Subject:Sweat
Entries
Entry 1581
Sweat - frequently used in the form of soiled clothes for rites of love or bodily harm - does not occur often in cures or protection.] Well, jes' lak now yo' figure somebody dey done hurt chew or somepin an' yo' have pains, well yo' git up dat mornin' befo' sunrise an' git chew some water out de well an' drink it befo' it curify yo' know. An' yo' turn toward de east an' run yore hand down, yo' know, an' look toward the east an' spread yore hand - yo' know, smell yore hand an' look toward de west, look toward de north, an' look toward de south like that. While yo' doin' it an' smell yore hand jes' lak dat. Yo' won't have nary another pain.
(That will get rid of that pain?)
Yes sir.
[The implication without demonstration was sufficient for my comment:]
(You run your hands under your privates and smell them each time you look toward the four directions. And you should drink some of this water out of the well before what?) Befo' de sun rise, befo' it curify, yo' know. Draw it up an' drink it right den.
(Before it what? Curifies? What does that mean?)
Well, yo' know, dat means jes' lak yo' - jes' lak fresh water yo' know.
(While it is still fresh?)
Don't let it set no time - jes' draw it up an' drink it right den - dat's whut ah mean. [I think he is trying or means to say purifies = pure, fresh - don't let it stand. Water left standing overnight, for example, is dangerous (No. 76, p.32.)] (And after you drink that water, then you rub your hands between your legs and smell them and put them in the four directions.) Every time you look in a direction you turn an' smell yore hands an' look right straight up, yo' know.
(And that will take away any pain you have?)
Yes.
Entry 3279
Den yo' kin take anothah woman if yo' wanta make her love yo' - yo' see, yo' kin have dealin's wit 'er. In othah words, yo' wear yore hanscuff roun' yore neck all day long an' let it git good an' sweaty. An' when it git good an' sweaty, an' den yo' have dealin's wit dis woman, yo' take dat hanscuff an' wipe. An' den yo' take some watah an' yo' put dat hanscuff down in de watah an' squeeze it out. An' den yo' put dat in a bottle an' keep it in yore pocket all de time, an' she'll come to love yo' an' she wouldn't have no dealings wit no one else. See, all of dem t'ings [things] ah have, yo' know, sperienced [experienced] it - ah done it mahself.
(This handkerchief you use to wipe both yourself and her?)
Yourself an' her, an' den yo' put it in some water an' den you squeeze dat water out.
Entry 4297
Well, dere's some piece of yuh [a man's] clothes she kin git an' wash 'em tuhgethah wit hers, an' take de suds offa dat watah an' she kin stop it up in a bottle. An' she kin take a little bit of it, an' if she kin git a holt of a little bit of 'is urine, an' she kin git dat an' stop it up in dere, shut it up tight, purtty soon he'll come back.
Entry 4682
Dey kin take dat, take dat bow from mah hat, if anybody git holt of it, lak dat [shows his hat]. Yuh see, dere it's hot now. Yuh see ah'm sweatin'. Sit down dere, yuh undahstan', an' takin' a knife an' scrape it outa dere, jis' lak dat, an' take all dat dirt an' sweat out of dere tuhgethah, an' git it outa dere till dey git quite a nice bladeful. Git about a knifebladeful out de bow of de hat, yuh undahstan'. An' yuh take dat an' yuh go tuh work, yuh undahstan', an' go tuh a tree an' digs yuh a hole in dere. Gits yuh somepin othah tuh gouge yuh a hole in dat tree lak dat dere. An' den take dat knife an' wipe dat thing off on a li'le piece of rag, an' take an' shove it back in dere. An' git chew a stoppah, make yuh a peg tuh fit dat hole an' drive it in dere. Drive it in dere tight jis' lak dat. Yuh kill 'em, bash it - hit ovah 'is haid.
(That gives him a bad headache and kills him?)
Kill 'im.
Entry 4873
Take de socks befo' dey wuh washed an' put de socks in a box an' bury de socks. An' as de socks grow old an' bein' buried - as yuh will be cuz'd [caused] trouble in yuh feet, or yuh legs an' yuh dog luck [dog tired], or knees, see. Wha' choo might would call rheumatism, see. By some parts of wha' choo might call sweat tuh be buried in dat. Dat's some part from us, yuh see.
Entry 5240
Dey kin take - if yo've wore yore shoes an' got 'em good an' sweaty, dey git chure feet dirt from it an' de scent of yore feet lak dat. An' dey kin take dat an' weah it aroun' 'neath of dere waist an' thing lak dat, an' put some of dis oil of cedah in it, an' make de person follah dem an' ca' [care] mō' [more] fō' dem den dey do any- body else. Jis' lak dey would take dere hair outa dere haid... (You mean they wear it around their waist?). Right nex' tuh dere skin lak dis. An' dey puts it in a bandage an' puts it nex' tuh dere skin, an' put dat oil of cedah tuh it, an' weah it night an' day aroun' dere waist nex' tuh yore skin.
