THE HAINANESE MIAO 



41 



and breaking his legs. In reverse order, when you leave you 

 toil up a hill. That is the plan of all the villages — built in 

 a valley between high hills, and near a stream. Doubtless 

 two factors cause this choice of location — one the need of 

 water and one the protection from robbers that the in- 

 accessible position affords. 





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Miao Village. 



The villages vary in size from six or eight houses to 

 forty or fifty. White-water-tail, an average sized village, 

 has I think about twenty houses. The villages are loosely 

 organized under two or three head men, one of whom looks 

 after taxes or rents of fields if any have to be paid, and one 

 of whom is charged with welcoming any guests and looking 

 after any strangers who come. Hainanese trader, European 

 explorer or Christian missionary, woe betide you if you do not 

 go to this head man's house when you first arrive, otherwise 

 you will find it impossible to obtain food and shelter in the 

 village. These men seem to be chosen by common consent 

 when a village is built and apparently hold office as long 

 as the village remains in that location, barring unusual con- 

 ditions. If new families join a village, it must be with the 

 consent of both villages concerned. 



When the site of a village has been selected, the houses 

 are set down wherever the builder chooses to put them, 

 so in very few villages are there anything like straight lanes 

 between the houses. (Streets would be kx> much of a 

 misnomer to use in this connection). As the houses are 

 built, curving, twisting, snake-like paths develop between 



