Subject:Sleep
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Entry 3243
How to git rid of 'em? Yo' have a Indian head penny an' buy a pocket han'skuff or eithah a piece of domestic, jis' so it a new piece of cloth. When yo' have a intahco'se wit 'im, why den yo' don't make connection, jes' let 'im make de connection. An' den yo' try to handle [the cloth] in a way da choo [That you] git all dat [semen] on [in?] one sass [sauce, try to collect the semen in one spot]. Yo' put dat Indian head penny right in de middle of dat stuff, an' den yo' tie it. All right, an' yo' sleep on it. Well, dis hol's 'im. An' de minute choo wan'a git rid of 'im, yo' jis' turn it loose, jis' throw de rag away an' take de penny an' spend it.
Entry 3255
(Do they get it out of any particular track, or doesn't it make any difference?) No, it don' make any diff'rence jis' since it de hollah of dey track, yo' undahstan'. See, right in de hollah of dey track. Dey take dat dirt, yo' undah- stan' an' wrap it up in a rag, see. Take dat rag, if yo take it out a girl's track, yo' take it to yore home, yo' undahstan', an' put dat rag up undah de baid in de rollah.
(You take the roller out and put it up in that hole and put the roller back?)
Dat's it, an' dat girl won' take nobody else, have nuthin tuh do wit inter'- co'se atall. [Bed leg, roller not mentioned, will be found later under margin title UNDERWEAR.]
Entry 3256
Jes' lak yore ole man is about tuh git away from yo', yo' git a new piece of white cloth an' jes' lak yo' know, yo' use a towel at night, an' in- stead of usin' dat, yo' use dat cloth fo' nine mawnin's. Jes' whenevah, yo' know, yo' have any dealin's wit 'im, yo' use dat cloth. If yo' want it tuh be nine days, yo' kin. An' den yo' take it aftah de ninth day an' yo' use it. Well den yo' take some sugah an' spread it out an' put it in dis new cloth an' yo' fold it to yo' an' den yo' sew it [to you] an' then yo' carry [turn] it dis- away an' bring it back [to you] disaway an' sew it. An' den de place he sleeps on, de side he sleep on, yo' put dat new cloth an' dat sugah an' that othah stuff into it, right where he lays.
(You roll that to you and then you fold the ends together?)
Yessuh, always bring it to yo', don' nevah go 'way from yo', an' jes' fold it always to yo', an' when yo' sew, sew it to yo'. An' yo' jes' let it stay right on de side where he sleeps on. Jes' cut de mattress an' put it in dere an' let it stay right on de side where he sleeps on.
Entry 3915
I hears dis here now, on de change of de moon - accordin' to de moon change. Dey say if yo' wan'a woman to con [continue] stay wit choo, yo' git 'er nachure [nature, here her menstrual blood but some- time potency, sexual feeling, etc.] an' git 'er shimmy. An' when she minestratin' - she minastrate by de moon, see. An' dey take dis all an' work it up in boilin'-hot watah, an' make 'er sleep on it fah' five days - whut I mean, five nights - wit salt, table salt [not cattle salt] an' it conkers 'er in 'er minastrate. She don't wan'a bothah wit nobody. [This is a cause of sexual impotence but I have placed it here for the moon belief.]
Entry 4193
She take her husban' urinate an' she put it in a bottle an' she put nine needles wit it an' she stopped dat up an' she put it in de bed where he wuz sleepin' at fo' nine nights. An' aftah dem nine nights she take it an' she bury it undah de steps, an' she did dat tuh keep 'im at home an' so he won' go wit no one else but 'er. An' she say he stayed undah 'er feet so much until she wanta let it go. Yes, he stayed undah 'er feet all de time an' didn't go wit no one else but 'er. Dat whut she did it fo'. He stayed at home all de time. She did it tuh stop 'im from runnin' roun'.
Entry 4671
Yuh take de bow out of a man's hat an' carry it home an' put it in matchbox an' put it undah yore haid, an' dey say dat will make 'em love yo'. [I stopped machine too soon and had to add:] (You said sleep on it.) [The matchbox, a coffin symbol (confinement) and the match, a sexual one - a frequent combination in HooDoO - explain them- selves.]
Entry 4677
De bow an' a dirty sock - out de hat an' 'is dirty sock, lef' foot sock. An' git some Eve-an'-Adam [Adam-and-Eve], some High John de Conkah, some love powdahs, an' roll 'em to yuh. Make yore wishes as yuh roll 'em. Den yuh take it an' put it in yore pillah or in yore mattress, de woman, an' sleep on it an' he'll stay dere.
