Subject:Roll
Entries
Entry 2836
[Examples of foot-rolling an object have and will be given. What follows are a few rites in hand rolling candles. See Rolling, in Index.]
Somebody to stay with yuh, somepin like that - [you] has a friend and yo' don't want to get rid of 'em. Yo' git de lucky powder, yo' git de pink candle. You write the person's name on it and yo' roll it in this lucky powder. Yo' light that candle and yo' burn it fo' nine mornings - an hour.
(When do you light that candle?)
Any time in de morning but jest don't burn it over an hour - jes' any time in de morning.
(Then what do you do?)
Yo' blow it out. (Well, then what? Anything else yo' do? Nothing else yo' know [about] but just use the lucky powder? What is that supposed to do?) That will keep a man from leaving yore home.
Entry 2837
If you wants to run a person 'way from yo', yo' go ahead and git chew a black candle. Write dere name on dat black candle, yo' see. Yo' cut dere name on dat black candle - see, let be seven or nine times on dat black candle. An' roll dat black candle in salt and burn it fifteen minutes, and dat will run em away from yo' - dat runs 'em, dey can't stay it atall.
(Just burn one candle. Any special time did you say?)
Set it at six 'clock in de morning an' burn it fifteen minutes - see, burn dat candle fifteen minutes. Well, den at twelve 'clock yo' burn it fifteen minutes again. Six 'clock fifteen minutes to go on. Well, all right, ah'm goin' tell yo' dis 'gin now. Yo' set it in de mornin' fifteen minutes six 'clock and let it burn and quarter past six fifteen minutes an' twelve 'clock yo' wanta burn it fifteen minutes 'gin - see. Dat's uh half a hour an' den six 'clock in de evenin' yo' burn it fifteen minutes agin, yo' see. Dat's three-quarters of a hour gone, see. Well, an' de third day dey gone in de air - dey can't stay.
Entry 2838
White candles or blue candles for peace; black candles for danger or for to kill you or to run you crazy or something like dat. (Just how would they burn them? How do you mean they burn them?) Well, they say that they kin stick pins in black can- dles and roll them in pepper and salt and burn them at seven o'clock in the morning, you know, or eleven o'clock - some [uneven] hour like that, eleven or seven in the morning and the same at night. That will run you crazy or confuse you or something of the kind. That's a black candle. And the white one, they say you sprinkle them with sugar and burn them - you know, at the hours of seven-eleven, or a blue candle for love. Ah've heard that.
Entry 2840
Ah tole yo' ah said, if you wanted a person tuh come to yuh in peace, ah said yo' take dat candle and yo' roll it in sugar. See.
(What candle?)
Well, yo' take a pink candle and a white candle and yo' kin roll that in sugar, and on dose certain hours yo' burn it - jes' like de woman did fo' to bring de fellah back. Now, if you wanta worry a person or jes' like a per- son wanted to do harm to a person or kill a person, dey take a black candle and yo' burn dat black candle at night. Take a jet black candle and put it in yore room and yo' burn it slowly at night, see. An' when dat black candle burn out that makes a person go down - a black candle. But if you wants peace, yo' take a pink or white candle and yo' roll it in Sugar, and whoever name yo' want it to burn on you write it with de name back- wards - de last name yo' write it first, three times around de candle.
Entry 3186
Or jes' lak yo' be wit 'im an' yo' love 'im. Yo' don't want 'im go out. Keep 'im from havin' othah women. Yo' git a bran'-new pocket han'scuff an' yo' be wit 'im. Yo' let 'im use dat han'- scuff an' yo' full it wit salt an' roll de fo' cornahs to yo', an' bury it undahneat' chure steps. He goin' bring dat money home when yo' git 'im lak dat.
(He isn't going out with other women.)
He ain't goin' bothah wit 'em, he cain't.
(That's the way you take his nature away from him then?)
Yes. [Brunswick, Ga., (1201), 2016: lla.]
Entry 3253
Well, ah tell yo' whut chew kin do tuh break a man up wit a woman. Yo' buy a bran'-new pocket han'chuf, if yo' wanta break up 'im from intahco'se wit 'er. Take yo' a bran'-new pocket han'chuff an' have intahco'se wit 'im. See, ketch it [semen] all in dis new pocket han'chuff an' take it home wit chew. Yo' take dat han'chuff jis' lak dis [demonstrates] an' roll dis to yo'. See dis, evah time. Yo' turn it roun' an' yo' roll it right back to yo'. Den yo' turn an' yo' roll it ag'in. Fold it up, see. Take yo' nine pods of red peppah [9 dried finger peppers - hot peppers] an' put it on dere an' two spoonsfulla table salt. Dig yo' a hole in de fiahplace or cookin' stove. Do dis at twelve a'clock in de night, zackly twelve, an' don't talk tuh nobody, be by yo'self. Dig dat hole an' put it in dere. An' whosomevah build a fire - yo' don' have tuh build no fiah [if there is a fire, use it; if not] build a fiah dere an' burn dat up an' don't even look back, an' if yo' don't do whut chew wan'a do, dat's yorn [man or woman]. Ah had a man ah vuz re'lly crazy about. Ah re'lly loved 'im an' he done rid- ded [got rid of me] me fo' anothah woman. A Mistah John Cook [Mistah indicates a white doctor], ah nevah will fo'git, he tole me fis' whut tuh do an' ah tried it. Ah thought he wuz jis' lyin'. So ah went home an' ah tried it. He quit dis woman. He moved up dere wit Miz Wallace. He worked fo' dem [Wallace family] a long time in de garden. He said, "Honey, ah jis' don' feel satisfied if ah ain't wit chew." An' ah went off an' left 'im mahself, come ovah heah [to Little Rock]. He lef' [the Wallace family] an' he come home tuh me [followed me to Lit- tle Rock] an' he stayed dere.
Entry 3254
Dey tell me if yo' git chew a new piece of homespun an' use fo' him tuh wipe wit, aftah dem be togethah. Take dat piece of homespun an' roll it up tight, an' take it an' put it up ovah de do' or in some dark place, somepin othah. Dat'll bring 'im in - make him come back. He can't have nobody but chew. Say he would come back if he's in New Orleans den.
Entry 3541
Whut a woman kin do tuh make de man behave himself an' make him be happy at home wit 'er alone an' nobody else. Jes' lak she go on an' have con- nection wit 'im, take a clean piece of cloth, even now it might be a pocket han'- ke'chuf, but jes' since it's new, ain't nevah been used, an' jes' use dat at dat pahtic'lah time an' tie it up right tight. Tie five knots in it. But firs befo' she tie it, write his name on a piece of papah five times an' hers on dere five times.
(How do you write that on that paper?)
