LX.

SPERITS.

Among the negroes of the coast region of Georgia and the Carolinas a belief in the existence of ghosts, “sperits,” and superhuman influences was very general. Especially did it obtain among the ordinary field-hands and those least educated. Comparatively few there were who could lift themselves entirely above the superstitious fears born in Africa and perpetuated by tradition in their new home. Memories of Fetichism, of Totemism, and of Anthropomorphism were strangely mingled with the teachings of Christianity, and in their religious exercises the emotional predominated over the intellectual. The potency of charms and philters was freely admitted, and it was necessary to restrain the practice of Fetichism by positive inhibition, or by labored persuasion of its utter absurdity. The fabrication of Fetiches, and their sale to those who desired to utilize the powers of the deities which they were supposed to represent, were monopolized by old women, who derived considerable gain from this calling. The idea was by such means to conjure the neighbor against whom enmity was cherished, and thus subject him or her to the malign influences of the spirit or demon whose power was supposed to inhere in the evil charm.

The ordinary Fetich consisted of a bunch of rusty nails, bits of red flannel, and pieces of brier-root tied together with a cotton string. A toad’s foot, a snake’s tooth, a rabbit’s tail, or a snail’s shell was sometimes added. In price it varied from twenty-five cents to a dollar. To insure the efficacy of the desired spell, it was necessary that the charm should be secretly deposited under the pillow of the party to be affected, placed upon the post of a gate through which he would pass, or buried beneath the doorsteps of his cabin. Once persuaded of the fact that he had been thus conjured, the patient became possessed of superstitious fears, and often complained of bodily “miseries,” which apparently defied the power of the healing art, and were wholly dissipated only when some atonement was made for the alleged wrong, or payment offered to have the spell broken through the intervention of the conjurer who had devised it.

In the conduct of plantations, difficulty and annoyance were not infrequently experienced from the interference of these old negro women,--conjurers,--who, in plying their secret trade, gave rise to disturbances and promoted strife and disquietude.

To the apprehension of the common field-hand there was no gainsaying the fact that the spirits of the departed walked the earth and revisited the scenes of their former occupancy. It was not accorded to every one to see and to commune with them. Only those “born with a caul” were capable of doing so. Such were never terrified by these ghostly visitors. By their fellows they were held in special esteem. To this favored class did July belong. I inquired, on one occasion, whether he believed in ghosts and could see spirits. “Yes, Mossa,” was his reply, “me kin shum. You know me bin born wid caul. People wuh no bin born wid caul kin yeddy sperit, but dem cant shum. Sperit kin skade um, too, but dem cant skade me. Me kin walk long um der road, talk ter um een de bush, see dem een me bed, and yeddy um een de grabe yad. Me an sperit good fren.”

How do they look? “Same luk wen dem bin libe, ceptin dem look lucker shadder, an dem walk backwuds, an dem face tun backwud, an de heel teh eh foot day way eh toe orter be. Dem dont tetch de groun wid dem foot, but dem sorter dis skim pon topper de grass. Dem so light dem cant mek track.”

What garments do they wear? “Same cloze wuh dem bury een. Way dem gwine git any mo? De cloze hab eh shape, but you kin see dey yent nuttne eenside er um.”

What do they do? “Nuttne, so fur es me know, cept walk bout, wisit dem ole home, an notus wuh duh gwine on sence dem leff.”

Do they ever trouble anybody? “No, me nebber see dem trubble nobody. Dem wunt talk ter you. Dem go een gang ob two er tree, an wander bout tel sich an sich er time, wen dem haffer go back ter dem grabe. Me see dem wuk dem mouf same luk dem bin er talk ter one anurrer, an shake dem head, an pint dem finger. Dem onderstan one anurrer. Me bin question dem mo na once, but dem nebber will mek answer. Heap er time me jine compny wid dem der big road, an try fuh gage dem een conbersation, an fine out who dem yis, an how dey mek out; but dem nebber will tell me, an, befo long, look luk dem git bex, an den dey fade way een de wood an leff me lone een de road.”

