﻿AMONG 
  THE 
  HILL 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  BURMA 
  

  

  31' 
  

  

  and 
  go 
  long 
  distances 
  to 
  village 
  markets 
  

   to 
  sell 
  liquor. 
  They 
  brew 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  

   very 
  fiery 
  stuff 
  and 
  sell 
  it 
  to 
  most 
  of 
  their 
  

   neighbors, 
  carrying 
  it 
  in 
  flagons 
  made 
  of 
  

   woven 
  strips 
  of 
  bamboo 
  lacquered 
  over 
  

   with 
  wood-oil, 
  and 
  dispensed 
  in 
  goblets 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  manufacture. 
  

  

  The 
  cups 
  are 
  of 
  most 
  generous 
  size. 
  

   They 
  hold 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  pint, 
  and 
  those 
  

   not 
  trained 
  to 
  it 
  usually 
  become 
  noisy 
  

   after 
  one. 
  

  

  The 
  brass-collar 
  fashion 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  

   to 
  affect 
  the 
  women's 
  health. 
  There 
  are 
  

   plenty 
  of 
  active 
  old 
  crones 
  among 
  them 
  

   and 
  families 
  of 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  are 
  quite 
  

   common. 
  The 
  only 
  noticeable 
  effect 
  is 
  

   that 
  the 
  women 
  speak 
  as 
  if 
  some 
  one 
  had 
  

   them 
  tight 
  round 
  the 
  neck. 
  They 
  wear 
  

   colored 
  scarfs 
  twisted 
  into 
  the 
  hair, 
  

   jumper 
  coats 
  which 
  slip 
  over 
  the 
  head, 
  

   have 
  a 
  fashionable 
  V-shaped 
  front 
  and 
  

   back, 
  and 
  very 
  short 
  sleeves, 
  with 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  a 
  little 
  embroidery. 
  

   . 
  The 
  skirts 
  are 
  really 
  kilts, 
  stopping 
  

   above 
  the 
  knee 
  and 
  striped 
  red 
  and 
  blue. 
  

   The 
  necklaces 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  kind, 
  with 
  

   cornelians 
  and 
  other 
  stones, 
  coins, 
  and 
  

   beads. 
  

  

  The 
  men 
  are 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  picturesque. 
  

   Near 
  main 
  trade 
  routes 
  they 
  wear 
  the 
  

   baggy 
  trousers 
  and 
  short 
  coats 
  of 
  the 
  

   Shans. 
  The 
  remoter 
  villagers 
  wear 
  shorts 
  

   and 
  cane 
  leg-rings. 
  An 
  attempt 
  at 
  deco- 
  

   ration 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  anklets 
  made 
  of 
  

   shirt-buttons 
  and 
  kaleik 
  seeds 
  (the 
  white 
  

   seeds 
  of 
  a 
  herbaceous 
  plant), 
  and 
  every 
  

   man 
  carries 
  a 
  , 
  powder-and-shot 
  case 
  

   strapped 
  to 
  his 
  belt. 
  These 
  are 
  of 
  wicker- 
  

   work, 
  neatly 
  embroidered 
  with 
  brass 
  

   bosses 
  and 
  raised 
  scrollwork, 
  and 
  they 
  

   glitter 
  with 
  wood-oil 
  varnish. 
  

  

  GREAT 
  SKILL 
  SHOWN 
  IN 
  BUILDING 
  

   IRRIGATED 
  TERRACES 
  

  

  The 
  Kekawngdu 
  occupy 
  a 
  tract 
  cover- 
  

   ing, 
  perhaps, 
  150 
  square 
  miles. 
  They 
  are 
  

   zealous 
  agriculturists. 
  Every 
  available 
  

   nook 
  of 
  the 
  valleys 
  is 
  terraced 
  for 
  irriga- 
  

   tion, 
  which 
  is 
  carried 
  out 
  with 
  great 
  skill 
  

   and 
  eye 
  for 
  contour. 
  They 
  grow 
  a 
  good 
  

   deal 
  of 
  cotton 
  and 
  make 
  their 
  clothes 
  of 
  

   it. 
  The 
  average 
  height 
  of 
  their 
  country 
  

   is 
  between 
  three 
  and 
  four 
  thousand 
  feet, 
  

   with 
  peaks 
  rising 
  to 
  five 
  thousand. 
  Their 
  

   roads 
  are 
  well 
  aligned, 
  fairly 
  broad, 
  and 
  

   much 
  used, 
  and 
  are 
  considered 
  very 
  good 
  

  

  by 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  been 
  traveling 
  over 
  

   other 
  hill-roads, 
  though 
  a 
  bicycle 
  would 
  

   have 
  to 
  be 
  carried 
  for 
  three 
  miles 
  in 
  every 
  

   four. 
  

