﻿320 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  WITH 
  ALE 
  HIS 
  WORLDLY 
  GOODS 
  HE 
  HER 
  ENDOWS 
  

  

  The 
  unmarried 
  Bre 
  man 
  wears 
  a 
  pebble 
  necklace 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   handed 
  down 
  from 
  father 
  to 
  son 
  for 
  generations 
  ; 
  large 
  brass 
  rings 
  

   encircle 
  his 
  neck, 
  hang 
  from 
  his 
  ears, 
  and 
  are' 
  inserted 
  in 
  his 
  cotton 
  

   garters. 
  All 
  this 
  finery 
  goes 
  to 
  his 
  wife 
  when 
  he 
  gets 
  one. 
  The 
  

   husbands 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  matrons 
  were 
  evidently 
  well 
  provided 
  with 
  

   such 
  valuables 
  when 
  they 
  renounced 
  bachelorhood 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  318). 
  

  

  the 
  Bachelors' 
  Hall 
  and 
  plenty 
  of 
  aged 
  

   spinsters 
  without 
  a 
  home 
  of 
  their 
  own. 
  

  

  YOUTH 
  01' 
  15 
  SOMETIMES 
  TAKES 
  WOMAN 
  

   OE 
  70 
  EOR 
  BRIDE 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  occasions 
  on 
  which 
  lads 
  and 
  

   lassies 
  meet 
  are 
  at 
  marriage 
  feasts 
  and 
  at 
  

   wakes. 
  These 
  festivals 
  last 
  over 
  three 
  

   nights 
  and 
  are 
  veritahle 
  orgies, 
  with 
  great 
  

   excess 
  in 
  eating 
  and 
  drinking. 
  Both 
  

   sexes 
  are 
  well-seasoned 
  vessels, 
  since 
  they 
  

   begin 
  drinking 
  strong 
  drink 
  before 
  they 
  

   are 
  weaned 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  those 
  who 
  

   say 
  that 
  these 
  gatherings 
  are 
  as 
  scan- 
  

  

  dalous 
  as 
  the 
  agape 
  

   which 
  the 
  Council 
  of 
  

   Carthage 
  denounced 
  

   as 
  being 
  no 
  better 
  than 
  

   the 
  Parentalia 
  of 
  the 
  

   heathen. 
  

  

  This 
  limitation 
  of 
  

   marriages 
  to 
  near 
  re- 
  

   lations 
  results 
  quite 
  

   often 
  in 
  unions 
  where 
  

   husband 
  and 
  wife 
  are 
  

   of 
  very 
  unequal 
  age, 
  

   the 
  husband 
  fifteen, 
  

   the 
  wife 
  seventy, 
  or 
  

   the 
  other 
  way 
  about. 
  

  

  Punishment 
  for 
  

   marriage 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   clan 
  was 
  formerly 
  very 
  

   severe. 
  A 
  large 
  hole 
  

   was 
  dug 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  

   and 
  a 
  log 
  placed 
  across 
  

   it, 
  to 
  which 
  two 
  ropes 
  

   were 
  attached. 
  The 
  

   ends 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  

   noosed 
  round 
  the 
  necks 
  

   of 
  the 
  offending 
  pair. 
  

   They 
  were 
  then 
  made 
  

  

  f«3jEl 
  t0 
  J 
  um 
  P 
  mt0 
  tne 
  p^' 
  

   J&jK 
  and 
  so 
  hang 
  them* 
  

   JIIJB 
  selves. 
  

   *S*\«W 
  This 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  al- 
  

   * 
  lowed, 
  so 
  they 
  are 
  ex- 
  

   communicated 
  instead 
  

   and 
  never 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   enter 
  a 
  Karen 
  village 
  

   again. 
  The 
  two 
  vil- 
  

   lages 
  of 
  Kara 
  in 
  the 
  

   Nan-kwo 
  circle 
  are 
  

   said 
  to 
  be 
  inhabited 
  

   entirely 
  by 
  such 
  elop- 
  

   ing 
  couples. 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  Banyang 
  or 
  

   Banyok 
  Karens 
  are,of 
  

   all 
  the 
  clans 
  the 
  most 
  distressingly 
  rigid 
  

   in 
  their 
  endogamy. 
  Marriages 
  are 
  only 
  

   permissible 
  between 
  the 
  occupants 
  of 
  the 
  

   village, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  houses 
  is 
  under 
  

   a 
  dozen. 
  In 
  the 
  days 
  before 
  the 
  British 
  

   occupation 
  a 
  hill 
  official 
  called 
  a 
  Taung-sa 
  

   (literally 
  hill 
  eater) 
  made 
  an 
  annual 
  visit 
  

   to 
  the 
  village 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  there 
  should 
  be 
  

   at 
  least 
  one 
  marriage 
  in 
  a 
  twelve-month. 
  

   Neither 
  parents 
  nor 
  the 
  principals 
  were 
  

   consulted 
  ; 
  the 
  Taung-sa 
  simply 
  ordered 
  a 
  

   couple 
  to 
  be 
  married, 
  and 
  married 
  they 
  

   were, 
  just 
  as 
  a 
  man 
  might 
  be 
  summoned 
  

   to 
  serve 
  on 
  a 
  jury. 
  

  

  