Subject:Urine/Human urine
Entries
Entry 3980
Now, yuh kin take certain chamber lye, an' if it's a man dat drinks, take de chamber lye an' put it in a - it's 'cordin' tuh who yuh wit [your pur- pose], yo' know. She kin whip yuh wit dat thin' or yuh kin whip 'er, yuh see. She gits some of 'er chamber lye an' put it in some whiskey an' let chew feast offa dat, it'll shuh [sure] draw yuh tuh 'er. An' if yuh wan'a draw 'er tuh yuh, yuh do de same thin' an' dat'll draw 'er tuh yuh. An' den she's jis' lak dat. Not only her, not only human bein'. Yuh kin take dat chamber lye an do de same thin' wit chickens an' hogs, if yuh got chickens or hogs dat dey won- dahin' [wandering] away from home an' won' stay at yuh home [see hog and water- melon story, 222, p.64]. Yo' feed yuh - yuh fill up dat stone [crock or small cement trough] wit chamber lye fo' yuh chickens an' dey keep right aroun' yuh do'step. Now, dat's been showed attention wit mahself [I know that from ex- perience]. Dey ain't gon'a go cross dat neighbor dere - ovah his yard. Dat yuh chamber lye.
Entry 9333
Well, de way dey tells me, an' ah have seen it did. Dey gits nine eggs.
(Nine eggs.)
Nine mawnin's. Yo' start 'fo' day in de mawnin', on a Tuesday, evah Tuesday. Yo' git up 'fo' day in de mawnin' an' take one-a [one of] dem eggs. Co'se yo' take de eggs, dem nine eggs, yo soak 'em in de chamber lye... [Here informant leaves chair and starts to demonstrate away from interviewing table and micro- phone. I often describe such demonstrations, but here I wanted a repetition of the words given before recording began.]
(Wait a minute! Will you come over here?)
[Informant returns to chair and repeats.]
Take nine eggs an' soak 'em in chamber lye, see. An' nine mawnin's see, 'fo' day, yo' take one-a dem eggs evah Tuesday mawnin' an' bust it ag'inst dat house. An' den yo' bust de last one, dat be de ninth egg an' dat be de ninth Tuesday. See. Well, in nine davs. ah'll betcha dey'll leave.
(I see. After the last egg has been thrown, then nine days later they'll go?)
"Fo' dem nine days latah. (Oh! I see.) [They will leave long before the 9 days!]
Entry 4010
[One cylinder later, preceding informant gives another version of the bluestone rite.] Take some chamber lye an' put some bluestone in it an' some saltpetah an' mix it up, an' jes' throw it undah yore step. an' all in front of yore [front] do', where yo' have to walk, an' roun' yore back do', an' dey say while dat down dey can't do nuthin to yo'.
combining chamber lye, bluestone and saltpetah before distribution. Keep the opening editorial one-cylinder-later/preceding-informant note and this distinct numbered version. The neighboring4009 citation says1077 while4010 says1007; no identity or citation repair is authorized here. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 4216
Dey takes de chamber lye an' stop it up in a bottle an' bury it undah de steps of de house at de no'th corner an' dat, yo' know, stops dere watah an' all.
Entry 4309
Take yuh urine watah an' throw it on de steps an' wash de po'ch off wit it, dey say, an' keep de law away. (Do many people do that?) Prak'ly [practically] all of 'em. Of co'se dese people up in dis district [where I was working in a black home] kin'a half respect- able, dey don't do it; but yuh take dat common class of people aroun' Second, Third and Fourth Street do it.
Entry 4012
Well, it's a powdahs dat ah have used but ah don't know de name of dat powdah. Dey use de chamber lye fo' two-three diff'ren' things.
(Tell me one of them first.)
Well, yo' kin take - if yo' kin ketch any of dey own, jis' lak, yo' know, dey go in a bucket at night. Well, yo' kin go dere an' git it. Yo' go dere an' git it an' boil it. Yo' gotta boil it thoroughly. Yo' take de white of a aig an break it in dere. An' yo' take de white of de aig an' let it stay in dere till it cook up, an' take it right back an' put it in a bottle. Take some Hearts Cologne an' po' in dere wit it, an' yo' go right back an' bury it right at de gate where dey have tuh walk ovah it.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat's fo' givin' people luck when stayin' at a house, where dey been in bad luck an' been havin' confusion.
Entry 11753
Yo' could take a person's urine an' take dere hair an' yore finger- nails, an' yo' parch de fingernails. An' yo' could put it in de [drinking] watah an' [also] put steel dust [in same drinking water] fo' 'em tuh drink it, an' yo' keep 'em. Use de hair from dey arm an' de hair from [pubic region] an de fingernails, an' yo' parch it. An' yo' put steel dust in it an' yo' could leave 'em drink it. But dere's anothah part 'fore ah explain dat. Yo' could turn it upside down an' yo' could git tuh a graveyard, turn it upside down in de graveyard an' make yore wish.
