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SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



ocean before he secured those kinds of songs 

 and brought them back home. 



They two again waited until the day when 

 Bo Na was going to have guests. She came 

 and requested the two to go and tell the 

 guests about the songs. On the next day when 

 the husband was going to give a feast, he 

 again wanted them both to come and sit in 

 the honored seats. 



After this time they two went again and 

 again in pursuit. Lan Do Tsai again went 

 seeking the different kinds of songs and ar- 

 rived in a canyon. Lan Do Tsang went pur- 

 suing to the top of a steep cliff. Then these 

 two again secured more kinds of songs and 

 brought them back. 



At the end of a year the time came when 

 the mother was going to commemorate the 

 deceased parents. The time came when the 



husband was going to commemorate his 

 ancestors. Bo Na and Je Ji went to get these 

 two to come. 



When they arrived they went into the 

 parlor and sang a whole night. It was much 

 as if the parents and ancestors spoke and 

 laughed until daylight, and moreover the next 

 morning they finished singing the songs of 

 escorting away the souls, and the parents and 

 the ancestors went back (to Ntz'i's land). 

 Then they two ceased singing and returned 

 home. When they were leaving, the old 

 people of the great fortified place came out 

 and praised them saying that these two were 

 truly efficient (in ceremonial songs). The 

 young people from different places also said, 

 "Some day please come to our place and 

 teach us." 



The song is ended. 



PEOPLE WHO WERE BEWITCHED 



A Woman Bewitched by a Fox (268) 



There was a family in which there was a 

 woman who met a fox who enticed her to 

 sexual relations. Then she had pains, and 

 her whole body became yellow and lean. Her 

 family called several tuan \ungs, but they 

 could not heal her. 



One day a tuan kung went out. He secretly 

 looked into the aged forest. Suddenly he saw 

 a black fox on the mountain. It gave a leap 

 and changed into a young man. He wore 

 good clothes, and he had a small cap on his 

 head. On his body he wore blue clothing. 

 On his feet he wore a pair of green cloth 

 shoes. He then went into the home of the 

 sick woman. 



That day that family asked the tuan \ung 

 to come and to use the divining bamboo 

 sprouts for them. He said, "Tonight you 

 prepare for me ten catties of hemp and a 

 hatchet." They prepared these things for 

 him. 



That night when he arrived he saw the fox 

 in that home cutting paper money, making 

 tea, and entertaining guests. He then called 

 all his gods to him and pretended that he was 

 tying and beating demons. He said, "I request 

 you all not to be angry at my methods as a 

 tuan kting, because I fear that the demons in 

 this house will get into your bodies. I will 

 first tie you up and frighten the demons. 

 After I have captured the demons, then I shall 

 release you." 



When the tuan \ung had finished he took 

 the hemp and twisted it into ropes and first 

 tied up the sick person and the master (of 

 the house). Then he took the hatchet and 



tried it out on each of them. After this he 

 tied up the other people. 



He tied up the fox well. Then he took a 

 big ax and struck the fox. Then the tuan 

 l{ung cut the fox open and boiled the liver 

 of the fox and gave it to the woman to eat, 

 and she became well. 



The Snake Witch (269) 



There was a family in v/hich there was a 

 son who was enticed by Glang C'ao Tso.^* 

 His family called many tuan }{ungs to heal 

 him, but none of them succeeded. 



One day they called a Miao tuan l{tmg. He 

 permitted the master of the family to go and 

 call a ma gioh.^^ Then the tuan kjung came to 

 assist that family in capturing demons. That 

 night he let loose the ma gioh to capture 

 demons. The ma gioh leaped out to the edge 

 of a deep pit. The tuan ktmg came along be- 

 hind to urge him. When the tuan k.ung 

 arrived, the ma gioh had already leaped into 

 the pit. 



When the tuan kung returned and the mas- 

 ter saw him, the master became angry. The 

 tuan k^ng said, "Never fear. You must 

 send another person down into the pit." 

 Later they sent another one down, and he 

 did not come back either. Then die tuan 

 kung guarded the mouth of the pit. 



9* A demon who enticed the son to sexual 

 relations resulting in a serious illness. 



^5 The expression ma gioh is a Chinese term 

 meaning horse's hoof. It is applied to an assistant 

 of a tuan kung who during the ceremonies leaps 

 about vigorously and strikes with a sword or an 

 ax in order to kill demons. 



