Subject:Roots
Entries
Entry 980
Ah was kinda tricked - ah had sores - somebody done a trick tuh me and had me so mah feet was swelled and ah couldn't walk. Mah feet got jest 'bout like - every time ah would get up to move it feeled like pins and needles was sticking in de palms of mah foot and ah jest had to go down to de floor and stay where ah was without moving dat time, pricked me all ovah. Well, ah went to see and went around to diff'rent people to see whut de trouble was and dey tole me ah'd been hurt. Well, ah come back and went to New York and a fortune-teller told me, said, "You've been hurt and the best thing you kin do is to get somebody to work on you - tuh [work on] de person dat tricked - de man dat's been working on you." Well, individual [eventually] - anyhow ah went and had a salve - a salve was mixed up for me - it was mixed up. De first thing they told me to bathe with mullein - dis mullein tea - take dat an' boil it and keep mah feet in dat and always bathe it down and say a prayer over it.
(What kind of a prayer did you say?)
Ah said, "Lord, taketh the one that put this misfortune on me - to move this pain away from my foot - turn dis evil spirit away - amen - in Thy Name." Ask the Lord to remove this evil spirit - bathe it down.
(Why did you bathe it down?)
Dat's to rub it out, out - see, it was come in [through the foot] and want it to go out from de toe. Start down from de head and carry it out - that's to make de pain go out of mah foot - each stroke I gave it out. Jest put it in dat water with mullein, carrying each stroke out. Well, dat 'gin to do a little good. Den dis person made a salve, it was fer me. They made it with snake oil - ah mean, you know, de snake's liver. And [they] made of dat grease - grease from de snake, saltpeter - an' mix dat up and a little of de mullein - it was boiled down and mixed with dat and mutton suet. That mutton suet - and made de salve, and ah rubbed dis foot and dat's whut kinda got me up so ah could walk. But time after time ah couldn't go nowhere. De foot turn kinda black jest like something had bit me.
Entry 2329
Well, from mah own experience, ah have a couple of things dat ah know of in gambling: Ah git some root dey call de High John de Conker, an' Ruler of de Worl' an' King Of Man - lak de king of anything, lak de King of England, somepin. An' ah have anothern dey call de Eve-an'-Adam [Adam-and-Eve]. An' ah experience of de High John de Conker an' Ruler of de Worl' an' King of Man - ah've gambled wit dat. (How would you fix that up? How would you prepare that?) [I tried to avoid prepare - see what he does with it.] Well, it be compared up wit Hearts Cologne in a little bottle [this is a bottle hand] an' as yo' go into de game - befo' yo' go into de game yo' take some of it an' po' it in de palm of yore han', rub it, see [demonstrates]. Rub it on yore han' an' rub it on yore face. Yo' might take de bottle lak yo' put perfume on yo' an' tetch it on heah couple of times. Den yo' goes on in de game an' if anybody have put any cookin' salt on yo' or somepin lak dat, yore luck won't be no good. It can't be touched by no othah man but jes' de one who handles it - yore wife, yore husband, or yore sister or nobody lak dat. If dey do, why den yore luck begin tuh change - it's bad.
(If somebody would put cooking salt there, it would kill that luck?)
Kill it - dat's right. Or either yo' kin take a red pocket han'kerchief an' band dat roun' yore waist with one dose ole hoppy toadfrogs. If anybody got roots or anything lak dat of de kind in de game, why yo' kin tell it by dis frog.
(What will the frog do?)
He will holler jes' lak it rainin' or somepin lak dat - jes' lak a frog holler when it's rainin'. Dat's to notify yo' dere's somepin dere wrong.
(There's something wrong in the game?)
Dat's right. An' if it any kinda root - de King of Man, or either de High John de Conker, or Eve-an'-Adam, dey won't stand no salt or no othah han's on it but yores after yo' git it. If yo' do, yo' conceal it wit bad luck. If yo' kin keep it without anybody han' on it, without anybody puttin' de cookin' salt on it - lak folks standin' in de game behin' yore back dey sprinkle salt on yo'. Dat's tuh put chew in bad luck.
Entry 2554
Dere's a root dey call de king of roots. If yo' have a business, yo' kin take dat root an' bring it in heah, yo' know where yo' business at, if it's dull, why yo' kin have mo' customers den yo' kin handle. (Has that root any other name? Or just called King of Roots?) King of Roots. It grows an' it has three little prongs - leaves. It grows straight up like a okra blossom. It has three little okra blossoms on it, three little okras yo' see. Yeah, it look like okra - pod of okra.
