SONGS AND STORIES OF THE CH'UAN MIA0

PREFACE . I first came into contact with the Ch'uan Miao JllSfEi in 1921. During the previous year there had been a severe famine in Kweichow &#, and many of the tribespeople of that province, to save themselves from starvation, ate grass and the leaves and bark and roots of trees. One Hua Miao Eg, called Chang Sa Kai or Zaccaeus Chang because of his short stature, left his home in Kopu Es, Kweichow Province, and came to Suifu &$f, now called I-pin, where I was stationed. From him I learned of the Ch'uan Miao, and by his help I was able to make friendly contacts with them. I visited the Ch'uan Miao at Chou Chia Keo j&jaj$$, Wang Wu Chai xss, and other places, and a Ch'uan Miao boy named Yang Fong Tsang went with me to Suifu, where he attended the junior and senior primary schools. For years he was an almost constant companion on my journeys, and he assisted me in my attempts to learn the language and customs of these people.

During the following years I visited the Ch'uan Miao in their homes as often as possible, listening to their songs, hunting with them, talking about their customs, taking anthropometrical measurements, and watching them play their wind instruments and dance, or perform their ceremonies.

In 1932 I was transferred to Chengtu the capital of the province, and was made curator of the West China Union University Museum of Archaeology, Art, and Ethnology. From this time on I made more determined efforts to learn about the Ch'uan Miao. I spent several summers with them, and on one of these expeditions I was accompanied by W. R. Morse, M.D., and Gordon Agnew, D.D.S. Dr. Morse made anthropometrical measurements and observations, and Dr. Agnew studied their diet and their oral conditions. At one time when it was impossible, because of brigands, to go to their homes, several Ch'uan Miao came to Suifu and for weeks aided me in my study. At other times one or more Ch'uan Miao men came all the way to Chengtu. Believing that their music was very interesting and of high quality, I brought three of their best musicians to Chengtu where for several weeks Dr. Agnew and other musicians studied and transcribed their music, and published an interesting article on the music of the Ch'uan Miao in volume 11 of the Journal of the West China Border Research Society.

At first my method was to listen to a song or story as it was sung by a Ch'uan Miao man or woman, then write it down sentence by sentence as it was explained by the singer. Later I obtained the help of a Ch'uan Miao who could read and write Chinese and sent him to different parts of the Ch'uan Miao region to collect songs and stories. He would write them in Chinese in little booklets, which he would send to me at Chengtu. Later, with his help, I would translate them into English. The final stage was reached when my knowledge of the Ch'uan Miao language and the international script had improved enough to enable me to write down the Ch'uan Miao words in the international script, then transliterate them, and hally render a translation. I would always go over my final translations several times with the singer or with the person who collected the songs to make sure that they were as nearly correct as possible. Finally, often with the help of my wife, I worked over the translations in order to improve the English without changing the meaning.

In all, I collected 752 songs, legends, historical and etiological traditions, and short stories, but not all these could be included in this volume. In the romanization of Chinese words the Wade system has been used, while the Miao words and phrases are generally in the international script.

One daculty in pursuing my researches was the robbers, who might appear at any place at any time. The Ch'uan Miao region is very mountainous and abounds in forests, natural caves, and rock shelters. These make it easy for brigands and thieves to conceal themselves along the roads and to escape after a robbery. Many times I was f re vented by the officials from taking a proposed trip because of the presence of bands of robbers. I have had numerous narrow escapes.

At first the Ch'uan Miao were very reluctant to give information about their beliefs and customs. They often told me that previously they had rarely given such information to Chinese or Westerners and that when they were asked they gave evasive answers. But during the years of contact with these people, a very warm friendship grew up between us, and they became very cooperative and helpful. Without their assistance it would have been impossible to carry on the study of their language and customs. They gave me the name of Na K'wa Dai Lo, or great and kindly teacher, and they always welcomed me to their homes. Several times they met me with bugles and banners, later giving banquets to show their friendly welcome. They permitted me to take pictures freely, gave me the information I wanted, and helped me collect stories and songs and learn their language. Some of them sold to me, for the West China Union University Museum, beautiful embroidered garments that were heirlooms. I am sincerely and deeply grateful to my Ch'uan Miao friends for their assistance.

In 1934 I obtained the help of Hsiung Ch'ao Sung, who could read and write Chinese and who had traveled widely in the Ch'uan Miao region. He gave me much valuable assistance in studying the language and customs, and it was through him that I collected most of the stories and songs. Yang Ch'ing Ming came to Chengtu to attend the Goucher Junior Middle School, and during his stay in Chengtu he rendered valuable help in my studies.

Lin Min Chun, formerly assistant curator of the West Chiia Union University Museum of Archaeology, Art, and Ethnology, helped me translate Ch'uan Miao words and phrases into English and into Chinese, and further assisted by searching Chinese histories for references to the Ch'uan Miao. Similar aid was rendered by Dr. Cheng Teh K'un, my successor as curator of the museum. Dr. Serge ElisseefE, of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and Prof. Jesse Moncrieff, who was president of the Union Language School at Chengtu, aided me in clarifying the Ch'uan Miao sounds and taking them down in the international script. My wife, Alicia Morey Graham, spent a great deal of time correcting the notes and typing the stories and songs.

My interest in folktales was first aroused by Prof. Archer Taylor. Dr. Wolfram Eberhard, of the University of California, author of books and articles on Asiatic folk stories, has given needed and valuable suggestions as to the classification of the Ch'uan Miao songs, stories, and folktales. The Library of Congress has been generous and kind in permitting me to use its books and rooms. The American Museum of Natural History presented me with pictures of its Ch'uan Miao embroideries, which were collected by me, with permission to use them. Last but not least, the Wenner-Gren Foundation (Viking Fund) granted me a postdoctoral fellowship, which enabled me to take time to prepare this material for publication, and also contributed substantially toward the cost of publishing this volume. To all these and other friends who have kindly assisted, I gladly express my deep and sincere thanks and appreciation. Dr. WoIfram Eberhard has classified the folktales according to motifs in his "Typen chinesischer Volksmarchen," and Dr. Stith Thompson has classified them according to the motifs in his "Motif-index of Folk Literature." Their classifications are included in the Appendix. The assistance and cooperation of these two scholars are much appreciated. About 60 songs, stories, folktales, legends, and ceremonies are reprinted from two short articles by the writer published in the Journal of the West China Border Research Society: The Ceremonies of the Ch'uan Miao, vol. 9, 1937, and The Legends of the Ch'uan Miao, vol. 10,1938. CONTENTS Page ... Preface ........................................................................... 111 I . Introduction ................................................................. 1 The people ............................................................... 1 Historical background ..................................................... 2 Economic life ............................................................. 2 Social organization ........................................................ 3 Social lie and ceremonies .................................................. 4 Religion .................................................................. 7 Grammar and pronunciation ................................................ 9 Phonetic table .......................................................... 10 I1 . Legends ...................................................................... 11 Creating and forming the sky and the earth ................................. 11 Gods battle for the world .................................................. 14 The ladder between the sky and the earth was broken ........................ 14 The first people who raised cats ........................................ 16 A supernatural birth ....................................................... 16 A Miao changed into an amitabha ........................................... 17 A stone that was an immortal .............................................. 17 A stone turned into a morning star .......................................... 18 111 . Tales relating to historical and etiological traditions .............................. 18 Lie in ancient times ....................................................... 18 Stabiiiziig the sky and the earth ........................................ 18 Securing seed ......................................................... 18 Social customs ........................................................ 19 Religious customs ..................................................... 20 Origin of customs and things ................................................ 21 Social customs ......................................................... 21 Religious customs ..................................................... 23 Things ............................................................... 25 Ancient history ........................................................... 26 Chinese .............................................................. 26 Mio ................................................................ 27 Chinese and Miao ..................................................... 27 Pre-Szechwan Ch'uan Mio history ...................................... 28 Recent history. mostly in Szechwan ......................................... 29 Ch'uan Mia0 ......................................................... 29 Relations between Miao and Chiiese (friendly) .......................... 29 Relations between Miao and Chinese (unfriendly) ....................... 30 Relations with non-Chinese groups ...................................... 34 The Taipings ......................................................... 35 The Pai Jen, "Short People" (T'ai people?) ............................. 36 vii SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS Page IV . Songs and ceremonial chants .................................................. Ceremonies of the magician or shaman ..................................... General description ................................................... Chants used for special purposes ....................................... Ceremonies of the priest ................................................... Used soon after death .................................................. Used during the funeral ................................................ Used during the Sao Ch'ieh memorial ceremony ........................ Used during the Tso Chai ceremony ................................... Used during the Ch'ao Chien ceremony ................................. Used when worshiping the sky demon .................................. The calendar festivals .................................................. The New Year .................................................... The third day of the New Year ..................................... The Tuan Yang festival ............................................ The ceremony of eating new grain .................................. Nature songs ............................................................. War songs ............................................................... Explaining ceremonies ..................................................... Describing ceremonies ..................................................... Conundrums ............................................................. Ridiculing each other ...................................................... Men ridiculing women ................................................ Women ridiculing men ................................................ Ridiculing men and women ............................................ Love ............................................................... songs Sorrow for a dead sweetheart ........................................... Sung by young people .................................................. Sung by disappointed lovers ............................................ Lovers parting ....................................................... An unloved girl ....................................................... A common love song .................................................. Sung to each other by lovers ............................................ A girl saves her lover from dying of poison .............................. Engagement and marriage .................................................. Choosing a bride ...................................................... Calling and sending go.betweens ........................................ Go-betweens making an engagement .................................... After the engagement has been made .................................... Bringing engagement presents .......................................... Securing fish, birds, and animals with which to entertain wedding guests .... Giving the daughter away in marriage .................................... Preparing for the wedding ............................................. Before leaving the bride's home ......................................... NO . I CONTENTS ix IV . Songs and ceremonial chants (Continued) . Engagement and marriage (Continued) . Page After .......................................... leaving the bride's home 113 Detaining ................................................... the bride 117 Miscellaneous ....................................................... songs 118 V .................................................................. . Short stories 124 Hunting .................................................... a large animal 124 People who died and became alive again ..................................... 125 Explanation of ............................. the origin of customs and things 127 Mistreatment of ........................................ the poor by the rich 132 Teaching others to ............................................... sing songs 133 People who were bewitched ................................................ 134 Stories .......................................................... that teach 136 Relations between Chinese and Miao ........................................ 137 Good ........................................................ relations 137 Miao mistreat .............................................. the Chinese 138 Chinese mistreat .............................................. the Miao 139 .............................................. +* Opposition to Chinese religion 143 Taboos ................................................................... 144 Experiences with demons ................................................... 145 Love stories .............................................................. 148 Mistreatment of daughters, wives, and daughters-in-law ....................... 152 Stories concerning family affairs ............................................ 155 Miscellaneous ...................................................... stories 163 VI ..................................................................... . Folktales 172 Tales .......................................................... of creation 172 The ...................................................... deluge and after 179 The warty toad ............................................................ 180 Dumb creatures ......................................... that show gratitude 183 People changed into tigers and tigers into people ............................. 185 A wife .................................................. captured by tigers 190 Helpful tiger ....................................................... fathers 195 The ..................................................... echo and the tiger 201 Men changed into monkeys and monkeys into men ........................... 203 A hawk or an eagle carries a man who gets gold ............................. 204 Tales ........................................................... that teach 206 One ............................................... should not travel far 206 One should not get .............................................. angry 206 One should not be selfish or covetous .................................... 207 One should not ................................................... steal 208 Good .............................................. and evil recompense 208 Be kind .................................................. to your wife 209 Buddhist tales .................................... ---- .................. 210 Men .......................................................... and demons 212 Explanations of ceremonies, customs, and things .............................. 213 x SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL . 123 VI . Folktales (Continued) . pa@ Origin of customs. ceremonies. and objects ................................... 221 Humor and jokes .......................................................... 223 Fate ..................................................................... 225 The daughter of the dragon king marries a man ............................. 226 Magic .................................................................... 228 The clever wife ........................................................... 230 The good fortune of orphans, poor men. and beggars ......................... 233 The stupid son succeeds .................................................... 259 Lo Yin, the bachelor of arts ................................................ 260 He deceived the "Short People" ......................................... 260 As a demon ........................................................... 261 Miscellaneous folktales ..................................................... 262 Bibliography ..................................................................... 291 Appendm: I . Notes on the connections of the songs and stories of the Ch'uan Mio with Chinese folktales, by Wolfram Eberhard .............................. 293 I1 . Motif-index of Graham's folktales, arranged by Stith Thompson .......... 298 Subject ..................................................................... index 325 Numerical index .................................................................. 335 ILLUSTRATIONS ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES Following page 1 . Yang Fong Tsang; Glao Ao; Ch'uan Miao farmer and sons; orphan ............... 44 2 . Yang Fong Tsang and his wife; Ch'uan Miao children; Ch'uan Miao woman ....... 44 3 . Ch'uan Miao headman; father and child; farmer and son; singer .................. 44 4 . Ch'uan Mio men; priests ..................................................... 44 5 . Ch'uan Miao man, women, and children; Mr . Wang, a student; woman in embroidered clothing; woman in simple dress ................................... 92 6 . Ch'uan Miao women ......................................................... 92 7 . Ch'uan Miao woman; magician; women and children; girl ...................... 92 8 . A liu sheng, and author playing one ........................................... 92 9 . Men performing part of memorial ceremony; two chid mourners at a funeral ..... 124 10 . Funeral ceremonies .......................................................... 124 11 . School children; men playing 2iu sheng and dancing .............................. 124 12 . Ch'uan Miao embroidery ...................................................... 124 13 . Embroidered hat bands ....................................................... 172 idered hat bands and apron ............................................. 172 15 l4 . EY Ch an Miao embroideries ................................................... 172 16 . Ch'uan Miao embroideries .................................................... 172 17 . Embroidered skirt and apron .................................................. 204 18 . Embroidered sleeves and squares .............................................. 204 19 . Embroidered coat, or gown, and aprons ........................................ 204 20 . Embroidered apron belts and pendants ......................................... 204 21 . Embroidered breast covers and belt pendants ................................... 252 22 . Embroidered head bands and collars ........................................... 252 23 . Embroidered bands and cloths ................................................. 252 24 . Embroidered dress and head band ............................................. 