1865.] Religion &c. among the Karens. 215 
paddy; and they say, because it is ‘‘ holy water,” the paddy being 
wet by it will be good and abundant. 
In all these ceremonies women are carefully excluded, except in 
participating of the “ holy water.” 
The four elders that are called “ the heads of the sacrifice”’ or priests, 
have special names or titles given them to distinguish their office. 
The first is called Deu-sai, 7. e. Lord of the village. 
» second ,, ,, Pghai-sen, ,, The Messenger. 
» third ,, ,, Ywa-san, ,, Keeper of the village. 
» fourth ,, ,, Sa-kai, », Signification uncertain. 
These offices are strictly hereditary. The fathers of the present 
occupants held them, and their places, when they die, will be held by 
their sons. 
When the priests officiate, they have embroidered tunics given them 
by the people. Sometimes they are embroidered with silk, and often 
with red silk, and are made longer than ordinary garments. The 
people give them also ear knobs and beads, and think that it is very 
meritorious to do so. 
Some villages offer a cow or bullock instead of a hog, and one of 
the Mopaha villages near Toungoo were always in the habit of seek- 
ing a black bullock for sacrifice. Their desire was for one perfectly 
black, without a single white or red hair on it; and for such an 
animal they would give almost any price. 
Gopprss or tHE Harvest. 
Another distinguished character is an old woman called grandmother 
Bie-yau, who presides over the paddy. She seems, from the account 
given of her first appearance, to have been originally a serpent, and is 
now a widow. : 
“Tt is said, that in former times, a certain person cultivated paddy, 
and grandmother Bie-yau with her husband took the form of two 
pythons and wound themselves around his pile of paddy, when the 
paddy increased enormously. The owner of the paddy ignorantly 
killed the male snake and the female ran away, but she cursed him 
saying: ‘We came in compassion and helped thee with so much 
paddy, and thou hast killed us! May thy three barns of paddy last 
only three months!’ His paddy was done in three months, and the 

