Subject:Sickness
Entries
Entry 647
[Why medical medicine or doctor medicine is worthless in hoodoo, a believer explains:] I say all de - most all de sickness now, it's not natch'l.
(What does it come from?)
Vitchcraft. (Why do people do that?) Jis', some of 'em jis' begrudgin'. Some of 'em get, you know, be begrudgin' of anything you have an' dey'll poison you. Some want cheh husban', dey poison yah; an' some want cheh job, dey poison yah. (Have they any good rootworkers up there in Rocky Mount [North Carolina, home of informant]?) No, sir. Dere is some up dere kin do somepin to yah but dey can't cure yeh.
(Where do people go then?)
Dey come to town heah.
(Any good ones down here?)
Yes sir, purty good. I reckon de best ones is in South Carolina.
(What do they usually charge to cure you?)
Some of 'em twenty-five to thirty dollars - a good price.
Entry 991
My grandmother tole me, "Son, ah tell yah what yo' kin do." [She] say [see later]. Ah goins to ole lady, ole lady stay across at de branch, and she tells me git some dishwater - water what you washin' de dishes, and wipe dat whole hat good; wipe dat hatband roun' an' roun' in de hat, no mind de band, and den says, "Don't wear de hat fer about three-four days and you'll git rid of dat dizziness in de head." [Grandmother previously had said] "Dey give you guinea sickness in yo' head - can't keep you mind - you start on dis and jump off - an tell me somepin and you go tell anodder person somepin [else] - and none of it won't be de trut'." Dey ain't in dey right mind, yo' see. Dat's somepin like de strike off yo' brains [brain stroke].
(They take that bow out of your hat?)
Take de bow out chure hat and bury it. [That gave him guinea sickness.] It blows bad luck to you to take it out. [It is bad luck for the man to remove his own hat bow.]
Entry 3417
Git de blood from a dog an' de sickness of a woman an' mix dose two things togethah. Put 'em in a little bottle an' take dat bottle an' stop it up tight. Lay it down in a little groove lak dat an' put sand over it, an' dat will take her nature away from all men, any man. She can't have nuth- in to do wit anyone. (Do you take that from any kind of a dog, that blood? Any time?) Any kind of a dog, any time.
Entry 3869
Maybe yo' kin jes' ketch hold of 'em, yo' see, git hold of 'er - her sickness, yo' undahstand what I mean. Ministratin', yo' take dat an' yo' put dat in a bottle. Yo' un- dahstan', piece of it, piece of cloth or whatsomevah she use - cotton, whatevah it be. Take dat an' put it in a bottle. An' git yo' some of dis, de same thin' yo' call devil's-shoe- string see, [and] one of dose bottle of Hearts Cologne, an' one of High John de Conker. An' put dat in dere an' git yo' two nails an' one needle, see. If yo wanta, yo' could put three nails an' two needles, see. Den when yo' put de three nails an' two needles, why one of de nails counts fer de - one fer de Fathah, one fer de Son, an' one fer de Holy Ghost. An' put dat in a bottle togethah an' dem two nails [needles] count fer de conkerin' of de world. Put dat in a bottle to- gethah wit yore urinate, see. An' mix 'em an' stop it up tight, an' bury dat undah yore steps. An' whenevah she kin go; but she won't stay gone, see.
Entry 3870
Ah know it tuh be a fac', if a girl break up - lak if yo' didn't love 'er so good, yo' know, an' if she be sick or sompin othah lak dat. Well, dere's one thin' dat she kin [do], if she's sick, to he'p'er- self. If she kin git yo' tuh eat anythin', or drink watah, den she take a little of 'er sickness, in 'bout a teaspoonfulla watah, an' a li'le bit of red shank, an' boil it intuh de watah. She kin po' dis stuff, jes' 'bout a halfa teaspoonfulla in some watah an' gi' yo' [give you]. Why yo's a fool about 'er, see.
(You put a piece of red shank root into that water?)
Dat right. An' if yo' wanta, dere's a way dat yo' find out dat she did do yo' dat way. Yo' goes in de woods an' gits yo' de devil's shoestring. Den yo' comes back wit dat an' yo' boil it an' take yo' a piece of mullein. Dem [mullein plant] a flat weed sompin lak 'bacca [tobacco], lak a head of 'bacca, yo' know, but it be's somewhut flattah yo' know - it don't be high, yo' know. An' yo' take dat an' yo' take nine strands of dat mullein root an' ball [boil] it, an' two leaves. De way yo' gotta do, yo' git some whiskey an' put on it, on dat, an' git chew a piece of camphor an' put it on it. Well, yo' tote dat in yore pocket fo' 'bout two or three days an' pass 'er do', an' she'll tell yo' she got de headache one day when yo' pass dere. Inside of eight days she'll tell yo' she got de head- ache. Well, yo' jes' say to her, says, "Well, dat's mighty bad but ah got some camphor heah." Well, yo' go ahead by dere an' let 'er rub 'er haid wit it. Yo got 'er an' it's offa yo' den. Well, she git tuh lovin' yo' den. Maybe, if yo' wanta love 'er an' want 'er tuh love yo' - well, it jes' quite natural if a man love a woman, he want 'er tuh love him yo' know.
Entry 3901
Dey'll take one of de cloths dat she uses. Yo' know, her sickness, yes sir. Dey take dis cloth while she's - it dirty yo' know while she's got dat on 'er. An' den dey'll take dis an' put it in a bottle, in a small bottle. An' take dis cloth - but dis heah cloth will fill it up, make it plumb full. An' den dey'll take dat an' dey'll go tuh her house, wherevah she lives, an' put it up anywhere ovah her haid - up ovah her haid. An' den dey'll put a tight stoppah in dere an' put some watah in dere. An' put some watah in dere wit it, put a tight stoppah in dere wit dis cloth whilst it in dere. An' dey say dat'll stop 'er sickness from coming down on 'er; jes' keep it dere till it kills 'er, if dey don't nevah pull dis stoppah out. [For this folk-medicine condition, see comment in bracket later.] But when dey evah did pull dis stoppah out, if dey gits de evil dat dey got agains' 'er off an' wants tuh let 'er go free, why den dey take dis out an' let dis watah out an' den she'll live; but if dey don't, it'll kill 'er. [The preceding rite illustrates one of the great pairs of complementary rites in hoodoo; here of opposites, above and below - the walking under or over some- thing belonging to your body or having been touched by your body. In either case your spirit is divided. The menstrual blood over your head in the present rite, keeps the menstrual blood still in the body from going down. Is menstrual blood different from other blood in the body? Presumably so in folklore, for: Menstru- al blood is poisonous (FACI, 1st ed., p.248, No.5103). The term going down - coming down used in present rite - belongs to folk medicine: "When my mother was about twelve [1845] [[in or near Quincy, Ill.]], an old Indian doctor told them to wear black beads around their neck to keep the blood from going to the brain. All the girls in that time wore black beads all the time to get their monthly to come when coming into womanhood, for it made the blood come down." (FACI, 2nd ed., P.219, No.4969.] [After writing the preceding bracket, I happened to be watching the University of Michigan television program, which for us appears off and on, and comes just before my 7AM news. This was probably towards the end of 1972. A group of women were talking about the problems confronting the first American college women. One woman spoke of a Harvard professor, M.D., who in 1873 wrote a book condemning brain work for women. He maintained that mental effort by a woman made the blood rush to her head, a condition that could dry up her ovaries!]
Entry 4475
Yuh kin git some of a person passage an' kin take dat passage an' yuh care it tuh a tree, a pine tree. Well, it don't make no diff'rence whut kinda tree. Yuh take dat, jis' some dey passage, yuh undahstan', an' yuh nail it up in dat tree, yuh see. Now, dey tell me fo' a fac' dat will kill yuh if dat ain't relieved. Yuh put dat passage in dat tree an' take yuh a augah an' bo' a hole in dat tree an' yuh put dey passage in dat tree. Yuh take yuh a wedge an' put dat wedge in dat. Now, if yuh wanta kill 'em yuh drive dat thin' up in dere. Well, yuh drive da thin' evah mawnin' befo' de sun rise. Yuh'll drive dat, hit dat peg. Well, now, if yuh wanta kill 'em yuh'll drive dat - de ninth mawnin' yuh'll drive in dat peg, yuh'll find 'em purtty real sick. Den yuh go ovah dere tuh dat same wedge befo' sunrise evah mawnin' an' hit it seven mo' mawnin's. Nine mawnin's, yuh undahstan', [and] seven mawnin's. An' den about de eighth mawnin', den he'll be jis' about dead. An' now, if yuh jis' wanta put 'em in a lingahin' condition wit dat, yuh jis' - don't have it too tight, don't drive it in. Dat jis' lingah' dem long as yuh got dat wedge in dere [not too tight]. Dat's tuh put 'em in a lingahin' condition. Dat's wit dey passage.
Entry 6828
Goes tuh de graveyard an' git dirt fo"luck: An' yo' kin git it fo' bad luck. If anythin', yo' kin git it offa certain grave, if yo' kin remembah de certain grave; an' if yo' cain't remembah de certain grave, git de dirt, but it's gotta be at night. Yo' cain't go in de daytime an' git. Some peoples have tried it in de daytime when dey goin' tuh de funeral an' git it, but chew'll have tuh go at night, when only de gravediggers are dere.
(What do you do with it then?)
Yes, yo' kin use it fo' luck. Yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' git chew some of de flowahs dat's in de graveyard. Yo' kin git some of de rose - yo' cain't use it unless yo' has some kinda flowahs - rose. Yo' kin git chew a flow- ah from de graveyard an' use dis graveyard dirt or eithah fern from de graveyard; or eithah some kinda sprout twig - not any dry. Yo' cain't use any dry twigs, yo' have [to] git 'em all sproutin' when de sap is in 'em. An' place 'em tuh- gethah an' wrap 'em in any kind of cloth yo' wanta. An' wind 'em roun' yuh waist fo' luck, or eithah yo' kin have 'em fo' peoples havin' spells. Or eithah yo' kin use it fo', if yo' have a person sick in yuh home, it's bettah fo' dat. If a person's sick in yore home an' yo' figure dat dey're not goin' git well, de doctors an' evahthin' have given 'em up, use dis graveyard dirt fo' dat, but chew'll have tuh cook it in dere food. Regardless tuh how dirty it is an' all lak dat, yo'll have tuh cook it in dere food, fo' de condition dat dey are in - fo' dere health.
Entry 6832
Yo' take gunpowdah an' wet it, DAT GUNPOWDAH IS EVIL, IT'S JIS' LAK A EVIL SPIRIT. An' yo' kin take it yo' know an' wet it up. Put chure foot ag'inst de watah. Ah don' know whethah yo've evah seen dat done. Yo' put enough of it in watah an' jis' keep ' a stirrin' 'till dat watah come tuh be perfec'ly black, an' it's all dissolve jis' lak, yo' know, jis' lak sugah. Wal, den yo' take dat watah den an' reverse [see later] it on dat track whah yo' walk. Yo' put some tuh de front, some tuh de back, an' dat do's de work.
(What will that do?)
Wal, dat jis' keepS a man safe, DAT DRIVES DE PART OF EVIL AN' DE SICKNESS AWAY FROM YO'.
(This evil away from you?)
Yes. [First, you protect or cure yourself by dropping gunpowder into a bucket. Wet it up means a little water on the gunpowder in the bucket. Put chure foot ag'inst de watah shows that you mix the water and gunpowder with your foot in the bucket. Next yo' reverse it [the water], not by stirring the gunpowder water in the contrary direction, but by pouring it on dat track whah yo' walk. You pour it on one or more tracks from toe to heel, backwards, opposite the direction of your made tracks. Rites from toe to heel - reversing rites - usually sending maker of the tracks in the opposite direction, are fairly common in Hoodoo. In the present rite the spell is turned back to its sender.]
Entry 7919
Yo' kin git dirt off a person grave, ah think it wus twelve days aftah yo' [they] put away [buried] an' yo' kin care [carry] it an' put it undah de person step where dey live at, an' yo' put 'em in a bad spell of sickness.
Entry 10930
A cat or a dog, when yo' see 'em round in yore yard, it's either a sign of death or sickness. [At the moment I do not recall ever having heard this rite before. It shows the fear or awe of strange animals, the unusual of any kind!]
Entry 11855
Well, yo' see now, it's anothah story. A lady an' her husban', yo' know, dey were gittin' 'long all right. So she saw somebody else she liked an' so she, yo' know, comes right to de front of it wit her husband an' dey nevah wanta agreein' in de home, so she say, "Well, ah dunno, seem lak mah mome is gittin' too upset. Ah dunno, seem lak ah dunno whut tuh do." So dis kept on workin' lak dat. So ah guess in travelin' an' talkin' roun' - prob'ly in, up an' down de streets, so dis [would spread] - 'nothah man or woman, somebody, say, "Whut? Yo' dunno whut tuh do wit chure home?" Says, "No." Say, "Don' be silly, go an' git chew some luck." Said, "It'll make yore home all right." Say, "Will ah be able to work ut? Ah don' know whut tuh do or how tuh do it." So, [she or someone] said dat dis man says, "Well, ah'll see yo' ag'in an' talk wit chew."
['"Dis man" wanted time to inquire about doctors.]
"Okay." An' so prob'ly latah dey got tuhgethah, see. Say, "Seem lak mah home is still gittin' worsah an' worsah an' 'stead a-git' tin' bettah, ah want chew tuh prove whut chew wuz talkin' tuh me 'bout." Says, "Okay." Says, "W'yn't [why not] yo' git chew a cah [car] an' go down South an' git chew some luck. Don' chew know whut tuh do tuh take ca' yo' home?" Says, "No." Says, "Well, ah've got de money if yo' kin git a cah." Says, "Well, ah kin git chew a cah all right." So he got a cah an' so dey went down South. So de ole man commence 'splainin' tuh him whut it wuz all about. So he tole 'em, says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do." Says, "Yo' right easy when she go tuh bed," says, "at night," says, "cut so many strands of her hair." Says, den go down below an' cut so many down dere." An' he says, "Yo' git dat all tuhgethah an' put a lil' of 'er sickness. Ketch onto her monthly an' take a lil' of 'er sickness, an' two strands off 'er haid, two down there, an' a lil' of her sickness, yo' know. Put dem togethah an' tie it up in a lil' bag." An' said, "An' every month when she be lak dat, yo' watch closely an' yo' git a drop of her sickness an' jes' damp it wet lak dat, see, an' she be all right. She'll take care of yo'."
Entry 12494
They say that they could take a person's name and write it on a piece of papah, but write it indifferent [differently] from I or you would write it - our names, see. And they'd take that paper - I think they said - and fold it up so many different ways and bury it and give you some kind of sickness. [This is called writing names backwards, many examples of which appear in HOODOO. Write vlctim's name normally, then turning paper upside down, write your name across. Instead of this method the over-name is sometimes written at an angle across lower name, this making an "X" or crossmark to cross under-named person.] (Those background voices of the chickens, dogs, etc. are interesting!) [This is a comment by my transcriber.]