Entry 4066
Well, dey take dat - well, if dey git holt-a yuh fingahnail an' yuh hair, an' prob'ly maybe some-a yuh urinate, see. Well, dey stick 'em in a bot- tle an' dey bury dat in de groun', see. An' dat will do all de harm dey want. (What will that do for example?) Well, it will make yuh mindless.
Entry 1058
[The preceding informant's words somebody kin do somethin' tuh offset chew...if yo' don't do that are proved true in the following two rites.] Well, yo' take a man's watah an' yo' put it into a bottle - ketch it. Don't chew pee in it, leave him only pee dere hisself. An' when he pees yo' take it in a small bottle. Yo' don't have tuh have a big one, but see dat he don't spit in it or nuthin lak dat. An' yo' take that pee an' yo' put it in a bottle. Well, yo' buries that right by yore steps. That brings him home. [This is a bottle hand - see subsection Hands - used in love rites.]
(That brings him home. Keeps him home?)
Dat's right.
(Why wouldn't you get it, if he spit into this?)
De spit supposed tuh not - might be killin' outfit whut he could do. Yo' see whut ah'm speakin' of?
(That kills the power.)
Now a woman when she could do dat - she's tuh watch an' see if he does dat, but ketch him when he wouldn't do dat - yo' see, lak a man would make watah an' he would spit in it. Den yo' kin take a man's watah an' put nine needles an' nine pins in it, yo' see, into this watah an' bury it anywhere upside down an' he won't pee any mo'. Dat will kill him. [Retention of urine, perhaps most urological trouble, is caused by hoodoo.] [New Orleans, La., (1568) 2878:9.]
Entry 1615
You take a ten-cent piece an' you file it down to nuthin but dust. You take a pinch of sulphur, about a halfa teaspoonful of sulphur, an' you take this on your tongue. An' you take a swallow of your own water. Whoever the person is, now, they got to have their own water - you know, whoever it is urination, just enough to swallow. An' I'll guarantee that ever'thing you eat, that'll come right up, an' it'll come these little ants or anything. While that silver's in you, you never git nuthin - won't nobody kin ever put nuthin in you.
Entry 1616
[Urine is frequently part of a hand (see subdivision Hands) and often by itself a hand.] And if you got a backward child in school and you can't get him to go to school and can't get along with him in school, you just take some of his urine water that he urinate and wash the soles of his shoes with it and I'll betcha you won't have no trouble with him.
(He'll improve.)
And makes him go to school regular. Wash the soles of his shoes - just the sole, not the heel.
Entry 1619
If they try to harm you and you know dey Wanta harm you, you takes a ball of thread - spool of thread, put nine knots in it. Call three colored fellah - three white fellah - three any man names dat any man you call is a great liar, an' you puts knots in it. Ev'ry time you knot it, you pull de knot to you; but if you finish dat end, you fling the other end around and you pull that to you. You take dat and make yo' water on it - de night water on it yoreself for nine mornings and take it and tie it around yore waist. Nobody kin harm yuh. [Informant is one of 6 or 7 doctors interviewed in Charleston: "Tues., June 29, 1937 - Charleston, S. C.... San Mongain - (R.D.)- good - brought by [[doctor]] Glover" - Numbers Book 442-621. Several years later while checking his cylinders against the transcription, I added a comment to his number in Numbers Book,"(use with care)" - meaning some of his material was not too good.]
Entry 1749
She takes an' cut dat little bow out of de back of a man's hat, any- thing, an' she puts her urine, her water, in a bottle too. An' she gits a strand of yore hair if she can. If she can't git it, why den dat bow will do de same, cause it come from de back of yore haid an' yo' been wearin' it an' sweat. Jes' 'long as she gits somepin 'bout chew. An' she take an' put that in a bottle an a lil peppah, an' den wrap it up in a flannen cloth an' keep it in de flannen cloth an' carry it roun' with her, somewhere roun' 'bout her waist. An' yo' cain't git away.