Write his'n lak dis an' turn it aroun', yo' see, jes' lak dis [demonstrates]. (You write his five times in parallel lines and then turn the paper around and write hers across that five times in parallel lines.) An' den aftah she write it on dere, she take it an' burn de fo' cornahs - jes' burn de little tips of de fo' cornahs of dat papah. An' roll it - fold de papah up, bring it tuh 'er an' be talkin' tuh 'im, "Ah mean fo' yo' tuh come heah. Ah mean fo' yo' tuh behave yo'- self an' come home. Ah'm tired of yo' runnin' roun' wit wimmins, an' ah mean ah don't want chew go out no mo' wit no othah wimmins, cuz ah'm enuff womens fo' yo'." An' jes' talk tuh 'em an' take dat an' put it In dat han'ke'chuf an' roll it up good - continue rollin' it up. Dis might be de han'ke'chuf but it's gotta be biggah'n dat. An' roll it up jes' lak dis here an' keep on rollin' an' keep on rollin' wit dat - wit dat name in dere, keep arollin' it. An' den take it an' sprinkle it good wit John de Conkah Powdah - dat's conkahin' 'im, John de Conkah Powdah. An' den tie five knots in it all de way, five knots clean on in dat han'ke'chuf [demonstrates] - dat's two, an' [put] three 'long heah, an' tie it jes' as tight [as you can].
(Then you keep tying it into a ball?)
Tie it into a ball an' put it - open a hole in de mattress, sew it up in de mattress an' let it stay dere. He'll be tuh de place he won't look at no- body.
(Now in fixing this handkerchief did she use it on herself or?)
Dey both use it.
Entry 3993
Dey tell me yo' take an' pee in yore han's an' rub yore han's, see; an' put chure han's on de dice. Go an' pee in yore han's an' leave yore han's back; walk on, see. An' den yo' kin very well put chure han's between yore laig an' yo' snatch up right quick, an' yo' reach back ag'in - three times, see, an' shoot.
(How do you mean reach back 3 times?)
Reach back heah three times [demonstrates].
(You draw your hand three times between your legs.)
An' roll de dice in yore han's lak dis, see; an' chunk 'em out. Yo'll come lucky an' yo'll win.
(That is to give you luck in gambling.)
Entry 4303
Dey take socks or stockin's an' put dis lump insaint [incense], dey chamber lye. Cut de bottom of it out, roll it an' put it in a bottle in de person's chamber lye, an' dey say dey kin keep 'em. Dey'll nevah separate from 'em.
Entry 4806
Take yore underweah an' yuh kin - yuh know, lak if it's dirty, jis' roll dat tuh yuh. Yuh know, roll it tuh yuh three times an' make yuh wishes tuh keep 'im wit yuh. Dey say dat will keep 'im wit yuh. (Whose underwear do you roll?) Roll de man undahweah.
Entry 4807
Why yuh kin cut de seat outa man's drawahs. Yuh kin take de seat from a man's drawahs an' hold 'im too. He cain't leave yuh, he have tuh stay wit yuh. An' yuh take de seat outa woman's drawahs, why it will dreen [drain] 'er.
(What do you do with the seat of a man's drawers?)
Why yuh take de seat of a man's drawahs an' take an' keep 'em. Take dem an' use dem jis' as though yuh would fo' a sanitary cloth, jis' lak if yuh go tuh de lavatory or any place, always have dat wit chew. Always have dat wit chew. Yuh wipe yuhself wit it an' git chure urinate an' evehthin' on it. Don't nevah wash it, jis' continly [continually] keep it. Yuh takes de seat outa woman's drawahs an' take it an' ball it right nice, roll it real tight, jis' lak yuh roll it dataway [demonstrates]. Always roll it from yuh lak dat. Yuh take hit an' yuh puts it in a bottle an' stop dat bottle up tight. Yuh know, jis' as she wore it. Yuh know, it have tuh be soiled drawahs or somepin othah lak dat. Put it in dat bottle. An' yuh put it in dere, stop it up real tight, as tight as yuh kin, aftah yuh put jis' about a teaspoonful of watah in dere. An' when yo' stop it up, yuh kin go an' bury it any place yuh Wanta, or yuh kin throw it away if yuh wanta. Jis' as long as it stopped up in dat, she will jis' dreen [drain] away tuh nuthin, jis' lak somebody dat's gone into T. B. She usely [usually] be sick all de time. An' nuthin will do her no good, not until somebody actly [actually] find dat bottle or bust it up or sompin of de kind. See, where de air could hit it dere, dat gives 'er relief. But Wit'out dat she don' have any.
(Did you ever hear of them taking a black bottle?)
No suh.
Entry 4920
Yuh kin take a man's dirty sock, take de lef' foot, an' git chew a white of an aig. An' yuh take dat white of an aig an' roll it up in dat sock. Jis' like dis is de sock, yuh put dat white of a aig right on de heel of dat sock an' roll it tuh yuh. Don't roll it from yuh, roll it tuh yuh. An' when yuh roll it up tuh yuh right tight, yuh take it an' put it undah de eve [eaves] of de house, an' [or] hide it some secret place where he won' fin' dat sock. An' yuh couldn't git rid of 'im tuh save yore life. Take a woman's stockin' an' do her de same way.
Entry 4924
(How can you keep this man home?)
Why ah take his dirty sock an' git me some brown sugah an' some sulphuh an' lay 'em down an' turn de foots part up, an' sprinkle dat brown sugah on dere an' de sulphur. Roll 'em up [to you] an' tie an' bury 'em undah mah do'step or in mah bed, in mah mattress. Sew 'em up in mah mattress. (Here's the sock, there's the toe, and there's the heel. How would I roll that up now?) Dis is de toe. Yuh lay 'em bottomside up, de dirty part up, an' yuh take yuh brown sugah an' yuh sprinkle ovah dere on de bottom of de stockin'. Sprinkle yore sulphur on top of dat. An' have yuh a spool of black thread an' yuh roll 'em dis Way [to you]. Roll yore toe up tuh de heel. When yuh git tuh rollin', take yore brown thread [I mean] use black thread an' tie it. Well if yuh haven't got a do'step, lak yore [you are] upstairs [put in mattress].
Entry 4997
If yuh wanted de man - if a woman wanted a man, yuh could take his socks. Have his dirty socks an' fold 'em tuh yuh an' take a teaspoonfula sugah. An' roll 'em tuh yuh all de time an' put nine needles on each end.
(That is 18 needles altogether.)
An' den take dem socks an' put 'em undah yore bed an' sleep on it. Dat'll make him stay close tuh yuh.
Entry 5013
(How would they do that?) Dey'd take de sock or stockin' an' dey roll dat up tuh yo' lak dis [demonstrates]. See, always roll it tuh yuh. An' when yuh roll dat tuh yuh lak dat, well den dey pin dat right at de joist of de house where yuh gotta come in an' go out. See, dey pin dat right dere, an' long as dat stays up dere, dey have a dominion on yuh.
