﻿AMONG 
  THE 
  HILL 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  BURMA 
  

  

  319 
  

  

  GAUNGTO 
  WOMEN 
  OE 
  EOIEONG 
  VILLAGE 
  

  

  Note 
  the 
  leg-rings 
  inserted 
  in 
  rattan 
  garters. 
  The 
  weight 
  of 
  these 
  rings 
  frequently 
  

   makes 
  it 
  so 
  difficult 
  for 
  the 
  wearers 
  to 
  get 
  about 
  that 
  they 
  use 
  sticks 
  for 
  support. 
  The 
  

   members 
  of 
  another 
  tribe 
  wear 
  tightly 
  coiled 
  brass 
  rings 
  around 
  their 
  necks, 
  adding 
  one 
  and 
  

   another 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  until 
  their 
  necks 
  are 
  elongated 
  like 
  a 
  fowl 
  and 
  they 
  cannot 
  move 
  

   them 
  (see 
  illustrations, 
  pages 
  296, 
  298, 
  and 
  307). 
  Note 
  the 
  babies 
  on 
  their 
  mothers' 
  backs. 
  

  

  hands, 
  and 
  chew 
  all 
  night 
  long. 
  At 
  day- 
  

   break 
  they 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  village, 
  and 
  the 
  

   result 
  is 
  inspected 
  by 
  the 
  elders 
  to 
  the 
  

   sound 
  of 
  castanets 
  and 
  a 
  peculiar 
  kind 
  of 
  

   bassoon 
  made 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  buffalo 
  horn. 
  It 
  

   is 
  believed 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  open 
  their 
  eyes 
  

   their 
  teeth 
  will 
  take 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  what- 
  

   ever 
  their 
  sight 
  falls 
  on. 
  That 
  is 
  why 
  

   they 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  jungle 
  ; 
  their 
  minds 
  might 
  

   be 
  distracted 
  from 
  the 
  chewing 
  in 
  the 
  

   village. 
  

  

  The 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  Karen 
  tribesmen 
  of 
  

   these 
  hills 
  form 
  much 
  smaller 
  groups, 
  but 
  

   they 
  all 
  have 
  their 
  distinctive 
  patois, 
  due, 
  

   ♦ 
  no 
  doubt, 
  to 
  the 
  detestably 
  rugged 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  STRANGE 
  MARRIAGE 
  CUSTOMS 
  

  

  And 
  they 
  all, 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  women, 
  have 
  

   their 
  distinctive 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  dress. 
  

   These 
  are 
  far 
  beyond 
  the 
  complexities 
  of 
  

   rowing 
  or 
  lawn-tennis 
  ''blazers," 
  and 
  it 
  

   would 
  need 
  a 
  stamp-collector 
  or 
  the 
  com- 
  

  

  piler 
  of 
  a 
  biographical 
  dictionary 
  to 
  cata- 
  

   logue 
  them 
  all. 
  

  

  One 
  thing, 
  however, 
  is 
  common 
  to 
  

   them 
  all, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  strictness 
  of 
  their 
  

   rules 
  of 
  endogamy. 
  Only 
  cousins 
  or 
  only 
  

   the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  certain 
  groups 
  of 
  vil- 
  

   lages 
  may 
  intermarry, 
  and 
  contracts 
  of 
  

   the 
  kind 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  approved, 
  and 
  are 
  

   usually 
  arranged, 
  by 
  the 
  elders 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  village. 
  

  

  As 
  soon 
  as 
  a 
  boy 
  has 
  reached 
  the 
  age 
  

   of 
  puberty 
  he 
  has 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  live 
  with 
  the 
  

   other 
  unmarried 
  youths 
  in 
  a 
  barrack 
  

   called 
  the 
  Litbyo 
  Haw, 
  the 
  Bachelor 
  Hall, 
  

   which 
  may 
  be 
  outside 
  the 
  village, 
  but 
  is 
  

   usually 
  in 
  one 
  corner 
  of 
  it. 
  There 
  he 
  

   stays 
  until 
  he 
  is 
  married, 
  and 
  must 
  not 
  

   enter 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  his 
  parents 
  or 
  talk 
  to 
  

   any 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  women 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  

   until 
  that 
  time 
  (see 
  page 
  310). 
  

  

  The 
  limitations 
  of 
  possible 
  alliances 
  

   are 
  so 
  considerable 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  

   there 
  are 
  many 
  doddering 
  bachelors 
  in 
  

  

  