Can you recognize them? “Yes, Mossa, ef I bin know dem befo dey dead, I kin know dem now. Me kin see dem dist es plain es me kin see you now. Only tarruh night me bin comin from Barnedo plantation. Dest es I cross de causeway an rise de hill by Shannul ole buryin-groun me see Miley,--wuh bin dead de year arter freedom,--duh lean genst one oak tree sider de road. Day dis biggin fuh broke. Me gone up ter um an me try fuh pass de time er day wid um, fuh me yent bin see um sence dat rainy ebenin wen we bury um in Shannul. Miley look say eh bin want fuh ax me someting; an den, all ob a sutten, eh check isself, an eh tun roun an mek off fuh de grabe-yad. Me foller um, an wen eh come teh eh own grabe eh pit eh head down, an eh gie two er tree whul, an down eh gone. Me walk up en sarche de grabe. Me cant fine out how Miley git een. De grass yent mash. De groun yent broke; no hole day: an yet me see um, wid me own yeye, gone down, head foremose, een eh grabe.

“Las winter me en George bin er hunt possum een Jerrido bottom. We bin ketch two fat possum, an dest befo we mek up we mine fuh go back home we buil one fire fuh wam weself. De night berry cole. Wen we bin er wam we han an we foot roun de fire, yuh come ole Uncle Andrew, wuh nusen ter dribe fur ole Mossa, an ole Uncle Jupter, wuh bin de gadner, an ole Aunt Peggy. Dem walk up tarrur side de fire an look at we, but dem yent bin crack eh teet ter we. Me see dem plain, en me try fuh pint dem out to George. Him couldnt shum, cause George yent bin born wid caul. De dog nebber notus um. Bimeby George hair biggin fuh rise. George skade, an we leff fuh de nigger house.

“You member Jacob wuh dem bin heng een de Boro? Well, me an Sam meet um one moon-shiny night een de big road, wid de een er de rope tie roun eh neck. Me kin tell you bout heap er people me bin meet an see arter dem done dead an bury. Me shum mose ebry night. Me kin show you some ter-night ef you bin born wid caul. Many time dem people wuh cant see sperit come pon top dem an dunno nuttne bout um. Enty wen you duh walk long de road der night you suttenly feel hot win bresh by you cheek? Enty you sometime smell dead man finger? Enty you yeddy bush crack der wood wen de win yent der blow? Dem duh sperit, but you no know. Sperit der walk close by you, but you no shum. Me could pint dem out an tell you who dem yiz.”

Are you not afraid of these spirits? “No, Mossa; wuh me gwine fade um fuh? Dem nuttne cept de shape er people wid de sperit eenside. De bone an meat done leff um. Dem cant hot nobody. Eh breff cant pizen you; an ef eh did knock at you, eh dis same es ef win try fuh hit you.”

Why do they come out of their graves? “Me dunno, cept dem want fuh see one anurrer, an wisit dem ole home, an look pon topper dem ole fren.”

Are they all grown? “No, sir; you see dem all size, leetle an big, man an ooman, gal an boy, an leely baby. My leely Sue, wuh dead, blan come an play bout de house ebry now an den. One time me try fuh ketch um up in me arm, but me han gone clean tru um dis luk er shadder, an den eh wanish, an me so sorry.”

These notions of July may be accepted as typifying the belief on this subject entertained by the great majority of the negroes on the coast. Many went a step further, and invested these ghosts and “sperits” with the ability to intervene in mundane affairs, and to entail harm and misfortune upon those with whom they had not lived amicably while in the flesh. It was the belief of some of the African tribes that the power of a ghost bore some relation to that which the being possessed when alive, and it may be that an inherited thought affords at least a partial explanation of the ideas still entertained by their descendants upon the shores of this New World.