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Audio Recording Joe Mows, Witches and Hants

Joe Mows, Witches and Hants

About this Item

Title

  • Joe Mows, Witches and Hants

Names

  • Kennedy, Stetson (Collector)
  • Cook, Robert Harrison (Collector)
  • Kennedy, Stetson (Speaker)
  • Jack (Speaker)
  • Johnson, Berry (Speaker)
  • Jack (Performer)
  • Johnson, Berry (Performer)

Created / Published

  • Cross City, Florida

Headings

  • -  Spoken word
  • -  African Americans
  • -  Interviews
  • -  United States -- Florida -- Dixie County -- Cross City

Genre

  • Interviews
  • Spoken word

Notes

  • -  Stetson Kennedy asks Jack about other superstitious tokens. Jack never has been able to tell why people tie dimes or strings around their necks--if he has a dime he spends it. A nutmeg on a string around one's neck is supposed to be good for fluttering heart, but Jack doesn't believe in it. He has heard that carrying a potato in your pocket will cure rheumatism, but doesn't believe that either.
  • -  Jack doesn't have a wife, but Berry Johnson has been married, and says that the way to make your wife be true to you is to first be true to her.
  • -  Women keep dimes around their ankles to keep from being conjured, but Berry doesn't believe that it works. A leather strap around the wrist keeps the cramps out of one's arm, a fact which has been confirmed by Berry's doctor.
  • -  Berry believes in ghosts because the Bible says there are evil spirits. He has been through the hot steam of ghosts but has never seen one. He avoids graveyards because they're "made for the dead.
  • -  Performance Note: "Joe Mows, Witches and Hants" (spoken) performed by Jack, and Berry Johnson at Office of the Aycock & Lindsey Turpentine Camp, Cross City, Florida, on August 19, 1939.

Medium

  • Sound disc : analog ; 12 in.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • AFC 1939/013: AFS 03528 A04

Source Collection

  • Stetson Kennedy and Robert Cook WPA Florida Recordings (AFC 1939/013)

Repository

  • American Folklife Center

Digital Id

Online Format

  • audio

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright protection (see Title 17, U.S.C.) or any other restrictions in the material in this collection, except as noted below. Users should keep in mind that the Library of Congress is providing access to these materials strictly for educational and research purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other holders of rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. See our Legal Notices and Privacy and Publicity Rights for additional information and restrictions.

The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material.

A small subset of the sound recordings in this collection (44 items) are not included in this online presentation due to considerations of sound quality or other concerns. See a list of the items in the American Folklife Center's holdings but not provided here online. Researchers with an interest or need to review the entire body of material are encouraged to contact the American Folklife Center. The staff of the American Folklife Center is eager to learn more about the musical compositions and performers included in the collection and encourages the public to contact them with any information.

Credit line

Please cite the source collection title, collection number, and repository, for example:

  • Resettlement Administration Recordings Collection (AFC 1939/016), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
  • Stetson Kennedy and Robert Cook Florida WPA Recordings (AFC 1939/013), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
  • Alton C. Morris Florida WPA recordings (AFC 1939/026), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
  • Florida WPA Recordings, 1940 (AFC 1940/011), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
  • American Folklife Center correspondence files, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Kennedy, Stetson, Robert Harrison Cook, Stetson Kennedy, Jack, Berry Johnson, Jack, and Berry Johnson. Joe Mows, Witches and Hants. Cross City, Florida, 1939. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/flwpa000169/.

APA citation style:

Kennedy, S., Cook, R. H., Kennedy, S., Jack, Johnson, B., Jack & Johnson, B. (1939) Joe Mows, Witches and Hants. Cross City, Florida. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/flwpa000169/.

MLA citation style:

Kennedy, Stetson, et al. Joe Mows, Witches and Hants. Cross City, Florida, 1939. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/flwpa000169/>.