Entry 2769
Well, sometime ah haven't got bread in mah han's, ah have set a light tuh St. Anthony an' ah pray tuh him an' ah gives him a light. Ah gives him a white light an' ah sets mah light at nine, twelve an' three tuh him. An' ah axe St. Anthony fo' bread an' ah keep prayin' fo' bread an' ah raps, an' he gives me a rap back. An' at de end of nine days mah way would be open. (Now, in this rapping. Do you rap just once each time you set that candle? Or just once during the day? Or just once altogether?) Ah raps when ah set the candle.
(Just once. And he raps just once. When would he answer?)
In de noon of de day. [St. Anthony answered my informant's rap by rapping back; but not all saints answer in the same manner, as we shall now learn.] St. Jude.
(St. Jude. What do they say about him )
Well, he's a good saint. Ah set lights to him. Now ah sets a green or either a yallah light to him, an' ah raps fo' St. Jude an' he would conquer yo' enemies. He would make de way smooth fo' yo' an' in all sickness he heals yo'. Ah set mah light at night or in de day fo' him an' ah raps, but now he sends me a light - lak a star appeahs in mah house. Anybody could see it.
(You say this light appears in the house someplace.)
[Light in many forms is probably considered the greatest manifestation of the spirit - see Spririt Light, p.43f., and for general folklore, FACI,2ed., Pp.761- 768.] Lak if yo' know dere name.
(This person you know has stolen something from you?)
Yeah, an' yo' call dat name, write dat name an' yo' set chew a St. Michael or a St. Peter candle, an' yo' rap, yo' see, an' each time yo' rap, yo' call his [thief's] name, an' he gon'a come. (He's going to come and tell you that he stole this article from you or bring it back?) Or either take de Bible an' put de key in de Bible. Yo' gotta take dat Bible an' dat key an' yo' put it in dere an' yo' say a sincere prayer - Our Father's Prayer, an' yo' take dat key an' yo' turn it all aroun' in dat Bible. An' yo' see yo' call de fellah's name dat took dat, dat key goin' move jes' lak dat. [The key itself will move.] Den it gon'a stop. In nine days dat party will come back. Ah would take me a candle an' light it. Jes' say dat dis wus mah saint, what- evah saint ah'm usin' - say it wus St. Espedee. An' ah calls his [the saint's] name an' ah would rap fo' him [the saint]. An' ah would call his name [husband's name], rap fo' him [husband]. An' den he's comin' home. Ef ah got any of his shoes, ah take an' turn it bottom upwards an' he's comin' home.
(You call your husband's name?)
Yes. [This woman is a professional hoodoo doctor with a little spiritual thrown in. Her husband, Peg-leg, did some work for me on my first trip to New Orleans, but she refused to see me - afraid until my second trip two years later. These four statements about rapping were taken from her long interview broken up years ago. More of her material probably appears in the text.]
Entry 867
[A picture of a handbill will be found among the illustrations. In the Introduction I explain my experience with handbills in Baltimore. My Mojo Expert of Memphis in Interview section is puzzled because I did not advertise.] Here on Madison Avenue in the same block and - so one morning I'd gone to the store and I'd taken a awful pain in my foot and I had to hop, and I hobbled back home and ah told my daughter, ah say, "You go and tell Mrs. Dawson, I can't come up dere this morning, '' I say, ''because somethin' happen to mah foot before I got up there." And you know before the day was gone my feet was this way [demonstrates].
(Swollen?)
Swole. Well, I couldn't wear a shoe, a bedroom slipper or nothin', and I hobbled round there for most of the week. But one day I was settin' on de porch and see de wind blow somethin' - some advertisin' papers [handbill] up near de gate and I called my daughter to come and get dem so I could read dem and see what they was. [See illustrations of handbills given to me.] When she brought dem - went and got dem and I see where it was a man out to Merrimac Avenue and he was from New York, so de paper said, and he say he want ever'body that was sick to come and get well. Well, I got her to get her boy friend to take me out dere and he'd taken me out dere. He called himself Professor Purvis. And we'd gone out there and he look at my feet and legs and he said, "Oh," he said, "you are in bad shape." He says, "Where did you get this from?" I said, "Well, what is it?" "You walked over something," he said, "a enemy put down fer yuh and you didn't have - you wasn't wise to the fact." He say, "It's a woman this man is dealing with and it seems like he likes you better," and he say, "that she is stopping you from going to the house - to the store." And he says, "You've taken [this] thing between your house and the store?" I said, "I sure did." He said, "Well, I tell you," he say, "that's purtty serious," he say, "but I will work on you," he say, "but ah works peculiar - ah don't give you anything, but ah give something to wear." And he gave me a little piece of something like silver and he say, "When I work on anyone and cure them, it always goes back where it come from." Well, I'd gone on [home]. He say, "Now, in a few days you goin' be so dizzy you can't get up, but stay in bed." Well, sure 'nuff, I was. And so when I commence to getting dizzy, well [that meant] this swelling going out of my feet and veins, because I couldn't even walk - had to get my daughter pull me around in a chair. And so after then, purtty soon I heard talk of a woman being very sick. Well, her friend asked me where did I go and I told her where to go, but they never could catch him at home. Well, they'd gone to North Carolina and got an old man and brought him up there and this old man told her - her friend told me because she lived upstairs over me - she might of known about her puttin' this out on me. But I didn't see this [what was] put out fer me because he said he was goin' to get that one night himself. He said it was in a bottle and it was put down fer me and I asked him what was it. He say, "It's your tracks with some pins in it." He say, "Dere's nine pins and your tracks is in there." and he say, "that's to give great effect," he say, "and then there's some graveyard dirt too," he say, "that took great effect on yuh," and says, "but I'll get that one night myself." I never did see it. He say he got it and I got well, but the other woman was taken sick. And this man from North Carolina came and her own friend told me, that when he come in and she was going on so, he said, "What's the matter?" He says, "Nothin' the matter with yuh but just reapin' what you sows." He says, "You sowed somethin' to somebody that hadn't did anything to you and they was just sharp enough to turn it back on you," and say, "I can't do you no good, when you beginnin' to reap I can't cure you." Say, "You just reapin'" and they say he took his bag and went on back to North Carolina. He didn't do anything for her and she died. And she was one of my lodge members, too.
(That's all you did - was to wear this silver?)
Wore that silver, all I did - little piece of silver that I wore a long time. It look white as my old hat here - just as white. But I'd gotten well - whatever he did, ah don't know. He didn't give me anything to take or nothin', jest told me to wear that.
quoted participant cure claim and refusal, followed by narrator-reported uncertain recovery. No verified cure or causal efficacy These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified. A quoted participant specifically claims graveyard dirt; the narrator says she never saw it. This occurrence is retrieved under the broad historical Dirt index without merging it with the separate Graveyard dirt destination. The contents, responsible person and causal cure remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 305) · Read full source (printed page 306)
Entry 642
Ah tell from experience that when ah was sick and that when ah've taken medical medicine it made me sicker. And after ah went to the doctor and ah went to the root doctor and he was treating me for hoodoo I commenced gettin' better. (I see.) When you are fixed, when you take medical medicine hit use'ly make you worser; prob'bly, if you continue with it, it will kill you. That's what it will do.
Entry 643
Your doctor medicine would natch'ly turn agains' yeh - it wouldn't do yo' no good. Ever'time de doctor would come and de more medicine you would take from 'im would make yo' more iller, see. And then after [afterward] yo' would either git more ill and if you did never change you would die. Then yo' find de medicine begin to git worse and worse on yo', why yo' have to change and git some herb doctor.
Entry 1215
Yo' kin take dirt daubers an' make a tea out of it an' cure de measles, whoopin' cough of a chile - boil it. Dat's de onlys thing mah mothah have did with it.
Entry 1512
This happened to my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law she was sick, she was sick for a long time. She'd have spells - looked like she'd have them about twicet a month. She'd fall and we had to pick her up and put her in bed. We had the doctor. He doctor her and doctor her. The doctor couldn't do her any good. So fin'lly I went on aroun' and that darn ole man - one day I was talkin' to him and tellin' him about it. He said, "Well," he said, "I think I kin cure her." I says, "All right, if you kin cure her," I says, "I'll pay you well for it." [Here is an echo from ancient Babylonia - no cure, no pay.] And I says, "Now, whut are you goin' cure her with?" I says, "I don't want you to give her any- thing that's poison." He said, "Well," he says, "I'll go and get the stuff and bring it right to your own home and I'll show you whut I'm goin' do to make the tea." And he goes and gits runnin'-huckleberry and siZkroot and milkweed [same plant as preceding siZkroot] and boil it together until it come to be - look kin'a milkish. Then he put a tablespoonful of cookin' soda in that, into a quart bottle, mix it up well and let it dissolve. [And he said] "An let her take three tablespoonfuls of it three times a day - first thing in the morning, and jis' before she eat her dinner, an' jis' before she go to bed."
Entry 2782
Red candle's fo' love, and green candle's mostly fo' money, and yellow candle's fo' affectionate of [affection in] the home, and white candle's fo' peace and harmony and also, jes' like if anybody be real sick de last time, dey burns a white candle and reads a piece in de Bible sometime.
(What about black candles?)
Black candles - people kill you with black candles.
Entry 2865
How they burn the black candles? That's for death - that's to kill you.
(How would they do that?)
You take that black candle and you put the person's name - you see, the name or names means a whole lot. You could ruin a person with their name. And you burn it - you burns it in the toilet.
(In the toilet?)
In the toilet.
(How do you do that?)
You burn it every day completely and that name in the toilet, and - all right, for nine days, that's it. For nine days you get nine black candles and you name 'em and you burn 'em in the toilet. But you puts it in a tin can, you see. And that dripping - after it done dissolve and things, you supposed to flush it in the toilet. You see. That's all. And that kills them.
(What will it do to them?)
Yeah, they just be sick, they don't know what. Like they waste away to death, as the candle burn - they be sick and not knowing their condition or what's the matter with 'em. [AZs0 see 2859, p.823.]
Entry 2873
Black candles - you set nine of 'em. You burn dem nine candles on a person and when dat ninth candle burned, that person'll get sick at de first day and they'll keep agetting sicker and sicker for nine days, and when that ninth candle burns out, that person'll leave the world. You see, he's gone. (When do you burn these candles?) Burn 'em at night. You take 'em and put 'em in a place - in a dark room some- where where there ain't nobody kin see 'em or nothin', where they won't be dis- turbed. Jest set 'em in something other where dey won't [set anything afire].
Entry 7021
Well, dey say dey take de eelhide. Dey do an' put in sompin an' let soak in dere fo' a couple of days.
(In some liquor?)
Yes sir, fo' a couple of days, an' den yo' remove dat. Strain dis stuff. Well, if yo' wanta - if it looks kinda druggy or too bad, yo' put some mo' tuh it an' let it set dere an' settle. An' den yo' drene [drain] it off an' give it tuh de person, an' hit'll make 'em sick till dey quit.
(They stop drinking.)
Yes.
Entry 10749
On the light of every moon you know she'd be sick. [No story or any- thing else.]
Entry 795
I knew a man that was said to have a spell put on him. He was a lawyer who didn't believe in anything. Anyhow, he had something that they deemed to be a nervous breakdown. They had three doctors with him. It seems that he would be up today but tomorrow he would be in the same condition. In the meantime, a woman came to his wife and told her that she knew somebody that could do him some good. She said to the woman, "I will do anything to try to help him, because he cannot go to his office and all of his business is going to pieces." She said, "I will bring the man to your house tonight and he will tell you what you must do." On the designated night she brought the man. The man went in to the lawyer's wife and told her, "This is a spell that is put on your husband by conjuration. I can help him. You, tomorrow, go to the bank, get me seventy-five dollars in silver [silver dollars] and have it here tomorrow night when I come." In turn the man left. The next day the woman went to the bank, got the seventy-five dollars out in silver and brought it home. When the man came next night, he took this silver, and he had this lawyer lay flat on his back, and he laid this silver all up and down his breast and all around. He bound it every one in its place till he had the seventy-five dollars on his body. He said, "Leave that be for three days and I'll be back." He went away. The third night he was back. He unbound the lawyer and took the money out. Each piece of the money was black. He took it out and laid it down and said, "See herel" When he got the seventy-five dollars off it was all very dark. And he said to the man's wife, "Now, I will rake all of this into this bag and I will cast it into oblivion, and he will get well, because this is his disease that's in this silver." So he took the silver and went away and stayed away for quite a while. When he came back the man was up and about the house. And he said, "Are you getting better?" He said, "I don't know. I don't feel so strong. I don't feel like going to my office. But still, I am convinced of the fact that something must of happened to me." He said, "That's all I want' - that's the conjureman. "All I want is for you to be convinced that you are conjured. Now, that you are convinced, now I will begin to work on you. He kept working on the man till he got about five-hundred dollars out of him - and the man by that time was in such a low state of health and of spirits - till he had to move out of the house that he had been owning for about sixteen years and go into another that was given him by a white man. And he stayed there as a baby for three years till his hair was gone. He was just like an invalid. And about three years ago he died right in Orangeburg [South Carolina]. [New York City, (10), Ed.] [The preceding subsection, Doctor and Doctor, gave some beliefs and practices emphasizing the difference between the primitive thought of hoodoo's magic world and the modern thought of science. Now comes a survey of doctor's entire career. As an introduction to the following margin-titles, I will use a story permitting us to watch two doctors on the same case, one succeeding the other; the first a country doctor, the second a city doctor. Medical doctors are also involved at the beginning.]
Entry 939
I had an' a'nt and uncle. Both of them was sick at the time, so we sent fo' a doctor, and it was close to a year and de doctors kept coming and dey said dey couldn't do no good. So we got a kind of hoodoo doctor and so he came to see 'em and he came fer nine days and he told her that she'd have to go out under her step and dig. So she went out and dug an' she got a bottle, and we looked down in it and dere was some roots and lotsa needles and two sets of hair - her husband and her hair. And dey tole her she was tuh take it and put it in running water. And she did and he said in nine days he's come back again [magic delay]. So after that he started to rub 'em - rubbed both of 'em and they both commence tuh git well after that. They'd failed terrible - that's mah aunt, ah know that. Both of 'em got better. (Well that first time - he didn't tell them anything until after he came the ninth time?) No, he didn't tell 'em about it - he say he'd have to come right along.
(I see - before he did anything at all.) [Washington, D. C. (626), 801:1.]
