NO. I 



CH'uAN MIAO songs and stories — GRAHAM 



137 



When the Chinese children saw that he was 

 wearing an embroidered garment, the Chi- 

 nese children ridiculed him and picked up 

 mud and threw it at him. He thought of 

 beating them with his fists, but they were 

 small, so he did not strike them. Because he 

 did not hit them, the children again came 

 and troubled him. He again thought of beat- 

 ing them but feared he would cause some big 

 calamity. 



Now he thought of going to be a guest, but 

 his embroidered garments had been made 

 filthy by the mud. So he did not go, but 

 went back home from that place. 



When he reached home, his father asked 

 him why he did not go. He said, "Because 

 today I went over there and the Chinese chil- 

 dren picked up mud and threw it onto my 

 embroidered gown. The mud made my cloth- 

 ing dirty, and I could not go." His father 

 said, "Why did you not kill them?" He 

 said, "If I killed them, wouldn't it bring a 

 calamity?" His father said, 'Tes, yes. This 

 way your father realizes that you are a per- 

 son who will not stir up things, and bring 

 on calamities." Then the father secured a 

 bride for him and gave the family affairs into 

 his hands for him to manage. In this way the 

 people around knew that he had been tested 

 by his father, and they made up this song to 

 praise him. 



The Miao Must Not Worship the Ancestors 

 in Other than the Customary Ways (546) 

 Formerly the Miao of the watered-field 

 fortified place on the level flat would every 

 year kill a cow to worship the ancestors. But 

 one day their boys went out to herd the cattle 

 so they could eat grass. They all falsely imi- 

 tated the ways of their parents in making 

 offerings to the ancestors. They cut down a 

 bamboo and made it like a liii sheng and 

 blew it. They also skinned off the bark of a 

 fir tree and made a drum to beat. Some of 

 them led a cow as if they were to make an 



offering. Some brought water and used it for 

 wine to offer up. Then they took a corn- 

 stalk and pretended to beat the cow to death. 

 Just as they struck the cow, the cow fell down 

 and died. At once it frightened the boys. 

 They did not dare go home. 



In the night their parents came and saw 

 the cow. Then the boys told about their imi- 

 tating the memorial ceremonies. The older 

 people said, "Our sons, do not without cause 

 do a mock ceremony of making offerings to 

 the ancestors. If you call the names of the 

 ancestors and they come, they will certainly 

 want the life of that cow." Then they all 

 cut up the cow and performed a real cere- 

 mony of making offerings. When it was fin- 

 ished they made up this song to teach their 

 sons not to worship their ancestors unless 

 there is a reason (in the right way at the 

 right time). 



The Recompenses (Karmas) of Two Mer- 

 chants (242) 



Once there were two merchants. One was a 

 robber. One day when they reached a cliff, 

 the robber made up his mind, and when they 

 were above the cliff he killed the other with 

 his knife. After he had killed him he hid the 

 sword under a big stone slab. Then he took 

 the victim's silver and slipped away. 



But the demon soul of the dead person 

 turned into a man and waited for him in 

 another village and went along with him. 

 The two again went to the spot above the 

 great cliff. Then the demon said, "Today I 

 will kill you." The other said, "What will 

 you kill me with? You have no knife. How 

 can you kill me?" Then the demon soul said, 

 "Have you forgotten? That year when you 

 killed me you put your sword under that 

 stone slab. It is still there. You can see for 

 yourself." Then the demon killed him. 



The Miao carefully remember this song, 

 and pass it on to their descendants to teach 

 them not to kill people. 



RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINESE AND MIAO 

 Good Relations 



A Brave Man Became Emperor (41) 



At that time the emperor had died, and so 

 there was no emperor. This emperor died in 

 the fifth or sixth lunar month. The weather 

 was very hot. The empress sought especially 

 for a person to enter the palace and help fan 

 the empress. Others did not dare to go. There 

 was only a Miao boy who entered the palace. 

 He thought, "Everybody is afraid to die, so 

 is it possible that I will be able to live?" To 

 his surprise, when he had gone into the pal- 



ace, the empress said, "The new emperor has 

 arrived." The many concubines came out 

 and asked him what his name was. He said, 

 "My name is Tsa Dong (tsa* ToO, brass 

 coins). The queen said, "Is your name Tsa 

 Dong?" Afterward during the Manchu dy- 

 nasty the name Tsa Dong was changed to 

 Ch'ien Lung.®^ 



9^ This story implies tliat Ch'ien Lung was a 

 Miao. 



