The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-01
THE NEGRO'S SUPERSTITION
EVIL SPIRITS. CHARMS, DREAMS IND
BIRDS OF I'LL OMEN.

The Rabbits Foot white Mans Charm
Cross Eyes Rather In Favor-MeaninE of
Dreams-Birds That Are Feared, Hated
OF Destroyed-Satan's Winged Friends.
BENTON, La, Sept 22-The superstitions
OF the negroes Of the north Louisiana and Arkansas
bottoms are divisble into four classes: supersti-
tons about human beings who possess super
natural powers. superstitons about evil spirits.
supersttions about dreams and superstitions
about birds supersttions about human bo-
ings the Bile is the belief In the voodoo.
which Is a charm cast upon a person or animal
and the voodoo doctor. who is the person able TO
cast the charm. Some voodoo charms are cast
by lamentations, some by the evil eye, oome by
merely wishing harm TO tho object intended 10 be
injured II Ia noteworthy that voodoo. or
voodoo doctor Is credited with power TO do good
The working Of the charm is always inimicaL
The voodoo man can do harm 10 an enemy, but
40 benefit 10 his employer. save such indirect
benefit as may accrue from the enemy's hurt
La all the wide range OF negro superstition there
IL nothing which will be productive Of beneficent
results. save only few love charms and dreams
which tell the dreamer how he may find money.
GiAarwise II is all gloomy and hurtful The
favorite voodoo charm. which is sold by aged
witches at prices ranging from SO cents to IS, ac-
cording To the wealth Of the purchaser. is COM
posed OF a red flannel bag. some two inches long
and an inch wide, which is sewed tightly all AROUND
after having been filled with Ash bones scrapngs
from the nails Of a dead person, dead baby's
hair and one or two valueless dried herbs This
is worn around the neck by string and ia sup
posed confer upon the wearer power 10 harm some
one with though, as well as protection from
spirits Contrary 10 accepted belief the Lou
tsiana negro has faith in the efficacy of a rab
bits foot. nor so far as is ascertainable has any
l.
mans superstition All the use a negro has for
q rabbit is to catch 1t, in graveyard out OF it,
and eat it fried in -four batter with hot pone
on the side.
Many evil spirits come 10 trouble the darky.
Borne the winds Of the night they re seen flick
ring In the ba ok shadows of the trees in the moon
light they turn up leering. hooking. drowned
faces from the eddies and whirls OF the great rivers
they abide about lonely plantation cemeteries and
lurk in the deeps Of woods SO massive and thick
that among them is twilight all Of the day. The
negro Is an imaginative creature. In slave times
the only leisure which he had for visiting came
after sunset He made long, secret journeys from
plantation to plantation. with his heart in his
mouth from dread of spooks and the patrol. and it
is easy to see whence most Of his fancies are de
rived, 1t is not easy, however, to trace the uni
vcrsal belief that bite from a blue gum Niger"
is death Occasionally an African of pure blood
has gums Of a pale blush cast As like other
negroes, he Is grinning almost constantly his
gums are literally displayed and they are not
pretty. Possibly long time ago blue.gummed
negro bit somebody in fight and his opponent
died Anyhow, belief in the fatality of the blue
gummed bite extends from the coast OF Texas TO
the Eastern Shore Of Maryland and there is little
likelihood that II will die out Indeed one
of these rare negroes is uncanny enough in ap-
10 anrrIa
tune. The black man has had hard time of il
in Africa for some thousands of years and not
any too easy time since coming to this country
Handicapped by lack OF education and possessing
unsurpassed capacity to see things" il is
not to be wondered at that his superstitions are
many and that nearly all Of them have gloomy
cast One of the few exceptions to this general
rule is to be found in the affection. almost rever
ence, with which strabismic person is regarded
The negro does not share the white prejudice
against crosseyes. He believes that a man or
woman afflicted Is apt to he special favorite
OF the dark powers to be protected against many
Ills, notably against snake bite, and even to have
in some cases the power Of injecting others with
good luck A negro girl whose eyes look in oppo-
site directions has no trouble in getting married
whether she be Of good figure and otherwise pleas
ing features or not II any of her children also
have crossed eyes she becomes celebrated and is
looked upon "sho' 'nuf cunjer"
Dream superstitons OF the black race do not
differ materially from those of the whites In
deed, many are derived from the whites. Almost
all Southerners matter what their social stand
ing or education may he. strongly super
stitious. In no other part in the world will one
See 80 many men and women refusing to walk
under ladders, and careful to touch each chair
that is passed in going from room, and anxious
TO the moon over The loft ShnuIder and
fearful about the direction in which the salt il
spilled and so forth. Each Of these beliefs or
breads, they transferred TO their slaves, and in
addition the negro has devised several OF his own
10 which he clngs with unshakable tenacity
To dream OF a bowl OF cabber with a fy in its
centre means that before the year is out he is
going TO be badly cut with some sharp instru-
ment To dream of a mud turtle in clear water
means that some Of the plantation stock, his
own or his employers, will perish in the swamp
bog. To dream that the fodder is burning means
that there will be death In the family. To dream
Of a marriage also means death. as does a dream
Of death itself, or a dream Of a heavy fall or a
dream Of dancing long. The field hand takes
a lead colored view Of the things he thinks of in
his sleep. II he dreams Of rat gnawng his
clothes, however. it is an indication that he is
going to find a pot Of sold, and many negro,
having SO dreamed. has watched the point of his
pillow with great care all Of the in cxpcc-
taton Of seeing the pot turned up.
The African superstitions of birds are innumer.
able. Pretty nearly every feathered thing with
which he is acquainted has some sort of occult
Significance Some Of these beliefs he has re-
ceived from the whites, but most Of them have
been evolved from the inner consciousness Of his
ancestors, and they display for the most part the
characteristic negroid riot Of imagination The
iaybird Is regarded with Comically grave dis
trust 1t Is the counsellor, guide and friend OF
col Marse Satin" himself The amount Of con
hdence established years ago between the devil
and the iaybird is To the African mind enormous
Plantation uncles and aunties believe that when
ever Beelzebub can spare the time from frying
operations he visits the EARTH and he and the
iaybird hold conference OF the powers devising
ways and means wherein and whereby to cnsnare
the weak and feeble minded Before this com.
bination the voodoo charm sinks into insignlfi-
canoe In its ability mwork evil, There is no de-
fence against it save "rassin'" in prayer This
is highly esteemed, the more arduous the "rass-
less work will he dana in, tha RaIJ a. .