252 TEXT FIGURE 1 . Map of the country of the Ch'uan Miao ....................................... .page xii SONGS AND STORIES OF THE CH'UAN MIA0 I. INTRODUCTION THE PEOPLE The Ch'uan Miao are an ethnic group living on the borders of Szechwan, Kweichow, and Yunnan Provinces, western China. The country is very mountainous with numerous peaks rising 3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level. There are many streams, forests, waterfalls, perpendicular or overhanging cliffs, natural caves and natural bridges, and deep holes or pits where the water disappears into the bowels of the earth. While the roads between the Chinese towns and villages are generally paved with stones, most of the roads are narrow footpaths up and down the steep mountainsides or through fields and forests. It is estimated that the number of Ch'uan Miao people is about 150,000. In Szechwan Province, they are found as far north as Kung Hsien #% and Ch'ang Ning g3$Z and about 100 li east of Yung Ning 7k@L. They extend a short distance into the northeastern tip of Kweichow, south in Yunnan as far as Ta Kuan and below Cheng Hsiung, and short distance westward toward Hsii Kiang BE. They do not live in vildes, towns, or cities but are interspersed among a much larger population of Chinese who live in the towns and cities and in many of the farmhouses. These people resemble the Chinese in having light, olive-brown skin and little hair on their faces and bodies but differ from the Chinese in West China by being slightly shorter in stature and having a slightly less evident epicanthic fold to the eyes. There are greater physical differences between the Ch'uan Miao and the Lolos and Tibetans than between the Ch'uan Miao and the Chinese. A comparison of the languages and dialects and the social and religious customs makes it evident that the Ch'uan Miao are a branch of the Miao-yao group of the Mon-Khmer family.' The word Ch'uan means river. It is apparently an abbreviation of the word Szechwan, which means four rivers, for Szechwan is the province of four rivers. The Szechwan people are called Ch'uan Jen )llA, and the Szechwan soldiers are called Ch'uan ping JIlS. It is evident that these people are called Ch'uan Miao because many of them live in Szechwan. The word Miao means sons of the soil. It is written in Chinese with the grass character above the character meaning field. The name has often been indiscriminately applied to non-Chinese groups in China. 1 Clarke, S. R., Among the tribes of Southwest China, pp. 307-315. Morgan and Scott, London, 1911; Davies, H. R., Yunnan, pp. 331-347. Cambridge University Press, 1909. SMITHMNIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS, VOL. 123, NO. 1 I 2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLAMOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 The Mio call themselves Hmong, and the Ch'uan Miao call themselves Hmong Bo or old Miao, because they believe that they are descended from a very ancient race. They are also called Hmong Gleh or White Miao because in some localities they wear or have worn white clothing. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND References to the Miao are found in the earliest Chinese literature. It is stated that the San Miao, who could not be pacified, were exiled to the province of Kansu, where they apparently disappeared. Some of the Miao were absorbed, but others migrated southward or westward as the Chinese advanced, and their descendants are found on the Island of Hainan, in IndoChina, and in the southern and southwestern provinces of China. There are historic records of forced migrations of the Miao people from Kwangtung and Kwangsi Provinces westward into Szechwan, Kweichow, and Yunnan, one of which occurred in 1733 under the Emperor Yung Cheng SiE. The Ch' n Miao have a legend that years ago, after a war with the Chinese in which ay were defeated, they were forced to migrate, with their hands tied behind their backs, to the place where they now live. None of the histories of Kweichow or of its principal cities or prefectures mentions the Ch'uan Miao, and the Yunnan histories never mention them as Ch'uan Miao, and generally not at all. The Chao T'ung Hsien Chih mentions them as White Miao and merely states that they are there and that they are called White Miao because they wear white clothing. In descriptions of Miao customs those of the White Miao are not distinguished from those of the Hua Miao. In the gazetteers of southern Szechwan, such as the Hsii Chou Fu Chi, they are mentioned only when they engaged in wars with the Chinese and had to be pacified, and there is no description of their customs. The fact is that aside from the articles of Dr. W. R. Morse, Dr. Gordon Agnew, Prof. William G. Sewell, and the writer, most of which were published in the Journal of the West China Border Research Society, these people have practically never been mentioned in historic or scientific literature. ECONOMIC LIFE Agriculture is the principal occupation. These people are truly "sons of the soil" and get their living from the land. Even those who are blacksmiths, carpenters, masons, hunters, priests, shamans, or in recent years teachers, generally depend primarily on farms or gardens for a livelihood. A few own their farms, but most of them rent from the Chinese. One Chinese farmer asserted that a Miao family had rented the same farm from the same family for at least 200 years. The homes of the Ch'uan Miao are much the same as those of the Chinese, especially the Chinese of the poorer classes. The floors and walls are generally of pounded clay, but sometimes the walls are of wood or bamboo and plaster, or even of cornstalks. The roofs are generally of straw or grass, but some Ch'uan Miao have tile-roofed houses. There are rarely any pictures or decorations on the walls, and the main pieces of furniture are square or round tables, long stools, NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES--CRAHAM 3 beds, and chairs. The stoves are generally, like those of the Chinese, of clay and stones or bricks, but sometimes one is seen that is merely a square hole in the ground, a continuation of a very ancient custom. The principal tools and utensils, which are like those of the Chinese, are the plow, the curved sickle for cutting grass and wood, the hoe or pick, the ax or hatchet, the hammer, saw, knife, spoon, ladle, rice-steamer, loom, and the iron 40 or cooking vessel. The domestic animals are the horse, mule, donkey, water buffalo, cow, pig, dog, cat, sheep, goat, chicken, duck, and goose. The principal food is corn meal cooked like porridge, but those who are able to get it eat rice. This diet is supplemented by vegetables, meat, and wild fruit and berries found in the woods. The investigations by Dr. Gordon Agnew showed that many Ch'uan Miao suffer from malnutrition. Women weave cloth on home-made wooden looms, and they generally do the cooking. Both men and women work in the fields, but only men do the plowing. Sewing and embroidery work are done by women and girls. Hunting is a popular pastime of men and boys, especially during the winter months when there is little farm work to do. Formerly most of their clothing was made of hemp cloth, which was undyed and therefore white, woven on their looms by the women. This evidently explains why they were called "White Miao." Whether the Ch'uan Miao belong or have belonged to the White Miao group of southern Kweichow is a problem yet to be solved. Today much of their clothing is made of blue cotton cloth bought from the Chinese. In former years the clothing of the Ch'uan Miao, both m and women, that was worn on festive occasions and often to markets was bea %I 'fully embroidered and colored. Some of the embroidery, such as that of the handkerchiefs, is like that of the Chinese peasant's cross-stitch embroidery, but most of it, and that which is finest and best, includes beautiful designs found widely among non-Chinese people in southern and central Asia, extending even into central Europe. The best skirts of the women are pleated and dyed in a manner resembling somewhat the batiks of Java. The Ch'uan Miao men no longer wear embroidered garments, and the women are imitating, to save time, the coarser of the Chinese embroideries. This is bringing about the loss of a fine and beautiful art. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION The family is the social unit, and the Ch'uan Miao family closely resembles that of the Chinese. The oldest male is the head of the family, and all his descendants, except married daughters, and including wives of sons and grandsons, generally live together in the same house. After marriage the woman belongs to the family of her husband. All having the same name are regarded as belonging to the same larger family and are not allowed to intermarry. Filial piety is the cardinal virtue and is expressed in elaborate funeral and other ceremonies. While the couvade is found among the Hua Miao neighbors to the south, no 4 SMITHSONIAN MISCEUANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 I I evidence of this practice has yet been found among the Ch'uan Miao. The Ch'uan Miao, however, have a very strange custom: Certain female relatives of the man are his "guest-wives," and certain male relatives of a woman are her "guest-husbands." Without marriage they are allowed to practice sexual relations, and it is not regarded as wrong. In recent years, owing to Christian influence, there have been endeavors to discontinue this practice. The Ch'uan Miao are not a tribe with a political organization that includes the whole group. There are no tribal rulers, but they have local headmen, called gij leo or "old clubs," who sometimes cooperate for the common good. These people are an ethnic group bound together by common language, ideals, and customs and by a strong sense of unity. They are very sociable and mutually helpful. SOCIAL LIFE AND CEREMONIES Practically the only amusements of Ch'uan Miao women and girls are visiting, attending feasts, marriages, funerals, and other ceremonies, listening to people singing songs and watching the men dance and play the liu sheng, going to market, making love, and gossiping. They are supposed to use their spare time for sewing and making hemp thread and yarn and embroideries. Among the more popular amusements of men and boys are hunting, kicking the shuttlecock, and playing "snake protecting her eggs," blindman's buff, sham battle, or dogs chasing wild animals. During the New Year holidays and at weddings "playing lion" is a popular amusement. Both men and women smoke tobacco and drink wine. While the Miao have no theatricals, they often join the throngs and look at Chinese plays being performed in temples or in the open in Chinese towns and cities. Like the other Miao groups in China, the Ch'uan Miao are lovers of music. Except the singing and the responses of go-betweens while making engagements, in contests between men and women, and in the newly established schools and chapels, there is no group singing. There is a kind of band music, but usually all the instruments play the same tune in unison. Generally the liu sheng is played by one man who dances, and vocalists sing one at a time while all listen with rapt attention. This singing of stories and songs is one of the principal amusements of the Ch'uan Miao. The singing may be by either a man or a woman, generally of middle age or older. Nearly all the stories and myths and bits of history of the group have been made into songs and as such are handed down from generation to generation, taught by one singer to another. Some of the singers know only a few songs, but there are some who know and can sing several hundred. It should be emphasized that the Ch'uan Miao have no written language or literature. There is a great deal of love-making among the Ch'uan Miao, who have their share of pretty girls. Marriage is through go-betweens, and the arrangements are made between the older members of the two families, the bride and the groom often not even being consulted. There is a gift from the parents of the groom to those of the bride, and the value of the gift often determines whether the NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES---GRAHAM 5 engagement is made. There is generally no love between the bride and the groom unless it is after marriage. Love affairs, which are many, are often between a man and another man's wife or between a woman and another woman's husband. Sometimes lovers run away together, after which go-betweens endeavor to obtain the consent of the bride's parents, and the gift to her parents must be made as usual. Marriage by capture is not unknown. Strange to say, women rather like this method, for it shows that the man loves or esteems the woman, and it often results in a happy marriage. There are no physicians, although some persons are reputed to know more about medicines and healing than others, and the efficacy of the medicines has not yet been scientifically investigated. The common belief is that all diseases and other calamities are caused by demons, which must be exorcised by the do nun or tuan tang, who is a magician or shaman. He has a formula for every disease, and besides using ceremonies and incantations to exorcise the demons that cause diseases or other calamities, he performs many real wonders, among which are treading with bare feet on a red-hot plowshare and touching his tongue to the same, spitting or spurting hot oil out of his mouth onto a fire to cause a larger blaze, and with bare feet walking over a ladder of sharp swords. It is not strange that the death rate among the Ch'uan Miao is very high. The Ch'uan Miao theory of filial piety and of the relation of mutual helpfulness between the deceased ancestors and their descendants corresponds fairly closely to that of the Chinese. The deceased ancestors are believed to be in need of the same things that they need on this earth before death, such as food, clothing, houses, and money, and these are provided by the loyal descendants through the ceremonial offerings. In return the ancestors help and protect their descendants so that they may prosper. Soon after death the mo or priest three times calls on the soul of the dead to return or arise, and when it does not do so he performs a ceremony to open the way of the soul of the deceased to Hades, or to paradise, which is called the ancient level land of Ntii, the supreme but not the only god. The priest kills a rooster, and the soul of the rooster leads the soul of the dead person to paradise. Some time after the mo has opened the way for the soul of the deceased to go to paradise, there is a procession. In front is a man whirling a stick. He is followed by two men playing the liu sheng and dancing, then two blowing water-buffalo horns, two carrying green bamboo twigs, and finally two men with guns. Inside the house a ceremonial drum is beaten. This ceremony is symbolic of the fact that in ancient times their ancestors lived in the forest where there were dangerous wild animals. During the funeral ceremonies a bull or a male water buffalo is killed and partly cooked, and some or all of it is offered to the ancestors. Then the meat is thoroughly cooked and there is a feast. Friends and relatives enjoy the feast, but the descendants of the deceased do not then eat any of the meat. Generally on the next night after the bull is killed a dance is performed by the strongest young men inside the house. It takes place in front of the ceremonial 6 SMITHSONIAN MIMXLLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 drum and the coh to the accompaniment of the drum and the liu sheng. They exert so much strength that often some of the dancers are pushed over, furniture is smashed, and the walls of the room or house are broken. One story says that in this dance the house was pushed down and everything inside was smashed. When the coftin is about to be carried out of the house for burial, the priest stands across the doorsill and shoots three arrows inside and three outside the house. This is to drive away demons that might cause any sort of a disaster. Twelve days after the funeral there is performed a ceremony called in Chinese sao ch'ieh and in Ch'uan Mio a si or a shi. The ceremonial drum is not beaten, the bull is not killed, and there is no music of the liu sheng. At this time the spirit of the deceased person is believed to return to his old home. Ashes are sprinkled outside the front door, and the friends and relatives later look in the ashes for footprints. It is believed that the footprints will reveal whether the ancestor is now a person, an animal, a reptile, or a fowl. Not less than one year later there is held a memorial ceremony called in Chinese tso chai and in Ch'uan Miao a vang. Friends and relatives observe the ceremony in the house or march to the grave beating the ceremonial drum and gongs and playing the liu sheng to entice the soul of the dead back home. A cow, a water buffalo, or a pig is killed and offered to the deceased ancestors; it is then cooked and eaten by the relatives and friends. This ceremony is performed for older brothers and sisters and for ancestors for three generations. It is believed that after death a woman carries a grass mat on her back, and a man carries on his back a wide, round, shallow winnowing basket such as is commonly used in West China. These prevent the souls from entering the palace of the level land of NtzY. In the tso chai or a vang ceremony the ancestors are released from these burdens and go happily to God's flat land where they are able to enter the palace and visit their ancestors. Later, generally after several years, there is a memorial ceremony called in Chinese ch'au chien and in Ch'uan Miao tsa mong. The grave is opened, the coffin is burned or thrown away, and the bones are washed with wine and then rubbed with oil. A new coftin and new clothing are provided, and the corpse is reburied in the same or another grave. During this ceremony the drum and the liu sheng are used, a cow, water buffalo, or pig is killed, and there is a feast. It is believed that the deceased person becomes very uncomfortable lying in the same position for a long time; also, if the ceremony is not performed, the descendants will not prosper. After the ceremony the ancestor is comfortable and happy, and the descendants will prosper. There is another memorial ceremony called in Chinese hua fan, or flowery altar, and in Ch'uan Miao a gi bang or a gei bang. It is performed in one of the homes and is participated in by all the relatives having the same name. It takes place about once in three years. A bull is killed, and his hide may be used to cover a ceremonial drum. The meat of the bull and rice, corn, wine, and vegetables are offered to the ancestors, after which there is a feast. The drum is beaten, the liu sheng and the flute are played, and there is dancing and singing. Twelve men NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES--GRAHAM 7 impersonate cows and pretend to fight and to cause the death of six. Women rub soot onto the men's faces until they are black. A woman carries a dummy child which is beaten to pieces. There is much fun and laughter. There is also a ceremony performed about once in three years makiig offerings to the souls of deceased domestic animals. In addition, there is the ceremony of eating new grain, and there are at least 11 calendar festivals which in date, method of conducting the ceremonies, and purpose correspond very closely to those of the Chinese. RELIGION One can easily get the impression that the Ch'uan Miao have no religion, and they themselves sometimes confirm this impression. They have no religious organizations, no organized priesthood, no temples, and no visible gods. It is my opinion, however, that they are a very religious people. Through their daily toil, by the help of their ancestors and the gods, and by means of religious ceremonies, they hope to achieve a long and satisfying life in which the basic needs of food, sex, protection, security, and play and recreation are insured, and after death to join their departed ancestors in the ancient level land of Ntzi. Two of the fundamental elements in their religion are belief in demons, which cause diseases and other calamities and which must be exorcised by the magician and his ceremonies, and the commemoration of their ancestors by ceremonial rites and offerings. The untutored Ch'uan Miao does not know that the world is round, and he has seen so many mountains that he does not regard it as entirely flat. There is an end somewhere, but he does not know how big the world is. Above or on the sky is a level land where the souls of the deceased remain with their ancestors after death. It is called the ancient level land of Ntzi (ntza2 TimK lnu2 gnu1 bi9). Here there are no hills to climb and neither sickness nor death. The sun shines every day, and although there are no rains there is no lack of moisture. People do not farm but gather fruit and berries in the forests, which are much as the forests were on the earth in very ancient times. At the memorial and calendar festivals the offerings of their descendants provide them with food, clothing, money, and wine to satisfy their needs. Formerly there was a ladder connecting the earth and the sky or paradise, but in recent times this connection has been broken. Under the earth is another world, the land of dwarfs or Lilliputians who are about 2 feet tall. They live much like people on the earth, having houses, farms, a king, soldiers, and a government. One Miao entered this world through a natural cave in a mountain and remained so long that many of the people on earth had forgotten him. Another fell through a hole in the floor of the emperor's palace and after two or three years was able to crawl back onto the earth through a crack caused by a drought. When rain came again the earth swelled up and closed the crack. Some of the stories speak of a dark place inhabited by demons and presided over by a demon king. The Chinese idea of three principal souls and seven lesser souls, and of karma 8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 and transmigration, is known and accepted by the Ch'uan Miao but does not seem to be absorbed and does not greatly affect the lives of the people. The soul is real but shadowy, and the soul of a good man is larger than that of a bad man. Demons are the souls of human beings or of birds, animals, reptiles, or inanimate things. If a deceased person has no descendants or if his descendants are unfilial and do not meet his needs by making the customary offerings, he becomes a demon and harms people. Demons of human beings are called glang, and demons of other living creatures are called ts'ao. When a person goes crazy and speaks in a meaningless or silly way, it is thought that he is possessed by a demon who is speaking through him. His speech is then called glang lo or demon talk. The idols in the Chinese temples are regarded as demons and are called glang miao. There is one devil called glang da lo who is so big that he can step from one mountaintop to another and from the earth to the sky. He can kill a person with one blow of his thumb, and if he strikes a person on the chest with the palm of his hand the person dies, and the marks of his palm can be seen on the dead person's chest. There is another sky demon or devil called ndo glang who is worshiped by an elaborate ceremony in which a sow is killed. The gods of the Ch'uan Miao are invisible unless they choose to reveal themselves to human beings. Chief among these is NtzY, who lives in the sky and controls heaven and earth. He is regarded as good, just, kindly, and very powerful. He is the supreme but not the only god. Some stories tell of his sending his daughter to help poor and unfortunate men, and she generally