80 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I42 



Other ceremonies. Only the bi mu understands, can read, and re- 

 peats the sacred books. 



Among many primitive tribes, thunder and lightning are gods or 

 the actions of powerful gods. The same was true in pre-Christian 

 days in northern Europe, when Thor, the mighty thunderer with a 

 magic hammer, caused thunder and lightning. There was supernatural 

 power in his hammer, so that when an enemy had stolen it, Thor was 

 helpless and could not conquer his enemies. Among some ethnic 

 groups this mysterious power is assumed but not named, as seems 

 to be the case with the Ch'iang and the Miao. Among the Chinese 

 it is yin-yang and fengshui. Among the Polynesians it is mana, and 

 this word has been accepted throughout the world as the scientific 

 name for this strange, uncanny, mysterious, supernatural power. 

 Dr. Yen of Yenching University has written an article on the re- 

 ligion of the Lolos in which he describes this idea among them and 

 says that they call this power gi-lo. Among the Lolos the gods are 

 believed to possess this power, as do also the demons and the priests 

 or shamans. It can be utilized to help or to harm people. Used rightly 

 it is beneficial, but if used wrongly it can do much harm to one's self 

 or to others. Hence there are charms, incantations, and ceremonies 

 to make use of this power. It can be used for almost any purpose — 

 to cause rain, to insure good crops, to obtain sons, to cause the do- 

 mestic animals to prosper, and to injure or kill one's enemies. 



Closely related to this concept is that of taboo, with numerous 

 prohibitions. It is the idea and the practices growing out of it that 

 certain things must not be done, for serious consequences might re- 

 sult. There are lucky and unlucky days and years when everything 

 is likely to go well or wrong. It is unlucky for a person to get 

 married on even years — he or she must get married on uneven years, 

 at the age of 13, 15, 17, or the like. A Lolo is hedged about with 

 taboos from the day of his birth to the day of his cremation. Among 

 many taboos are the following: One must not touch the knot on a 

 man's head, which is called t'ien p'u-sa, or the shy god. Vegetables 

 must not be fried in oil because demons like the smell of oil and might 

 be attracted by it into the house. A saddled horse must not be led into 

 one's house or courtyard, or saddled inside a house. It is unlucky for 

 an old hen to lay an egg and then eat it, for a chicken to fly or to 

 crow during the night, for a hen to crow, for a hunting-dog's tail to 

 wrap around a bush or a tree in the forest, for a wild bird to fly into 

 the house, for a crow to caw in front of or above the house, for a 

 rat to fall into a water jar, for a frog to come jumping into a house. 



