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SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 



123 



Bringing Engagement Presents 



A Song Commemorating the Ancestors, Sung 

 When the Go-bctiueens Are Bringing the 

 Engagement Presents (186) 



The flower blooms in the forest. On its 

 stalk it bears fruit. Bo Na made preparations 

 until daybreak. Her husband Je Gi also pre- 

 pared until morning for making the engage- 

 ment. Hou lo hai.-'^ 



A pair of go-betweens waited until daylight 

 on the next morning. The go-betweens stood 

 at the door of the mother. The two go- 

 betweens came and held the bride firm in the 

 room. They sat by the stove of the bride's 

 father. They led }e Gi's daughter. 



Hou lo hou. (Again the sacrifices are 

 poured out.) 



The mother on the one hand speaks, and 



on the other hand she loses the argument 



against the engagement of her daughter. }e 



Gi talks away and deceives the go-betweens. 



Hou lo hou. 



Bo Na went and called her brothers.--^ Je 

 Gi also went and asked his brothers to come. 

 These brothers came from a distance. The 

 brothers spoke a few words as though urging 

 them to give the daughter in marriage. The 

 father's uncles came to the ridge. His uncles 

 spoke a few words in favor of the marriage. 

 Hou lo hou. 



The mother of the girl spoke against it, but 

 was outargued. The father spoke deceptively, 

 as though opposing but really approving. 

 Then die mother called her go-betweens to 

 assist her in the discussion. The father then 

 called his go-betweens to add words in favor 

 of the marriage. 

 Hou lo hou. 



The mother's two go-betweens arrived. 

 They asked about the ceremonial gifts, thus 

 making the matter firm like the Chinese 

 land-marking stones.^^ 

 Hou lo hou. 



The mother's go-betweens came out and 

 said, "The groom's mother has come out of 

 her kitchen." The groom's mother spoke jok- 

 ingly. The groom's father came out into the 

 parlor. His father also cracked some jokes. 



2* At tliis time rice, flesh, and wine are pre- 

 pared. When these words are spoken, meaning 

 drink, the husband takes a spoon and pours a 

 htde of each on the ground, as a way of wor- 

 shiping or paying respects to his past life or 

 existence, or soul that existed. 



-5 The consent of the brothers of both the 

 mother and the father must be secured before 

 an engagement can be made. 



20 The gifts must be determined before die 

 engagement is fixed. 



Hou lo hou. 

 ^^ The groom's mother came and asked, 

 "When you went and asked about our mar- 

 riage, what about it?" His father also asked, 

 "Can this marriage be accomplished?" Then 

 the two go-betweens said, "We went to the 

 home of die girl. We succeeded in making 

 the engagement. They have grown ears for 

 the engagement and the marriage." The go- 

 betweens also said, "That family wants en- 

 gagement presents to be given before the 

 engagement is secure like a stone landmark. 

 They want gifts of domestic animals to make 

 it firm like a stone terrace." 



A year after they had finished speaking the 

 girl's parents asked, "Is this groom's family 

 going to give the engagement presents? With- 

 out our realizing it, the time for giving the 

 presents has arrived." Those who were bring- 

 ing the presents arrived in the room inside 

 the front door of the girl's home. The 

 groom's father's men who were bringing the 

 presents arrived in the girl's family's house. 

 When the girl's mother came out and saw it 

 she praised it saying, "It is very good." The 

 two go-betweens from the groom's house 

 arrived and said, "You two persons enjoy 

 happiness. Open the basket and look at the 

 food. Open the jar and look at the water 

 (wine). We two go-betweens have come to 

 the home of you two old people and we 

 haven't yet eaten the meat,^^ nor have we yet 

 drunk the wine. Roast this meat and offer it 

 to your local deity for him to eat. 

 "Hou lo hou." 



The one making the offerings in the bride's 

 home said, "We must make offerings to the 

 lives of that family.-^ Now we will make 

 offerings to your lives and the marriage path 

 (the path of giving the daughter in marriage). 

 Make offerings to that family's life so they 

 can live." 

 Hou lo hou. 



We make offerings to your lives so you can 

 get a place to live. We make offerings to 

 your lives so you can see the marriage path 

 of your daughter. We make offerings to your 

 ancestors. 

 Hou lo hou. 



We make offerings to the life of the ridge, 

 to the life of the bend, to the lives of the 

 people, to the lives of the relatives. Let the 

 lives in the home come and eat meat. Let 

 the life of th e house come and drink wine. 



-^ The meat of the feast the girl's parents 

 should give them. 



-s The family of the groom, the groom's par- 

 ents. 