Entry 5014
Ah heard dat yuh take de socks now, an' yuh take it an' roll it towards yuh. Take it an' start it from de toes an' roll it back, jis' as tight as yuh kin roll it. An' den when yuh git 'em rolled back, yuh take a needle an' thread an' hook it ovah tuhwards yuh. Don' nevah hook it from yuh. Dat's whut dat lady tole me. Say yuh hook it tuhwards yuh evah time. Take dat sock den an' bury it right undah yore do'step, an' say dat man'll always stay dere - or a woman, whoevah it is.
Entry 5016
Jis' take de sock an' roll it up - roll it tuh yuh. Jis' lak if ah want somebody tuh come tuh me, roll it tuh me.
(Whose sock?)
If it's a woman, her husban', or eithah if it's yore frien' or sompin yuh Want - if yuh could git holt of one of 'em, yeah, anybody's. Roll it tuh yuh an' put nine needles in dere, goldeye needles, an' nine rusty nails, an' bury it undah yore do'steps an' dat'll draw 'em.
(What about that red pepper?)
Yuh put de cayenne peppah in de sock.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will draw 'em tuh yuh.
Entry 5017
In case of tyin' a man, keepin' a man, makin' love, yuh take dis sock. Yuh kin take a dirty sock an' yuh kin dampen it in some ole black molasses syrup, an' yuh roll it up lak dis nine times. Yuh roll it tuh yuh nine times. Yuh take yuh some brown papah an' yuh git chew a bran'-new cord string an' yuh wind dat nine times. Yuh tie dat.
(How do you wind that string?)
Yuh wind it tuh yuh. Yuh still bringin' it tuh yuh. An' yuh take dat an' yuh win' dat nine times an' yuh tie it. An' yuh put it right undah de middle, undah de centah of yore bed where yuh sleep. [This is a quincunx.] Yuh sleep ovah it all de time. Dat keeps a man down.
(You fix one of his dirty socks. Either one?)
Yes, eithah one of 'is dirty socks.
Entry 5025
Yuh kin take his name an' yore name tuhgethah. Dat's to keep 'im wit yuh right on. Yuh write his name on some brown papah lak dat brown wrappin' papah. Yuh write his name on [with] indelicate [indelible] pencil - new indelicate pencil. An' yuh put it [name] between 'is socks an' yuh sew it up wit No.8 black thread - de man's dirty socks. Yuh take dat brown papah an' yuh cut it jis' lak seat [bottom or sole] of dat sock. Yuh write his name on dat paper [cut in the shape of a sole]. Yuh write jore name on dat nine times, but joo write yore name on top of 'is fer nine times. Yuh put it between dem socks. Yuh sew dat up wit No.8 black thread. Yuh take drawin' powdah, yuh take steel dust, an' roll it up through dem socks; an' put it [socks] in yer mattress, an' he sleeps on dat. Dat'll keep 'im from goin' away from yeh.
Entry 5034
[They] take 'em an' dey buries 'em. Jis' like I got a woman an' she lef' me, an' I got 'er socks or anything dere. Well, I takes it an' I buries it undahneath de steps wit de white of an egg.
(With what?)
De white of a egg.
(Well, how do you do that? Do you mean just pour the white of an egg on it?)
Take it an' cobweb it an' mix it up tuhgethah. See, an' I folds it, dis stocking tuh me dataway, undahstan', an' I buries it right at mah step wit nine brass tacks. (This white of an egg. You just simply take the white out of an egg and put it on the stockings, and then roll it toward you?) [The verb cobweb is so unusual I missed the full meaning at the time of record- ing. Informant takes the white of an egg and cobwebs, pours a network design over the stocking, a magic entrapment and holding device.] Yes sir.
(And you put it under the steps and you use nine brass tacks?)
Yes sir.
(I see, and you tack it up under the steps?)
Yes sir.
(Anything else? That all you do?)
Dat's to - dat's if dey gone away, see. An' if yuh wanta draw 'em tuh you, well yuh have dat settin' dere. See, it's a way yuh kin draw 'em tuh yuh, when yuh have dat settin' dere fo' 'em tuh step ovah.
Entry 5048
Jis' say, if yuh wanta bust up [broken-home remedy], see. A woman kin take his socks an' take her stockin's an' put 'em tuhgethah, heel tuh heel an' toe tuh toe. Use de lef' foot. Some say de right but de lef' foot is bes'. An' yo' put some sugah in dere an' some peppah, black peppah: if it's white person, put white peppah; an' if it's a black person, put black peppah. An' den yuh put a little cayenne peppah in it, see. An' den yuh roll it to yuh, lak dat [demonstrates]. An' aftah yuh roll it tuh yuh, den yuh git chew a bran'-new co'd [cord] string an' yuh wrap it nine times.
(How do you wrap that?)
Tuh yuh. Yuh roll it tuh yuh an' wrap it tuh yuh. An' den git chew a needle an' git chew some red silk thread an' sew it on each end, nine stitches. Pull it tuh yuh all de time dis way [demonstrates]. Pull it tuh yuh all de time.
(You put nine stitches on each end.)
Dat's tuh bring peace.
(What do you do with that then?)
Well, yuh kin wear it in yore pocket or put it where yuh kin evah day jis' dress it. Yuh know, jis' take yore han', don' have tuh put nuthin on it. Jis' take yore han' or jis' put a little perfume on it - good-luck perfume, any kinda good-luck perfume an' jis' rub it in yore han'. An' den yuh kin sleep on it. Or yuh kin put it where nobody won' go by [near] it but chew. See.
(That is for them to live together in peace.)
Yes.
Entry 5082
[Wiping, different from the magic rites of rub- bing, is itself often magic action; in fact, it frequently occurs in impotence causes and cures.] If she have any of 'is clothes, she kin bring 'im back. If he left any of 'is pieces he wore close tuh 'i, she kin git 'im back. Well, she take 'em jis wherevah - if he got a sock, stockin', or anythin' he's got, she'll take dat sock an' she'll wipe herself wit it. An' she'll fill it fulla sugah an' she'll roll it tuh 'er an' she'll sew it. An' right where he lay at, dat's where she'll put dat sock. An' de ninth day he'll be back.
Entry 5176
Dat's not handy fo' yo' tuh do. Yo' git de inside piece of 'is shoe, yo' undahstan', yo' kin git dat inside piece of 'is shoes an' yo'll take dat inside piece of 'is shoe wit 'is name an' yo'll write his name in dere on a piece of paper. But yo' got de measure of dat whole feet, yo' got de whole measure [when you have the insole]. Now, yo'll git chew a piece of papah an' yo'll put 'is name nine times. Yo'll put - lak if it wuz me - my name at de top, an' den yo'll write it crossways heah ag'in, nine times. Den yo'll take dat measure an' yo'll put cinnamon in it an' yo'll put White Rose Perfume, an' yo'll dampen it good, an' yo'll put dat an' yo'll roll it towards yo'. See, yo' fold it towards yo' jis' as many times as yo' kin. See. Den yo'll go tuh work an' yo'll put a bran'-new needle. Yo'll pin a bran'-new needle in dat yo' see, an' yo' kin eithah put it in a bag or eithah put it in yore pil- lah or yore mattress. Dat'll keep 'im home. (You take the inner sole and you write his name nine times and yours across it. You put that paper and the sole together, and put those ingredients in, and then you roll it to you. And you can put it anywhere around you or put it in the mattress.) Anywheres.