Entry 6027
If yo' kin git a stran' of hair out of a person's haid, out from de top of de haid, yo' git a stran' of dere hair. An' take dat an' git nine nee- dles an' nine pins, an' yo' git a piece of red flannel, an' git some lodestone, an yo' could git some of dere sweat - perspiration yo' know - on a piece of cloth, a bran'-new piece of cloth, an' put it in dere. Stick dem pins in dere, stick 'em cross dis way. Stick 'em cross lak dat [demonstrates].
(Like making a cross - X's.)
Dat's right. Stick dem pins in dat piece of cloth, if it don' be but jes' a small piece of it, jes' so it be's dat perspiration on it. An' yo' stick dem pins in dere an' lodestone an' dat anvil dust. Anvil dust keeps de lodestone live. An' put dat in dere an' put dat hair in dere in dat thing [cloth] an' sew it up [into a bag], an' yo' kin have a person most anywhere yo' want 'em.
(What do you do with that?)
Jes' carry it [bag or package] in yore pocket. Yo' carry it reg'lah fo'about eight or nine days, an' whenevah yo' takes it out of yore pocket, yo' put it ina real pahtic'lah place where no one will bothah it but chew. An' dat will rule a person.
Entry 6379
Dey say a woman, eithah a man, if dey want dey husban' or dey wife tuh stay home. Yo' take yuh fingahnails - trim yuh fingahnails, trim de toenails an' wash undahneath each one of yore arns an' if dey drink likkah, put it in likkah an' let it set fer three days. Don' let 'em see it. Jis' conceal it somewhere. An' dey say dey would nevah leave, jis' hang right aroun' dere - stay home.
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 7225
[This woman was called Humpadee [= Hwmpty] without the Dumpty because of her great size. As an unconscious defensive mechanism, she laughed from the moment she entered the room until she left. Hers was an agile mind. Later I would meet two women of similar size: A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE (No.1257) in Savannah, Ga., PP. 1268-1276, and THE LAUGHING DOCTOR (1125) of Waycross, Ga., Pp.1470-1500.] She kin take de milk outa huh breast an' when he come in fah [for] eatin' food, joo know, she jis' put dis right in 'is coffee or in 'is tea, an' make a wush [wish]. Well, afo' [= afore = before] she do it, she got tah take an' grease huh dis rag - listen at me good - grease huh dis rag in lahd [lard] w'ah [what] she cook wit. Den aftah greasin' in lahd, she gota rub it undah huh lef' ahm [arm]. Git all dat stench from undah 'eah [heah] wipe de cup wit it. Den aftah she wipe his cup out, den she milk 'uh breast in 'ere, jis' put so many drops
[number not given]. Dat'll make him love huh an' keep 'im dere [in her house]
too. [Richmond, Va., (404), 358:9.] [For 2 other rites of hers, see No.1338, p.453, and No.1711, p.521.]
Entry 8577
Yo' could take a silk stockin' dat anybody's used an' had dey sweat on it, an' go tuh de fo'k of de road at twelve a'clock at night an' bury it. Yo'll take a brand-new pocket han'ke'ch'ef, any kin' dat a person is got dat sweat on, an' yo' kin put dere name down wit it an' tie it up nine times, an' bury it right at de fo'k of dat road at de hours of twelve a'clock at night. (What will that do?) Whut dat do? Well, dat's if yo' wants tuh do a person harm. Yo': see, dat's whut dere sweat take, any- thing dat have been used. But chew kin git de new pocket han'ke'ch'ef, an' dey don' have tuh use it, an' git dere name an' yo' kin do 'em harm.
(You tie that handkerchief nine times.)
Yo' tie it nine times lak dis. Say fo' instance if dis is de han'ke'ch'ef. Well, if yo' wanta do anythin' an' yo' wanta do anybody harm, yo' don' bring it to yo', yo' bring it from yo'. See, an' evah time yo' tie it, lak yo' take de end of de pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' yo' tie it once. Yo' have dat one piece of papah dere wit de names on dere. Yo' take an' put anothah piece 'cross dat an yo' tie it ag'in, until yo' make dem nine. Git de han'ke'ch'ef big enough dat chew kin make dem nine knots. An' yo' buries hit. Nine pieces of papah wit de name on it.
(The name of the person on each piece of paper written once.)
See, until yo' put nine pieces of papah, an' each piece of papah wit de knot. An' yo' bury it.
Entry 8808
Oh, yes, dey kin take yore han'writin' so dey says. Take yore han'writin' an' drow it [see No.8836]. An' aftah dey git it, dey steam it, take it, some sort ovah steam, jes' lak yo' boilin' sompin, take it an' steam it. An' dey takes dat an' bury it. If yo' don' lak or yo' lak 'em - eithah one - dey kin take it an' git rid of yo' eithah way.
(If they don't like me what do they do with that?)
Well, if dey don't lak yo', yo' see, dey jes' git rid of yo'. If dey don' wanta kill yo', dey kin git rid of yo'. Jes' take it, yo' know, an' tie it up or burn it up.
(What will that do to you?)
Dat jes' throw yo' mind offa dem, so yo' don' care fo' dem.
