if dat's a hard road or concrete road, yo' step right back tuh de right. Now, yo' git de undahstandin'. Yo' come when yo' get tuh de fo'ks of dis road, yo' go right back tuh de right. Back back, don't go fahwards. Yo' go right back six feet from de hard road, jis' backwards. Well, right down dere yo' dig jis' about a half a-feet an' bury dat black ket tail right dere, an' complete de Lord's word, say, "Fathah, stan' by." All right. Now listen. Now, yo' do dat an' - don' go back dere de nex' mawn- in'. Let it be roun' about three or fo' 'clock, but don' go back dere de nex' mawnin'. Come back de third mawnin' an' do dat same thing, jis' back back - yo' ain't gotta bothah dat tail - jis' back back six feet [from the road] an' say, "Fathah, stan' by." Well, yo' do dat three days in a week, until nine mawnin's. Evahthin' will be all right. (That is, the law won't track you or won't get you. Now, you [I] do that this morning, then I wait three mornings before coming back, or I wait only two morn- ings. before coming back?) Now, de firs' mawnin' yo' go, when yo' put it down dere de firs' mawnin', don' go back de nex' mawnin' but go back de nex' mawnin' [the morning after the next morning] yo' undahstan'. De firs' mawnin' yo' bury it down dere. Well, de nex' mawnin', de second, don' go back de secon' mawnin', but go back de third mawnin' yo' undahstan'.
(Then you don't go back the fourth morning?)
De fo'th mawnin' an' den de fit' mawnin' an' - now don' go back no mo' dat week. Jis' go three days in de week. Jis' go three days in de week until nine [days]. See, three an' three is six an' three's nine.
(It takes you three weeks to do that, then?)
Jis' put it in in three weeks, yessuh. (You only go there three times in one week and then you have to wait until another week.) Anothah week an' den de next week.
(You leave that black cat tail there?)
Yeah, jis' let it stay right dere.
Entry 10499
When yo' wants tuh sell yo'self to de devil, ah've heard of dat. Yo' go to de fo' fo'ks ah b'lieve fo' nine mornings - or 15 mornings, somepin lak dat. Ah disremember how many mornings, but anyway, dey say yo' kin go dere an' repeat a question. Say yo' re- peat dat ah think three times, ah believe, an' say Devil, Devil, ah wants tuh be with chew; wants tuh work fo' yo'. An' dey say de last mornin' yo' go, say den yo' meets up with a whole lotsa racket an' fuss an' all lak dat. An' dey say if yo' kin stand de fussing dat chew hear, why den yo' kin do most anything in de worl' - yo' come to do anything.
Entry 10699
Well, yo' wants tuh win. Wherever yo' goin' yo' wants tuh win. Yo' Bo into de gamblin' place an' yo' takes a Bible an' read de 23rd Psalms. Repeat it three times befo' leavin' home, an' on de way repeat it along, an' along until yo' git dere.
Entry 10876
Ah heered people say tuh ketch a black cat, hold him back of his neck an' strip yore han' down de tail seven times an' count 'em, an' throw him from yo' an' cuss at him, an' don't look back at him. An' dat as good a luck fo' work as a man could do. (Well, after you have done this with the cat, then what do you do?) After ah throwed de cat away, yo' [ah] cuss at him. Why zh'd git out an' go an' ask some man fo' a job, an' ah would be lucky enough to git a job by dat.
Entry 11148
Go out to de crossroads an' cross it nine times backwards an' far- wards an' make a vish in [facing] de east, an' [say]: Our Father, please move mah enemies away, an' bring mah fren's near tuh me an' close by me, an' make peace. (How do you cross that crossroads?) Heah are de crossroads [dem- onstrates], dere's de cross [the central square created by the 4 roads]. Yo' run across lak dat, when yo' git middleways of dis cross, den yo' go to dat end of a cross an' yo' come back across this Way, back dere, an' make yore wish in [facing] de east. [This rite concerns a square, its 4 corners and center; 5 terminal points, the reason why in HOODOO I call these five-point rites, quincunx rites = cross- roads and centers of house, room, bed, etc. Here our two roads crossing each other form a square informant calls cross instead of crossing. We should also remember, despite this rite having been collected in Memphis, our original crossroad was one wagon road crossing another. Now to act out our present rite. If we are walking east, let us stop at the center of the west side of the cross- ing. We now run across the crossing through its center to the center of the east side; turn round and retrace our steps to the west side. After making this roundtrip 4 times, we have run back and forth across the crossing 8 times. For our ninth crossing we run to the east side once more where we repeat our incan- tation and continue our journey or return home avoiding the crossroad.]
Entry 12415
I'll tell you what chew do with matches, I believe that's true. Take 7 match stems and pour niter on those matches. You see, you cross those matches, you cross those 7 stems. Cross first one and another, just cross 'em in a pile. An' you make a wish for something. You set those matches afire. But chew have to do that thing every morning for 7 mornings.