(Like the green okra - like a vegetable?) [This is not okra.]
Yo' kin dig one dem little roots - Jest have room all de way round, yo' kin dig 'em. Some of 'em is big as mah wrist. An' yo' kin jest take a small piece like that an' put it in yore place of business where yo' work at an' yo'd have mo' people heah den yo' kin handle.
Entry 3244
Dere is de roots of de 'simmon tree. Yo' go out dere an' yo' git de roots offa dat. [A rooster began to: crow. I must have put up my hand asking for silence, be- cause informant inquires:] Suh?
(That rooster is crowing in the daytime. Means change in weather doesn't it?)
[I did not ask him what it meant because I was not collecting folklore uncon- nected with spirits or magic rites.] Yes.
[We continue.]
(Get that root of the persimmon tree?)
Yessuh.
(Any place?)
From dis side [demonstrates]. Always gits it from dis side, from de sundown side. An' in de mawnin' yo' git it from sunrise, see. An' yo' take dat off dere den an' yo' carry it back home an' yo' boils it - yo' make a tea out of it. When yo' make de tea out of it, den yo' kin put dat, chew know, into a bathe fo' a woman tuh bathe. Put jes' some in de watah in case she wants - she goin' wit chew [her husband] sompin. An' jes' a little teaspoonful of alum an' dat will make her close up - see, jes' draw up. An' he swears she won' have no- body but 'im. He swears nobody go dere but 'im. (You say if she takes a douche with this bath water, with this persimmon root boiled in it, it makes her close up?) Close up, an' a little piece of alum.
(And who would do this? The woman does that to herself?)
To herself, whut she do it fo'. An' when he go dere he swear she ain't messin' wit nobody but 'im. He ain't nuthin but a fool about it. She jes' ain't goin worry 'im 'bout it. An' she kin mess wit, have a hunderd diff'ren mens; but she nevah git it - close right down. An' he go right behin' dem an' swear she ain't nevah have no one.
(She is having those men. It would be too open if her husband [unexpectedly]
came around. She uses that and she closed it back up again. And he won't think anybody has been there.) Dat's right. [THE THEORY OF MAGIC HERE IS: A ROOT FROM THE SUNRISE SIDE OF THE TREE OPENS; FROM THE SUNSET SIDE, CLOSES.]
Entry 5594
Dey would pick up evah othah one of yore tracks for nine tracks, but dey take de right feet fer nine tracks. An' dey would take it off an' place dat into a bottle. Aftah placin' into a bottle dey would take - yo've seen dese pickanettle roots. People call 'em [par?] nettles.
(No, I don't know them [pickanettle] but I know what you are talking about.)
[This is probably the horse nettle, which appears several times in Hoodoo.]
It grows wit a white blossom into de top. Take dis blossom an' put it into a pot an' boil it. An' put a little linament, Sloan Linament into dat one, an' put watah onto de linament an' some kinda flesh meat. An' take it out an' yo' got a linament of yo' own creatin'. An' put on top of dat - stop it up tight [in a bottle] - write chure name onto de linament [bottle] be- fo' yo' put it [lina- ment] in dere. Write chure name an' turn it into de bottle, an' turn de bottle down to de groun' dis way.
(Turn that bottle down like that. All right. Then what do you do?)
Yes, sir, turn de bottle down dis way. Turn it down an' put chure name on it. Write chure name on it an' use a verse in de Bible.
(Do you know what verse in the Bible?)
Yes, sir, an' use de Second Kings but read it backwards, see. Read it back- wards an' write chure name. Writes chure verse three times an' write chure name three times. It must be backwards. Put on de linament in de bottle an' turn de bottle downward, down dis way [demonstrates].
(Cork down.)
An' dat'll take 'fect on 'em.
(Well, where are these foot tracks now? Where are the foot tracks?)
De dirt ah got from de foot tracks ah got it in de bottle.
(How much dirt did you take up?)
Jis' a small little.
Entry 6680
Yo' kin take nine new needles an' nine new pins an' nails - nine nails - an' put in a bottle. An' den yo' kin take one dese heah worm outa from undah de bottom [bark] see, think dey call 'em sawyah.
(Wood Sawyer?)
