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APRIL, 1892.)
MISCELLANEA.
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rule the States. Their language is both spoken and written, and, like Chinese, is a tonal language. They are Buddhists in religion. Agriculture is their main oocupation, and rice the staple crop. It grows luxuriantly both in puddled land and on the hill slopes, yielding good crope.
The Shans are divided in the Northern Shan States into Northern Shans or Tainü, and Southern Shans or Taitaü. Northern Shåns are again divided into Tainu (Northern Shåns) and Tainark'am (Namkham Shåns) or Taika (Chinese Shans). The Tainü proper and the Taitai dress alike. The Taitaü are often also called Taileng (Red Shins). The Tainamk'am and the Taik'e dress mostly in dark blue (both men and women). The mode of living and habits of all classes are alike, the only difference between them being in dress and accent.
At birth no partioular ceremonies are performed. The mother is not secluded. No rules of diet are enforced on the woman during preg. nanoy; but the mother is for one month after the birth of a child forbidden the following,
(1) Bâmbhar flesh, (2) barking deer's flesh, (3) fish called puning, (5) oranges, (5) vermicelli, (6) seesamum oil, (7) pakkát (an edible fern) (8) p'almi (onion).
(9) makk'üsốm (tomato). The above articles of food are said not to agree with # newly-born infant. Immediately after child-birth, the mother has her stomach bandaged, and sits with her back exposed to a fire made of any wood, which, when punctured, does not exude any milk or gom. The woods generally used are,
(1) maipim (oak), (2) maikot, (3) maikok (tree fern). (4) maimeut,
(5) maikä' (chestnut). The mother is considered unclean for seven days, and before entering upon the duties of the household has to bathe and put on clean garments. Pine-wood (maipek) is burnt and the mother inhalee the smoke, and also inhales samongndk, which is said to prevent a rising of blood to the head, and so to prevent bleeding from the nose and mouth. Should the mother bleed from the mouth or nose, she is given a
decoction of turmeric or some monkey's blood. The husband observes no special diet during the pregnancy of his wife, or after her delivery, but it is considered undesirable that he should,
(1) drive pigs. (2) carry the dead. (3) bore holes. (4) fill in holes in the ground.
(5) mock others. After a month the child is bathed in water, into which, if the child is a boy, have been put silver, gold, precious stones, a 10-táld weight, a 5-told weight, a 2-told weight, and other standard weights down to t of a told. If the child is a girl, silver, gold, and all the ornaments of the female sex are put in the bath water. If the child is of well-to-do parents 11 tolds weight of gold is tied as a pendant round the child's neck, and if of poor people four annas weight of silver. The child is now named by one of the elders, who ties a cord, consisting of seven threade, round the wrist. The name is given in the following order :If a boy (son);
1st son = Ai. 2nd son = Ai Yi. 3rd son = Ai S'am. 4th son = Ai S'ai. 5th son =. Ai Ngo. 6th son = Ai Nok. 7th son = Ai Nu.
8th son = Ai Nai. If a girl (daughter);
Ist daughter = Nang Ye. 2nd daughter = Nang Yi. 3rd daughter = Nang Am. 4th daughter. = Nang Ai. 5th daughter = Nang 0. 6th daughter = Nang Ok.
7th danghter = Nang It.* These names are kept by both boys and girls, unless changed under the following conditions :
(1) It the boy enters a koyaung (Buddhist
monastery). (2) If after three or four years the child
(boy or girl) is renamed with a name
indicating the day of birth. (3) If illness supervenes, when the name is
changed in the following manner; A ceremony is performed by which the child is supposed to be exchanged for
.d aw in law. • Barmene samongnet = nigella sativa. · [The Burmese naming customs are simply those of
the Hindua borrowed direot from India, bence those primi. tive customs of the Shans are peculiarly interesting ED.)
