Читать книгу Soo Thah: A Tale of the Making of the Karen Nation - Alonzo Bunker - Страница 12

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THE story of Soo Thah's youth and early education would be incomplete were we to omit the more solemn feasts and blood-feuds or tribal wars of his people. In fact these were the most important factors in his education, as a heathen lad.

The fact has been noticed that the Karens do not worship idols, but fear and try to propitiate nats, or demons as they are called in the New Testament. Among these tribes, which are numerous in northern India, southern and eastern Thibet, western China and throughout Burma, there are distinct traces of the ancient worship of Jehovah. As we have seen, some of these tribes have a tradition of God under the name of Yuah. Now this name is apparently the same in its root as Jehovah, or Jah, the memorial name of God among the Hebrews. And besides, the Karens have quite circumstantial traditions concerning the creation of the world, the fall of man, the expulsion from a garden, and the subsequent sinfulness of the race, which substantially agree with the Bible accounts of these events.

Once in three years the tribe to which Soo Thah belonged met in a solemn feast, wherein all quarrels were settled, offenders rebuked, and children instructed in the virtues of respect to parents and elders, industry and honesty. This tribe had a priesthood which was hereditary. The full number of priests were four, the eldest being high priest, and their office was for life, or as long as they maintained a good character. When one of the priests died, the elders assembled in council to decide to whom the vacant office belonged by inheritance; and when this was determined, the preparation began for installing him into his office.

Earrings, a headband of silver, a richly ornamented suit of clothes, and a silver-mounted sword were secretly prepared. After this a chosen delegation took the gifts and went to the house of the proposed priest. One of the committee went ahead to ascertain if the candidate was at home, and if he was, the company surrounded the house, so that the man might not escape. This he must always feign to do. They then cast the presents before him. If he really desired to escape, he might possibly do so before the house was surrounded.

KAREN MISSION IN TOUNGOO.

If they did not find him at home, they laid wait for him either by the path approaching the house, or in the house itself. Sometimes one would climb up under the roof of the house and conceal himself until the man returned. When he appeared, the presents would suddenly fall at his feet. When once these gifts of the priest's office had been presented, he could not refuse to accept the life-position to which he had been chosen.

The elders appointed the time for the triennial feast, at which these priests were to officiate. They first notified all the surrounding tribes of their intention, and closed the roads to travel by tying grass and bushes across the path. If any one ventured to disregard this sign, and to enter the country of the tribe thus engaged, before the roads were opened again, it was counted lawful among these Hillmen to inflict any punishment upon him which the elders might pronounce, even death.

A committee selected the place of assembly in the jungle outside the village. This must have a large tree in the centre, and be carefully cleared of all brush. Booths were erected around it by the different families. The whole tribe was requested to be present during the exercises. Yet women were excluded from the clearing. They might, however, look on from the surrounding forests or hills.

When the space was cleared, a large elevated booth, or priests' house, and an altar were built of bamboo near the large tree. The altar was placed in front of the priests' house.

The young men now scattered in the forests in search of the tallest and best bamboos they could find, one for each village. There was much rivalry between the villages to see which would find the most perfect bamboo. When found, they were brought to the feast-ground with care, so as to receive no scar or injury, and with shouting and dancing were erected near the large tree.

In the meanwhile a large basket of bamboo had been woven. Mats also had been made in prettiest patterns, one for each priest. The offices for the weavers were hereditary. During these preparations, the elders had been in search of a sacrificial victim, which must be a black male pig, without spot or blemish, or perfect in every part. The pig having been found, it was bound, carried to the feast-ground and laid upon the altar. By this time all the men of the tribe had assembled. The young men had sought out the priests, seized them, and, with some show of resistance on their part, had carried them upon their shoulders to the house on the feast-ground, where they were seated upon the prepared mats.

Everything being ready, a proclamation was made by the priests to the assembled multitude, calling upon any one who had lived a blameless life for the last three years, to come forward and help judge the people. Then the judgment began. The high priest took a sharp knife and, standing before the bound pig, harangued the assembly in a loud voice. He warned them against all offences, and pronounced judgment upon offenders, indicating the infliction of judgments by cutting off an ear, or the tail of the pig, or by making gashes in different parts of its body. Finally, the animal was slain, as a type of what would befall the most incorrigible offenders, or those who would not repent and reform.

The pig was then cut into small pieces amid the shouting and dancing of the people, who also drank freely of rice whiskey, which had been prepared for the occasion. Each family then retired to its own booth, and a fowl, provided for the purpose, was killed (one for each family) by the head of the family. He then cut off the beak, the claws and the tips of the wings, which, with bits of the liver and heart, he made into a small bundle, wrapped in leaves. This he took to the priests, who placed all the bundles in the large basket that has been mentioned, over which prayers were offered to the nats.

Following this each head of the family took a new bucket and went to a clear, running stream, where one of the priests met him; and, standing in the water, filled his bucket for him. The water was then taken to the feast-ground and poured out before the altar.

The priest then gave to each man a piece of the pig, and all returned to their homes, where with certain ceremony they cooked the pork and fowl, and ate them with bitter herbs and rice flour. Every member of each family must partake of the feast without fail, and every one must declare the food to be pleasant to the taste, however unsavoury.

This done, all returned to the feast-ground again, each one taking with him a small stone, which was placed at the foot of the large tree. The priests, who had meanwhile been carried home by the young men, were now brought back in the same manner as before, again making a show of resistance for reasons which will appear. When all were once more assembled, the more serious part of the ceremonies began. The high priest, standing before the altar and pile of stones, boldly denounced the known offences of all present. Young men who were lazy, or had been dishonest, or disobedient to parents, or disrespectful to elders; thieves, and those who had committed graver offences were called out by name and stoutly rebuked.

"I came not here of my own free will," the priest declared. "You brought me here by force, and now listen to my rebukes. If you do not repent and reform, may these stones, which you have placed here, follow you all the year, and be witnesses against you. May they be thorns in your sides, and blast your lives, make you ill, or slay you." Having thus scored all offenders, the assembly broke up with shouting and dancing.

These stones formed no small part of the religious belief of the wild Karens. Many chiefs were great only because of the stones they possessed. Any stone of curious shape, and especially precious stones, were supposed to have miraculous power. It was indeed a species of stone worship.

Such solemn occasions had a great effect in moulding the character of one so quick to learn as Soo Thah, and did much to prepare him to receive the gospel, when he heard it, and to make him a brave and earnest preacher of the "glad tidings" in after years.