Yes sir. Dey got two little bills [horns] whut cuts in de wood. [These worms - the larvae of sawyers, several large longicorn bettles - bore large holes in timber or dead trees. Both worm and bettle are often called wood sawyers.] Put dat in dat bottle an' bury it down in de path where he walks. An' den, when he walk ovah dat, he'll ketch 'em in 'is foot. An' dat same worm [larva] whut chew see in dat bo'd, dat yo' put in dat bottle, jis' true as [what?]. [It will enter 'im an'] eat 'im up. [But this ailment can be cured.] Dat way [if you are in that condition] yo' got'a go tuh a root doctah de same way [as before]. Now a root doctor, he got'a take 'em out. A medical doctor don't do it.
(What would a root doctor do to get that worm out of him, I wonder.)
He goes an' git de root from de - dey call black haw an' red oak bark an' a stingin' nettle root. Put dat up in a bottle an' yo' got'a take. Dat stingin' nettle root, will run 'im out dere. [The other two help and also make 3 ingre- dients.]
(Well, what do you do with these roots? Make a tea of them or what?)
Yes.
Entry 6838
Tea from High John de Conkah, apple tree bark, an' fig tree roots [for pain or swelling].
Entry 8005
(What do they do that for? How do they do that?) Oh, dey makes a doll baby an' name it choo. (They do what?) Makes a doll baby an' name it de person dey want. (I see. What do they do with that?) An' fill it full of needles an' pins, roots, an' sew it up an' see it from 'em, jis' like dey wrap de hair [in 379:3].
(They sew it away, sew it from them?)
From 'em. Aftah sewin' it, den dey wrap it from 'em wit a cord, an' tie dat bow on de end of it. Den dey puts dat down in de groun' some place somewhere an' [they] says, long as dat baby lay in de dirt, yo'll withah away an' go [die].
Entry 8242
Well, den yo' kin take a person's pichure at home [and make them love you].
(How could you make them love you with that picture. How do you do that?)
Well, yo' weahs de pichure an' keep it all de time, an' yo' dress it. In othah words, yo' kin dress dat pichure wit High John de Conkah vine, an' yo' kin take dat Eve an' Adam [Adam and Eve] an' dress it. Why den dere's a root dey call de devil's shoestring. Yo' kin take dat home an' dress it.
(What do you do with those roots?)
Well, yo' would have - said when yo' boil de roots, undahstan', an' soak dat pichure an' keep it in a dark room - a dark place all de time. An' dat person will soon be absent-minded. (Thought you were telling me that you could make them love you that way?) Well, yo' kin... [This rite is quite all right.]
Entry 9055
Yo' take de vine, de bramboo vine.
(Is that like a fishing pole?)
[I am asking, is that a bamboo?)
Yes, but it's got thorns on it, bramble vine, an' de devil horseshoe string [devil's-shoestring]. An' take dem two pieces an' put it in a glass, an' put three spoonsful of salt in dere wit it, an' a few reesins [raisins] whut growed on de vine - like yo' buy 'em out de store on a vine [unstemmed raisins]. An' put 'em in dat glass 'bout fulla watah an' put it undah yore baid an' sleep ovah it. Den git up de nex' mawnin' an' take, throw de watah out de sunrise, an' take reesins out an' cast some of dem on yuh an' take de othahs an' de two roots an' carry 'em to de graveyard an' bury 'em. An' dey tell me dat dey won't git a trial an' dey turn 'em loose free. (What are the names of these two roots now that you put in there?) [Machine stopped too soon for answer already given.]
Entry 9148
Well, if yo' go down befo' de jedge, it's a root chew git called de "Be 'shamed brier root," de "be 'shamed Brier Root."
(Be Ashamed? Well, why do they call it that?)
Well, becuz it's de conkah of all roots of de woods. It's conkah of all de roots in de woods. See, lak if yo' go in de woods tuh git dat an' jes' whatevah yo' wanta learn an' know, yo' see dat bush, de little leaves on it closes up. It says, "Be 'shamed of yo'self, be 'shamed of yo'- self, be 'shamed of yo'- self [he hits it]. Well, all dem leaves on dat closes up [because he touched, hit the plant].
(As soon as you touch it that way, then it closes up?)
