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SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



silver for the silversmith to use. When the 

 silversmith had finished making gold and sil- 

 ver combs for these two women, they then 

 wore hairpins in their hair (on their heads) 

 and they laughingly and smilingly went off 

 to be brides. 



The parents called an old woman to escort 

 the brides, with a person to have charge of 

 the ceremonies. She also requested their male 

 first cousins to escort the brides. 



They escorted them to the homes of their 

 husbands. The families of their husbands 

 called servants to arrange the tables and stools, 

 then in\'ited the older and younger broth- 

 ers (their substitutes, in this case cousins) to 

 be seated. The cousins would not sit down 

 but said, "We want to surround the brides as 

 the fogs surround the moon and the sun, as 

 the brides enter the house." 



Carrying the Bamboo Tree during the Mar- 

 riage Ceremony (166) 



So. When I roam constantly (in my mind 

 here and elsewhere) all over die world, my 

 mind is moved. Speaking of the earth, I have 

 roamed all over heaven and arrived at Ngeo 

 Gang Glo's road. I also went to Ngeo Gang 

 Glo's dwelling. Ya, so. A ceremony of cap- 

 turing a bride or a wife (without paying the 

 parents anything). Speaking of Ngeo Glang 

 Glo's much climbing and encircling the hori- 

 zon of heaven, whence has Ngeo Glang Glo 

 come? He came after often encircling a stone 

 below (like an insect). Ngeo Glang Glo often 

 arises and eats the bamboo leaves. Ngeo Glang 

 Glo often comes and bites bamboo stalks. 

 Ya, so. Grabbing brides and wives. We have 

 arrived at Mr. Gii's time of sending away a 

 bride. We have also arrived at Mr. Lan's year 

 for sending away (in marriage) his daughter. 

 He has just brought out a bamboo stalk with 

 roots to be a foundation for the home. He 

 has pulled up (by the roots) a small leafing 

 tree to use when escorting his daughter, to be 

 a companion to his daughter, and he will 

 carry that bamboo bush on his shoulders into 

 the home of the bridegroom. He will carry a 

 tender green bamboo bush to force himself 

 into the home of the groom, into his parlor, 

 Ya, so. Capturing brides and wives.*^ 



*^ In ancient times, among the Miao, when per- 

 forming the marriage ceremony the family tliat 

 had a girl to be given in marriage planned to 

 take this bamboo to kill the groom with, but 

 afterward the groom's family, when they knew 

 this, used the same uick to offset the plan of the 

 enemy. When the marriage was taking place the 

 groom's family also pulled up a bamboo tree and 



A Wedding Song 



When It Is Dar\ It Is Pleasant to Sing Wed- 

 ding Songs and to See\ a Bride (226) 



Roaming all over the world stimulates my 

 mind. I roam to Ngan Gang Glo's road. 

 Speaking of the earth, I have roamed all over 

 the sky. I roamed to Ntsan Gang Glo's dwell- 

 ing. Ngan Gang Glo, where did she come 

 from? They both, husband and wife, ar- 1 

 rived and intended to end the life of the 

 earth.*^ They ended the life of the earth and 

 the sky became dark. They ended the life 

 of the sky in the parlor.*^ They will also end 

 the breath of the earth on tlie plain. The sky 

 was dark so that the cliff rats came out to seek 

 food. The cliff rat, when it ate, bit with its 

 lips (mouth) . It bit Ntz'i's large string in two. 

 The squirrel also came out to bite it. They 

 bit the sky rope in two and turned the sky 

 around as a wheel to wind thread turns 

 around. They turned the place around like a 

 cart. 



The sky became darker as far as Bo Na's 

 house. The place also darkened as far as Je 

 Gi's loft beam. At this time the sky was dark ; 

 as far as the great cliff on the edge of the ;! 

 world. The place darkened as far as the plain. . 

 It darkened as far as the place where Bo Na 

 tends the pigs. The locality darkened when ' 

 Je Gi was tending the chickens. The sky 

 darkened. The sky departed. The earth dark- 

 ened. The earth turned around. 



This is a good time for Bo Na to play the 

 liu sheng and it is also a good time for Je Gi 

 to seek a bride for his son.^** 



The Shadow of the Wedding Passing by (165) 



Shi, so (a peaceful beginning). If I in my 

 imagination go over the heaven and the earth, 

 my mind is stirred. Speaking of the earth, I 

 go straight ahead until I reach the road called 

 the spindle-for-making-thread road. Ya, so. " 



stuck it in the earth beside the table. When the 

 bride arrived each family had a green tree stand- \ 

 ing upright, and neither party could trouble the ' 

 other party wantonly. Afterward their descend- 

 ants were very numerous. Therefore now we 

 Miao use this method to show that after marriage 1 

 each side will be multiplied. This ceremony is J 

 still practiced. ' 



The above explanation was given by a Miao 

 whose name in Chinese is Mr. Huang. 



*^ The earth is regarded as a living being. 



*^ Since the light of the sky ceased to come ' 

 into the parlor, the life of the sky was regarded 

 as ended. 



^^ Bo Na is a woman, and women do not play j 

 the liu sheng among the Ch'uan Miao. 