Entry 1750
Whut a woman do tuh make him come back to her? Well, ah'm goin' tell yo' somepin. Ah've tried this mahself an' yo' see ah know whut ah'm tellin' yo' 'bout is strictly true - dis heah ain't no story. Mah husban' left me an' ah tell yo' whut ah did. He went away from home. Ah got him tuh come back. Ah save some of his urine, see. I hate to say this to You. Ah got some an' put it in a half pint bottle, an' ah got me a tablespoon fulla sugah an' put it in dis urine of his'n, an' ah buried it undah de steps. See, dis is true - ah know whut ah'm talkin' 'bout. Ah could git him right now if ah wanted him but ah don't want him. An' he come home an' tole me, said, "Honey, ah been treatin' yo' wrong, but ah wants tuh come back home tuh stay. I buried dis mahself right undah de do'step - ah had de pint bottle of his urine. See, he made it in de slop jar an' ah didn't urinate in it with him. An' yo' see, yo' have tuh take his'n off, an' ah put this tablespoon fulla sugah in dere, an' took an' buried it at de do'step, an' every mawnin' ah say, "Lawd, yo' know whut ah did. Ah did it, In de Name of the Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, an' hope all mah wishes come true in mah happy hour." An' he come home tuh me. Ah did that mahself, an' ah learnt it from anothah man.
Entry 4014
[Rites of bottled urine are many and scattered throughout HOODOO. In the present margin title I have placed a few not easily fitted in elsewhere. Among other bottle rites in this section on urine, see espe- Cially DRIPPING and SHAKING. Dey kin take yore chamber lye an' dey kin do dat jes' de same as dey did de [foot] track. Dey kin bottle dat up an' bury it. Jis' git a lit- tle speck of it an' perhaps cork it up in a bottle. Dat will cuz yo' to have some irritation from yore bladdah dat yo' can't urinate good.
Entry 4015
To stop 'em from makin' watah, yo' kin make 'em think it's a stone in dere bladdah an' kill 'em dataway.
(How do they do that with the chamber lye?)
Det take it an' stop it up in a bottle - it's de same thing, might as well say stop it up in a bottle - an' jes' bury it. Chew git to where yo' can't hole
[hold] yore watah.
Entry 4018
If dey kin git chure chamber lye, why dey kin stop yo' from - dey stop it up in a bottle yo' know an' it be jes' lak a man have de gravel, yo' know. Yo' have to go an' have yore thing open up.
Entry 4022
Yo' git a person's chamber lye an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up, it will stop 'em from makin' watah.
(Kill him?)
Yes sir.
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 4037
Well, de fingahnails, yo' kin be lucky on dem, so ah heah. But ah haven't seen anyone try it but ah jes' heard dat. Dey say yo' kin take yore fingahnails an' parch 'em an' put 'em intuh a lil' bottle an' ketch a man's watah an' run 'im pure crazy. (Well, what would they do with that water then?) Dey stops it up in de bottle. An' ketch some of 'is urinate an' stop it up on de fingahnails, an' dey say dat'll run 'im crazy as a bedbug, if he don't go tuh someone tuh take it off. His fingahnails an' 'is urinate.
(What do you do with the bottle when you stop it up?)
Yo' take it an' bury it undah de centah of yore do'steps.
Entry 4165
Take now, if yuh got a girl an' yuh likes 'er an' she don't like yuh much undahstan'. Yuh git a little bit of 'er hair. Well, yuh take an' make her trim 'er fingahnails, an' take a little of dat fingahnail an' yuh mix it up tuhgethah [with the hair]. An' if yuh kin, git jis' a little bit of 'er urinate watah an' put it in a bottle - a little vial. An' evah mawnin' yuh open dat bottle an' thump it nine mawnin's straight out, an' dat'll give her love fo' yuh.
(You do this to get the girl's love?)
Yes sir, ah've tried it mahself.
(You take the cork out and each morning you thump it. You hit it?)
Yassuh, nine mawnin's. Yuh hit it nine times evah mawnin'.
Entry 4166
If anybody put down anythin' fo' yuh, anythin' lak dat, yuh jis' take de chamber lye an' po' it all aroun' yuh house or in diff'ren' spots, or some- where yuh think it at. Say dat wuz good fo' thin's lak dat.
Entry 4197
[The preceding rite is here repeated 23 informants later:]
Take dey nurinate an' put it in a little bottle an' put nine spices an' nine cloves an' nine goldeye needles an' stop it up an dig a hole underneat' de back do'step an' bury it, an' dat will draw 'em to yuh.
(Whose urine do you put in there?)
Yuh kin put de othah person's in dere.
(What if you can't get it?)
Well, dere some way dey is - lak if it's a friend or sompin of yuhs.
(They get it for you.)
Entry 4201
Ah heard dat chew kin take nine needles an' nine pins an' some piece of 'is, or 'er chamber lye an' put it in a bottle. An' turn de - jis' put one pin dis way an' put one needle de same way, an' one needle up, p'int up, an' one pin de p'int up, instead of git de nine needles. But chew mus' put de p'int of de haid of de pin down an' de head of de needle down first, an' de p'int up of de needles an' de pins, un- til yh git de whole nine needles in dere, an' stop it up. An' take dat an' set it in a close place - in de closet or any place lak dat. Dat will keep 'll home.
