Populations Primitives de la Mongolie Orientale. \J 



Hou et Toungousses sont deux mots tout à fait distincts, qui n'ont 

 rien de commun, et que par Tong-Hou, il faut entendre avec les 



uncle married the vacant widow, who, after death, reverted to her first husband in the next world, 

 thus solving a knotty point raised in our own Scriptures. Like the Hhmg-nu, they despised the 

 old and feeble. Their chiefs were not hereditary, but were chosen for their martial, judicial, and 

 administrative qualities. (Here, again, is a point in which they differ from the Hiung-nu, and, 

 as we shall see when we come to the history of the Cathayans, this quality gradually developed 

 them into a pure repbublic with a president and perhaps a vicepresident.) Each community of a 

 few hnndrtd or a thousand tents had its own chief, and, in the absence of writing, orders were 

 transmitted by notched pieces of wood, which were so well understood as to command instant 

 obedience. They had no continuous family names, but the personal names of valiant chiefs were 

 used as such. (As will appear later on, the Mujung, Tukuhun, and Toba dynasties all took their 

 names from vailant Tungusic chiefs.) From the chieftains downwards each man had his own 

 flocks and herds and managed his own property : no man served another. Their marriages 

 always began with clandestine ccmmerce and then capture of the woman. After from three to 

 six months a go-between was sent with presents of horses, oxen, or sheep as marriage gifts. The 

 son-in-law then returned to the wife's family, where every one offered salutations to him ; but 

 none were offered by him to the parents. After serving in the family for one or two years he 

 was escorted back with liberal gifts. The house and outfit belonged to the wife, who had her 

 own separate property and was consulted on all points except matters of war : hence the custom 

 of counting genealogies from the mother's side. Father and son, males and femals, all squatted 

 about without ceremony in each other's presence and cut the hair short for convenience sake ; but 

 when a marriageable age was attained the hair was allowed to grow and was parted and done up 

 into a top-knot, over which a gay bonnet with pendants was worn. 



" They watch when the birds and beasts bring forth in order to time themselves to the 

 ,, seasons, and judge from the cry of certain birds when it is time to plant the grain. The land 

 „ grows millet of various kinds, and also a kind of rank grass with a fruit like the mallow, which 

 ,, ripens at the end of November. They make a sort of small beer, but have to get Chinese yeast 

 „ for making fermented spirits. They manufacture bows, arrows, saddles, and bridles, fashion 

 „ metals into weapons, etc., whilst the women work patterns into leather, weave cloths, and 

 „ press felts. They have no khowledge of acupuncture or drugs : sick people are treated with 

 „ the moxa or by bleeding, the application of heated stones or earth, invocations to the unseen 

 „ powers, and so on. It is considered noblest to die in battle. Corpses are enshrouded and placed 

 „ in. coffins. After death lamentations are made, but singing and dancing take place at the 

 „ funeral, when the horse, clothes, and ornaments used by the deceased are all burnt, together 

 „ with fattened dogs brought as presents and led along by gay cords, in order that they may go 

 „ with him : the dogs are considered of special importance, as they are supposed to conduct the 

 „ soul back to the Red Mountain which is several thousand li north-west of Liao (say 1,000 

 „ miles by ordinary road, which would place it in Barin or Korchin land). On the day of the 

 ,, funeral the relatives and intimates assemble at night-time and sit in a circle. The dogs and 

 „ horses are led past the seated people, whilst one or two of the weepers or singers throw food to 

 „ them, and two men pronounce an incantation, so that the soul may pass, unmolested by ghouls, 

 „ to the Red Mountain : then horses, dogs, and clothes are burnt. They have great awe of ghosts 

 „ and spirits. They worship Heaven, Earth, the sun, moon, plants, mountains, valleys, and 

 „ such deceased chieftains as have left a valiant name behind : burnt sacrifices of oxen and sheep 

 „ are made to them : A thank-offering is always made before eating or drinking. By their 

 „ customary laws death is the penalty for disobeying a head chief's commands, or for persistent 

 „ robbery. Tribes avenge their own murders, and if the feud goes on indefinitely the head 

 ,, chief is asked to arrange it. Oxen and sheep are accepted from offender as composition for life 