Entry 4761
Well, ah've heard ag'in, if yuh've got a man away an' yuh want 'im tuh come back tuh yuh, an' he leaves some of 'is clothes dere, said yuh take clothes tuh make him be on 'is haid. Put de clothes - put 'is undahweah an' 'is shirt, put de haid of it down towards 'is feet [dem- onstrates]. (On the bed?) Yessuh, yuh've gotta lay on dere yuh see. Put it down dere tuhwards 'is feet. Dey take his undah- weah an' take de bottom part - take de laigs of it an' put 'em up tuhwards de haid of de baid, an' let de body go down tuhwards it. Den yuh take his socks an' yuh take one an' bring it 'cross dis way an' let it be tuh de front of de baid.
(The head of the bed?)
No suh, de front. Yuh see - listen. Heah's whut ah mean. Now, yuh layin down dat way.
(Here's the bed. This is the head and that's the foot?)
Yessuh, now yuh lie dat sock dat way.
(Which is the foot and which way does the other part of the sock point?)
De foot part of de sock goes at de haid.
(That points to the head of the bed?)
De toe goes tuh de haid of de baid. Den heah comes de othah, de mouth of de sock, yuh know, where yuh put chure foot in. Let it be out tuh de front [demon- strates].
(One sock crosses the other.)
Yessuh. An' den aftah doin' dat. Let's see - man's sock, undahweah an' de top-shirt. Dat, she might lay in it, an' de rest of 'em yuh lay on top of 'em. Don't put a thing on top of 'em but a sheet. Den befo' yo' git in baid, make yore wishes. Put one needle up an' de othah one cross at de haid [demonstrates], 'tween de haid. Lak dis is de haid of de baid, put it down in dere, in between in dere. Don't let it git down by yore haid, but let it be up above.
(At the top of the head of the bed, you cross two needles.)
Yessuh. An' so yuh lay on dose things, an' ah think she said, in nine days he would come home.
Entry 5048
Jis' say, if yuh wanta bust up [broken-home remedy], see. A woman kin take his socks an' take her stockin's an' put 'em tuhgethah, heel tuh heel an' toe tuh toe. Use de lef' foot. Some say de right but de lef' foot is bes'. An' yo' put some sugah in dere an' some peppah, black peppah: if it's white person, put white peppah; an' if it's a black person, put black peppah. An' den yuh put a little cayenne peppah in it, see. An' den yuh roll it to yuh, lak dat [demonstrates]. An' aftah yuh roll it tuh yuh, den yuh git chew a bran'-new co'd [cord] string an' yuh wrap it nine times.
(How do you wrap that?)
Tuh yuh. Yuh roll it tuh yuh an' wrap it tuh yuh. An' den git chew a needle an' git chew some red silk thread an' sew it on each end, nine stitches. Pull it tuh yuh all de time dis way [demonstrates]. Pull it tuh yuh all de time.
(You put nine stitches on each end.)
Dat's tuh bring peace.
(What do you do with that then?)
Well, yuh kin wear it in yore pocket or put it where yuh kin evah day jis' dress it. Yuh know, jis' take yore han', don' have tuh put nuthin on it. Jis' take yore han' or jis' put a little perfume on it - good-luck perfume, any kinda good-luck perfume an' jis' rub it in yore han'. An' den yuh kin sleep on it. Or yuh kin put it where nobody won' go by [near] it but chew. See.
(That is for them to live together in peace.)
Yes.
Entry 5083
Take de sock dat he done wored an' put it undah where - stretch it out on de side dat she lays on In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost an' sleep on it. Den he will stop runnin' roun'. (Stretch it out where?) Undahneat' 'er bed, which an' why. Put it undah de sheet on de bed an' lay on it, an' make her wish In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost dat she means tuh stop 'im from runnin' roun'. Dat will stop 'i. [Florence, S. Car. (1314), 2510:4.]
Entry 5378
If it's a man - someone yo' love, if yo' kin ketch 'is track an' jes' have a piece of newspapah wit yo', an' de minute chew pick it up, say, Come heah tuh me; yo' dirty son of a bitch. Sompin lak dat, an' put dat track in dere. An' yo' put dirt daubah wit it, an' some kinda sweet stuff lak yo' put in pies an' thin's. Yo' mix all dat tuhgethah an' put it in de mattress an' lay on it. An' ah don' care where he go, he comin back.
(You take up either track?)
Jes' take up de track an' put it in newspapah.
(Either track, it doesn't make any difference?)
Yes, it don't make no diff'rence, eithah track.
(Coming or going, it doesn't make any difference?)
Yes, it don't make no diff'rence jes' since yo' git dat track an' have dat newspapah an' put it in dere right den soon as yo' pick it up. An' yo' fix lak spice.
