Subject:Walk
Entries
Entry 2332
Anyhow, I went for a job - I needn't tell de names - I went for a job and de job was pile drivin', you know at de wharf on a pile driver, and I asked de man did he want to hire a man. He looked at me and he says, "Yes, go 'board of de driver dere." I walked round dis man with my means on me three times and he hollered 'board dis driver - holler 'board [to] de captain of de driver, 'Here's a man I'm goin' to send you." "I don't want him," [answered the captain]. I walked around him third time. He says to me, "Go on walk aboard dere," he says, ''dat is my driver." I went off aboard and I says - he asked me, the captain did, asked me, "You ever been on a driver before?" 'No, sir." "Well, what de hell good are you here?" I says, "This driver is on water and I'm a waterman from your heart." All right.
(A waterman from where?)
From his heart. He say, "Well, if you stay here, I find you out." All right. All at once de harmer fall - broke. Dat dat pulls dat big hammer up - it broke. He told a man he had dere with him, "Mike a'go up - Pete," he said, "and put dat cord together." He went up dere. "An' take dis fellah on with you" - dat's me. "Take dis fellah up along with you," told him, "help you hold it." He took me along with him. And I went up dere - harmless, you know, don't know nuthin now. All right, I hold it for 'im. Presently, I see dey was doin' it wrong - dat dey were strikin' it wrong. I says, "Pete, if I was you, I wouldn't put it together like dat." The captain says, "Turn it." over to him and see what he kin do with it." I took it and I holds it together just like it ought to be, you know, be- cause I been a sailorman all de time. I'm a rigger. I took it and I put it to- gether and come on down. He says, "I rated you at $1.50 a day but," he say, "now I'll give you as much as I'm givin' the other men. That's $2.50." "Yes, sir - thank you, sir." Now, puttin' that [cord] together caused dat. Oh! And den the boss come down [to the driver], the head boss, the one that I hired my- self with, you know - dat [boss] settin' off dere - wit my tricks dat I done had around me. I got in de favor of him with my tricks [such as circumambulating him], and he made me go up aboard dere. So, I don't know nuthin about what somebody else do outside of myself. I done that.
(Well, now what else did you do when you walked around him?)
I had cologne root, the kind of a trick I had for to gain him. I had cologne root. [Cologne root is your favorite root in cologne.] I had dis root into a bottle and I 'n'int myself with it - had pure cologne with it, you know, with this root, and I 'n'int myself with it and jes' de scent of it made him do dat. And I walk around him - you know when a fellow talkin', you know, he walking aroun', some of 'em, any old time, and I was walkin' around talkin' with him, you know, lookin' at dese here big pipes standin' six foot high, walkin' around lookin' at it and I round him three times.
Entry 3320
Jes' lak yo' an' 'er havin' intahco'se, an' when yo' git through, jes' take a new pocket handkerchief, yo' undahstan' an'dry off wit it, an' yo' take an' fold it up in some little small piece an' put it where dere can't no one step ovah it.
(What does that do?)
Well, yo' kin rule 'em - jest handle 'em any way yo' want 'em. (You mean you use that handkerchief in wiping her.)
Entry 3338
De way to deal wit 'er. She git 'er a dishrag an' he come out, she say, "Wait a minute fo' yo' git out." An' when he come out she would reach down, 'er han' down dere, an' she take dat rag an' she ketch 'im right dere right down close dere, an' he'll pull it out. Got 'im dere an' drop 'im to her. To keep 'im from othah womens, go to de windah dere an' throw it out an' don't turn aroun' an' walk back an' don't nevah look back. He's fixed den.
(Is there anything he can do to get rid of that?)
He kin do dis. Yo' kin fix up some way dat nobody deals wit 'er but chew, an' dat dishrag ain't goin' keep 'em apart.
(How do they do that?)
Don't use it - jes' got 'er. Yo' keeps dat wit yo', yo've got 'er. Aftah yo' take dat dishrag an' do dat an' den throws it out de windah.
[I stop machine and then informant continues about times.]
(How many times do they wipe with the dishrag?)
Wipe right across dere three times, an' when yo' do dat, go to de windah an' throw it out an' don't nevah look back.
(And nobody can fool around with her.)
Entry 3729
Mine wus caught. Mah watah wus caught in a bottle an' wus buried, an' dey took it up an' put graveyard dirt wit it, an' ah didn't have no nature to- wards mah life. Well, on account of dat ah wus in bad luck. Me an' mah wife couldn't git along, an' dey [a rootman] tole me dat it wus somepin wus against me. An' dis man told me dat de only thing dat ah would do, ah would have tuh go at twelve a'clock at night in de cemetery. Well, dat's somepin ah wus scared tuh do, but ah had tuh do it. An' ah went an' found - [this man] say, ah must find where a little one wus buried an' jump across de grave three times, jes' frontwards dis way an' dis way backwards, an' frontwards ag'in, an' walk away from it an' don't look back at all, jes' keep on goin' regardless to whut chew hear, don't look back, until yo' git to de public highway and dat mean [here, public] street, an' den mah [bad] luck leave me. Ah [before this] wus out of a job, couldn't git no job or nuthin. An' ah felt dat it [the spell on me and the cure] wus true, 'cuz ah got a good job an' been workin' evah since.
(What cemetery did you go to?)
Laurel Grove, colored section dere. Yes sir, dere's white an' colored yo' know dere.
Entry 3820
Cuz I had it happen to me, see. I wuz goin' wit a woman an' I'd stop- ped. Well, she got hold of de tape measure, yo' know, an' she took mah nature an' put it in a bottle an' wore it in 'er stockin'.
(Wore it in her stocking?)
Wore it in 'er stockin'. Like dis is, right in de middle, right at de knee of de stockin' - yo' know, here [demonstrates - in hinge of knee]. (I see.) Yes, put it in dere an' put a string below de knee an' one above de knee. An' she had me about six or eight months. Dere wuz anothah thing she wuz doin' too. But aftah dat I got - somebody told me about it, told me to get dis bottle soon as I could. Dey says dat would get mah nature back. I wuz in bed wit 'er an' jes' took it off. Told me took it an' put it in runnin' watah. I keep away from her den.
Entry 3918
I can send 'em away in dis mannah. Now, if I would - say fo' ninstance if I wanted to kill a person or somepin of dat sort, why den, man or woman. If it wus a woman, I could take an' - I'd take her pieces, yo' know, when dey dirty. I'd fold 'em up an' put nine needles in 'em. I'd take an' I'd go to de riv- ah, but when I get to de rivah, when I gets jes' about twenty feets of de end of de walk where I'm goin' to stand at - dere's de wall [of the room] heah, when I get jes' about twenty feets right heah, I'd back myself back to dat, see. An I wouldn't look back, jes' back up to dere. When I gets dere I throws dat over mah left shouldah. When I throw dat in de rivah ovah mah left shouldah. I throws a silvah dime behind me, an' dat'll make her drift. She'll pine away to nuthin an' when yo' look again, why she'll be in de cemetery.
(Well, what do you throw over your shoulder?)
[I know, but I am continuing for the dime later.]
I throw 'er pieces ovah my shouldah.
(Oh! What do you mean, her monthly pieces?)
Yes, sir.
(Her monthly pieces?)
Yes.
(Well, why do you throw that dime over your shoulder?)
Dat dime is fo' death. Dat dime is to carry her on - see, dat dime is to carry her on. She's got to go.
(Does anybody get that dime? Pay her?)
[Informant already has said that dime is: for death, but I am trying to obtain a fuller statement without suggesting what I want - the dime pays the spirit for doing the desired work.] No, no, sir, nobody gets dat dime. Dat dime goes in de rivah. Nobody gets dat dime.
Entry 4040
Use some cloth dat yuh have, if de party don't wash fo' yuh. Nobody'll evah wash fo' yuh, dey can't make yuh move out, 'cept come tuh yuh do' roun' five a'clock in de mawnin' an' throw de night- watah roun' de do' see. An' dey put salt in de night-watah, yuh see. Dat's fer tuh make 'em move out - an' de smell of de watah. Den yuh go an' dig up some dust an' put on de watah in de back of de house, an' taken some turpentine an' throw it on top of it, an' yuh cannot go.
(That is, if you don't do it, it will make you move.)
Yes, [if] yuh leave it stan' out dere.
(I.see. But if you do that, they can't make you move. I see.)
An' if anybody comes tuh yuh an' tell yuh dey comin' tuh 'rest [arrest] yuh fer dat crime, [you] say, "Dey won't come here." Yuh take yuh a mouthful of cold watah, undahstan', an' take a mouthful of hot watah behind dat wit a little salt in it. Salt in de hot watah aftah drinkin' de cold watah an' walkin' in acircle. AH'M GIVIN' YUH FAX [facts].
Entry 4146
If yo' wan'a - got anyone yo' wan'a stay on top, meanin' yo' will rule, yo' go on where dey wet on de groun' an' git a little bit of dere sand an' put it in a cup. An' den yo' go on an' pee on de groun' [at a different place] an' git twicet as much [of yours] an' put it in on top an' pack it down an bury dat right in de road where dey [both of you] have tuh walk ovah it, an' yo'll rule dem long as dey live.
Entry 4245
Yuh kin use garlic an' [or] yuh kin use onions an' yuh kin use yuh slop jar watah.
(How do you use garlic for example to keep the law away?)
Take a package of garlic, a small piece of garlic an' put it up each night, a piece of it in yore slop jar an' throw de table salt, de table salt dat chew use, an' let it git on yore table. [Let it come from your table.] Yuh jis' keep it damp somewhere an' mix it an' throw it aroun' yuh do' both front an' back. An' co'se yuh have some good lodestone an' grad'ly [gradually] dey'll pass on by yuh an' yuh kin sell right on. Dat keep de officahs away. Throw it in de grass an' all lak dat aroun' yore do', but don't walk in it yuhself. [NEVER WALK OVER YOUR OWN HOODOO!] Leave it so dat people kin pass ovah it. Let it lay dere an' dey ain't goin' worry yuh.
Entry 4247
Dey say dat yo' could take some of dis heah saltpeter an' some sul- phur an' put it in a chambah yuh know, jis' lak peoples make watah in de chambah yuh know. Yuh git up dat night sometime an' put some saltpetah an' sulphur in dere. Well, wheresomevah dey po' it out, yuh see, whosomevah cross dat, yuh know, wheresomevah yuh po' de watah at, where somebody kin cross it, yuh know, which an' evahbody cross dat watah or comin' up dem do'steps, dat will [make] dem go crazy: (That is to make them love you. A woman would do that with her chamber lye to bring in men?) Yeah, make 'em love yuh. Dat's a way dat dey kin gain mens too. Dat's simple but dey people don't know all dat.
Entry 4340
Well, dey will go tuh work an' put dat in a bottle, an' dey will fasten dat up wit a cork, see. (Your chamber lye.) Yes, an' jis' de road yuh travel, notice - dey will notice de road yuh travel reg'lah [regularly] an' dey will beah [bury] dat right dere, see; an' dey will knock [keep] yuh wandahin' all de time.
Entry 4484
Take dat where yuh take a bath an' put it in a hole. (What kind of a hole?) Any roun' hole. (Where is this hole made?) Yuh put it in yuh backyard. (Oh, a hole in the ground.) Yeah, see he'd come out an' hafta [have to] walk ovah it, an' dat will strip 'em [him] up, peel 'em up - yeah, jes' like dey have de measles or sompin like dat.
[Walking over his bath water is walking over a part of himself.]
(I see, make this skin - give them skin trouble.)
Yeah, skin trouble call it.
Entry 4555
Ah've heard of 'em. Dey takes dat li'le bow. Well, dey takes dat li'le bow dere an' dey walks aroun' dat house. Dey goes roun' dat house nine times an' bring de bow back in de back do', an' walk through de hall tuh de front do' an' put it ovah de front do'. Conceal it from dis man.1 He nevah know where it at. An' long as it stay dere, dey got dis man.
(A woman would do that to hold a man?)
Tuh hold de man. No harm perform on it, no mo' den a deep taste fo' love.
Entry 4721
If yuh kin git holt of 'is photograph or anythin', yuh kin git 'im back ag'in.
(Do you know just how they do that?)
Well, yuh git holt a piece of 'is clothin'. Now, if it's a woman dat wants 'im back ag'in, yuh git aholt of a piece of 'is clothes an' yuh dress it in cologne. Yuh take it an' fold it de way [direction] he is. If he is east, no'th, west, or south, yuh take dat piece of clothin', a small piece of it, an' fold it [demonstrates] an' make yore wishes.