Entry 5553
Yo' take a person dat yo' dislike an' yo' wan' 'em away from yo'. Yo' seet 'im. He's comin' dat way an' yo's comin' dis way. Take a bran'-new piece of papah, a piece like dat [he changes this for cloth later]. Take a bran'-new easpoon. When ah say bran'-new, ah mean one dat was nevah used fo' any purpose. An' yo' put it - take a piece of cloth, white cloth dat yo' have nevah used fo y othah purpose. Take dat wit yo'. An' prepare tuh meet yore man, whomsoevah ir is. An' meet 'im dere, an' git a smile if yo' kin. Pass 'im an' pass 'im a certain distant [distance]. But gauge yoreself so as tuh not allow 'im tuh git ay too far. An' yo' take de track up wit dat teaspoon. Begin right at de toe, don' cha know an' pull it directly back tuh de heel. An' git de spoonful an' put it intuh dis cloth, an' wrap it up so it won't - yo' know, it will be out of de way. An' yo' take a rusty nail an' yo' cross de track directly in de centah, an' den cross it ag'in from de heel tuh de toe - away from yo', directly. An' throw de nail ovah yore left shouldah. Den yo' keep de stuff dat yo' got in de cloth, take dat an' take de spoon an' throw dat ovah yuh right shouldah. Take dat cloth right on, roll it up tight, tie it away from yuh, don't cha know. Take a piece of rock an' put in it, in de othah part of it, an' yuh care [carry] it an' yuh throw it ovah yuh lef' shouldah, right ovahbo'd intuh runnin' watah. Or if de tide is goin' down, on de tide, when yuh throw it ovah. An' yuh mention de person's name. Dey goes right on out like dat [with the tide]. As it go ovahbo'd, dey die. An' if it's comin' up, yuh know what yuh call a spring tide, huh, when it's comin' up, why dey'll git almos' crazy until de tide turns. An' as soon as de tide turns ag'in, dey gone.
(Where did you learn this?)
Ah learned dat in de Bahamas.
(At Nassau?)
At Nassua.
(From this girl?)
From dis girl.
Entry 5570
If a man leaves home an' a woman wants 'im tuh come back, if she kin git one of 'is track, his right track comin' from de toe, bring it back tuhwards 'er, jis' de top of it yo' know, an' git a black- hen aig an' write bis name on dat aig, an' roll dat aig an' dat sand an' dat sock up tuhgethah, put de sand in de sock or eithah any way yo' fix it tuhgethah, an' bury it undah de do'step, an' dat'll bring 'im back.
Entry 5576
Ah went tuh a person [doctor] fo' dat, too. Now he tole me, he got mah name fust [first] an' hern [hers] second, an' he tole me tuh go back an' in meetin' 'er, take some ofde dirt outa de right foot - chew know, meetin' 'er. Well, behin' 'er dat's de lef' [not right] foot. See. Grab some of de dirt outa back heel, jis' a little small amount of it, an' put it in dis piece of paper an' roll it. Roll it tuh yo' all de time, see till yo' git it down tuh a small little papah. Den git nine needles, dat nevah has been on de flo', an' stick 'em in it. Take a little vasoline bottle an' drop dat little thing in it an' stop it up, an' bury it undah 'er do'step where she'll have tuh step ovah it. [The preceding nevah has been on de flo' goes back to the American pioneer cabin - probably to primitive man - which originally had no floor, the bareearth, sometimes packed level with the first log, being warmer and easier to keep clean. The word floor at least in pioneer English can mean the bare ground, always a place of magic. This also is one of the meanings of articles dropped: accident- ally, purposely, or mysteriously by spirits.] Ah had a boy crost [across] town done de same thing. His wife went back tuh 'im an' been [with him] evah since.
(Now in getting this dirt from her foot track you are walking behind her?)
No, comin' in front of 'er. (Oh, you are coming in front of her, meeting her. And you are taking the dirt out of which track?) Dis track ovah here, dat would be yore lef' foot.
(Out of her left-foot track.)
Comin' tuh yo' it would be her right foot - comin' tuhwards yo'. But still it's de left foot if yo' git behin' 'er. (Oh, actually, you get it out of the heel of her left foot.)
Entry 5597
Now, I heard that you can take and find a man's foot tracks, count nine of them, the right track, and you get a little dirt out of that right track [the ninth right track]. And you take the dirt and take a little piece of brown paper, and put the dirt in it and save it. And when you get a chance you get the woman's tracks and you get the same out of hern, the right one [after counting nine of her right tracks]. And you put both of them together and you put [to this combined dirt] one third table salt, and you make just enough of your water into it to make it mucky. And you roll it up and get a piece of rag and lay this piece of brown paper into the rag and fold it up into a ball. And get a strong string, cottonor something similar, wrap it up as tight as you can wrap it; and as you wrap it make nine wishes, whatever you wish them to do. And you take it and hide it in a dark place and let it stay. And that's putting you two together.
Entry 5762
Yo' can't take de foot track up but yo' could take a magical sign. An' yo' would take a person's foot track dat runs like dat. Yo' gotta have what is called a fine piece of papah.
(A fine piece of paper.)
[As we shall see later, this is probably a cigarette paper.]
An' lay it right on dat track, an' take de material stuff from de end, where his big toe an' 'is heel, an' yo' more dan apt tuh easily draw de attraction of dat person on dat. But it's bad fo' dat person. Dat person - whut dat person have tuh run jes' wherevah yo' make 'em. An' den yo' git a hornet's nest, anyway a Wasp's nest, while he combing, makin' 'is comb. But yo' mus' set dat papah kinda in watah, an' put it dere, an' dat wasp take dat an' use tuh make a comb in dere. As long as dem bees exist, dey take dat papah an' watah in dere, dat man will be upsetted until he die.
[I summarize what has gone before.]
(You pick up just a little bit of the dirt from heel and toe and put it in this paper and you roll this paper up.) Yeah, roll it up togethah. (Then you put this paper where these wasps can get it and make their combs out of that?) Yeah, they make their combs of it, yeah.
(I understand.)
[We have here a fine paper, surely a cigarette paper, rolled about dirt from victim's big toe and heel track. As the wasps chew up the damp cigarette paper, they also chew up a portion of foot track to become part of the comb. Once again, as in preceding rite, the victim receives hot feet.]
