﻿AMONG 
  THE 
  HILL 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  BURMA 
  

  

  309 
  

  

  A 
  KEKAWNGDU 
  DRUM 
  DANCE 
  I 
  BURMA 
  

  

  The 
  man 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  tom-tom 
  strikes 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  measure. 
  The 
  man 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  of 
  him 
  

   ducks 
  through 
  between 
  beats. 
  Success 
  means 
  a 
  beaker 
  of 
  spirit 
  at 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  striker. 
  

   Failure, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  clout, 
  means 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  to 
  stand 
  the 
  drink. 
  The 
  Kekawngdu 
  

   occupy 
  a 
  tract 
  of 
  150 
  square 
  miles 
  and 
  are 
  excellent 
  agriculturists 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  317). 
  

  

  with 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  compass-like 
  action, 
  and 
  thrown 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  black 
  cloth 
  with 
  red 
  

  

  tassels, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Taungthu. 
  The 
  

  

  could 
  not 
  run, 
  no 
  matter 
  what 
  the 
  urgency 
  

   might 
  be. 
  Moreover, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  for 
  

   them 
  to 
  sit 
  down, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  do 
  at 
  

   market 
  stalls 
  or 
  to 
  spin, 
  they 
  stretch 
  their 
  

   legs 
  straight 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  them. 
  This, 
  to 
  

   the 
  Shan 
  and 
  Burmese 
  mind, 
  is 
  highly 
  in- 
  

   decorous, 
  for 
  with 
  them 
  the 
  first 
  law 
  in 
  

   society 
  manners 
  is 
  to 
  hide 
  the 
  feet. 
  

  

  Silver 
  earrings, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  so 
  large 
  

   as 
  to 
  be 
  better 
  called 
  ear-cylinders, 
  are 
  

   worn, 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  jauntily 
  

  

  general 
  effect 
  is 
  picturesque 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  

   really 
  attractive, 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  a 
  not 
  un- 
  

   common 
  meaty 
  odor. 
  

  

  UXCOXOUERED 
  BY 
  BURMESE. 
  KARENS 
  

   QUICKLY 
  YIELD 
  TO 
  BRITISH 
  

  

  The 
  Burmans 
  were 
  never 
  able 
  to 
  over- 
  

   come 
  the 
  Red 
  Karens, 
  though 
  they 
  made 
  

   several 
  definite 
  attempts. 
  When 
  the 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  Karen-ni 
  teak 
  timber 
  became 
  

  

  