Entry 1113
This is a fellah one time dat he wus in love wit a gurl but his parents didn't want him to marry this gurl, you see, an' so they got it in his min' to go away. An' a he wus in love with de gurl an' also de gurl was in love with him. So they tole him, says, "Now, we don't wan' choo to marry dat gurl, we wan' choo to go 'way." He says, "Well." This fellah he gits ready an' goes away. Well this worried this girl so, aftah he goes away dat she take sick, you see. So he goes away. An' he writes a couple'a lettahs home, an' aftah dat he don't write no more at all, you understand. So it's about fo' yeahs befo' he comes back, you understand, an' within this time - within about six months aftah he's gone, you understand, this gurl dies. Well, when they used to court, you understand, dey wus a church, you understand - a graveyard right backa de church, you understand. They set down on de steps there an' court, you know, an' plan for de weddin'. So aftah he'd gone, you understand, this gurl pined away an' died. So, he'd been absent from home about fo' yeahs an' he returned home. An' he don't write dat he's comin' home, you understand - he wants to come home an' surprise his people. So he gits off at de station, you understand, an' walks up about three miles, walking along, till he comes pass this graveyard an' - but befo' he gits to de church he looks up in de graveyard an' he sees a woman comin' out de grave- yard, but he don't pay much attention to it, walkin' along whistlin' to hisself. When she comes down an' comes through an' comes out de gate to de road, he starts to see dat it's de gurl dat he wus in love wid. So he steps in her path. This gurl's dead but he don't know anything about it, you see. So he stopped, you understand. She walked up to him - don't say anything. He speaks to her. He says, "Why, hello," he says, 'how do you feel, Carrie?'" She didn't say anything. He said, "Why Carrie," he says, "you ought to be glad to see me," he says, "I'm glad to see you," He says, "it seems to me that I've been gone long enough." He says, "You know I wus in love wid you and you wus in love wid me. It's funny you won't talk." She wouldn't even hold her head up. So she reaches in her bosom an' she takes out somethin' dat - dat looks like a bokay of flowers, an' she handed it to him. So then she turned back an' goes on back to de graveyard. So he goes on home. Aftah he gits home, you understan' de people's all glad to see him, you know, an' they set down an' talk. An' so he says to his mothah, he says, "Mothah," he says, "don' choo know," he Says, "tonight I wus comin' along," he says, "an' I meets Carrie." He says, "She wus comin' out de graveyard. I don't know whut she do by [there] dis time of night." Well, his mothah she turned aroun' an' looks at her husband. He says, "You didn't see Carrie." "Don't tell me I didn't see Carrie," he says, "I've jis' been talkin' to her," he says, "leavin' de fact [excepting] I wus talkin' to her but she wusn't talkin' to me. She wouldn't say anything, you know. So I ask her why didn't she speak. She wouldn't say anything, ' ' he says. His mothah spoke up an' says, "You didn't see Carrie." He says, "I know bettah. I did see Carrie." His fathah spoke up an' say, "No, you didn't see Carrie. ". He says, "Don't you know one thing, son, he says, "we may nevah wrote to you an' tole you anything about it," he says, "but Carrie died about six months aftah you left." "Why", he says, "it makes no diff'rence when she died," he says, "I saw her tonight." He did. Well he sets down awhile an' he thinks about dis bokay which she give him, an' when he takes the bokay down it's a human bone insteada bokay of flowers. So he looked at it. Now, ever'body's skeared now, you understand. Well they calls in an ole lady there name of Ole Aunt Tracey: She wus suppose to be a witch. So things gotten in such a bad shape, you know, they had to call Ole Aunt Tracey to see how things wus goin' to work. Dey called Ole Aunt Tracey about dis bone you understand. Ole Aunt Tracey says, ["informant proceeds to imitate her voice" - my penciled comment when transcribing original cylinder], "Well er I tell now, '' she says, "it's bes' thing I know er do 'bout de thing," she says, "dis bone you'd better carry it back whare you got it." [This is the magic rite of returning dangerous object to the place found - see No. 903, p.330.] Ohl De boy wants to know how he's gon'a git it back. She says, "Well, about de very same time dat choo met her last night," she says, "you carry it back dere tonight," she says, "an' another thing," she says, "when you carry dis bone back," she says, '"you take a little infant baby wit you, cuz if you don't, you gon'a have trouble. Well, now dis fellah he's skeared an' his parents is all skeared, joo see. So they goes roun' through de country, you understand, an' barers [borrows] a little infant baby, you understan'. He's supposed to carry it. So he sets aroun' home till aftah about time dat he thinks is ever'thing in fairly good shape. He takes dis baby in his arms an' goes on wid dis bone an' he goes on down you understan'. So when he gits near de church he sees her come out de graveyard. But she's walkin' fast dat time - walkin' fast comin' out [as if] she don't wan'a stop. [Then] she stands and looks. So he walks on down, you understan', an' a when he gits purtty close to her, she's lookin' at him den real venimous. So he presents her dis bone. Aftah presentin' her dis bone, she takes it away from him - flaps it out his hand. She says, "Yes, an' if you didn't have dat little infant baby wit joo tonight, I'd tear you up."
Entry 1529
I remember one time of a gentleman in our home taken violently sick and what was the ailment nobody knowed. They had the medical doctors to come to him and they seemed to do him no good - the medicine they gave him put him in a rage. So then they decided to go and get some root doctor and see if they could do any good. So at last one day they found a man named Doc F., who came to see this man how he was. And after getting there he walked into the room of this sick man and asked his wife, "How's his urine?" And she told him the best she knew how. So he asked her did she have a Canadian piece of money. She told him yes. So he asked her for a dime of Canadian money. She got it and gave it to him. And he compound this piece of Canadian money into dust, mixed it with whiskey and gin and vaseline, and gave it to this man to drink. He dranked it. He stayed with the man all night. And during the night he gave the man two doses of purgative medicine, and the next morning the man was under complusion to have a discharge; and after having this discharge, they found ground puppies, frogs and snakes, and everything of this kind in his urine pot. [Old Point Comfort, Va., (27), Ed.; Dinwiddie Co., Va.,1916.]
Entry 1681
It's good fo', understan', fo' a person dat's sick an' it's good fo' luck. Yo' kin use dat. Yo' take about - ah say about fo' or five splinters an' use 'em as a - yo' got'a chip 'em up real fine, see, 'cause dem splinters come from a tree from lightnin'. It's not lak ord'ary splinters when yo' cut it an' shave it from wood. Dere are re'ly kinda bark, understan, an' dey've got rough ends, but yo' got'a smooth these ends down an' use turpentine on 'em fo' a sick person. That's to give 'em bettah health. Understan', if yo' wanta put a person in bad luck [long digression about bad luck follows].... An' den yo' kin use it [lightning-struck wood] wit turpentine if a person is sick. Yo' put it [splinters] underneath his bed under de mattress an' it's good fo' recovery fo' dem.
Entry 4486
Stop dat watah up in a bottle.
(This bath water?)
Yes, sir, stop it up in a bottle an' put it, bury hit down - an' bury it up- side down an' dat'll harn yuh, too. See, cuz yuh'll git sickly an' po'ly [poorly] an' things. Yuh see, dat be all yuh dirt, YUH STRENGTH an' things. BURIED BATH WATER TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
Entry 4544
Dey take dat [sweatband] bow an' dey preserve it in alcohol in a bottle, stop it up tight, an' yuh won't only have de headache, sick tuh de stomick, it'll continue on yuh from one thing tuh anothah until finely [finally] yuh'll jis' git down like a man wit T. B. [tuberculosis], an' yuh'll jis' drift away tuh nuthin. [Informant may be mistaken about the alcohol preserving the bottled bow, or is this his way for saying that alcohol feeds the bow? See p.578, also margin title WHISKEY later on among these bow rites.]
Entry 3104
[Story No. 4 - recorded in Baltimore, Maryland, was told by Mrs. Williams, mother of my contact man Jerry Williams. Her deceased husband was a nephew of George Jackson - see her material about him under GEORGE JACKSON, p.912f.] This old lady wus named Harriet Hen'erson. Why, she an' my grandma were good friends - supposed to be. An' then the' wus another woman named Emmer [Emma] Hen'erson. An' this woman Harriet Hen'erson, she didn't like this Emmer Hen'er- son, an' she told my grandma not to give her nuthin to eat. An' my grandma just shooed off, you know. She said, "Oh, I'm gon'a give 'er somepin to eat, if the woman come along an' want somepin to eat - sure I'm gon'a give 'er somepin to eat." An' this old woman Harriet Hen'erson said, "If you do, bad luck will take after you." [This is called a bad mouth - see BAD MOUTH, p.255f.] An' my grandma says, "Oh, I'm not 'fraid of no bad luck" - jis' like that [imitating her - as she says later, "She used to talk funny."]. So she goes on an' gives this Emmer Hen'erson somepin to eat. So the old woman Harriet she found out. She said, "Oh, yes," she said - my grandma wus named Liza - "Oh, yes," she said, "Liza, you give Emmer somepin to eat, did jeh?" My grandma said, "Yes, I did. She come to the house an' I give her somepin to eat." She said, "All rightl Then you see whut happens." So in a - I don't know just how long, I don't think it wus more than a month or So though before my grandmother taken sick. But at first, she had a close-piece - you know, her underwear - an' she hanged it out on the bushes. In those days that was the place where they hung clothes. An' this old woman Harriet, she's suppose - it must have been her. But anyhow, she [grandmother] found cut out of her close-piece [a piece] in the shape of a coffin. An' she takes it - not thinking, she takes a needle an' sews it [hole] up an' puts it on. [By sewing up the hole she closed the coffinl] So I think about a month - well, it wasn't more than a month, say a month, any way after that she taken sick. An' so this old woman Harriet goes - it must have been her - got the [sewed upl piece or sent someone to get it. Anyhow, she takes an' measures her foot- track - my grandma would use to go barefooted off ten [often] - she takes an' measures her track with a stick, an' takes this piece of garment an' wraps it around [stick] an' puts it into the latest grave, a new grave, puts that the foot at the grave. An' then my grandmother taken sick. They called it the Marle's graves, cemetery, then - a graveyard they called it then. That's near - well, it's about five miles of Pocomoke [City, Maryland] down near St. James [a small negro community where I had collected by hand one day and evening]. Well then, she stayed sick from Apurl until I guess August maybe. An' she crawled on her knees, she bark an' howl like a dog - my grandmother, my own grandmother [for barking, see 775-776, p.256]. She couldn't walk at all. An her husband, my grandfather, had to lift her up an' lift her down. An' every- thing she eat come right on up. You see, they didn't put anything [poison] in her, that wus whut wus so funny. An' so anyhow, they couldn't discover whut wus happen. She had doctors after doctors - old Dr. Quinn, he doctored on her - an' doctor, Hall wus his name - an' Dr. McMurray[?] but we used to call him Dr. Mack, an' he doctored on 'er an' he give 'er up. All those doctors give 'er up. So she said to my grandfather - she believe in cunjuration - an' she said to my grandfather, she said, "James, I'm hurt." An' he said, "Well, I 'spect you are." She said, "Yes," she said, "I wan' chew to go to old Miss" - she used to talk funny, my grandmother did - 'I wan' chew to go to ol' Miz-ez-ez-ez-Zippy Tull.' We used to laugh at her. She [Zippy] lived at Drummondtown. That was in Virginia a few miles away]. It's there yet. That's somewhere near New Church. [Zippy Tull lived at Drummondtown, near the north boundary of Accomac County, Virginia, on the Delmarva Peninsula - so called from Delaware, Maryland, Va.
(Virginia) - between Chesapeake and Delaware Bays.]
Then, anyhow, when he came in - 'twus that night when he drove up there. He got a horse from the lady he worked for named Miss Marle, Miss Liza Marle. An' when he got there an' he opened the door, she said, "uh huh," she said, "I see whu' chew come for," she said, "your wife if lying the pint of death." She say, "She hasn't but three more days to live." An' she says, "An' a woman told her not give another woman somepin to eat' - jis' settin' talkin' right to 'im like that - she says, "an' she did it, an' this woman told her bad luck would take after her." [The narrator in Story No. 2 says Zippy lived near Siloam, Wicomico County - north of and contiguous to Worcester County. New Church and Drummondtown are in Accomac County, Virginia, a few miles from the Maryland line and southern bound- ary of Worcester County; these 3 adjoining counties being on the Eastern Shore - east of Chesapeake Bay.] That's whut he [grandfather] said. He said she talkin' to 'im jes' like I'm talkin' to you. And she didn't look into any cards [to tell his fortune] or anything, but jis' told him right straight. She says, "An' she's took a piece out of her close garment" - but they called it then, shimmy, you know - "out of her close garment an' has wrapped it around - then took the measure of her foot, an' she's wrapped it around the measure of her foot an' put it at a graveyard, a new grave," she said, "right at the foot of a new grave," she says, "and you go there and take it up." She says, "Yes, your wife is barkin' an' howlin' like a dog." She said, "An' you go there an' take it up, an' then after you take it up," she says, "you wind it up, it's almost to dust." She says, "If that piece of goods do plainly rot, '' she says, "then your wife will die," she said, "but chew go right straight back now," she said, "it's almost rotten," she says, "an' you take it up an'" - I don't know whut she told him to do with it, but anyhow she told him that she would do the balance, for him to take it up. An' he went home he said. An' when he first got home he heard my grandma moanin' an' groanin' an' howlin' like she did, an' he goes to the house. Well, she told him to go to take it up before he got to the house, but he wus so 'fraid she'd die, she wus dead, he run to the house - he couldn't git it at first [on his first attempt in the graveyard], full of hurry, in such a hurry - he run to the house an' listened at her, an' run back in [the graveyard]. An' he triggered down there agin, dug down there agin, an' he got this thing up. It wus the mea- sure of her foot an' the piece of her garment. An' the garment wus almost rot. An' when he got it up, it come to pieces - that rotten. An' after that my grandmother begin to git better. After awhile she got well. That wus in Apurl [she took sick] - about August that he goes to Miss Zippy. She said in September she got so she could go out an' go to the orchard an' git a basket of apples.
Entry 241
Once upon a time a lady brought a friend of her a pot of rice and tomatoes, and the neighbor, not wanting to eat it, she gave it to her little girl. And the little girl ate some of it and it made her sick. After that the little girl would always go out into the woods to drink her milk. Her parents didn't know what the child was doing with this milk. Later her brother followed her to find out what was happening with this milk and he found the little girl Was giving this milk to a snake. Her brother told her father. Her father and the neighbors set out to find the snake. After they found the snake and killed it, the little girl passed away. [For snake eating or drinking child's food, see FACI,2ed., pp.62-63, Nos.1571-1573.] [New York City, (?), 370A:1; near Charleston, S. Car.,1922.1
Entry 243
That's what she told me [this woman who had gone down to New Orleans to consult Madam (Somebody).]
(What did she have - a snake, you say?)