Entry 5647
If yo' wan'a make love yo' take his right - if he's comin' towards yo', take de dirt out 'is right foot track when he comin' towards yo'. Put it in a bag wit sugah an' spice in dere, an': sleep wit it undah yore haid, undah yore mattress undah yore hair where yo' lies.
Entry 6028
If a person dislikes yo' an' wanted tuh do yo' some harm, well if dey kin git some of de hair out de mole of dey haid, an' take dat an' take some nee- dles an' parcel 'em up right both tuhgethah [demonstrates] jis' on an' on yo' know lak dat. (Alternate the needle - cross them.) Yes sir, an' stick it in dat hair an' put it into a piece of flan- nel, an' put dat somewhere in yore bed on de side dat chew sleep on yo' know. An' jis' as long as dat hair an' needles are dere, yo'll jis' can't rest. Ah lgu dat fo' a fac'.
(Do you use any particular number, kind of needle?)
Aw - jis' 'bout five or six.
Entry 6947
Jes' lak she runnin' out on yo' an' doin' bad things an' yo' know it. She comin' in an' she kinda drinkin' a little. If she don't come in too high [drunk or intoxicated] an' don' let 'er be [something]. Yo' take a basin of watah an' take an' put 'er ban' in it, an' ast 'er a question while she's sleepin'. She'll talk wit chew jes' lak she wide awake an' tell yo' ever'thin', where she been an' whut she done an' all.
Entry 7404
Yo' kin take some of 'is clothes, de dead [murdered] person clothes, an' put dat on 'im [friend or relative of corpse], an' when he buried, it'll come tuh yo' [friend or relative] in a dream, who did it.
Entry 7823
Tisn't [It is not] but one place at ah knows of in de graveyard dat yo' kin git any dirt dat will do anythin'. Not any kind of dirt in de graveyard will not [omit not] anything. [Such a belief] it's a fake. If yo' go tuh a murdahed man's grave... [I interrupt.] (Some man that was killed?) Yeah, murdahed. He gotta be a sinnahman, a worldly man lak a gamblah or gangstah or somepin of dat kind. Yo' goes tuh 'is grave an' on 'is left-hand side at 'is haid, yo' take yuh right hand, yo' puts it down in dat earth. Yo' try tuh make it [reach the grave] aftah it rains, 'cuz de earth is soft. [As we shall see, you must grasp this dirt until you reach home and write a letter; consequently not one grain of this dirt must be dropped.] An' yo' kneels dere an' yo' ask 'im whut yo' wanta be done. Undahstan', an' as yo' ask 'im, yo' close yuh hand whilst yo' got it down in dat hole, an' den yo' brings dis dirt out. Undahstand? Yo' brings dis dirt out. Well, den yo' take it home. Yo' writes a lettah jis' lak ah'm writin' tuh a live person from which ah got dis dirt. An' in dat envelope ah'll put dis yere [here] dirt whut ah had in mah hand in dat envelope. Nevah let it [dirt] loose, nevah turn it loose until ah put it in dis envelope. An' den ah will take de sheet of papah an' ah will write tuh dat [dead] man. An' whutsomevah ah wan 'im tuh do, ah will seal dat lettah up wit dis dirt an' put it undah mah haid An' he will do anything dat yo' ast 'im tuh do. An' dat's de only place in de graveyard dat de dirt is any good.
Entry 7851
Yo' go an' git graveyard dirt an' put it in a pillahcase on dere [your] husband baid [and let him sleep on it] an' if he workin' [has a job] he won't, he can't open dat [pay] envelope until he brings the whole thing home.
Entry 7902
Take de graveyard dirt an' put it in yo' pillah or eithah in yuh mat- tress, an' sleep on dat nine days. Yo' jes' go away - yo' know, jes' fall off an' git po' [poor] an' po' until yo' jes' go 'way an' die. Dat'll kill yo'. (After nine days.)
Entry 7914
Well ah hear dem say dat if dey wanta go in anybody's house - lak any rich somebody - white people or somepin, dey wanta go in de house, an' dey'd have a bad dog or anything, dey wanta go in dere, dey git de haid stick, de stick whut's put at de haid of a grave, an' throw it undah de house. An' said dat vill put evahbody tuh sleep an' yo' kin go in de house an' git anything. [For beliefs similar to preceding ones about.theft, see Nos.7529-7530, p.3298f.]
