﻿AMONG 
  THE 
  HILL 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  BURMA 
  

  

  315 
  

  

  their 
  pigs, 
  oxen, 
  and 
  buffaloes 
  below 
  

   their 
  houses, 
  which 
  stand 
  on 
  piles. 
  They 
  

   have 
  quantities 
  of 
  timber, 
  so 
  their 
  houses 
  

   are 
  much 
  more 
  generally 
  of 
  wood 
  than 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Shans, 
  farther 
  north. 
  Like 
  

   them, 
  they 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  thatch, 
  and 
  

   the 
  eaves 
  come 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  floor 
  level 
  ; 
  

   consequently 
  they 
  are 
  almost 
  pitch-dark 
  

   (see 
  pages 
  310 
  and 
  314). 
  

  

  BURNING 
  ALONE: 
  SPRING-CLEANS 
  A 
  

  

  KAREN-NI 
  HOUSE 
  . 
  , 
  r 
  

  

  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  houses 
  are 
  solid 
  and 
  

   last 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  is 
  rather 
  a 
  disadvantage. 
  

   One 
  visit 
  to 
  a 
  Karen-ni 
  house 
  usually 
  

   satisfies 
  the 
  most 
  curious. 
  He 
  makes 
  for 
  

   his 
  tent 
  afterward 
  and 
  scratches 
  himself 
  

   spaciously. 
  If 
  you 
  travel 
  in 
  these 
  hills, 
  

   take 
  a 
  tent 
  with 
  you 
  and 
  pitch 
  it 
  outside 
  

   the 
  village. 
  Burning 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  satis- 
  

   factory 
  way 
  of 
  spring-cleaning 
  a 
  Karen- 
  

   ni 
  house. 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  have 
  feasts, 
  which 
  consist 
  

   mainly 
  in 
  gorging 
  on 
  fowls 
  and 
  pigs, 
  and 
  

   much 
  drinking 
  of 
  spirits. 
  They 
  have 
  

   dances; 
  the 
  most 
  energetic 
  is 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  

   die-away 
  Maypole 
  figure. 
  

  

  The 
  latter-day 
  Red 
  Karen 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  

   listless 
  person. 
  Those 
  who 
  are 
  not 
  steal 
  

   elephants 
  and 
  other 
  people's 
  property 
  

   generally, 
  and 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  suppressed. 
  

  

  This 
  apathy 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  born 
  

   with 
  them. 
  When 
  a 
  Karen-ni 
  child 
  is 
  

   born 
  the 
  mother 
  takes 
  the 
  baby 
  in 
  her 
  

   arms, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  she 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  walk 
  down 
  

   the 
  sloping 
  board 
  with 
  nicks 
  in 
  it 
  which 
  

   constitutes 
  the 
  staircase 
  (see 
  page 
  299), 
  

   and 
  gets 
  a 
  mattock 
  from 
  under 
  the 
  house. 
  

   With 
  this 
  she 
  hoes 
  up 
  a 
  little 
  ground. 
  

   This 
  is 
  to 
  impress 
  upon 
  the 
  infant 
  that 
  it 
  

   will 
  have 
  to 
  work 
  for 
  its 
  living. 
  

  

  The 
  children 
  do 
  not 
  get 
  a 
  good 
  start. 
  

   They 
  are 
  fed 
  with 
  liquor 
  from 
  their 
  ear- 
  

   liest 
  years. 
  If 
  a 
  mother 
  is 
  too 
  zealous 
  at 
  

   hoeing 
  the 
  fields 
  to 
  find 
  time 
  to 
  suckle 
  her 
  

   infant, 
  she 
  takes 
  a 
  mouthful 
  of 
  liquor 
  and 
  

   feeds 
  it 
  from 
  her 
  own 
  lips. 
  

  

  The 
  taking 
  of 
  photographs 
  was 
  by 
  no 
  

   means 
  an 
  easy 
  matter 
  in 
  the 
  earliest 
  days 
  

   of 
  the 
  British 
  occupation. 
  It 
  was 
  looked 
  

   on 
  as 
  white 
  magic, 
  and 
  the 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  

   camera, 
  and 
  more 
  particularly 
  of 
  the 
  fo- 
  

   cussing 
  cloth, 
  was 
  enough 
  to 
  send 
  all 
  the 
  

   women 
  scuttling 
  off 
  into 
  the 
  jungle 
  or 
  

   into 
  the 
  black 
  darkness 
  of 
  their 
  homes. 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  no 
  one 
  is 
  altogether 
  free 
  from 
  

