1865.] Religion &c. among the Karens. 223 



Feticism. 



The Karens, in some of their observances, come very near to the 

 worship of " stocks and stones." Many keep stones in their houses 

 that they suppose possess miraculous powers, and which seem to re- 

 present the household gods of the ancients. 



A Bghai writes : 



" The elders say : Some stones are possessed of superhuman powers, 

 and if we possess them, we shall succeed in our undertakings, and 

 obtain a sufficiency of food. If we possess bat a little, that little will 

 not be expended by using, but will always be enough to supply our 

 wants. 



" Some stones are called paddy stones, because those who possess 

 them, obtain good crops of paddy. Some stones are said to make us 

 invulnerable ; so that when javelins are thrown at us, spears thrust 

 against us, or blows aimed at us with swords, we shall not be hit ; or 

 if hit, they will not enter our flesh. 



" These stones crave blood. If we do not give them blood to eat, 

 they will sometimes eat us. So people kill hogs and fowls, and then 

 pour the blood into a vessel, and put the stones into the blood. 



" If the stones are thrown away, after a considerable time, they 

 will be sometimes found to have come back again to their old accus- 

 tomed places. 



" In a village of thirty families, perhaps ten will have these stones; 

 but in some villages nearly every family will have them. They are 

 sometimes bought and sold, and those that are reputed good ones, 

 will sell at from thirty to fifty rupees. Some that have been in a 

 family a long time, the owners dare not sell. If a stone is sold at 

 less than its real value, or is stolen, it will return to its former owner. 



" We have heard that the inhabitants of the village of Deu-mu-kha 

 had a number of stones, the principal one of which they called 

 Lwai. No one dared to touch or even look on these stones, excepting 

 the officiating priests in the sacrifices to the lord of the earth. They 

 had charge of the stones, and were called their lords or masters ; and 

 when a black bullock was sacrificed to the lord of the earth, a fowl 

 was sacrificed to these stones in the same place. 



" It is said that the Burmese on one occasion made an attack on 



