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.*^ 



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 dwell- 

 ing place. Speaking about the earth, he trav- 

 eled all over the sky. He traveled to the 

 dwelling place of Chiu Tai Lai P'o Lao. Then 

 I came back to find a bed in which to sleep 

 peacefully. While I was sleeping, I remem- 

 bered 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) .^° 



Oh, heaven, this land is not so good as 

 that former land of ours. In that country of 



ours, the birds never stopped singing, and die 

 weather was always warm. During the whole 

 year there was fruit.^^ 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 up- 

 ward, and you cannot go downward. Here- 

 after 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 descend- 

 ants 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 

 Ch'uan Miao 



When the Miao Came to Wang Wu Chat 

 (560) 



A Miao, Liu I Mbai, came and reported to 

 the official that he would occupy Shih T'i 

 Chai -^^^ (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 time. Later, in the first year of 

 Wan Li ^^ (A. D. 1573), they went again 

 and reported (that they would occupy the 

 wilderness). In the third year of Wan Li the 

 Chinese came and conquered the Miao at 



Chiu-Shih-Ch'eng Jh^-^^ near Hsin Wen 

 Hsien. At that time Ha Ta Wa R^>^^ and 

 Ha Er Wa P^Zl^ rebelled. Ha Ta Wa at 

 Chiu-Shih-Ch'eng put yellow clay inside bam- 

 boo 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 ^^^.' 

 and that place is called Po-chi-hsia (winnow- 

 ing-basket gorge). 



Relations betvs^en Miao and Chinese (Friendly) 



A Miao Prince Married a Chinese Woman 

 (331) 



Roaming all over the world stirs my mind. 

 I roam to the Chinese wife's home. The Chi- 

 nese mother came at first because she wished 

 to prepare silk clothing for her daughter 

 Nts'ai Ngeo. The Chinese husband first came 



^^ There are actually one or two wrinkles on 

 the lower arms of many Ch'uan Miao. A noted 

 anthropologist informed the writer that such wrin- 

 kles are actually found, although rarely, in some 

 racial groups. 



^^ These were formerly the outstanding hard- 

 ships of the Ch'uan Miao. The Lolos now come 

 less often. 



^1 The Ch'uan Miao tradition is that they for- 

 merly lived in Kwangtung Province. 



because he wished to prepare satin clothing 

 for his daughter. The silk clothing was green. 

 The satin clothing was a water-red (pink) 

 color. 



That year was a fortunate year for the 

 Miao emperor. He hired all the sedan chairs, 

 coolies, and horses. He hired the players of 

 the jointed bugles and horns to go. He 

 really observed the same customs as the Chi- 

 nese emperor in marrying a wife. He hired 

 red-scissor people to blow (play) the jointed 

 bugle.^^ He also secured a Lolo older brother 



^- A reddish people, very clever like scissors, 

 whose cleverness makes them excellent musicians 

 when playing the jointed bugle, called in Chinese 

 sa la izu. 