Entry 5867
Dey kin take, yo' know, a little bunch of hair [demonstrates] outa de centah [and] outa de two sides heah [demonstrates].
(Right above the ears.)
Yes sir. Dat would make three bunches, see. All right, take dat an' yo' put 'em togethah an' yo' roll it up in sulphur. An' yo' take it an' put to de west cornah of yore house, to de right as yo' leavin' de house, so de rainy watah will be drippin' down on it all de time. [These 3 bunches of hair are buried under the eaves.l Leave it right dere where de rain'll drip. An' as long as dat stays dere, it will keep.yo' waverin' all de time, keep yo' prackly [practically] mindleSS. Yo' know, YO' KIN NEVAH BE YORESELF - LIKE WE ARE NoW.
Entry 6390
It's gotta be close frien's tuh git dat. But dey kin take dem fingah- nails an' dose toenails an' dat dead skin off de bottom of yore feet. An' take some dragon blood, see, an' some John de Conkah powdah. It's a powdah an' den it's a root, but chew take de John de Conkah powdah. (Where do you get the powder?) Yo' gits dis powdah from New Orleans. De woman tole me, yassuh. An' take it, dat dragon's blood an' dat John de Conkah, an' take dat dead skin an' dem toenails [and fingernails]. An' if it's possible, yo' kin git a piece of de individual's hair. Now ah'm tellin' yo' a way tuh drive 'em clean on out of town. An' put some cayenne peppah wit dat an' roll it up. An' sprinkle some table salt on it an' roll it up tight, an' burn it graj'ly [gradually]. Don't burn it real fast. Jis' put it in a place where it kinda simble [simmer] all day long. An' den [after] hit git burnt up, de party would git jis' hot-footed, hot-headed to go.
Entry 6453
Yo' kin take yo' a per- son's fingahnails - jis' lakmah fingahnails, yo' know. Git de fingahnails, jis' take de fin- gahnails. All right, yo' kin take dem fingahnails an' go tuh a graveyard wit 'em, an' put dem fingahnails down [Bury them] in de graveyard. An' let dem fingahnails soak dere fo' 'bout nine days, until dey come tuh be soft. When it's soft, den yo' go dere an' take it up. Yo' see, when yo' take it, yo' turn den an' go git chew a small piece of rusty tin. Yo' go dere den an' yo' git chew a small piece of rusty tin, see. An' yo' take dose fingahnails, yo' see, an' yo' put it in wit dat piece of tin. Yo' see [demonstrates], heah's de piece of tin on de bottom an' yo' got dis fingahnail. Spread it roun' dere, see kinda in a curve jis' lak dis. Undahstan'? All right. Yo' take dat piece of tin an' yo' rolls it up jis' lak dat [demonstrates]. Yo' roll it jis' as tight as yo' kin git it. Well, yo' tie dat piece of tin yo' see an' [you tie] dis person dat's intahferin' wit chew, bothahin' wit chew an' yo' cain't res' from 'em. See, dere fingahs will draw down jis' lak dat [demon- strates].
(They will turn up.)
Turn up, cramp up: Dey won' have no mo' use in dey han's.
(What do you do with that tin after you roll it up that way?)
Well, yo' leave it in dere [the graveyard], see. Yo' take de tin an' yo' take dis an' yo' take it an' carry it tuh de foot of a tree. See, an' yo' bury it. Yo' take yore axe an' yo' clip off a li'le piece lak dat. Let it be down in de groun' an' back it up, right up tuh de side of de foot of dat tree an' let it stay dere. Let it stay right dere. An' 'long as dat stay dere, yore fingahs will - well, dat piece of tin will bend mo' hitself. Well, when yo' do dat, yo' say, "Ah'm doin' dis In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, dat ah may konkah [conquer] yo'." Den jis' bend down lak dat. [Fingers become magical- ly crippled not only by the bent tin, but also by the tangled tree roots.]
Entry 7195
Well, now, you uses flaxseed for one, slippery elm for two and then you get you some filet gumbo.
(Some what?)
Filet gumbo.
(Filet gumbo?)
[Filet (ground sassafras leaves) for gumbo is described several places in Boodoo.] Yes sir, that's green stuff that you uses for to cook with, see. And then you takes that and then you throws it around; around the house, see. And then you walks - steps in that and then you walks back and gets in the house with that, and that stuff will make you move. Now, another question is, if yo' don' wanta move. If I want you to stay, I just will get you some vinegar and the landlord's name, and fix that up with cayenne peppah, and then put his name down in there in a lemon, and then roll this lemon. And then take you a carrot and plant it.
(A what?)
A carrot.
(A carrot?)
Carrot, a carrot what you eat. Carrot. And take that carrot and plant it 'fore your door, and let it grow there. And just as it grows, you will remain there, right there. You never will move out of there, out of that house.
(Out of that house. Who will do this? The landlord, is he doing that?)
No.
(Who would do this to keep me in there?)
I would do that.
(I see.)
I would do that, make you stay there. You never would move, don't care how they don't like you, and how they would find fault of you. But you would stay there as long as that carrot is there with the landlord's name in the carrot and growing.
(I see.)
Entry 7396
Say fo'stance [for instance], now, if a person kill someone an' dey Want 'em [killer] tuh come back. Undahstan' good. If yo' git holt a piece [of] one of his shirts, any piece [of clothing] dat he wore, yo' take dat piece an' roll it tight tuh yo', an' bury dat undah de side of de house - undah de house, undah yore house. Ah'll bury it anywhah whah he stayed at, an' he'll wandah right roun' dat place an' come right back dere. See, he'll come back. He cain't stay 'way to save his life, he will come back.
Entry 8141
Now, if yo' wanta kill somebody wit dat, yo' take de photograph. Yo' don' wan'a use but jis' part of it. Jis' take off, if it's got a foot, yo' know some got a whole photo- graph, some got jis' a part, some got jis' de haid. Some got jis' de body, some got de whole an' some got jis' de haid. If yo' wants to kill somebody, an' it's de whole one, yo' cut off, jis' clip off de right foot, an' take dat whole photograph an' take it an' turn it, jis' turn it.
(You take off the right foot. And then how do you turn that, now?)
Jis' take it an' turn it tuh yo', jis' roll it, lak yo' take one roll, two rolls, three rolls [to you]. Understan'?
(Keep rolling it to you. The foot part or the rest of the photograph?)
No, de rest of de whole photograph. Yo' undahstan'? Jis' roll dat lak dat three times an' jis' carry it anywhere, don' care where yo' throw it, jis' throw it out somewhere. Well, now, hit's gone on away. All right. Yo' takes dis right foot, an' bring it on back tuh de house, but chew do nuthin wit it den. Let it stay dere, at least six or seven hours, sompin lak dat. "Bout six or seven hours aftah yo' done dis, hold it, take de pichure of dis foot, takes an' puts it down in a bottle, jis' de smallest bottle yo' kin find, an' puts ah reck- on 'bout dat much of mustard seed, lak yo' ketch dat much [demonstrates].
