Subject:Snakeroot
Entries
Entry 1494
An' dis heah Sampson [or Sampson's] snakeroot, yo' take dat. Dey use Sampson snakeroot for any cunjuration - say Sarpson root overcome it. (How would they use that root?) Dey use dat root by making a tea out of it - yo' chew some of OR it an' yo' make a tea out of it. SAMPSON SNAKEROOT (That is to kill any poison that is in you?) It will kill the poison. [This plant is probably babroot or bab's-root, an aromatic herb (Psoralea peduneulata), southeastern U. S. A., the root said to have tonic properties.]
Entry 1565
De snakeroot - well, yo' take dat snakeroot an' yo' pulls it up by de roots an' yo' shake de dirt off it an' wash it. Well, yo' put hit into a bottle. Well, then you kin put whiskey on it - hit's good fo' most any kinda disease.
Entry 2621
You can get High John de Conker or Eve-and-Adam [Adam- and-Eve] or Sampson snakeroot and keep chewing it and spit- ting round and make de wishes and they say that'll keep de law from them. [See No.1494, p.480.]
Entry 3806
Somepin dat'll give a man all de courage he wants is snake- root. How would joo 'pare [prepare] dat? Jes' as it is, dry like it is now. Take it in yore mouth an' chew it. If your courage is not good, it will uplift it. It works direct through de kidneys.
Entry 4033
About de woman an' de bottle?
(Yes.)
Yeah. Well, her son wuz livin' wit dis woman, see, an' she wanted 'im tuh move 'way from dis woman - see, she wanted 'im to move. So she'd taken dis bot- tle, a pint bottle, an' she got some of 'is urine. She had 'i tuh - co'se he didn't know it, yuh see. She had a night-jar [any kind of glass jar used as a urinal] yuh see, an' she got some of 'is urine an' put it in dis bottle. An' den she went aroun' an' got snakeroot an' boiled it, an' she put some of dat in it, an' red peppah an' salt. An' she carried it to dis house 'bout one 'clock at night an' jes' made a wish dat he would move. An' he moved. She broke it in de vesti- bule.
Entry 4276
An' mah mothah when she wuz - used tuh settle wit a white man, he nevah come in dere 'till twelve or one a'clock, an' so she, well, didn't wan' tuh be dere dat late at night, yuh know, tryin' tuh settle wit 'im. An' so she tole a certain man dat came along [itinerant root worker] an' he tole her, says, "Well, now, ah tell yuh whut tuh do, if yuh wanta make him settle wit yuh, an' ah guarantee he'll settle wit yuh 'fore ten a'clock tuhnight." She say, "All right." He say, "Git chew some gunpowdah an' git chew a little han'ke'ch'ef, [and] dis Sweet Sachet Powdah - perfume, sachet powdah." An' he say, "An' den she'll [yuh'll] cook fo' him too" - she cooked fo' de white man - he says, "an' yuh sprinkle dat sachet powdah all aroun' dere. An' den yuh put some of dat gun- powdah in it an' put some vine - blacksnake root in dere." An' he say, "Yuh go on dere an' talk wit 'im." An' he said, "He'll ask yuh - yuh don't have tuh fuss eithah - settle right away." Well, she'd git dat an' she would sew dat bag on 'er. Dat's when I wuz small.
(Where did this happen? In what part of the country?)
"At was up here at Hollyville.
(That's in Mississippi?)
Campbellsville, yes sir, Mississippi. (I see. Well, she would put this snakeroot in this powder and just sprinkle it around? What did she do with it?) She would put dat sachet powdah all aroun' 'is plate-like - make de food smell good. She didn't put it in food. Well, she put dat othahs in a little bag, yuh know, dat [gunpowder] an' dat snakeroot-like - yuh know, dat blacksnake root, an' carried it [bag] in dere when she went on tuh urinate on it.
(She would urinate on it before she went in there?)
Yes.
(And she carried the bag?)
Yes, sir.
(Well, why wouldn't he settle with her except at those hours at night?)
Ah don't know, he jis' wouldn't do it. She'd go dere an' set an' set. She stayed wit 'im five years, an' whenevah he'd settle, she'd have tuh go dere an' set. He jes' wouldn't settle, jis' waitin' an' foolin' aroun'.
Entry 4277
Yuh take dis chamber lye an' set it, set it fo' 34 hours, see. An' yuh let it stay dere an' den yuh take it. Boil dis [John de] Conkah root an' boil dis snakeroot tuhgethah. Put de juice of dis snakeroot an' conkah root intuh dis chamber lye wit a tablespoonful of red peppah, tablespoonful of table salt. Stir it all up tuhgethah. Ef anybody come in dere an' yuh don't want 'em come in, when dey go out jis' throw it behin' 'em an' keep on like dat. Dey nevah come dere no mo'. An' yuh kin break a fellah's business up wit it. [This Conker root is really devil's-shoestring says infor- mant in 798:3, several rites preceding present one.]
