Ill 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



hands and again went to carry water. The 

 buckets she used were bound with hoops 

 made of vines. To get this water it was 

 necessary to go to the big fishpond in the big 

 round land of Ntzi" (God.) When she had 

 carried all the water there, she went to the 

 big dragon pool of Jie Gii Hmong Leo (a 

 very ancient Miao family). She then again 

 carried a load of clear water halfway home, 



on the very long road, and there she met her 

 older and younger brothers. Then she said, 

 "I want to go back with my brothers." The 

 older brother said, "Now you have been estab- 

 lished and left in the home of your old 

 mother-in-law." The younger brother said, , 

 "Now we have left you in the home of your 

 mother-in-law. You yourself now have a 

 home." 



MISCELLANEOUS SONGS 



Tallying and Acting as a Buddha When Eat- 

 ing Food (124) 



The Ch'uan Miao have a contest in eating 

 rice. One person acts as a Buddha. He holds 

 a bowl of rice in one hand and with it makes 

 a circle around his head. Then he chants the 

 Buddha's song, and those who are eating must 

 eat a bowl of rice, one bowl for each verse. 

 This is one of the Ch'uan Miao customs. The 

 verses are as follows.*'" 



L Ge lu, ge lu, ge lu (ge" lu•^ a bird's call), 

 go up the camphor tree. When you eat rice 

 you must look toward a young person. If 

 you speak the ceremonies and the doctrines, 

 then you will count as the yellow-whiskered 

 old man. 



2. Ge lu, ge lu, go up the banana tree. Eat- 

 ing persimmons is up to the young people. 

 If you practice justice and speak the doctrine, 

 then you will be the white-whiskered old 

 man. 



3. Ge lu, ge lu, ge lu, climb up the dog- 

 wood tree. Eating things is up to the young 

 people. (I will not.) If you speak the doctrine 

 and act with justice, then you will be the long- 

 whiskered old man. 



4. Ge lu, ge lu, ge lu, climb up the first 

 tree. Eating is up to the young people in 

 their prime. If you act justly and think out a 

 way, then you will be the red-whiskered old 

 man. 



5. Ge lu, ge lu, ge lu, climb up the pepper- 

 tree. Eating is up to the young strong people. 

 If you speak justly and talk doctrine, then you 

 will be the black-bearded man.^^ 



6° It is possible that this paragraph was not part 

 of the song, and that the singer added it as an 

 explanation so that the song could be under- 

 stood. 



^^ The above song is used during the contest 

 in eating. The same person may sing all five 

 verses or they may be sung alternatively by 

 different persons, but the person singing a verse 

 must not eat any rice at any time. The other 

 contestants, all of whom are under 50 years, each 



A Contest between Men and Women When 

 Eating^- (125) 



1. Nong gai (noO^ gai ', a bird that cried 

 at night), nong gai (a pair of birds). Nong 

 gai is singing in the leaves of the peppertree. 

 The women say they are like iron. The men 

 take them and bend them into carrying- 

 baskets. 



2. Nong gai, nong gai, nong gai is sing- 

 ing on chestnut tree. The women say women 

 are fine. The men will take the women and 

 bend them into the carrying-baskets. 



A Contest in Eating Rice ^^ (126) 



1. Na nong gi leo mi nong bang k'ao.*'* 

 When we have eaten three bowls of rice 



mixed with three spoonfuls of beancurd fried 

 in oil, climb up to the high stronghold and 

 see the foot of the hill of Gien Wu (the old 

 city of Hsin Wen Hsien). 



2. Na nong gi leo mi nong gang.^^ 

 When we have eaten dipperfuls of gao Hang 



(boiled) food, and three dipperfuls of bean- 

 curd, then we will climb up a high moun- 



eat a bowl for each verse. Those who cannot 

 eat any more put the bowl of rice on the table 

 and crawl under the table, beaten. Only men 

 are contestants. 



82 The acting with the rice bowl is the same 

 as in the preceding song. The bowl is passed in 

 a circle around the head. Both men and women 

 are in the contest. The men belitrie the women, 

 and vice versa. Below are two samples. The men 

 sing saying the women are weak. The women 

 alternate saying the men are no good. At each 

 verse all but the singer eat a bowl of rice. Those 

 who are too full to eat put their bowls of rice 

 on the table and crawl under the table and go 

 away ashamed, defeated. 



63 The eating and acting are similar to that of 

 the two previous songs. 



61 na-* noD' dsi-^ Iau° mi-^ noO° baO'' k'ao*, 

 a big old mother that cries "gi leo" and a small 

 bird with yellow stripes. 



65 gaD"* means yellow. A big old mother bird 

 that calls "gi leo" and a small yellow bird. 