(Fold it toward you.)
Towards yuh evah time. Points it de way he is an' fold it back evah time. An' yuh git yuh a couple of needles an' pin it each way, bottom an' top, an yuh split dat needle. Lets 'er wear one in 'er right shoe here, an' give her de othah one an' let 'er hold it in 'er han'. An' she kin walk - an' let 'er go straight tuh runnin' watah an' drop it ovahbo'd. Ketch de wind - she has tuh do dis on de grown [growing] of de moon an' ketch de wind blowin' towards de way she wants 'im tuh come. If she is in New York, ketch de wind blowin' disaway.
(Blowing south?)
Dat's right. Drop dis ovahbo'd an' walk backwards from it about nine steps, turn tuh left an' go on. Make her wishes an' he'll come right - in nine days he'll be dere.
(I didn't quite understand you about putting these needles?)
Yuh see, if yuh fold de clothes, prob'ly fold it dis way. Well aftah yuh git a little pad of it made, git yuh a needle on each side of it. Git chew a pair of keen - anythin' dat's sharp an' split dem needles in two.
(Oh, I see! You cut the whole package in half.)
De needles den will be on each side of it.
(Two halves of the needles will be in each side of the package.)
An' have dem needles so dey won't injure her foot an' let 'er wear it right in 'er shoe. Fasten it in dere in a way dat it won't slide backwards an' for- wards. Take dis half an' fold it in yore han' an' when it gits warm, when yuh go tuh de watah wit it - an' throw it ovahbo'd. Ketch de wind blowin' from de Way dat yuh want 'im tuh come home.
Entry 4740
Git hold of yore shirt or somepin lak dat an' make yuh leave dis part, section of de country where yuh live, an' yuh'll nevah come back. Well dey said, yuh take it an' wrap it up wit dog manure. Jis' take de dog manure an' heat it or somepin an wrap dis piece of cloth up in it, see. An' put it in a tin can, bur' [bury] it at de foot of a oak tree good. An' fer five night an' five day yuh walk dat dog - dat same dog where yuh got de stuff from - walk 'im ovah dat place fer five days an' five nights. An' yuh'll nevah come back home no mo'. Yuh're runnin' away. Den aftah yuh git through wit dat dog, run 'im away, run de dog away den. [This running away a dog, not responsible for running away the person, looks like the Old Testament scape-goat rite, transferring your own sin to some living creature (see Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26).]
Entry 4856
Well, yuh kin take de seat of a man's drawahs an' cut 'em out, or else yuh kin put 'em in - jis' de seat, jis' wash de seat of 'em an' git de watah. An' yuh observe [pre- serve] dat in a bottle an' bury it right any- where aroun' de house, an' spashly [specially] where yuh kin walk ovah it comin' in an' goin' out, an' dat'll keep yuh on, too.
Entry 4884
A man wan'a woman, he kin go tuh work an' git de right foot of 'er stockin'. An' yuh kin go out at night, if yuh don't want 'er tuh leave home, or if she leave home an' yuh wan' 'er tuh come back. Yuh take her right foot of 'er stockin' an' make out right in de centah of de do'. Dis is de house an' dis is de centah of de do' right chere [demonstrates]. Right in de centah of de do' right heah, yuh go right straight back yuh undah- stan' about five feet - yuh walk backwards five feet. When yuh walk five feet, stan' right stock still, undahstan', an' dig yuh a little hole right down in de ground, right in de centah of de do'. Take dat stockin' an' put it down in dat hole. Git chew some sulphur an' put on top of it. Kivah [cover] it down in de ground dere, drive dat peg down in de ground out dere, an' dat [stocking] right down in de groun' wit it, kivah it up an' stomp [stamp] it underneat' yore foot. An' tell it, "Ah mean fo' dis tuh do whut ah tell yuh tuh do." An' den go back an' git chure left stockin'. Find 'er lef' sock an' put it right undah de bottom of de do'step - where de bottom do'step. Yuh know where de second an' right on up. Right chere de bottom one. Digs yuh a hole an' put it right down in dere. An' if she leave yuh - aftah dat's done an' she's lef' yuh, den she wants tuh come back. An' yuh leave dat dere an' she gotta walk dere, an' in less time dan 36 hours. Yuh give her 36 hours an' she'll be back. Ah don' care where in de world she is, if she's in New York or'where. (When you bury that second sock right there at the doorstep, do you put sul- phur in that, too?) Not a single thing. Yuh done done de mess out yondah.
Entry 5038
Yuh could fix 'em diff'ren' ways in dat if yuh got dere stockin' or anythin', cuz dere [they are] dark stockin'. Well dey - well yuh take a dirty sock or stockin' from 'em like dat. Well dey got dirt in dere. Yuh could take dat dirt an' if yuh want tuh do 'em harm, yuh could take it an' bury it or do anythin' yuh want wit it - jis' depend what yuh wan'a do it fo'. See, dat's how dey do's wit dat. Now, yuh could take her socks or stockin's from a woman an' run 'er crazy wit it.
(How would you do that?)
Well, yuh see, yuh take her stockin' an' it got dirt in it. Yuh git a piece of 'er hair an' yuh sew it up wit what yuh call dis fast luck [perfume or powder] an' sew it up tight. Yuh walk tuh any creek or any runnin' watah - an' sew it up tight - an' when yuh walk back from down tuh de creek or anywhere de running [water] is, yuh jis' turn backwards an' make three wishes - any wishes yuh want. Jis' like if yuh wanta run 'er in dat fast watah or run 'er out of town, or run 'er any part of de worl' dat yuh feel like. Jis' make de wishes fo' dat. Throw it backwards. Walk nine steps befo' dat yuh evah look back tuhward dat watah. Jis' long as dat turnin' in de water, she go on.
(You mean, you throw it over your left shoulder?)
Yeah, ovah yore lef' shouldah an' walk nine steps befo' yuh evah look back. But yuh make de three wishes, jis' de wishes yuh want.
Entry 5220
Den ah've heard dat dey kin take yore shoe an' scrape de bottom of it. Lak yore shoes is - lak yo' weah yore shoes tuhday. Well, if yo' foot atall sweat, dey kin take it an' pull it off an' scrape de inside of dat shoe, an' git dat dere dirt whut come outa yore foot. An' dey could bind dat dere up an' put intuh a place whereby it cain't ketch no air atall. An yo' cain't walk. Of co'se it cain't kill yo' - won' kill yo' - but yo' won' have no use fo' dat foot. Dat takes de use of it, when dey puts dat intuh a place where it cain't ketch no air. De way dat chew comprehend [overcome] dat is tuh bring de use back tuh yore foot. Git chew some sulphur an' red peppah an' weah it in de bottom of yore shoe an' dat will kill it. See, dat'll kill it in yore foot. Dat won' be no good while dey have it in dat airtight place. Dat 'air [= dere = there] is de way dey ovahcome dat devilment when dey works it.
Entry 5360
If someone comin' tuh yore house an' yo' wanted tuh keep 'em away, well see, yo' kin git dere track an' burn peppah, sulphuh an' some ole shoes. An' go tuhwards de sunset an' say de same thing, In de Name of de Fathah, an' Son, go. Dey'll go. Yeah, yo' won' be bothahed wit dem no mo'.
Entry 5371
Yo' kin take a person's foot track an' ran 'em away. Well, perhaps some time we cain't find 'em [tracks] an' sometimes it be's so dat we cain't git de dirt from undah 'is track. Yo' might watch an' see jes' he put his feet on de concrete. Yo' kin take a clean pocket han'- ke'ch'ef an' yo' kin go dere an' jes' wipe dat track tuh yo' - wipe dat track tuh yo'. An' den yo' kin take dat han'ke'ch'ef an' yo' kin take it home. Set down wit it an' buy yo' a bran'-new box of red cayenne peppah, an' yo' kin take a teaspoon of dat cayenne peppah an' tie in de - yo' might say in de east corner of dat han'ke'- ch'ef. Dat track is all ovah dat han'ke'ch'ef [because] quite natchly [naturally] yo' wipe it lak dat, see. An' yo' take dat teaspoon of cayenne peppah an' yo'tie hit up in dere wit 'is name wrote. Yo' cross 'is name an' yo' tell 'im tuh go an' yo' put a bad name - yo' put a bad word tuh hit, on dere name. '[Bad name] an' ah wish yo'd go an' don' stay nowhere yo' go in peace." An' tie it up an' carry it tuh de rivah 'fore de sunrise. Throw it in runnin' watah an' he'll leave.
Entry 5396
Dey say yo' kin take dat track - jes' lak dey wanta run yo' away - dey'll pull de track from de heel tuh de toe. An' take dat track an' take a aig, an' bo' a li'le hole in de aig an' dreen de contents of de aig out. An' put dat track in dat shell an' put a li'le bit of papah ovah it. An' go tuh a rivah, a stream or somepin dat's runnin', an' turn dat back an' throw it ovah de shouldah an' use three words dey say. Dey says, "In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, let dis evil one leave." But de 'Father, Son an' HolyGhost' is de word de' speak. An' throw it ovah de shouldah an' walk away an' not look back. An' dey say long as dat aig float, yo'll continue tuh go.
(Do they take either foot track?)
Eithah one or both.
(If they want to bring you to them?)
Dey git in fron' of yore track, yo' see. Let see, yes, an' pull it from de toe tuh de heel. Well, den dey don' throw dat in no rivah. Dey take dat an' fill it full of de track, de aig, an' put sompin aroun' tuh keep it from break- in' - real tight. An' dey bury dat egg undah yore steps or put it in de middle of a loose mattress where yo' sleep. An' yo' can't leave dere. Yo'll go but yo'll come right back.
Entry 5458
[Deyl git mah track early in de mawnin'. Dey'd go tuh de sunrise, take it from de west, take it from de east. Put it in graveyard dirt [and sayl, "Go an' stay. Nevah come no mo'. Nevah be worried wit yo' no mo'." Take it an' throw it across mah left shouldah. Don't look back. Nevah be worried no mo'.
(Where do you throw it?)
Throw it across mah left shouldah tuhward de east. Nevah be worried no mo'
(How do you mean you take up this foot track from the east and from the west?)
Not throw it east an' west, take it up as yo' walk tuhward de sunrise. Undah- stan'? Jis' lak yo' walk out de do', undahstan', early 'fore de sunrise. Well ah will take yore track up. Ah would put yore track in a box. Undahstan', shet it up in dere. An' when - de stuff 'fore de sunrise, ah'm goin' throw it east an' west cross mah left shouldah in graveyard dirt. Well, ah'm goin' pray, 'Go an' stay. Don't nevah come back no mo'." Well, ah'll nevah see yo' no mo'. Undahstan'? All right.
Entry 5527
Ah'm tellin' whut experienced. Dey take de dust, de dirt out from yure lef' foot, an' dey put it in a li'le small bag an' mix wit Devil Lye. An' put it in a secret place dat chew kin walk ovah it, an' dat'll cuz pain in yore foot. Yo"mem- bah [remember] readin' duh Bi- ble whah [where] it says, in Numbahs [Nuonbers] de 27th and 15th [chapter 27, verse 15].
(What Was that? From the Bible?)
De Numbahs, ah say, de 27th an' 15th, say, "Warned he dat hideth anything in a secret place dat yore neighbor finds it not."
(That's from Numbers, 27th chapter,15 verse?)
[The preceding guotation comes not from Numbers but from Deuteronomy as fol- lows: Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen" - King James Version.] [While recording machine was stopped I must have asked informant, "Where did you hear this?" He evidently answered, "From my uncle."]
(Where did he live, here?)
Oh, he daid now. He used tuh live in Perry County, in Perry County, Ala., Scott Station.
(What was his name?)
His name Jim Herod. An' one [another uncle] named Winston Williams. Well, he daid.
(Well, he wasn't your uncle?)
Both of 'em mah uncle. Both uncle on mah mothah's side, but dey had diff'- ren' fathahs, see.
(Well, whose remedy was this? Who told you this?)
Mah uncle Jim Herod.
(Well, you tell me which one of your uncles you learned these things from?)
[This man Was brought to me as a root doctor. Two comments of mine are on the original transcription: "not much" and later "may use as [[an example of]] a fake R.D.[[root doctor]]. THE LATTER CRITICISM IS UNJUST. I WAS TOO SEVERE ON THESE EARLIER INFORMANTS. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS LYE-TRACK RITE, AS THE PRECEDING AND LATER-IN-DATE EXAMPLE FROM BRUNSWICK, GA., SHOWS.]