A big snake, and they say that she'd meet you at the door and turn you in that room. And she would go on out and directly that big snake come crawling out. And they say, if you didn't get frightened and could stand that snake - and she'd come back after awhile. And that snake would just crawl and look at you. I know - I heard. (She has a fit of laughing [comment by transcriber].) A man told me that he went after a gambling hand and he say, he got that hand and he just won money, and she [preceding Madam] didn't trust him. "Now, you ain't got the money [to pay me now]." Say, "When you make your first $200, you send me $100," and he didn't do it. And he just make money hand over fist and say, after about six months he was taken deathly sick. And they couldn't do nothing with him - he stayed here in the city [Vicksburg] - and they sent him down to New Orleans [seeking a cure]. And he say, one day she came in the room, Madam [Somebody], and sit down at his bedside and says, "Do you remember you came down to a woman at such-and-such a time about six months ago?" He said, "Yes." "And you know what you promised her?" 'Yes." "And didn't you have luck?" "Yes." And he said he cried and carried on, told her to release him. She say, "That's cause you are thief. I'll release you and God knows what you do then." So she released him, say, "I'm going to let you get well this time, and now, you send me $200." And he say when he went back he made it and he sent her $200.
Entry 5899
THEY TOOK MY MOTHER'S HAIR AND BURIED IT ON A SINNER'S GRAVE. AND THIS MAN [DOCTOR] PROMISED TO GET IT, BUT HE NEVER DID GET IT. [This brief statement is quite valuable because it shows what happened. The doctor on being called in diagnosed the ailment as patient's hair having been buried in a sinner's grave. He evidently promised to remove the hair at once. Was he paid in advance? The mother's death proved to my informant that the doc- tor had broken his promise! It never occurred to informant that doctor could not remove what was not there! Is this sort of practice sheer fraud? Not always. In the strange mental background of hoodoo, some doctors believe they can see the cause of illness. The present doctor did not visit a sinner's grave to remove the hair; he magically killed (tried to kill) the effects of the sickness spell while remaining at home. For this make-believe world, filled with abnormal psy~ chology, see the opening quotation of interview Doctor Heard, p.1948f. If Doctor Heard could draw a blood specimen from the shadow of a man who was not there, surely our present doctor could manage the simple task of hair in a sinner's grave.]
Entry 6220
If dey wants yuh tuh suffah or eithah wants yuh tuh git well, dey takes a' dey go tuh a oak tree an' take some of yore hair or eithah yore name. Write It on a piece of papah an' drive fo' nails in dis tree halfway. An' take an' tdve dese fo' nails in dis piece of papah wit yore name in it halfway. Uhat do they do that for?) Dey do dat if yo's sick an' anybody harmin' yo' an' yo' wanta git well. Puts dese nails an' dis name of yore in dere an' drive dese fo' nails in dere halfway in dis tree - dis oak tree or any kinda tree. [Here we have a general cure for ailments rather than a specific one for the tree spell only. The ail- ing victim sacrifices himself to the sickness-harm causing spirit by offering this spirit his name, magically his person. However, the nails driven halfway into the name reveal a mock sacri- fice, a trick played against the troublesome spirit, always a simple-minded fel- low.]
Entry 8057
During my childhood days I heard that a sick person who was very trou- blesome and worried them and worth a little money, the only thing you could do [to kill this person and] to stop the law from com- ing into it: This person went to a hoodoo, and he told her to take this person's picture and turn it upside down under the [sick] bed and watch its effect. In three days the person vas a corpse. You turn a photograph down like that, and you watch the person and see if he don't get weaker every day. When you lay it down you are turning the life down like that. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 34
It will drive them away but you can't make 'em stay, see. A spirit is something that you can't nevah drive away, but you kin silence him. You silence him^by the 23rd division of the Psalms of David - 37th division of the Psalms of David, the 108th division of the Psalms of David - will silence a traveling spirit - that's the spirit that comes in and goes out and each time when he comes in, he brings from one to seven more. Now, that's how come so many people become restless and dissatis- fied - is because of evil spirits transforming 'em, back and forth. Every time you breath you are breathing in and out some kind of a spirit. Well then, at night you will begin to worry about his moving around. In other words you kin take holy water and sprinkle it at chure door - up ovah your door and on each side of it, and read de 23rd division of the Psalms of David, and you will silence them, you won't have any more trouble out of 'em. Holy water is very good. Holy water is good to sprinkle on a person who, we Would say, if they were very sick, or if they were afflicted some way, could sprinkle this holy water around. Dere's lots of times again we would say that evil spirits visit around - dis holy water keeps the evil spirit away because de holy water supposed to be blessed by holy spirits.
Entry 38
[To catch a spirit or to protect your spirit against the catching or to release your caught spirit - this is the complete theory and practice of hoodoo.] Ah kin ketch yore spirit easy. A person kin - jes' lak yo' settin' dere an' ah kin be talkin' to yo'. Yo' talkin' tuh me an' I be walkin' back an' ah got a bottle. Ev'ry word chew says, I ease dat stopper down - ev'ry word yo' say until yo' git to de end, den yo' stop it down. Well, then yo' won't be sick but yo'll jes' be lak a bird flyin' - here an' yon - an' de moment dat yo' kin git to it an' pull de stopper yo'll be yoreself all de same.
(You have to walk backwards while you are pushing that cork down?)
Yes sir.
Entry 88
I heard of a woman, she wanted people to move out de house next do' to 'er, cuz dey always kep' too much noise. She used to at night git up an'.go out to de graveyard an' come back with dis yere graveyard dust dat ah tole yo' befo'. She used to take it an' take an' sling it all up against de windahs on de porch an' dat would bring such a damp an' musty oder into de house until it made all dose people re'l sickly feelin' all de time. De always wus hearin' a lota screams an' noises in de house until dey had to move out.
Entry 382
The people was afraid of the banks then [before and during the Civil War] and they would hide their money. They put it in a iron or copper pot and seal it, and then they would always take someone with them to where they would hide it, and then they would ask this person if they wanted to mind the money, and then they would kill this person and bury them with the money and they would always kept a watch over it. Sometimes they [the spirit] would get tired [of watching the money] and give it to someone. They are the only people who can get it. The spirit comes in and asks, "Do you want the money?" And they take you to this place. She was living out in the country and a white gentleman [he had been killed and buried with money to watch it, and had become tired of his task] came up to the gate. He was dressed in a long-tailored coat and high silk hat. And he spoke to her and said, "Good evening." And then he asked her did she want some money. And she said, "Yes." And he said, "I will be here tomorrow at twelve." And he vanished. And she got frightened because he went away so quick. And she went to bed. When noon [next day] came, he was right on the dot, knocked on the gate and said, "Are you ready?" She said she was sick. She was so scared she didn't want to go with him. And then he steps in the house. He made one step and went to the bed and rolled her in the bed and said, "Now you will be sick." And she was flat on her back for one year. He did it because she told the story.
Entry 463
I remember one night I was living on a farm all alone. Whilst being there, I had been told that this place was witchy, so I minded it not. So I went there to live. And after staying there for a period of time a witch came to my home. And I was told how to capture this witch. So I captured this witch. So after capturing this witch I had her on my way to the stable and she turned into a horse, a beautiful grey nag. After I put her in the stable, I was so delighted with my new horse that I hardly could sleep. I wanted day to come so bad so I could go down to the blacksmith shop and have my nag shod all round. So finally, the next morning - I stayed all night by her in the stable - and the next morning before breakfast I take my nag to the blacksmith shop and had her shod all round. After she had been shod I carried her back to the stable and put her up in the stable. One of the neighbors round there had taken violently ill. What was the trouble, nobody knowed. So they sent for the doctor. The doctor came. I told the doctor about my new pony. So I went to the stable to get my nag to show the doctor and when I got there de nag was gone. When I heard of this neighbor being so sick, deathly ill, I went to see her. And when I went to see her she refused to let me look at her hands and also her feet. I persisted on doing that and den I got help so I should examine her. After I examined her I found she had horse- shoes on each feet and on each hand. She was deathly tormented with those nails. She had den turned to a natural human form. (About 1886, near Hampton, Virginia. This is an example of a folktale told as a personal experience.) [This is my comment in 1936, after informant left room.]
Entry 646
[Out of many persons speaking against doctor and his medicine (see Doctor, not Doctor, in Index) - one person, the only one, spoke favorably:] I know a woman right here in Northampton, she was sick and swoll up for at least eight years, and she accused her next door neighbor. This other woman told the whole general public she had never done nothing to her. She [the sick woman] went to Berkley and got a fortune teller. When she came back she found a bottle down under her door. This bottle was full of little snakes. Then she moved. And she began to take doctor's medicine and it wasn't long before she was on her feet again.
Entry 909
Once mah mother had a cousin an' so she married - dis girl married. So it was another lady she was mad with about her husband. So she went on then an she kept - she was mad with her 'bout two-three months, an' so she 'cided to fix 'er. So one day mah cousin was goin' through de gate - an she'd fixed her wit dese straight pins - an' so she, jes' de time she walked ovah de straight pins she fell. So she went to a root person an' de man tole her how she was fixed wit de straight pins. De lady had put de straight points of de pins up.- nine of 'em - stuck 'em straight up an' she stepped ovah dem at her gate, an' so she stayed sick a long time. She was sick in bed in all of her joints an' her fingers had turnt dark - an' ev'ry joint in her laig an' ev'rything - she was real bright-skinned. So she went to de man an' de man axed her did she want him to take it off her an' she tole him yes. So he said he'd take it off her about three dollars. So she said she wanted it turned back on 'em, so he wouldn't turn it back on 'em. But she didn't do anything - jes' took dem nine straight pins up she walked ovah. De man tole her to go to her front gate, after she had seen him, an' scratch down in one of her tracks an' pick up nine straight pins - rumple dem up an' brought 'em to him. An' she dig those - she carried it all to him an' he says, "Dem is de straight pins yo' is fixed with." An' dem pins had turnt dark.
(What did he do with those pins, do you know?)
Well, he didn't do anything - jest throwed dem away.
(That cured her?)
Shore - but he give her a bottle of medicine to take.
Entry 913
I married my first wife and of course I didn't know she had an enemy, and me and her was coming down the road. So we walked along talking. It was a path that lead to the house from the road, and opposite that path she slapped me on the shoulder and said, "oh, French, somebody done tricked me." And I said, "Go away, woman - who in the Name of God done anything to you?" She said, "I am tricked." She went away from here with the same thing. [The slapping makes me assume that she had a sudden and unusual pain which frightened her; this sudden pain while walking usually caused by passing over a cunjured object - see Burying objects, in Index.] I'll tell you what happened. It was the second week in August. I worked along and worked along and worked along. Finally I had to go to the doctor for her. The doctor said that she had the stomach trouble. I worked and done every way I could. Finally, I sent her to the hospital in Washington, [D. C.]. They worked on her and worked on her there. I told her when she left home, don't let them operate on her. Finally then, she came back home, I says to her, "Fannie, how do you feel?" She said, "French, I don't feel no better." I said, "What did the doctor and nurses say?" 'The doctor said I had stomach trouble and he had to operate on her [me]." One of the nurses told her, 'I could tell you what's the matter with you but we ain't allowed." So she came home on a Friday night and then I went down in the country about twenty some miles on Sunday morning. I seen a man, a hoodoo doctor, and he give me some little packages, three of them, and told me what to do with them. And I came home and done just as he told me on a Monday morning. On Wednesday she died. I don't know what was in these packages. In one of them I couldn't see nuthin but a bunch of roots. He told me to put that on in a pint and a half of water and boil it down to a pint. After boiling it down to a pint, you set it off and let it get cool, then give her three tablespoonfuls before meals. He gave me a package to throw over my left shoulder. I made the tea and give her the first dose, and go right on to running water and throw it over my left shoulder. I did so. He gave me a little pocket piece and told me to give her and carry in her pocket. It was a little package all tied up. That was the third year after the Johnstown [Pennsylvania] flood [May 31, 18891, in this [Spotsylvania] county. I went down in Caroline [County, Virginia] to get the hoodoo doctor.
Entry 968
[Since doctor medicine or medical medicine is worthless in hoodoo
(pp.217-218), a doctor must make his own:]
About 1934 I was livin' at Mt. Olive [North Carolina] and I married a man up there and we married and stayed together around six months all right, and there was a woman, she claimed to be a friend of mine, she was likin' mah husband. And [after] about six months I went to feelin' bad - all stirred up in mah stomach - and the seventh month I remembah dey was something moving in my stomik like a baby. I suffered with that for quite awhile. I stayed sick a long time and nothin' couldn't seem to me no good. I went to a hospital. De doctor say I wasn't pregnant or nothin' - couldn't nothin' do me no good. Mah father-in-law went and got a doctor from Florence [South Carolina]. This doctor said that I had been - somebody had put a spell on me. He said if he couldn't get it out in less time than a year, that I would die. So this doctor stayed around and worked on me for quite awhile. He gave me some medicine. The numbers on that medicine was 876 [numbers backwards]. It was some black tonic.
[See Black draft, in Index.]
(Do you buy it in a drug store?)
No sir, you don't. It's a medicine he made.
(Was it in a bottle?)
Yes sir.
(Did he have a label pasted on the bottle?)
Yes sir. And so I took that medicine off and on three times a day before ev'ry meal. And in about - after I taken de medicine I was sick fer fo' months, then I began to feel better, gettin' up and walkin' around. And it seem like that feeling it went to goin' down in mah feet, to work workin' out mah body. And he rubbed me with some medicine called Do Easy, some white tonic - it wasn't licrice [liquid], but it was like a salve. [Notice the magic color change, black to white.]
(Did you buy it at the drug store or was it his own medicine?)
It was his own medicine he had.
(How did he spell that?)
D-U-E - I don't know exactly how that was spelled. But the name of it was Do Easy. And he rubbed mah knees wit dat medicine. And he say, told mah father [-in-law], he [the root doctor] say, "They's a root under the step." And he vent out there and dug under the step leg [post or stake holding up step], and there was in de bottle - about dat high, about dat long I mean [demonstrates].
(Six or seven inches long.)
Yes sir. And it was half-full of something white. I don't know what it was. And in there was something shape round like a root, and hairs on one end and clean on the other. And he say, "This is what cause zhoo to be sick." And he took that on back with him, he didn't leave it. And he said - I was sick then after he left fo' aroun' about three months, and then I got up and was walkin' all right. I came down here [to Wilmington] and lived. That was 1936 when I moved down here, last year round about May. And I took sick again. Well, I went - ev'ry time - it seem like ev'ry time in de night I go to baid I would seem like unrest- less. So it was a man stay roun' on Campbell Street, He say, "I know what's de matter wid choo." He say, "It something under your mattress. Well," he say, "it cos' aroun' fifteen dollahs to git rid of that." I said, "Well, I haven't got a penny now - will you wait on me?" He said, "I don't know." "Well, I'll send mah husband over dere and talk wit jeh." He went on in then an' got somepin from under mah mattress. It was flat - 'tween two mattress - it was flat, right on the side I laid on.] It was 'tween the two mattress wrapped up in a papah. And what dat was I don't know. I seen him when he took it out. I haven't been troubled wit mahself now since he took it from out de baid. [See George Jackson margin-title for an old-timer making, singing, his medicine.l
Entry 1817
De way yo' do that - yo' know dat a person is real sick, but let it be a man. Dis is anothah thing fo' joomoo, too. Well, yo' cuts dat off - lak yo' have anybody real sick, yo' go an' cut off dis one fingernail, jes' one of dem.
