Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/720

 4 1 o The Cult of the Door aviongst the Miao.

is being offered he is not allowed to participate. He is given his evening meal and sent to sleep in the loft. When younger sons married and built separate huts, the father, or, if he were deceased, the eldest son, went to their homes to initiate them into the sacred cult. The reason given for the sacrifice is that the door has the power to keep away illness, evil spirits, and hostile influences of every description. There is an idea too, though it is of the vaguest possible nature, that in some inde- terminate way a divinity or guardian spirit is connected with the door. A sorcerer informs me that the reason why the offal is buried at the door is as follows : Many generations ago the Miao were great hunters, but indigent. A member of a family being ill, a pig was required to sacrifice to the door. Thereupon a small pig was stolen, sacrificed and eaten. In order that no traces of the pig might be discovered the bristles, etc., were buried and the participants cleansed their mouths and hands over the fire so that there would be no odour ! Though I record this I attach no importance to it. Another story which seeks to explain the origin of the custom states that a long long while ago, a youth enticed a girl to come to be his wife. Dark- ness overtook them before they reached home, and they stayed in a wayside booth to which there was no door. While the youth slept a tiger came and allured the maiden to go and marry him. (Tigers as men figure in several Miao folklore.) When the youth awoke the girl couldn't be found. It was thus that man realized how important the door is. The youth returned to his home and thenceforth sacrificed to his door so that it would keep away the tiger and evil influences of every description. The " Hmao-tang " family asseverate that when an offering is made the door is opened three times to let in good influences, and closed three times to keep away wild animals and malicious

spirits.

W. H. Hudspeth.

Ghao-tong-fu, Yunnan, China.