1866.] Social Customs of the Karens. 11 



" Father of swiftness." If he is a good shot with a bow and arrow, 

 he is called " Father of shooting." When a girl is clever to contrive, 

 she is named " Mother of contrivance." If she be ready to talk, 

 she becomes " Mother of talk." 



Sometimes the name is given from the personal appearance. Thus, 

 a very white girl is called " Mother of white cotton ; " and another, 

 of an elegant form, is named " Mother of the pheasant." 



Occasionally, the name refers to locality. Thus, one living near the 

 Sitang, is " Father of the Sitang ;" and another, on the borders of 

 the Thoukyekhat, is " Father of the Thoukyekhat." 



Frequently a second name is given without " father" or " mother" 

 being attached to it. Thus, a handsome young person is denominated 

 "Yellow-rising sun ;" and one with remarkably long hair, " Horse-tail." 



When a man is married, and has a child born to him, his name is 

 changed again to the father of that child. The mother's name is 

 changed in like manner. Thus, I have a Bghai writer called Shie-mo, 

 and his father is known as the " Father of Shie-mo ; and his mother, 

 as the " Mother of Shie-mo." 



Where there are two persons of the same name, they are distinguish- 

 ed by appending to their names the names of the villages where they 

 reside ; analagous to the Norman de followed by the name of a place. 



The Red Karen ceremonies, at the birth of a child, differ consider- 

 ably from those noted above. With them, after the child is three days 

 old, the time at which the mother is deemed convalescent and able to 

 walk out, a feast is made by the parents, and the house is open for all 

 to come and eat and drink who choose. All who come are treated as 

 brethren. After the feast, the mother takes the child in a wrapper, 

 on her back, and goes down out of the house. She is then supposed, 

 by a legal figment, to proceed to the paddy field, but in fact she goes 

 out a few yards, digs the ground a little with a hoe, or spade, pulls up 

 a few weeds, and returns to the house. These are symbolical acts, by 

 which the mother pledges herself to labour for the support of the child. 

 The mother next' carries her babe to the houses of her near relatives, 

 where the people visited present the child, if a boy, with silver or iron ; 

 if a girl, with beads, or a chicken, or a pig. 



After these preliminaries, the child is named ; often after some per- 

 son that has been visited who made handsome presents ; and always 