Close up. Well, yo' dig down dere an' git dat root. Dig down dere an' git dat root out dere. Well, den yo' take dat root, see, an' carry it home. An' if yo' got a case in co't, yo' take dat an' hold it in yore mouth lak dat, an' yo' spit one time 'fore de jedge. Spit dat at his face. Well, when yo' do dat, lak ah'm lookin' at chew, yo' see, yo' lookin' at me an' he think yo' chewin' 'bacco or somepin. He won't know whut chew got in yore mouth. Yo' jes' spit one time 'fore his face. Well, an' den yo' go dere an' set down. Well, when yo' sets down an' he'll jes' - he'll call up evahbody in co't. He'll call up evahbody in co't an' yo'll be settin' ovah dere, an' he look ovah dere an' he say, "Well, whut chew want in heah? Git up an' go on outa heah." See, dat root done got his mind, he done got 'shamed of whut he got yo' 'cused [accused] of, say, "Yo' git up an' walk on out." [They fascinate me, those words near the beginning: git dat (shame brier) an' jes' whatevah yo' wanta learn an' know, yo' see dat bush. de little leaves on it closes up. This suggests to me that some persons at least, and in some way, used the shame brier as a divining device. This plant and the hole of the doodle-bug (ant-lion larva) must have puzzled believers in hoodoo at one time - for beliefs about the doodle-bug, see Folklore from Adams County Illinois, Nos.1398-1404, p.55, 2nd ed.]
Entry 10612
If yo' want a job, yo' go down tuh de boss. Well, if dis fellah want- ed a job, didn't have no work an' didn't have nowhere tuh stay, an' everybody dat he went to, had turned him away. An' he went tuh a fellah dat supposed tuh know. De fellah give him three kind of roots: give Adam an' Eve, an' dis blacksnake root an' dis heah devil snakeroot [see later]. He taken dat root.... (Devil snakeroot or devil's shoestring?) Devil's shoestring! Dey called it de devil root. Take dat root an' fix dat root up in a kind of a compound an' he go down dere. When he git dere tuh dat man he take it an' goes an' git him a buckeye an' puts hit in his pocket. An' he wears dat buckeye. De buckeye made out of - dem lit- tle black buckeye lak dat. He takes dat an' he goes down an' he talks to de man. He put all of dat in Hearts Cologne an' he goes down dere to de man an' he gits tuh rubbin' his hand lak dat. An' walks up tuh de man an' started tuh talkin' with de man. De man will tell him, no, but be shore tuh come back de next day. Well, he'll come back de next dat still a-rubbin' dat root. Well, he'll git dat root, every one of 'em, one in each pocket an' one in each foot. An' he gits dere an' de man go tuh talkin' an' he'll have a piece in his mouth chewin'. When he git dere de man go tuh talkin' an' say, "Well, ah guess, if yo' think yo' kin work, ah'll give yo' a job." An' yo' tell de man yo' kin work. Jes' as long as yo' keep dat roots rubbed up an' keep it fulla Hearts Cologne, well de man will nevah fiah yo', but de time dat yo' lose dat root, yo' lose yore job.
Entry 10619
Well, if yo' have a person tuh leave yo' an' yo' wanta bring dem back- yo' loves dem. Yo' loved ones gits scattahed off an' yo' wanta bring 'em back tuh yo'. Dere's two roots grows in de woods, ah'm tellin' yo' truth, dey has two leaves. We calls 'em Eve-and-Adam an' de roots of dem roots is got two little knots about little bigger den a coffee bean - two little knots. One of 'em is a woman an' one is a man. Yo' take 'em an' dry 'em on a stove. Put 'em on a stove an' dry 'em dere stiff an' spongy - spongy like a sponge. But chew cut 'em up when dey gits dry an' make a softa powdah outa dem - a soft powdah. If dat woman drinks coffee, tea, or anything dat she drinks, well yo' kin jes' sprinkle jes' a little bit in de bottom of de cup an' den pour on it. Pour a drink in an' den she drink dat she'll be crazy 'bout chew. Ah believe dat's de truth. Ah'm halfway telling yo' by experience. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1008). 1630:3.]
Entry 10625
You get 'em - two together, you know.
(Oh! It's a root that grows together.)
Two of 'em together; one's Adam, the other Eve. Now those, the things they are used for, will keep a man and woman together - they will keep them together. (Well now, how would they use that?) They go to work and get that Adam-an'-Eve root, get it green [fresh], and you name one Adam and the other one Eve, after you wash it off good. And you put it in a bottle, ay old bottle, and don't break 'em loose. One Adam and the other one is Eve. Dren they put perfume in there.
(Any special kind of perfume?)
No, any kind. Put the perfume in there. They name [one] for the woman and Che other the man, when they are speaking about 'em. They may use chamber lye ad perfume in it. Stop it up. Long as you keep that, you will hold the man if you want to.
Entry 10628
Any time root [roots for special times]. Then ah makes a powder tuh sprinkle yore house wit, it call a holy powder... [Informant starts off at a rapid pace and up in the air.] (Now wait a minute! Now, I'm getting my wife back. Now, I put that right underneath, right under the bed?) Yes sir.
(Then what happens.)
