Subject:Water/Back to running
Entries
Entry 6308
An' if dey wanta drive yuh away, dey kin take yuh hair an' take it tuh a runnin' stream of watah. An' don't nevah go fa'wahds, go backwahds. Take dat hair an' go tuh a runnin' stream of watah an' throw it ovah de lef' shouldah an' nevah look back. Dat'll drive yuh away. It will cause yuh tuh wandah from place tuh place - all lak dat.
Entry 3719
(Is there anything that a man can do to get his nature back?)
Well, ah've had a woman took a dishrag an' kinda fixed me so ah couldn't have no othah woman but 'er. Ah've tried othah women. Ah've been a railroad man all de time, lak ah runnin'[from here] in to At- lanta. No mattah how badly ah wanted dis woman, how much powah ah had, de minute ah lay down on dis woman - be wit 'er yo' know - come to be jes' as limbah as de end of mah fingah [demonstrates] dataway. But de onliest way dat ah evah cured mahself of dat, git me some sweet milk an' bath mahself down wit it nine mawnin's Dat'll give me as much power as ah evah did have. Or ah'll go to some runnin' watah, watah dat's runnin', an' bath off dataway. Dat'll give yo' powah.
(You go to running water and bathe?)
Bathe, or bathe in sweet milk.
(How could you bathe there in running water?)
Evah nine mawnin's.
(Do you bathe up or down?)
Down, bringin' yo' out all de time. Yo' don't want nuthin tuh draw back. Let it stretch out.
Entry 3741
"Cuz ah have tried it. Dey tells me dat chew kin take de cloth - yo' kin have connections wit a woman or couldn't have it. If yo' couldn't have it, jes' couldn't have - jes' got limp, couldn't do any- thing. Well, yo' take a dishrag, stole it - even from your wife or from someone else, an' wipe wit it. Wash wit it an' throw it in runnin' watah.
(What will that do?)
Dat will raise yore nachure.
(Bring it back?)
Yes.
Entry 3742
Well, he have tuh go tuh work den an' jes' be sharp enough to know whut it 'tis, an' when she bring dat rag back to him de nex' time, do dat den he shet it off 'im. He have to take dat rag an' keep it, an' when yo' git dat rag yo' has to go to swift runnin' watah. Put sompin to it to make it sink, go to swift-runnin' watah an' put a weight in it an' chunk it from yo' right out in de stream. Dat'll carry dat right off yo'.
(That will carry that spell away and have his nature back again?)
Yes.
Entry 4347
Tuh work in [on] yuh mind, cause yuh tuh lose yuh mind or somepin like dat, why dey could git hold of yuh - well, if dey git hold of yuh urine or any- thin' of dat kind, why dey will put it into a bottle. An' dey carry it tuh runnin' watah an' dey throw it in dere. An' by washin' it dataway, why it takes yuh mind from yuh, cause yuh tuh become mindless.
(Do they throw that any special way or just throw it in?)
Yeah, dey claim dey throw it towards de east.
Entry 5434
Ah heard if yo' want someone tuh leave heah, yo' know yo' wan'a git rid of someone, an' dey way dey do, dey said dey'd git chure foot track from yore toes - git chure right-foot track from de toes an' bring it tuh yo'. An' yo' put it in a green gourd an' stop it up, an' go tuh runnin' watah, where dere's runnin' watah, an' throw it ovahbo'd. Throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah, ovahbo'd. An' dey say dat will shore run 'em away. Dey'll go somewheres.
Entry 7841
Dey kin take dat bow an' keep yo' wit a headache all de time. Dey odll take dat bow an' take it tuh de cemetery tuh a ole grave an' go tuh de haid of de grave an' call yore name an' bury dis dere, an' say tuh de spirit in de grave, "Why, keep dis till ah come fo' it." An' until dey come, why yo'll have de head- ache. If it's a stockin' dat's been worn, if it's a dirty sock, not one been washed, dat dirty, dat have de sweat or presparin' [perspiring] from 'er feet, don' chew undahstan', den yo' kin take dat an' take hit tuh de cemetery. An' put [it] down at de foot of de grave, not de haid but de foot, an' say tuh dat spirit: Keep dis till ah come back. An' dat puts dis woman's mind on yo'. Now, when yo' git tired of 'er, yo' have tuh go an' git it up an' throw hit in runnin' watah.
Entry 8268
Take de tintype an' point de fo' cornahs an' shoot it an' yo'll soon die. (They do what to the four corners?) Turn it round, de fo' cornahs, dey meet de cornahs of it. (Show me. Say that's the tintype there.) Take de pistol dis way an' turn it ovah an' shoot it [this corner], an' yo' turn dis cornah an' shoot on dat cornah.
(Shoot it in all four corners turning it around?)
Turn it roun' an' den throw it in runnin' watah.
(What will that do?)
As dat go down yo's goin' go down den too.
Entry 8778
Write person's name nine times on paper, throw into running water. Runs crazy. [To write a person's name 9 times occurs in many rites. This is a simple and basic form of the rite.]
Entry 9415
Den yo' kin take two aigs an' write dey name on 'em, jes' lak yo' Wanted a person drove away from heah. If dey cain't do yo' no good, dey won't do nobody else. Yo' kin take two aigs an' write dere name on 'em an' throw 'em in runnin' watah. Go tuh de rivah an' throw 'em in runnin' watah. Dat'll keep 'em goin' all de time, dey min' [mind] goin' all de time. Dat'll fin'ly run 'em crazy.
(Any kind of chicken egg?)
Fresh chicken aigs.
Entry 10186
An' then here's another thing. There's - some things are over others zhoo know. You see? Well the nex' thing to do, if you wanted to make 'em leave town or anything like that, you Write their name down 9 times. Understand? An' stop it up in a bottle an' go to the running water, to the river and throw it in. Throw it ovah the left shoulder an' don't look back, an' says, "I wan' zhoo to go." An' then you take a red candle. You get a red candle, you understand now, an you stick you three pins in it. You burn that at 12 a'clock at night, see, an' you make a wish. You says, "I wish my enemies would leave me alone In the Name Of the Lord."
Entry 12130
Yo' know whut yo' kin do wit dis bow a'gin. Well, yo' kin take dis bow heah yo' understand [again he refers to my hat on interviewing table]. An' yore wife will jump off today or tomorrow an' marry to de othah man. Two yeahs yo' livin' wit her, see. She don' mean yo' no good. She leave a little out. Look heah, she leave a little out dis high. Yo' know dis top, dat high on yo'. Say, dat ah'm yore brothah. Ah ketch yo' an' take dat. Understand, see. Yo' take dat bow lak ah tell yo', lak dis heah. Understan', goes right tuh de rivah. Ah don't mean no stop-watah, ah mean runnin' watah - dat be goin', runnin' 'long lak dat. An' she'll run yo' off, right on down [to the sea]. Well, when yo' git tired, yo' don't wanta run so far, cause yo' don' know where dey stop. Dat bow may stop at de sea.