marries them. A name that is sometimes used is Ntzi (or Ndgii) Nyong Leo, which means god, foundation, old. It apparently designates the same deity. Another very interesting deity is called Ye Seo, Yei Seo, or 3~ Seo. He never dies, is very wise, kindly, merciful, and just, induces people to do good deeds, and helps people, especially the poor, who are in trouble. He is often seen in the clouds and can easily make himself visible or invisible. In the province of Canton the name Jesus is often pronounced Ye Seo, but it is uncertain whether the name and character of this deity have any relation to Jesus Christ. There is a female deity who lives in the sky called TsT2 Ma Niang Tsai. She is very merciful and especially shows kindness to unfortunate children. There is a warty toad called in Chinese lai ke pao, which is believed to have marvelous powers and to cause hailstorms. During these storms men shoot off guns to frighten the toad and cause it to cease sending down hail. There is a dragon king who causes rain and who lives in a palace beneath a pool or lake. There are stories that tell of hi daughter's marrying a very poor man in order to help him. Certain kinds of trees are sometimes worshiped as deities. They are generally trees on hills or mountains that are old and do not shed their leaves in winterevergreens such as the nan muh, but never a fir or pine tree. A strange custom is the worship of the door. The thick doorsill together with the door itself, which often has two wings, is regarded as a deity and is worshiped in an elaborate ceremony in which a pig is killed and offered. NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES-GRAHAM 9 As we have seen, the deceased ancestors are commemorated by numerous ceremonies in which offerings are made, but the Ch'uan Miao assert that they do not regard ancestors as deities. Among more primitive peoples is found the mana concept, that of a superhuman, supernatural, strange power that is present in unusual persons, deities, and things. Among the Ch'uan Miao this power is assumed but not named or theorized about. It is possessed by gods, godlike creatures, devils, the do nun or exorcist, the mo or priest, the bo ntzong who transforms people into tigers, the ceremonial drum, the liu sheng, the ceremonial crossbow, the ceremonial lin p'ai, the sword, the seal, etc. There are magic fans by the waving of which battles can be won and other wonders performed, and there are magical charms and incantations possessing this strange power. Tigers, foxes, snakes, banana trees, vines, rats, frogs, cattle, and eels are believed to change into human form and vice versa. Sometimes they change into human form to help people, but often it is to do them harm, and people injured by them must be saved from death by the magician, the do nun. The Ch'uan Miao regard all things as alive and sentient. The sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, rocks, trees, thunder, the echo, the rainbow, homes, fields, plains, recompense or karma, beds, marriage, swords, the harvest, the year, the liu sheng, the ceremonial drum, and even the sound of the ceremonial drum are considered to be living things. Ample evidence of this is found in the stories, and it has often been confirmed to the writer by the Ch'uan Miao themselves. A year is a living creature with a head like that of a human being. The liu sheng is alive, and when played it is regarded as speaking. Ceremonial drums speak when being beaten in the ceremonies. Mountains have heads, feet, hands, eyes, ears, hearts, breasts, veins, and arteries. A plain may be male or female and has a mouth, a heart, arteries, veins, and sinews. The sun and the moon have parents. Rocks and stones are male and female, grow, have ofispring, and can speak. Some stones may become immortals. The echo has a deceptive character and can act and speak. Thunder is a living creature, in size and shape like a rooster. It is small but powerful, and its call is the noise of thunder. It has a knife of fire, and when it throws this there is lightning. It is this knife that causes damage when lightning strikes. The Ch'uan Miao find it natural to say that all things, even those that are inanimate, are alive and have lives, but they find it difficult and less natural to say that inanimate things have souls, although lives are intelligent, active, and have eyes. In some old stories it is stated that people have lives and that the lives are located in the armpits. Are we right or wrong if we call this animatism? GRAMMAR AND PRONUNCIATION The grammar of the Ch'uan Miao in some respects resembles that of the Chinese. It is monosyllabic and tonal. The order of the sentence is subject, predicate, and object, but the object follows the noun and the adverb follows the verb. In the Chiiese language there is the aspirate and the nonaspirate, but the Ch'uan Miao have the nonaspirate, the "little aspirate," and the "big aspirate." The big aspirate 10 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 corresponds to the Chinese aspirate and is indicated by the mark '. In the little aspirate the entire word is pronounced with a strong emphasis as with italicized words in English and is indicated here by underscoring and in Pollard's Miao script by the sign '. The tones are very important, for the same sound in a different tone is an entirely different word with a different meaning. While the Chinese in I-Pin have five tones, the Ch'uan Miao have nine tones. The range of the tones is about an octave, and the first five tones correspond to those found in I-Pin. The sixth tone begins at five and goes downward. The seventh tone is halfway between one and five and, like one, five, and two, is "level." The eighth begins at five and goes upward, and the ninth tone is halfway between five and two and is level. ThusPHONETIC TABLE Consonants 3 is a strong palatalized French j. b as in bite. w as in wit. d as in dig. ' is used to indicate a strong aspirate. dg as in judge, but without aspiration. =indicates the weak aspirate, which in the d' is d olus a slight z sound. Pollard script is indicated by ' . asgfat as m go. is an uvular g. is ng as in king. as in hat. is rough h as in the Scotch word loch and the Germ? word nach. is y as in young. as in kind. as in law. is Welch voiced 11 plus voiced 1. as in man. as in new. as ni in onion, uttered as one word. as in pin. which in smct phonetic script is 1, the ordinary fricative (untrilled), the initial r of southern English and American speech. as in sit. as in shut, but nearer the ordinary s except before i and j. as in tin. is a dental t sometimes written +$ as in hats. as ch in chid, weakly aspirated. as ch in chiid, strong aspirated. as in vow. is the French j bordering on the English fricative r (for which r is used in this table of sounds). Sometimes there is a slight uvular r sound following this 3. vowezs as in pique. as in imp. as in end. as in hat. as in shah or ah. as in hot. as in haul. as in put. as in pool. as pure close long o. as in nut. is umlaut u (u) as in the German language. inverted e, very slightly resembles the French mute e. It is pronounced with the teeth of rhe two jaws very dose together to produce a feeble sibilation. The lips are not rounded but remain neutral. The tongue is more advanced than in the French. It is some- times written i' in the romanization of Chinese sounds. is nasal a. is nasal o. as i in bite. as ow in how with a pure o ending. as ow in how with an open u ending. as in eight. as o in go with a u ending. as the Chinese ou (Wade) or eo (China Inland Mission). 11. LEGENDS CREATING AND FORMING THE SKY AND THE EARTH The Dragon-King Gave a Daughter in Marriage, or Sewing Up the Sky and Bringing Out the Sun (293) Ruang Gen So Ngeo arose at midnight. When he arose, he caused part of that place to move. He met one, So Ngeo Ruang Gen (thunder dragon awake), who was coming downward. When he arrived, both sections of that locality were moved. So Ngeo Ruang Gen moved, coming from Ntzi's door of heaven. He also moved on the earth. When he came calling by day and by night, So Ngeo Ruang Gen came up from below, and roared like thunder a day and a night.2 There was a Na Bo No K'o who held a needle in her hand. She was just threading a needle and took a thread and went to sew up the sky. She moved the sky whiie she was sewing it. She came sewing from the top of Ntzi's heaven. For nine days she opened up the road of Na Bo of the nine skies, then brought out the sister sun.8 The sister sun went through a cave before she got out; then her light lightened Ruang Bo's room. The sun again went through a cave, then lightened Ruang Je's room. The year arrived for Ruang Bo to give away the daughter as a bride and for Ruang Je to welcome the bride. Then Ruang Bo sent away the daughter. The demons from cliffs on three roads arrived. The water sisters from three roads also came and followed, escorting the bride. In the water below there was a colored fish and a tiny fish following her. Above there was a snail father and a snail mother escorting her. All these came together escorting the bride. The song is ended. Rubbing the Sky and the Earth L..evel (313) When I roam over the world, it stirs my mind. I go to Ntzi Je No Ho's road. Speaking of the earth, I roam all over the sky and go to Niong De Ho's dwelling (God's ruler over the clean earth). Ntzi Je No Ho (God old man sky clean) first came and saw Go Tseo carrying a whetstone. When Niong De Ho first came, he carried on his back a green stone. Ntii Je No Ho slept until midnight, then arose and began rubbing the ground level. Niong De Ho, after he had rubbed the 2This sounds like a thunder god. 8 The sun is regarded as a female, the moon as amalc earth flat, went to help rub the sky flat. Ntzi' Je No Ho rubbed the sky until it was smooth. Niong De Ho rubbed the earth until it was level and firm. Ntzi' Je No Ho rubbed the sky and came and looked and saw an old man who was old and still oldere4 When he sat down he was not as tall as one's knees. He gnashed his teeth near the edge of a pool. His tusks protruded above his lips. His long whiskers reached down below his waist. In his hand he held a very sharp stick. He came down from Ntd's Heaven using his stick as a cane and he said, "Eh, Ntzi Je No Ho, you have rubbed the sky, and it is smooth. Eh, you Niong De Ho rubbed the earth and the earth is smooth. Eh, you Ntzi' Je No Ho rubbed the sky, and the sky is good." He also said, "Eh, Niong De Ho rubbed the earth and rubbed it level in both directions. Eh, when you Ntzi' Je No Ho rubbed the sky, did you see inside the sky? When Niong De Ho ground the earth, did you gain control of the earth?" Binding the Sky and the Earth (314) Bang Ngeo Ngeo Ya slept until midnight, and she arose and pulled the flat together. Ngeo Ya Ngeo Tso slept until midnight and then arose to pull the sky together, and the sky had a knot. Ngeo Ya Ngeo Tso pulled the earth together, and then it had a road. Bang Ngeo Ngeo Ya pulled the sky together into one lump. When they pulled the sky together, it bent toward the earth. When they pulled the earth together, it was like a waterfall. Then they looked at the sky. The sky was very broad. They bent the sky until it touched the top of the steep hill. They bent the earth until it pointed toward the two opposite sides; then they came out and looked. They saw that the sky and the earth were vastly broad. They again came out and looked and saw that the place was clear and firm in its position. Two Fengshui Stones, or Leveling 08 the Fields (344) Ntzi Je Ldo Hai (God's servant Je Ldo Hai) slept until midnight, and arose to level the sky. Niong De Hai slept until midnight, then arose to level the fields on earth. After 4Thii old man is not Nm" but one of hi officers. 12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 they had leveled the earth, they also intended to come and level the fields. They leveled a big ricefield, so that it shone brightly. They leveled also a small field so that it was liie quartz crystal. The rice paddies were all leveled off, and all the land was also leveled. There was only a black rock at Hai Lo Ba (pa), and also a big ice rock at Hai Lo Ba, that had not been leveled off. Ntzi Je Ldo Hai said, "I have leveled off all the lands. The watered rice paddies I have also leveled off. There is only that black rock which I will not level off, and also the ice rock which I will not level off. I will leave them as large memorials." The song is ended. Harrowing Leuel the Sky and the Earth (347) Na Bo Do awoke and arose to harrow the flat Do Seo Je Leo awoke and arose to har- row the sky. When they finished harrowing the sky, they came to harrow the earth. They harrowed the earth flat and h. They harrowed the sky and hung it up liie a large loft. Then they again went and slept. They slept and again awoke and came and looked. They saw that there were 99 layers of cliff rocks. They also saw that there were 88 layers of stone mountains. They again looked and saw that on the edge of the sky there was limitless big ocean. They again looked and saw there were 108 big level brieht flats. Thev again looked and saw the water on the hkhmountains flowing into Plowing the Sky and the Earth to Make Them the great ocean. They could hardly see and Level and Firm (345) . . looked with their two eves successivelv (from Ntzi Je Ldo Lai awoke. He arose and went to plow the sky. Niong Tse Je Lai awoke and went to plow the field. After plowing all the sky, he swept the stars for a day. When he had finished plowing the ground, he sowed all the stone bones in the world. When the stone bones had grown out of the mound. they became grea~cliis. There was & that soil like a big stone-path road. He plowed going and coming until the place was all plowed. One day he plowed to a stone bone (bone stone). He left the stone bone to be a merno- rial. He gave it the name of stone bamboo. The people of the earth asked him, 'Why do you not take that stone and erect it slopingly?" Ntzi Je Ldo Lai said, 'lf you plow it up, on earth it will not be firm." He left that stone pillar to prop up the earth. Digging the Sky and the Emth (346) Ntzi Je Ndo K'e at first arose to open the sky. He opened and dug up all the sky. They opened and dug up the sky and the earth so that in the middle there was no boundary. In the center of the sky and the earth there was no terrace. They opened the sky and the world, and leveled them and made them firm. They dug up the sky until it was like a board on the ceiling. They also hoed the earth until it was like a piece of large cloth. We do not remember when they came and opened up these places. We do not know at all when they came and opened up the sky. one side to the other). 'on the left saw only night. On the right they saw only clear day. We then said that the sky had eyes and looks with this eye and with that eye. It cannot cease for awhile. If it ceased for a quarter of an hour, there would be neither sky above nor earth below. Weaving the S& (349) Na Bo Ha slept until midnight, and then arose and wove the flat (ground). Tsa Je Ha Ji slept until midnight and arose and wove a place. When they had woven the place, they returned. The places they wove very beautifully. They turned around like the water in the great sea. The places were circular. When they had finished weaving, they looked and they spoke saying, 'We have woven the heaven and the earth, and they turn about like the water of the sea." They again looked and saw an animal com- ing like a rat. They also saw another like a weasel. Then they two went to a grassy hill. There they saw some animal as big as an elephant. They also saw one as large as a kirin. Then they were somewhat afraid. They came home and made ropes of hemp. They used bamboo and made a snare. They dug up the earth and made a great pit. Then they went and chased those two big creatures. The two big creatures quickly ran and were caught by the snares. Then the two people took in their hands stone knives, and with the stone knives skinned the two big creatures. Everybody ate a meal, and they could not eat the meat all up. They said, 5 This song refers to two large rocks 10 Ii from ''Some other day we will agah go add capLo Piao. They are fmgshui stones. ture (wild animals) ." NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES-GRAHAM I3 Binding Together the (438) Sky and the When I roam all over the world, it moves my heart. I go to Glang Ma's road. Speaking of the earth, I have traveled all over the sky. I have traveled to Glang Gi's dwelling. Glang Ma slept until midnight. Then she thought of coming and tying (binding) the level land (flat) together. Glang Gi at first came and slept until midnight. He awoke and he remembered that he ought to bind the sky together. They bound the sky and came to Ntzi's 1eveI land on the sky. They bound the earth and came tci beneath the yellow sky and the white sun. To bind the sky, they must go up the sky ladder. To bid the earth they must go to its foundation and begin there.% Glang Na (or Ma) slept until midnight and certainly bound up the earth. Glang Ji slept until midnight and certainly bound up the sky. When the sky and the earth were a11 bound up, they arranged in order the stars in the sky so that they could shine on the people of -this world. 'fhen when people see the sky above, there is a sky river (the milky way). During the second and thud lunar months the sky river comes out and watches us farm. During the fifth and sixth lunar month, it will also go to Yang Cheo (a place where dead souls go to market) and watch the water. In the seventh moon it again returns and makes a path, in the sky, ar- ranged orderly like a big road. Glang Na and Glang Ji (or Jii) were exceedingly glad and lived peacefully. Beating a Great Mountain until It Was Firm (469) Tao Zruen Glang Ts'ai slept until midnight and got up and pursued the great mountain. Te L'an Glang Tsai slept until midnight and arose and pursued the great mountain peak. Tao Zmen Glang Tsai took a brass club and an iron club in his hand. Then he went and pursued the great mountain and drove it back. Te L'an Glang Tsai carried a brass dub and an iron club in his hand. He also pursued the great mountain until it became a regular ridge. Then he immediately beat that mountain three times. He beat the mountain into a level flat. Tao Zmen Glang Tsai again went and took the club in hi hands and beat the mountain 6The conception is that the earth and the sky might bre+t to pieces if not bound together by ropes or vmes. three times, and the mountain became firm and immovable. Te L'an Glang Tsai (or Ts'ai) again went and pursued a small hill. While he was pursuing it he beat it three times, and the small hill became a level flat. After this time these two beat the mountains until they became good land. Then there were both mountains and good land. Then they gathered up their brass clubs and iron clubs and put them down (away). If the earth moves again (in an earthquake) the two will certainly come again and beat it. Now the mountains are unable to move, and the earth is also firm, and people are born and grow up. When they grow up, thiigs are stable and they do not move about. One day Ntd came out of the door of heaven and said, "The people I have created, when they are born, can use the soil and produce (create) thiigs to eat. When they die they must also be peacefully buried in the ground before it agrees with my command. If not, I will take back the land so that people cannot again live there." Winding Up the Sky and the Earth (471) Bang Ngeo Jah went to wind the plain up smaller. Ngeo Ya Ngeo Tso slept and got up to wind the sky up smaller. Bang Ngeo Ja wound up the earth on a mountain pass. Ngeo Ja Ngeo Tso wound up the earth lie a road. Bang Ngeo Ja wound up the sky until it was like a gown. Ngeo Ja Ngeo Tso wound up the earth, and then there were level plains. Bang Ngeo Ja wound up the earth until there were flats. Ngeo Ja Ngeo Tso wound up the sky until it was like a ricefield. Bang Ngeo Ja (or Ya) wound up the earth until it was like a horizontal mountain. They finished winding up the sky and the earth and then took some of the remnants and wound them up into 99 &is. The rest they wound into 88 stone veins inside the mountain. Weaving the Sky and the Emth (480) When the sky was opened and the earth was dug up, there was a man whose name was Ntzi Tao Ntso Ntzi (God mountain fragment). There was a woman named Ntzi Tao Ntso Bo (weave fragment woman). They decided to weave the world. 