(Just a little pinch of the mustard seed.)
Drop it in de bottle, wit'out anything in it - jis' say about nine, if it ain't but jis' a haid [means foot]. Drop it in dere an' stop it up, an' jis' keep dat wit choo all de time. Dat's tuh influence dat person. Keep dat wit chew. An' yo' weah it a while. Well, no quickah den dey die, yo' gon'a feel dat right shouldah jump, jump jis' lak sompin skip ovah it. Soon as it do dat, yo' must take it [bottle] an' throw it away lak dat. Throw it lak dat. [If informant demonstrated, I missed it.] De safest way, de spirit comin' tuh yo' an' givin' yo' a notice dat dey daid. Don't care where dey are. (Right after this notice that they are dead, you must throw this bottle away right then?) Right then, de right arm will move when dey come.
(You will have that little kick then in the right arm?)
Dat's right.
Entry 8334
Well, yo' see if yo' git anybody tuh snap a person's photograph - now, ah don' keep mah pichures. If ah take a pichure, an' ah lets people look at it - ah'll keep it an' ah'll take it an' ah'll do 'way wit it, becuz yo' could take a man's pichure, jes' have somebody snap it, den go tuh a tree an' bo' a hole in it - a fast-growin' tree - roll it [snapshot] up, an' take an augah, a very small one. Yo' jes' take a li'le bit a [augerl, li'le five-eights [of an inch] an' bo' a li'le hole in a fast growin' tree. An' put it in dere an' jes' grab a li'le dirt tuh smear ovah de end of it. [Hole is filled with dirt, not wooden peg.] Dat's de last of 'em. If yo' don't git it outa dat, he'll die. Dat shows yo' cut it off, cover it
[hole] ovah.
Entry 8520
Take a coconut an' put a person name in it, an' if yo' wanta throw it in de rivah, an' dey go. If yo' don' wanta, yo' don' have tuh; yo' could take it in yore home an' kick it aroun', but yo' have tuh have two. Yo' take one an' put it in de rivah, throw it in de Missi'ppi Rivah, an' yo' keep de othah one. Dat's separation, dat's a separation between two people.
(How do you do that?)
Yo' see, yo' put de names in each coconut, yo' see. Yo' undahstan', jis' lak yo' wanta separate somebody. See, lak somebody got chure girl fren'. Well, yo' put one name - yo' undahstan' whut ah mean, de pair of 'em in dere [coconut]. Den yo' keep one [coconut] at de house. Yo' take de names an' put 'em in de coconut.
(You put this man's name and this woman's name in the same coconut?)
In de same coconut in each one of 'em. An' yo' throw one in de rivah. An' yo' keep one home an' yo' keep rowin' wit it, beatin' it an' cursin' it an' goin' on. [The preceding to row (not rō but rou), a colloquialism, means to assail roughly; here, as already stated, to kick the coconut about the house while also verbally abusing it.] (JUST TO BE SURE THAT I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TAKING ABOUT. Here's the cOCOnut. I put his name and her name in there, both names in that one coconut. Here's another coconut and I put his name and her name in that coconut?) In that coconut.
Entry 8522
(How do you do that?)
Well, yo' use a coconut to make a person come to yo'. Yo' take an' pluck out de eyes, but yo' don't let that water come out of there. And you take the name and put it upon this Venrick [brand name?] parch- ment [paper imitation] and put it in there, inside, and you seals it up with the wax that drops from the candle. And just roll it. Start from the front door and be rollin' back inside an' speak to it just like yo' speakin' to 'em an' call 'em by their name. That'll draw 'em to you.
(That will make them come back.)
Entry 8524
You get a coconut and you open that coconut and you leave that water out of that coconut. See. And just like I want you to drift and drag around, I'll take that coconut and put your name down in that coconut, you see. Then I take some dust, graveyard dust and put it down in that coconut. Then I take that coconut and stop it right back up with your name in that coconut. And if I Want you to drift and, drift up and down the river, I walk to the river and throw it in there. Then, otherword [in other words or otherwise] I could take the coconut and keep it where I just use you, just roll it backwards and forwards, see. And I'll have you planted [at home] and just any way what I'll want to do with that coconut, well you'll just have to do.
Entry 8525
(Take a coconut?)
Yeah. Take that coconut, put their name into that and some red beans, and they will use that cayenne pepper and stuff, and poke it and his name in the hole. Open that, you know, the hole, and put them down in that, in that coconut, and stop it up. And then they roll it. Roll it over the floor so many days and make their wishes and roll that coconut.
(You say they put red beans in there?)
Yeah, red beans down in there.
(What do they put red beans in there for?)
I don't know.
Entry 8526
(With the coconut, how do you do that?) Well, you take this coconut - get a fresh coconut with the Water in it and you punch out one of them eyes, and.you takes the name and you push it in there. If you want 'em to come to you, why you rolls, take and kick it and roll it to you, thataway. And you call this person name three times. You do's that for three morning on the full of the moon. If you want 'em to go from you, you put the name in there and you kicks it from you thataway. That's what you use the coconut for.
Entry 8528
(Now, you are going to tell me something else. Now, all right.) Now, then yo' kin get yo' a coconut. Yo' git yo' nine seeds of punkin [pumpkin]. (Pumpkin seeds, nine of them.) Nine of 'em. (All right.) Yo' get yo' nine chicken corns [kernels of maize, Zea Mays]. (Nine what?) Chicken corns. (Chicken corn, what's that for?) Dat's to put in de coconut. (Well what is chicken corn?) Dat's what de chicken eats. (You mean the same thing as a horse eats, the same kind of corn the horse eats? Chicken corn? Ordinary corn like a roasting ear of corn. All right.) Yo' get that nine pumpkin seeds, nine chicken corn, the man name, but yo' take de water out de coconut. Yo' put de man name nine times an' de woman, if in case yo' wanta break 'em up. Put it in there.
(How do you put the woman's name in there?)
Yo' put de woman name crossways, this way [demonstrates].
(Across his name. All right.)
Across his name. Then yo' make a cross toward this way [a cross is added to the paper]. Then when yo' do that, then in that, then yo' takes this cayenne peppah an' yo' set it right up in de center [of the paper] and yo' bring it to yo'. An' yo' cuss 'em as yo' putting it to yuh. An' yo' roll it on dis side an' yo' put on dis, always rolling it to yo'. An' then yo' cuss it an' yo' stick it in there.
(In this coconut.)
