﻿AMONG 
  THE 
  HILL 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  BURMA 
  

  

  321 
  

  

  They 
  were 
  all 
  officially 
  gazetted 
  alli- 
  

   ances, 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  and 
  the 
  Taung-sa's 
  

   fees 
  were 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  pots 
  of 
  

   liquor. 
  The 
  smallness 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  made 
  

   the 
  further 
  condition 
  that 
  the 
  bride 
  and 
  

   bridegroom 
  must 
  be 
  cousins, 
  less 
  trouble- 
  

   some 
  than 
  it 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  if 
  there 
  

   were 
  hundreds 
  of 
  houses 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  

   instead 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  ticked 
  

   off 
  on 
  the 
  fingers. 
  

  

  UNWILLING 
  BRIDEGROOMS 
  K£PT 
  UNDER 
  

   GUARD 
  

  

  The 
  neighboring 
  villagers 
  say 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  so 
  little 
  hint 
  of 
  inclination 
  in 
  the 
  

   matter 
  that 
  the 
  bridegroom 
  has 
  often 
  to 
  

   be 
  taken 
  by 
  force 
  to 
  the 
  bridal 
  chamber. 
  

   The 
  Taung-sa's 
  police 
  have 
  that 
  duty, 
  

   and 
  having 
  got 
  him 
  there 
  they 
  see 
  that 
  

   he 
  stays 
  for 
  three 
  days 
  and 
  three 
  nights. 
  

   The 
  village 
  always 
  provides 
  a 
  bridal 
  

   feast, 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  hard-drinking 
  

   kind. 
  It 
  may 
  be, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  

   seeming 
  want 
  of 
  gallantry 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  happy 
  man 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  incapacity 
  to 
  go 
  

   without 
  help, 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  reluctance 
  to 
  leave 
  

   while 
  any 
  drink 
  remains. 
  The 
  bride 
  

   carouses 
  by 
  herself 
  on 
  the 
  nuptial 
  couch. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  some 
  races 
  in 
  Australia 
  and 
  

   the 
  South 
  Seas 
  that 
  have 
  similar 
  rules, 
  

   but 
  their 
  endogamy 
  does 
  not 
  go 
  nearly 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  this. 
  The 
  Banyangs 
  have 
  no 
  

   laws 
  against 
  widows 
  remarrying. 
  They 
  

   must 
  do 
  so, 
  in 
  fact, 
  if 
  the 
  Taung-sa 
  hap- 
  

   pens 
  to 
  order 
  it. 
  Since 
  there 
  is 
  so 
  much 
  

   worry 
  in 
  marrying 
  the 
  people, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   surprising 
  to 
  hear 
  that 
  divorces 
  are 
  abso- 
  

   lutely 
  forbidden. 
  

  

  Deep 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  Paunglaung 
  Valley, 
  

   on 
  a 
  river 
  which 
  in 
  its 
  later 
  course 
  is 
  

   called 
  the 
  Sittang 
  and 
  flows 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  

   between 
  Rangoon 
  and 
  Moulmein, 
  is 
  a 
  

  

  clan 
  called 
  the 
  Mepu. 
  Its 
  members 
  are 
  

   classed 
  as 
  White 
  Karens 
  and 
  certainly 
  

   show 
  a 
  link 
  with 
  the 
  Sgaw 
  and 
  the 
  Pwo. 
  

   They 
  have 
  this 
  tradition 
  of 
  their 
  origin: 
  

  

  Hundreds 
  and 
  hundreds 
  of 
  years 
  ago 
  

   there 
  were 
  a 
  brother 
  and 
  sister 
  called 
  

   Lanyein 
  and 
  Among. 
  They 
  lived 
  at 
  Ela, 
  

   a. 
  village 
  in 
  the 
  Pyinmana 
  district 
  north 
  

   of 
  Toungoo. 
  They 
  had 
  a 
  magic 
  drum 
  

   which 
  supplied 
  them 
  with 
  anything 
  they 
  

   wanted 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  beaten. 
  One 
  day 
  

   Lanyein 
  gave 
  Among 
  half 
  a 
  porcupine. 
  

   Unfortunately 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  half 
  with 
  the 
  

   quills, 
  which 
  pricked 
  the 
  girl 
  in 
  the 
  hand, 
  

   and 
  she 
  was 
  very 
  angry. 
  

  

  To 
  revenge 
  herself, 
  she 
  told 
  her 
  

   brother 
  the 
  drum 
  needed 
  a 
  new 
  skin, 
  

   He 
  followed 
  her 
  advice, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  

   that 
  the 
  wish-drum 
  became 
  useless. 
  

  

  Lanyein 
  then 
  decided 
  he 
  must 
  go 
  away 
  

   elsewhere, 
  and 
  set 
  off 
  accordingly 
  without 
  

   telling 
  his 
  sister. 
  She 
  started 
  to 
  follow 
  

   him 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  later, 
  but 
  when 
  she 
  got 
  

   to 
  a 
  village 
  called 
  Maungla, 
  she 
  was 
  worn 
  

   out 
  and 
  stayed 
  there. 
  She 
  married 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  villagers 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  Mepu 
  

   clan 
  form 
  her 
  descendants. 
  

  

  Lanyein 
  walked 
  right 
  over 
  the 
  hills 
  

   into 
  China. 
  There 
  he 
  got 
  a 
  great 
  name 
  

   for 
  his 
  magical 
  powers, 
  and 
  in 
  time 
  was 
  

   chosen 
  Emperor 
  of 
  China, 
  Udibwa 
  (Egg- 
  

   born), 
  as 
  the 
  Burmese 
  and 
  Shans 
  call 
  

   that 
  potentate. 
  In 
  those 
  ancient 
  days 
  the 
  

   women 
  of 
  China 
  wore 
  brass 
  anklet 
  rings, 
  

   and 
  Lanyein 
  sent 
  his 
  sister 
  twelve 
  of 
  

   them 
  as 
  a 
  present. 
  They 
  were 
  so 
  much 
  

   admired 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  women 
  took 
  to 
  wear- 
  

   ing 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  tale 
  does 
  not 
  suggest 
  any 
  great 
  

   imagination 
  or 
  narrative 
  power, 
  but 
  it 
  

   does 
  hint 
  at 
  the 
  original 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  

   Karens. 
  

  

  Notice 
  of 
  change 
  of 
  address 
  of 
  your 
  Geographic 
  Magazine 
  should 
  be 
  received 
  

   in 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Society 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  to 
  affect 
  

   the 
  follozving 
  month's 
  issue. 
  For 
  instance, 
  if 
  you 
  desire 
  the 
  address 
  changed 
  for 
  

   your 
  May 
  number, 
  the 
  Society 
  should 
  be 
  notified 
  of 
  your 
  new 
  address 
  not 
  later 
  

   than 
  April 
  first. 
  

  

  