NO. I 



CHUAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



51 



dragons going down steep rapids. I have tao 

 and my life will endure long." 



When he has repeated thus far, with his 

 left hand he lifts up the bowl of water, and 

 with his right hand he draws a large dragon 

 on the water. Then he gives the water to 

 the sick person to drink. 



An Incantation to Drive away Colds and 

 Other Illnesses and to Help in Childbirth 

 (751) 



"I lift up my eyes and look at the clear, 

 blue sky. Before my eyes is my instructor. 

 I call the instructor Tsang (or Chang) the 

 tiian \ung and I also invite Ntzi's Dang Zye 

 Glo (TaO^ i,^ glo*") in heaven. He has a 

 bone which is a pill to cure colds. Today I 

 will escort you to the Nine Dragon Rapid. 

 There is another bone that is a pill to trans- 

 form colds. I myself will escort you to the 



Nine Dragon Rapid. Brass, iron, colds, and 

 fevers will be transformed into water. Pewter 

 things and bamboo things will be changed 

 into dust. All illnesses will be transformed 

 into water. Indigestion and malaria will be 

 transformed into dust. In front it is empty. 

 Behind it is empty. It will be transformed 

 until it is without appearance. You ferry 

 me, teacher, so that I can creep into Ntzi's 

 heaven." 



The titan \iing twists his hands into a 

 "nine-dragon-turn-over-their-bodies" knot. He 

 also says — 



"This water is not common water. This 

 water is water to make peaceful births and 

 transform demons. This water is not ordinary 

 water. This water is water to exorcise spooks 

 and transform strange demons. When I have 

 finished I will draw pictures (with the hands) 

 over the water, and everything will be pros- 

 perous and well." 



CEREMONIES OF THE PRIEST 



Used Soon after Death 



A Song Sung at the Time of Death (381) 



In most ancient times there were two flies. 

 The name of one was Ha Mao Nch'i. The 

 name of the other was Li Mi Mao Nts'eo. 



This year Je Hmong Bo's body died in the 

 house. Then the filial son sent a message re- 

 questing the players of the liu sheng to come 

 and play it and the man who beats the drum 

 to come and beat the drum, and those who 

 sing songs to come and sing. 



When Ha Mao Nch'i heard this, he came 

 flying along the edge of the sky. Next morn- 

 ing he again flew away at daybreak. When 

 he had flown away, he called Mi Mao Nts'eo, 

 and they flew back to eat the corpse. 



The filial son had just gone to cut the 

 carrying poles with which to carry the corpse 

 out and bury it. He said, "Now these flies 

 will not come. They have gone to rest on the 

 leaves of the trees. They cannot again alight 

 on the body of the dead person." 



Words Sung soon after a Person Has Died 

 (647) 



You (mentions his name), you cannot come 

 to life again as a person. You are a living 

 demon. I have prepared wine for you to 

 drink nine times. Your meat is cooked. I 

 am offering meat for you to eat. If you can- 

 not eat it all, you must not give it to a demon 

 that causes sickness to eat, or to a death 

 demon (that causes death). You must give 



it to your female and male ancestors for 

 three generations to eat. When you have 

 eaten it, you should go and be near the 

 clothing and belt of your grandmother, and 

 of the clothing and belt of your husband's 

 grandfather. If the Lolos are many, your 

 grandmother will help you look after them. 

 Now the meat is done. You cannot become 

 alive again as a human being. You are living 

 as a demon.^^ Now I have prepared nine 

 cups of wine and nine bowls of meat for you 

 to eat and drink. I am offering meat and 

 rice for you to eat. When you have eaten you 

 go and get near your husband's grandmother's 

 clothing and get into your husband's grand- 

 father's clothing. If the Lolos are numerous 

 (in paradise) your husband's grandmother 

 will look after them for you. Now I have al- 

 ready offered you nine cups of wine nine 

 times to drink. I will now release you to 

 go on the old road. You must go to Ntzi's 

 dwelling in heaven and live there.^- 



91 The word "demon" here is used in the sense 

 of a departed spirit without a body, not as a devil 

 who harms people. In previous sentences it means 

 devil or demon. 



92 When the above has been sung or repeated, 

 the bamboo divining sticks are used and the name 

 of the deceased person is called. The divining 

 sdcks indicate whether the deceased is pleased 

 or not. If not, more offerings are made until the 

 deceased is satisfied. 