Put Eve-and-Adan root undah yore bed, yuh understand, and make a wish - make yore sign [first] - then make a wish tuh the Lord. Make a wish fo' what yore heart desires, you understand, after you carried it [and put it under the bed] and in thirty days she'll be back there. Don't ca' where she gone. An' if she's sued yo' or lawsued choo fo' alimony, then she'll take it out [call off the suit].
(What was that other root?)
Queen Elizabeth. [Informant continues with rites under Queen Elizabeth root and shame brier.] [Mobile, Ala., (655?0, 857:1.]
Entry 11264
[As I said in No.7228, p.3216, v.4, "I met a galaxy of doctors in Charleston, S. Car., before I had sufficient experience to handle them. Two years later I would have been better prepared." This man has also appeared in the preceding text as follows: No.1221, P.434; No.1417, P.464; No.1638, p.507; and No.2209, p.629. Here follow other parts of the interview:] Dey take de watah yo' take a bath in, tuh do anythin' tuh harm yuh. Dat's only de occasion of if a man wanta woman, don't want nobody else tuh be wid'er. (How would you do that?) Well, dey take de [bath] water and put it in a bottle, nine needles, and de sill of yo' doorway - cut a piece of [a splinter from] de sill of yo' doorway, [dat] piece of stick dere [points to the saddle], de sill of yo' door - and dey put dat in de bottle. And you call her names and [informant shakes imaginary bottle].
(While you shake it up.)
While you shake it up. And den maybe she wanta go. Yo' turn 'em [bottle] back [to you] and she come dere - towards yo' place [demonstrates].
(You turn the head of the bottle back to you and she will come back?)
Dat's right. If he know de person and he steal it - if de person [from whom it was stolen] know him, know his [thief'sl name - if he haven't git rid of it, you kin make dis person, dis other person, and he will give it up, because he figured on it and he'd be in trouble. And in doing dat you'd have to have de root chew call Indian Conker [Conquerer].
(Indian Conquerer? What do you do with that root then?)
You take dat root, de Indian Conker and Devil's shoestring and put it toget- her [in a bag with string?] and tote it in yore pocket, and she [bag] spin around jest like a top and tell yo' who in dis section, who got it.
(You spin this around?)
You spins it around and until you asks it any question you wanta, according to how you feel it. [Here we have ubiquitus Jack - an individual, companion, fetish - who answers questions by swinging out the answers. Our great example of this device I have mentioned several times, the Jack-ball (ball hanging from a string) of informant No.1534, the doctor I interviewed in Memphis, who gave us that great page 1254 in volume 2.1
(Then after you have found out who has it, then what do you do?)
You go to the person and he'll give it up. [Yes, at the time of this interview, the average thief would restore the article if a doctor was working on the case.]
(That's when you found out who stole it?)
Yes.
(Where did you learn? Who taught you how to cure? From whom did you learn?)
My grandma Was a West Indies.
(Oh, your grandmother was a West Indian. I see. What part did she come from?)
Kingston, Jamaica.
(Where did she live when she came to this country?)
Why she came down here in slavery time....she died 1909 - see - in dis part of de country - to Meggetts [Meggett], South Carolina, Posting Line [postal ad- dress].
(Where did she live during her life in South Carolina?)
Over to....[?] South Carolina.
(What was her name?)
Flora Linton, Milton....
[I must have turned off machine accidentally.]
(Flora Milton. And she could heal people. She knew all this work. And you learned from your grandmother?)
(And she came over here in slavery time.)
Slavery time.
(Did you ever hear of Doctor Buzzard?)
I have known Doctor Buzzard.
(Was he good?)
Aw, his method all right. Some things was all right and some was not. Any man is good to kilt. Any man kin take a shotgun and write a man name and blow his brains out twelve clock at any time.
(How did he do that?)
With powder!
(And he boosted that kind of work?)
That's his daily occupation.
(I see. How long has he been dead?)
It's round about seven - eight years. A root doctor meet a root doctor dey kin tell one anothah. Why? Because de' use a stick dey calls de gum-bush sticks.
(What?)
Sweet gum.
(They call it gum?)
Gum-bush stick and that come to crossing their mind. You don't tote dat stick, but you cut dat off when yo' first start out and bury it in de ground. Hell, dey may have it buried in New York and may not go dere no more through life, and if I'd meet chew and you do mine [my line], well I kin tell if you outen my line [of work]. I kin tell.
(Well, how can you tell, then?)
By de spirit, using different points.
(You wouldn't question me or anything? You just let the spirit tell?)
