New-York tribune., 1910-02-13
QUEER PEOPLES DESCRIBED BY A VETERAN TRAVELLER
The Chins and kachins of Upper Burmah
Little Known Subjects of King Edward

is ohltoue. telling of descent from the Tar
tars.
These wandering people, with no settled
homes no literature and with only shadoWy
traditions concerning their past-neVer
having come under the influence Of any
civilized race completely ignorant about
the rest of the world-have. nevertheless,
a story which is full of romance. They
have no knowledge whatever of writing,
hut use crude hieroglyphics. They believe.
the mats gave writing to all nations; that
TO the Kachins on hide but being
hungry they cooked il and ate il, and
so. alas! they have never been able TO
write.
They count with their fingers, always
beginning with the little finger. Eleven
is 10, ard forty-four is 4-l0-i. They
have no words of greeting or welcome.
They divide the day into fifteen sections.
and they have no fixed ideas about the
beginning or ending of a year. They be
lieve All eclipse is due to a dog attempt
ing TO swallow the moon. The rainbow
comes from the mouth of crab who lives
in the ocean which is under the earth, and
the crab comes up occasionally to breathe
and his breath Is the rainbow. Earth
Quakes are due to the Wrggling of CroCO-
diles in the sea and under the earth.
Sacrifices in the way of food Of
fered 10 the mats, either of the sun
moon, or village or household. | have
seen rice and fowls placed at the entrance
to a village. and the fact that they dis
appeared before morning was proof that
the spirits had come in the darkness and
eaten them, Under the earth live a race
of people called the Kasangs They are
liliputian InortaIs tiny that the grass
high bn a,
are no bigger than beetles.
The Kachn does not mind what he
eats, except monkeys, crows. snakes and
wildcats. 1t is quite the proper thing for
man to have two wives and when he
dies his next brother is expected to marry
the widows. If, however, owing TO one or
two deaths of elder brothers man is get
ting too many widows on hand he can pass
them on TO younger brothers.
When young mans eye falls on a
Kachn maid he does not WOO her. he
propitates her parents through an in
termediary. When they are satisfied the
coy girl is seized and carried off-the prac-
tice Of marriage by capture which is
prevalent among most semi-civiliAed races
the world over.
AS might b. expected. the KachinS are
soaked in superstition. Illness always in
dicates that some nat is dspleased Ac-
cordngly, presents of eggs or fish or fowl,
or even a buffalo. have to be made i'm pro-
portion to the danger and stringency of
the pain
The funeral ceremony is singular When
death occurs there is much clatter. and II
anybody has gun il is fired The coffin
is usually the scooped out trunk of tree.
and Just "hen the tree is being felled "A
fowl is beaten 40 death against the stem
Money is always put into the mouth of the
deceased. for a long journey is to be taken
and tolls viii have to be paid In crossing
the rivers by ferry. AT dawn next day
some of the relatives return TO the grave
and place by II n piece of pork and some
sheroo-a native drink
The kachins have no religion except the
worship Of mats, or spirits Yet through
the terror and fog Ct superstition, there Is