An' then yo' take a stopper an' yo' stop up de two eyes, then yo' take de coconut an' yo' roll it fo' nine days in yore home. Then yo' take it an' yo' goes to de rivah. Takes fifteen cents an' throws in de - de fifteen cents be- hind it [coconut], to pay spirit for the work]. An' just let it go each way or de other, an' let it float anywhere where it's gotta go. An' yo'll have him just agoing from one to de other. He'll lose his mind or else go to de river.
(What do you mean by these two eyes?)
SEE, DE COCONUT GOT TWO EYES WHERE DE WATER DRAINS OUT.
(All right, on account of those two eyes you have two corks in that coconut?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 8645
They takes the lemon and they roll it soft, and they take that name and they write it nine times, just like I showed you just now. And they take that name and they shove it down in that lemon, and they put them some cayenne pepper in there. And they get a little small stopper and they stop that lemon up, and they keep it up in the corner of the house. And every day, three times a day, they get that lemon and they roll it backwards and forwards. They roll it to them and they roll it from them. That's their husband name they got up in there. That's to keep their husband there with them.
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 8699
[To] make them move out of that house, tell you, yo' go an' get some of that olive oil.
(Wait a minute! Olive oil?)
Olive oil, and get some of dis here steel dust. Get a fresh bottle of vinegar.
(Get a fresh bottle of vinegar.)
Yes, sir. Yo' get the neighbor's name, either one in de family name [the man's or woman's]. Take a piece of papah an' cut it off just how many letters in that name. [The name is writ- ten and then each letter of the name is clipped off as a separate slip of paper.] An' take it an' put it down in that bottle. An' after puttin' it [these slips of papers] down in the bottle, take it an' roll it on de floor. After rollin' it on de floor, yo' take dat bottle an' set it up. If yo' ever could get anywhere close to de house, yo' set. it at sunrise. An' when yo' set it there, in three days dem people goin' from there.
(They will move away?)
Done gone away without any confusion at all. Yo' [they] wouldn't know how it was did. [New Orleans. La., (829).1221:1.]
Entry 8700
Dey takes a person's chxmber lye an' puts it in a bottle. Git some of dat an' puts it in a bottle, an' den takes it an' put sugah in it or honey, ei- thah one. Write dere names down nine times wit a indelible pencil but write it frontwards. As ah 'fore tole [be- fore told] yo', in place of put- tin' de entire [name], yo' put de given name first. Yo' put John an' den yo' put Edwards, see. Yo' write dat down nine times an' yo' put dat in dat bottle an' yo' stop it up. An' whenevah dey go somewhere, an' yo' want 'em tuh do anythin' fo' [you] whenevah they go somewhere, yo' take dat bottle an' yo' roll it jes' lak yo'd roll a lemon or sompin tuh git de juice out of it. An' yo' roll dat bottle nine times an' every time yo' roll it yo' call dere name. Dat's when a woman wants a man tuh do sompin fo' her.
(How do you mean?)
See, lak if a woman's got a husband an' he's mean to her. He believe in run- nin' about an' diff'ren' thing lak dat, an' she wants tuh draw 'im tuh 'er, an' Wants tuh git his earnin' [earnings, his wages]. She do's dat. (What did you put in there now? The chamber lye? And that nine, now you wrote that nine times? How do you write it, just one right under the other?) Yessuh. Jes' write it on one sheet of papah.
(You put the names right under each other?)
Yassuh.
(And you write it with what?)
Well, yo' writes it wit any kinda pencil [former indelible pencil withdrawn]. It don' make no diff'rence.
Entry 8794
A man promised tuh marry dis woman's daughtah, an' he got 'er messed up an' he went away. So she went an' got 'er a bumblebee. Took dis bumblebee, cooked dis bumblebee, put 'im in de stove an' parched 'im an' rolled de powdahs of dis bee [rolled parched bee to a pow- der]. Took de powders an' dusted it all ovah lettahs. An' he wuz in Phila- delphia. An' she dust dis lettah good wit dis powdahs an' den wrote on it, jes so he wouldn't pay any 'tenshun [to the powder]. An' he come back three days aftah he got de lettah.
(What was the idea of the using the bumblebee on it?)
Dey said de bumblebee brought 'im back, de powdahs of dis bumblebee. Jes' take de powdahs of de bumblebee an' bring 'em back. [The spirit of the bumblebee Would sting him back.] [Wilson, N. Car., (1492), 2662:17.]"
Entry 9034
Ah know a whole lot mo' about de frog. Yo' take a frog an' yo' take a cigarette papah an' yo' pinch out de papah, an' yo' put on dere whut chew want dis frog [called toadfrog later] tuh do: tuh bring Carrie back home or declare Carrie in co't or somepin lak dat. An' yo' take dis toadfrog be round dere [the nearby toadfrog], ole toadfrog. An' yo' take dis cig- arette papah an' make a ball, an' yo' put dis in dis frog mouth. An' if yo' goin' tuh co't, or yo' goin' an' want Carrie back home, yo' take dis frog an' put it undah where Carrie is stayin'. An' if yo' goin' tuh co't, yo' put de frog tuh de step [of the house where Carrie is staying] befo' co't, or have someone tuh do it. An' take 'im in a papah bag an' drop 'im down, on de can [if you carry the frog in a can], an' walk on an' don't look back, an' go out: 'bout chure business, an' Carrie will come home, or yo'll come cleah in co't.
(You make her go to court, you mean?)
No, ah mean, fo' instance Carrie has got a case in co't, fightin' [arrested for fighting] or somepin lak dat, an' dey got a whole lotta knives on Carrie [instead of a sword, knives are hanging over her head]. An' yo' git a frog an' yo' make dis [cigarette-paper] pill, an' yo' put it in his mouth an' put de frog tuh de step. Dat's fo' de co't. Den, if yo' wanta bring Carrie back home. Carrie is staying somewhere else an' she left yo'. Yo' take dat same frog an' yo' put it on dis papah an' yo' put it in 'is mouth, an' yo' walk by dis stoop late hours in de night an' between de hours of nine an' eleven-thirty. Jes' lak she stayin' heah, yo' put chure package undah de stoop whut chure frog would be in - in dis bag or in dis can or how yo' have 'im. Don't kill de frog. An' den yo' go on an' don't look back an' dat frog will bring er home tuh yo'. She'll come back home to yo'. Dat's anothah one - see, de co't an' de woman.
Entry 9165
When yo' git 'rested, befo' de jedge try yuh, yo' take off yore shoes, take off both yore shoes. Take yuh socks off. Turn de bottom of de shoe down. Take de socks an' put all in one. Yo' know, take two de socks an' put all in omg shoe. Yo' jes' take off yuh sock an' roll it up an' den put it in de othah one. Makes a bundle outa it. Tie it ovah wit yuh shoes. Den when de cop come tuh remove yuh, take yuh tuh de judge try yuh, den'yo' put - take yore socks, yo' unfold it a put it in one back pocket, an' one in de othah back poa ket. An' den yo' put on yore shoes witout eny socks. Take de shoestring outa it an' put dat in yore [front?] pocket an' yo' walk on up tuh have yuh trial. Well, de case's [case is] out. It may be a mistrial.
