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Tamlu ceremonies before the rice harvest |
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(52) Informant: Schoolmaster |
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To the Ou-nie-bu of Wakching corresponds the "Punggam" of Tamlu. it lasts only one day. Only chickens and ducks are killed and the blood sprinkled on the house posts and on the skulls of animals. |
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But the first rice cutting begins already at Moigam. All people go to the fields but there is not a special man to cut the first rice. But there is a special clan who builds the field houses first. (53) I made on p. 44 a mistake in saying they missed the right day for Tabhakbu. Today, the day after full moon is the right day for Tabhakbu. The first day is Tabhakbu, on that day the rice is fetched and the animals are killed. The second day is Ching-wem-bu, then the meat is eaten and the leaves fastened at the house posts sprinkled with a mixture of blood and rice flour. (The eating of the meat is already begun on the first day.) |
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(54) On Ching-wen-bu, leaves are fastened at all posts and animal skulls and sprinkled with a mixture of blood and flour [konyak]. Then the girls make some bread of rice flour which they either have pounded before (as it is a little "shame" (55) to work at Ou-ling-bu) or pound it on this day. The pounding of flour is not genna, only the pounding of dhan. The Balang girls give bread to the Aukheang and vice versa. The Angban girls give their bread to the Aukheang too and vice versa. |
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(57) The reaping of the rice is not done in gangs but the people of every household reap their fields themselves. But a rich man can hire the labour of the boys of a whole morung for one day, and pays them six or eight rupees. Shankok who has got ten fields may hire several morungs. There is another rich man, Yong-wei of Thephong. |
