1865.] Religion &c. among the Karens. 215 



paddy ; and they say, because it is " holy water," the paddy being 

 wet by it will be good and abundant. 



In all these ceremonies women are carefully excluded, except in 

 participating of the " holy water." 



The four elders that are called " the heads of the sacrifice" or priests, 

 have special names or titles given them to distinguish their office. 

 The first is called Deu-sai, i. e. Lord of the village. 

 „ second ,, ,, Pghai-sen, ,, The Messenger. 

 „ third ,, ,, Ywa-san, ,, Keeper of the village. 

 ,, fourth ,, ,, Sa-kai, ,, Signification uncertain. 



These offices are strictly hereditary. The fathers of the present 

 occupants held them, and their places, when they die, will be held by 

 their sons. 



"When the priests officiate, they have embroidered tunics given them 

 by the people. Sometimes they are embroidered with silk, and often 

 with red silk, and are made longer than ordinary garments. The 

 people give them also ear knobs and beads, and think that it is very 

 meritorious to do so. 



Some villages offer a cow or bullock instead of a hog, and one of 

 the Mopaha villages near Toungoo were always in the habit of seek- 

 ing a black bullock for sacrifice. Their desire was for one perfectly 

 black, without a single white or red hair on it ; and for such an 

 animal they would give almost any price. 



GrODDESS OP THE HARVEST. 



Another distinguished character is an old woman called grandmother 

 Bie-yau, who presides over the paddy. She seems, from the account 

 given of her first appearance, to have been originally a serpent, and is 

 now a widow. 



" It is said, that in former times, a certain person cultivated paddy, 

 and grandmother Bie-yau with her husband took the form of two 

 pythons and wound themselves around his pile of paddy, when the 

 paddy increased enormously. The owner of the paddy ignorantly 

 killed the male snake and the female ran away, but she cursed him 

 saying : ' We came in compassion and helped thee with so much 

 paddy, and thou hast killed us ! May thy three barns of paddy last 

 only three months V His paddy was done in three months, and the 



