著者

太田 常蔵

出版者

日本文化人類学会

雑誌

季刊民族學研究 (ISSN:00215023)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.23, no.4, pp.315-323, 1959-11-25

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The Karen people of Burma have many stories. I have collected some of them in 1943. Following is a report on these. 1. The Story of Pee-Bee-Yaw Among the spirits of nature, and one of the most benevolent, is Pee-Bee-Yaw, or Ceres, who sits in her place upon a lonely stump, the livelong day, to watch the growing corn and the ripening ear. Her object is to fill the granaries of the frugal and industrious people with rice ; and she is a great favorite among the people. 2. The Story of Kulaw Lay and Naw Mu Aye A married couple, namely Kulaw Lay and Naw Mu Aye, lived in the region named Thawthi Bawgaw. There also lived a white boa that loved Naw Mu Aye and made up its mind to make her its wife. And the boa carried her to its hole. After that Kulaw Lay was downhearted for he had tried many tricks to free his wife but all in vain. So he cut his own throat and fell down on the top of the hole. When his body had decomposed, maggots fell into the hole. Then Naw Mu Aye asked the boa to let her go to cremate her husband. Then the boa let her go. She came up and made a fire to cremate her husband. Moreover, she poured oil into the jars and kept it beside the pyre. Then she started to kindle the fire and afterwards jumped into the fire and died with her husband. 3. The Story of Ywado (a giant) Tsi Goo told Ywado that if he wanted his sword he would have to wrestle with him for it. The winner would be the owner of that sword. Fortunately for Ywado he won and he pushed Tsi Goo into the earth and ordered him to carry the globe for the rest of his life. It is believed that earthquakes are caused by Tsi Goo changing the globe from one shoulder to another. 4. The Story of Taw Meh Pah An old man killed a boa. He picked up a tooth and brought it home. On the next day, he carved the tooth into a comb. This comb was very strange and powerful. One day, the old man happened to comb his hair. At once his feature changed into a young man. This old man was known as Taw Meh Pah (father of the magic tooth). 5. The Ywa Legend of the Karens. The Karens have a tradition of a God under the name of Ywa. This name is apparently of the same root as Jehovah, the traditional name of God among the Hebrews. And besides, the Karens have quite similar traditions concerning the creation of the world, the fall of man, the expulsion from a garden, and the subsequent sinfulness of the race, which substantially agree with the Bible accounts of these events.