Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-09-04
LOVE MAKING IS
VERY FORMAL IN
LAND Of LAHUS
American Wayfarer Writes
EntertainingIy Of People
Living in the Chinese
Province of Yunnan.
BY the Associated Press.

Rangoon, Sept. 3.-The Lahus
are one of the hitherto little known
tribes described by Ralph Hender-
son an American walfarer, whose
travel pictures have been appear
ing in the Rangoon Gazette, These
sturdy, yet sociable, people live
mostly in the Chinese province OF
Yunnan, a wild country bordering
on the northeast frontier of Burma
Referring to their life and customs
Mr.. Henderson writes:
eve met more Lahus than any
other tribesmen, I think. Lahu Is
fbe tribes name for itself, and
means the 'tiger-born' race. Inc
tribe is a big one and spills across
into Yunnan or rather, Spills from
Yunnan into Burma. since tney
originally came from China Inc
I.ahus live by agriculture, the men
doing a little hunting on the SIDE
when they can get hold of gun
that shoots forward instead OF
backward or in all directions at
once. Every hill man who consid-
ers himself of any importance at
all must have his gun. There Is a
factory in kengtung where muZzie-
loading guns are manufactured.
few carpenters and blacksmiths sit
beneath big banyan tree and
make them. When gun is made,
some bold workman fires it to see
il it will go off. If it does, 1t is
sold at once.
Make Their Own Guns.
"But not all hill men are so for
tunate as to be able to secure one
of these 'Hsamtun' guns. Many of
them, therefore make their own.
Then they make their own powder
and shot, and. when all is finished,
have the self-confidence or temer-
ity to go hunting with their crea-
ton. I carried a repeating shotgun
up there. and it is not surprising
that they regarded it with awe that
amounted to almost to reverence.
A friend of mine carried an old re-
volver. He had paid SO for 1t in
America. and since that time. the
handle had become broken. He
was offered the equivalent Of $65
for it, broken handle and all, by |
friendly robber chief
1.-THE Lahus have a formal and
impersonal way of making love.
THE young men build a fire and the
maidens another these fires within !
a stones toss OF each other. Then |
each group sits about its own fire, |
and the counting begins. The
groups sing love songs to each
other in turn. This may continue
for hours. Then at last comes a
song saying the time has come for
parting, and with that the two
groups rise from about their fires
and come together for a moment. |
In this moment, a youth may ex-
change turbans with the lady of his
heart. These exchanged turbansI
are worn for several days. and the
whole proceeding serves the same
purpose as our engagement and en-
gagement ring. If either party re-
grets the compact, he or she may
demand a return of turbans, and
there's an end to everything. other
wise marriage follows.
Have Large Families.
"Lahus commonly have large
families, and, to save a great deal
of mental effort on the part of the
parents in devising names for their
progeny. they employ an ingenious
Schema kind of calendar oil
names. They have ? cycle of twelve
days in their week: dog day. pig
day, rat day, cow day, tiger day,
ass day, death day, crocodile day,
sheep day, pony day. chicken day
and louise day. A child born on
dog day is called Master or Miss
Dog; on rat day, Master or Miss
Rat; on sheep day, Master or Miss