7 In West Chiia it is considered a prime necessity to bury people peacefully, that is, in a good spot and in a good coCn and with appropriate ceremonies. Then the person buried can rest in peace. I4 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 They both had already become old. They had (fed or were raising) a daughter named Tsu Ma Ngeo Dong. There was another named Ch'in Ntzi Dong Bu (control God brass old woman). When these two had grown up they went to weave the sky and the earth. They wove the sky and the earth until they arrived at the level sea below. They accidentally saw the people below who were lying all over the land like rice husks. The people of the sky covered the sky, when they were lying down, lie tree leaves. Not a single one went partners with them in preparing the thread. The second time these two came to weave the sky and earth and placed the sky and the earth on the stand. When the weaving was finished they still saw the people below lying down as numerous as the GODS BATTLE Fc A Song of Battle (335) Roaming all over the world, I arrive at the road of Le Ntzi'. Speakiig of the earth, I have traveled all over it. I also roamed to Nts'eo Tse's residence. The body of Nts'eo Tse is spotted. Le Ntzii slept until midnight and then arose and struggled for the world with Nts'eo Tse. Nts'eo Tse slept until midnight, and then he also arose and struggled with Le Ntzi for boundaries. The body of Le Ntzi was also spotted. Nts'eo Tse's body was also the color of black smoke. Le Ntzi was about to struggle with hi for the border boundaries. Nts'eo Tse was also about to struggle with him for a terrace. Le Ntzi intended to struggle until he reached King Lo's great capital.8 Nts'eo Tse intended to dispute for the heavenly king's great fortified tower. When they were fightng the noise was lie the roaring of thunder, or lie the falling of a mountain di. They fought for a time, and Nts'eo Tse could not conquer. Then Le Ntzi chased him and followed hi to a big flat below. They met an old man who was only as high as their knees. The old man was very powerful. His tusks had grown out as far as his nose. His front THE LADDER BETWEEN THE SKY The Origin of the Miao Tuan Kungs (Magicians), or The Ladder from Earth to Heaven Was Broken (208) In most ancient times in heaven there was 8The term is lo fa Tai, or Rig of the Sky, a id. This is another name for Ndi, the supreme god of the Ch'uan Mio. rice husks. They saw the people in the sky lying down like tree leaves. They could not find a single person to be partners with them. The third time they again went to weave the sky and the earth and then picked up a person named Ngeo Ge Ngeo Ntseo (willing young woman beautiful as a flower). They picked her up and nourished her. The two of them slept until midnight, then finished weaving the sky and the earth. When it was finished they measured the sky and the earth. When they had finished measuring they said, "The sky is certainly large and broad. The earth is broad, but not very broad." Ngeo Ge Ngeo Ntseo said, ''The sky is broad like a bamboo hat. The earth is broad like a winnowing basket." OR THE WORLD teeth protruded to the outside of hi lips. Hi whiskers reached the top of hi feet. With his hands he took his whiskers and tied them behind his back. Nts'eo Tse asked him, "Do you know whether Le Ntzi passed this way? Did you see him? Do you truly know where he went from here?" That old man said, "I did not see where he went. I do not know. 1 saw only some old man whose hands were lie the paws of a bear. Hi feet were like those of a demon. His head was pointed like the blade of a plow, and also he was a black person. His head reached into the sky, and hi feet, when he stepped, entered the ground. Yesterday he went past here. You yourself pursue after him more quickly. You go and catch him, and YP" yourself fight him. I will not control you. Then Nts'eo Tse again arose and went in pursuit. He pursued hi to the edge of the sky (horizon) and then caught Le Ntzi. Then he took hold of Le Ntzi and shook him and beat hi. After he had beaten hi he stabbed him. After he had stabbed him, he again shook him. He shook hi until his flesh was like dirt. His blood flowed out and flooded the earth like red day. The song is ended. AND THE EARTH WAS BROKEN one demon named Go Nao Nun.g Below there was only one man who could control demons. His name was Je Dii.lo This tmn kung was sent down by Ntz? especially to help people to live. The demon was ap 9 Round thiig able to eat people. 10 An old man efficient in cutting off slices of things. NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES-GRAHAM I5 pointed by NtzX especially to cause people to die. These two came into the world and each displayed ability. Go Nao Nun ate people on the upper terrace. Je Dii also went to the upper terrace. Go Nao Nun ate people on the lower terrace. Je Dii also went to the lower terrace (to oppose hi). For a long time Go Nao Nun was unable to eat people. One day Je Dii went to heal people, and that demon came and carried away Ju DDs wife. When the demon arrived at Je DDs home he opened his mouth as big and red as a bowl to catch a slaughtered pig's blood, showing his teeth with which he ate people. He ordered the woman to go with him, and if she did not he would eat her. She was helpless and went with hi. But they had a son named Nga Go (little chicken). Not long afterward Je Du came back home and asked his son, 'Where is your mother?" The son said to hi, "Today Go Nao Nun came. When he went to the upper terrace to eat people, you went to the upper terrace. When he went to the lower flat to eat people, you went there also. Now he had nobody to eat, so he carried mother away." Je Dii then told hi son to stay at home, and he himself carried on his back his implements for controlling demons l1 and went after the demon. He went for a day and a night, and went into the home of a Chinese. In this Chinese home there were only the husband and the wife. When they saw that Je Dii was a tuan tung, they gladly entertained hi and he stayed there that night. When he went to bed the Chime man and his wife discussed the matter and said, "This guest is a man of ability. We should give him a good meal." The Chinese man's wife said, "Tomorrow we can kill a chicken for hi to eat." But while they were talkiig the chickens heard it. The rooster said, "Tonight I will sleep outside and let the master kill me and leave the mother hen to care for the baby chicks." The two chickens slept a long time. Then they again said, "If the guest waits until he eats our flesh, then he cannot catch the demon. If he does not wait to eat, then he can catch up with hi, for tomorrow the dragon king will go down into the sea to play. He can wait until the dragon king has arrived and climb onto the horns of the dragon king, and the dragon king will carry hi up into the sky.12 Je Dii followed hi wife's footprints and went to the home of Gao Nao Nun. 11A red cloth bag with a net in it made of paper, a seal for printing charms to control demons, etc. 12It is said that the dragon's body was in the At that time the demon had gone out to find somebody to eat. Only the wife of Je Du was in the house. His wife took three bowls of iron filings and gave it to her husband to eat.13 But he could not eat it. His wife said to hi, 'You had better hide lest he come and fight you." Then Je Dii went and hid. Go Nao Nun flew back and lighted on a large tree and then came down. He went to the creek to wash the teeth with which he ate people. He washed out very red lumps of blood. When he had finished washing them he came into his home. He told Je DDs wife to cook some iron filings for hi to eat. When he had finiihed eating, he went to sleep. Afterward he went out every day to eat people. When the Miao tuan kung saw that the dragon had gone out, he came down and talked to his wife. He took three bamboo trees and made bows and arrows with them. The demon was away three days before he came back. When he arrived, he alighted as usual on that tree. Je Dii took a poison arrow and shot it and hit the demon in the pit under his wing. He fell down and soon died. Then Je Dii came back to take his wife home. Because in most ancient times there was a ladder on which one could climb to the sky, people could go up into the sky. So they came down on the sky ladder. Just as they were halfway down hi wife said, "Formerly I wove silk cloth. I have forgotten my silk thread. Wait until I go back and get it, and we will go." When she had said this she turned back. As soon as she reached the sky she took the thread and broke the sky thread. Then there was a loud noise, and all the people on the sky were frightened. The people on the sky said, "Quickly draw up the ladder so that common people on the world cannot come up and disturb things." Quickly the people on the sky pulled up the ladder and caused Je Dii to fall down, and he was killed from the fall on the side of the cliff. Then hi wife was unable to come down. Je Du became an immortal on the side of the clifE. His wife in heaven, as usual, helped by weaving cloth. Because of this, when today lightning Bashes we know that the wife Bo Dii is weaving in the sky. But the demon died. He has sons and daughters who constantly do harm to people. sky and that by stretching his neck his head could reach the water. la Tbis was the dragon's food. 16 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 Men are helpless and can ask only the tuan to control and imprison them. Therefore the kung, the goddess Bo Dii, and Je Du the god Lord and Teacher is the Immortal Je Dii.14 THE FIRST PEOPLE WHO RAISED CATS The First Family That Raised Cats to Eat Then they went and caught the dryeared cat Mice (551) and returned home. When they arrived the cliff rats and the The sky is in its place. The cO1o! qf the squirrels fought a fight with that dry-eared $zC;" $!: ~th~~iv~~ i~t:og %rz ;;se;s.;. ~~~~d;;x~~~ and it tions. The next morning Nto Ntzi Niong and Te That locality had a cave demon that lived Ntzi Niong ran and looked. They saw that in a cliff. When the weather was dear there the rats were eating their salt. They said, 'We was a cave demon that came Out at the mouth cannot raise Ntz7.s cats. We cannot destroy of the cave. When it rained there was also a the rats: demon that stood beside a pit (perpendicular cave). When the eath her was clear and it Braiding Heaven and Earth, or People Began rained, then that cave demon stood up. When to Raise Cats l5 (367) he stood up he let the rats come out. Those In former times was a man and his rats came out and gnawed Ntzi's skyline in wife. The name of the husband was Ndo two. The cliff rats also went and bit the Ntsa Ya Lo, and the name of the was sinews of the level flat in two. Then NtzY's to ya Ntsa So. bell in the sky was moved until it resounded. The two people slept until midnight. Then When it resounded it disturbed the world in they awoke and climbed up to braid the sky all directions. Then Ntzi sent his silver cat and the After they had finished they down below (into the world). Niong (the went everywhere. After they had same sent a golden cat down to walked over all the world they returned. In the earth. their home they looked about everywhere. When the golden cat and the silver cat They saw some rats that were eating the grain arrived they were tired. Then the rats all around in the corners of the house. came Out and fought with these two cat% The two people again slept until midnight and the two cats bit them to death and piled and then arose and traveled. After traveling them up as numerous as the grains of corn- about they returned. They saw that the rats meal from a grinder. (having eaten up all the grain in the house) When the weather was clear, there was a had gone to eat other people's grain. The colored hawk that flew around the deep forest husband and his wife were helpless, and so on the mountain. There was also a sparrow went up to the sky to ask Ntzi Niong Leo hawk that flew around with the colored hawk. to g;,, them a golden and a silver cat to Then the colored hawk struck the silver cat ,is,. ~tzy ~i~~~ L~~ said, 'q have no more and the silver cat fell down and could not golden or silver cats. ~f you want a cat, you get UP- The sparrow hawk struck the golden go back and get one from a tiger." Then they cat with its claws, and the golden cat fell returned and got one-&lf of the tiger's liver. down and could not move. Nto Ntzi Niong Then they took the half of the tiger's liver and Te Ntzi Niong said, 'The silver cat is home and it turned into a cat. This cat ingone and the golden cat is gone." stantly went and ate rats. Because he had They waited until next morning and went changed from liver into a cat, he wanted to to Ntzi Geo Nto to buy one. Ntzi said, "The eat meat to nourish his stomach. From this silver cat is gone and the golden cat is also time on people had cats to raise. These cats gone. There is only a small dry-eared cat" ate up the rats. A SUPERNATURAL BIRTH One Who War Born through a Wild Dove until Lan Lang's wing grew out. She hatched Hatching a Tame Pigeon's Egg (174) out Man Yoh Men, who was very strong. She A tame pigeon laid an egg and gave it to a sat upon the egg 12 days at one time and 30 wild dove to hatch. She sat upon the egg days at another time. The pigeon egg was for a person to go there. The tuan kung draws l4 It is the custom to worship Je Dii on a place the image in black on the side of the di. halfway up a diff, and the tuan kung's home 16 Sung during the first three days of the New is also in a house halfway up a clii. It is hard Year. NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIJS--GRAHAM 17 fine on top and was also fine-grained inside. When the egg was hatched it changed into a man named Pao Ch'eng Kiang (one who protects a high official). When the egg on top opened it changed into a person named Mi Wang Sen. Mi Wang Sen got up and was able at once to write. He then went to the heavenly land of Ntzi. Pao Ch'eng Kig also went to the land of the King of Heaven (Lo Fa Dai) to study. Who do you say is efficient in writing? It is Mi Wang Sen's hand that is excellent in writing. Who do you say is efficient in writing on cloth? It is Pao Ch'eng King who is ef6cient in writing on cloth. When Mi Wang Sen writes on the ground he makes beautiful designs (artistic). When Pao Ch'eng Kiang writes characters on a person's back, it also makes beautiful designs (like embroidery). One day Pao Ch'eng Kiang wrote characters inside (clothes) and it was sent to Ntzi7s land. Mi Wang Sen also wrote characters on the outside (of the garments) and it went to the emperor in Ntzi's land. But when they had gone halfway on the road, they sent letters to their mother Na Fa Nii asking her to go and take charge of the jade seal of the emperor.16 A MIA0 CHANGED INTO AN AMITABHA A Miao Changed into an Amitabha (330) image." He said, 'My image has hands and feet, but thiis image has no hands and feet. Once there was a Miao who lived beside a How can it be my image?,, The immortal river. When he saw that the water was high replied, when you carried people he was in the habit of carrying people across across the river your feet were in the water the stream on his back. and your arms were about the people being One d~, while he was beside the river, he carried. He said, ''It is not customary to carve met an immortal. The immortal wished to an image and worship it until one is dead. cross the river. At that time the water was Why do these people worship me?- ~h~ imvery high, and he ran carry the mortal said, you go beside the river and across the river. After he had carried him look? across, the immortal invited him to go along He went and looked and saw a heap of with the and to become an im- fleshless bones. He also went into his home, mortal. He was willing to go. and at that time his sons and grandsons were After he had gone several ten of Years, .One all playing the liu sheng and beating the drum day he went to drink water. He fell into to commemorate hime H~ noticed that his the water and was drowned. His souls (huen descendants did not see him. ~h~~ the hand p'ei) went along with the immortal as mortal left him. He could not find his way, usual. After a time he arrived at the spot and so he could only go around in a purpose where he used to cross the river, and he saw less manner. He constantly went about help the place where some Chinese had carved an ing people. When people called him, he image without hands and feet and set it up. would certainly help them. He was unable He then asked the immortal, 'What image (unwilling) to injure people. He left thiis is this?" The immortal replied, "It is your song to pass his story on to hi descendants. A STONE THAT WAS AN IMMORTAL A Stone That Was an Immortal (441) they Bew roared until it disturbed the people In ancient times in the land of the Lolos below the clii. They flew lie this and there were two big stone bamboo sprouts. alarmed the people several years. These stones were one male and one female. Suddenly, during the seventh lunar month, Every year, in the spring, the two stones slept thunder struck one of the stones and split until daybreak, and then they would get up it open. Now there is left only one immortal. and hold sexual relations. The noise when When this stone was broken, the non-Chinese 16 It is possible hat the mother dove was trans- people of that place were Not formed into a Na Fa Nii, means until now did we know that thiis was a Lolo's great tree tender. Mi Wang is apparently an ancestral rock. This was the rock to which ancient Mio hero. the Lolos made pilgrimages up the mountain. 18 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 A STONE TURNED INTO A MORNING STAR A Stone Turned into a Morning Star (479) smiths to come and make a silver chain and In most ancient times there was a man tied this black rock up seven years. Then whose name was Tsi Ntzi.ll He had three the big stone knew it could not escape. Then white pigeons. There was also another man it turned into the morning star. Later this named T$ Sea. He raised seven wild horses. Star changed a of the em- peror. Then the emperor came forth and Their white pigeons and wild horses broke showed his face. loose and fled to a level plain below, then turned into a big stone. ~~i ~~g hen sent All the world asks, 'Who is e5cient in people to find them. H~ hunted for them writing characters?" Ch'en Kiang (this bodyuntil he saw this big stone on the level plain. guard of the emperor) is e5cient in writing ~h~~~ who were hunting then asked the characters. But because he came late, he did big stone, "Have you seen Tsi. N=fs and not get a book to study. hen he went to Tsi Seo's pigeons and wild horses that broke the emperor's palace to get a book to study. loose, going past this place?" The big stone His mother Na Fa Niong went to see him said, '9 have not seen them.'s Then these but went on past him. Later his mother died. people seized this big stone and started back Then he brought a pen and ink and wrote home. characters, and wrote on the walls in the T$ Ntzi and Tsi Seo then invited the silver- capital. 111. TALES RELATING TO HISTORICAL AND ETIOLOGICAL TRADITIONS LIFE IN ANCIENT TIMES A Man Who Stabtlizeed Heailen and Earth (343) The sky was in its dwelling. Hi dwelling was at Ntzi Je Ndo Leo's.ls The earth was at the earth's dwelling place. It dwelt at Niong De La Leo's lo dwelliing. They slept until midnight. They remembered that they must go and pound the sky even (or flat), for the sky was as yet not firm, and it had to be beaten and pounded before it was firm. Each of them struck once with a club, and they caused the sky to turn around and around. They each stamped the earth once with a foot and caused the earth to move. The emperor of that time was afraid the sky would be ruined and sent two great officials to come and investigate. But they could not find out anything. They said, "1 am afraid the demon that shakes the earth has come. If it is not so, it is that Ntzi Je Ndo Leo has come to beat the sky, and Niong De La Leo has come to beat the earth. When they have beaten them firm, you people can live peacefully and live well." One Who Pacified the World (171) In former times, when king Pan Ku separated the sky and the earth, the sister of Hu Hsi came down to control the sky and the earth (thii concerns the yin-yang). The king Shen Lung came down to control the five grains. The emperor Hsuen Yuen came down to make clothing for people to wear. He created 44 big fish to use in erecting the four corners of the world. He made 48 nails of sheep horns to use in making the world firm in all four directions. He established the sky firmly and everywhere there were homes. He established (made firm) the earth so it was peaceful, and in its midst was hidden yellow gold. Ancient People Who Secured Seed (177) eled all over it, and I went to the dwelling when I roam all over the world, my mind place of an ancient Mio tribe. I also traveled is stirred. Speaking of the earth, I have trav- Over the face of the earth and reached the place where a Miao lives. 17Tsi Ntzi means bad god, or a man who was Where did the Miao come from? From a bad. l8 God's man who controls the firm land, a ser- ID A man who controls the first foundation vant of Nai. land. NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES-GRAHAM I9 mountain wilderness. When the ancient Miao came to the time of waking up, he remem- bered his farm work. When those Mio first came, he remembered that they should dear a wilderness. He came out from that small bend. He carried on his shoulder a harrow. He also came from below and carried on his shoulder an iron plow. When he plowed a furrow, darkness came from both sides. He also plowed a furrow toward hi own fortress. Night had already come, and that Miao came back to find a bed to sleep on, and he slept until midnight. He slept steadily until morn- ing. When the sky became light, he, when reclining and then when sitting up, remembered hi farm work. He constantly thought about clearing some of the wilderness. He also carried an ax on hi shoulder as he went to work. He carried a curved ax (or sickle) and went to make a clearing. When he had cut down three rows and approached the edge of the land, the sky became dark (' ~t was night). He again returned and got a bed to sleep quietly in. He slept on the bed. He slept until midnight and opened his mouth and said, 'We have no seed yet." He again slept until daybreak and again said, "I have no seed yet." He himself said, "Where shall I go to find seed?" The Miao grandfather replied, "I do not know where you should go to get seed." Then the ancient Miao opened hi mouth and said, "To get the seed you must go above the Lo Ts'en Tsi land and look for it." Then that Mio grandfather released a green bud, which flew to Lo T'ien Tsi'. The sound of its flying as it went to the broken window in Lo T'ien Tsi was like "p'ong, po'ng." It also flew to Ntzi's rice granary. Then the green bird picked up in its bill Ntzi"s rice seed and also picked up some seed of tares. Thus the green bird secured seed of rice and tares and carried it back to its home and the ancient Mio secured seed to plant. Later the Miao grandfather reaped the seed and took it home. The ancient Miao then received the seed and put it into a barrel. He waited until spring arrived with two cool months. There are two cold months during winter. When the weather was temporate, during the fist moon, and the place was warm and the sky was dry, and the land was also dry, then the ancient Miao took fire and burnt off a mountain, and the Miao grandfather lighted fires to burn the grass and trees on the mountain. The first burnt from the two sides, and it spread from the center to unburnt spots on both sides. Then the ancient Miao returned home and rested, and the Miao grandfather also came back and slept They slept until they awakened then said, "We must take this seed and put it in the breast of our clothiing." The ancient Mio slept until midnight and said, "Thii time we must take seed and put it in the seams of our garments" (in lieu of pockets). The ancient Miao took seed and put it in the seam of hi garment. He sowed three handfuls in the soil. It grew up like bamboo sprouts. The Miao grandfather also went and sowed three handfuls in the depression on the mountain. When thii seed grew it was lie the ban chuh (a bamboo of medium size). They also sowed three handfuls on the ridge. When it grew up it was lie a bamboo forest. The Miao grandfather also sowed three handfuls on the edge of the land, and when it grew up it was lie thorn bushes in thickness. Its heads were lie growing millet. The stalks were lie those of tall grass. A strong son could carry only three handfuls, and a weak son could carry only three stalks. The strong son carried it into hi home. The weak son followed along behind, carrying hi and scolding about it. The strong son car- ried his and placed it in the