(Of the sick person?)
Yeah, dat yo' knows 'spectin' tuh die. An' yo' take dat fingernail an' yo' keep it until dey bury dat person. An' when dey bury dat person, yo' take dat fingernail an' jes' do lak dis, yo' know - jes' double it one time, jes' lak dat an' let de two p'ints shet good. Jes' have it lak dat an' keep dat fo' twelve days befo' yo' goin' use it. An' yo' take dat an' hit good fo' most anything. When yo' keep it, git chew a lil' bit of alcohol an' put it in dere [in the small bottle of alcohol] an' ever'time yo' go tuh gamblin', yo' jes' take a little bit an' po' it right between dem two bones [demonstrates].
(Between these two bones on the wrist; these two knobs that are on the wrist.)
Jes' drop de least bit of alcohol with dat [finger]nail in it - right between dere, jes' drop it right on dere as yo' goin' out tuh gamble. Dat's good fo' luck in gamblin'.
Entry 2888
(Now, how would they burn a black candle?)
A black candle? You take a person's name on a piece of paper, you write it nine times thisaway [demonstrates]. Nine, like you make a cross - nine times thataway, nine times thataway. And you - every time you light that candle, you go there, you curse, you say, "You son-of-a-bitch, you ought to be dead." You see? Well, the candle'll start to popping - you see, the candle'll start to popping. When the candle start to popping, well, you go over there and you - you sell yourself to the devil, you don't say anything about the Lord at all, you saying that to the devil. Say, "You son-of-a-bitch, you ought to be dead, the way you treat me." Well, the candle'll pop - pop like that. Now, when that black candle go out, and you have your house dark, nobody pass through, nobody go you see. You have that. You don't - nobody goes there but yourself. You don't want nobody to see what you doing, because its a lot of people know what those black - know the black candle is no good. It's bad, you see. Well, so you takes it and go ahead on and lights it, and when it gets most out, he can't go nowhere. He'll have to stay there to watch it. And when it get down low, low - well you burn it three days, you see. Now in the morning you burn that. You light it at six o'clock in the morning, twelve o'clock you light one, and three o'clock you light the other one, you see. That's what you do. And then that's for - that make's he be going - starting to getting sick and droopy - and after that he'll pine jis' away. And he'll stop and say, "Ooh, my head hurt."
Entry 3091
If yo' got a spell of sickness an' yo' jis' don't feel right atall - if somebody have did somethin' to yo' an' yo' cain't be satisfied - yo's on a worry, yo' jis' worryin' an' yo' jis kinnot be satisfied. Well, now, if yo' don't - understan' ah have been lak dat. Some- one have had me worried and ah jis' couldn't be satisfied an' didn't know mah trouble an' ah wus drowsy an' ah didn't know anythin' tuh do. Well, ah went tuh Mistah Durbena Hone ovah heah in Patterson, Arkansas, an' he tole me whut de mattah, an' got it offa me an' ah been all right evah since.
(Was he a colored man or white?)
Yes, he's: a colored man.
(What did he tell you to do?)
He didn't tell me tuh do anythin'. He jis' had me tuh [demonstrates] put mah han's on his han's, an' den he had me lay mah han' on some papah lak dat, an' he jis' rubbed it lak that - wrote on it lak dat.
(He outlined your fingers with a pencil.)
Wit a pencil. An' so he tole me, "Go, heah on an' ever'thin' be all right." An' ah did, an' ever'thin' was all right.
(Did he do anything to that hand after that?)
He didn't do nuthin to it, jis' had me lay it dere. [For another outlining of hand, see HAND - HANDSHAPED, p.583.]
Entry 3606
Dem dere tyin' dem knots, yo' see, is a question lak yo' has to use othah stuff wit it, yo' see. It's prob'bly lak if yo' git a woman's sick rag or somepin lak dat an' tie nine knots in it, yo' see, an den place it into her bed. Well she'll come to be sickly all de time. Dem nine knots yo' know dey use fo' a whole lotta things.
Entry 3860
Now, yo' kin take - jes' lak if yo' wants tuh make 'em weak, weak- minded an' don' have no good health, jes' bad health all de time. Yo' kin take a rag an' yo' kin put it roun' de pot an' burn it. Put it roun' de pot or eithah put it in de chimley an' burn it. An' take de smoke, jes' lak if yo' ketch de smoke in a bottle an' stop de smoke up in de bottle, an' dat'll make dem weak- minded an' don' have real bright sense - an' bad health. (What do you do with that bottle then after this smoke is stopped up? What do you do with that bottle then?) Well, yo' take dat bottle an' yo' bury it right undah de center of yore house- lak de centah of de room heah. Well, yo' bury it right undah de center of de house by de middle block undah [supporting] de house. [Center of house makes a quincunx.] (Just that cloth, the woman's monthly cloth, get the smoke of it.)
Entry 3861
Ah know oncest it wus [a] woman hurted anothah girl wit some of 'er pah'tic'lah pieces in 'er coz [cloz = clothes]. She wus goin' wit dis woman husban'. An' she took dis coz befo' she washed 'em, an' stole 'em out de house, an' she took 'em an' bur-ried 'em. An' dis girl she goin' aroun', she went to feelin' bad. She didn't know whut wuz de mattah. She didn't pay no 'tention to huhself. An' dis woman she died. Yo' know IF ANYBODY HURT CHOO AN' DE PERSON DIE, YO'LL NEVAH GIT WELL. An' dis girl she jis' stayed sick, sick, sick. An' when dey did find out it wus too late, dat dey had some of huh cloz bur-ried, be- cuz de woman was done dead. An' dis girl she stayed sick, sick, sick. An' she dried to nuthin but jis' skin an' bones. An' she died.
Entry 3865
See, yo' kin take a hen, a black hen see, an' cut 'er see, an' put sulphur in 'er see, an' takes a lady's ministrate see, her monthly period, a woman yo' dislike or anything, an' put it in dere. An' see, sew dat hen back up an' turn 'er loose, an' as dat hen go 'way an' pine 'way an' die, dat person [woman] will do de same thing. She be sickly until she dies like dat.
Entry 3874
Well, yo' kin take de ministrate cloth. Yo' take dat an' yo' wet it, jes' enough to wrings de stuff out of it, an' have it real thick. Well, yo' put it in a bottle an' yo' stop dat bottle up an' yo' take it an' bury it. Put it undah yore back do'step. An' dat'll make a woman weak or eithah sickly, or eithah make dem lose dere courage. Jes' lak if a woman goin' wit a man of mine yo' see, an' yo' don't want 'er tuh have no courage. Yo' take it an' put it undah yore back do'step an' have it airtight, an' yore man will stop wit de wo- man. Or eithah she'll won't have no courage fo' him er [or] nuthin lak dat, if he don't stop 'er.
Entry 3916
Ah'm goin' tell yo' somepin dat I saw here in '23 - was in '23. Ah wus workin' fo' Halstrom Brothers. An' my firs' wife - it was a girl lived right side of us named Theresa Jackson, an' my firs' wife helped to raise dis girl. Well, dis girl, she was a stout girl, an' she was workin' fo' Dr. Knox[?]. All at once she'd taken sick an' we couldn't undahstan' why she wus sick all de time. An' ah says to her, say, "You're workin' fo' dat doctah, say, "whyn't yo' tell de doc- tah 'bout it, how bad yo' feel?" Well, dere she would go to work an' have to leave work to come home. An' she tole de doctah 'bout it. Well, de doctah say he couldn't fin' no trouble - yo' know, what was 'er complaint. So she wus off on 'er off-day an' she said, "Ah'm goin' clean up my house. Ah'm goin' from de stern-wheel to de rudder" [surely an old Mississippi River expression]. Says, "All right." Ah was layin' down sleepin'. Ah been workin' at night. An' dis girl goin' to clean up 'er house. An' right behind de middle door, she found a bottle an' a little bag. Well, when she found dis bottle an' little bag, she brought it an' showed it to my wife. My wife said to her, "Ah'm goin' to wake Steve up an' tell 'im 'bout it." Which she did wake me up. When she woke me up, ah took it an' ah looked at it, say, "Dis looks mighty funny to me. I said, give me a knife." I said, "I'm goin' open dis bag." Ah opened de bag. It had a plat of 'er hair, outa her head. It had three pieces outa her pieces, yo' know, about dat size.
(Out of her monthly clothes?)
Yes. An' it had some lodestone in dere an' it had some needles an' some pins crossed dataway [demonstrates], see.
(Held that way with two crosses in it?)
Yes, sir. An' it had dat hair undah dere an' jes' like - jes' like my thumb is de hair, an' right along dere was de lodestone, see, into dis piece, an' dey had it sewed up. See. And he [the man who had tricked her] had de bottle wit 'er mon'ses [months] in hit.
(Which?)
[I either did not grasp mon'ses or wanted a fuller explanation.]
It had, yo' know, change over de moon in de bottle.
(I see.)
An' I opened it an' taked de stoppah outa de bottle an' it was jes' worsen [worse than] anythin' yo' evah smelled in yore life. Ah says to her, ah says, "Yo' take dis out dere" - ah always heard my ole uncle say dese things - ah say, "and throw it in dat runnin' watah." Dere was a little bayou - part of de bayou right back dere - part of de bridge an' de little bayou run undahneat' dere.
(Where?)
Little bayou right out chere on Rogers Street. An' she - ah say, "Now, you throw dat ovah yore left shoulder an' don't look back." An' she went out dere an' throwed it ovah her lef' shouldah in dat runnin' watah. An' he left. Dat fellow come home, but when he come home he rushed right on in de house. He says to her, "What yo' been doin' here?" She say, "Ah been cleanin' up." He say, "Yo' don't nevah clean up." He said, "Did yo' find anything of mine?" She said, "No, I find somepin of mine." He says, "What wus it?" Ah says, "If he hits yo today, I'm goin' woop 'im an' [or] he gon'a woop me eithah one." So he hauled away an' he hit 'er, an' when he hit 'er, I grabbed 'im. An' he lef' an' went to Paducah, Ky. He lef' dere an' went to Oil City, Ill. He lef' dere an' come back here to her an' stayed three days, an' went to Natchez an' she ain't been worried wit 'im since. An' she's married an' she is jes' as stout as she evah wus, an' de mothah of a child.
(She got rid of him, got rid of the fellow.)
Entry 3951
I knowed a lady wus nevah straightened up, yo' know, an' anothah lady got holt of 'er cloth. Well, she taken dat an' she wrapped it up good in some papah, must have been, an' it wus somepin like a pine tree - had a lot of leaves but away at de top, it was skinny at de bottom. An' she took dat an' she hung dat up in de tree. Well, she lived a.good while aftah dat. But den she began to git sick an' went to othah people dat knowed more dan she did, an' a man [doctor] tole her where it wus. An' she sent anothah lady dere to de tree. Dat othah lady got it down outa de tree but it wus too late, an' she wus almost dead. Yo' see dat jes' dried up - it wus, her blood wus up dere dryin' up. An' dat jes' dried up on 'er on earth.
(It was just hanging up in the tree?)
Hanging up in the tree.
(I see.)
Entry 3953
She [my mother] wuz fixed dataway. A woman got some spots outa her shimmy an' drawahs an' taken 'em an' den nailed 'em in a tree wit a great-big railroad spike. She says she nailed it east an' west. An' she jes' pined away. An' she had dose spots. An' [she] got hol' some of hair, some kin' or nothah vuz in dere wit it, wit dat balled up togethah. An' she said it wuz nailed in de tree wit a great big ole railroad spike. An' de tree wuz right at de haid of de windah. An' mah mothah wuz sick an' she jes' pined away, an' she pined away, an' it plumb stopped 'er from ministration.
Entry 3957
I don't know whut side of de graveyard she got dat dirt off of but she want an' got de graveyard dirt.
(Why did she get that?)
She wus angry at dis woman about 'er husban'.
(Then what happened?)
Well she managed aroun' some way or nothah an' got a piece of dis woman used evah month, yo' know. Yo' undahstan' whut I'm talkin' about? (I understand.) An' she taken an' cut a piece outa dat, an' puts dat graveyard dirt in it an' wraps it up. An' went in de woods an' bored a hole in a tree on de north side, an' she put dis here piece of cloth an' dat graveyard dirt in dere an' stopped it up. Well, she did it to kill de woman, but it didn't kill 'er but she got small - well she got sickly from it.
Entry 4735
Git a piece of somepin whut chew wear nex' tuh yere skin an' dey kin cut a piece outa dat, but it's certain dat dey cut it fo' cornahs [a coffin or four corners of the world symbol], jis' a fo-cornah piece, an' dey take dat an' bury it. An' dey tell me dat will make yuh sick.
Entry 4747
Jis' lak a woman got a husban' runnin' roun', or yuh got a woman run- nin' roun' an' yuh wanta stop 'er. Yuh know wha' chew kin do wit dey socks or dey undahclothes. Yuh kin take de socks or eithah dey undahclothes wha' dey wore nex' tuh 'um an' bury dem. Put dat salt on it. Put a boil aig in it. Take a boiled aig an' put in dere an' dat salt.
(Leave the shell on or off?)
Leave de shell on - jis' a boil aig hot. Wrap it right up in dat clothes, see, an' bury it down undahneat' de front steps. MAN, DAT'S ONE OF DE WORST THINGS YUH EVAH. IT WEAKENS DOWN YUH MIND, YUH THINK YUH GOIN' DIE. Dey gits sick, jis' weaken down. Don't have no mo' strength atall. Dat's if a man is runnin' roun' an' yuh cain't stop 'em, see. An' yuh kin take it up, if yuh wanta ease de pain; but if dey start in ag'in, put it right back down an' dey git right back down ag'in. (That is if they are running around.)
Entry 4833
(What about the socks now?)
De socks, de stockin's or piece of yore garments. Now, ah've seen dis real. Split de green pine with a chisel an' a glut, a chisel an' a glut. Dat is, de glut is a piece of wood wide enough dat chew could lay it straight up an' down lak dat. [A glut is a wedgeshaped piece of wood or steel.] Nail dat together [after you put a piece of clothes in the split and remove chisel].
(What do you put in that?)
[What do you put in that split before nailing it together?]
Now, ah don't know whut he put in it, but he put dat in de tree. We got [found] de tree.
(Put what in the tree?)
