8o 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



back and change your hat. Drink the eighth 

 time. I invite you to change your clothes. 

 Drink the ninth time. I invite you to come 

 back to see your wife and sons and daughters 

 and relatives and friends. I welcome you 

 back, I welcome you back" *^ 



A Song to Welcoine or Lead the Soul of a 

 Dead Ancestor Bac\ Home ^° (448) 



In a tribe of Miao a woman died and left 

 an orphan at home. In that Miao tribe the 

 husband of this woman also died, leaving a 

 sad son behind. 



The Miao woman had died a full year, and 

 the Miao husband had also died a full year. 

 The son sat meditating about the mother. 

 This mourning son also thought about his 

 father. He could not get through thinking 

 of his mother and his father. Then he went 

 along the river to find fish. He also was 

 going to proceed along the forest on the 

 mountain to find meat. When he went along 

 the creek, he was unable to net fish. He only 

 caught a small rat. He went along the moun- 

 tain to net wild animals. He did not net a 

 big animal, but only a small bird. Then he 

 brought the rat and the bird back home. He 

 also took a liu sheng and put it in his home. 

 He also took a big drum and put it in his 

 parlor. Then he played the liu sheftg and 

 beat the big drum to welcome back the Miao 

 mother to take the straw mat off her back. 

 The orphan prepared wine and meat and 

 waited to welcome his Miao father back so 

 he could take the bamboo basket off his back. 



49 This tune is repeated eight times, that is, it 

 is played nine times in all. It is played to the 

 east of the house, out of doors. With the player 

 of the liu sheng are the guests, die sons of the 

 deceased, and their wives. Although it is day- 

 light, one light is lighted and kept burning by 

 the sons and daughters. They take out with them 

 a flat bamboo basket in which they place an egg, 

 a biscuit, and a bowl of rice. In a bowl is placed 

 a joint of bamboo cut in two. In the basket they 

 stick up a twig to represent a person. Then all 

 march into the house, a son carrying the basket. 

 Inside the house diey make circles around to the 

 left, then to the right. Then the basket is put 

 down and his wife, daughters and daughters-in- 

 law, and other women friends weep loudly. The 

 men do not cry, but they also say words ex- 

 pressing their sorrow. The stick representing the 

 ancestor is dressed before they first leave the 

 house. 



^° Sung during the Tso Chai ceremony. It is 

 sung three times in succession. The filial son 

 must kneel down on the floor and put his hands 

 over his eyes the better to hear what is being said 

 by the singer. When the singing is ended he 

 arises. 



Relieving the Soul of the Dead during the 

 Tso Chai Ceremony (450) 



Directions: Take a joint of bamboo and 

 break it into a pair of divining sticks. Then 

 make a seat for the soul. Use a winnowing 

 basket and three bamboo sticks and make 

 them into a circle. For males, use men's 

 clothing and put it on the image. Use 

 women's clothing for women to wear. Take 

 a cloth and wrap it around the head of the 

 image. One garment, two, or three may be 

 used. In the winnowing basket put rice bis- 

 cuits. Use a bowl of boiled white rice and 

 one tgg. Cover the biscuit with a big bowl, 

 Put these all on the table. Then the priest 

 will chant as quoted below. The priest also 

 carries a bamboo flat bowl. In this bowl he 

 uses salt, tea leaves, uncooked rice, and beans. 

 The priest shakes the bowl as he chants, 

 After shaking the bowl awhile he picks up 

 beans and throws them about the room. He 

 chants — 



"I, the priest, have come from the land oi 

 Ntzi Niong. When I come, I will wear an 

 iron hat on my head. I come from the sky 

 I wear palm-fiber clothing. I come onto the; 

 pass. I wear a suit of wooden clodies. Iti 

 my hand I carry a peach branch. On mj 

 back I carry a hard bow and a crossbov/. Ir 

 my hand is a sword. I will not cut off £; 

 man's head. I will not behead the souls oi; 

 the domestic animals. I will not behead the 

 souls of chickens and dogs. I will not beheac 

 the souls of the five grains. I will not beheac 

 the souls of the descendants. I will not be 

 head the souls of the earth, water, or fire 

 I will behead the souls that cause death. '. 

 will behead the demons that cause death a 

 childbirth and demons that cause diseases, anc 

 I will behead demons that cause quarrels anc 

 evil deeds. I will behead them where the 

 sun sets and where the moon sets. I will alsc 

 behead the forest demons, behead the moun 

 tain demons, behead the demons that caus( 

 people to fall in water (and drown), beheac 

 demons of cliffs and rocks, and behead th( 

 big sea, the big river, and small stream de, 

 mons. When I have beheaded the demons, I 

 die priest, will bring the souls of the ances 

 tors back and take off their loads (baske 

 and mat). I will send die soul of the Mia( 

 mother and the Miao father up to Ntz 

 Niong's place where they will go and sei 

 their ancestors and will go and find thet 

 own living." 



When he has chanted this far, he puts thi 

 two divining sticks in the winnowing baske 

 and empties into the winnowing basket th^ 

 wine and the meat. 