Entry 8018
On de first Friday of de month yo' see, yo' goes an' yo' git chew a beef tongue an' yo' split dat beef tongue jis' long enough where yo' kin stick a piece of papah in dere. Stick dat person's name in dere, write dat person's name lengthways. Jis' don' cross. Kin jis Write it longways, yo' know, jis' write it nine times de long ways. Ah don' mean no cross it, yo' see. An' yo' take aftah dat, aftah yo' write his name, den yo' take it yo see an' yo' stick it down in dat beef tongue. An' yo' go in de graveyard an' yo' bury dat, see. An' when dat beef tongue begin tuh rot, dat person begins tuh feel drowsy an' droopy, sleepy, jis' continue sleep until he kinda sleep hisself away. [Algiers, La., (1590), 2987:4.] [Material about bones from the dead has already been given in many places, among them: MOANING BONES, P.36; HEAD BONE, P.38; POWER FROM HEADBONE, P.282; POWER FROM BROTHER'S SKULL, p.283; DEAD PREACHER'S BONE, p.285; and DEAD GAM- BLER'S HAND BUILT EUREKA HOTEL WHERE I INTERVIEWED IN MEMPHIS BUILT BY THE DEAD, first quotation on p.1871, from p.1876, line 17 from bottom of page, continued on p.1877. I am dividing this subsubsection on bones into: (ea) WHAT BONES FROM THE DEAD DO, and (eb) TYPES OF BONES FROM THE DEAD. These two divisions of course overlap.]
Entry 8056
Sleep on it [a photograph] with the nights and the person can't rest and they'll just be dreaming and think- ing of you. See? That'll make them think of you all the time.
Entry 8197
Take yure pitchure an' put it in a looking glass [the carboard behind the small.hand mirror having been removed]. An' turn it [photo] upside down [against mercury backing of mirror, restoring card- board back] an' put it undahneat' [you] an' sleep on it or walk on it or put it somewhere somebody'll tread on it an' break de glass, an' yo' [person of photo] got tuh come back. Go tuh de do' an' burn some disinfect [disinfectant] an' make yure wish [wish] an' burn it in de house. Den go to de do' an' make yuh wush [again] an' come back. An' 'at [that] been done in Short[?] William Street alley [here in Richmond]. Den [another method] yo' put it [photo without mirror] undah- neat' de carpet or in a trunk upside down tuh draw yuh back. Well keep yuh on yure haid or yuh feet till yuh git back home. An' use dat powdah, insex, love insex [love incense] dey call it. Burn it on a stove.
Entry 8236
Take dere pichure an' put it undah yore baid, undah de haid of yore pillah an' sleep on it nine days, an' he cain't go nowhere or quit chew. (That will keep the man? Just place it under there any way, under the pillow?) Undah de pillah.
Entry 8256
It's prak'ally [practically] de same. An' dis woman she wuz jis' givin' me so much trouble wit mah husban', dat he wuz almos' out fo' good. Ah didn't wan'a 'sturb [disturb] mah place. Ah wondah'd whut tuh do. Ah loved mah husban' an' ah wuz jis' so crazy 'bout 'im, an' jealous ah guess. So it seem lak it come tuh me one night in mah sleep, say, Jis' take his pichure an' weah it. Ah got up through de night an' ah taken dat pichure an' ah put it in mah shoe, an' ah didn't tell anybody whut ah did. Ah put dat pichure in mah shoe an' ah wore it dere. Dat one wored out an' he com- mence tuh grow bettah. Ah looked roun' an' ah found 'nothah one, photograph, an ah put dat one dere. An' ah wanta tell yo' dere ain't a bettah man dat walks, dan mah husban'. Dat's mah one experience. An' ah tole two or three othahs de same things. (I AM LETTING THIS WOMAN GO FOR THE MOMENT BECAUSE THERE IS A SPECIALL HOODOO MAN JUST CAME THAT I WANT TO TALK TO. I AM AFRAID HE MIGHT LEAVE. I'LL TALK TO HER LATER.)
Entry 8755
Jes' lak if somebody did sompin tuh yo' an' yo' didn't like it or sompin of de kin'. In othah words, if yo' got a man off some place or 'nothah an' yo' take a new tin plate. Git it tuh de Five-an'-Ten-Cent Sto'. An' yo' write dis chapter out de Bible, de fo'th chapter of Psalms [Psalm 4]. Yo' write dat out de Bible on dat tin plate an' write his name down de bottom [and an unusual construction of In 3 Holy Names 'De Father bids yo' come, de Son bids yo' come, de Holy Ghost bids yo' come, an' yo' must come back home tuh me in Jesus' Name." An' yo' turn dat plate an' put it undah yore mattress, where yo' gotta sleep on every night.