That's right. See, I'd git mad wit chew; jest like two dog would meet one another an' git mad. Know then you was out of my line. You ain't not in my line. But I'm better 'em you but you ain't got to won yo' point. Yo' can't hurt me, but I kin hurt chew, but then I don't want you to be long wit me be- cause the other fella think I'm doing the same work you doing. That's how we tell one another. (You bury this stick when you first begin your work before you take your first case up?) That's right. (And always leave it buried the rest of your life, you never go back there again.) No mo'.
(Who cuts this stick?)
You cut it yo'self.
(And you bury it yourself?)
That's right. Cut it with your left hand? (You cut it with your left hand. And where do you bury it? How do you bury it?) At sundown.
(What do you mean by that?)
Jest like you stick a stick in de ground when de sun go down. See, it be dat tall [demonstrates] maybe dat tall, and you beat it down dere until you git it down to the ground. (And then you beat it down to the ground in the sunset - sundown - all the way into the ground, and then what do you do?) Well, then you jest throw a penny in the hole and yo' tole 'em what chew wanta do....whether you want to be de master king or such and such a thing, or you wanta be de master king of....of all roots, and don't want chures root to sour on hand - that's why yo' bury yo' stick. See, if yo' medicine sour and a person bring it back to you next Monday, "This medicine ain't no good - it sour." And you take it back and cure it again. Give dem the same medicine back and ther carry it back there. (You never go back to that stick again, and you drive down all the way into the ground.) That's right.
(Do you do anything before you leave this stick?)
No, jest pay it and then go on about chure business. [No other person men- tioned such a gum stick.]
Entry 11373
Said yo' go to a fig tree an' yo' git a root from de no'th side, a root from de west side, dat de side de sun set on, yeah. An' git de root from three different parts; don't git it from foah, git it from three, three different directions, [they] say. An' yo' keep dat root an' put a little Hearts Cologne on it, an' jest keep it in yore pocket an' yo' kin demand anything yo' want done. Dat's all from a fig tree. [For another version of this rite, also from Waycross, see No.1247, v.1.]
Entry 11374
Well de fig tree is always goin' tuh be good. Yo' work good wit dat. Anything, yo' understan', tuh do or whut chew want it tuh do. (How would you do that?) Well, yo' jes' only put it at de root, anything whut chew wanta use in dat. Jes' lak if yo' wanta do ne good, an' wanta give me even good luck on it, yo'll put it at de foot of a fig tree. Yo'll jes' take me an' name me. An' den when yo' name me, why, co'se den yo' jes' only write mah name an' den yo' write whut chew want done. An' den yo'll put dat down at de fig tree root, but chew put it in dirt. Dat's all ah know 'bout dat.
Entry 11693
Dey say take a piece of dis heah fo' corners of de world [a rare root in HOODOo], yo' know, a lil' piece of root about dat long. It's got fo' corners, call it fo' corners of de world. An' a piece of High John de Conker. An' tote dat [those 2 roots] an' dey say yo'll git work.
Entry 12250
It have to be Red Devil Lye, de same lye dat dey use for scrubbing porches. You buy Red Devil lye in de groc'ry store, you see, but it's more... [expensive in hoodoo shops?]. Now, you git dis Red Devil Lye and after cut- ting [making an opening in] dis can, you understand, you turns it upside down [a number of "up- side down lye cans have been given in text] you see. And dere's some kind of root dey get. John de Conkah is one and it's another one. You see [there are] several of them, but I do not [remember?] even enough to know each and every one of them. And get some of dis Dragon's Blood and you sprinkle it around dere [the door]. De law will come to de door but dey will never be able enough to enter.
(Well, what do you do after you get that can open?)
Dat can - when you get dat can open you put dat can in de earth upside down, you see how it is, and cover it right back up and leave it stay dere, but it must be right to your front, de leading door dat comes in.
(What do you do with these roots then?)
Well, dose roots, well dose roots dey'll have to be right side de can. John Ce Conkah you have cause dat will conquer everything.
Entry 12377
Lak if yo' go roun' de cornah fo' a job an' yo' go de first day an' de man don' hiah yo'. yo' go de second day an he don't hiah yo'. Well, de third day yo' git dis- gusted, yo' see, an' yo' study some kinda remedy tuh git dis job. Yo' see. Well, yo' go dere an' de first thing yo' do, git chew nine roots of parsley, yo' see, an' put 'em in yore shoe. An' git chew a garlic a yellah garlic, a plug of garlic an' put dat in yore shoe. An' git chew a piece of cloth about that long, yo' see. An' put nine pins in that crossways, yes, straight pins, new pins. Put 'em in dere crossways. An' let each one of dem pins, lak yore name is George, well yo' put de 'nitials yo' see at dem pins. An' yo' go to dat jar...