De sock, an' de woman's stockin's - jis' whosomevah dey workin' ag'in, an' a piece of dere undah garment close tuh yore skin. Yuh know, de arm-holes or de seat of dey drawahs, if it's a man; if it's woman, de seat of hers. Nail dat intuh de tree wit a ten-penny nail an' let it [split] grow up [together]. Dat runs yuh crazy an' make yuh sick.
Entry 5050
Bury it in a tree.
(Do what?)
Like I done wore dirty stockings.
(Yes.)
Well, dey kin take mah dirty stockings, an' whatevah dey put in it tuh dress it when dey bury it in de tree, well dat would make me sick - jis' pinin' away.
(How would they dress it? What would they dress it with?)
Dey dress it - dey go tuh de drug sto' an' git powdahs, anything tuh put on it.
Entry 5103
If yuh keep shoes undah de bed yuh'll be sick all de time.
(You mean you do that yourself, you'll be sick all the time?)
Yes.
(So you don't want to keep them under the bed. That the idea?)
No [not under bed].
Entry 5104
Ef a person git one of yuh shoes, ef dey put bluestone an' sulphuh an' beat it all up tuhgethah an' git some of dis stuff from de drug store dey call de incense, dey put dat in de bottom undah yuh shoe. Yo' know de li'le piece dat be's up in yuh shoe [insole]. Put it up undah dere an' put it back down. Well, when yo' put dat shoe on, yo' goin' always stay sickly, an' yuh feets will start tuh swell.
Entry 5286
Dey take yore left-foot shoes, de linin' outa dat. Well, SOME PEOPLE IS LOW ENOUGH TUH TAKE IT TUH DE CEMETERY or throW it in runnin' watah.
(What do they do with it out at the cemetery?)
Dey buries it.
(All right, what will that do?)
Well, dat will jes' keep yo' lingahin' sick.
(Then what about the running Water?)
Well, de runnin' watah, it jes' keeps yo' foolish.
Entry 5690
Ah wuz tellin' [asking] a ole man about it one day, how tuh git 'er away from de county [Charles City Co.] an' she would nevah come back ag'in. An ah ast 'im whut wuz it. He tole me de firs' time ah see huh walkin' by huhself, tuh git 3 pinches of dirt outa huh right foot, an' git 3 grains of black peppah, whole black peppahs, an' wrap it up in a piece of brown papah, an' throw it in de creek at ebb tide, an' she would go away from de county an' nevah git back no mo'. Ah saw 'er comin' down de road one day. Ah know it wuz 'uh track an' ah started tuh git some of de dirt. When ah started tuh stoop down somepin spoke tuh me an' said, "Let 'uh go on, ah'll fix 'uh some day." So ah didn't git de dirt an' let 'uh go on. In a few days she wuz taken very sick an' died.
Entry 5895
Git hold of yore hair an' ruin yo'. Take yore hair an' ball it up an' Pt sulphur, black pepper an' an ole toadfrog dust in it an' throw it in de rivah r burn it up. Dat kill yo' or make yo' sick. Yo' couldn't do nuthin.
Entry 5953
Dey tell me yo' git a - say fo' instan', now ah wanta do yo' some harm, yo' know. Yo' comb yore hair yo' know wit a comb. Well, yo' know lotsa times yo' leave hair in de comb, a little bit of yore hair. Well, yo' git dat hair out de comb an' den yo' take an' git a horsehair outa de mane, yo' bre, a'yo' put it in a vial an' bury it [both types of hair]. Jes' lak yo' stayin' beah am'ah bury it undah yore do' or somepin lak dat, dhy it'll do yo' all de harm yo' [ah] want. (What kind of harm will it do then?) Well, it will, yo' know, Zingah yo' an' all de time yo' be's sick an' undah de weathah. An' it's a good way to make a woman love yo', t too. [HERE IS DOUBLE- EDGED MAGIC. WHICH EDGE DEPENDS UPON YOUR INTENTION.]
Entry 5957
All right ah'm gon'a tell yo'. Ah known a frien' of mine run wit one of mah frien' [friend's] girls, women, heah yeah befo' las'. He had 'er to git, to steal some of her hair down heah, some of her hair while she - an' she sick, yo' know. An' she got dat, she got dat an' tied it up in a - put it in some watah. Put it in a jug an' tied it up an' run 'er crazy. She nevah did git bettah. She had to leave home an' she died right den in de hospital.
Entry 5974
Yo' kin take some of a person hair an' put in a bottle an' stop it up an' yo' carry dat bottle wit yo' evahwhere yo' go. An' dat person, nowhere dey go - an' dey keep a headache, dey keep sick - an' nowhere dey go dey would be satisfied. Yo' kin take nine stran's of a person's hair an' Put nine knots in it an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' in nine days dat person sull die.
(Take nine strands of their hair and you tie nine knots in that hair?)
An' yo' kin throw it in runnin' watah an' in nine days dey'll be daid.
Entry 6386
(They trim them? Well, what do they say they do with those [nails]?)
De trimmin's of 'em, dey takes 'em an' scorch 'em, an' scorch 'em - scorch 'em tuhgethah. Aftah dey do's dat, dey buries 'em in a piece of papah. An' when de papah begin tuh rot away All dis dust of dey trimmings go down in de dirt, dey say yo' begin den an' molt away, come down like yo' got consumption.
Entry 6492
De way yo' do dat, yo' have tuh cut 'em to yo' disaway, see. (Cut your fingernails?) Cut ary [every] one of 'em - cut all ten of 'em to yo'. Do yore toenails de same way - cut 'em to yo' all de time. Yo' git deg a bottle of Hearts Own Perfume an' put dat in dere. Den yo' kin set dat D8 anywheres.
(What will that do then?)
Dey'll be sickly all de time. Dey will not be healthy.
(The person whose fingernails and toenails you have.)
Yes sir, keep 'em. Yo' know when dey cut de toenails an' fingernails, yo' bor, dey gen'ly [generally] throws 'em out. Well, yo' see when yo' cut chure toenails disaway an' yure fingahnails, well po'don' scrape dat [bottoms of feet] from yo', yo' scrape it back tuh de heel.
(You scrape the dead skin back to the heel.)
Yes, scrape all dat tuhgethah an' den put it in dat perfume bottle an' stop it up. But it'll work quickah - hit'll work bettah by turnin' de bottomside up- wards.
Entry 6502
You can scrape the bottom of a person's feet, you see, aftah yo' sweat, an' dat's yer stren't'. An' if you scrape the bottom of a person's feet an' you buries it, well some people say to leave it stay buried about six months an' some about nine. Well, you begin to feel bad. Nuthin'll hurt you at all, but you just getting weak, they tell me, in your breath, an' you begin to feel bad until you just pines away to nuthin until yo' die.
Entry 6548
Yo' kin take a toadfrog an' hang 'im up an' kill 'im. Hang 'im fron' de fiah an' git nine drops of blood out dis frog an' put it in whiskey. Take de frog an' take an' kill 'im. If yo' kin git a snake, yo' kin take an' kill a snake an' git nine drops of 'is blood, an' put it in whiskey fo' yo'. It won' kill yo' right away. Yo' gon'a live an' be sick, but atter while dey gon'a be so big [inside you] dey kill yo'.
(How do they get those live things out?)
Well, lak dey put 'em in yo'. Go ketch yo' a snake an' don' kill 'im. Jis' split 'im open 'live an' - lak he's mad hot - an' smash it on dere, an' dat takes [those live things] outa yo'.
(Well, how do you get those frogs out?)
De same way wit snakes. Don' kill de frog, jis' ketch de frog while it's hot. Jis' play wit 'im or somepin an' make 'im mad. An' git 'im while he's mad, yo' see, an' split 'im right open an' slap it right on dat place, an' it will take de frogs out.
Entry 6588
Now yo' take a scorpion, he's poison. Now yo' got sompin ag'in me an' yo' got sompin ag'in a man on King Street. Yo' may got sompin ag'in a man on Spring Street. Well, now, ah'm de fust [first] one yo' wanta git nex' tuh. Dis man on Spring Street de secon' man yo' wanta git nex' tuh. Well, yo'll take dat SCOrpion an' kill 'im. WHEN YO' DONE KILL DAT SCORPION, YO' BRING 'IM HOME HALF LIVE. YO' AIN'T KILL 'IM ALTUHGETHAH. He half live when yo' bring 'im home, but yo' finish killin' 'im when yo' bring 'im in yore house. Aftah yo' finish killin' 'im, de last lick yo' hit 'im yo' know yo' goin' kill 'im, yo' goin' call mah name. Yo' call mah name. Ah'm yore enemy. Ah'm yore dead [deadly] enemy. Ah'm de one yo' Wants tuh git nex' tuh altuhgethah. But when yo' kill dat scorpion an' call mah name, ah'm goin' take sick. Now dat man ovah heah on Spring Street, yo' goin' call 'is name by dat scorpion's tail. Yo' goin' cut dat scorpion's tail off jis' about dat much [demonstrates]. Well, yo' goin' tuh hold dat scorpion an' yo' wrap dat wit silk thread, silk thread. An' [as] yo' hit it, yo' cast it in yore yard an' say, "Go, yo' bastard, yo'." An' he's gone.
(And would it do anything to the person living on King Street, then?)
Dat man on King Street goin' work wit me.
Entry 6592
In case yo' wanta hurt somebody, somebody done yo' wrong, sompin lak dat, take a snail an' let it dry, an' beat 'im up fine. Yo' know, jis' beat it up in a powdah or anything an' den put it a person's food, anything lak dat. An' dat person will git sick an' snails Wl grow in 'em.
Entry 6594
Ketch a snail an' kill 'im an' powdah 'im up an' put it in yore food, or eithah take a snail aig an' give it to an' yo' won't know it. An' den yo'll come tuh have snails in yore stomach. akes yo' sick.
Entry 6606
Snakes, any kinda snakes, any kinda insex [insects], if dere somebody yo' wanta put snakes an' scorpions in an' kill 'em. Yo' kin take de snake an' kill it, any kinda snake yo' wanta be in a person. Yo' kill dis snake an' aftah yo' kill dis snake yo' name de person whosom- evah yo' wanta kill. Yo' would name 'em. An' fo' nine days yo'd go dere an' turn 'im ovah. He'd be dead. Yo' turn 'im ovah callin' de person's name fo' nine days. An' de ninth day yo' go dere an' take dat thin' an' parch 'im up, yo' know, an' jis' make a dust outa it. An' if yo' wanta put it in whiskey or amythin', or pat it in some tea or anythin' lak dat, yo' put de dust in yo' knoy vtut cheo make from dat dead snake, or scorpion or spidah or anythin', an' den yo' give it to den. It won't hurt nobody but dem dat chew called dere name. An' den when de ninth day's up dey'll take sick, an' den yo' know, dem dere snakes an' scorpions ll be livin' in dem people, whut yo' give dat dust to - in nine days tine.
Entry 6991
Well, yo' git chew nine of dose large antses. Dat's whut chew speakin' about. Call dem bull antses.
(What color are they?)
Red. Yassuh, git nine of 'em an' yo' call yore husban' or yore cousin or who- somevah. Yo' call dere name evahtime yo' drop one a [one of] dem antses in dere [a bottle of whiskey]. Yo' call dere name an' stop dat up. An den yo' git dat - jis' po' it [whiskey] off aftah yo' let 'em [ants] in dere, an' de whiskey will kill 'em all, see. Well, yo' strain 'em off yo' know, an' jis' give 'em [victim] a drink of dat. Dey won't drink no mo' whiskey, cuz it goin' make 'em sick. Make 'em sick as a dog.
(You put these ants in the whiskey and strain it off and give it to them.)
Yes.
Entry 6997
She kin take some beef blood an' put it in some whiskey yo' know, an' give dat tuh 'im. Yo' jis' put nine drops in dere at de time, yo' know, an' let 'im drink dat. An' dat'll make 'im sick an' dat'll turn 'im against it.
Entry 7000
[One of these catfish-blood rites to make a person stop drinking whis- key tells us: de female catfish min'strates lak a woman evah munt - see p.1869, lines 11-20, v.3.] Well, yo' kin take a man dat drinkin' whiskey all de time, why yo' kin ketch a live catfish any time, an' yo' jis' cut 'im right 'crost 'is tail or somepin-lak or anythin'. An' den let de blood drop right down in a bottle an' puh [pour] de whiskey in it, an' shake it up an' give it tuh 'im, an' let 'im drink an' he'll vomit. If yo' keeps dat up fo' a while, an' evah time he drinks it'll make him sick an' prob'ly break 'im off from drinkin'. Evah time yo' do dat, it'll make him sick.
(I see.)
Entry 7004
Yo' git a catfish. An' it's got one drop of blood in it, in fron' of it between 'is eyes. Yo' take yuh ice pick, yo' git dat dropa [drop of] blood outa de catfish while he's alive. An' yo' drop it in dat likkah. Yo' shake it an' give it 'im tuh drink. An' whenevah he drink it, dat'll make him sick.
Entry 7022
Says git a eelskin an' soak it in whiskey, about a pint of whiskey. Take dat eelskin an' soak it in dat whiskey fo' 'bout three days, an' den yo take dat eelskin out. An' jis' lak he be drinkin' an' come in an' eat suppah or sompin, yo' give 'im dat an' it make him purtty sick- heave a lot. But it will break 'im up from drinkin' whiskey.
Entry 7024
Git a eel an' git 'is blood an' put three drops in dere, in dey whis- key, whutsomevah he drink, an' give it tuh 'im. Dat'll make him sick an' he'll stop drinkin'.
Entry 7025
A eel.
(You take: an eel?)
Yo' kin take a eel an' take de blood of a eel an' stop anybody from drinkin'. (How do you do that?) Yo' see, jis' whut dey drink, yo' take dat eel's blood an' yo' drop it in dere. An' when dey be drinkin', yo'll git enough an' yo'll do it fo' nine days. An' evah time yo' give dem a drink, yo'll put some of dat eel's blood in dere, but it'll make 'em awful sick. But yo'll stop 'um from drinkin'.
Entry 7026
Fathah Graybeard. Yes sir, it's a tree grows an' have a beard jis' lak a man. Yo' go dere an' dig dat tree up an' git de very top of de roots. But chew cain't take it off from de end, yo' gotta go up in de - where it grow up in de big part of de tree. An' git de chips outa dat an' put in de whiskey. It'll make dem sick dey lak tuh kill demself.
(You put this root in the whiskey to make a man stop drinking?)
Yes sir.
(You get the root just as it goes into the trunk of the tree.)
[The graybeard tree in the southern states of the United States of America is the fringe tree (Chionanthus virginica), a small tree with clusters of white flowers. The dried root bark is used as an aperient and diuretic. Whether this is the Father Graybeard of the present rite I do not know.]
Entry 7029
He's drink, he don' know whut he's eatin', an' dey say if he eat a bit of dat, he won' drink no mo'. Well, now, when yo' clean de fish, yo' know, an' yo' will take de entrails out an' if he drunk anyhow, an' if he eat any of 'em, an' dey say dat makes 'im sick, he'll vomit an' he'll turn against likkah.