Entry 5572
Take de foot track from de end of yore feet. Yo' kin take dat an' put it intuh a cloth. It's all right tuh hold it at home, too. Take it an' put it intuh a cloth an' weah it. Make yo' a bag an' weah it, an' he will always follah yo'. Evah- where yo' go, he'll go wit yo'. Evahthin' yo' [have] a mind tuh do, he's ready tuh do dat. Jis' 'is foot track. Take his left-foot track from de toe back tuh de heel. Take dat an' take it an' fo' nine mawnin's, if yo' don' wanta weah it fo' nine mawnin's, walk through yore house an' throw it ovah yore shouldah, yore lef' one, see, jis' lak dat an' don' look back. An' call dis man three times, an' he'll come tuh yu' if he's in Chicago or any place. Yo' use it dat long. (You throw it over your shoulder and then you pick it up, and throw it over your shoulder again. That the idea? You do that nine times?) Do dat nine times, throw it ovah yore shouldah.
(Nine times each morning?)
Fo' nine mawnin's, once each mawnin' 'fore de sunup fo' nine mawnin's.
Entry 5573
Now, if yo' wan'a make someone run someone 'way from town - wanta git 'en outa town, run 'em 'way less den twenty-fo' hours - yo' go an' pick up dere track. But don' pick up de track behin' dem, pick up de track from de toe tuh de heel, both tracks. An' go tuh de lef'-han' cornah of de house an' write his name in dere. Tell 'im tuh, "Go. 1
(Write his name in his tracks? How do you write that? With what?)
Yo' write it wit yore han', yo' know wit yore fingah, see - right in de sand, see. Well, yo' pick up de track, write in de sand an' call 'is name an' say, "Henry, go." An' walk tuh de lef'-han' cornah of de house, backwards fo' steps, an' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah. In twenty-fo' hours he'll leave town - anybody will.
(You take both tracks or just one?)
Take both tracks. (And what do you call the left-hand side of the house? Suppose I am coming in the front now. What would you call the left-hand side? Is it coming in or going out?) Dis de lef'-han' side of de house, it's a case of - yo' undahstan' now. If ah'm comin' dis way an' if ah pick up dis track disaway. Weli, ah'm goin' dis way. Well, if ah pick up dis track comin' dis way, dis is de lef side of de house.
Entry 5598
Jis' sompin othah, some broad [woman] yo' wanta make. Yo' know, meet a broad an' yo' try tuh make a broad, yo' know, an' she don' pay yo' no mind. Yo' know, yo' kin - dere's a way tuh make her, see. (Well, how can you make her do it?) Well, all yo' got'a do is jes' take a li'le of 'er foot, yo' know where she step, take a li'le of de dirt in yore pam [palm] an' put it in de han'ke'chuff, fold it backward [fold it to youl, yo' know, an' put it in yore belt. But de firs', yo' got'a put it down at chure do' an' walk ovah it evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' name it, see. Aftah nine mawnin's, yo' take it up an' put it in yore belt. An' de ninth mawnin' she jis' goin' tuh be dere. An' she'll be dere, too.
Entry 5621
Dey say if yo' goin' anywhere an' a person don' wan' choo dere, an' yo' leave, dey walks right back out on yore foot track; an' take de firs' two track, an' takes up one han'- ful of dirt from de lef' an' den throw some salt in de right one. Dey take de sand [from left track] on back to de house wit 'em an' put it in a bag: an' keep dat. An' dey say yo' can't come back to de house no more.
Entry 5643
Ah learnt dat if yo' wants tuh drive a person away wit dere track, git 'em - jis' like yo' see a person walkin' up de street, de firs' track he put down, keep yore eyes on 'em an' go an' pick de firs' track up. Git chew a siftah whut have nevah been used befo' an' sift it through dat. Take it in yore home an' at mawnin', jis' as early as yo' possibly kin git up, jis' take it an' walk out an' look right straight up, an' throw part of it to de east an' part to de no'th, part to de s'uth an' part to de west. Dat will keep 'im goin'.
(Sending you away with your track.)
Entry 5676
Well, yo' take a person's foot track. Jis' lak if yo' wanta run some body 'way from town, move 'em, yo' take dere track. An' if dey goin' dataway, jis' go by an' ketch it from de toe heah, ketch it up from de toe back tuh de heel. Walk along an' don' stop an' pick up de track from de toe tuh de heel. Yo' jis' come 'long dataway an' carry it on home. An' soon as yo' git furt [far] as yore fron' do'step, yo' back back three steps from it an' throw it right ovah yore lef' shouldah. Take a li'le bit of sulphur in dis han' an' throw it ovah de right shouldah. An' yo' take de broom an' go tuh sweepin' it tuh de outside of de yard, an' dem people in less time den three days, dey goin' move 'way from dere. (The track you put it in your right hand and throw it over your left shoulder, and the sulphur you put it in your left hand and throw it over your right shoul- der.) Yo' take de track, see [demonstrates] dis is mah lef' [side]. Throw dat ovah yore lef' shouldah. An' de sulphuh yo' put it ovah yore right shouldah at de same place.
(You use the dirt from either track?)
Yo' use it from de right track.
(That is to make a person leave.)
Entry 6070
[Take a piece of] de petticoat an' [or] de bloomahs an' cut de - a little top of dere hair off. Well, an' git de same thing off a man [his under- clothes]. An' mix it togethah in a soda-watah bottle. An' take it an' carry it to de end of de do'step an' put it - not too deep, jes' a little deepah 'nuff where yo' know dey could not tell it. An' let 'im walk ovah it fo' nine mawnin's. Dey say dat will come to keep 'im at home an' he'll come to love yo' an' can't no othah woman git 'im.
(Wait a minute! You take the hair from the top of a man's head, you say?)
De mole of 'is haid, yes. Den dat from right on yo'self down dere, yo' know, jes' cut about two stran's.
(From a woman?)
Yeah, an' mix it togethah, an' git chew half a bottle of 'logne [cologne] an' so' dress it wit dat. Well, yo' go right - cut 'er bloomahs right in de seat of 'em. Well yo' git it out de seat of de man de same. An' put it togethah. Well, aftah yo' do dat, chew take about a little teaspoon - not a little, jes' a drop, but not so much, an' let it be kinda graveyard dirt. Put it in de bottle an' shake it up. Well, yo' go right to de end of de do'step an' yo' call a person nine times. Well, when yo' call 'em nine times, take it an' stick it right to de front of de do'step - put it down dere yo' know, kinda deep undah where yo' couldn't tell it. An' nine mawnin's - fo' nine mawnin's, well, when yo' git up yo' [call?] 'im [his name] about six [nine] times. Well yo' take it out from dere an' carry it to a cornah right where yo' know he comes out backwards an' forwards - dat same route road - come right to de cornah. [Does informant mean corner of the outside chimney, the old-fashioned country toilet, where he would urinate on this conjure or hand? I do not believe corner of a path or crossroad is meant, where other people would walk over the buried object. Bottle was orig- Inally buried at "corner" of doorstep. This is cornering a man.] Why yo' bury dat an' let it stay dere fo' so many days, certain days. Well, aftah yo' do dat, see, dat'll keep dat man an' woman togethah. See. [A comment of mine made while checking cylinder reads, "Talking too fast."]
Entry 6575
Said dat a lady had some li'le lizards in 'er an' she wuz told by a hoodoo lady dat if dey caught dat lizard alive an' tied 'im in a dark cornah an' let 'im die. An' den took 'im an' parched 'im up, beat 'im up an' put 'im in de walk where she had tuh walk. So in de summah- time she'd go wit'out 'er shoes, an' de powdah would stick tuh de hollah of 'er feet, an' quite natchel [natural] 'er havin' life in 'er feets, she'd carry it on an' put on de shoe an' wear it, an' it create little lizards, an' de little lizards grew in 'er.
Entry 6587
They tell me that you can take an egg and cut off a scorpion's head and put with that egg, and then take the blood and mark it around that egg so many times, nine times they claim, and then take the blood of an individ- ual and do the same thing. And then take that egg and that scorpion head and bury that, and the individual who has to travel and walk over that will get to a place they claim that he'll have scorpions in him.
Entry 6884
Cross dis woman up. Dey takes - dey gits right where dis woman'll pass at. Yo' undahstan'? Dey takes a knife an' a fo'k an' put dat knife in de fo'k disaway [demonstrates by crossing knife in fork] an' put it right where she goin' tuh cross ovah at. Yo' undahstan'? An' jis' as sure as she cross ovah dat knife an' fo'k dis- away, she cain't birth dat child. Dat child turn upside in 'er stomic.
(I see. All you do is cross the knife into the fork?)
Put de knife in de fork lak dis here [demonstrates] an' let 'er cross ovah it. Stand it up lak dat [demonstrates].
Entry 6981
If you have a [social] disease and have a running, they claim if you take some of that and go backward to a stream of running water and throw it over your left shoulder, it will cause that running to stop. [That word social within bracket, originally a parenthesis, is mine. What it replaces I no longer remember. Above it I have a note copy myself! Back in 1936 when this belief was collected, everything about a venereal disease was taboo. A final note of mine reads My original [[pencil]] copy never typed, dated H. M. H. note Aug. 1971.]
Entry 7295
A dog won't track yo', yeah. Yo' kin keeps dogs from trackin' yo'. Yo' mean bloodhoun's. Yo' go to a cow stable an' yo' run fourteen steps, yo' know steps, an' git cow [manure] - yo' know, quite natural yo'll put it in de tracks where yo' step an' den go round. Don't come back to de same tracks, go round, yo' know, leavin', an' dey can't track yo'. Dey stoppin' right dere.
(You take fourteen steps into what?)
Fourteen, yo' know. Lak yo' goin' off - ah mean, yo' done left de stable now. An' mean yo' goin' on off on yore way. (Oh! You walk through this cow manure and then you walk - you take fourteen steps. Then you make a circle around those fourteen steps and go on about your business.) Dey can't go a bit furthah den right dere when dey gits to dat.
Entry 7296
Hear of 'em takin' cow manure an' hold a policeman back off from dem. Dey take an' put it on dere feets an' walk roun' an' roun' dere house nine times, an' through dey COW MANURE ON FEET - CIRCUMAMBULATE HOUSE 9 TIMES house nine times, an' take de shoes whut dey have on - scrape it away from de shoes an' bury it, bury it to sunrise. An' de policeman will nevah come upon dem.
(They burn the shoes or just the manure?)
Burn de manure. Jes' scrape de dust an' thing from de shoes an' burn it. Scrape it back to 'em, not away from 'em. Scrape it to 'em cuz dey want de help to 'em. An' burn it an' bury it to sunrise, an' de policeman will nevah come no place about 'em. (That is if they are running away from them [police] or something of that sort?) Dat's right.
Entry 7302
Graveyard dirt? Dog can't run yo' wit graveyard dirt.
(What do you mean dogs can't run you?)
You know, run-away time - yo' know, ah got all dis in slave-time and since freedom. But ah knowed of it in slavery times, when a man run away from 'is mah- stah. [This man said he was 107 years ola when I interviewed him in 1937.] Dey had dogs an' dey fetch a dog behind yo' track, an' dey will start it from right from where yo' started away from de house, but can't go no furthah cuz he done bur-ried [burrowed] his Way out. May care [carry] it tuh de graveyard [dog may care track as far as graveyard], but no furthah dan de graveyard will dey run - can't run. No, can't run. Dog played out right dere. Yes suh.
(What did this man do that was being chased?)
An' when he gittin' away from home, he take a hat or pocket [handkerchief], perhaps an' put it ovah his feet an' put dat graveyard dirt in dere. Well, he [dog] can't run 'im atall. He'll stay right around dere an' de dog will play out right dere. Ah knows dat fer a fact.
Entry 7318
Go to de graveyard right heah and bury it right chere [demonstrates]. Like dis is mah head heah and dis is mah foot, an' walk backwards - turn yore back an' walk backwards toward mah face, walk all roun' tull [till] yo' git to de headbo'd.
(Wait! You walk back like that, around the grave. And then what?)
[Informant probably demonstrated by walking backwards round his chair.]
An' den yo' put chure han' right down dere an' git a han'ful of dirt an' put yore han' in yore pocket an' turn yore back.
(What does that do?)