ninth section of the ancient Miao, upstairs. The weak son carried hi and put it in the ninth loft. Then the ancient Miao said that he had already secured food. Then he took the seed and made a big jar of fire-wine. The Mio grandfather also took the seed he had reaped and made white wine, as sweet as honey, fragrant and hot (peppery) like the honey of clii bees. Then they said, 'We can take this wine and drink it." The Mio grandfather said, "I have some brothers living near the creek." They said, 'We can go and ask them to come and drink." The older brother came from the borderland. He said, "Thii wine may be used by you to engage a good bride." The younger brother came and said, 'Thii wine can be used to help in a good marriage affair." How People Lived in Very Ancient Times (1) A woman wore a wooden apron over her In very ancient times people were not a& abdomen to cover her shame. They had no customed to wearing clothing. A man wore good thiigs to eat. In warm weather they only a grass skirt to cover his lower organs. had merely the hit they picked, and during 20 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 the winter they captured and ate small living creatures. In warm weather they lived in the old forests, and in winter they returned to their (natural) stone caves. As to their way of living, a few tens might live in one group, or only a few people. We do not know how long they lived in this way. The Ancient Miao People (4) After roaming all over the world, I come to the home of the ancient Mio by the roadside. We will speak about things on the earth. Let us go into the home of a Miao gentleman and reckon from the root (beginning) of things. The ancient Miao slept on small wooden beds made of wood fitted together. One night the Miao gentleman had a bad dream that he had broken his spindle and that the beds on which the Miao slept were made of vines. They Ate Their Parents and also Worshiped Their Parents (189) There is a Miao tribe called Kw'a. One day a famiiy was building a roof and many friends came to help them do the work. A few days before thii the sons of thii family all went away to a distant place where they were strangers. Alas, after they had gone several days they failed to catch any strangers to eat. The day of building the roof arrived, and many people came. In the afternoon the sons took the knife that they killed people with and ground it very sharp. Then they said to their father, "Come down. Today the guests have already arrived. We want you to come and entertain the guests." The father said, "Sons, I am still young and I am actually able to build a roof to live under." The sons said, 'Who invited you to eat people's food (~robabl~ human flesh) in the past? " 21 The father could say nothing, and the sons took hi and killed him so as to entertain the guests. But after three years the sons thought of their father and invited their friends of that place to come and play the liu sheng, beat the drum, and dance. They used a peck and two quarts of rice and made of it an image of a man to worship. After they had worshiped it they all seized the image of a man, 20Thii tribe or ethnic group is called kw'a. This means a dark color and may be the Black Mio now called in Chinese the Ch'i Miao. 21111 the past he had eaten human flesh in other homes when covering a roof. He then dreamed that he went to plow the ground and the plow was broken. The ancient Miao regarded the family as a united group like a bucket that was not to be divided, or like the water in a water jar that should not be separated. Ancient Miao Who Ate People (188) In ancient times there was a tribe of people called Kw'a (or Q'ua). They all liked to kill people and eat them. But their gmup was firmly bound together. When they saw strangers from distant places they locked them in a pen and drove iron needles into their knees. After their legs had swollen they regarded them as fat and killed them and ate them. If for a long time they had not captured anybody else, they even killed their parents and their children and ate them.20 each with one hand, and ate it. Then they all departed. In Ancient Times When the Miao Could Not Play the Liu Sheng or Beat Drums, They Made Ceremonial Oflerings (30) In ancient times the Miao did not know how to make offerings to demons or gods. They only knew that when parents died they must certainly receive ceremonial offerings. Their method of making ceremonial offerings was as follows: If anyone had several sons each son killed either a pig or a cow. If one were very lowly, even he must kill a chicken. By one means or another a life must be given. Each person must sacrifice a day and a night before the parent could be buried in peace. Speaking of blowing the liu sheng or beating drums, there was nothing of these. Only there was one family that began doing so. For there was a family that had seven sons. The father died in the sixth moon in the summer. Each son had to offer a sacrifice a day and a night. When they had made offerings only a day, on the dead person were maggots that crawled out into the house. The sons were helpless so the oldest son said, 'This way we can hardly protect the body of our deceased father." The second son said, "Each one of us can make a bamboo tube and blow it and walk around the corpse, and one person take leather and make a drum to be hung in the center, and let the one in the center beat the drum and we six other brothers walk around and tread on the maggots." NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES---GRAHAM 21 Thus six persons blew the bamboo tubes and one beat the drum and walked around, and they trod on the maggots until they were no more. Otherwise the seven days of sacrifice could not have been finished. After three years the sons thought, "Since father had maggots like this, we must still find a way to do (an appropriate ceremony to perform), now that three years have been completed. It will be best if we can take these tubes and bind them together and make a hole in each as we did in the tubes we were blowing, and use a hollow tube to put them in and peach-tree bark to bind them together, and let one person play it and one beat the drum, one control the sacrifices, one cook the food, and three dance with the one who plays . the liu sheng, each calling out Wu, wu,' as though they were treading on maggots. This custom we can pass on to the later generations as a memorial service." The length of the liu sheng tubes differs because the ages and sizes of the sons differ. The drum's shape is long and round because it illustrates the fact that the family will never desert the ancestors. There is also a statement which we will repeat forever, 'Even if the husband and the wife have quarreled, they must not sleep in dierent beds. Even if brothers have scolded each other, they will not desert the ancestors. Therefore all must use the Miao liu sheng." ORIGIN OF CUSTOMS AND THINGS SOCIAL CUSTOMS How People Came to Raise Chickens (2) us has talents, and we will make hi emOne day, in ancient times, = old man went peror.'' Because they were all listed as to talforth to find something to eat. He saw a ents, they discovered a person who understood pheasant fly out of the forest. It cackled as human affairs, and they made him it flew. The old man continued to search until he found a nest. In the nest were several Building a House, or Why the Miao Give chicks. When the old man saw them he was Away Daughters in Marriage Instead of truly very happy. He quickly caught the Sons 22 (57) chicks and carried them back to his cave. When his little children saw them they too In the the and the earth were very glad, and loved them. q-hey were established, and people divided up the the chicks and raised them for two years. land. There was the woman Na Bo Tsai 23 The pheasants laid some eggs. The older Over the people were unwilling to eat the eggs and of the earth* I have traveled over permitted the pheasants to sit on them in all the heavens and arrived at Tsu Jiii Tsai's turn as they pleased until they had hatched habitation.24 Ni Lo Ntsi' Tsu 25 had an older some chicks. From this time, year after year, who had been married into another the older people and their children each took Only his daughter Ngeo Dong a few chickens and raised them, and all were G1O 26 left to wind flax threads- Nga Tsu much pleased. Yeh Tsu also had left in his home a girl called Mi Nts'ai Bang Ma 27 who could make strings of fire hemp. Testing an Emperor, or How There Came to Na Bo Tsai said, am not concerned with Be Empesors (40) anything else except to build a big house to In most ancient times there were no em- live in." Tsu Jiai Tsai said, "I do not want perors. Each person looked after his own anything else except a big tile-roofed house." affairs. Each person sought hi own livelihood. sometimes all together went to capture 22The Ch'uan Mio tradition is that in ancient wild animals, and hey gradually became able times they gave sons away instead of daughters and that later the parents built houses and &at to Through came to under- the daughters could not carry the central beams, stand matters- From affairs they came to so the mother called her son back, and after this understand old and young, and from age they gave away daughters instead of sons. came to realize great small (in human 23 Na-' hoes tsai6 is said to mean big woman affairs), and from great and small came to realize high and low, and from high and low li E::i ~~~l$?i~~$4&u-a- learned to distinguish character. Then all 26 3nus ~~~glo.a, girl brass black. said, 'We live on earth and the earth is com- 27 ~i-l n~.ai6 ba3' ma.6, small girl as tender posed of yellow soil. We will see who among as a flower. 22 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 Na Bo Tsai then told her oldest daughter Ngeo Dong Glo to go and cut down a bamboo tree and told Mi Nts'ai Bang Ma also to go and cut down a tree. As to the bamboo tree that the older daughter cut down, the strength of the two girls was not great, and so the younger sister touched the tree and cried. The older daughter carried the tree on her shoulder and wept. The younger sister cried in the dark place, and the older sister cried in the light place. Her mother was also help less, and so she sent a message to the older son's home. The father was also helpless, and he sent a message to the home of the younger son. The younger son was far away. The next day at daybreak the older son arrived. He soon called 9,000 carpenters to come from distant places. The younger son also sent a message to three families, and 300 people came to help with the work. They worked until daylight on the next day and then called the people of 300 strongholds to come and help. In their hands they carried axes, and saws on their backs. With the axes they hewed, and with the saws they sawed. Then they hacked of% the head of the fir tree, sawed off the foot of the fir tree, measured the wood, and erected the house. The house was 19 sections long. When they had erected the eaves they built a pavilion in the pool, which had 19 upright posts. The next morning the mother came and looked, and the father also became cognizant of it. The mother said that she now had this house with a big tile roof to live in. The mother thought that she could take the oldest daughter to change for her oldest son who should come back to control the home. The father also decided to take the smaller daughter to change for his smaller son. Thus it may be said that they took these girls to go the marriage road, and the sons to live in their own big home. The mother and the father thought it out, and that year the time for the mother's oldest daughter to go as a bride had arrived and also the time for the father's smaller daughter to go and be a daughter-in-law. But on that day the mother's daughter had no comb, and she got angry and would not go as a bride. The father's daughter had no silver orna- ments to wear, so she got angry and would not go and become a person's daughter-inlaw. The mother sent a message, and the message reached the comb makers. The father sent a message which reached the distant metal workers. The next morning the comb makers and the metal workers arrived. In their hands they carried 99 bellows and 99 implements. The bellows blew away the ashes and fanned the fire into flame, and blew clean and silver ornaments until they were very bright. They also used silver and beat out silver combs and gave them to the older sister. When the older sister had received them she said, "Now I can go and get married." They used the golden metal and made golden combs and gave them to the younger daughter who said, "Now I can go and become somebody's daughter-in-law." When the day for giving away the older daughter in marriage arrived, it was the same year when the younger daughter was to be given in marriage. The older daughter, when she had received the silver ornaments, began to cry. When the younger daughter had re- ceived the golden combs to comb her hair with, she also wept. The mother secured two mothers to escort the brides. The father also secured two guests to escort the brides. When they had climbed the mountain they came to a forest and then went down to a level plain and reached the place where they changed the shoes of the camels and also the place where the mules had their saddles taken off. The mules brayed gladly. The donkeys brayed out more fearfully. When the mules and donkeys were through braying and had eaten grass, grain was also fed them. But the two girls wept and would not eat diner. The older brothers who came with them ate their noon meal. The older brothers finished eating and then said, "Formerly you stole our food. Now you will go the same road we went before." When they had finished talking, the dinner was over, and then they started on. After a while they reached Bang Leo Deh Leo's home. When they had arrived at the main room of his house Bang Leo Deh brought a table to welcome them.2@ When the older brother arrived he ate a meal of the master's food. When the younger brother arrived he drank a cup of the host's good wine. When the older brother arrived he laughed and visited with his sister that night. The younger brother also visited with the sisters all night. Before daylight arrived, at midnight the master ordered the neighbors to bring wood to burn, and the fire burned well. The wood heated hot water, and the breakfast was cooked. When daylight came, water and food were brought, and the brothers who escorted the 28 When the two sons were given in marriage. 29 Sweetmeats, wine, etc., were placed on the table. NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES--GR\HAM 23 brides were invited to eat. After they had eaten food, those who escorted the brides were about to return. When they had again eaten food, those who escorted the brides were going to depart. The older girl was now in the room weeping. The younger girl was in the house weeping even more. One daughter-in-law was near the door of the kitchen. The other women were talking near the stove. They all urged the brides saying, "A Lolo woman is efficient in being a servant. A Chinese woman is efficient in being a person's wife. You two are not the only people who are efficient in being daughters-in-law." The Beginning of the Hoe, the Plow, the Rake, and the Harrow (258) On the earth was a man named Nong Ba (a bird resembling silk). The people in heaven discussed Ntzi Nts'ai Ngeo Shu. Below the people discussed the man Nong Ba. He could play three liu shengs every step. In heaven they discussed Ntzi Nts'ai Ngeo Shii who could sew three seams with one needle. On the earth below they talked about Nong Ba's going to select Ntzi Nts'ai Ngeo Shu for a wife. He went up to Ntzi's land in the sky. Ntzi told him to go and hoe the ground with Ntzi's oldest son. Ntii's four sons all went with him. Ntii said, "Son-inlaw, begin to hoe the ground." He replied, "Let my wife's brothers begin first." Then Ntzi's four sons began together. Each person hoed four long rows. Then He Whistled and the Wind Came. The Beginning of the Custom of Whistling for the Wind (33) In ancient times there was a renter. His hemp growing in the fields was fine. But a great wind suddenly blew it down. He then considered the fact that the official could decide all cases. "Is it possible that he cannot settle about the wind blowing down my hemp?" He arose and went to the yarnen and reported to the official. The official was without recourse. He said, "If a person causes the wind to blow and capture one's shadow, that is an empty matter. How can I settle this 30 This implies that a Lolo woman is a servant, a Chinese woman more like a real wife, and a Miao woman a good daughter-in-law; that all women have to get married, so why should they weep? Ntzl called to him and he hoed, and hoed six long rows. Ntii said, '"This is truly my sonin-law." After that Ntzi's four sons envied him, and they came back home and talked it over. Ntzi' said, "Tomorrow you can take him and throw him into the cistern." Next day Ntzi told them to catch fish in the cistern. (They stirred the water until it was muddy and then caught the stupefied fish.) Ntzi also went with them to the edge of the pool and encouraged them to beat the water. Ntzi told Nong Ba to beat the water first. He replied, "Let my brothers-in-law bat first." Then NtzY's oldest son began beating. As soon as he began beating, two horns appeared; Ntzi"s second son also began beating, and four horns appeared. The third son began beating, and six horns could be seen. They put these horns on their heads, and then Ntzi ordered Nong Ba to beat. When he began beating, there began eight other horns. Then Ntzi said, "This is truly my son-in-law. You are all related through marriage, and you must not quarrel. Come home and get dinner." After this they came back and Ntzi gave his daughter Nts'ai Ngeo Shii to Nong Ba and ordered his four sons to escort his daughter down. Then people saw Ntzi's first son turn into a hoe, the second son into a plow, the third into a rake, and the fourth into a harrow, and the husband and his wife were human beings. Then they wrote thii song to commemorate the kindness of NtzY. case of yours?" But because thii person had suffered hardship, he could not avoid going into the country and investigating. That day, just as he reached that place, there was a man beside the river on the opposite side whistling for the wind. The official used the circumstances to decide the man's case. He gave the decision, "The wind blows from all directions. Since you call it from across the river, I want you to pay for half the hemp." Because he made thii decision, today a Ch'uan Miao, when he sets fire to the land (to begin clearing for cultivation), wants a great wind to come and blow, and he will certainly whistle with his lips to call the wind. His method of calling is to make the sounds "Ja da da, ja da da" (d3a- Ta- Ta-, d3aTa. Ta-) meaning 'Wind come come, wind come come," and the wind really comes. The 24 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 present practice of the Ch'uan Miao of whistling for a wind began with this event. Now this custom of calling the wind, both men and women and even children all understand how to do it. Why Birds Are No Longer Oflered during the Ceremony of Eating New Grain 31 (50) From beneath the heavens one roamed over the earth. He went as far as the home of the industrious son of Jei Ma E.32 TO continue speaking, he went to the place where Jei Geh 33 and Hrnong Glo 34 and Dang 36 dwelt. Speaking of an industrious boy's habitation and his affairs, he slept until the thud watch, at midnight, and awoke and thought of his crop. Jiai P'u of the region of Jei Geh and Hmong Glo and Dang also thought of his farming. The industrious son arose and hoed half a field on the hillside before daylight. When the harvest came, the crop was excellent. The three ancient families also thought of their farming. The industrious son arose and hoed half a field on the hillside before daylight, and when the harvest time arrived the crop was fine. The Dang son also that morning hoed half a field on the hillside, and his crop was also fine. The industrious son's crop was edible, but he waited for it to turn yellow in the autumn, for it was not entirely ripe. The crop of the Dang family's son was reaped and brought in. The industrious son's crop was he, but he had nothing to mix with the grain to offer to his ancestors. The Dang boy said, "I also am unable to find anything to mix with my crop to offer to my ancestors." The industrious son said that he must get a hnong lo lei 37 bud to offer up before they tasted the new grain. This is a good bud. When he had taken a biscuit made of the grain and the bird and the new grain to the ancestors, the Dang boy said, "I will also go 31111 ancient times, when observing the ccremony of eating the new grain, it was necessary for the Ch'uan Mio to offer with the five grains a red bud before.$ new grain could be eaten. 32 d3ei2 ma-' 1- . 33d3ei ge, a man named in Chinese Li, or plum. 34 The Miao Black, for which the Chinese name T'ao is used. 35Ta3, or Mr. King, for which the Chinese name Wang is used. 36 The three families Jei Geh, Hmong Glo, and Dang. 37 hnof)' lo-' laiq a bud that is supposed to be sometimes visible and sometimes invisible. and capture one of these birds and come and offer up the new (grain to the ancestors)." The industrious son Jei Mo E Di (dsei mo. i- Ti-) carried a brass gun on his shoulder. He went into a forest to shoot a bud with his bow. The son of Mr. Dang also carried an iron gun on his shoulder and went and got a good bud. The industrious son saw a good kind of a bird in a flock in the grove. The industrious son shot one of them. The Dang son also shot one on the hill. The industrious son had just brought the bird back to divide into several pieces. The Dang boy carried his bird back to skin. The industrious boy smelt his red bird, and it was also fragrant. The Dang boy smelt his bird, and it was also fragrant. - The industrious boy took his bud and dried it by the fire. The Dang -. bov also took his bird and dried it by the fire. The industrious boy took his bird-meat and put it below the cupboard. The Dang boy also took his bird and put it below a barrel. He asked, 'Who will be engaged for an early marriage with me? I want to get engaged to Ma Mi Ngeo Tse 38 for an early marriage." 