  

  Pack 
  bullocks 
  are 
  kept 
  and 
  caravans 
  

   go 
  down 
  to 
  Toungoo 
  on 
  the 
  railway. 
  On 
  

   the 
  whole, 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  best 
  

   of 
  the 
  hill 
  races 
  in 
  this 
  neighborhood, 
  and 
  

   they 
  have 
  great 
  game 
  drives 
  with 
  trained 
  

   dogs 
  (see 
  pages 
  296, 
  298, 
  302, 
  and 
  307-9) 
  . 
  

  

  Some 
  authorities 
  have 
  doubts 
  as 
  to 
  

   whether 
  they 
  are 
  Karens 
  and 
  want 
  to 
  

   place 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  Mon-hkmer 
  group. 
  

   Their 
  language, 
  however, 
  has 
  many 
  simi- 
  

   larities 
  with 
  Taungthu. 
  

  

  MALIGNANT 
  SPIRITS 
  ARE 
  SEDULOUSLY 
  

   WORSHIPED 
  

  

  Like 
  all 
  their 
  neighbors, 
  they 
  are 
  spirit- 
  

   worshipers, 
  and 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  their 
  divin- 
  

   ities 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  for 
  all. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  spirits 
  are 
  bad,- 
  some 
  indif- 
  

   ferent, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  amiable. 
  The 
  malignant 
  

   ones 
  are 
  sedulously 
  worshiped 
  with 
  sac- 
  

   rifices, 
  the 
  others 
  only 
  at 
  moments 
  of 
  

   leisure 
  or 
  expansiveness, 
  after 
  surplus 
  

   liquor 
  has 
  been 
  consumed. 
  

  

  Some 
  distance 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   Padaung 
  country 
  — 
  with 
  the 
  small 
  Red 
  

   Karen 
  State 
  of 
  Nawngpalai 
  interven- 
  

   ing 
  — 
  is 
  the 
  Bre 
  tract. 
  

  

  Their 
  country 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  charac- 
  

   ter 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Padaungs. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  

   much 
  more 
  emphatic 
  jumble 
  of 
  hills, 
  very 
  

   high 
  and 
  steep, 
  with 
  exceedingly 
  narrow 
  

   valleys 
  in 
  between. 
  

  

  The 
  dress 
  of 
  the 
  Bre 
  men 
  is 
  more 
  dis- 
  

   tinctive 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Padaungs. 
  They 
  

   wear 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  very 
  short 
  trousers, 
  striped 
  

   red 
  and 
  white, 
  and 
  tied 
  at 
  the 
  waist 
  with 
  

   a 
  bit 
  of 
  string. 
  A 
  blanket 
  of 
  coarse 
  cotton 
  

   cloth 
  serves 
  for 
  a 
  coat, 
  and 
  their 
  long 
  

   black 
  hair 
  is 
  tied 
  into 
  a 
  knot, 
  just 
  over 
  

   the 
  right 
  temple, 
  and 
  the 
  rest, 
  apparently 
  

   never 
  combed, 
  hangs 
  over 
  the 
  shoulders 
  

   and 
  face. 
  On 
  their 
  legs 
  they 
  wear 
  cotton 
  

   circlets 
  below 
  the 
  knee, 
  with 
  brass 
  rings 
  

   to 
  keep 
  the 
  coils 
  apart. 
  Many 
  of 
  them 
  

   also 
  wear 
  necklets 
  or 
  torques 
  of 
  brass. 
  

  

  The 
  dress 
  of 
  the 
  women 
  varies 
  for 
  the 
  

   three 
  groups, 
  but 
  the 
  differences 
  are 
  not 
  

   great. 
  The 
  chief 
  garment 
  is 
  a 
  gaberdine 
  

   called 
  thin 
  d 
  aing 
  by 
  the 
  Burmese, 
  perhaps 
  

   more 
  like 
  a 
  poncho, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  slipped 
  

   over 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  has 
  either 
  rudimen- 
  

   tary 
  sleeves 
  or 
  none 
  at 
  all. 
  They 
  also 
  

  

  