If dey do [give] yo' trouble any way, dey can't ketch yuh - de dogs won't run yo' wit it. (Suppose they are trying to catch me and I go out to the cemetery, to the graveyard, and I turn my back and I walk round the grave.) Yes, sir. (I walk back over [round] the head down to the foot. Where do I get this dirt?) Git it right out de head of de - at de headbo'd. See, de bo'd nail down dere. Yo' reach right down dere at de head an' git it.
(Do you get it at the footboard or the headboard?)
De headbo'd.
Entry 7601
[Among the many graveyard-dirt rites in Hoodoo, here we have a rare and unusual one, my only example of it - see my comment at the end of rite.] When yuh go tuh de graveyard in de aftahnoon tuh git dis dirt, yuh have tuh go at sundown, see. An' when yuh go at sundown, yuh have tuh git middleways of dis person. Middleways is the center or fifth point of the four-pointed or four- cornered grave, which makes a quincunx.] Git dis dirt an' yuh put a nickel [or] dime down. An' when yuh put de nickel down dere yuh git de dirt, yuh payin"en fo' de dirt. An' if yuh vanta run anybody away, yuh git dis dirt an' walk on back tuh dere house. Sprinkle dis dirt all de way roum' dere house [the rite of circumambulation]. An' aftah yuh sprinkle dis dirt all de way roun' dere house, yuh turn off an' walk sideways an' walk on back tuh de street. [Somewhere in Hoodoo I have explained why a person walks sideways, if he has en- closed himself within a circle.] An' aftah yuh git tuh de street yuh go hone. An' den aftah yuh go home, den yuh throw some of dis dirt roun' yore do' an' dey'll leave. Dey can't stay roun'.
[Our informant says sprinkle dis dirt all de way roun' dere [[victim's]]
house. This means the graveyard-dirt sprinkler goes completely round the house. Here we have a rite of circumambulation, also a circle of graveyard dirt about the house. As soon as the dweller within passes over the graveyard dirt, he will be driven permanently from house and perhaps town. But the sprinkler himself has trouble. He is inside the graveyard-dirt circle! If he walks out of the circle, crossing the dirt, he breaks his spell against the dweller; moreover, the spell automatically turms back upon the sprinkler, who now will be chased by the spirit! Our sprinkler solves his problem with a magic rite I have never recorded or met before. He proceeds neither forwards nor backwards; he sidles sideways. If sprinkler moves forwards or backwards across the dirt, at some point of each step his legs and feet pass and are at the moment of passing in a straight line. In an instant the spirit pounces upon him! But if sprinkler slides his right foot sideways to the right, then his left foot sideways to the right, not letting left foot touch right, then legs and feet are never in a straight line. He always presents to the waiting spirit only one half of his body at each step. The spirit is tricked! Why does sprinkler on reaching home sprinkle some of the same graveyard dirt at his own door? Graveyard dirt is a protective device against a possible call from departing victim and chasing spirit.]
Entry 7618
Ah heard 'em say dat yuh kin go tuh de graveyard - lak dat, if ah Wants tuh change mah luck - dat ah kin go tuh de cemetery an' dig right up on de right-hand side of de grave jis' about where ah think de heart oughta lay, an' dig a hole down deep an' git me out two han'fulla dirt. Bring it out. An' when ah git dis dirt, ask fo' luck - jis' ask of de dead fo' luck, an' drop from five tuh eight pennies in dat hole an' plug it up. An' when ah rise up from off mah knees, tuh thank 'em [a rare courtesy!], an' walk away an' don't look back. Well, ah take dis dirt an' carry it tuh mah house an' sprinkle it roun' dere, an' dey say dat will give me luck.
(That is to change your luck. In anything?)
In anything.
Entry 7849
Lak dey wanted tuh trick yo' or wanted tuh put sompin in yo' [poison you], well, dey go tuh de graveyard yo' see, an' git graveyard dust. Den dey take dat graveyard dust an' put some red peppah in it, an' sew it up, an' walk in de no'th cornah of dat house an' hide it; but dey have tuh put it in between somepin dat it Wouldn't be seen. An' den when dey walk, dey walk backwards wit dere face tuh de wall of dat house till dey got tuh de centah of de do'. When dey got tuh de centah of de do', dey turn aroun' an' walk on. An' wit'in a short while dat dust, why it will eithah draw yo' or send yo'.
(According to what you want done.)
Yessuh, jes' 'cordin' tuh what chew want done. If yo' want it tuh draw yo', den yo' turn aroun', see. If yo' want it tuh send yo', yo' walk backwards. An' when yo' turn, don' turn tuh de right, but tuh de left.
Entry 7850
Af' choo bear [bury] it [graveyard dirt], yo' walk ove' [over] dat, dat'll give yo' a pain. Well, dat'll make yuh feet swell up. Some time yo'll fall down dey [= dere = there], yo' cain't git up wit'out somebody help yuh up. [To bury graveyard dirt for an intended victim to walk over is one of the commonest rites in hoodoo. Examples in various combinations and for a variety of purposes are given else- where.]
Entry 7864
Take graveyard dirt an' red peppah. Jes' lak if yo' seen somebody yo' hated, why yo' go where yo' think dey walk at in de mawnin'. Go 'fore sun [before sunrise] in de mawnin' Where dey git up an' walk ovah it. Sprinkle it roun' in de yard yo' see, an' den dey'll walk ovah it. Yo' kin fix dem lak dat.
(What will that do to them?)
Well, sometimes it will give dem - dere feet will swell up or dere laigs or somepin lak dat, an' dey can't git it off dem until dey go tuh some root person or somepin lak dat.
Entry 7922
(They did what?)
Jes' raisin' Cain around dere. Yo' could heah it, sompin lak somebody walkin'. It wus purely graveyard dirt 'cuz ah swept it out. Jes' gits chure mind, evah- thing tormented, 'cuz it's from de daid spirit, yo' know. [Raising Cain equals raising the devil or hell. Spirits walking or unseen footsteps is a common belief, see FACI 2nd ed., Nos.15541-15543, p.733.]
Entry 7923
Dey puts it in a cloth or anything an' wraps it up, an' yo'll have tuh pass backwards an' forwards ovah it.
(And then? What happens to you then?) Yo'll become tuh be sickly. (I see. You walk over this graveyard dirt.)
Yeah, an' it puts yo' in hard luck.
Entry 7982
If they wanted you for to stay, they wouldn't take dose leaves [4 el- derberry leaves in a preceding rite]. Dey jis' take de back off yuh pitchure an' - jis' lak, dig a hole about, say as large as dis table [that is, an oblong or a square hole, a cof- fin symbol] an' put watah in it, which it can't run [away], an' dey'd put dat pitchure in dere an' let it stay.
(How do they take the back off a picture?)
What? Take the back off a pitchure?
(You said they take the back off a picture?)
Dey take de back off de pitchure - de back be, yo' know, de back of yuh pit- chure, if it's in a frame, an' jis' leave dat pitchure in de form dere an' dig a hole an' put dis stale [still] watah [in the hole].
(How would they put it in that water?)
Jis' drop it down dere an' don't look at it. Turn around an' walk off.
(I see.)
Entry 8095
Yo' kin take a man's pichure or a man kin take a woman's pichure. If yo' wan' de person tuh stay aroun', yo' kin turn it up an' dey'll be aroun' if yo' walk on tuh 'em. If yo want 'em tuh come rushin' right tuh yo' at once, turn it down. Dat puts 'em on dere haid, dey can't stay away. Den yo' kin take de pichure ag'in an' punch de eyes out, put a "x" in de mouth, an' bury it on de face of it, but punch de eyes out an' dat'll run 'em blind.
Entry 8096
If yo' didn't like a person, take dat pichure an' make cross marks on de eyes an' bury it where yo' often walks ovah, an' dey will nevah bothah yo' any mo'. (Just make a cross over each eye?) Jis' make a cross ovah each eye an' bury it, yo' know, in de path dat chew trods ovah, an' dey'd nevah bothah yo' ag'in.
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 8207
Well, yo' take - git chew dis name on a tintype an' turn dat bottom upwards, an' bury it undah jis' six inches of soil [symbolical of 6 feet]. An back off ten steps, ah mean nine steps befo' yo' turn yuh back tuh it. An' den walk away an' don't evah look back tuh it ag'in. (And what will that do?) Well, dey claim dat if dey tryin' tuh do somepin tuh yuh, say anything dat dey want did, it will happen dat way. (Well, will that do anything particular to you, burying the photograph that way, that tintype?) It won't even kill yuh or anything, jis' make yuh be through wit 'em so ah undahstand.
(I see.)
Entry 8244
Jis' lak düh [the] wife tak' 'er 'usban' pichure, an' lif' up duh en' of duh rug, an' t'ün [turn] duh face dun [down] tuh duh floah, an' valk ovah dat. She puts it dun var she kin valk ovah it - see, jis' put it in a place var she go mos'ly huhse'f. Dat's suppose tuh keep 'em hum [home].
Entry 8298
At least ah know about de photograph. Well yo' take a person's photo- graph, dat's providin' if it's on a tintype. Yo' take a person's photograph an' prob'ly yowanta git shet [rid] of 'em out de worl' where dey won't worry yo' no mo'. Take dat photograph an' carry it tuh a - prob'ly some ole field or nothah, an' bury it on de face." An' aftah yo' bury it on de face, yo' prob'ly could walk away ahummin' some ole re- ligious song. An' aftah yo' bury it on de face an' walk away, hummin' dat ole religious song, it won't be long befo' dey be throwin' dirt in dere face. It won't be long befo' dey be daid.
(Well, what do you do with the photograph?)
What would yo' do wlt it? Yo' bury it. Yo'll die!
Entry 8325
Ah don't know whethah it's true, but ah heer'd dis, see. Yo' kin take a photo- graph an' yo' kin take it an' put it undah de steps an' yo' kin walk ovah it, or eithah yo' kin take it an' carry it tuh a tree facin' east. Bo' a hole an' put in dere an' in a length of time yo' will die.
(Why do you put that photograph under the step?)
De person have tuh walk ovah it - see, dat photograph belongs tuh - walk ovah it. An' den aftah dey walk ovah it, dey know dey come outa de house sometime, see, den dey take it tuh dat tree an' bo' de hole in it. (You put it under the step, then you put it in the tree. Do you stop it up in the tree in any way?) Aftah yo' take de bolt outa dere, den put dat bolt back in - bolt or plug - dat peg back in dere.
Entry 8481
Dey kin walk backwards an' call a person name, an' if dey continue tuh do dat fo' a certain many days, dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 8934
If anybody would take anything from yo' an' yo' wanted 'em tuh return it back, dey tell me yo' takes an' put rice in ev'ry do' an' yo' walks ovah dis do'. Yo' walks ovah de rice fo' nine diff'ren' days, an' dey say dat dey would return it back.
(Anything that they have stolen.)
Entry 9015
[This is an unusual religious rite, my only example of the Sacred Host ever being mentioned. One would expect this to happen in New Orleans, not at Sumter, S. Car. Or is in- formant referring to the Lord's host or hosts, the angels?] Said if a man wuz in jail an' he's want some he'p [help] - if a man an' his friend dat know him an' he had a great habit dat might be tuh his relief, git de aig dat is laid, de aig dat is laid from a black hen. Dey [must be] dressed. Write de name of de twelve apostles, yes, an' 'be de Host's Bighty help, ' an' carry it - have him side face [face sideways] [and pray] dat God would he'p dat aig an' de twelve apostles dat dey name was written on dat aig [would help also], yo' understan' - to he'p de friend tuh come out of his trouble, don't chew understan'.
(What would they do with that egg, then?)
Carry it befo' - wait, lak, fo' ten mens tuh come 'long an' break it dat dey night walk ovah it. [I do not understand waiting for ten mens tuh come 'long. Does the waiter. bope that some of these men may be Jurymen or connected with the trial in some Way? Why ten?]
(That will get him out of jail.)
Entry 9189
Dey say yo's kin git a black hen aig, dat wus fo' bad luck. Dey say if yo' git a black hen aig an' somebody take it an' break it, an place it roun' where yo' gotta travel ovah, say dat will put bad luck on yo' bad luck will follow yo'.