39 This bride was not intelligent. The industrious boy also wanted to get engaged to Ntse Ntso as a daughter-in-law. But this bride was also small and not intelligent. One day when the industrious boy had gone away on business, the daughter-in-law turned over a piece of dried flesh in the cupboard. She took it and ate it. Thus the two buds were eaten up. Later when the two brothers came back home, they were industrious as usual. The industrious son slept until the third watch and quickly went to the field. The Dang son slept until midnight and also went upon the mountain. The industrious boy looked on the small hill and saw a bunch of red water hemp. Out of the hemp rolled a snake as big as a basket. The Dane boy, tending to his crops, went down the hill. He saw a bunch of grass out of which there came a striped tiger as big as a big sow. The two boys were frightened badly. They 38 Mae6 mi-' 3nua tse6. S9 An early marriage in the sense that the bride was very young. NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES--GRAHAM 25 ran quickly home to ask their mothers. The industrious boy said, "This year it is not well with us. I do not know what sin we have committed. Today I saw a large snake and the Dang boy saw a big tiger." His mother immediately dished up a bowl of uncooked rice and wrapped it in a cloth and gave it to her son and told hi to go and ask the tuan kung to look over the rice. When the tuan kung had looked at it he found no big demon. He looked for the nine species and the three genera of demons and did not find a single one. He again looked once and saw the son's wife Ma Mi Ngeo Tse revealed in the water in the bowl. He again saw the Dang boy's wife revealed in the bowl. He said, 'Those two women have no wisdom, for they took and ate your sacrificial birds. Because of this the aged ancestors have come to terrify you. Now I want to send you into the dry stream and entice small birds to the creek, and afterward you each go and industriously plow, plant, and reap, and afterward you need not use birds to offer with the grains." So now when people observe the ceremony of eating the new grain they do not use bud flesh. In Former Times the Miao Played the Liu Sheng When Welcoming Brides, but Be- cause Some Chinese Stole It They now No Longer Play It (703) The sky dwells in its dwelling place. The horizon of the sky is at the edge of the sky. This happened to be the year for Do Ch'en Tzu to marry off his daughter, and also for Di Go to come and marry the bride. Do Ch'en Tzu sent over his daughter Nts'ai Ngeo Tsai. He secured two good players of the Ziu sheng to escort her and also secured a person good at beating the drum to go along. When they played the liu sheng the loud noise vibrated in the sky. When the drum was beaten, there was a vibrating noise in the air. They went along together making harmonious sounds of the Ziu sheng and the drum. They went along happily escorting Nts'ai Ngeo Tsai. When they were about to arrive they went down over a hill and arrived at the home of Di Go and entered the main gate of that family, and through the main gate entered their parlor. The guests of Do Ch'en Tzu, who escorted the bride, ate Di Go's dinner and also drank a jug of fine wine, and they all sat until deep midnight and were conscious that they could not keep their eyes open. Their minds were no longer able to think. The group who came from a distance to escort the bride then sought beds to sleep on. Ai, while they were peacefully sleeping a son of a Lolo determined on a bad thing, and a Chinese determined on an even worse thiig. Since their hearts were evil the Lolo got up and stole Do Ch'en Tzds liu sheng with which the bride had been escorted, and the Chinese stole the big drum with which Do Ch'en Tzu had escorted the girl. They stole that Ziu sheng and went and hid it in a cave in the middle of the hill. They stole that drum and hid it in a big tree in the deep forest. The next morning, when the guests that escorted the bride got up, they saw that the liu deng was gone and that the drum was also gone. They all searched for it but could not find it, tried to find it but could not. Then they all said, 'We Miao from now on, when marrying off a daughter, will neither want to use the liu sheng nor to beat the drum." Coal (118) Who came down and burnt coal? Le Tse 'lo came down and burnt coal. What kid of coal is best? It is fragrant coal (soft, smoky coal with oil in it) that is good. At what time did the red tigers divide off into pairs (mate)? I do not understand the reasons for repeating 0-mi-t'o-fu (Amitabha, repeated by the Chinese for protection from demons before going down into a dark mine). The Buddha lives somewhere else (he is not supposed to be at home in the Mio country). You ask, "Who came and burnt coal?" It was Le Tse who came down and burnt coal. What kid of coal is good? The coal from inside the mountain is good (coal not on the surface, but that must be mined out). When you talk about Buddha (as concerning coal), 1 do not know about that. The Buddha lives upstairs in a big temple. Heaven oil (possibly crude oil in its natural state) is not burnt 40 le5 means to investiffate or look with the for light by us (the Miao). The sharp iron eyes, tsd to pick up, scratch, or investigate with pick is eaten by the coal (gradually worn off, the fingers. therefore apparently eaten). The coal is in 26 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 very deep places. Outside the coal there is a coal dew (probably moisture on the coal). What do you guess that I saw? (said the coal). Let our sons and our grandsons (pieces of coal) go to the place where the marriage feast is being held (so people can cook food). The Buddha you are talking about can only sit on the edge of the cloth (he is embroidered there). We, the coal beings, tomorrow morning at daybreak will separate our sons and daughters to a place where there is meat (to cook). Water said that its name was d'ih a (in Chinese; in Miao, li.). Heat said that its name was smoke. Water said, "I will not be evil or hard to deal with. If I am fierce I will not come." Water wants to eat people's nine quarts of rice (when rice is cooked) on the big stone bench. The smoke said, "I will not be fierce or evil. If I am fierce, I will not come," and the smoke went up to the empty heaven. It promised water for nine generations of people. The smoke drank Je Gu Leo's (3d lau') ten loads of water and it was not enough. Two Roc& Lo-Hai41 (230) I constantly roam over the world and arrive at Glang Ga's road. Speaking of the earth, I have roamed all over the sky. I went to the residence of Ntii's Glang Ts'ai (hungry demon). Ntzi's demons arose and led Glang K'e (a thirsty demon) to the place he was to control. When he was through controlling he lived outside of heaven (or the sky). When he got a place to live he lived on the other side of the place. He controlled much of heaven and earth, but there was much of heaven and earth besides what he controlled. Ntzfi Do Nke came down and looked. He saw that on the plain at Hai Lo there is a big ice rock. From above he flew down near it. Ntzi's two talented boys said, "Hai Lo Plain's big rock did not come from (the earth) be low." Ntzi's strong son said, 'This black stone has been carried here by Glang Mo Ts'e. The ice rock was also carried here by Glang Mo Ts'e (a demon that carries things). That black stone is firm like a hat made of bamboo. That ice stone is like both a pig and a hat." Ntii's two able sons came down from heaven onto the great precipice. They were given a piece of land by Ntii. They saw that there was another black stone that came up from the lower &at. They saw that the stones could be piled up into one pile (one piled on the other). They piled one on the other. The ice stone (a white stone) is firm like a great precipice. The black stone stood up lie a stone bamboo sprout. The song is endedj2 ANCIENT HISTORY The Building of the Great Wall by Ch'in Shih-huang (39) When Ch'in Shih-huang built the great wall he caused the death of people of many localities. He almost caused the death of many others. Only five brothers were left alive, and they could not avoid going and building. They could only weep every day. One day they met a woman who carried a red string in her hand. She asked, 'What are you crying about?" They said to her, "BG cause Ch'in Shih-huang seized us and misLo Hai is the local name of a spot near Lo Piao #$% in Szechwan on the Szechwantreated us and made us build the great wall. We can't build it, and will be beaten to death by hi rulers, and that is what we are weeping about." The woman said, 'Do not fear. I will lend you the red string in my hand. You can use it to carry stones." They then used this red string to tie up the rocks and without using much strength they carried back (on their backs) the stones and com- pleted the great wall. Shih-huang asked them, "How do you work so quickly?" They then told in detail about their weeping and the woman's giving them the red string to carry stones with. Shih-huang said, "Now the wall is built. Don't work any more. Give that red strinn to me." Yunnan border. Ch'in Shih-huang then wound the red 42The black stone is a demon stone. It must string into a ball and twisted it into a whip. be fed rice and other food. It must not be seized when he used it to beat the hills they would the hands Or struck lest You become hungry or crumble down. When he beat a river with thirsty. The feeding is for the same reason There is no other rock of this kind it, the river would be divided. He thought, of li. The white stone is called an ice stone and "1 certainly beat down the southern is treated like the black stone. ~~th are feng- mountains to block the north sea with." Then shui stones. the old dragon king heard it and feared NO. I CH'UAN MIA0 SONGS AND STORIES--GRAHAM 27 greatly lest his great sea would be divided, and he began to weep. The dragon king had a younger daughter who said to him, "Why do you weep? I have a way to keep him from blocking it." On the day he heard these words he met Ch'in Shii-huang as he went on the mountains to hunt. That night, when it became dark, they stayed below a cliff. The daughter then changed into a wind and stole that whip. Next morning when Ch'in Shih-huang arose he realized that he was in a small village in the wilderness and the whip made of the red cord was missing. From that time he did not dare with a deceiving heart to plan to divide the sea, and the dragon king was also contented. Thii girl truly had a heart to rescue people. The Beginning of the Miao Race (678) ture, and more and more land came under The two earliest Miao were a sister and her cultivation' brother. The girl's name was Ngeo' Goh5 and An Ancestor of the Miao (752) her brother's name was Nongl Loh6- They ancient a young unmarried had no home to live in, so they lived in the was bathing in a pool. ~h~ pool was deep, forests and the mountains. burnt the and of course she was naked. Suddenly she trees on the mountains to clear the land and felt something hard enter her vagina. ~h~ planted small rice and bai- These grew water was not very clear, and she saw nothing very well, and the brother and his sister ate and supposed that she had accidentally run them. into a wooden snag in the water. She became They married each other, children were pregnant and later gave birth to a son who, born, and their children married and had chil- the son of the Dragon King, was an ancestor dren. These cut down the forest for agricul- of the MiaoP3 The Ancient Miao and the Chinese Were Brothers, or In Ancient Times the Miao and the Chinese Were One Family (670) In the earliest times the Chinese and the Miao were one family. The Miao was the older, the more powerful, and the more respected brother, and the Chinese was the younger. The parents died and were buried. The brothers separated and lost all traces of each other. They both commemorated their an- cestors at the same grave, but at different times so that they did not meet. The younger brother, the Chinese, worshiped later in the year, but finally the older brother noticed that somebody was worshiping at the grave of hi parents. 'Who is doing this, and for what reason?" he asked. Then he began to watch, and caught the younger brother. A quarrel ensued. They did not recognize each other, so each blamed the other for worshiping at his ancestral grave. Instead of fighting they went to law about it. The official asked the Miao, 'What evidence have you that thii is your ancestral '3 Thii story was told to the writer about 15 years ago by a Ch'uan Miao. It was not written down and is now reproduced as nearly as possible from memory. grave?" He replied, "I have buried a millstone a certain distance to the right of the grave." He asked the younger brother the same question. He answered, "I have buried a brass gong a certain distance to the left of the grave." The official sent men to dig, and they found both the millstone and the gong. Then it became known that the two were brothers. But in the centuries that followed the descendants of the two brothers grew apart and forgot their common ancestry, and so the Chinese have forgotten it altogether. Moreover, the Chinese descendants have grown more and more powerful and numerous, so that the Miao are now the younger and weaker brothers, and the Chinese are the older and stronger brothersm41 44 A variation of this story states that when the two brothers first separated they took a brass gong and broke it in two, each brother burying his piece near the grave. Later, at the oficial investigation, the two parts fitted together, proving their common ancestry. This is the first story obtained by the writer from the Ch'uan Miao. It was secured at ChouChi-Keo, south of Ch'ang Wig Hsien, from Yang Feng Tsang, a Ch'uan Miao, now deceased, with whom the writer was very intinlate for about 15 years. 28 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 When the Miao Conqtrered China (681) P'an Ku opened up the heavens and the earth. Tsang Ku Lao produced the Yin and the Yang. Shen Lung gave the five grains. Hsiien Yuen invented clothes for people to wear, which have been handed down from generation to generation. The Miao men Niu Ch'ih and Ma Wei were officials. The Yang family men were soldiers of these two officials. They went to fight the Chinese Wang Bei Tang. These families could not have emperors. There were no emperors in these families. The Miao then gathered a million soldiers and took possession of China. This was a prosperous period for the Miaoj5 PRE-SZECHWAN CH'UAN MIA0 HISTORY Raising a Big Elephant (419) When we heard this evil news, when the When the mother elephant gave birth to Chinese relched Kwangtung, they brought the baby elephant, the father elephant loved ~~~~$dh~~L~,"~e~ z2,"z",e%iz the baby elephant as people love rice plants. The mother elephant pulled down three leaves T'ien Ho xk 46 blew his bugle, and Earth and spread a bed for him. The elephant Fire ajk 47 took up his sword and curved father also pulled some leaves and covered bows, and mustered soldiers as far as the the baby elephant. horizon. The Chinese in attacking the Miao One day, when the baby elephant had towns fought rapidly, attacking quidy, and grown up, they sold the baby elephant to even the chickens and dogs were frightened. some Chinese. Two Chinese named Wang The Mia0 soldiers went and fought them, Chiin (king gold) took the elephant to battle but the Chinese broke open the Miao cities. and to attack a town and to attack strong- The Chinese soldiers, when they saw the holds. Miao soldiers covering the surrounding hills, one day the chinese wang Chiin said were unable to hold back the Miao soldiers something very clearly. He said, ''MY big ele- and and refuge on the The phant is like a general. M~ elephant is Chinese used a trick, making boats and spotted. M~ big elephant can grab people chariots, filling them with soldiers, and came with his trunk. M~ elephant's head and feet again to fight the Miao. The Miao were then are spotted." defeated. The Chinese took possession of the Miao land and ordered the Miao to make On another day the man who owned (fed) them 3,000 bows and arrows. The Miao the big elephant said, 'We will lead soldiers could not oppose them and took refuge in to the higher altitudes and go to the city of the emperor called Yin Shiing City" (silver caves' flavor city). Then the two big elephants said, "We will lead soldiers and go up above. We The Defeat and Forced Migration of the will rro to the Chinese new barracks. We will Ch'uan Miao 48 (672) tie swords to our bodies" (we will go and fight the Chinese). When the great elephants fought the Chinese, the Chinese died lie clay. They tramped Chinese to death like dust. The big elephants did not believe the words of the Chinese. They helped the Miao fight for land and cities. The big elephants were truly powerful. We want to raise other elephants. The song is ended. The Defeat of the Miao by the Chinese in Kwangtung (669) The heavens are empty; the earth is small. The Chinese arose and fought us Miao. Sung by Mrs. Wang Ch'eng Fu, daughter of Mr. T'ao Min Hsiien. One wonders if there is any historic basis for the above tradition. If so, could it have been The former home of the Ch'uan Mio was in Kwangtung. The Chinese ordered the Miao to give up their lands, but the the Miao re- fused. The Chinese then came and attacked. The Miao used crossbows and the Chinese used spears. At first the Chinese were defeated. Then the Chinese brought cannon. The Chinese were victorious and forced the Miao. with their hands tied behind their when the Mio joined with the Chou people to overthrow the Shang Dynasty? 46 T'ien Ho means fire from heaven or the sky. 47 Earth Fie was also a Mio leader. 48 This story was related by Glao Ao (Peach Two) or second son of the Glao family, a grand- son of a former Ch'uan Miao king. He was considered by the Ch'uan Miao to be one of the best and most accurately informed about Ch'uan Mio traditions and customs. Hi grandfather was the "king" whose rebellion is described in No. 712 (p. 33). NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES--GRAHAM 29 backs, to migrate to their present abode. On the lower arms of the Ch'uan Miao are wrinkles or depressions, which are the result of the scars made by the ropes with which their hands were tied.49 A Song about the Former Native Land of the Ch'uan Miao (704) Traveling over all the world stirs our minds. He traveled to Di Mong Lao's dwelling place. Speaking about the earth, he traveled all over the sky. He traveled to the dwelling place of Chiu Tai Lai Po Lao. Then I came back to find a bed in which to sleep peacefully. While I was sleeping, I remembered my hardships, which were that the Chi- nese would come to collect rent and the Lolos would also come and tie me up (and take me away as a captive slave).50 Oh, heaven, this land is not so good as that former land of ours. In that country of ours, the bids never stopped singing, and the weather was always warm. During the whole year there was For this reason I have been singing this song. And then my female ancestor came running and said to me in my dream, 'My descendant, you cannot go upward, and you cannot go downward. Hereafter you come, and we will help you. If the Chinese come I will take care of it, and also if the Lolos come I will take care of that. Is it bad for you to live here? You quickly bring your descendants and come upon the hair of my head, and live in the hair of my head." Ai, when I sang this song it awoke me from my sleep, and I then thought to the left, and thought to the right. Really it was my ancestors who told me to bring my descendants and go up on the high mountain in the deep forests, and cultivate the soil to make a living. Ah. RECENT HISTORY, MOSTLY IN SZECHWAN CII'UAN MIAO When the Miao Came to Wang Wu Chai (56") A Miao, Liu I Mbai, came and reported to the official that he would occupy Shih T'i Chai G$fj% (Strong Ladder Stronghold) and make clearings. Another, T'ao I Guai (or Kuei) also went and reported about the wilderness and occupied Ch'iao Ch'ang Pa (Long Bridge Flat). This was certainly at a very early the. Later, in the first year of Wan Li (A. D. 1573), they went again and reported (that they would occupy the wilderness). In the thud year of Wan Li the Chinese came and conquered the Miao at ChiuShih-Ch'eng near Hsin Wen Hsien. At that time Ha Ta Wa and Ha Er Wa af; 3s rebelled. Ha Ta Wa at Chiu-Shii-Ch'eng put yellow clay inside bamboo tubes. He said, "This is what I passed out of my bowels." He used leather 4 feet long to make leather shoes and told people these were the shoes he wore. He could put two winnowing baskets under his armpits and fly. He used a broom as a tail. In the second year of Wan Li he was killed. His two winnowing baskets fell below Chien Wu Ch'eng $$%@ 2 and that place is called Pochi-hsia (winnowing-basket gorge). RELATIONS BETWEEN MIAO AND CHINESE (FRIENDLY) A Miao Prince Married a Chinese Woman because he wished to prepare satin clothing (331) for his daughter. The silk clothing was green. Roaming all over the world stirs my mind. The satin clothing was a water-red (pink) I roam to the Chinese wife's home. The Chi- color. nese mother came at first because she wished That year was a fortunate year for the to prepare silk clothing for her daughter Miao emperor. He hired all the sedan chairs, Nts'ai Ngeo. The Chinese husband first came coolies, and horses. He hired the players of the jointed bugles and horns to go. He 49 There are actually one or two wrinkles on really observed the same customs as the Chithe lower arms of many Ch'uan Miao. A noted nese emperor in marrying a wife. H~ hired anthropologist informed the writer that such wrinkles are actually found, although rarely, in some red-scissor people to (play) the jointed racial groups. bugle.J2 He also secured a Lolo older brother 50 These were formerly the. outstanding hard- ships of the Ch'uan Miao. The Lolos now come 62A reddiih people, very clever lie scissors, less often. whose cleverness makes them excellent musicians 51 The Ch'uan Mio tradition is that they for- when playing the jointed bugle, called in Chinese merly lived in Kwangtung Province. sa la tau. 30 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 to go and beat the great gong. The tunes the red-scissor people played were like those of the hawkcuckoo. They all went to the home of the Chinese woman. At that time the Chinese girl Nts'ai Ngeo Fong 53 also worked silk clothing and golden ornaments. She also wore silver ornaments and golden bracelets. At that time the Miao emperor 1-rought 3,000 ingots of silver and placed them on the table. He used 300 carriers and carried them to a Chinese man's home. When the Chinese man saw it he spoke a word about the Miao king having as much silver as there are stones. The Chinese em- peror accepted the silver and put it away. Hi family went to prepare (for the wedding procession), because their daughter was about to start. The 3,000 soldiers of the Miao emperor went