Entry 4208
Dat stop 'is bladdah. Dey takes 'is urine an' put it in a bottle an' let it stay stopped up in dere nine days an bury it turnt down.
Entry 4255
Ef he leave home - go an' quit me fer somebody else - 'fo' [before] he leave home ah won't be dere, but ah'll jes' take his urine an' ah'll take dat an put it in a bottle. An' fer nine days, evah time he'll go off, ah'll jes' shake dat bottle three times lak dat [demonstrates] an' he'll soon come back.
Entry 4315
Grand Duke[?] or Green Pastures[?] or [?].
(Grand?)
[Informant could not name the oil.]
Grand - Green Grand - or - yeah, yuh take dat an' yuh put it in a bottle. Yuh set three bottles, jis' like yuh git one a dem cake flavor bottles. Yuh have tuh take three of dem. Yuh ketches 'er urine, see. Yuh ketches some of de filth, some of de filth what - jis' like if she goes in de night. de night. Well yuh take a spoon an' take some of de filth an' put it in one bottle, den yuh put some of de urinate in anothah bottle, den yuh takes 'er name. But yuh go an' git chew some of dis parchment papah which ain't no papah, but it's lambskin, but it's very thin. Yo' take dat lamb's skin, well, yo' pays 32c a foot fo' it [a good profit for hoodoo drug stores and mail- order houses during the Great Depression from a cheap quality of parchment paper]. Well, yuh cut yuh a piece jis' de length of 'er name, an' yuh take it aftah yuh've taken an' put dat urinate in one bottle an' de othah stuff, dat filth, in anothah bottle. An' yuh take some corn an' yuh takes 'er name an' yuh write it.
(You take some what?)
Yuh takes 'er name an' write it on dis parchment paper.
(You said corn?)
Yes.
(What kind of corn?)
Jis' common or'nary corn, jis' like if it be fo' chicken'feedin'.
(Oh, an ear of corn.)
Yeah, a roastin' ear of corn.
(I see. All right.)
Den yuh take dat an' yuh write dat name three times an' put it in each one of dose bottles.
(On a piece of paper you do that?)
Yes, parchment papah which it would be dis lamb's skin, see. Den yuh take it an' put it right at de cornah [center later] of de mattress.
(Now, wait a minute, what did you do with that corn?)
Yuh put it in dat urinate.
(Oh, all right.)
Yuh mix it in each one of de bottles, de urinate an' dat filth, an' den yuh put 'er name down in dere wit it, see. Den yuh take dat bottle an' yuh fix a little package, jis' like a little small package, two down an' one on top, any way yuh could git it in dat mattress, but put it where she won't nevah turn it ovah. An' yuh an' her would git along jis' like two children in de house dere.
(Make a package of those two bottles?)
Two bottles. Yuh see, yuh have two down an' one up on top of dem.
(Oh, you use three of those bottles?)
Yes, two of dem bottles.
(Two down and the third one on top?)
On top.
(All lying flat?)
Lay 'em down anywhere in de centah [formerly corner] of de mattress, an' yuh an' 'er will git along like two children in de house.
(What do you put that corn in there for?)
Well, dat's tuh strengthen it.
(What? Oh! that's to strengthen it.)
Yes, her urinate - long as de urinate dere, well, she nevah would leave from around dere. She will always be dere, be kind. But den, don't nevah stop up neither one of de bottles tight, yuh undahstan', becuz if yuh'd stop up debottle tight, dat would stop 'er urine from comin' down, see. Jis' take somepin like a papah stoppah, yuh know, jis' to ketch a little air, yuh know, jis' - an' yuh put it down, screw it down, she couldn't nevah go nowhere. Yuh an' 'er jis' at peace, jis' like two children.
Entry 4350
Take a bottle wit dey urine, of anyone, in dere. Yuh kin put dey names jis' de same in de bottle an' yuh'll go tuh de rivah. An' yuh'll say bad words an' yuh'll curse an' yuh'll throw dat ovah de lef' shouldah. Well, yuh see dey goin' crazy.
Entry 4459
Dey kin take yuh passage or yur urinate.
(That is your business, you mean?)
Yes, take dat aftah dey do it, while it's fresh, an' take it tuh a big hick- ory-nut tree an' bo' a hole in it, in de hickory-nut tree, an' put dat stuff in dere. Pack it. An' go git a li'le salt, cayenne peppah an' turpentine an' stop dat in wit it. Dat will lock yore bowels so dat yuh can't have no passage. Yuh feel lak yuh wanta do it. When yuh go tuh do it, it will burn yuh.