Entry 8867
Well, ah have heard of 'em - said dat tuh make 'em come back, by takin' 'is lettah, if she could git 'im tuh write. She take his lettah an' sleep wit 'em undah 'er haid fer ten or twelve nights, dat he'd come on back.
Entry 8868
Ah heah tell 'em takin' yore - a lettah dat chew wrote tuh a person - dat chew'd write a lettah tuh me. Ah've heard of 'em takin' dat lettah an' puttin' per- fume on it. Dat's tuh make yo' come tuh me. Yo' take dat lettah an' yo' put perfume on it an' yo' put dat lettah between yore mattress an' yo' sleep on dat lettah each night. Each night befo' goin' tuh. baid why yo' make a wish dat dis person would come, an' yo' continue tuh sleep on dat lettah. An' ah've heard dat by doin' dat an' sprinklin' it wit Hearts Perfume each night, why ah believe in de ninth night, aftah de ninth night, why dat person mo' likely tuh come tuh yo'.
Entry 9528
An' den if yo' wan' him tuh tell evahthing he knows, yo' kin put his han' while he's 'sleep - if yo' maybe ketch him drunk - put his han' in some cold salt an' watah, if yo' wanta find out whut he's doin', an' he'll tell evahthing he knows.
Entry 9795
Ah heard they kin fix needles or pins an' put 'em in yore bed an' yo' can't rest to sleep in that bed.
(Do they put any number of needles in there? Or pins?)
Three - from three to six, dat's whut ah've heard of.
(Either needles or pins, or both?)
Needles or pins, brand-new ones nevah been used.
Entry 10704
Well, if de house is ha'nted an' yo' can't git rid of de ha'nts, if yo've got a Bible, jest sleep wit it under yore haid. Dat'll stop de ha'nts.
Entry 10705
Well, if you wanted tuh be protected from de spirits, ghostes or things - wanta rest - lak if dey worrying yo' at night, yo' take a Bible an' lay it right under yore pillah wide open. An' yo' kin go to sleep an' rest all night long, and it won't no ghost an' no evil spirit or nuthin lak dat bother yo'.
Entry 10706
If a person come in an' yo' don't want dem dere, when he comes in, jest sweep him de way he come in. Sweep out his track jest as he come in, de Way he come in, if yo' don't want him dere. An' finally his conscience will jest lead him [to stay away]. Dat's jest de way yo' do de way ah jest tole yo'. Yo' kin talk nice to him an' say ah haven't got so-an'-so. Well, den if he continue to be comin' after dis, yo' git dat book an' put it under yore head an' read it, an' yo' git relieved from him.
(What is the name of that book?)
It's de Bible de 37th Psalms.
(You just put that Bible under your head?)
Entry 12576
De pillah yo' sleep on - jes' lak ah sleep on a pillah, ah have a penny in dat pillah, see, in dat cloth right in dat pillah, an' all ah have to do is jes' put mah haid on dat pillah an' sleep. (Sleep all night.) [This un- doubtedly is a rite to prevent a hag from riding you. In hag rites a penny is not generally used, though we have copper in No.527, p.156, v.1.]
Entry 12755
Yo' could take a razor an' put it in de center of yore bed crossways. An' if yo' was angry with a person an' yo' couldn't git to them yourself, yo' could write their name [on a large sheet of paper] an' wrap this razor in it, an' put it in de center of yore bed crossways an' yo' go tuh bed on it that night. It be between two mattresses or either under one mattress on de springs. An' it would cause them tuh git cut. But yo' would- n't be doin' anything, yo' jes' be there only; but by his name being wrapped in dis razor, yo' could harm dem that way.
(How do you mean crossways in the bed?)
If it's a long razor...
[I interrupt and demonstrate.]
(Here's the bed. Do you put it this way or that way?)
Put it that way - crossways. (You put it across the width of the bed. That would cause them [him] to get cut?) Yes, yes. [There are other rites in HOODOO causing a man to be cut, shot, arrested, etc.]
Entry 12881
Why yo' take dis scorpion an' kill him an' care [carry]'in tuh a... Jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh kill a person, take dat scorpion an' some black guml powder an' Bone red pep per an' some graveyard dirt an' tie it dere. Put it on - git a chance tuh git inside his house an' let him sleep on it, an' he commence failing. De doctors [H. D.'s] couldn't do anything - ain't nuthin de doctors could do - unlessen be [patient] goes tuh a man dat knows somepin about it.
Entry 13432
Take fo' instance if yo' married an' yo' go out without yore wife, an' yo' done a misdemeanor, an' yo' tave a tendency to talk in yore sleep. Well, if you have done anything, well when yo' go to sleep an' begin snoring, why she kin put chure hand in a cold pan of water an' everything that chew have done, you'll tell it.