forward. Then the young daughter of the Chinese got into the sedan chair. The chair coolies walked very rapidly and in a short time arrived at the flat ground and also at a big field. They heard the iron cannon of the Miao emperor resound Iike the roar of thunder. The Miao emperor did not know whether the Chinese bride was old or young. In a moment they arrived at the front door of the Miao emperor. She saw the emperor standing in the middle of the parlor. She also saw that many candles were lighted lie bows and arrows. At that moment the mother of the emperor came out to call into his home the soul of the bride 54 then, like the Chinese, led the bride out to pay respects in the hall. She first paid respects to the house gods, then to the stove door (this includes the whole stove), then to the Miao ancestors; then she paid respects to Ntzi's highest heaven. Then she also paid respects to the level earth, then also to the groom's parents, and also to the distant guests of 300 fortified places. She also paid respects to the old people who lived nearby and to the hired help (brothers who helped them). After respects had been paid to all these, then the groom and the bride went into the bedroom. The groom said, "Now we have gotten a Chinese bride like a good official. Thii Chinese girl has come to make a good breed" (to help create a fine breed of people) .55 Chinese Take Possession of the Land of the and the five grains to eat. Her land was v Miao (29) broad. Ye Mang (3rB ma3: an old LOT Na Bo Seo (na-' bo-a Jnub, great old arose to turn the animals out to pasture. Ye with very long life) arose and opened Mang and a Chinese Yang Tsua (ja3' tswa6) up the universe. She planted some bb 58 arose to carry On business. Then all the people bartered foodstuffs with each 53 Nts'ai, girl, Ngeo Fong, an unmarried girl, other. a person as charming as quiet water. One day Na Bo Seo's many sons arose. The 54 According to the custom of the Ch'uan Mio, old Chinese man said, 'We will all divide the when the bride arrives at the door the mother land." The old Lolo men would not consent of the groom brings a rooster and moves it in a and arose and went to war. The Chinese circle around the bride's head, then takes the used a big banlboo tube and put in it sul- rooster into the house. Thii is to entice the soul of the bride into the home of the groom because phur and saltpeter and placed it On the road. if her soul does not enter the bride will die. The Miao used wood set on fire and torches 55 The Ch'uan Miao custom is that after the rooster is circled around the bride's head three times, a woman takes the umbrella that has been above the bride's head and carries it into the house. After the umbrella has been taken into the house, three young women lead the bride into her bedroom. One does the speaking, telling the escorters that they have troubled their hearts. The second gives some tobacco to the escorters. The third pours out tea for them. This is done by the three young women outside the door. Then inside the main room the bride sits down a few minutes, when the three women do again as they did outside-speaking, giving tobacco, and pouring the tea. Outside the door the face of the bride is covered by a cloth. Inside the room the cloth is left covering the bride until after supper. -- - After entering the room, with thanks, tobacco, and tea, then there is a feast An hour or two after the meal, a second meal is enjoyed by the bride with the near woman relatives of her husband. In thii later meal there should be two chickens and a special dish of a quart of wine rice (chiu mi) cooked and divided among them all, with vegetables, pork, and other things. Wine should be used. After the feast the women go into the bride's bedroom and sit down. Then a bowl of cooked pork is given to the women who brought the bride to the home, and also a pitcher of wine. Then the women who escorted the bride are asked to take the cloth off the bride's face. Thus the ceremony is finished. 66 Mao bm is a grain with fine seeds. NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES-RAHAM 31 to fight with. They fought several days. The Chinese could not defeat the Lolos and the Miao. The Chinese said, 'We need not fight any longer. If we fight any longer more people will be killed. We had better determine the bounds of each other's land and each one himself mark his boundary." They all said, "Quite right." The Chinese went and used stones as boundary markers. The Lolos used wood to mark their boundaries. The Miao used grass and vines for boundary markers. When they had all established their boundaries the Chinese said, "Such a forest is so big that we cannot see our boundaries. We should burn it with fire so we can see them clearly." Soon after he had said this the Chinese used a torch and burnt up the forest. Then all went to look at their boundaries, but only the Chinese then had boundaries, and the Miao had nothing dependable. Then the Chinese brought their wives and children to live on the Miao's big plain and the large land by the streams. The Lolos were fierce and would not permit the Chinese to come and live there (on the Lolo lands), and afterward they fought several battles. The Miao could only be guests (renters) of the Chinese and must pay rent every year, and because of this the Chinese without farming are still able to get things to eat; hence they have been called Swa 5T because they are idle rich. The meaning of Mang is fierce, daring, brave, so the Lolos are called Mang. The Chinese saw that the hmong 6s (hmoY) did their farming well, so they called them Miao. This is the source of the names of the three races. A Military Heroine. A Woman Who Led Soldiprs (175) A grasshopper laid a long egg and laid it on the grass. She let the grass warm it for her. When it had been warmed for 12 days and 30 days (42 days in all), the egg was bright and fine inside, and its surface was also fine. The inside of the egg opened and hatched out a little girl. Her name was Mma Ngeo Mi (a pretty girl in her teens). Her body was that of a girl. Who do you say is excellent in leading 67 Swa is the Ch'uan Miao word for Chinese. It means play or be idle and is applied to the Chinese because they are land owners and live on the income from rentals paid by the Miao people, who do the hard work on the soil. b8 The Miao call themselves hmong, but have been named Miao by the Chinese. The word Miao means sons of the soil. soldiers? It is Mma Ngeo Mi who is excellent in leading soldiers. Who do you say is wicked (fierce or excellent) in leading soldiers? It is Mma Ngeo Mi who is wicked in leading soldiers. Whose soldiers do you declare to be fierce and wicked (very brave) ? It is also Mma Ngeo Mi's soldiers who are fierce and wicked. She took her soldiers and led them up on the pass. Those soldiers were also very able warriors. She also led her soldiers up onto the peak. Her soldiers were also very brave. She trained her soldiers on the level ground. When her soldiers arrived, it seemed as if she had received other soldiers. She could bring 3,000 soldiers which seemed to be as numerous as a swarm of bees. She could bring 300 strongholds of soldiers as numerous as ants. Then she would go back to the lower ridge. Ntseo, the Chinese, broke her shin-protector and then she said, "On my small finger I am still wearing a brass ring. When I use this to throw a spear, it speeds like a snake." She again went to a level piece of ground. Ntseo, the Chinese, then broke her belt. Then she said, "On my small hand I am still wearing a silver ring. The brass and the silver rings are both here" (not lost). Ntseo killed her, and then there was nobody who could lead soldiers lie her. After she was dead, there was certainly nobody who could lead soldiers as evil (fiercely) as she. After she was dead, her 3,000 soldiers were led onto the mountain above the great precipice as a refuge. After her death the soldiers in her 300 strongholds went and lived in the caves in the great precipices. The Death of a Miao Military Heroine (176) The praying mantis layed an egg on the grass. Not long afterward its egg hatched into a person whose name was Mma Ngeo Mi. It was asked, 'Who can lead soldiers well?" Reply, "It was Mma Ngeo Mi who led soldiers well and went to attack E Ch'i Lang.69 But when she led her soldiers she had much com- passion. Whenever she reached a place she could enlist the soldiers in that place. Her soldiers were really as numerous as bees and as mosquitoes. Later the Chinese came and stabbed her legs. She said that on her delicate (fine) hands she was wearing a brass ring, and be- cause she was wearing this ring she could easily use the spear made of a long bamboo stick. The Chinese then stabbed her through her belt in her waist. She said that on her 69The aty of E Ch'i. The place is uncertain. 32 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 delicate finger there was still a silver ring. When she had finished these beloved words, she died. (When she had said these words, the beloved woman died.) After she had died the Miao did not have any able leader to command their soldiers. Some of the soldiers were carried away by the Chinese to Chungking, and the rest separated and lived in caves in the cliffs everywhere. Calling upon Laborers to Beware of Bad Treatment (680) In a country village there was a wicked person. He hired people to work for long periods, and he spoke deceivingly, saying, "When I hue a laborer, the wages are higher than that of others, but the condition is that during one year he must not lose any of my tools, or he will not receive any of his wages. If he loses any, I will confiscate hi entire year's wages." After he had hued workers he waited until the men had gone to work, and then he se- cretly went and stole some of the tools they were using, and that is the reason that he spoke in this way. One year he hired a son of a Miao family who was 20 years old, who went and helped him that year. But the Miao boy was very careful. One day he went to plow the field, and he stuck the plow into the ground and pretended to go away and amuse hielf. The Chinese landlord then came to take away a part of the plow. But that boy had hidden in the woods, and when the Chinese came and had loosened the plowshare (or hook) and was just about to take it away, the boy came leaping out of the woods, and shouting loudly caught hi and beat hi awhile. The Chiese did not dare say much but talked to hi for awhile and went back home. The Mio boy received a lot of money and came back home. He used his wages to buy many farming tools and then used them to farm (for himself). Afterward he had food to eat and did not work for others. He composed thii song to tell others about his experience. A War with the Lolos against The Chinese (682) There was en emperor named NtzY Chu Ja La Tung (ntzi* Chu-' d3ae6 la-' Tung', god's official old person field brass). With his daughter he ruled all China. His people looked upon the emperor as too young, and rebelled. He and his daughter gathered soldiers and prepared weapons, such as spears, swords, and bows and arrows, and fought with the rebels. They fought to Lo Ssu Ch'en which is now called Chiu Ssu Ch'en, near Hsin Wen Hsien in the Lan Luh Hsien south of I Pin, Szechwan Province. Hi soldiers captured half the city and also a fortification named Lo Ssu Chaii and they killed the Miao and the Lolos in that region. The Miao and Lolo women could not find a refuge, and so they fled at night to the Yangtse River. There was no bridge, and so many of the women and children were drowned in the river. Henceforth the emperor controlled the land of the Miao and the Lolos. The Miao returned to their present abode and the Lolos went to Liang Shan and are still independents0 A Song about Salt (683) At first there was no salt to eat. The Miao drew water and boiled it dry and salt was left, and not till then did they know of the existence of salt. Later the Chinese learned that the Miao had salt, and they brought horses and mules in order to buy and carry it away. The Miao revered the salt and called it "salt mother" and gave it to horsemen to carry on their horses, and 'Salt father" for the mules to carry. When the salt was sprinkled on chicken meat then the meat had a good flavor. It also made pork good to eat. The Chinese therefore came and took away the source of the Miao salt (probably the salt wells at Ch'ang Ning). The Miao were without resource and could only weep in their homes. The Chinese Conquered the Land of the Miao and the Lolos (694) The Chinese are good lie a flower. They are good, but they coveted our city Hsin Wen Hsien. As to Gien Wu Ch'en, it had a big iron gate. Inside was a big furnace. The furnace was for making bows and arrows. The Chinese emperor Je La Dong sent many soldiers, and they came and took our big rocky place for horse racing and for shooting arrows. They attacked Chiu Ssu Ch'en and also Chiu Ssu Chai (near Hsin Wen Hsien) and drove away the Miao and the Lolos. The Lolos fled across the Yangtse River. The Mio were driven to the river and many drowned. 60 Sung by Mrs. Wang Ch'eng Fu. This event probably took place in the Manchu Dynasty, although in the Tang Dynasty there was a great Chiese leader whose daughter became a famous warrior. NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES--GRAHAM 33 A Victory for the Miao (711) Oh, heaven. The Lolos made trouble and came out and tied up people (and took them as captives). The Chinese made trouble and came and confiscated the land. One day Mi Nts'ai Ts'a arose and was weaving, and her mind was disturbed. Her parents said, 'We are afraid that this daughter of ours will go crazy." They then requested people to come and look after her. Then Do Yin said, "There is no mountain demon, and there are no field or water de- mons. I can find neither Chinese nor Lolo demons." I said, "I fear that the sky demon has again come out. You may go back and offer in repentance a female pig, and she will of course become well." They came back and manifested repentance in this way, and that girl of course was healed. The next year, when the weather was mild, the grass and the trees sprouted and blossomed. Mi Nts'ai Ts'a slept until midnight, and with a loud noise spoke saying, "Now the Lolos and the Chinese have united and arisen. We must quickly arise. We must quickly raise soldiers to occupy and protect, ah. For Ntzt Nto Chu (Lord of the Sky) has summoned me to lead soldiers and told me to rule the world. Also Ntzt Nto Mo's heavenly book has been given into my hands." At this time they did not know that she was to rule the world. They all came and knelt at her feet and asked if she truly had the decre of the God of the Sky. She replied, "It is true. It is not false. Don't you believe me? You watch me." After she had finished speaking, at one step she flew outside the door, reached out her hand, and pulled up a large bamboo tree. She said, "This bamboo is my flagstaff." She then took a big piece of yellow cloth and used it for a &g. When the people of that stronghold saw this, they all secretly acknowledged her as their leader and called her Mi Nts'ai Chu Li Fa Do (queen?). Then very many men came to be military leaders. They then went everywhere and prodaimed her; they enlisted many soldiers, made many bows and arrows, cooked a great deal of poison, made many stone knives, and rubbed poison on the knives. Whenever the knives touched or cut anybody, he would die at once. When the Chinese people near the ocean heard that they (the Miao) had Mi Nts'ai Chu Li Fa Do, they brought many swords and attacked their barracks and fortified places. She cried out, "Jo Cha Lo, Jo Cha Dong, leaders, bring the stone axes, rub on the poison." On that day the leader of the Chinese people arose and discussed matters. Jo Cha Lo then struck with a stone ax and struck hi dead. Jo Cha Dong led a big company of bowmen who hid in the woods, and they each shot poisoned stone arrows and killed all the Chinese soldiers. Then they all composed this song to sing. After that the Chinese people feared their poison and did not dare again to contest for their lands. A Man Was Ambitious to Become a King, and His Whole Clan Was Killed by the Chinese (712) Over a hundred years ago there was a clan named Mong Ts'a (or Ts'ai). This clan was very prosperous and strong. The clan alone occupied one region. On their mountain there were three peaks. That family named that mountain three-kettle-village. Every year during the first lunar month of the new year, that family erected on the three mountain peaks three large wooden poles and hung colored cloth on the poles and also hung up a big drum. The Mio in all due^ tions lied very much to go there and perform the ceremony of dancing the flowery altar. From the first day of the first moon they would certainly enjoy themselves thus the whole first month before they would depart. They danced in this way for several years. One year there was a certain man named Li Shan Lao Yeh61 who was their ruler. He said, "Among people of ancient times, whoever had talents was able to worship a flag and cause it to stand erect." Because they believed that NtzY had given hi a special star, and the Miao listened to what he said, he became ambitious to become a king. His brothers said, 'We had better, when the moon is full on the fifteenth day of the first moon, try by worshiping that large, varicolored flowery cloth on that flagstaff, to see who by worshiping it can cause it to stand erect, and we will enlist soldiers and promote leaders for him and allow him to be king." The fact is that in that year the Miao people especially bought several tens of yellow cattle to kill, and especially invited the Miao from all directions to come and perform the Flowery-altar Dance Ceremony with them. Naturally, during the Flowery-altar Dance that year there were several times as many people as had come before. On that day they first killed the cattle and made offerings to the flagstaff, and afterward hung the flag on it. 61 Aged grandfather, the third son of the Li family. f/ 34 SA~ITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 They all played the 2iu sheng awhile and sang many songs, and during the night of the fifteenth day Li Shan first came forth and delivered an address saying, "Tonight Ntzi' especially called upon me to speak to you all, and orders all of us to worship the flag and see who can by worshiping cause the flag to stand erect, and that person will be king." But when one row of them after another had worshiped, nobody by worship had caused it to stand erect. Afterward when they came to the third son of Mong Ts'ai he knelt down in worship and the three flags stood up straight. The people who were then present were silent. Afterward Li Shan addressed them in a loud voice saying, "Now this matter has already been accomplished. We must not wantonly be troublesome. In the future you must have the command of the king before you can act." They then appointed five leaders, each to do his work, and made large wooden guns and also long bamboo guns, and made bombs, and hunted for sulphur and saltpeter to make gunpowder, and agreed that that year, on the &id day of the third moon, they would begin to fight. In the great forest they actually built a big wooden temple where they daily burnt incense and offered sacrifices, worshiped the banner, manufactured hemp strings, cut down wooden prongs, wooden poles, and wooden clubs, and practiced boxing. Alas, at that time there was a leader inside their fortification named Great General T'ao Ssu. His heart was very evil, and his nature very wicked. At one time he even said he would kill his own son, and immediately he used the execution sword and stabbed him to death. One day they made him angry, and he secretly ran to the barracks of the Chinese, and reported their (the Miao's) plans to the Chinese officials. The Chinese officials gave him a great deal of silver and told him to go and pour water into the big guns in their barracks. They determined to begin the battle at a certain time. When he received this plot he came back and supervised the manufacturing of the workmen as before. He secretly took his belt and his handkerchief and soaked them in water and dropped the water into the guns and also into the gunpowder. Early in the morning on the third day of the third moon the Chinese officials came outside and surrounded their fortification. They were not afraid or terrified, thinking that they had all kinds of big guns, and also that they had st8 bows and arrows. But when their gunners lighted the fires to shoot, their guns would not ignite. They saw that the powder in the jars was also all wet, and then they were frightened. The Chinese officials fought their way in. They could not resist and all fled in disorder, and all of them were captured by the Chinese officials and executed in a mountain gulch. The whole gulch was then full of dead, and their blood flowed away in a stream. Every one of them was killed. Later that Tao Ssu was taken by the (Chinese) officials and he was enclosed (housed) in a big house, and his whole family was daily given good food to eat, and he was provided for all of his life. In this way the affair of having a king was ended (extinguished). A Brother and a Sister Were Captured by Cannibals. The Sister Saved Her Brother (190) In ancient times there was a famiiy of White Miao. Their parents were dead. Once the older brother went out for a walk. Only the sister remained home. The brother that day walked to the home of a Miao family of the Kw'a tribe who ate people, and was cap tured by them. They took a needle and stuck it into his knee and shut hi up in a pen. The sister at home waited a long time, but her brother did not return. She could not help worrying and prepared to go around everywhere to find her brother. One day she went to the home of some Kw'a Miao. When she arrived the older people of that family had gone out to work, and only small children were left at home. The children asked her, "Have you come to be eaten by us?" She said, 'Yes." Then the children said to her, 'You may stay in the pen with our big calf' (her brother). The children then led her so that she could see. She went and looked, and it was her older brother. He was tied up. She recognized him, and took her knife for killing people and killed the children, and took her brother on her back and ran away. When she had gone three or four li, she arrived at a cave and they hid inside. But when the Kw'a people came back and did not find him they took their wolfdogs for chasing people and looked for them everywhere. The dogs ran very fast and came flying to their cave. Then she took the sharp knife NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES--GRAHABI 35 and killed the dogs, and the Kw'a people did not find them. When the moon came out the sister took her headcloth and her belt and tied them around her brother and let him down the cliff and afterward went down herself. Then they escaped. Next day the Kw'a people came but could not find their footprints and did not know where to search. Then the sister made up this song to teach others thereafter not to go near the Kw'a people. Some Miao Who Could Not Pay the Lolos Their Rent and Requested Others to Do so (533) There was a clan of Miao (a few tens of families or more) who every year should pay chickens, beeswax, and hemp to the Lolos as rent. Very early that clan of Miao took possession of a locality. Because the place to pay the rent was far away, this Miao clan, when they were about to go and pay the rent, would all buy an animal (cow, pig, or sheep) The Coming of the Taipings (92) The sky was in its place. The sky was well above. The earth was in its place and the earth below was without disturbance. In the emperor's land the long-haired criminals rebelled even to Lo Pia~.