52 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



Used during the Funeral 



VOL. 



123 



How Men First Secured the Liu Sheng^^ 

 (357) 



In most ancient times tliere were two peo- 

 ple. The name of one was Ntsong Bo (old 

 woman who entices people). The name of 

 the other was Ntsong Ti (entice world). 



The two slept until deep in the night, then 

 arose to go and get the seed of the liu sheng.^^ 

 They went and saw that Ntzi Niong Leo's 

 (god, foundation, old) bamboos had grown 

 very high. They could not get the bamboo 

 and so returned. The second time they again 

 slept until deep in the night, and again went. 

 Then diey cut down the bamboo and cut it 

 into tubes. Then they took some tubes and 

 cut them into thin slices like tongues. These 

 bamboo tongues they placed in the bamboo 

 tubes, blew them in their mouths, and placed 

 their fingers on the small holes of the tubes, 

 and then the sounds were emitted. 



Another time they went and cut down a 

 tree and cut it into hoops for drums, and 

 used cowhide to cover the two sides of the 

 drums. 



Then they also cut off two clubs with which 

 to beat the drum, and played the liu sheng 

 in memorial services. Henceforth the Miao 

 had the liu sheng and the drum to use in 

 the memorial ceremonies. 



Playing the Liu Sheng and Calling the Dead 

 Person to Come back, to Life ^^ (380) 



This year Je Hmong Bo's soul departed in 

 death, and left behind sons and daughters. 

 The sons and daughters recalled the kindness 

 of their parents and then sent messages in- 

 viting the person to play the liu sheng and 

 the person to beat the drum and those to sing 

 songs to come. 



They played the liu sheng and made offer- 

 ings to the soul of the departed ancestor. 

 Then the soul arose and put on his shoes. 

 They sang songs and called on him to arise 

 and put on his puttees. 



The second time they played the liu sheng 

 and requested the soul of the dead person to 

 arise and hear the music of the 48-tuned liu 

 sheng and also to hear the 48-tuned drum.^^ 



9" Sung at funerals or at the Tso Chai cere- 

 mony. 



9* The conception is that the sun, moon, liu 

 sheng, and other things were secured because 

 there were seeds from which they developed. 



^^ Sung at funeral ceremonies. 



^^This impUes that the liu sheng and also the 

 drum can play 48 tunes. 



When he had heard these, dien he could 

 return to Ntzi Niong Leo's land and see his 

 own ancestors. 



What the Liu Sheng Says " (429) 



Ancestor, this ceremony at the altar is about 

 finished. We will now again play the second 

 tune at the altar to guide you on your way. 

 This second altar means that when a person 

 dies, a demon leads the soul on its way. It 

 guides to the edge of a pool. You see that 

 there it is also raining and the demon then 

 says to you, "It is not raining. It is the tears 

 that your descendants are weeping." 



Then the demon will lead you to a great ^ 

 rock. You will hear the thunder and the rain 

 resounding. Then the demon will say, "You 

 need not fear. This is your descendants play- 

 ing the liu sheng, and there is also the noise 

 of the beating of a drum. Those noises are 

 partners to you." 



Then the demon will lead you along to 

 your ancestors. The ancestors will guide you 

 to Ntz'i's place. This place is a happy land. 

 You must not be sad. You must not be sad 

 for a hundred years.°^ 



What the Liu Sheng Says during the Third 

 Tune, When Guiding the Soul to Heaven 

 (430) 



The soul has come. The soul has come. 

 The soul has come to hear the liu sheng. The 

 liu sheng will be your companion and will 

 escort you up to Ntzi's house. You must go 

 with your ancestors. You go to the sky. In 

 your hand you must take a solo tree.^^ When 

 I am playing the liu sheng, I will escort you 

 to Ntzi's land. The relatives and friends will 

 come. Your sisters are about to arrive. Every- 

 body will come and escort you away. Your 

 death after a hundred years means that today 

 your hundred years are completed.^ We will 

 all come and dance, and will welcome you 

 up to Ntzi's heaven. You must live there 

 a hundred years.- 



'"' Sung when the soul of the dead is being 

 guided to heaven. This is the second liu sheng 

 tune at the funeral. 



9S The guide of the soul is not a demon in the 

 ordinary sense of the word and as used among 

 the Ch'uan Miao, where demons practically always 

 harm people. 



^^ A solo tree is a sort of a magical jengshui 

 tree in the moon and elsewhere. 



1 This is said to comfort and flatter the soul of 

 the dead. 



2 Tunes one, two, and three of the liu sheng 

 at the funerals are played three times each. 