Entry 7054
De wife'll take de sage tea an' put it in a quart of watah, an' boil it down to a half a quart. An' she'll take some of 'er urinate, de amount of dat about half a teacup, an' po' dat in dere. An' sweeten it wit sugah an' syrup, jis' a li'le syrup, an' den yo' go tuh eat, dey'll po' some of dat in yer coffee. But chew don' know it. An' den dat'll turn yo' ag'inst whis- key, 'cuz evah time yo' drink it, it'll make yo' sick an' yo' can' keep it on yer stomic.
Entry 12007
If someone bottles your hair and urine with 9 new needles and 9 new pins, and buries it, it will run you crazy. [Newport News by Ediphone.]
Entry 12498
Nation sack is a private purse worn by some women - always con- cealed and untouchable by other hands - in which hands, mojohs, keepsakes and all sorts of treasures are carried. Both fol- lowing accounts came from resume's of another in- formants material before all her cylinders were lost - these original pencil copies attached: (l) "Take garlic and piece about a person (fragment from clothing of person you want to hold) and your urinate, keep it wet (keeping this cloth wet with own urine is called feeding it), keep in nation sack or pocketbook." (2) "Sulphur, red pep- per, put together and sugar and wear it in nation sack, can't do yo' no harm."
Entry 12891
I tell you how that is did. She takes some of his discharge, and use some kind of solution on it, and use it like dat and have you [a man] so you can't have no ambitions for her or no other woman. (What would she do with that?) Just take it and there some kind of solution that made up with some kind of root, some kind of root you go out and get. I know a old man out chere got some of it. And when she gets up she shake dat bottle.
(She puts the solution together?)
Puts the solution in with the urinate, and with this root and stop it up, and shake dat bottle every morning for nine mornings. And the tenth morning, instead of her shaking it, she throws it over her right shoulder and breaks the bottle. Then as she turns around, she turns to the right.
(She turns to the right?)
Turn to the right when she turns, and pick that up. Just pick up what's left, the roots and things of that kind, and takes 'em and wraps 'em up and places 'em away to some safe place.
(And what will that do to him?)
That will keep him from having anything to do with anybody. His use goes entirely away.
Entry 3554
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey take yore chamber lye an' if dey're still in dat house, yo' go to dere house. An' if yo' want to urinate, say, "Well, ah'm goin' to go to de bath- room." She give a jar to yo' an' yo'll urinate. She'll take dat an' as long as it contain no othah but yourn, she'll take it an' stop it up in a bottle. She'll take dat an' hide it somewheres. An' aftah she hide it somewhere on yo' [not on the man's person but about the house], yo'll find dat yo'll nevah be able [to have another woman] - she only. She take - aftah she gits yore chamber lye, she takes a string an' she'll measure yore private. An' aftah she git de length of yore private, den she take an' she make nine knots in it, drawin' to her evah time. Each time she draw a knot, it's drawin' it to 'er. Den she'll take an' she'll wear dis string aroun' 'er waist nex' to her skin, mo' so. An' den she'll take yore chamber lye an' hide it. She hide dis from yo' an' evah time yo' try to take intahco'se wit some othah woman, it drop. Yo' nevah can do it.
Entry 4053
Wal, if yuh wife runnin' out on yuh an' talkin' about leavin' yuh, yuh kin go tuh work an' take yuh watah. Jes' lak she'd quit yuh an' go, yuh kin take yuh watah an' 'er watah an' stop it up in a bottle, an' bury it undah de steps an' den she can't leave. She'll come back. Dat's one way.
Entry 4054
Yo' take dat an' stop it up in a bottle. (Take what?) chamber lye - pee-pee. Yuh take dat an' yuh stop dat in a bottle, an' turn it upside down an' bury it in de groun' undah a step, an' dat'll swell 'em up. Dey cain't make watah - till dey die.
Entry 4055
Ah have took dere chamber lye, yuh know, mine an' her'n togethah an put it in a bottle, an' place it up ovah yore head - do'. An' den she will mos'ly [mostly] always be at home, yuh know, when yuh come in. An' den she would har'ly have any dealin's wit any- body cuz long as dat up ovah de do', yuh know, her mind on yuh.
Entry 4058
[The general reader may not know that dripping is an important magic rite in folklore, the magic of various types of occurrence: continual, occa- sional, interrupted, regu- lated, etc. The best-known examples are probably the burial of an article where water from the eaves drip on it - see FACI, 1st ed. 362, p.14, rain-making rite; 847, p.34, divination of crop year; 4124, p.195, 4239, p.203, wart cures.]
(How would they do that?)
Dey jis' git aholt of some of yuh chamber lye an' put it in a bottle an' put yuh a little trench in dat bottle stoppah.