Entry 9208
Ah had a job workin' an' ah lose de job. No, ah didn't lose de job. De man jes' say he didn't have nuthin tuh do. All right, lattah ah went tuh a lady [doctor] an' she say - peoples talkin' about [her] say she wus good. All right, she tells me, say, "Ah'll git yuh job back, [you] git fired offa." Git fired off [of job] on Sunday night. She says, "Ah'm goin' tell yo' whut tuh do. Yo' take dis heah rotten aig an' yo' go tuh dis heah place where yo' wus workin' at.' Say, "Yo' take it an' chunk it up ovah de do' an' cuss." Yo' undahstand. See, yo'd cuss an' yo'd walk off. An' she says, "Don't look back." An' she say, "In two or three days yo'll git de job back." An' ah done dat. She gimme dat aig. Ah give her de money. Ah done dat. AH NEVAH GOT DAT JOB BACK AG'IN.
(You never got the job back?)
No, ah nevah got dat one back.
Entry 9245
If yo' have anything dat chew wants done ag'in wit a aig - a aig is a valuable thing. If it's anything dat chew want done wit a aig, write upon yore aig whut chew want an' put it in yore mouth. See, put de whole aig in yore mouth. Write jis' whut chew want On dat aig an' put it in yore mouth, an' walk tuh de east cornah an' west cornah an' de south cornah - jis' walk in evah cornah of de house, an' turn yore face tuh de east an' make yore wishes wit de aig in yore mouth. Yo' gits yore.wishes.
(You do that at any time?)
Jis' any time. If yo' wants sompin tuh happen, anything dat chew want [to] happen.
Entry 9247
Ah heard if yo' wants tuh move someone out of de house neah yo', or eithah yo' wanta break someone up, dey tell me yo' go dere an' 'bout seven-thirty dat night, an' take yo' fo' solid aigs, chicken aigs, an' bust 'em on de top of de house an' yo' won't have any mo' trouble. Dey move out de house an' nobody won't know how dey move out dere or why dey gone.
(You take four eggs?)
Yassuh, fo' solid aigs. Back up fo' steps from de house, walk backwards fo' steps tuh de house an' bust dem fo' aigs on top of de house, see. An' yo' won't have any mo' trouble wit dem den. [Remember, we are not talking here about a mansion, but about a small one-story structure of cabin proportions. Walking backwards four steps and tossing four eggs over your shoulder on to the roof Would not require much skill or strength.]
Entry 9277
Take a fresh aig an' throw it - jes' throw, jes' at de house where dat chew feel dat yore enemy at. Throw it tuh de house where dey at an' don't nevah look back at it, jes' go ahead an' dey'll nevah harm yo'. A fresh hen aig.
Entry 9362
Dey say dat chew kin take a aig, rotten aig an' put peppah, cayenne pep- pah in it. Jab a little hole, yo' know, in it [the egg]. Put cayenne peppah in it an' shake it up, an' throw it ontuh yuh do' nine days, mawnin's. An' den, whenevah yo' git up in mawnin', take peppah an' salt, an' where yo' walk 'long, jis' sprinkle it all behin' dem. An' dey tell me dat'll make a person move away from dat place. (Now, you mean you take a different egg each morning?) No sir - yes, sir, a diff'- ren' aig fo' nine mawnin's. Dat's whut dey tell me. (In addition to that, you have to put this other stuff in there?) Dey tell me yo' jis' jab a little hole in it [the egg]. (You do both of them, to make them move.) Yes, tuh make dem move.
Entry 9402
Jes' lak dis man is heah in dis house an' ah didn't want 'im livin' heah - jis' lak fo' 'im tuh move outa heah - ah'd git me three aigs an' dey have tuh be rotten dough [though], dey have tuh be rotten eggs. Ah throw dem aigs ag'inst dis house, but ah goes nine steps backwards an' ah throw 'em ovah mah shouldah. Dat's whut ah do wit dem aigs den. It be any time of night or any time of day. An' den ah come dere an' sprinkle a li'le dust aroun' dere, dis same dust whut ah got, graveyard dust, an' dey couldn't stay dere. Dey gotta leave.
(You walk backwards from the house?)
Nine steps, nine steps backwards. Not backwards from de house, backwards tuh de house. Jis' lak if ah wuz 'cross de street, ah'd walk backwards tuh de house, not from it, den throw 'em ovah mah lef' shouldah.
Entry 9427
That's when you want to break up a man an' woman.
(How would they do that?)
Yo' write de names. Yo' write yore name on dat aig an' den yo' - yo' can break it. Yo' break dat egg just wherevah dat man or woman walks - just break it. Dat breaks things. Any little thing she... [I interrupt.] (Whose name do you write on this egg?) De man's, just whoevah yo' want to break 'em up. Just like if yo' want to write - just like if yo' want to break up [a man] an' a woman, well yo' write their name on dat.
(Oh! I see.)
Each name, all de way around dat egg. Den take it some place an' break it, right where dey have to walk on.
(I see.)
Entry 9465
Put some cookin' salt right in de do', in fron' of de do' yo' see; an' put some backwards tuh de kitchen where dey be walkin' in. An' dey walk in ovah dat salt, he'll have good luck de balance of dey days.
(Who would do this?)
De man, or anybody wus runnin' de house.
(Of any kind [of business] - selling what?)
Sellin' moonshine or....
Entry 9520
People say dat yo' could take salt, fresh salt in de shoes - weah it in de shoes. Anybody put down anythin' ag'in yo', dey say it wouldn't take no 'fect. (If you walk over anything?) Yessuh, if yo' walk ovah anythin' why it won't take 'fect 'count [on account] de salt.
Entry 9636
If dey put anything down fo' yo', yo' undahstan' to hurt chew or cripple yo' or anythin' so yo' can't walk. Yo' take dat peppah, cayenne peppah an' salt an' sulphuh, an' mix dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it aroun' undah yore do'step, an' aroun' yore place whare yo' walk. Quite nec'sary [necessary] yo' weah some of dat in yore shoes. Well yo' see, dey can't do anythin' to yo', can't hurt chew when yo' got dat peppah in dere. It keeps dat down.
Entry 9656
[If anyone puts anything down for you] an' yo' wanta walk ovah it, jes' put chew some bluestone an' cookin' salt in yore shoe. Jes' take up dat little piece in de bottom of yore shoe [insole] an' sprinkle a little bit in dere an' put dat back down, an' yo' kin walk where yo' wanta walk.
(Nothing will hurt you?)
Nuthin will hurt yo'.
Entry 9684
Jis' like if your husband was goin' with someone else, [I know] of a remedy that would break that up, and that is one heaping tablespoonful of salt. You dip up this here, a tablespoonful of salt, pick it up, an' you take yuh hand an' brush it off [level the salt]. An' you pour that over there on the Papah. Then do the same with de sulphur. An' you brush that off [take a table- Spoon level-full of sulphur] an' pour it into this [salt]. Then take one pinch of saltpeter an' you put this into this [salt and sulphur]. Then you make [mix] it up real good an' start from the front door, go upstairs, you go backwards, sprinkle this. An' they say when he walks over this, it'll break 'em up.
Entry 9685
An' if yo' don't want 'em tuh come tuh yore house, yo' take table salt an' snake dust - cos' [of course] snake dust will kill yo'. Dey throw it at chew when yo' goin' tuh de house. Yo' take dat an' chunk it. Dey call it throwin' it at chew, but dey don't throw it at chew, dey put it down fo' yo' tuh walk ovah it. But if dey don't want chew tuh come tuh de house, yo' take one of yore right-foot shoes, an' sweep dat shoe, dirt an' all out de do', an' den dey'll walk backward from dat shoe in de house. Dey ain't comin' back no mo'.
(Whose shoe do they put out there?)
Yores. Jes' put a little table salt in dere. Dat will carry dem away.
(What do you do with the snake dust?)
Dat snake dust? Well, now, dat's tuh kill yo'. Dey won' do nuthin but jes' pur dat down, right down in yore pathway.
(Where you can walk over it?)
Yessuh, an' yo' walk ovah it. (But if they want to get rid of you, they just put that salt in your shoe and seep it out?) Yessuh. But dat snake dust, if yo' walks ovah dat snake dust an' dey got it in dere, why dat'll git chew, see, 'cuz dey got dat lodestone in it, yo' see.
Entry 9712
Lak if yo' wan'a job, dey tell me sompin but ah have nevah tried it. Lak if yo' wanted a job, ah heah de boys say, go tuh de bossman's house. An' aftah yo' go tuh 'is house - lak if yo' go dere an' try tuh git a li'l' work tuh do roun' dere. Prob'ly yo' fine some things roun' dere dat he's got or somepin he weahs or somepin lak dat. Yo' take dis. An' yo' come back an' take it tuh yore home. An' yo' come back an' yo' take dis turpentine an' olive oil an' salt. An' yo' take dis stuff an' yo' fix it up. Well, aftah yo' take dis stuff an' fix it up, yo' take an' care [carry] it back tuh dis bossman's house. An' yo' take an' hide it up undah, anywhere undah where he walks aroun' in 'is room. Yo' take dat stuff an' yo' care it right dere, an' put it somewheah in 'is room, wheah he kin walk ovah it. Well, yo' take it den. Yo' take an' go back an' git it if yo kin git back an' git it. Git back an' git it. Meanwhile he wuz workin' aroun'. An' yo' take an' bury it. Lak he's got a desk wheah he do's 'is writin', keepin' time, or sompin lak dat. Yo' take an' put it up undahneat' de desk or sompin othah lak dat. An' dey say dat stuff, whut chew put in dat stuff, will take effect on 'im. An' den yo'll come tuh 'im an' he says, "Well" - when yo' ast 'im fo' a job - "come to work." He'll give yo' job. Dat stuff will take effect on 'in, work on 'im in a way, an' he'll have tuh give yo' a job.
Entry 9754
A man an' a woman had a fuss an' got mad. An' dey'd fuss an' dey'd fuss, an' fuss an' fuss. An' dey come say whut dey goin' do. He say, "Yes, ah will take somepin an' ah'll put it round mah do'step, guess she'll be hoppin'. Okay. So, aftah he [he now changed to she] put it down, she got onto it - undah- stood it. She says, "Well, it's a two-handed game. It's jes' as much fo' me as it is fo' her. So now de first one gits de mos' of it, be de first one tuh go doon." So she goes an' she gits nine nails an' nine needles an' nine pins, an' she pat it in a red flannel rag, an' she put it undah de do'step an' let it stay dere nine mawnin's. An' de nine mawnin's, dis woman she passed by dis house an' she goes - jes' lak ah wuz walkin' 'long de street chew know, jes' lak ah wuz goin'aftah sompin, she passed right on by. So she goes off where she wuz goin' an' she turned off an' come back an' she went on home. So she laid down fo' a spell fo' a rest. When she went tuh git up, she couldn't git up. That wuz the last of dat. So dat stayed dat way fo' awhile. So she commence tuh study herself an' she says, "Ah think someone musta done opin tuh me." Says, "Ah feel very peculiah an' don't feel lak ah should feel lak dis. Ah ain't hurt nowhere, ah jes' can't use dis laig. Jes' weak in dis laig." Says, "Ah believe ah'll be smart if ah go someplace. So she goes somewhere to try tuh git relief. So she went [to a hoodoo doctor Gbo told her what had happened, the substance of this present rite]. So de man jes', he jes' kept right on tellin' stories, kept right on tellin' stories. He aoaldn't do nuthin fo' 'er. Finally she died.
Entry 9772
[In the margin title I have called this rite amazing because I had com- pletely forgotten about it and its future significance. The person I am inter- viewing here is J. R. Patterson, proprietor of the black hotel, Patterson Hotel, in New Orleans. Among the illustrations at end of HOODOO, volume 2, see the Patterson Hotel letterhead containing pictures of the hotel, the proprietor, and his signature on Wednesday, March 9, 1938, for rent on room No.17, including elec- tricity for my machine, and room space for my clients downstairs. I paid my rent each day before returning to my own hotel, the old St. Charles. To give Mr. Patterson some idea of my work, I suggested that he himself be interviewed. His following rite tells how he could be driven from his own hotel. Neither of us realized at the time that before a year had passed, Mr. Patterson would lose his hotel and I myself would be chased from the black hotel in Memphis by the police. For this later surprise, see Introduction to HOODOO, volume 1, page XxxIV, line 9 following.] De first thing yo' do, git chew a dime's worth of saltpetah. De nex' thing tuh do is git chew a box of cinnamon, a box of cloves. Git chew a nickel's worth of new tenpenny nails, an' den git chew one quart of gasoline. Den git chew a dime's worth of saltpetah. Go by dose person's house an' pick up, whethah it's mud, dirt or sand, take it up an' put it in de bucket wit dose nails. Po' yuh gasoline in dere an' strike a match an' light it, [let it burn] until it comes tuh be dry an' sandy. Den yo' take it an' go backwards from de do' where dey livin' at an' sprinkle it crossways dat way tuh de fo' cornahs of de world: [demonstrates by pointing] dat cornah, dis cornah, dis one, and dat one cross de street. In 24 hours de're [they are] gone. (You just sprinkle it like this [I demonstrate], like a wingy motion all around, cross that house?) [My demonstration of wingy motion must have been a fluttering or flipping motion like a bird. Informant misunderstands my word cross, meaning to put a hoodoo on the house, not throwing back and forth across the house.] No [you don't throw back and forth across the house] yo' tro' it from de house [demonstrates]. Yes, lak dis is de back, dis is de sidewalk out heah [demonstrates], sprinkle it dis way [demonstrates], cross ovah [demonstrates].
