m. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



8i 



in Incantation Repeated at the Tso Chat 

 Ceremony ^^ (451) 



Directions: Request a priest from another 

 lome to stand outside tlie door. This priest 

 lolds a sharp knife in his hands. Another 

 jriest holds in his hands two pieces of bamboo 

 jsed as diving sticks. At tlie front door three 

 )ieces of bamboo are stuck up. The sifter 

 jsed to dry clothing is put on top of the 

 ;ticks. A small dog is brought and tied to 

 the post on which the drum is hung. Then 

 he dog is led into the parlor and is led 

 tround several times (several times in one 

 direction, then several times in the opposite 

 direction). Then the priest outside the house 

 eads the dog outside the door. Another priest 

 wrings a vessel of wine. He offers up the 

 vvine (pouring it onto the ground). Then he 

 ;hants — 



"Great old forest, great old forest, today is 

 1 good day, tonight is a good night. The 

 naster will pay respects to the soul (of the 

 departed ancestor). They invite me to call 

 here Bo Lo and Je Lo ^^ to come and drink 

 ivine (enjoy the feast.) When you have 

 drunk, you must go and drive off the forest 

 demons and the wild demons and drive away 

 :he mountain demons and the cliff demons, 

 ind drive away the tigers and wolves. You 

 nust wait until that family's souls have the 

 winnowing baskets taken off. Bo Lo and 

 fe Lo, when you have eaten, quickly go." 



When he has chanted to this place, another 

 priest says, "Bo lo and }e Lo, now I am going 

 to give the life you wanted to you." 



Then the priest at one stroke of the sword 

 kills the dog and sprinkles the blood on the 

 Dottom of the door. Then the priest lights 

 1 fire and burns off the hair of the dog, and 

 :hen opens the abdomen of the dog. First 

 he takes out the dog's intestines, liver, heart, 

 ind lights, and offers them up to Bo Lu and 

 fe Lu.^^ Then he divides the dog up into 

 Sve parts and offers them up. Then the of- 

 fering is finished. 



The Ceremony to Bring the Soul of the Dead 

 Bac\ at the Tso Chai Ceremony (452) 



In the parlor a bamboo stick is stood up- 

 right. Another is placed upright to make 



^^ During this ceremony a young dog must be 

 iilled near the door to clear (open) the moun- 

 ain. 



^- Bo Lo and Je Lo are a woman and a man 

 who control the demons in the mountains. Ap- 

 ;iarendy diey are demons. 



^^ Bo Lu and Je Lu are apparently the same 

 IS Bo Lo and Je Lo. 



a cross. Then request the uncle (father's 

 younger brother) to come and carry the win- 

 nowing basket for the father's soul. If it is 

 the mother, request her older and younger 

 brothers to come and carry it. If it is the 

 grandfather, then his younger brother must 

 be requested to come and carry it. If it is 

 the grandmother, her older and younger 

 brothers should be invited to come and carry 

 it. The place to welcome back the soul is a 

 hundred-odd feet east of the house. In that 

 place a bed must be put. On the bed must 

 be placed nine cups and nine wooden bowls. 

 In the home of that family the drum must 

 be constantly beaten until the soul arrives in 

 the house. The one playing the liu sheng goes 

 in front when the party goes out from the 

 house and when they return with the soul. 

 The person carrying the basket for the soul 

 goes behind the person playing the liu sheng. 

 The filial son must go behind the one carry- 

 ing the basket for the soul. The rest of the 

 men and women and boys and girls all go to 

 the place where the bamboo bed is and stand 

 there. Then the priest chants — 



"Today is a good (lucky) day. (The name 

 of the one for whom the ceremony is being 

 conducted is spoken.) Your sons and daugh- 

 ters-in-law have placed nine bowls, nine cups, 

 and use wine and rice and come to welcome 

 the father and the mother and the soul of 

 the ancestor to return to have the winnowing 

 basket taken off, the load taken off, and when 

 the load is taken off you yourself must go 

 back to Ntzi' Niong Leo's place." 



At this time all the women must weep 

 loudly, and the man who plays the liu sheng 

 plays and turns around and around. The 

 drum is constantly beaten in the house. They 

 all parade around the soul's bed three times 

 to the left and three to the right, then bring 

 the soul back into the house. But when the 

 soul is being brought back, the wives of the 

 actually-born sons of the soul must certainly 

 light a torch and stand at the side. When 

 they go back to the house, the person with 

 the lighted torch goes in front. When they 

 come into the main room, they must cer- 

 tainly carry the basket of the soul (in which 

 it is carried) and walk around the parlor to 

 the left seven times, and to the right seven 

 times. When it is done, the filial son kneels 

 down inside the room near the front door. 

 The one carrying the spirit's basket places it 

 on a table at the farther end near the door. 

 When the one playing the liu sheng has fin- 

 ished, the filial son gets up. This is the way 

 the soul is welcomed. 



