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SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 12; 



this ornament on her hat she was truly beau- 

 tiful. 



That year she was going to leave her home 

 as a bride. When she wore this ornament, 

 she was as high as the loft (of a house with 

 a low ceiling). Her parents prepared dinner 

 for her. Her tears constandy flowed. When 

 she wept she could not speak. Then the 

 parents took the ornaments made of the bones 

 of a crane and gave them to her. Her parents 

 then escorted her to the edge of the river. 

 There was a pair of wild ducks flying.^^ 



The parents escorted her to a bend. In 

 that place was a pair of wild pheasants call- 



ing on the ridge. The daughter wept and 

 sat there and would not eat. Then her parents 

 said, "Oh heaven, why do you not eat food? 

 You are not one of our sons who can control 

 the chopsticks (for the ancestors).** (You 

 ought not to want to remain in our home.) 

 You are not one who can manage the offer- 

 ings to the ancestors. You are not one who 

 can control the plow. You are not one who 

 can control the affairs in our home. We are 

 going to speak for another family's daughter, 

 and bring her into our family. Shall we, 

 then, not give our own daughter to another 

 family?" 



CONUNDRUMS 



Conundrums (183) 



Your mother's head is large. 

 My mother's head is small. 

 Mother makes a loop and ties it around your 

 mother's neck. A button. 



A girl in the Mao (hair) family is married to 



the Chuh (bamboo) family. 

 Her shoes are pointed, her feet small. 

 On level roads she goes wobbling along. 



A Chinese pen. 



A demon mother pushed her child and the 

 demon child bowed down. 



The demon father pushed a demon child and 

 the demon child also bowed down. 



The demon father and mother are the dust- 

 pan, the children the refuse. 



It develops wings but not a tail. 



The emperor, the ofScials, the mother, and 

 the sons are clearly distinguished. 



There is no lazy person who eats. 



It flies straight to the high mountain. 



The honeybee. 



Vau lo, vau hmao niang (husband big, hus- 

 band love wife). 



Niang lo, niang so vau (wife big, wife hate 

 husband). 



To yao To ndi a jia (all was ancient before 

 setded). 



When a husband is large, he loves his wife. 



®^ This song portrays what actually takes place. 

 Sometimes the daughter does not want to go, 

 while the parents want her to go. 



®* After the Ch'ao Chien ceremony a bamboo 

 basket is hung up to one of the rafters of the 

 house, and a son puts into the basket one chop- 

 stick for each ancestor. Only one's own son can 

 do this. 



When a wife is large (and the husband small 

 or young) she hates her husband. 



All this was settled in most ancient times. 

 (Refers to physical size and age.) 



A Singing Contest in Conundrums (321) 



1. What round thing is on the outer edge 

 of the sky? What round thing is on the edge 

 of a river? What round thing follows after a 

 cow? What round thing is in front of 

 women? 



Answers. — The sun is the round thing at 

 the edge of the sky. The water wheel is the 

 round thing at the edge of a creek or a river. 

 The plow is the round thing that follows 

 after a cow. The bo gi, a round flat bamboo 

 work or winnowing basket, is the round 

 thing in front of women. 



2. What forked or crossed thing is on the 

 edge of the sky? What forked or crossed 

 thing is on the side of a creek or river? What 

 forked thing follows after a cow? What 

 forked thing is in front of women? 



Answers. — The new moon is on the edge 

 of the sky. The water wheel is the crossed or 

 forked thing on the edge of a stream. The 

 plow's fork (on the handle) follows the cow. 

 The fork or cross of scissors is in front of 

 women. 



3. What pointed thing is on the edge of the 

 sky? What pointed thing is on the shore of 

 the creek? What pointed thing follows the 

 cow? What pointed thing is in front of 

 women ? 



Answers. — The point of the new moon is 

 on the edge of the sky. The point of the boat- 

 man's pole is on the edge of the creek. The 

 share of the plow follows the cow. The toes 

 of straw sandals are in front of women (when 

 the sandals are worn). 



4. What level thing is on the edge of the 