[I describe his demonstrations:]
(From the house out to the gutter, you sprinkle it back and forth, like a "v".)
[This "v" or triangle is the 3 Holy Names.]
One block each way, one block each way from de house. Lak Patterson [the speaker] whut chew [suppose you] wanted him tuh move. Well, yo'd git some dirt. See dat cigah ashes [he points to ashtray containing ashes of my cigar] an' [also] pick it from de sidewalk [get sidewalk dirt], an' git some dirt an' sprin- kle it aroun' dere - some sand. An' befo' he sweeps de banquette [= sidewalk in New Orleans] up in de mawnin', yo' jes' come aroun' dere an' brush up a little bit, jes' enough tuh git in yore fingahs an' put in dere. Den yo' come back heah dat night, yo' see, an' sprinkle from his do' crossways de banquette tuh dat cornah. Den yo' go tuh dis cornah an' go cross de street tuh de nex' cornah. Yo' go dat way an' go cross de street tuh de nex' cornah. Den yo' go ovah heah tuh garage. See. In 24 hours dey are moved.
(You have to throw it to the four corners of the world.)
Yes. [New Orleans, La., (1566, J. R. Patterson, proprietor of black hotel, Patterson Hotel), 2866:3.] [The title of this section could have been either Pins and Needles or Needles and Pins, both having tradition behind them; the first because a person is some- times said to walk on pins and needles; the second according to the folklore couplet: Needles and pins, needles and pins; when a man marries, his trouble begins. As in the case of the preceding section about nails, most rites about these objects have already appeared elsewhere in the printed text as parts of rites with other ingredients. The following rites will be listed according to number of pins and needles: 1, 2, 3, etc.1
Entry 9822
Yo' jes' take nine pins, dat if yo' got anybody an' don't want 'em around yo'. Yo' jes' take nine pins an' stick 'em up in a roll or sompin yo' got in de house, so nobody couldn't see 'em. An' evah mawnin' yo' git up fo' nine mawnin's an' yo' pull one dose pins outs an' jes' throw it right ovah yore shouldah. Walk on outside an' throw it ovah yore shouldah jes lak nobody see where yo' throw it. Nobody know whut chew doin'. Jes' evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' de las' day he's gone. He'll leave dat town. (You put these pins in his house and you throw them. Show me how you throw them over your shoulder.) Jes' 'sposed tuh throw 'em dat ways.
(Over the left shoulder.)
Yes.
Entry 9833
Dey git nine needles an' tie 'em tuhgethah an' dey'll put 'em in a bottle, but wit de point of 'em down lak dis - de haid part up. [Normally points should be up, see No., etc.] Jis' tie 'em tuhgethah. An bury it undah de steps, an' dey say dat'll put a puhson [walk- ing over them] in pain.
Entry 9843
Dey said git a wasps' nest with nine needles, brand-new needles an' nine brand-new pins an' put de pins dis way an' de needle haid dat way, object [opposite] each othah. An' take dat an' yo' know, 'vide [divide] 'em up in nine pieces, split it, stick it intuh de Wasps' nest, holes [cells of the nest] yo' know. An' go 'long where dis person at an' jis' drop it, an' dey'll walk ovah it.
(That will harm them? What will it do to them?)
Well, it will jis' cuz 'em tuh rave an' go on home an' raise disturbances wit mos' evahbody dey meet. (You take these nine needles and nine pins, and you stick them into that wasps' nest.) Make nine holes an' stick each one in dose nine holes an' let 'em walk ovah it an' dat would make 'em very cross.
(You bury that in the ground, then?)
Bury it right in de ground.
(You leave those needles sticking in that wasp's nest?)
Dat's right. (That will cause confusion and quarrels and things of that sort.)
Entry 9844
Dat's tuh fasten a man. Jis' lak yo' had a husban' an' yo' wanted 'im down, an' he couldn't bothah yuh about [what] yo' wuz doin' or goin'. Yo' cud take nine needles out a bran'-new package an' yo' kin take nine straight [new] pins. De needles have steel in 'em an' de pins don't. Yo' kin take a strip of papah jis' off a tablet an' write dis individual's name. An' yo' stick a needle comin' tuh tuh, an' de p'int, stick a needle goin' from yuh - comin' tuh yuh an' goin' from yuh till yo' stick nine needles. Den yo' stick de pins all one way, de nine straight pins, stick each of dose p'ints tuh yuh [demonstrates]. Den yo' would take dose needles an' jis' slightly, jis' [stick] lak dat [demonstrates], chew might say, abou' two or three inches in de ground. Aftah yo' put 'em in dat concernin', ah wanta jis' cross dis party's name. Den yo' kin turn dose needles down. an' yo' make yore wish how yo' want 'im tuh be. An' den jis' covah slightly wit dirt or somepin ovah it dat he may walk in an' out ovah it daily. An' dat'll keep 'im quiet. Dat'll keep 'im down.
Entry 9854
You can take brand-new tacks and you see, like you coming in here. You understand? And I wants you to stay here with me. See, what I mean? See, you ain't no wife of mine but I want you to stay with me. You take them brand-new tacks and you take fifteen tacks, from nine to fifteen tacks, and every time you leave out you drive them tacks down in there. Every time you leave out, you drive them tacks down in there. Do that about four days - say three or four days. And just leave them tacks there and as long as she walk over them tacks, you'll never leave there.
(I see. You use new tacks each day?)
Use brand-new tacks each day.
(Wouldn't I see them?)
If yo' see 'em, yo' wouldn't know what they is for. You'd just see the tacks down there.
(I see.) [This is a tacking-down rite.]
Entry 9928
(Oh, the shoe! You mean the rubber tire - automobile, the inner tube, the inside tube?) Yes, sir. Well, all right. Well, yo' take dat an' burn it an' git de ashes of it an' take sompin - take a little ole rock camphah an' put wit dat. See. All right den, well, now an' den yo' ketch yuh a toadyfrog. Yo' understand now. All right, ketch yuh a toadyfrog an' ef yo' don' wanta kill de toadyfrog - ah done fry de toadyfrog, fry him in a pan. An' git de grease outa 'im an' put dat in dere. An' rub dat on de bottom of yore foot [feet].
(What will that do then?)
Dey can't harm [cunjure] yo'. [The burning of the rubber tire, causing a bad odor, deters witchcraft; see Scatologic Methods to Repulse Witcheraft, Nos.16481- 16499, PP.903-909, FOLKLORE FROM ADAMS COUNTY ILLINOIS, 2nd ed., 1965.]
Entry 10092
Dey ketch a black cat with not a spot on 'im an' put it in a pot, put 'im in a pot 'live an' boil 'im till all de meat, yo' know, drop off de bones. An' den dey go to a runnin' stream, a swift runnin' stream of water, an' dey say dey chunk dem - pitch dose bones [into the Water]. An' dey say de one, yo' know, dat comes back down de stream - not go up it - de one dat come back down de stream, turns an'. comes back down de stream or runs back against de water, say dat's de one. Yo' kin put it in yuh mouth an' yo' disappears. Say yo' kin go
[unseen] into banks [and rob them].
Entry 10246
Ah seen tie knots. Go off an' have intercourse with a woman an' tie knots in dat hans'cuff to tie her up.
(Just how would they do that?)
Well, dey take dere pocket hans'cuff an' de' tie it up, tie nine knots in it. Take de pocket hans' scuff den an' put it in a jar, an' put de jar down where she kin walk ovah it or walk undah it, eithah one, an' she'll always be fo' dat person.
(A man would do this to a woman.)
Uhmmm.
Entry 10280
Jes' lak a woman if she love yo', she be - well, she take de bow out yore cap. Well, she take dis bow outa yore cap an' when she mess wit chew, she take de germs from yo' an' herself, an' she'll roll dis bow up in it. She roll dis bow up in dat. An' den she'll take dis bow an' she put somepin, anything sweet, jes' amy thing dat's sweet on dere. An' she'll take dis bow an' she'll pee on dis boo every morning for seven mornings. She'll pee on dis bow for seven momings. An' den she'll take dis bow after she do dat, pee on seven mornings, take de gerns from yo' an' her germs an' put on heah. An' she'll roll dis in sulphur. Sulphur always. Ah don't know whut sulphur is but most all womenfolks use sulpbur in ever'thin'. Well, she take de sulphur an' she put it on dere an' she take dis heah bow, after she take it out, an' she'll put it in some close place where yo' transfer back an' forward all de time. An' [does] dat in order - she put [it] dere, dat's for yo' to stay close, wanta be round her. Yo' don't feel satisfied, yo' wanta be round her all de time. "Co'se it don't have nuthin to do wit your nature but chew don't wanta mess wit nobody else but her. Dat's de story ah heard about dat. [Bow of cap, any bow, sometimes considered a cross, a sacred symbol. See many beliefs about bow of cap.]
Entry 10498
Go to de forks of de road an' walk back cross de road nine times, an' look up an' cuss God 9 times. An' walk backwards cross de road. Dey say yo done sold yo'self to de devil. (Now here's the forks of the road. [I demonstrate.] I walk over the forks of the road.) Nine times backwards. (Nine times backwards and I look up into the air and curse God nine times. Then I've sold myself to the devil. And then what do I do?) Yo' kin go back an' do anything yo' wanta do den.
Entry 10549
[I heard] that you kin get up nine nights and walk to the fork of a road to sell yourself to the devil. You will agree to give up soul and body at the end of your life for the pri- vilege of being able to master everything while you are here on earth. Then, if you do that for nine nights, or nine mornings, early before dawn good - and the devil will meet chah there and give you per- mission what you shall do in carrying it out. And naturally from then on you'll be the master of the world while you are here in it.
Entry 10616
Yo' kin take devil's-shoestring an' Adam-an'-Eve root an' if it's any- body roun' dat chew wanta do somepin, wan' dem tuh leave or somepin, yo' could put it up ovah yore front do'. An' if dey evah walk undah it, anything dat chew tell 'em or say dat chew want 'em tuh do, dey do it. An' yo' don' even have tuh tell 'em.
Entry 10649
Ah heard if yo' take a ant, if yo' wus tuh take, if yo' could a - jes' lak a ants' nest. Jes' lak yo' go to a ants' den dey have made. Jes' lak if yore husban' or sompin lak dat would wash his feet an' yo' would scrape his feet, well yo' take dis dead skin offa yore husban's feet an' take an' put it in dis ants' nest. Den dat et [eaten] by de ants an' den dat would cause him to walk jes' lak a ants, if yo' wanta do somepin to him or somepin lak dat. Dat would cause de husban' to walk jes' lak de ants.
(What do you mean, run him away or something like that?)
Yeah, jes' gives him de wanderin' an' sturbin' an' all lak dat. Jes' lak he'd love somebody an' yo' thought yo' could break him - yo' know, stop him from lov- in' 'em. Yo' jes' wanta do somepin ill to 'im. See, yo' takes an' wash his feet an' git some of dis heah, yo' know, dead skin off his feet, an' yo' puts it in dis ants' den, an' say den when he starts tuh walkin', he jes' wouldn't be sat- isfied novhere he goes, jes' lak de ants.
Entry 10680
Well, jes' lak if somebody poison yo' an' yo' puttin' stuff down [to counteract it] yo' jes' put it down an' walk backwards.
Entry 10681
Dey say when yo' go tuh put down sompin to a person's house, yo' kin go backwards three steps or nine steps an' jes' put it down an' make yore wish an' walk away from it an' don't look back until yo' git to where yo' live. (That is if you are putting down some- thing for a person to walk over?) Yeah an' harm 'em. Dat evil work.
Entry 10682
If yo' git up in de mawnin' befo' sunrise an' walk out chure do' back- vards fo' nine steps an' make a wish to that effect fo' whut chew want done, it will come true. Come in de house an' nevah look back. Jes' come right straight far- wards back in de house an' nevah look back fo' nine mawn- in's. Yo' gotta do dat fo' nine mawnin's.