Entry 7031
Ketch a frog an' put a pint of whiskey on a live frog an' de frog dies. [A small frog is squeezed into a bottle, whiskey poured on him, and the bottle corked up. I believe there is a simi- lar example of this frog treatment in Hoodoo.1 When de frog dies on de Viskey - it ain't goin' tuh hurt nobody - it'll make 'im sick. Jis' call a certain person, dat who all drinks so heavy, an' let 'im drink about two drinks off dat. Well, one drink, a good big drink off dat frog, an' den he won't nevah drink no mo' - have no mo' appetite fo' whiskey no mo'.
Entry 7044
Ah hear'd a woman say yo' take - go tuh de sto' an' git chew some fresh mullet fish, an' yo' take an' yo' split dat fish. Don' put de bone part in it, [use] de meat part. An' put it in a pinta likkah an' let it set all night. An' de nex' mawnin' she give him dat likkah an' it make him so sick he wouldn't wan' any mo'. Dat would stop 'im.
Entry 7056
Yo' have tuh git a young chile's urine. See, an' git some, lak if he loves tuh drink wine. Well, yo' know he loves tuh drink dat wine. When he comes home tuh dinnah - but it has tuh be a woman chile. See, a kid nine, six or seven yeahs ole. An' yo' make her urine in a bottle an' yo' take... [author interrupts].
(Must it be a girl?)
It must be a girl, an' yo' make her urine [urinate], yo' know, in a cup or somepin; but chew mustn't let yer fingahs touch nowhere. Yo' know whut ah mean, jis' [no] mo' den tuh po' it out in de bottle, yo' see. An' yo' give him some. Po' dat urine in dere an' den yo' git some likkah, wine, an' mix dat tuhgethah. See, an' when he drink dat, dat jis' make his stomic upset. An' evah time he go tuh drink dat, give him dat. Well finely it weahs off an' he cain't stan' it. See, it makes 'im sick. [Algiers, La., (1590), 2989:3.] [Informants call these rites tricks (Nos.7081, 7086, 7091). They are one of many methods for capturing a person's spirit, the very essence of hoodoo, always dangerous for the believer. Nowhere has a time limit been set to the spell, ex- cept the return of the spellcaster (almost all rites). Thus the sleeping victim could burn up, if the house caught fire (No.7086). Similar keeping-asleep rites scattered through the interviews of Hoodoo will add greater variety to the mate- rial presented here.]
Entry 7210
(All right.) = [Ready to start.]
Ah had a pair of socks an' ah had a undahsuit. Ah came from mah work an' ah rolled it up, ah couldn't git in mah room, an' ah jis' shoved in between de screen an' de do'. An' ah left. When ah come back, mah undahsuit an' mah socks wuz gone. An' ah do know whut taken place wit me aftah dat, an' ah do know whut ah wuz told through fortune- tellahs.
(All right, tell me all about it.)
De fortunetellah told me dat ah were hurt in some a mah clothes. She did not say whut kinda clothes, but it fell back tuh mah remembrance dat if ah wuz hurt, it must have been mah undahsuit an' mah socks. (Well, how did you know you were hurt? Why did you go to this fortuneteller? Did something happen to.you? Were you sick or something before you went to the fortuneteller?) No, sir, ah wuzn't sick den. Ah wuz not sick den.
(What did you go to that fortuneteller for?)
Well, ah went tuh de doctor. Went tuh Natchez Mississippi Hospital in [nine- teen] thirty an' ah stayed ovah dere 'bout thirteen or seventeen days. An' de doctor seemly dey couldn't fin' de complaint, whut wuz de mattah wit me. He said dat ah wuz all right. Well, ah wúz still sick. Well, ah decided in mah mind - ah hear'd de people talkin' about hoodoos an' witchcraft an' fortune- telZahs. It came tuh me in mah mind by a friend of mine, he said, "Why don' chew go an' see such-an'-such a one?' He said, "Dey kin tell yo' things." Well, ah decided tuh go. Well, ah went tuh dem an' dey told me dat ah wuz hurt through clothes. An' ah ast dem, "Well, whut could yo' do fer me? Could yo' cure me?" Dey tole me, "Yeah." Dey believe through de powah of God dat dey could cure me. An' dey made me up a tea. Now, ah don' know whut kinda tea it 'twuz, but any- way dey give dat tuh me fer tuh drink an' ah drinked it an' ah really hadn't rest fer [so many] nights.
Entry 7423
See, whenevah a puhson [person] do's [does] a killin' an' dey wan' dis othah one [kiiler] tuh die; it's accordin' to whut way he kill 'em dough [though]. Even so, if yo' poison 'em or even if yo' shot 'im or anythin' lak dat. I'm goin' tell yo' firs' de way yo' poison 'im. If yo' poison a puhson an' dey wan' chew tuh die behin' 'im [follow him in death] it's jes' acco'din' to whut yo' poison 'im in, yo' see. If yo' poison 'im in peas, beans or okree [okra] or anythin' lak dat - see, eggs or anythin'. Whenevah yo' git ready to dyin'- ah mean when dis puhson dead an' bein' buried, jes' whutsoevah yo' wus poisoned in, dey throw one of dem same thin's, or eithah a han'ful of it, right into grave - greens, peas, anythin' lak dat, see. An' den when de time - when dat stuff grows, yo' undahstan', sprout up - see dey won't plant on de top of yo' grave, yo' undahstan'. Jes' lak when it grow up [in garden], sprang up lak any othah peas or beans or somepin lak dat gen'rally do, jes' as soon as it git ready to die away, yo' begin to take sick, see. An' den whenevah yo' take sick, when dat thin' is dead sure enuff, den yo' will lay down an' die.
Entry 7609
You go into a graveyard and take two pennies, and dig in a grave and take the dirt out of the grave. And take these two pennies and put them down in the hole and close it. And they can walk behind you and take this dirt and throw it up and down your back. And they work the trick right on you. And you'll go off in bad health and you are going to come on back [as a corpse] to the graveyard. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 7732
Take graveyard dirt an' put it an' sprinkle it in any- body's bed if dey sick. Put it in dey mattress, sprinkle it all in dey mattress an' dey'll dwindle away tuh nuthin.
Entry 7795
Well, yo' kin take dat [graveyard dirt] an' put confusion in peoples' homes, [or] dat will put chew in bad luck regardless of how far away dat dey living... Awe [I] kin take dat dirt an' put it in yore house an' yo' begin tuh fall, fall down tuh nuthin, lingahin' of sickness. (Where do you put it in the house?) Anywheres, down anywhere.
Entry 7860
I have heard that people go to the graveyard and get fresh dirt from a corpse lately died, and they will come to your home and sprinkle it on your porch or anywhere where you will have to cross, and you will begin to linger sick.
Entry 7885
Go tuh a graveyard an' git graveyard dirt an' mix salt wit it an' whut's dis dey call some kinda sulphur.
(Sulphur?)
An' jes' sprinkle it round in de house and sprinkle it de way dey want chew tuh go. Sprinkle it all de way through de house. Well, dey gits chure track an' take it an' wrap it up in somepin - a cloth - put graveyard dirt wit it an' if dey goin' down to runnin' watah, throw it down in runnin' watah. (These are two different ways of making you move?) Yes. An' dey take an aig an' write chure name on de side of it an' throw it cross yore house an' break it: if it breaks cross dere, yo' gotta move; if it don't yo' git sick. If somebody [root man] don't do somepin fo' yo', yo' liable tuh die.
The informant reports two dirt-related ways to make someone move: a graveyard-dirt mixture scattered in a house, and a track wrapped with graveyard dirt and cast into running water. A subsequent named-egg rite is separate and does not establish dirt use there. Departure, illness and death remain reported claims.
Entry 8021
Ah tole yo' 95 percent of de people in dis town an' othah towns have got frauded outa money goin' tuh people, yo' undahstan', who claim dey kin do dose things an' frauded 'em outa money wit'out any proof. Yo' git a bone, a dead person's bone, yo' undahstan' an' yo' Would bury it undah de step where de party is at, tying nine knots in dat bone, yo' see, an' it will keep sickness in de house, yo' see. It will keep de people who can't undahstan' one anothah - man, wife and daughter, dey can't undahstan' one anothah. Dey all pull contrary somehow or anothah, see. An' dey will nevah make de end Iends] meet.
(Well, how do you tie the knots in that bone?)
Tie them in a cord an' den tie de bone wit de cord.
Entry 8107
I've heard tell of 'em takin' yuh photograph - of a tintype - an' bury- in' it at cheh do', an' it'a make sickness. "Yo' become swollen, yo' know. Yo' jis' run wild, see. An' if anybody kin git tuh it befo' it russes [rusts], why dey kin save yo' - jis' take it up. Dey bury it head-fore- most. Dey bury it about, yo' know, about fo' or five inches down in earth, down undahneath yuh do'step.
(What do you mean by head-foremost?)
De head leans out from de do'. Dat means dat choo'll die an' dey bring yuh out, yo' undahstand. It's bottom upward.
Entry 8115
Git a person photograph on a tintype. Ah know dis one mahself. An' yo' stan' it on de edge, put it in de groun' where it will stan' on de edge, an' let it lay dat way 36 hours in dat one position. An' den aftah den yo' go back an' turn it ovah ag'in, see. An' if he's away, he'll show up. In de same lak mannah, if yo' wanta kill any person wit de tintype, yo' take it an' yo' lay it flat jis' lak dat on its face an' let it lay dere. In less dan 36 hours dat individual will git sick an' be daid. (Now, that first way, you put the photograph, you set it up like that [demon- strate]. Is the head up or down, or does it make any difference?) It doesn't make any diff'rence, jis' so it's settin' up on de edge. An' den de nex' time yo' turn it.
Entry 8149
Well, dey take yuh pitchure. Why dey git a big one a [of] dem big frogs, great big green frog. Dey'll take him an' take yuh photograph, an' dey'll take nine needles wit gold eyes dat nevah wus used. Jis' take dem right out de package. An' dey'll take dat frog's feet an' tie it back of 'is back, jis' lak dat [demonstrates].
(Bend the living frog's hind legs over his back and tie them there.)
An' aftah tyin' 'em back dere, both of 'em, tie dem back dere an' stick dem needles. Put 'is pitchure in dat frog's mouth, an' stick dem needles all through dat frog. An' dey'll bury dat frog three feet in de ground, any place in de ground, jis' at sundown. An' it'll keep yo' sick an' worried, an' yo'll die.
Entry 8185
Now, fo' example, dey tells me yo' takes dat photograph an' yo' bury it undah de house face upside down. Dat'll eithah molt chew away or run yo crazy. Whosoevah dis photograph belongs to, it eithah molt 'em away, be sickly an' soon die, or else dey will go crazy. Well, ah've seen dat done.
Entry 8231
Well, yo' kin take a person's photograph - but chew gotta be mad wit 'em, yo' know, don' lak 'em no way. Yo' take dat an' take it tuh de no'th cornah of yore house. Dig a hole an' bury it bottom side upwards tuh de no'th cornah of yore house. Bury it bottom side upwards an' den, yo' know, curse 'em anything dat chew think of, an' yo' won' have no mo' trouble wit 'em. Dey be sickly all de time.
Entry 8312
Dey kin take yore photograph, lak it be a li'le small pichure, an' take some - if dey Wanta hurt cha, dey kin hurt cha wit yore photograph. An' den dey kin bring yuh home tuh dem wit de photograph. But de way dey hurt chew wit de photograph, dey take de photograph an' dig a hole an' put it down in de hole. Bury it an' about five inches down in de ground, an' put salt an' peppah on it, cayenne peppah, dis here pulvahized cayenne peppah an' saltpetah [3 ingredients]. An' bury dat down in dere an' dat will make yuh git down sick, jes' on a drag. An' de mo' dat photograph rot, de mo' closah tuh de grave yo' will be goin'; an' aftah de photograph rots, yo' will be daid.
Entry 8318
[We have already met in this section on photographs a considerable number of rites concerned with shooting them on a tree - see Nos.8272-8295. Here are non-shooting ones in a workable order, a logical one being impossible.] Ah heard talk of 'em drivin' a nail in a tree, but now yo'd have tuh have yore pichure. Now, yo' see, dey tell me dat yo' takes a pi- chure an' if it's a tintype pichure - a pichure made on a tin - say yo' take dis heah pichure an' yo' takes a nail. An' yo' goes tuh dis heah - puts it on a apple' tree. An' yo' jes' sticks it in dis mawnin' an' hits it. An' yo' goes tuh it fo' nine mawnin' an' yo' drive dat nail, an' say on de ninth mawnin' dat chew drive dat nail [all the way into tree]. Dey say den it would kill yo'. An' den, say if yo' make it on a - jes' a papah or pastebo'd, den fo' de ninth mawnin' yo' go dere an' hit it, say it would make yo' sick.
(Do they put that nail any special place in the picture?)
Put it right in de heart, right through de heart of de individual whosomevah dey is on de pichure, jes' as neah in de heart as dey kin git it. Jes' imagine de heart an' put dis nail in de heart.
Entry 8361
Yo' wan'a take a oak tree an' take a tintype photo - only got'a be a photo on tintype. Any yer cardbo'd wouldn't work. An' dig a hole undah dis tree an' put dis photo in dere. An' as long as de photo is in dere, it continue [to] sink. Nachure [naturally] yo'll begin tuh be sickly an' will sink along wit de photo.
Entry 8402
Well, dey kin run yuh crazy, or kill yuh, or make yuh git down sick, eithah.
(How do they do that?)
Dey take dat photograph an' git chew a saucah an' fill it about half full of vinegah, an' turn dat photograph down on de face in dat vinegah, an' take yo' a drinkin' glass an' set ovah it, an' let it set dere. An' when de vinegah eat all dat, yuh future [features] out of dat photograph, why yo' go crazy. Dey keep dat glass ovah it tuh keep de air from hittin' it. Yo' see, yo' can't let de air git in dere.
Entry 8409
Ah've seen 'em take yore pichure. Yo' git a glass of watah an' turn it [photo] up. Yo' know, turn it bottom up lak dat [demonstrates]. It won't hurt cha, it twon' kill yo', but it jis' keeps yo' sick, sick, sick all de time.
Entry 9260
Eithah yo' kin take a aig an' rub graveyard dirt on it, an' throw it ovah from de front tuh de back an' if it busts, dey'll move or git sick; most of 'em die.
(Throw it over the house from the front to the back?)
Yessuh.
Entry 9313
If yo' wan' tuh hurt[hoo- dool anybody or do anything tuh anybody, even yuh enemah, yo' got'a go tuh de sto' an' buy a aig, a fresh aig, an' come back tuh dere house, yuh enemah house. An' stand off from de front do', an' take an' throw dat aig up ov' [over] de do' an' bust it. An' let it drain down an' make a oath whah choo wan' 'em tuh do. Jis' lak if yo' wan' 'em tuh die. An' while dat aig. drainin' down, yo' make a oath, an' in nine days dey'll take sick, an' dere's no cuah [cure] fah [for] 'em.