Entry 8869
Handwriting is one of the easiest things to get if you want to harm any person, for the simple reason that your hand must press against the paper. THAT IS WHY I EMPHASIZED THE SWEAT AND THE OIL FROM THE SKIN IS THE EASIEST THING FOR "HOODOO" TO WORK WITH. I know a girl that got a letter Sith powder or something all over the letter and her hand shook like that, like she had nervous trouble, and they got a doctor for her. [Fredericksburg, Va., cylinder 54.]
Entry 8870
If a man leaves home an' a woman wants him back, dat's whut chew mean. Don't chew write him yo'self, but chew find out from some of yore personal friends. Git 'is personal friends tuh write him, jis' lak yo' know dey interested in hearin' from 'im. All right, she goin' take dat lettah, undahstan', an' den she goin' 'erself [put] some of 'erself intuh de lettah.
(What do you mean? What part of herself?)
She goin' put de sweat of 'erself.
(From her privates. All right.)
Yes sir, all right. She ain't goin' put it on de lettah, un'ahstan', she gon'a rub it in de envelope. See, if yo' rub it inside de envelope, it ain't gon'a har'ly [hardly] soil de lettah. He ain't gon'a notice it. He ain't gon'a teah [tear] dat envelope open, see. An' den he gon'a weah dat lettah, see, an' den 'is whole heart an' mind will fall right back tuh 'er, an' den he comin'. Yo' undahstan'.
Entry 8937
To keep a dog from interfering with you, take a piece of biscuit or a piece of bread and wear it under your arm, then take that to any man's house, no matter how bad his dog is, give him that piece of bread, any hour of the night, and he will eat it, and you can go there and he won't do anything.
Entry 8938
Yo' go an' git some - his [one of thief'sl han'ke'chef. Dat [handkerchief] chew wipe yer sweat wit, an' put some cologne on it. Wrop 'em [handkerchief] up tight. Wrop 'em up in yer han' an' dat will 'fect chew [the thief].
(Well, how can you do it, if you don't know who stole those articles?)
[Informant ignores or does not understand my question.]
An' when yo' go tuh dis court, yo' start tuh wipe yer face wit it.
(But what about the person that steals something from you?)
Well, dat would be de same.
(Well, how would you know that this is the person that stole it from you?)
Becuz he be roun' yo', he come tuh yo' an' pick talk wit chew, an' ast [ask] chew: Ain't chew lost sompin? Yo' say, Yes.
Entry 12342
Yo' take an' yo' gets a piece of cloth about four inches square each way, an' yo' take [he and she] lodestone an' mash it together. An' den yo' get yourself, take some of your own perspiration, yo' know, an put it in dere - dampen it. Yo' kin take de end of a piece of your own clothes an' put in dere an' fold it together. Fo' instance, if yo' got a piece of silver money, yo' kin take a piece of your sil- ver money an' put it in dere. It will be a piece about dat wide an' about dat high [very small size] an' yo' take dat an' sew it to de inside of yore under- clothes - under your arm, under your right arm. An' yo' wear dat dere fo' three days. An' yo' don't feel no 'fect from dat until de third day, an' den yo' be- gin to see it. Den after de third day yo' kin go in any gambling game or any kind of winning game yo' wanta, an' yo'll win money.
Entry 12932
Ah knows dat's all right about de shoes. Jes' say if yo' an' a woman wus in love tuhgether, an' by some means dat chew think dat dis woman is not de right woman fo' yo', an' yo' wants tuh git loose from her, yo' put on yore shoes an' jes' git out an' valk. Walk fast. Yo' know dat chure feet will perspire but not smelly. Pull den shoe off an' po' some wine in 'em an' drink dat wine. Dat'll separate yo' an' her. [For another drinking-out-of-shoe rite, see 12896, p.4412.
Entry 13283
Ah have heard a story of where a lady take a biscuit, yo' know, an' wear it undah her arm, jes' fo' de night ovah [overnight] an' take it an' crumb it up in a platter. Den put it in a buscuit dough an' feed her husban' with dat. Make him stay home.
(Wear it under the arm?)
Unah her arm.
(Under her left arm?)
[This is not a leading question. I merely restart maching to add a statement. Many examples in HOODOO.]
(And she will mix it into what?)
Mix it into othah flour dough, lak when she git ready to make her biscuit... (Just take an old cold biscuit and wear it under her arm...)
Entry 13284
If yo' girl fren' happen to leave yo' lak dat, yo' jest follow her fo' a couple of days - follow her up, den yo' go to de drug store an' git chew some of dis heah Beechnut Gum [trade name chewing-gum]. Get some Beechnut Gum an' take it. Yo' take dat gum an' roll it up in yore hand jest lak dis heah [demonstrates]. Roll it up an' wear it to yo' - close to yore skin. Wear it dere an' jest sometime yo' be talkin' - talk- in' 'long wit her. Well yo' say, "Well, have some of dis heah." Break it off a piece an' jest give her a piece of it. An' den yo' natchly [naturally] goin' tuh co't her an' yo' git her back in a minute.