Entry 10697
Yo' go to a fortuneteller or Hoodoo and pay them a certain amount of money to have what is known as good luck to follow your home while you are gone. And it is said that she would tell you for this amount [of money given to her] to buy de Bible and not open it. Open it in de house [itself] and find de 17 division of Psalms, Psalms of David, [close Bible] and walk in yore garden and git as near de center as possible [here is a quincunx rite!] not yet opening Bible. And turn yore face as near towards de east as possible, and valk 17 steps and stop, and read de 17 division of de Psalms, and den close de book. And no harm will befall yore home or nuthin will happen to yore wife. (This is to sort of to protect your family; especially if a man is going away from home?) Yes, that's on leaving home. The same thing holds good, de wuman tole me, if a man's wife leaves him and he wants her to return.
Entry 10736
Because [if] ah had a' enemy an' ah wanted tuh hurt 'em above [with- out suspicion, ah would den git a woman dat would be, yo' know, sick - yo: know monthly. See, ah'd git de drippings from her on a cloth an' plant it under de do'step of de person. Den dat would make dem deathly sick. (You would [plant] that cloth under her own step?) No. Fo' instance, if ah had a enemy, supposedly a man an' dis woman dat ah'm going with is supposed to be a woman of mine. Ah jes' git one of her Kotex clothes [cloths] dat she taken off an' plant under de steps of de man or de person dat's my enemy, an' den dat would make 'em purtty sick.
Entry 10763
Ef they git hold of somepin that yo' was eatin' off [on] see, an' tbey place it with bluestone - they have it mixed with bluestone and that [piece yoo were eating on and the bluestone] they sets up ovah yo' [so that you valk ander it] and then yore teeth miu come out. (They put it over [above] yoa, so you will walk uoder it.)
[octor Johnson in Richmond gave something similar.]
Entry 10767
Bluestone - dat bluestone is lucky. Gunpowder is lucky, but you have to use it in such a peculiar way. Yo' know gunpowder is dangerous. Well, all right, you take dat blue- stone and gunpowder to- gether - dey call dat [bluestone] de lucky stone. Yo' mix dis bluestone an' gunpowder together an' put it in a little bag an' jes' tote dat in yore pocketbook. Well, all right, jes' lak yo' may walk off to a big poker game. Yo' walk aroun' de poker game an' yo' got yore hands in yore pocket, an' he laugh an' say, "How about it?" or "Take a chair." Yo' say, "Well, ah don't mind." Bang! Take a shot. Well, yo' bettin' on what chew got in yore pocket. Yo' ain't bettin' on what dis othah fellah got. Well, dat bluestone an' dat gunpowder - see, dat's hot, sure be luck fo' de winner. Now, ah knowed a man - mah uncle used to try dat. Dat wus good.
Entry 10828
It's like my husband and I is separated. I would take four straws of the broom and he came home, I put 'em before the door. He comes in [over the 4 broomstraws] and he'll never leave. (All you got to do, just take four straws from the broom?) Four straws of the broom, before [in front of] the door. (And he won't leave any more. I see.)
Entry 10830
Take de broomstraws an' name 'em an' put 'em undah de do'steps, an' dat will keep a man from goin' off. He go off but he'll come back. Put 'em out dere undah de back of de steps where he goes by ever' mawnin'.
(What do you name them?)
Name dem de man's name or whoevah it is goin' off. (Each straw you name the same man?) No, yo' name 'em jes' lak yo' talkin' tuh 'em, yo' know, whut chew want 'em tuh do an' ever'thing.
Entry 10874
If yo' happen to see a cat - if it passes dat road, if it's a black cat, walk backwards, dey says, an' yo'll always succeed. But if he's a gray cat or a white cat, says step right on ovah it. (Over the cat.) Yeah, step right on ovah where he walks, but walk backwards if he's black an' yo' shore will have better luck.
Entry 10911
Dog manure an' dog hair - see, dey gotta git dat dog an' cat tuh fightin'; see, if yo' Wanta separate a man an' a woman. See, yo' git - lak mah, ah have two little white dogs now. Well, yo' git a cat an' git dem tuh fightin' an' clip de hair right quick while dey both mad. Yo' put dat tuhgethah, dat cat hair 'de dog hair, an' dog manure an' cat manure, an' rat manure. Well, yo' ba de three things don' git along, don't chew? Yo' know de cat hates de rat 'de dog hates de cat. So yo' throw dat in dere. It really separate any man wife an' it will make 'em move. Throw it in de room, jis' lak ah come in ah. Fo' instance, ah wanta have sompin in mah han'. Ah could be sittin' heah 'd coald be jis' sprinklin' it aroun'. [I replaced the original four-letter odd by amure.]
Entry 11151
Make people move out of a room, if de landlady makin' yo' move. After yo' gits everything outa dere, yo' turns roun' an' walk back in dis house an' walk to all fo' cor- ners an' curse it, dey says, an' walk out. Don' look back at it. Dey says she'll nevah be able toh keep anybody else in dere.
Entry 11171
If yo' git a chance tuh git in dat house - de devil's-shoestring, yo' take dat devil's-shoestring an' jes' ball a little bit of it an' put it ovah de do'sill or somewhere in de house, some corner of de house. Dey ain't goin' stay in dere. An' yo' kin give a fellah a walkin' figit. (How do you give a fellow a walking figit?) Jes' take some nails an' drive 'em in de ground an' turn 'em de way he goes. Put some needles an' pins between 'em. Off he go.
(Any special number?)
Nine [new] needles [nine new pins] an' nine new nails.
(You cover those up so they don't stick him?)
Jes' drive 'em right down in de ground.
(Where he'll walk over them.)
Entry 11189
De dirt dauber.
(Sort of like a wasp or a bee?)
Yes. Well, didja evah see de little cells dat dey build?
(Yes.)
Well, now, de people down dis way - especially in dis part of de world at one tine - now ah know dis tuh be a fact. We were living in Conecuh County, Ala. We had a very disagreeable neighbor lived across de street from us, an' she rented from some white people, but we owned our property. And dis person was disagreeable. And de white people dat she liked, dey like her so well, un- til dey wouldn't have her move just tuh please someone else, you see. Well, mah mother told many different people about her. De woman was named Ada Sonworth [Stallworth] - of course I don't have to tell [her name]. Anyway, she was very disagreeable and she would argue. Well, anyway, as I started tuh tell you, dis woman was very disagreeable and it wasn't no possible chance of getting her tuh move. We wasn't going tuh move. And mah mother told an old man 'bout it. An' he was a man supposed tuh have some super-power.
(Did they have any special name for this man? Did they call him anything?)
Yes, dey called him a cunjure, as far as dat is concerned. Well, he told mah mother tuh go and get some of dis dirt dauber cells and pound dem up, and mix one cup of ground pepper and one of black pepper, and one of salt, and have us tuh go tuh her do', you see, at night when dey was 'sleep, and sprinkle it. Said tuh give it tuh us children [to sprinkle] and not her [the mother]. And when you go and sprinkle dat down at de door and walk backwards, you get tuh de gate and throw dat de way you Wanted her tuh go, and said she would leave within nine days. So mah mother didn't believe much about it but she said, well it wouldn't hurt tuh try. It would be so inexpensive until it wouldn't make any difference. So she prepared dis concotion dat we'd have heard, you see, and we did dat - mah brother. Mah brother lives here [Mobile] too, now. We tried dat when we were children and she really disappeared in de next two weeks. Dat's positive.
(How many years ago when you were a child?)
When I was a child dat was in 1915...it was in 1915, and dis little town where dis happened, was in Evergreen. Mah grandfather died in 1917. He was a man dat was very stingy. He was born a slave. "Corse ah don't have tuh tell you but our name is Dubon. Mah grand- father was owned by some French people and dey came from down New Orleans way some place and dey established up here in Conecuh County, and mah grandfather...
Entry 11190
Ah heard dey go an' git a dirt dauber nest an' some cayenne peppah an' sprinkle it undah de do'step an' turn yore back an' nevah look back, an' nevah look back, an' say "good-by." An' dat'll make 'em move an' dey cain't come back again.
Entry 11296
You wanta man stay away from your house, sompin like dat, why you git a hair from one dese man [male] dogs. See. And jest - I'm making reference [giving an illustration] now - jest like you wants a man, you figure dat a man worryin' you, wit you and your family. Why you'd git some hair from a dog. You git it right off de - you know where his tether at, you git some hair right from de end of dat. All right, you git dat hair and you take a knife and you cut it up, cut it up fine. All right, after you cut dat hair up fine you carry it and you put it to dis.fellah door, right under de step. See, and bury it about three or four inches. See. After you bury it about three or four inches, you walk away from de house about ten steps. After walking away from de house about ten steps all right, you walk backward about five steps - backwards. See. You walk five steps backwards. All right, don't walk de way you walked de first time, dose ten feet. [Walk backwards at an angle.] All right, after you walk backward now, gotta walk side- Ways about 20 feet - sideways. And then you keep on about chure business and go on home. That'll keep him away from your house. See, he'll never come back. [Those preceding words hair right from de end of dat I understood at the time but failed to annotate their meaning to the cylinder. They could signify the end of the rope and hair from around the male dog's neck. These hairs then would have tied the victim down to his own home, kept him away. If so, surely the hairs would not have been cut up. Or would they? I still think these are phallic dog hairs cut up and buried at the victim's door. That leaving, the steps forwards, walking backwards at an angle, and finally sideways at a right angle, is my only example in HOODOO, though there are many examples of magic walking away.]
Entry 11628
Like someone you want to drift away, you write the name three times; ooman or man, three times. You go to running water, fresh water, and you ketch you a scale fish. (What kind?) A scale fish, any kind of fish that's got scales on it - a small fish. All right, you write her name down three times and you take that blood from that fish and you dot each one; you understand, dot them periods. You go to running water and turn your back on it and throw it away. Turn your back, don't look back at it - but turn your back until you get so many paces off from it and go. All right, they commence to drifting - you understand - they don't know. Just like you want 'em out of your way, you understand. They commence to drifting. (Now, look. You only put three drops - you put a drop on each one of these names - from the fish.) Yes, you know, just drop like that period; just like you writing a line, you know, you put a period on each one of them. Well, you dot a period.
(You dot each name with one drop of fish blood.)
Yes.
(Well, what do you do with the fish then?)
The fish? All right I fixin' to tell you. When you get through with that, you take that fish and stick that paper, that name in there and go to running water and throw it, and turn.your back. When you throw it, don't throw it with your face toward the water. Always when you walk there - if you [came] in your car or whatever you in, on the bridge, over the running water - you throw it backwards.
Entry 11666
Yo' go down to de fo'k of de road an' yo' kin take a fresh aig - jes lak yo' in bad luck. Git a fresh aig an' a penny an' throw it cross yore shoulder at de fo'k of de road an' walk on an' don' look back. After while it put chew in good luck. (You throw that penny and
[WHY EGG? THAT IS PAYMENT FOR SPIRIT OF THE FORK] the egg over it [shoulder]?)
An' de aig ovah - both of 'em together, an' throw it cross yore shoulder an' walk on - de left shoulder and walk on. An' why dat put chew in good luck? An' de one dat come an' find dis penny, it put dem in bad luck. [This is a tranference rite, very common in wart cures.]
Entry 11668
Walk just like you walk to the two forks of the road, from the house, make a cross mark with your right foot, you know. Turn around and go back to the house. That's supposed to be lucky to you. Sup- posed to bring luck to you. (That will bring you luck, I see.)
Entry 11669
I have heard that they goes tuh the forks of de road and dey crossmarks yo' out like that. That's whut ah've heard about that.
(Well, what does that mark do? Do they just make a mark there in the road?)
They jest make a mark at the [fork of the] road.
(Well, how does that affect me if I don't go out there?)
It won't 'fect yo' if you don't go out there. If yo' go out there it'll 'fect chew.
(I see, you have to walk over that mark.)
Entry 11684
Ah says, dey'll - sometimes dey'll go dere [forks of road] an' drive a stäve [stake] down in groun' where yo' can't see it, and pull green grass and put on top of it. When yo' git dere yo' won't know it. Yo' can't cross dat road. (You can't cross that road? Where do they put that stake?) In de middle, right in de middle of de road. Dey'll drive it down so yo' can't see it, even wit de groun', yo' know.
(You do that out at the forks of the road. Well, what do they do that for?)
