THE KATCHINS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14274, 15 August 1910, Page 2

THE KATCHINS.

WORSHIP OE SPIRITS. Lying between Upper Burma and In-do-China are the Shan States, inhabited by a people (.ailed Ivatchins, who worship evil spirits, known as "nats,'' recognise more or less completely British rule, and are gradually learning under the inUnence of Christianity to'give, up some of their savage practices. CivilisaLiou is being brought to them by a British Commissioner, and Christianity has been introduced by Baptist and Presbyterian missionaries. One of these missionaries, the Rev. .1. Francis Ingram, has iust passed through Loudon on his way to Canada, and he has given a "Daily Chronicle"' representative interesting in for mat ion regardintr these little-known and wild .subjects of the British Crown.

"The people amongst whom 1 work," lie said, "worship evil spirits, or 'nats,' and their life consists in making sacrifices to them for propitiatory purposes. The 'nats' are believed by the people. to be the cause of every conceivable ill that happens to them. To placate th»se evil spirits the Katehins offer chickens, sheep, and bullocks, the nature of the sacrifice being determined by priests in consultation with the 'nats.' One of the means adopted by the priests to ascertain the wishes of the 'nats' is to place a bamboo pole over a lire. Ac-cording to the way in which the bamboo turns when burning, the priest determines the kind of offering which the "nat" requires. "A second order of priesthood prepares the sacrifice. The cooking is done in a huge cauldron. and the priests get the best portion as their wages. The people drink rice whisky, which is a. concoction that only natives can stand.

"The people- are monogamous for the most part." said Mr. Ingram, "but if a chief's wife is unable to do all the work required by him be takes a second wife. The Kateliin man does no work. He is a hunter and struts, about the jivm.de with a bow and arrow, while his wife does all the work, nlnnis his 'pnddv.' and prepares the fields.

"Until the, B-irish acquired Upper Burma, the Tvat.-hins lived entirelv by plunder, attacking Chinese caravans engaged in trade between China and Burma. British rule has seen the partial stopping of blond-feuds in which one family took a pledge with the 'nats' that the other fomilv would be exterminated. The feud extended from generatm,, to generation until the vow wns fulfilled."

The Katehins had no written langn-rio-e until missionaries recently reduced their spoken language to writing.