NO. I 



CHUAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



III 



The two men told about catching the rac- 

 coons, and everybody thought about hunting 

 raccoons. 



When the two go-betweens had eaten the 

 rabbit flesh, they also said, "The rabbit meat 

 was very tender, but we must not tell people 

 how it was caught lest people go and catch 

 rabbits. We will only say that it was good, 

 and that will be all right." Afterward these 

 two returned to their locality and their parents 

 were just giving a feast to welcome a bride. 

 These two then spoke praisingly saying, 

 "What meat is good? It is the rabbit meat 

 that is good." The country people then under- 

 stood that rabbit flesh is good to eat.^^ 



Catching Fish with Which to Entertain Guests 

 (134) 



I roam all over the world and it moves my 

 heart. I then go to Na Bo T'un Nga's ^* road. 

 Speaking of the earth, I am traveling all over 

 it. I then went to T'un Nga's dwelling on 

 the cliff above the waterfall. Na Bo T'un Nga 

 slept until midnight and arose and picked up 

 wood and mudfish.^^ T'un Nga Le Ts'i (t'An^ 

 Nga-^ Le^ TJ'a') slept until midnight, dien 

 she gathered wood to fry the fish with. When 

 she had fried the fish, they naturally had a salt 

 flavor. When she fried the mudfish they were 

 very oily. 



The fish we have fried this year are very 

 good. It happens well that it is Na Bo T'un 

 Nga's year to bring home a bride. It is also 

 T'un Nga Le Ts'i's year for making an en- 

 gagement. When the engagement has been 

 made, the road for securing the bride has been 

 opened. It disturbs the ears of the family that 

 has a daughter (to marry because they must 

 prepare presents, feasts, etc.), because there is 

 only one year before the marriage must take 

 place. Quickly, before long, a year will have 

 passed. 



Na Bo T'un Nga called those who were to 

 bring the bride. T'un Nga Le Ts'i also said, 

 "The group of people to get the bride has 

 arrived." Na Bo T'un Nga then used the 

 water fish to welcome them to her home. 

 T'un Nga Le Tsi carried the mudfish outside 

 the house for the ceremonial food to entertain 

 them with. 



33 Telling how raccoons were caught caused 

 people to think of going and hunting raccoons, so 

 they refrained from telling how rabbits were 

 caught so people would not think of going and 

 hunting rabbits. 



3*na-* bo** t'An' Nga*^ an old woman who 

 cooks meat. 



35 A kind of fish that lives in the mud when 

 the streams and pools are pardy dried up. 



Na Bo T'un Nga returned home and slept 

 until midnight, and got up and hastily fried 

 some mudfish. T'un Nga Le Ts'i slept until 

 midnight and awakened anxiously and fried 

 the waterfish. When frying waterfish you 

 must not talk. When frying mudfish you 

 must not put the fish near the edge of the 

 fryingpan. When the fish are fried, the fish 

 themselves have the fragrance of salt.^^ When 

 you fry fish, they themselves have oil. You fry 

 waterfish to give the guests who are relatives 

 or friends. You fry mudfish to give the 

 guests who bring the bride to your home. 



Na Bo T'un Nga fried fish and placed them 

 in a bowl. T'un Nga Le Ts'i fried fish and 

 placed them near the odier fish. They divided 

 the fish among the guests. All the fish were 

 divided among the near guests, the distant 

 guests, and the guests who escorted the bride. 

 When the nearby guests had eaten, they 

 also departed. Then the nearby guests said, 

 "It is not in vain that Na Bo T'un Nga 

 got a good daughter-in-law. It is not in vain 

 that T'un Nga Le Ts'i got two good daugh- 

 ter s-in-law.^^ 



The song is ended. 



Hunting Wild Animals to Use at Weddings 

 (707) 



The mountain rat searching for food comes 

 to the home of the house rat. The wild rat, 

 searching for food, goes to the cave in the 

 great cliff. They went and rolled the meat 

 onto the road. 



The deer has a track (road) on which to 

 run. They went to hunt for the deer to use 

 in entertaining a group of good guests. One 

 day when the deer went into the garden, we 

 went and caught it and roasted it. Then we 

 waited until distant guests arrived, and we 

 used it in entertaining at a breakfast. After 

 the distant guests had eaten it and left, they 

 said, "Wild meat is delicious, and truly hard 

 to get." 



On a later day when we welcomed the 

 bride (in marriage), we again used our deer 

 meat to entertain our guests who escorted the 

 bride. They all said, "This is truly a good 

 son-in-law. They are really capable people 

 who are able to get fresh deer meat and save 

 it for us." 



36 The result of auto-suggestion by people who 

 cannot buy salt. 



37 Where fishes are plenteous, they are used to 

 entertain those who escort the bride. Now in 

 many places fishes are scarce, so most Ch'uan Miao 

 do not use them. Apparentiy in the past the Miao 

 lived where fishes were more plentiful. 