(Where do you put those needles and those pins?)
Undah dere yo' see, undah de pins.... See where ah got dem nine pins cross. Yo' got de 'nitials dere yo' see.
(You put the initials down with what?)
Ink.
(On the cloth or on a piece of paper?)
On de cloth. See, de pins in de cloth, see, lak dat piece of cloth about dat long. Yo' see yo' jis' put de pins lak dat crossways nine times. Yo' see each on de bottom, yo' put lak his nine dere "George" yo' see wit ink, only each one dem 'nitials. An' yo' go dere dat mawnin' an' yo' git a seal de' [they] call de 'Lucky Seal.' Yo' go to de Crackerjack Drug Sto' an' git dat. Yo' see yo carry dat an' put it right down by de gate where de man hiahs up dere. Yo' press it down dere. He'll call yo' 'fore he calls anybodys else. Lak yore name Mistah Eddy, he'll say, "Well, Mistah Eddy, come on in an' go tuh work. Ah needs yo' dis mawnin'. (That is to get the job.) [See also SEALS in CHANNEL DE WORLD, v.5.1
Entry 12404
Ah know dat chew could git a job jes' by goin' to a magnolia tree. Yo' take an' git - jes' a little piece of cloth an' den sew it up in a heart- style bag in shape of a heart. Yo' take dat heart- style an' yo' fill it up wit nuthin but table salt, salt dat nevah has been used. An' go to a magnolia tree wit three roots dat's runnin' east. Don't care how small or how large it is, an' yo' tie it up together an' feed it off de cologne. An' it's a certain chap- tah in Psalms in de Bible - de Psalms of David. Ah disremembah, but chew repeat dat three times in de mawnin' befo' yo' go fo' three mawnin's, an' aftah dat third mawnin' dat chew'll be successful in gittin' a iob an' holdin' it as long as yo' kin hold dat.
(You put these magnolia roots into this little bag?)
Yes sir, yo' puts it in dat an' sew it up right wit de salt in de heart- style [bag].
Entry 12761
[Roots of course are everywhere in HOODOO, though they are arranged under various other headings. Very interesting among them are shapes such as a root in the shape of a woman cooked for [female trouble], whatever that means (cylinder 702, informant 564, Jacksonville, Fla.); and a root in the shape of a lizard, cooked and administered to remove lizard in a person (same reference on cylin- der 703). Root shapes I did not explore very well. The same thing was true of candle shapes. You are held in check by fear of leading questions.]
Entry 12767
You know - well, dis about - about Adam-an'-Eve. You see Adam is two buttoag [2 root bulbs attached] rep resent two buttons - is locy buttons. I don't know exactly what harm in dem but dey says dey is locy but- tons, Adam-an'-Eve. Well you get dem an' get dis John de Conkah - says dat lucky - and somepin like rattlesnake master.
(Rattlesnake master?)
Yes, sir, is round I think. Dere's [also] sweet root, it's de ost stringy- lookin' root. See, you drink dat, dat's medicine. Jes' Ltke aaybody's got a pain in his stock [stomach?] dat ease de pain. Well, dat's all I know what dat intended for. Dat suppose be for medicine. I know black root and white root, dat's for colds. You cut dem up together, see and bile dem and see, you make medicine outen dat. Rhubarb and some kind of...
Entry 12773
[The following title is one of the finest things in HOODOO. Here we have a professional root doctor telling us how and where to find roots in the woods. A little of the supernatural surrounds the search. Moreover he assumes the author wants to become a doctor! Let me say here, as I have probably said elsewhere, at no time did I ever pretend to be or say I wanted to become a doctor. Always I was collecting material for a book, a usable manual describing these things for other persons. Never was there any pretense. We keep things in the natural world as far as I was concerned. The rite following this one, by the same doctor, should also be read.] Now, dat's if yo' don' know nothin'. All right, yo' go to de fo'k of de road. Yo' got dat prickle feet wit chew. Yo' wants to git nex' to a lotta folks in town. Yo' wants to be a "doctor"? Yo' wants to know how to grab medicine out de woods? Well, to know how to git medicine out de woods, you go to de fo'k of de road an' take chure prickle feet wit chew. Well, now it will come to yuh plain. Go across heah an' take up a certain piece of root. Show yuh exactly what it is. Go across out in de road, de fork of de road. Yuh go an' pick up jes' whatever yuh go to look for an' it will be sompin dere leads yo'. Yo'll come back to de fo'k of de road an' sompin will come to yo' ag'in an' tell yo' to go to yo' right when yo' go to your right yo'll pick up de nex' thing yo' knows: maybe a lobelia, hippo or five-fingah [grass] or de seven seams[?] grass or de blacksnake root. Yo' goin' pick it up. Well, yo' bring dat out but chew gotta learn den what to do wit dat thing. Dere be sompin teach yo' befo' yo' git back dere what yo' does wit it.