~~ The rebellion of the long-haired crimiials reached to Lo Piao. Before they had come the place was peaceful. While the place was still quiet, they reached Wang Chia Ch'ar~g."~ People said the Taipings were very fierce. Their rebellion reached Yunnan Province. Some of them were very fierce. They crossed over into the mountains of Yunnan. The rich Lolo women were terrified. The Chinese women who were wealthy were also greatly frightened. The Chinese women and girls hid in the caves on the sides of the cliffs. The wealthy Lolo women were unwilling to die. They sent a message as far as the sky is broad. The Chinese wealthy women and girls were also unwilling to die and quickly prepared and sent messages to distant places. On the next day the Chinese general Wang 62This is true of some Mia0 groups in Kweichow and Yunnan, but not of all of them, and not true in Szechwan so far as can be learned. 63 LO Piao is near the Yunnan border in Szech- wan Province. e4 Wang Chi Ch'ang is southeast of Lo Piao. and kill it and offer it to the ancestors so the ancestors would protect them on their way, and then they would select two people to go and pay their rent. They would do this way every year. Afterward that clan of Miao, when they saw the LoIos living near them, requested these Lolos to go and pay the rent for them. But the pay for these Lolos to go and pay the rent was a pound of hemp, a pound of beeswax, and a chicken from every family. They gave these to the Lolos, and the Lolos went and helped by paying the rent for them. The Lolos paid their rent in this way a long time, until the Miao themselves could no longer find the way to go to the distant place and pay the rent. So they gave their contract for the property to the nearby Lolos and requested them to constantly help them pay the rental. Now this clan of Miao at harvest time must help the nearby Lolos two days for each family, and at the end of each year must give one catty of hemp, one of beeswax, and one chicken. To the present day this is still practiced.e2 (f) led soldiers here to Lo Piao, and the Chi- nese generalissimo also came. General Wang discussed matters in the temple. The Chinese generalissimo also made his plans in a temple. The Chinese general Wang discussed enrolling soldiers. The Chinese generalissimo also determined he would train officers. General Wang discussed thiigs in Szechwan. The generalissimo determined plans in Chengtu. The Chinese general Wang determined to make iron guns. The generalissimo determined to make brass (or bronze) guns. General Wang made iron guns for people to use. The generalissimo also manufactured brass guns for people to use. The Chinese general Wang's soldiers shouldered brass guns to put on the Yunnan borderland. The Chinese generalissimo took iron guns to put on the mountains of Yunnan. When the fire cords (to set off the guns with) had smoked seven days at one time, the brass guns were set off and the iron guns sounded forth with a roar, and the brass guns resounded and then killed. They killed all the Taipings. When the iron gun sounded forth, they soon killed and killed the Taipings until there were none left. Then the Chinese general Wang said, 'Now there are no Taipings to arise and rebel. Now there are no Taipings to arise and disturb things." 36 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLA~OUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 The Chinese general Wang again said, The great seal and the jade seal are in the "Now let us find silver, but the road is wide. control of the emperor. Those Chinese who All between the four seas have been united have sons and daughters, most of them are and the great roads are open to travel on. in Chengtu." The Hero Ha Ta Wa (626) There were three brothers. The name of the oldest was Ta Wa A!@, great or oldest Wa. The name of the second was Er Wa Isti, or second Wa, and the name of the third was San Wa 3s1 or third Wa. They were born at Chien Wu Ch'eng in the township of Hsing Wen, @$%- Their parents gave Kith to them. When they had grown up, their parents died. Ta Wa lived at Chiu Shih Ch'eng. It took nine ounces of silk to go around that town, therefore the town was named after this (nine ounces of) silk. When Ha Er Wa had grown up he separated (from his brothers) and lived at Kao Chai &%% or High Fortification. Ha San Wa separated from the others and lived at No Chia Ai Nsj;', or Ho Family Cliff. Each brother lived 30 li from the others so that each could use the possessions of the others (as in a family that has not divided.) Although the three brothers were separated and each lived in a separate place, yet they had not divided up the tools they used (to cut wood, farm, etc.). They 211 used one ax and one sifter. But each had two winnowing baskets and one broom. When they wanted to use these implements, they grasped their two winnowing baskets under their armpits and used the broom for a tail, and then through the power of the wind they were able to fly. Therefore, although these brothers were separated, their tools and implements were not divided (each one could use all the tools). Ha Ta Wa Rebelled (628) After Ha Ta Wa and hi brothers had returned they determined to become emperor. The three brothers talked it over and established a city at Chiu Shih Ch'eng. Moreover, their neighbors dl saw that the brothers could fly, and the people believed in them, and so they actually rebelled against the emperor. Later the emperor sent government troops to fight them, but the government troops could not conquer them. One day, still later, when it was the birthday of Ha Ta Wa, he invited Chinese to go in and play the jointed bugles (sa la). When the broth- ers had become drunk with the wine the guests gave them, the Chinese played the sa la and said, 'You must not come from the front; you must not come from the left or the right There is only the road from the rear on which you may come." That night the Chinese government soldiers heard thii, and they came from the rear of the mountain and entered Chiu Shih Ch'eng. Ha Er Wa >was about to fly, and the Chinese government soldiers killed him with arrows. Ha San Wa also died in this way. There was left only Ha Ta Wa. At that time he had not recovered from his drunkenness, and the Chi- nese soldiers seized hi and cut off hi head with a sword. But still he did not die but took hi own head and ran away. While he was going away, he met a woman who was planting red pepper. He asked the woman, "Can I live?" The woman said, "I do not know. But if my pepper has no head, it will certainly die. Probably you will be able to live." When he heard these words his mental energy disappeared, and he died. The Memorials (Monuments) of Ha Ta Wa (629) One time Ha Ta Wa was fighting a fierce battle. One day he went up on a mountain at Wang Wu Chai to fly to Chien Wu. He flew with all his might, and in leaping up he made two footprints on a flat rock. He slipped and sat down on the rock and made a big round hole in and now that mountain is called Po Chi Hsia. Later they came to visit at Ho Chia Ai. The brothers tried out their swords and spears. Ha Ta Wa threw a spear 15 li. It fell in a field at Lo Hai. The spear broke that ground up into a fall field ready for planting. Now they call that field Ha Chien T'ien, or field of Ha's spear. Afterward he died, and the people of hi time carved his image to govern the Chien Wu region, and then that place was peaceful and free from demons. Otherwise the people of Chien Wu would all have been choked to death by Ha Ta Wa's demon. 65 The depression in the rock that Ha Ta Wa is supposed to have made at that time were actually shown to the writer. IV. SONGS AND C1 CEREMONIES OF THE GENERAL The Magician Exorcises Demons 66 (717) First a table is placed in a room or court. Incense and candles are lighted. Some vegetables and meat with gravy are used. The tuan kung places a quart of uncooked rice on the table and places a pair of wild-ox horns in it. On his head he wears two paper horns. In his left hand he carries a brass gong. In hi right he carries the stick with which to beat the gong. At the same time he burns some beeswax. A. The tuan kung stands up and sings, "The yellow wax burns, and the smoke arises. When the wax burns I will call. I will call Ntsong Yin (hi helper) here to lead. I will call Ntsong Yin (jin) to come and go ahead. I will call Yin Tsha to come and go ahead. I will call Yin Tsha (jin tfa-) to come and lead. Nga Yin held an iron fan. Yin Tsha held a brass fan in hi hand. He fanned himself with the brass fan and thus scattered the demons by the sea. He fanned himself with an iron fan and thus drove the demon illnesses and groans away." When he has repeated thus far, he beats the gong loudly. B. 'When the beeswax burns, the smoke arises. When it smokes, the tuan kung goes and calls. He calls Na Bo Sun Yin to come to the front. He calls Sun Yin Le Ts? to come to the front. Na Bo Sun Yin carries an iron club in his (or her?) hand. Sun Yin Le Ts'i' carries a brass club in his hand. The iron club will beat the demons of illness as the water of the sea scatters. The brass club beats the demons of illness and the demons of groans so that they go to the place where people sleep and scatter." At this point the tuan kung again beats his gong awhile.67 ""The Ch'uan Miao magician, whose primary work is exorcising demons who are believed to be responsible for practically all diseases and other ca- lamities, is called in Chinese a tuan kung and in Ch'uan Miao do nun (To.' n~ul-'). The following 35 chants or ceremonies were obtained from Mr. Shiung Cheng Ts'ai, a farmer who lived at Wang Wu Chai near Lo Piao. He had always lived the normal lie of a Ch'uan Miao and was then over 60 year old. They are here reprinted from the Journal of the West China Border Research Society, vol. 9, pp. 71-97. The first 14 often occur in the same ceremony. "7 These ceremonies were first written down in ZREMONIAL CHANTS MAGICIAN OR SHAMAN DESCRIPTION C. 'When the beeswax burns, the incense smokes. When it smokes, I again call. I call 9,000 soldiers to come to the front. He calls upon the soldiers of 900 fortified places to come forward and bring the big guns and shoot them everywhere, and bring the spears and stand them up black (and sharp), and to shoot the big guns with their black smoke. When it looks black I will call for the soldiers to charge. They will charge against the de- mons in the forest and the grass of these old people's family, and charge them down to the river on the lower bend, casting them onto the roads, the clis, and the crossroads." The tuan kung now beats the gongs awhile. D. "When the beeswax burns, the smoke arises. When it smokes, we will again come and call. We will call the scholar who con- trols heaven to come forward. The old scholar who controls heaven comes and looks. He looks to see if the souls (living) of this family are few or not; to see if the boys of this family are crooked or not; to see if these old people's pool is full or not; to see if the lake of these old people is clean or not. Ntzi's group of controllers of heaven came and looked at the earth; to see if the souls of the living of thii family are here or not; to see if the souls of the bodies of this family have returned to their right bodies or not; to see if the souls of these bodies are with their bodies or not." At thii time the tuan kung again beats the gong a while. E. 'When the beeswax burns, the smoke arises. When it arises we (the tuan kung) will also come. We will call Na Bo So to come to the front. He will call the thunder god to come to the front. He will call Tsha Dai (t30eS Tai6, the lightning) to come to the front. He will call Ze So (3e6 so.") and Tsha Dai to come to the front. Bo So came with a stir. Ze So came with a roar. Bo So came with a stir and came and beat the demons that cause sickness and those that cause groans. Ze So came roaring and shouting and chased away the demons of the forests and the grassy places. Bo So then used Tsha the Chinese language by Hsiung Ts'ao Sung, then with his assistance translated into English by the writer. The deaths of both Hsiung Ts'ao Sung and Hsiung Cheng Ts'ai made it impossible for the writer to later check up the tomes and meanings of the Miao words and phrases. 38 SMITHSONXAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 123 Dai and cut the demons of sickness and those of groans into halves. She cut the demon of quarrels until it perished. Ze So also brought Tsha Tai and cut. She cut the demons of sickness, of the forest and of the grassy places. Bo So separated men and the demons. Ze So separated the demons so that they could not see people." At this point the tuan kung beats his gong. "The demons must not come near people. Bo So took an iron hatchet. Ze So took a big stone ax in his hand. Na Bo So then struck the stone cliff with her ax. Ze So will cut the stone terrace and the colored cliff. They will come and cut (with their stone axes) the dragon pool of these old people so that it will not spoil. They will cut the big rock and the stone cliff and will cut the old people's lake so that it is safe." Here the tuan kung beats his gong. F. When the beeswax burns, the smoke arises. When it arises, I will We will call the Zwang Tsai 6g to bring Tsang Heo.lo We called 99 colored dragons. When the 99 colored dragons came they went into the dragon pool of this family. There are also 88 colored dragons who came to control the lake of these old people so that it will not dry up." Here the tuan tjung beats his gong. G. 'When the beeswax burns, the smoke arises. When it arises, we will call again. We call Tsho Tsai (the striped tiger) to come to the front. To Neo (?) bit with his teeth. Tsai (?) bit and gnashed with his teeth. Tsho Ndzeo (do- ndZu) then stood up firmly and ate the demons of sickness and those of groans. Tsai Shi Tsho Ndzeo came moving and ate the demons of sickness and the gasping demons. Then Tsho Ndzeo ate the demon of chills (diseases where there are chills) and demons of blood diseases. Tsai Shi Tsho Ndzeo also bites his teeth together firmly and eats the demon of coughs. When he has eaten it he wants you old folks of this family clear about it (without ills). They ate the demon of sickness and the demon of groans so that they could not harm people. They cannot harm the family of you old people. When the demon of the forest and those of the grasslands come, they cannot injure your young people and cannot injure your garden." Here the tuan tjung beats his gong. H. 'When the beeswax burns, the smoke 68The tuan kung calls and the smoke helps him. 69 3wa3 tsai, the colored dragon. 70 tsa3 Xnu, a leader in dragon land. arises. When the smoke arises, we again call. We call the lady sun to come forward. We call to the moon young man to come to the front. When the lady sun has come out, it has shone; it has shone on the souls of you old people's farming and on the five grains. She will also shine on the souls of the domestic animals including cattle and horses. She also shone on the souls' of your descendants. She has shone on enough to fill the house. She shone on enough to fill the central floor of the house. The souls in the center pushed out. Those on the two sides went out on each side, and some surged out through the middle door. The front and the rear were full, and they went out slowly." At this point the tuan tjung beats his gong a while. I. 'When the beeswax is burning, the smoke arises. When the smoke arises, we will again call. We call the Nts'ai Hwa (girl cloud) to come from the sky above. We call Ndzeo Jia l1 to come from the land above the sky. Nts'ai Hwa came and smoked the eyes of the demons of death so they could not see. She also smoked the demons of the forest and those of the grasslands. Ndzeo Jia came and blew. When he blew, the roads of sick- ness of this family were cut off. When he blew, the sounds of groaning and the sounds of sickness were ended. He blew the sound of sickness into the water. They blew the demons until they were unable to grow (or live). He blew the demons of the grasslands and those of the forests and vanquished them below the white cliffs. The demons of the forests and those of the grasslands cannot come back." At this point the tuan bng again beats his gong a while. J. 'When the beeswax is burning, the smoke arises. When the smoke rises, we will call again. We will call a pair of Chinese from Wu Liang Yo." Here he beats his gong. 'When the white wax is burning, the smoke arises. When it arises, we will again come and call. We will call a Chinese Ho Lan Ts'i to come to the front. The Chinese from Wu Liang Yo lighted the lantern and lighted things. They will lighten the soul of this ' family as it comes and enters the room. The two Chinese from Honan brought the lantern and lighted (the room) together. They will lighten that family's living soul as it returns to the guest room. They will lighten the way for the family's souls (of the living) halfway NdZ4u6 d3a -: male wid, NO. I CH'UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES-GRAHAM 39 along the road and lighten its souls as they return home. They will lighten the way for the family's souls (of the living) halfway along the road. They will lighten the souls of the family as they come back and return to their garden squares (where the garden is divided into squares for planting diierent things) ." Here the tuan kung beats his gong as usual. Summoning Chinese Gods and Exorcising De- mons (718) At this time the paper horns must be taken off the tuan kung's head and he does not beat the gong, but merely stands up and sings. "I call the six stars of the southern dipper (cross), the seven stars of the northern dipper. In the name of Li Lao Chiin I speak to the great Pearly (jade) Emperor above, and below to Kuan Shih Yin (Kuanyin) of Nan Hai." Now he must speak the Miao language to exorcise demons. 'When the beeswax burns, the smoke arises. When it arises, we will call Ntsong Yin 72 who lives at the foot of NtzY's great stone called the stone bamboo sprout. Call also Na Bo Sun Yin to come from Ntzi"s old colored clifl. Call the %-layered cliff to come to the front. Also call the cliff with 99 layers to come and separate. Separate people into their homes and demons to the land of de- mons. Separate people so that they will not go near demons and demons so they will not go near men." Making a Container (719) A large bamboo container that is shallow and has a flat bottom is used. In it are placed bean curd, biscuits, wine, meat, paper (spirit) money, incense, and candles. (Some put in water and a little rice in a rice bowl also.) A. "If I am not to make this vessel (container made of bamboo), then I will not. If you make such a vessel, it is harder and harder. If I make the vessel, it is not very hard. From this time, if you make the vessel, it has a beginning. A piece of bamboo is braided back and forth. The two ends are cut off, and you use the middle. A slanting weave (road) is made, and a slanting edge. In the two sides are made slanting edges, and in the middle is made a square. There is a slanting weave and a slanting edge. We request the Emperor Jen Tsung fZ to sit in the center. The slanting weave comes, be- 72 A revered patron of the tuan kungs who was once a prophet of Ntzi. ginning with the man character.73 We re- quest the Emperor Jen Tsung to come and sit on a high seat." As he speaks these words the demon is supposed to be driven away. B. "First I call the wood characters dia i EfJ Z, from the east. Secondly, I invite the fire characters i%j ijJ from the south. In the third place I call the water characters jen kuei zB from the west. In the fourth place I call the metal characters keng hsin E$ from the north. Fifth, I call from the middle the earth characters m di & ." 74 The tuan kung here shouts "T'ai" and stamps his foot to frighten the demons. "First, call Mao Ta Lang (the oldest son of the Mao family). Second, invite the sec- ond son of the Mao family. Thud, call the third son of the Mao family. Fourth, invite the fourth son of the Mao family. Fifth, invite the fifth son of the Mao family. Sixth, invite the sixth son of the Mao family. Seventh, invite the seventh son of the Mao family. Also invite the flowery mountain sister. Then the pitcher of wine and the sliced meat will emit light (because the gods have come). If one's head aches and one's whole body aches, it is you (the demons mentioned above). If one's stomach aches and the flesh flinches, it is you. If the heat and cold are not in harmony, and coolness and warmness are not peaceful, it is you. If one's body is feverish, it is you. To be hot and then cold, it is you. If the whole body aches, it is you emitting light. If the whole body aches as though bound, it is you emitting great light If the whole body is bound, it is you emitting great light. Please come up on this container (flowery vessel) and go forward. There are some people killing a pig and pouring out wine on the stone-paved road who have invited you. Come, come, we will go together. This is not a place where you will stay a long time. It is not a place where you can tie up your horse. In this place there is a foul odor of urine and human ordure. Go, go, go, get on the container. Let us go together." When he has repeated the ceremonial to this point, he puts the container on the ground. He regards the demons as having been led (invited) into the vessel and he will arrange a light for these demons. 73 The weave slanting in two directions resembles the character A, "man." 74 These characters are on the round object used by Chinese geornancers and are here regarded as demons.