Well, if you walk over it, you'll have pains de balance of yore days in yore laigs, dey begin tuh git so stiff.
Entry 12105
Hear dey take de bow out of a man's hat. Take de bow out of man's hat an' wear it in de toe of dere shoe an' dat will make 'em leave town. [This looks more like holding a man, but intention is everything. That bow in her shoe is a walking bow. It keeps him walking.]
(Well, who would do that, primarily?)
De woman would take de bow out of a man's hat.
Entry 12139
If yo' wanta go tuh git a job fo' good [a steady job], yo' go tuh dat job. If yo' kin git tuh de office where he's at, understan', git tuh de office where he's at, yo' kin git chew some dat stuff whut chew eat. Whut dey call - yo' kin git it at most any drug sto' - shellac. Yo' know, shellac, sompin dat chew paint things wit. Jes' take an' drop one drop anywhere. jes' lak yo' wuz heah [in this rooml, jes' drop one drop anywhere on de flo' heah where yo' step ovah it. An' den yo' go on back den an' take de rest of it. Go on back an' mix a little bit of Hearts Cologne, two or mo' drops of hit, an' puts hit in de bottle. Den yo' go tuh him, yo' may go ovah tuh him, dere ain't any jobs, an' if dere somebody else on de job, yo' tell him 'bout dat job. [He will ask], "Whut kin yo' do?" Yo' say, "Anything. All right, perhaps ah wants a job real bad. De next time yo' go to him, says, "Well, ah don't want but 75." [Is 75 cents an hour the wage back in 1937?] "Come back sech an' sech a time." An' when yo' go back de third time ag'in, yo' git dat job an' start workin' right off.
(And you just drop one drop of that shellac where the boss can walk over that?)
Dat's right, in de office.
Entry 12322
Ah tell whut lightnin' will do. If yo' take - if de lightnin' struck a tree, yo' kin take dat tree when de lightnin' struck it an' run anybody 'way from dere dat chew wanta. (How would they do that?) Why aftah de lightnin' strike de tree, then yo' take that wood an' yo' bury that wood under the people's step where they walk ovah it, an' that will walk 'em away.
Entry 12338
(So the boss will give me a job?)
Ah goes out in de woods an' git one of dose Little John de Conkah roots - jes' de Little John. Ah knows it. Goes out dere an' gits one of dose roots. Ah walk up to him fo' nine mawnin's an' chew it, an' ah tell him ah come down dere tuh git a job. Tell me, "Come back in de mawnin'." May be de latest gittin' back -ere. Den ah'll go back de next mawnin'. He'll give me a job.
Entry 12461
Wit silver money dey have good luck. An' show it to de moon, an' he Walk back fo' so many - 'bout nine steps backwards; an' then yo' turn roun' an' hit those steps wit dat money, an' say de moon give yo' good luck. [This is a tricky rite to perform in moonlight. I suggest it could be come as follows: facing moon and holding silver coin in right hand, if you are right-handed, step backward with right foot, kneel down, touch track made with coin. Now step back with left foot, kneel down, touching this track with coin. Continue for the 9 steps and tracks.]
Entry 12544
Dey tell me yo' git some lodestone an' git chew some sen-sen an' a red onion. An' yo' peel dis red onion an' take de hull an' drop de sen-sen down in it. [Sen-sen Was or is trade name of small lozenges to suck to sweeten breath.] An' yo' look in de east an' ask de Lord tuh move yore enemies an' bring yo' luck an' peace. An' den yo' sprinkle de sugah ovah dis same thing an' dis red onion. An' yo' walk to yore front do' an' walk back- vards to yore back do' nine times, aftah yo' fire it back. Dat will bring yo' peace an' yo' be's successful wit chure friends.
Entry 12582
Now heah's one good fo' dat, if yo' wanted tuh keep de lav away. Yo' ldn use jes' a common penny. Yo' drive one down at de front do' an one at de back, an' den yo' take a can Red Devil lye an' yo' Would drive nine holes in dat an' yo' would bury dat neah where yuh people would pass ovah it. An' dat's been a suah one tuh keep away de law an' yo' don't be bothered wit de law.
Entry 12616
Well, when yo' know [someone] goin' harm yo', comin' to yore house tuh harm yo', dere ain't nuthin fo' yo' tuh do, but jes' take yore shoes off, both yore shoes, an' put chew some sul- phur an' red peppah in 'em an' wear 'em, an' yo' kin walk ovah anything.
Entry 12617
Go tuh de drugsto' an' git chew a box of new sulphur an' [new] red cayenne peppah - ground-up peppah an' yo' mix dat sulphur an' dat peppah up to- gethah, an' yo' take it an' make a little ball - jes' a little ball. An' yo' tie it in de calf of de laig - in de knee part in de sock. An' sprinkle a little bit in yore shoe an' nuthin won't go up dere - dat [crunjure] won't go up through dat dere.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep yo' from ketchin' whut dey put down [for you to walk over].
Entry 12619
Dey say yo' takes red peppah, gunpowdah, an' sulphah, an' mix dat to- gethah an' weah dat under de bottom of yore shoe an' anythin'.yo' walk ovah dat won't take no effect on yo'. Yo' see, red peppah, gunpowdah, an' sulphah.
Entry 12866
I know an old woman that said if a man kept on living on the place and got disagreeable, she said she used to go out in the morning before day and walk backwards and throw that saltpeter in his path in [the form of] a cross and wish him bad luck and he would leave that farm. They say saltpeter is a great hand to destory any- thing you don't like. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 12868
An' dey say yo' kin take bluestone an' saltpeter, beat it up an' make yo' a kine [kind] of a little sack yo' know lak [sack-lak yo' know] an' wear it in yore shoe an' dat'll keep yo' from ketching dis stuff.
(Anything that anybody puts down for you.)
Yes sir.
Entry 12875
Well, dey got a root dey call de Sampson Giant root.
(Sampson what?)
Sampson Giant root. It's a root, it's impossible almost to break it. Well, it would, could stand a tremendous pressure to break it, but jis' hand it to a person ordinarily, they can't do anything with it. An' they call it the Samp- son Giant root. And they claim that you kin take it and by using it through a perfume, or else using a piece of gum, and you apply for a job, that nine times out of ten, whoever you ask for a job, he will write you up to go to work or give you a proposition to come back at another time. That there's no way to refuse you as long as you got a piece of it, and kin get around him so as to encircle him. Why you got him under your influence during that time.
(You have to go and circle around him?)
Circle and naturally he'll stop. And you tell him your business, that you come to apply for a job. And of course he's more 'an apt to look over and give you somepin to do. That's known as the Sampson Giant root.
Entry 12921
(They shoot the shadow, you say?)
Yeah. Well, dey do dat to harm a pusson, get him into trouble - harm 'em. Yo' be up dere - standin' dere - of co's [course] dis de individual, yo' understand. Yo' have a walkin' stick, see. While he standin' up, yo' be mark- in' in de ground. Yo' mark where his shadah is, yo' know. Well, after he go yo' know, yo' shoot dat shadow an' yo' shoot right in de heart. See, wheah yo' heart is, yo' know.
(And what will that do to them?)
Dat give dem heart trouble.
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 13064
Well, dey kin put walkin' spells on you with your shoes.
(How do they do that?)
Dey take jes' one of your shoes an' go get dem a snail, an' den get some of your ole clothes or somepin you wear. And take and cut it up - take some scis- sors and cut it up fine. Take dat snail and get some of dat snail slime off of dat snail. Put dat in de bottom of your shoe and you'll leave dere walkin'.
(What do they do with those clothes they cut up? What do they do with that?)
Dat clothes what dey cut up. Well, you see, dat's jes' somepin to help dat snail slime, make you leave dere.
(Well, do they put that cut-up stuff in that shoe or what?)
Yas suh, dey sprinkle it in dere, jes' cut it up fine.
Entry 13067
Dey say if yo' put a snail in a person's path an' yo' put it 'bout dat far into de groun' [demonstrates]... (Three or four inches under the ground?) Yeah, jes' 'bout. An' he walk ovah dat, dat will cause dem to have aches an' pains of all kinds. Dat will put spells on dem, too.
Entry 13144
(Take his sock?) De sock and bury under any place and you [owner] walks over it and then you swells up.
(Well, do they bury both your socks?)
Just one.
(Which one do they bury there?)
De left foot.
(All they do is just bury that sock?)
Yes, sir.
(And then, what happens then?)
You walks over it and then yo' start to swell up.
Entry 13218
Dat's done dis Way. Say, fo' ninstan' now, dat a spirit is worryin yo', maybe yo' done perhaps kill somebody maybe yeahs ago, an' dey spirit keep worryin' yo'. Yo' go to a small stream where it's a bridge an' yo' git a lighter [fat-lighter stick] an' peg, an' drive it down at chure left toe, den yo' walk backwards cross dat stream an' drive an- othah peg down at chure right toe, an' yo' tie dat spirit betwixt dere - cross de water an' dey won' follow yo' no mo'. (What do you mean you tie it across the water?) Well, yo' see, when yo' drive de peg down, an' yo' call de person's name three times, den yo' know he's wit chew, dat de spirit is. Den when yo walk backwards, cross de bridge, he still following yo' in front, but when yo' stoop down an' drive anothah peg at chure toe, yo've got him. In othah words, dat's whut chew might call dat chew bury de spirits. [As I say in margin title, our doctor here is a law unto himself, since a spirit cannot cross running water; but here doctor pegs sprit across running water so that his client can return to his own side of the stream. Nice Work!]
Entry 13411
Well, in case ah wuz makin' love or had made love with a woman, ah kin tell dat ah guess. Ah starts at de house an' ah stump mah left foot befo' ah git dere. Ah'll go right on an' ah says, "Why do ah stump mah left foot?" Ah say dat in mah Mind. See. When ah git dere ah find othah troubles. Ah find some othah man is seekin' tuh cut off mah progress an' probably he will be dere when ah git dere, an' ah can't git tuh carry out mah aims, an' so on. Dat's de sign of stumpin' mah left foot 'fore ah git dere. An' now if ah stump mah right foot in de same direction, everything is in de cleah. Or, in going tuh a place in de mannah... [I interrupt].
(If you are going to see a woman?)
Yessuh, in de same mannah, ah meets a cat an' dat cat runs out from dat side of de road from de left going tuh de right, an' ah cut him off before he git clean cross de street or de road an' he turns back. Now, dat mah greatest enemy if ah wuz right-handed. Dese are experiences ah'm tellin' yo' now, suh. Well, ah go an' ah find mah success great.
Entry 13428
Kin you understand what I say, now?
(I understand now.)
To make you move out of the house, you go and get some holy water, see [and] war water and you sprinkle that. And then you go to the graveyard, get some graveyard dust, and you go and sprinkle it with black pepper and salt. And you sprinkle it all around the step and put it underneath the steps. If it got a brick there, you put it underneath that, where they can't see it. And when anyone can't see it, it's more better. When you come down the steps and walk away, you'll cross over it. See, when you cross over it, then maybe you'll start to go black [not feel well] and then you'll come back 'round and you'll start to scrubbing - get some lye. You says, somebody's been sprinkling me. All right. You'll go and get some lye and your urinate, and take it and scrub that up. Well, the next morning, I'll go back and do the same. And when you do find it, you say, "Well, I'm going to move. Somebody is sprinkling 'round here. They must be wanting the house or something." And I done move out of the place. So that's why I give it to 'em and that's why I move.
Entry 13437
[Here is a simple, unusual and probably rare rite:] "If some people do things to you like that, an' you in bad luck an' things like that, well the best thing to do is to walk acrost a pond - a pond where clear water at. You go acrost that pond an' it will change your luck." [This of course is a substitute for running water, the reason for the insistance on clear water. One hears little about ponds in HOODOO, I was not seeking general folklore.]
Entry 13444
If you got mad wit somebody, git you a grapevine, one that's never beared grapes, and twist that vine and go whip that person. They say she'll just come to nothin - won't be nothin, won't be nothin no more.
(A tame grapevine or a wild one?)
No, this is one - you know some tame grapes don't bear fruit.
(Now, how do you mean, you twist it?)
You just take the two branches... [demonstrates].
(Oh, I see.)
And twist it over... [continues demonstration].
(And then you whip them with that?)
Yes.
(And after that this person is no good at all.)
They'll be no good. (Well, how do you mean, "no good" - just sort of lost their spirit or ambi- tion or what?) No ambition or nothin, just walk de street barefooted, and...