(Put a little trench in the stopper?)
Yes, sir, where it yuh know, it won' run but it'll drip. An' yuh put dat bottle in a tilted position where dat kin drip an' drip an' drip. An' yuh'll become - git tuh de place where yuh cain't har'ly do anythin', lak a man do uhen he gits fixed [hoodooed or witchcrafted] you know. An' fin'ly dat all drips out. Well, if it molts [molds] in dere an' de molt [mold] gits ovah dat hole, an' it quits drippin' an' it stops de hole up, it stops yuh urine. He don' urinate no mo', unless he gits somepin done. An' yo' know a man don' have tuh miss doin' dat long befo' he dies.
Entry 4063
chamber lye is fo' all diff'ren things. Well, all right. Say fo' in- stance now, if yo' got a woman dat chew wanta 'er an' she's gone away from yo', an' she iis' come tuh yore house - ah mean at night dat way. Well any- hah, chew take yore slop jar an' set yore slop jar on de side of de bed, an' let 'er urinate in dat slop jar. Undahstan', she urinate in dere. ARE YO' GONA LET DESE BOOKS BE PRINTED CHERE?
[Same informant asks similar question elsewhere in text.]
(No, no.)
[All my informants, especially people known to be professional workers, were told I was writing a book - a book to them meaning a paperback hoodoo manual like the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses or Albertus Magnus. I was out in the field to learn from experts like themselves. This will partially explain why I was talked down to so much! At least I hope the reason was not, they had to talk down to me!] Well, she urinate in dat slop jar. Well, when she urinate in dere, yo' go down tuh de sto' an' git chew a nickel worth of whole grain black peppah. Don' git dis groun' peppah. An' yo' git chew a little vial an' po' her urinate, jis' about dat much [demonstrates] in dat little vial. An' den yo' put nine grains of black peppah in dere, see. Den yo' take yores an' put yores in dere on top of hers. See, dat's holdin' 'er down.
(Some of your urine?)
Yeah, put hers in dere firs' an' yores las'. Put dat nine grains of black peppah down in dere on dat. Den yo' git chew a little stoppah an' cut [demon- strates] one trench lak dis an' one trench dataway, yo' know so it'll ketch air. An' den yo' take dat an' bury dat undah de steps wit de mouth comin' dis way [demonstrates].
(With the mouth coming toward the house.)
She can't leave yo' tuh save her life.
Entry 4067
Yuh take some of dey fingahnails or toenails an' put it in a bottle wit some of yuh urinate an' keep it in yuh trunk or somewhere. Dat will cuz [cause] 'em tuh love yuh - be sweet on yuh. (Well, if some woman was doing that to me, would she take my fingernails or her fingernails?) Well, if she wanted yuh tuh love huh, she would take yuh fingahnails.
(And put it with my urine or hers?)
Yuhs.
(She would have both things from me?)
Yeah.
(And keep them?)
Yeah.
Entry 4176
Yuh take a person's chamber lye, takes seven nails. Yuh put three fo' dat person dat chew wanta use yuh Way. Git a Coca-Cola bottle. Jis' three nails yo' turn de points up - dat's de person dat chew wanta git chure way, an' de fo' nails dat's yo' - as a rule yo' turn dem lak dat in de chamber lye. An' den yuh stop it up wit a cork stoppah real tight. Den yuh set it in yore trunk where it can't be seen, or anywhere roun' de house where it can't be seen. An' as long as yuh hol' dat yuh got dat man.
(Whose chamber lye do you put in that bottle, his or yours?)
His, nobody but 'is. But chew remembah three nails down, name 'em, dat's de man; an' de fo' nails up, dat yuh. Dat's providin' it wuz a woman, an' 'vidin' it wuz a man. De one dat's workin' it tuh come dere way, dey must be on top.
Entry 4177
De chamber lye - yuh takes dis chamber lye an' put it in a jar an' git chew eight nails. Yo' turn fo' of 'em haid down an' fo' haid up. De down head is de woman, an' up is de man. Dat will break dem up. Yuh bury it right undah dey steps where yuh [they] kin walk ovah it.
(Well, whose chamber lye do you use?)
Use de man only. If yo' de man's wife, use de man only. If ah has a husban' an', yuh see, he's goin' wit anothah woman. Ah take his nurine an' put it in a jar wit eight nails, fo' nails haid down an' fo' up, an' close it up good in a jar tight. (What do those nails rep- resent now, what do they represent?) Dose fo' [down] de woman an' dose fo' up represent de man. Yuh take an' put de top on it tight, seal it tight, an' yuh take it an' go dig a deep hole an' yuh bury it. Den yuh covah it up real good, dat he may leave, go roun' 'er no mo'. He'll stay home.
