Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1885 edition. Excerpt: ... enjoy it with her father or husband, but if her husband dies, the property (excepting the dowry from her own parents) remains in the family into which she has married. If she were to leave the family with a portion of her husband's property, that property would benefit the manes of her parents, or of her second husband; or, if she remains single and does not live with her parents, of the Ui-eya or dog-nat, the common nat of the genus woman. (According to Chin mythology, Hli, their highest deity, created first a male and female Chin, who stood in the relation of brother and sister to each other. Hli placed them on this earth; while wandering about the brother got separated from his sister and was lost: he is said then to have taken a bitch for his wife. The sister, after a long search, finally found her brother again thus affianced; she complained to Hli about her brother's disgrace and asked for the favour of becoming the wife of her brother instead of the dog. Hli ordered her to make rich offerings to the canine consort of her brother so that the bitch might give up conjugal rights in her favour: this was effected and the brother and sister married. I give this account for what it is worth; but it is a fact that the Chin women to this day make propitiatory offering to the dog-nat to prevent his interfering with their marrying men of their own clan and nearest kinsmen. In Chin communities these offerings to the dog-nat are effected by suspending young male dogs over the roof of the house till they are strangled and begin to decompose. At the autumnal Tavatimsa festival, when the Shwe Dagon pagoda is visited from representatives of nearly all nations and tribes in Further India, I have on several occasions seen Chin women suspend young...