Entry 5531
They say that if you take a rule and measure a [foot] track straight and then measure across, and take that same measurement and mark it out on a piece of paper, and take that paper and put a piece of cube root they call it, it grows mostly in Florida they say, and take that and the Sampson snakeroot and also Adam-and-Eve and 'coon root and High John the Conqu- er, and put that in with that paper, and then take that paper and put it so that it can be used under the head of the individual's bed, and by staying there for nine days in succession the individual begin to pine away and finally die. [Elizabeth City, N. Car. (182), 551:2.]
Entry 5640
Well, yo' kin take de dirt up out dere foot track. Yo' take dat up m' put it in a cloth an' den dey take salt an' [red] peppah, an' it's eithah Samson [snake root] or blacksnake root. Yo' take dat up an' put it all togethah, an' den wrap dat up, see an' dey bury dat. Put it in a bottle an' stop it up right airtight, an' dey bury dat. Dat'll make yo' stay.
Entry 6180
If yo' want 'em [to] stay, why dey git a lock of yore hair, see, an' salt, peppah an' blacksnake root or Samson [snakeroot] - it's one of dose root, an' wrap it in flannen cloth an' put it in a bottle an' airtight it, den bury it. Bury it undah de step of yore do'.
Entry 9150
What dey call tuh hoodoo de judge, dat mos' all of de bootleggahs in dis country use. Dere's a root - one of it is called de Virginia snakeroot [Aristolochia serpentaria] de othah one is called High John de Conkah, though both of dem roots is fine fo' medical purposes. But dey claim by takin' 'em an' roastin' 'em till dey powdah, pulverize 'em good, dat yo' kin place 'em in yore do'ways or ovah yore windahs an' always use de words, Judge ye not.
(Judge ye not?)
Judge ye not. If yo' in de co't at a trial, say yo' set dere an' jes' con- centrate yore min' on de judge all de time, while de case is goin' on, an' yo' repeat dem words, Judge ye not. Sprinkle a little of dat dust what's yo's [you has or you isl got from dose parched herbs aroun' wherevah yo're settin' at, an natch'ly [naturally] he can't. - no way dey kin convict yuh. He's gotta let yuh out.
(IS THAT OFTEN DONE DOWN HERE?)
DAT'S CONTIN'LY [CONTINUALLY] DONE HERE IN DIS PLACE, IT'S A DAILY PRACTICE. DERE'S SEV'RAL MEN RIGHT HEAH IN DE TOWN DAT DON'T DO A THING IN DE WORLD BUT STAY AROUN' DE POLICE COURT AN' DE CORPORATION COURTS FO' DAT PURPOSE. DAT'S ALL DEY DO. TACK A MAN DOWN AN' DEY LEARN WHAT HE'S IN DERE FO', DEY PREPARE IT AN' GIVE IT TUH 'IM. TELL 'IM WHAT TUH DO. GO IN AN' HE'LL HOODOO DE JUDGE DEN AN' GIT DISMISSED ON DOSE CHARGES.
Entry 12240
I would get me a snakeroot and I would put that in a piece of red flannel, and I would put that in my pocket, and I would get me a he John de Conkah, and I would take it and chew it, and I would spit it, just like I spit on this Way [demon- strates] on this side of him, and I would spit it in front of him, and I would ask him for a job. [A "he" John de Conkah is rare, this may be the only one. Is there also a "she?"]
Entry 13352
Dey git different root an' cork 'em down in a bottle an' bury 'em... (And bath water?) And - dat's right - and you bury 'em, and after you bury 'em you either stop up dere night water [or bath water] you understand, or dey git a pain in de head - sompin like dat. Dey cork dem dat way.
(I'm speaking now of the water you take a bath in.)
I understand. You mean de water that you taking washing in. Can't do nuthin [no hoodoo] wit dat.
(But this water, the night water?)
Dat it [you can do something with that] you kin bury dat.
(Well, what sort of root do you put with that?)
De' goes out and gits somepin dey calls snakeroot. Snakeroot for a pain in de stomach - sompin like dat. Yo' go roun' an' yo' gits cherry bark and chero- kee [cherokee rose?] you understand, and you bile [boil] dat together and yo' put dat together, de' fool around wit chew an' put dat in yo' water, yo' under- stand, an' dey'll cork dat bottle an' bury it.
(What do they do with the head after they cork it? How do you put it, down?)
[SORRY FOR THAT SLIP OF MINE!]
Turn de head down.
(I see. Do you leave the water run out or just tight?)
[I WAS STILL A LITTLE INEXPERIENCED AT CHARLESTON, BUT MY LEADING QUESTION IS IGNORED.] No, you have it fix so de water can't run out.
(I see, that will keep you from making water.)
Yes.