(You don't call their names or anything like that?)
Don't call dere name.
Entry 4181
Dey stop yuh watah.
(How do they do that?)
See, dey take yuh chamber lye an' put it in a bottle. Dey'll take yuh chamber lye an' dey'll' put it in a bottle, an' den dey'll take an' put yuh name in dat bottle - put it in dere. Den dey'll take an' dey'll stop dat bottle up tight - tight - tight. An' dey'll git some hot pepper an' put it in dat bottle. An' yuh see, den dey'll take an' stop dat bottle up tight an' bury dat bottle upside down. You see? An' dat stops yuh watah up - stop yuh from peein' an' gives yuh a gripe from all ways in yuh stomik. An' yuh can't pee good.
Entry 4184
[More calZing rites will be found later under SHAKING BOTTLED URINE.]
Well, in de night when yo' go tuh baid, ah wouldn't use no slop jah [jar] at all, see. Jes' lak ah wanta trick a gal, ah would let she [not her] urinate intuh dat jah, see. Ah'd git me a bottle an' ah'll put some her urinate in it, see. Dat's all ah want, de urinate, an' ah don' wan' nuthin else. Ah'll git dat urinate an' put it intuh a little vial bottle. An' aftah ah git de urinate, ah'll call 'er an' ah'll git 'er voice. Git 'er voice an' 'er urinate in dat bottle. An when ah call 'er an' she answah, why ah'll jes' put dat stoppah in dat bottle. An' why? Ah got 'er urinate an' 'er voice, see. An' she can't jes' left me fer nuthin in de world. [While machine turned off, informant tells about care of bottle.]
(And you carry that around? Tote it around?)
OR YO' KIN LEAVE IT AT HOME, BE ALL RIGHT; EITHAH TOTE IT AROUN' WIT CHEW. IF YO' TOTE IT AROUN', WHY SHE'LL HOUND JOO TUH DEATH. SEE, IT BES' TUH LEAVE IT AT HOME.
Entry 4185
See, yo' kin take a man's chamber lye, yo' undahstan' me, an' yo' kin put it in a bottle, an' yo' kin git 'if lef'-foot track, an' yo' kin git jes' a little tiny bit of powdah'd alum an' put dat in dere, an' yo' kin git a table- spoonfulla yores. (Of your what?) Of yore - yo' undahstan' me, yeah, of yuh chamber lye. An' yo' could step in one room an' let 'im be in anothah, an' yo' could call 'im. An' when he an- swah yo', jes' stop it up tight. An' bury it tuh de back steps or de front steps, an' dat will always keep 'im wit chew. Ah know dat mahsel' [myself].
Entry 4187
Me, fo' mahself, dis whut wuz tol' me tuh do: tuh git two needles, two bran'-new needles, an' put urine in de bottle, mine. Put it in a li'le bottle 'bout dat long, jis' big enough tuh hol' dem needles, yuh know, an' - ah kin go an' git dat an' show it tuh yuh where it's right dere now in mah trunk, ah kin show yuh - dat [2 needles and urine in bottle] an' some red peppah an' some salt an' some spice. An' put it all in a bottle an' stop it up tight, an' wear it on yuh. Dey said da' chew go tuh any man or any woman an' secure a job, see. Well dat somepin tuh git money.
(WHO TOLD YOU THIS?)
SOME OLE FORTUNETELLAH FELLAH DAT HANG AROUN' MAH HOUSE RIGHT - SEE AH LIVE UP DE HILL DERE.
(DID IT HELP YOU?)
NAW, AH DON'T SEE DAT IT BENEFIT ME ANYTHING.
Entry 4330
Ah heard dat yuh could take a person's urinate an' stop it up in a bottle airtight, an' go an' bo' a hole in a maple tree an' put dat bottle in dere. Stick it in wit de stoppah in dere tuhwards de tree, until it gits tuh de heart of dat tree. An' den go den an' saw off a piece of hick'ry. Yuh know hick'ry's hard. An' when yuh do dat, why yuh take an' jam it in dat hole. Wedge it in dere airtight so de air can't git tuh it. An' dat will bust dere bladdah. Ah heard dat.
Entry 4332
Bury yuh hair down in a bottle an' dey kin turn aroun', dey kin go. Jis' like yuh live off in de country-like - yuh understand, off at de edge of town, say. Well, dey take it atop - right up chere [demonstrates], de mole of yuh haid. Dat's de part right chere dey wants - see, dat's de mole of yuh haid [demonstrates]. Dey kin take dis an' take a - jis' about three stran' of it, dey wants. An' take dat an' stop it up in a little small bottle, an' put up some holy water an' a little urinate an' things up in it. Yuh own urinate now. Kin take yuh own urinate an' po' it up in dere. Jis' like yuh git up in de mawnin' an' leave yuh wife. Well [she] go on aftah de chambah [you used] an' [get the] thing [urine] herself. An' she pour dat out dere herself, see. An' [she] kin go, jis' like dey got a ole tree. She kin dig a hollah right down side of de tree an' bury dat [threefold mixture] an' I guarantee when dat thing rotten out, yuh'll die.