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 10280
Jes' lak a woman if she love yo', she be - well, she take de bow out yore cap. Well, she take dis bow outa yore cap an' when she mess wit chew, she take de germs from yo' an' herself, an' she'll roll dis bow up in it. She roll dis bow up in dat. An' den she'll take dis bow an' she put somepin, anything sweet, jes' amy thing dat's sweet on dere. An' she'll take dis bow an' she'll pee on dis boo every morning for seven mornings. She'll pee on dis bow for seven momings. An' den she'll take dis bow after she do dat, pee on seven mornings, take de gerns from yo' an' her germs an' put on heah. An' she'll roll dis in sulphur. Sulphur always. Ah don't know whut sulphur is but most all womenfolks use sulpbur in ever'thin'. Well, she take de sulphur an' she put it on dere an' she take dis heah bow, after she take it out, an' she'll put it in some close place where yo' transfer back an' forward all de time. An' [does] dat in order - she put [it] dere, dat's for yo' to stay close, wanta be round her. Yo' don't feel satisfied, yo' wanta be round her all de time. "Co'se it don't have nuthin to do wit your nature but chew don't wanta mess wit nobody else but her. Dat's de story ah heard about dat. [Bow of cap, any bow, sometimes considered a cross, a sacred symbol. See many beliefs about bow of cap.]
Entry 10939
Wal, ah'm goin' tell you dis now, 'gin [again]. Now, in cases a per- son was treatin' yo' dirty, ag'in, an' interferin' wit yore family, what would yo' do. Yo' wanta learn dat?
[I evidently nod yes.]
All right. Well, yo' go ahead and write dere names nine times - write it nine times.
(On what?)
On a piece of paper - on a piece of Bliss [trade name] paper.
(Bliss tablet paper?)
Dat's right. An' write it and den when yo' write dat, roll it under. See, any kinda bad words yo' wanta use on dat, yo' do dat. Wal, den yo' go tuh de river - understand me good now. Go tuh de rivah an' ketch yo' a catfish. See, dis is a catfish yo' ketchin', see. Yo' know he's gotta skin, yo' know. (You catch this catfish and you have this name written on this piece of paper.) Yo' write dis party's name on a piece of paper whut have done yo' dirty, whut chew wanta git rid of 'em at once.
(Now, what do you do with the catfish?)
See, yo' take dis fish, reach and git his skin now lak dis [demonstrates]. See, he's gotta skin. Yo' skins 'im. See, yo' lift up his skin. Yo' know, lift his skin up an' roll dat tight a little space; yo' know, jes' a little space tight as yo' kin, an' stick it [name] in dere up undah his skin an' put him back in de rivah. Well, when he [fish] gone - an' he's gone wit dat message yo' see - well, when he go, dis party jumps in de rivah. And de farther dey go, den dey's tryin' ketch dat fish an' dey jes' drown demselves - fall ov'bo'd an' drown.
(Do you cut this skin on the fish and put it under there?)
Jes' cut his skin an' lif' his skin up. Gotta stick a knife in dere - yo' know jes' a little bit - an' stick it [name] up undah dere, see, an' go to de rivah wit it.
(And turn the catfish loose again?)
He's gone.
Entry 11204
You get you a sock or sompin like that, anything you wear. Take that sock, ball it together, put it with some dirt dauber nest, roll 'em together [sock sprinkled with dirt dauber is rolled up] and you put it in a jar or any kind of bucket or anything that unleaks - what won't leak. Take it to the river, throw it in the river and let it go downstream. You'll be gone!
Entry 11219
You get the mud dauber.
(Yes.)
Out of a big stable anywhere. You stick this finger.
(Which finger?)
This one.
(The middle finger of the right hand?)
Yes. Get the blood out of it.
(Yes.)
Get all the blood. You write the name nine times on a piece of paper. You roll that mud dauber, that name, steel dust, lodestone, wrap it up. Roll it up tight, and you get [have] some luck. (It separates them.) Man and woman.
Entry 11844
I tell yuh jes' what 'tis. My uncle it was, was tellin' me this. That's why I was goin' tell yuh. A lady that he was courting, he was going with her, and of course this man [rival or hoodoo man] tole him that he was hurt, because he thought he was going with her. And he told him that the lady had put somepin in a bottle an' buried it under the doorstep. And that thing that she buried under the doorstep was some of his hair that she'd gotten from the barber shop and mixed it with some salt, pep- per and whiskey, and buried it under her doorstep, and that whenever he walked over it, would hurt him. [At least we know uncle liked whiskey!] But if he would take this up and put it in some boiling water, and if it floated, then he could ward off the spell that she had put on him, and that he probably could throw it back on her, on the parties who was puttin' it on him. He could take and just take this out and roll it under his arm. [then] roll it in some meal.
(Hold it under his arm?)
Roll it. Yeah, roll it under his arm.
(Oh, under his arm first.)
Yeah, and then put it in some meal and make it into a cake-like, and bury it underneath the steps, the same step where the other stuff was buried, and that would return it on her.
Entry 12532
Yo' take a red onion an' if yo' got anyone in yore house, yore hus- ban' or yore wife in dere, an' yo' want 'em tuh go or want tuh git rid of 'em. When dey go out de front do', on dat cross piece dere [saddle?] yo' take dat onion, aftah yo' done rolled it real soft, an' yo' squeeze dat red onion juice on yore steps. Yo' take a red onion in his track goin' out an' squeeze it in his track goin'. An' den, after hit stay dere awhile, why yo' sweep it out. An' he ain't nevah comin' back dere no mo'.
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 13407
Yo' kin take a man's wagon wheel if it's loose, an' if yo' want him tuh roll - want de man tuh roll - if his wagon wheel is on a tire - when it's loose - git some of his [foot] track an' jes' carry it an' git it in dere, but yo' mus' have some of dat Indian turnip wit it.] Put it in dere, underneat' dat rim, but fix dat rim in de tire. Or yo' kin fix"it anywhere roun' de wagon - anywhere.
(What will he do then?)
Well, he'll quit messin' wit chew.
(Make him move off?)
Yeah, make him roll off, he'll quit messin' wit chew. [Evidently a woman here gets rid of a man.]
Entry 13408
Lak ah tell yo', yo' take de sole [insole] of a woman's shoes or a man's shoes. See. Fo' instance if yo' don' put it on de outside where de peo- ple would see, but yo' would take it on de inside an' as dat wagon wheel roll, dat- away, jes' de same way dere mind will go - keep 'em with a rollin' mind. Dey would be in New Orleans today an' somepin would turn dem, dey git in a bad humor tuh go tuh Memphis, an' from dere tuh Arkansas, an' jes' keep 'em always on tuh rovin'. See.