b SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 1 23 



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 inani- 

 mate 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 them- 

 selves to human beings. Chief among these is Ntz'i, who lives in the sky and con- 

 trols 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 32 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 Ts'i^ Ma Niang Tsai. She is 

 very merciful and especially shows kindness to unfortunate children. 



There is a warty toad called in Chinese lai J{e 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 hves in a palace beneath a pool 

 or lake. There are stories that tell of his 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 winter — 

 evergreens such as the nan miih, 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 oflered. 