Entry 4336
Now, if ah don't want 'im, ah'm gonna turn 'im loose an' let 'im go. Now, if de woman [that had this man] done did me so bad, know what ah'll do? Ah'll try tuh git one of mah frien's tuh git some of 'er urinate tuh stop it [up] tuh try tuh kill 'er, if ah wan' tuh kill 'er. Ah don' wan'a walk up an' kill 'er; but kill 'er, yuh know, through hoodoo. Take her urinate an' put it in a bottle. Ah'll go tuh a peach tree, a tree what bears peaches, on de sunset side dat is. Put it dere when it saps. An' as it goes up, dat'll make her have cramps all in de stomic an' she'll wan' tuh urinate. She'll jis' do a drop. Well, she'll go tuh de doctah. She'll see de doctah [M.D.] an' de doctah will say somepin ail 'er bladdah. Hit's not dat, hit's me done tied er up wit 'er urinate.
Entry 4481
[While my machine was stopped, informant mentioned bath water.]
(What can you do with that?)
Well, dey kin take [bath water] an' put it in a bottle an' go tuh a green tree. What I mean by a green tree, when de sap is runnin'. Understan'? An' put it in dat tree, stop it up in dere jis' de same as takin' dere urine an' do de same thin'. Or if dey make a passage [of excrement], do de same thin'. An' dey'll pale yuh away jis' dry yuh up, yuh see. Jes' a slow death from mah undahstan'in'.
(They use your bath water the same way?)
[This question is to make certain the word bath water was recorded.]
Yes sir.
Entry 13354
They put your urine in a bottle, stop it up, and bury it "to de north corner of de world, your stomach will swell up or "you can't make no water."
[Washington, D. C. 823:3.]
Entry 13355
They bottle your urine, write your name 3 times on paper, put in bottle, and bury at front door where you walk over it. You will suffer with ailments. [Washington, D. C. 827:7.]
Entry 13357
If a woman bottles some of a man's urine with gunpowder and sweet milk, and sits it in a corner, she has him cornered as long as she wants him.
[Norfolk 491:2.]
Entry 13361
If a man bottles his own urine and buries it under his own doorstep. any man coming to the house during his absence will become impotent if he cross- es that door. [Snow Hill, Md., 9:6.]
Entry 13384
Yo' know, your makin' water, yo' know, an' keep it in slop bucket overnight. An' then po' it aroun' an' nobody can do anything towards yuh.
[Richmond 391:2.]
The informant describes keeping 'makin' water' in a slop bucket overnight and pouring it around, with a claim of protection.
Entry 13388
Bottle your own urine and bury it at steps to keep away unwanted per- son living in house or visitor from coming back. [Charleston 556:9.]
The printed instruction names one's own urine in a bottle buried at steps, with a stated aim of keeping away an unwanted resident or returning visitor.
Entry 12899
Well, you take flour dough. Understand, take flour dough - take a little urinate tha' choo use [to work the dough]. An' let that dough dry out whare [where] you kin grind it into a powder-like. Then after you are outside [your house], gone away from your home - do you know the dog burs? Have you ever heard tell of dog burs? It's a little sharp bur.
(A little bur that sticks in you?)
[Dog bur is the hounds-tongue, "a coarse weed (Cynoglossum officinale)having tongue shaped leaves and reddish flowers succeeded by nutlets covered with barb- ed prickles."] That's right. Put 5 burs inside of that dough with that [urine] and then when you go out, why you gon'a take that [dough] and lay it under the bottom of your steps. There's no man will fool wit your woman while you're gone.
The informant says 'a little urinate tha' choo use'; [urine] is a separate editorial identification. The preparation and control outcome remain source claims.
Entry 13358
Yo' take it [urine] an' put it in a bottle an' throw it in de rivah, a runnin' stream. He go wit de wind.
(You put his chamber lye in that bottle?)
Yeah. [New Orleans (1560) 2882:4.]
[Urine] is editorial; the interviewer asks about his chamber lye and receives Yeah. Disposal and departure remain source claims.
Entry 13383
If you take a swallow of your own urine occasionally: "they can't git up to you for any cunjure or evil." [Mobile 968:9.]
The conditional statement names 'your own urine.' Its quoted protection from cunjure or evil remains an unverified source claim.