NO. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



83 



younger brother of the father overturns the 

 table and stools, then the mother's brother 

 must take off the filial cloth from the head 

 of the filial son and help the filial son arise. 



The one who turns over the tables and the 

 stools sa^^s, "I overturn illnesses and pains and 

 quarrels and lawsuits and deaths. I push 

 them westward to the place where the sun 

 sets, to where the moon sets. From the day 

 when we have pushed them, the descendants 

 will fill up the home. From this time gold, 

 silver, and wealth will come in heaps." 



After this has been spoken, and the stools 



and the tables have been overturned, they 

 must be set upright again. When he is setting 

 them back in place he says, "I am setting up 

 the descendants so they will fill up the house. 

 I am erecting their gold and their silver in 

 heaps. From this time onward they will in- 

 crease and become wealthy." 



After he has finished speaking, then all the 

 family which has had the Tso Chai ceremony 

 will weep and consider the fact that in the 

 future, after the Ch'ao Chien ceremony has 

 been performed, they will be separated from 

 the ancestor forever.^ ^ 



Used during the Ch'ao Chien Ceremony 



Changing the Coffin during the Ch'ao Chien 

 Ceremony (449) 



The Miao mother died long ago. The Miao 

 father also died very early. They left behind 

 an orphan to watch the grave at home. But 

 the Miao mother was tired of living in the 

 cofiEn and could not sleep. She then returned 

 and gave a dream for her filial son. 



The Miao father was also unable to rest 

 quietly in the coffin. He also came back and 

 revealed himself to die filial son in a dream. 

 But the filial son also thought of his mother 

 and father. The filial son saw that the dreams 

 i' diey caused were not good, and these dreams 

 were certainly not right. Then he dished up 

 a howl of white rice and wrapped it in cloth. 

 Then he took the rice and asked a tnan \ung 

 to look at it. The tuan \ung opened the pack- 

 \ age and looked. He looked upward and 

 downward and crosswise, and he could not 

 see any demon. He also saw that there were 

 none of the nine kinds of demons or the 

 four kinds of demons. Then he again looked 

 . carefully before he saw that the backbone of 

 I the Miao mother was erect in the grave. He 

 j also saw that the Miao father's backbone ap- 

 peared in the white rice. Then the orphan 

 saw it. Then he ran back and followed along 

 tlic creek to net fish, and followed along the 

 mnuntain to net animals. He also went into 

 the forest to find wood to make a bed with. 



In a few days he caught fish and birds and 

 also secured the wood. He took the wood and 

 made a bed and arranged it well. Then he 

 took die big liu sheng and played it and 

 moved (danced) about. Then he brought 

 ; the small liu sheng and played it a while. 



^^ The dead will come back again only once, 

 at the Ch'ao Chien ceremony, and at that time his 

 presence is less evident than at the Tso Chai cere- 

 mony. 



He also brought the big drum and hung it 

 up well. He himself prepared nine times 

 wine, meat, and rice, and invited the early 

 ancestors to come and eat. He also invited 

 the aged parents who wanted their bones 

 turned over to come and eat. "When you 

 have finished, we will again place your bodies 

 (in another cofiSn). You must protect and 

 help your descendants so they have food to 

 eat and clothes to wear. You cannot come 

 again and ask your descendants to turn your 

 bones over." 



The flower has closed up. The song is 

 ended. 



A Song about Digging up the Bones of the 

 Dead (487) 



When a person travels all over the world, 

 it stirs his heart. This year has arrived when 

 Niao Jang was going to (ceremonially) dig 

 up the grave of his ancestor. He then called 

 Ntzi To Mo to come and open the grave.^^ 

 The priest went to the foot of die grave and 

 dug three strokes. Then he dug three strokes 

 with the hoe at the other end and opened the 

 grave. 



He saw that Je Hmong's bones were as 

 numerous as those of cows or horses. He 

 placed a piece of cloth on the grave, then took 

 die wine and the oil and washed the bones 

 in the cofifin well. Then everybody carried 

 dirt to cover up the coffin. When they had 

 finished they all returned to play the liu sheng 

 and beat the drum and kill the cow to offer 

 as a sacrifice. When diey had finished sac- 

 rificing, then the deceased ancestor enjoyed 

 peace. 



ss He was a priest or mo, and only a priest 

 should perform this ceremony. 



Formerly the bodies were buried parallel to 

 the mountains. 



