Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-07
|NASH| FEARS TOLD
IN PHOTOGRAPHS
5e8 Volumes, Brought Here
From HimaIayas, Tell Story
of Primitive Rites.

By THOMAS Il. HENRY
The story Of q world haunted by
fearsone demorlS-the souls OF the
nalevolent dead--forIns the great bulk
Of the sos volumes Of Nashi literature
in photographs brought out of the high
Htrnalsyas by DR.. Joseph Rock, National
Geographic Society explorer, and now
preserved at the Library of Congress.
Most of the books of this most pr1n1i-
tive of the worlds living literatures con-
tain directions and chants for driving
away the demons from sick persons,
villages and families, and for placating
the souls of the newly dead. For, say
the NaShi books, every man has five
souls. One stays with his body in the
grave, one Is reborn In some otner
person, one remains about the house
hold, one goes to heaven or hell, and
one roams about the universe.
Easily Headed Away.
1t is the great multitude of the last
sort of souls that cause most OF the
trouble. So the practice is to hold
great feasts for them on stated oc-
casionS. The idea is to get all the
demons in one place and placate them
by food and praise. Then when they
in a bunch and the community rid OF
them. There is one book used for in
viting the demons and another, in very
severe language, for getting rid OF them.
The next day still another ceremony is
held for all the old. toothles5 demons
who could not keep up with the others
in getting to the feast or could not eat
the same tough food.
The departure of the five souls of a
Nashi worthy naturally Is a complicated
business and forms the subject matter.
of several books. Cloth of five colors-z
red, white, blue, yellow and blacks
nailed at the head of the coffin, SYM
bolizing the five elementS-metal, wood,
water, fire and earth-from which the
body came at birth and to which it is
returning. One Of the souls sets out
Immediately for another world. There
is a long chant over the coffin giving
1t directions how to travel, where to stop
to sleep and where to find water.
Road Must Be Closed.
AS soon as this soul has started an
other lengthy ceremony is necessary to
close the road to the spiritlAnd. Other
wise others of the family will try to
follow and die. Elaborate measures
sometimes are necessary to open the
road in the first place, especially If the
dead man has been sharp in business
deals. All the demons he has cheated
while they were alive are mad at him
and will prevent his entering on the
road unless they are driven away by the
priests. It Is desirable to reason kindly
with one Of the five souls to stay away
from the house which always has been
home to him, If he happens to have
turned into bad demon. There is one
long chant to call back to the grave
one of the souls which must stay with
the body, but which often prefers free
dom in the universe. Where the body
IS cremated it Is customary for the
Oldest son to ride horse backward to
the funeral pyre, chanting all the time
elaborate instructions to guide the spirit
through the perilous demon world.
The Nashi have elaborate trickery
for catching the malevoleTt spirits. One
Is to set up pine tree at the feast.
This VIII attract al the demons with
wings. At the end Of the ceremony the
tree is chopped up and burned, the
demons presumably perishing In the
flames. One frequent ceremony is
necessary to drive out the demons of
gold and silver. When these are kept
In the house the demons remain With
them, settle down comfortably, and are
very angry when the money is spent.
Another demon must be summoned to
drive them away or they will make
endleee trouble. There is also long
USC0 W 0CulOIlS IIlC
four winds, who are then driven into
deep hole in the ground, which is then
nlled in, thus burying them alive.
Must Placate Wind Gods.
One Of the books contains q long
chant which must be recited once
year TO the wind gods for the protection
Of live stock. The worst of these is SEE,
who has q long tail Of IRE, red wings
and q red body. He devours a living
creature once day, but can be induced
to satisfy himself with worthless wild
animals II properly propitiated by the
priests. Sometimes when he is raven
ously hungry he will gobble up the sun
or the moon, surrounding them with
his red wings. Then there is an eclipse.
There are regular ceremonies to Mug,
the water demon, begging him not to
take the souls of those who drown
themselves IN ponds and streams.
Suicides, in their turn, are likely to
become especially dreaded demons
When q person becomes suddenly Ill
and screams with pain one Of these is
responsible. Those so unfortunate as
to die alone also return and cause sick
ness.
Special magical protection from the
demons must be given at weddings. A
long chant contained in one of the
books is recited when the girl is brought
to the mans house. If this ceremony
is carried out skillfully the inps will
not come into the home and cause them
to quarrel. Then comes the marriage
ceremony, which consists In eating
from one plate and drinking from one
cup while kneeling. Then the priest
daubs butter on the noses of both bride
and groom and they run away together.
The most sacred of all the rites, OF
which a Photograph book has been