  

  semiconsciousness 
  when 
  being 
  formally 
  

   photographed, 
  but 
  of 
  these 
  tribes 
  the 
  

   Padaungs 
  are 
  the 
  least 
  affected 
  and 
  the 
  

   least 
  unwilling 
  to 
  have 
  their 
  likenesses 
  

   taken. 
  They 
  are 
  remarkable 
  because 
  of 
  

   the 
  extraordinary 
  collar 
  worn 
  by 
  the 
  

   women. 
  Even 
  in 
  Burmese 
  days, 
  Padaung 
  

   women, 
  or 
  Kekawngdu, 
  as 
  they 
  call 
  

   themselves, 
  were 
  taken 
  down 
  to 
  Manda- 
  

   lay 
  to 
  be 
  gazed 
  at 
  by 
  the 
  Great 
  King 
  of 
  

   Righteousness 
  and 
  the 
  dwellers 
  in 
  the 
  

   palace. 
  They 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  on 
  show 
  at 
  

   all 
  vice-regal 
  and 
  less 
  notable 
  durbars, 
  

   and 
  are 
  quite 
  as 
  much 
  accustomed 
  to, 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  snap-shotted 
  as 
  actresses 
  or 
  political 
  

   leaders 
  (see 
  illustration, 
  page 
  298). 
  

  

  The 
  women's 
  neckband 
  is 
  of 
  brass 
  rod, 
  

   as 
  thick 
  as 
  the 
  little 
  finger, 
  commencing 
  

   with 
  a 
  wide 
  base 
  on 
  the 
  shoulder-blades 
  

   and 
  reaching 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  chin. 
  Little 
  girls 
  

   begin 
  with 
  them 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  possible, 
  and 
  

   five 
  rings 
  are 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  

   can 
  manage,, 
  but 
  the 
  neck 
  is 
  kept 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  on 
  the 
  stretch, 
  until 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   limit 
  of 
  twenty 
  - 
  one 
  coils 
  is 
  reached. 
  

   Twenty-five 
  : 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  record. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the' 
  neck, 
  fastened 
  

   through 
  the 
  main 
  coil, 
  is 
  a 
  circlet 
  of 
  

   rings, 
  about 
  double 
  the 
  diameter 
  of 
  those 
  

   used 
  for 
  curtains. 
  The 
  inevitable 
  sug- 
  

   gestion 
  is 
  that 
  these 
  are 
  .used 
  for 
  tying 
  

   the 
  ladies 
  up 
  when 
  occasion 
  seems 
  to 
  re- 
  

   quire 
  5 
  it. 
  Inquiry 
  of 
  the 
  Kekawngdu 
  has 
  

   not 
  so 
  far 
  resulted 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  answer. 
  

   They 
  all. 
  grin. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  men, 
  

   this 
  may 
  '* 
  mean 
  the 
  acceptance 
  of 
  a 
  hint, 
  

   or 
  a 
  tribute* 
  to 
  the 
  questioner's 
  acuteness. 
  

  

  THE 
  AVERAGE 
  WOMAN 
  WEARS 
  50 
  OR 
  60 
  

   \ 
  POUNDS 
  OP 
  BRASS 
  RODS 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  women, 
  a 
  glance 
  at 
  

   the 
  arm 
  appears 
  to 
  imply 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  

   on 
  both 
  arms 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  brass, 
  which 
  

   would 
  give 
  .a 
  clout 
  that 
  would 
  defy 
  coer- 
  

   cion, 
  for 
  they 
  have 
  ^siirtilar' 
  coils 
  of 
  brass 
  

   rod 
  on 
  the 
  legs 
  and 
  the 
  arms, 
  and 
  the 
  

   length 
  of 
  these 
  seems 
  only 
  limited 
  by 
  the 
  

   space 
  available 
  or 
  the 
  ability 
  of 
  the 
  

   household 
  to 
  pay 
  for 
  the 
  rod, 
  for 
  brass 
  is 
  

   very 
  expensive 
  (see 
  illustration, 
  p. 
  308). 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  weight 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  woman 
  is 
  fifty 
  or 
  sixty 
  pounds, 
  and 
  

   here 
  and 
  there 
  some 
  manage 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  

   seventy 
  or 
  even 
  eighty. 
  

  

  Burdened 
  with 
  this 
  weight, 
  they 
  hoe 
  

   the 
  fields, 
  carrv 
  water 
  for 
  domestic 
  use. 
  

  

  