NO. I 



CHUAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



195 



HELPFUL TIGER FATHERS 



A Miao Was Transjormed into a Tiger. The 

 Connection between Heaven and Earth 

 Was Severed (66) 



There was a certain man whose family all 

 died, and only he, an orphan, was left. He 

 had nobody to depend upon. His uncle and 

 his aunt took him home to live with them. 

 But they mistreated this orphan. Daily they 

 made him plow the fields.^® 



One day when he had plowed all morning 

 he wept and said to the female cow, "Mother 

 cow, mother cow, is the grass you are eating 

 bitter.'' They eat boiled white rice. I eat the 

 roots of bitter vegetables and bitter buck- 

 wheat. When I have finished my work, it is 

 harder.^^ How long must I suffer hardship? 

 After suffering hardship, I must still suffer 

 more hardship." He then wept. 



Unexpectedly his father, who had died three 

 years before, answered him from the edge of 

 the forest saying, "My son, Zia, go with me." 

 He then ceased crying and controlled his voice 

 and asked, "Who are you, a person, or a de- 

 mon?" "Truly I am not a demon, but I am 

 the father who begot you." The son said, 

 "What evidence can you give that you are my 

 father?" The father said, "Don't you remem- 

 ber? When I died you put a bracelet on my 

 arm. This can be a proof." The son said, 

 "Stretch out your arm for me to see." The 

 father then stretched out his tiger's hand 

 for the son to see. On his arm was a silver 

 bracelet. The son said, "This bracelet is truly 

 the bracelet which I put on your arm when 

 you were buried." The father said, "Quickly 

 drive your cow back to your uncle's and come 

 here. We two will go." His son took the 

 cow and the plow home. He tied the cow 

 in the corral and said to his uncle and his 

 aunt, "Now I am going with my father. 

 Don't be afraid." Then he went away with 

 his father to the cave called Ts'ao T'ien Ma 

 (heavenly horse image). 



Daily the father went and killed animals 

 for the son to eat. The father ate raw meat, 

 but the son could not eat it. The father then 

 held the meat under his armpit to warm it, 

 and then gave it to his son. It was daily thus 



^^This story is about a Miao father who was 

 transformed into a tiger in order to save his son. 

 He urged his son to marry a wife. He also 

 gave his son some silver. The son received an 

 order from Ntzi to go to heaven and play the 

 Viu skeng. Later the son and his wife were 

 separated forever. 



^^ It was harder because he must do more 

 work. 



for one year. The father said, "I want to 

 engage a wife for you." The son said, "I am 

 young. I do not want a wife. Wait a few 

 years longer before I marry a wife." 



After another year the father said, "Now 

 can I secure a wife for you?" The son said, 

 "I am truly very young. I don't want one. 

 Wait several more years before I get married." 

 But time flew rapidly, and two years of life 

 passed by. Then the father again urged him, 

 "My son, I want to get a wife for you. I 

 want to go." The son said, "Father, wait a 

 year longer before getting me married." 



Well, another year passed by, and his father 

 took him to a big Miao stronghold and went 

 on a moonlight night to choose a bride. He 

 spent half the night choosing when the son 

 said, "Although these girls are good, I do 

 not want them." The father said, "We will 

 go ahead to the stronghold beside the forest." 

 When they arrived the father said to him, 

 "This time you must make up your mind and 

 I, your father, will go and help you marry 

 her." 



At this time the moon was shining from on 

 high, and all the young women in the strong- 

 hold were laughing and talking in a very 

 interesting way. The boy went into the cool 

 shadow and with fixed eyes looked at the 

 women and girls. The father asked, "In that 

 group of fine girls up there, which do you 

 want?" The boy answered, "I do not want 

 those fine girls. I only want that ugly girl 

 on the left. She is very efiBcient in preparing 

 hemp for making thread. She does not talk 

 much." The father said, "You go away 

 quickly and I will help you." The son said 

 "Yes" and departed. 



Then the tiger roared loudly. He actually 

 frightened the women so that they ran away. 

 Only the ugly industrious girl was left behind. 

 The tiger picked this girl up in his mouth 

 and carried her away to be the wife of his 

 son. 



After they had lived there three years, the 

 father wanted them together to visit her par- 

 ents. The father said, "Now my children 

 must return to the girl's parents' home as 

 guests." The son said, "We will go, but we 

 have no presents to take along. How can we 

 go?" The father said, "My son, quickly comb 

 your hair and wash your face and I will go 

 and find some." 



Just after he had said this the father went 

 into the streets, and from the mouth of the 

 upper street he roared three times so that 

 he frightened away all the people in the 