Entry 10173
[I know something] on that charm. (What kind of charm is it?) Dey gits a red can'le - some gits a black one - an' w'atsomevah mah name is, if he wants tuh harm me, he'll take it an' write mah name on dat. Den he'll burn a certain amoung every day. Somepin like dat.
(And then what happens?)
Jis' accordin' tuh w'at dey want tuh do tuh yuh. If dey wan'a make yuh sick... [This is different from the usual headache caused by candle burning on you, see p.834, v.1 and elsewhere.]
Entry 10559
Dis heah bullbat, yo' kin take one of dem an' kill 'em, an' if yo' git a chance to git a person to eat some of it, dey'll take sick an' dey'll die, if yo' don't git 'em cured.
(A bullbat?)
A bullbat. Yo' jest cook one yo' know an' git somebody tuh eat it.
Entry 9806
You can take a needle if you want to make a person sick and confined to bed. If you can get into their house and can cross two needles on the bottom of the mattress and push them in till they can't be seen from the outside, from the bottom of the mattress, turn the mat- tress up. Then you take three [four] needles and stick them up in the corners of the house. Get them back out of there even if you have to break them off so they can't be seen. Each corner of the house. And then you sprinkle a little salt in each corner, and you have the needle there, and as long as that person stays in that room and [with] those needles and the salt - after they sweep of course there's a few grains of that salt is going to remain in the corner - the person will just get sick and get up and down [from sick bed] and they can't get well until they remove those two needles crossed under their bed. If they can find them and remove them they'll get all right; and if they can't, they won't.
Entry 9831
An' den a person kin take needles an' put 'em in a - up undah yuh house. Put so many needles undah dere, nine needles undah yuh house, right wheah yuh haid is, right on dere. An' dem nine needles will kill yuh in nine dasy. In nine days yo'll be daid. (You put them under where you sleep.) Undah wheah yo' sleep. Dey go up undahneat' de house. An' stick nine needles up dere in a row wit de p'ints up. An' dem nine needles in nine days, yo'll git sick, an' 'fore de nex' nine days out, yo' daid.
Entry 9851
I have hear'd talk of a needle - dat yuh kin break up needles. Yuh take needles, needle dat sewin' wit, about twelve needles, an' crush 'em up. Yuh know, pind [pound]'em up. An' put 'em wit peppah an' sprinkle 'em arom' a person doah. An' dey'd soon leave dere, an' dey'll take badly off sick befo' dey go.
Entry 9886
Yo' kin take a toadyfrog an' split it open an' put it undahneat' de centah of yuh steps as yo' goin' in. Well, dat toadyfrog will be mortified tuh yuh all de time. Yo' can't go no time. Yo' can't go up nor come down. Dat will make yuh be's sickly all de time.
Entry 10685
What do you do with the banana peeling?) A banana peeling is something you burn, that's something to burn. Yoa can Cke a banana peeling and burn it, and take it after it's powdered, and yoa can make a person heart - the doctor [an H. D.] be seearing that a person got heart trou- ble - by feeding 'en or giv- ing them that banana peeling [powder] in water to drink. And they be sick, and don't need nothing else but that banana peeling, and the doctor be swearing that person's got ordinary heart trouble. And when you stop giving it to 'em, stop feeding it to 'em, there won't be no more trouble. [Presumably this is believed to be a device by which a hoodoo doctor gives a person heart trouble and then cures him.]
Entry 10689
They skim de bath water an' they cooks that in with de husband's food an' that'll make him have a weak stomach. He will always feel sick an' he won't want to go anywhere an' per- haps - de woman do that to keep him at home, to keep him from running around. It ties up his nachure [na- ture]. He don't have any feeling towards her at all, no more than a - be a slave in de home for her, while she'll be out running around with different other guys. That puts her to be free amongst men an' him a slave at home. Use de bath water.
Entry 10719
An old note of ine in red ink reads: Good ills- tration of "intention"[[pover of what you intend to doll & my difficulty trying to have informant say without putting my words into his outh.] Yo' could take a bird - yo' know birds mating, yo' know birds, an' take too of 'em whut mates an' take an' cut one of 'em's throat an' let de blood run in de nmnin' watah, an' loose de othah one. De othah one, dat will svell up an' die. Dat jest de way de man do, whensomevah yo' have an enemy dat gives yo' any- thing lak dat. Dey'll swell up an' die. (Well, how do you know that anyone will die? Do you have to do something else with that?) He jest take sick. Yo' put dat blood in dat runnin' watah. Ketch 'em both, but when yo' git 'em to de watah, cut one of 'em's throat an' let de blood run in de watah, an' loose de othah one. An' de one whut's a bad enemy against yo'; dey'll take sick - go to swelling up. (Well, how do you connect these birds with the enemy? Don't you have to con- nect them in some way?) Well, yo' kin jest tell de enemy, yo' know, he take sick. Yo' know who is by his taking sick. He takes sick den an' he keeps alingering an' he swell up an' die.
(When you are doing this, you have to have the enemy in mind.)
De enemy in mind, whosomevah is a enemy against me. Yo' may not know jest who it is, but yo' know yo's [you hasl a mortal enemy about. Yo' know lak dat. Yo' have it in yore mind lak dat.
(You take any kind of birds that are mates.)
Dat are mates.
Entry 10766
Gunpowder, bluestone, brimstone an' beat it up together an' burn it five days out on de edge of yore yard to kill yore stock. I'd do dat to kill yore stock - hogs, cows, chickens an' yo' people. Yo'd have a sick pile ovah dere, fast as one git sorta straight- en [out] de rest git down; all like dat, sompin happening all de time.
Entry 10933
Like a man is a heavy drinker. You go to the river and catch you a catfish and git home with him as quick as you can, before he dies. Now, buy gin, wine - whaever he drinks. And take a knife and put it in that catfish's tail and hold him up and let three drops of blood drop in that whiskey or wine, whatever you [he] drink. And shake it up and put there for you [him] when you [he] come. Now when you drink this, it's goin' to make you sick. It make yo' so sick it'll almost kill yo'. And it'll give yo' no more taste for liquor.
Entry 11173
Lots of people talk about different things dat ah have nevah tried. but dis heah whut ah'm tellin' yo' now, ah've tried dis mahself, yo' see. If a person wants to mistreat yo' an' dis is yore place heah, yo' take devil's- shoestring - ah don't know whether yo' evah hear tell of it - devil's-shoestring an' blacksnake root. "Co'rse dey roots whut grows in de wood. An' yo' kin twist dem dere roots together [probably tie together so that they will not unravel], put them between yore mat- tress whut chew lay on. Dat'll constipate yore bowels where yo' can't have action an' well, den dat cause yo' to git in misery, make yo' sick. Unless some man come long wise enough to detect dat, dat devil- ment is undah dat mattress, why de doctors [M.D.'s] dey can't save yo', yo' see. But now, if a man come along have done experienced dis devilment, he knows jest exactly whut tuh take an' whut tuh tell yo' tuh do tuh git dat devilment. Look under dat mattress. [Waycross, Ga.,. (1120a), 1798:6.]
Entry 12288
Ah heard tell of a person takin' a string - a cord jes' like dey ties - if yo' want a person hurt. Why, where it will kill 'em, yo' know, or sompin like dat. Jes' git some of dis heah string an tie 9 knots in it, jes' as tight as yo' kin. An' bo' a hole into a green tree, any kind of a tree, jes' so it's green, an' put dat knot in it, dat dere string dat chew tied dem knots into dat tree, an' stop it up.
(Don't you say anything or do anything?)
Nosuh, jes' makes 'em sick till dey dies.
(You have to get a string from them, or what?)
Yassuh, from dey house. Anywhere roun' dere house yo' git dat string dat dey been usin'.
Entry 12696
Mah wife got sick, she^ wuz sick a month. Ah pray tuh God tuh learn me, to teach me dese things. Ah goes an' git - she wuz washing some clothes out dere. Ah wuz goin' wit a woman dat didn't live so fur from dere. Dis woman done put some kinda powder or dust or sompin in mah ole woman's dresses an' dat put a spell on her - paralyzed her, mah wife. Ah pray tuh God tuh teach me in learning dese things.
Entry 12736
Well yo' know dese little rats [mice?] be's in de house. Well, yo' git one of dose an' buy yo' some mo' whiskey, see. Jes' git half a pint or a pint, but put it in jah where yo' kin put dat rat in it, see. Put him in dere 'live an' shet it down an' set it in a cornah till dat rat drown, see. An' yo' git all his strength in dat whiskey. Yo' take dat rat out an' throw him away or eithah barn him up in de fireplace. It would be best fo' yo' tuh burn him up, see. Den yo' take dat whiskey - don't strain it or nuthin, jes' put it back in a pint bottle, see. See, jes' lak yo' ole lady come in, see, an' she wanta drink, she say, "Well, yo' know ah so wished ah had a drink." Yo' say, "Ah think d've got a little drink." Yo' still continually give her a drink out of dat. Hit'll make hah sick but when she git bettah of dat sickness, she won't nevah Ak anothah drink of whiskey.
Entry 10730
If a man an' a woman, yo' know whut ah mean, a woman an' a man in dat kind of a line. Well, yo' kin take dat an' bury it. See, jis' lak if ah jis' pulled off mah underclothes, it's gotta be somepin dat's on dose clothes so's [so as] yo' kin do anythin' lak dat. Yo' understan' whut ah mean. See, jis' lak if a woman's ministratin', it's gotta have some of dat stain on dere. See. An' dey buries dat, jis' bury it anywhere, see. An' den when dose clothes begin tuh rot well, she begin tuh linger, sick fo' a long time. An' as dose clothes be rotten, she be lingerin' sick, yo' see. An' when dose clothes finish rotten aw [a why], den dat kills her right dere.
Entry 10734
Dey come an' git dey sanitary clothes an' bury 'em, an' dat cause de woman in bad health an' lak dat. An' she cain't have no chillern; see, because dey won't even ministrate.
Entry 10838
If yo' will stew a buzzard down an' yo' wanta put it aroun' some enemy's do' an' bury it, an' dey says that that person then will become sick an' he will die.
Entry 11181
Now they take the nails an' they drive them down into - jes' lak yo' take dat Red Seal Lye, dat has five holes in it, an' they take an' drive a nail in each hole of the lye. An' they bury this lye undah the house an' they git it near as they possibly kin ovah that lye [devil's-shoestrings] on the inside of the house. They put whut they call de devil's-shoestring, that's a little weed- as near ovah the top of that [can of lye] as they possibly kin. That's tuh make this person weak, sickly. (They put this devil's- shoestring over that and they bury that can of lye.) Bury that can of lye jis' undah de house as near as they kin. Jis' say fo' in- stance, if dis wuz his bed, they bury it undah that as near as they kin git to it undah there. They then come up an' try tuh put whut they call de devil's-shoestring - which is jis' a little weed-lak, yo' know - put it as near undah [center] de bed as they kin.
[This is surely a quincunx rite.]
Entry 12930
Ah learned about de new shingle from a house, sech as bad luck or like dat. Dey said dat if yo' have - jes' like dis building heah an' yo' ovah yondah somewhere. Git chew a new shingle an' bring it an' tack it on dis buildin', if yo' want anybody to leave out from dis buildin'. When yo' tack dat new shingle on dere, dey said it won't be long befo' someone will take sick in dat house, an' aftah dey take sick when dey git up, dey'll leave out. (You tack a new shingle on somebody's house.) [Waycross, Ga., (1159), 1935:4.
Entry 12985
Take a little piece of this silk root or piece of swamp root and hold it in your mouth and chew it and swallow de juice, and if you is poisoned, it'll make you sick in your stomach and you'll have to vomit. If you start to vomitin', why they've done somepin to you.
Entry 4337
Take dere chamber lye an' make dem stay wit yuh or love yuh or be roun' yuh. Or yuh kin take dat chamber lye - well, ah know dey done mah brothah-in-law lak dat one time. Dey took 'is chamber lye an' put it in a bottle, an' den put it up in a tree above his haid, an' had 'im hangin' up dere all de time. Said dat'd keep 'im sick an' stop 'is watah jis' lak he had gravels or sompin lak dat.
Entry 4385
If yuh wanta do 'em harm, yuh take a person's actions, an' if yuh kin git 'em intuh somepin an' drive some gunpowdah, an' take two needles an' cross it an' burn it, an' dey say dat'll harm dat person. (In what way would it harm them, do you know?) No sir, ah only heard dat it would. It didn't lock dere bowels, but dey say it would do great hahm [harm], great hindrance. In othah words if dey had been - maybe dey had been in wit yuh some Way, yuh competitor - would cause 'em tuh lose out. In othah words dey become sick. Ah haven't heard whethah it would kill 'em or not. (You mean they would take their passage, that they made from their bowels, and do that with it?) Yes sir.
Entry 4480
Taken [taking] de watah dat yuh bathe in an' stoppin' it up into a bot- tle, an' if dey kin git yuh urine along wit it an' stoppin' it up in a bottle, it'll cause yuh tuh drag - drag sick.
Entry 13294
Ah hear a lady say she taken a turtle aig an' dry it up an' put it - jes' beat it up, jes' grind it up jes' lak she wus goin' tuh make somepin out of it, a powder of some kind. An' she taken dis turtle aig an' she put it in a turtle. She cooked de turtle fo' a lady - a sick lady - about dis lady's hus- about dis lady's hus- band. She cooked de aig in de turtle an' when de lady eat de turtle she loved de turtle. Whenevah she eat dis turtle - she et it every dat - it wus a certain time on de moon dat de turtle would come in her right breast over her heart. An' ever' time it would come out it would draw her [breast?] right down to her knees. It looked jes' lak rubber - jes' lak she stretch rubber. Dey take it an' stretch it down to her knees!
(What time of the moon?)
On de growin' of de moon.
Entry 13424
There's many things you can do with your socks and there's bad things.
(Well, suppose you tell me the bad things first.)
The bad things first. Well, yo' can take a man's sock an' take, put war water in it, and write his name and perhaps a woman's name, and bury that, and it will cause them to have terrible disturbance, too. That'll make awful fuss and disturbance. Cause them to drag sick along, long as that sock is buried.
Entry 11245
When the doctor came he looked at it [something vomited] and told my mother she had to move out of the house she was in; if she didn't, she would remain sick. She finally moved. And when she moved she began to get better. [The fact that the woman improved makes this a piece of good psychotherapy. Notice the analysis based not upon urine or feces but upon vomit!] [Fredericks- burg, Va., Ediphone, 49.1
The informant reports a doctor's warning that the mother would remain sick if she did not move; a move and later improvement are reported separately.