(I see. Well tell me how to use these things.)
Entry 13003
Usin' a bull dollah - a silver dollah.
(They call it a bow dollar? Why do they call it a bow?)
Dey always claim they could work roots with it. (That's what they call a silver dollar: a bow dollar - bull dollar? Do you mean like a bow - like this kind of a bow?) [I demonstrate either by holding and drawing a bow, or drawing design on paper.] Ah don't know how yo' spell it. It jes' a bow. Git chew a bow dollah an' go to any sto' an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne. An' yo' take this heah bow dollah an' yo' take an' rub it with this heah Hearts Cologne. An' take an' put it in a red flannel sack an' wear it round yore waist, where it will 'cumu- late money to yo', bring happiness to yo', an' yo' jes' be lucky all de time.
Entry 13087
Belts have roots in 'em fo' luck. Or yo' kin git a blacksnake-skin belt an' dey say dey fix it in a way - grease it - grease it with...an' yo' kin git up in de morning day- light an' do anything yo' wanta do. Can't no man hole [hold] yo' - slick
[you are too slippery].
Entry 13281
Ah hear tell if yo' know where de swallow hatching at - de little birds hatchin' - an' yo' kin git his aig while he off his nest, an' bring it in an' boil it, an' carry it back an' put it to de nest, dat yo' kin conquer anything in de world on it. But ah ain't been able tuh find dat swallow. Ah been try- in' tuh find dat nest but ah ain't nevah found it. Dey say it be somewhere by de chimley somewhere - de' claim. [Somewhere in text I have a note about confus- ion between chimney swift and swallow.] Say dat bird is a shore fact. Say if yo' git dat aig from dat bird, dat bird he'll come an' bring yo' three roots in de place of dem aigs, after yo' take dem aigs out an' boil 'em. Yo' take de aigs an' dat bird'll come back an' bring yo' three roots an' say he'll take dem roots an' do as he wants tuh do.
Entry 13352
Dey git different root an' cork 'em down in a bottle an' bury 'em... (And bath water?) And - dat's right - and you bury 'em, and after you bury 'em you either stop up dere night water [or bath water] you understand, or dey git a pain in de head - sompin like dat. Dey cork dem dat way.
(I'm speaking now of the water you take a bath in.)
I understand. You mean de water that you taking washing in. Can't do nuthin [no hoodoo] wit dat.
(But this water, the night water?)
Dat it [you can do something with that] you kin bury dat.
(Well, what sort of root do you put with that?)
De' goes out and gits somepin dey calls snakeroot. Snakeroot for a pain in de stomach - sompin like dat. Yo' go roun' an' yo' gits cherry bark and chero- kee [cherokee rose?] you understand, and you bile [boil] dat together and yo' put dat together, de' fool around wit chew an' put dat in yo' water, yo' under- stand, an' dey'll cork dat bottle an' bury it.
(What do they do with the head after they cork it? How do you put it, down?)
[SORRY FOR THAT SLIP OF MINE!]
Turn de head down.
(I see. Do you leave the water run out or just tight?)
[I WAS STILL A LITTLE INEXPERIENCED AT CHARLESTON, BUT MY LEADING QUESTION IS IGNORED.] No, you have it fix so de water can't run out.
(I see, that will keep you from making water.)
Yes.
Entry 13449
Well, now a persimmon - de persimmon ain't much good as dat. But de weepin' willow tree, it's mighty fine fo' luck. A weepin' willow tree, is mighty lucky.
(Well, how do you do that?)
Well, yo' take dat an' gits de leave of it, de roots of it, an' dry it. When yo' shake it dry, den yo' jes' put it in a bottle an' set it up on de mantel- piece. About once a month yo' take a taste of it. An' ah declare hit'll bring luck in yore home fo' hit shore brought it in mine. [Since the weeping willow is a tree of ill-omen and generally considered unlucky, our present rite is unusual, one of defiance of fate, or one based upon contraries, or the well- known poison kills poison doctrine.]