NO. 2 FOLK RELIGION IN SOUTHWEST CHINA — GRAHAM 79 



monies to injure others by magic, repeating incantations, and per- 

 forming ceremonies to counteract black magic. 



The su t'o or sii nieh or su Gnie is a magician who does not read 

 or repeat sacred books. He is a common person and is not taught 

 by another su t'o. The demon of some dead su t'o takes possession 

 of him, or of his body, after which he sacrifices a white sheep or 

 rooster and is healed, thereupon becoming a su t'o. Each su t'o has 

 a protecting god, but has also the help of many gods. He has no 

 sacred books, and his only sacred instrument is a sheepskin drum. 

 During his ceremonies he beats the drum and chants incantations. His 

 whole body trembles, and he turns round and round, dancing and 

 jumping. The god possesses his body, and he speaks the words of his 

 god. Another person takes a forked stick and follows him, also turn- 

 ing round and round. Most of the su t'os are male, but some are 

 women. They heal diseases by exorcising the demons that are be- 

 lieved to be the cause of all diseases, and they break the black and 

 deadly magic of one's enemies. During the ceremonies they kill chick- 

 ens, sheep, or cows as sacrifices, and beat a drum. They also some- 

 times lick red-hot irons with their tongues and tread on red-hot 

 plowshares with their bare feet, or dip their feet into a bowl or pot of 

 boiling water. After the ceremony the drum is hung up in the forest 

 to show that the god is no longer present. One of their remarkable 

 feats is to ascend and descend a ladder made of 36 swords whose sharp 

 edges are upturned, which is done barefoot after praying to the gods 

 for protection. First the su t'o goes over three red-hot plowshares, 

 then over the ladder of sharp swords, and he is generally unhurt. 



The hsiang ssu, most of whom are women, are fortunetellers or 

 palmists. They look at one's palms and from the lines tell whether 

 one's future will be lucky or unlucky, how many children a family 

 will have, and many other things about the future. 



Among the Lolos the sacred books are very precious and must not 

 be permitted to lie around. They are also secret, for only the bi mus 

 can understand them. The paper they are written on varies in differ- 

 ent localities, and they are generally written with a pen cut out of 

 wood. They are generally written in short sentences, the rhythm 

 being very harmonious. One writer asserts that they are written in 

 exceedingly good verse form. Their contents may include the calling 

 of the gods, oaths, charms, incantations, ceremonies to open the way 

 of the soul to Hades, sacrificial ceremonies, prayers, exorcising de- 

 mons, and ceremonies of magic to injure people, to counteract black 

 magic, to insure good crops, of thanksgiving, to pray for rain, and 



