File:Shans at home. With two chapters on Shan history and literature (1910) (14577620239).jpg

Identifier: shansathomewitht00miln (find matches)
Title: Shans at home. With two chapters on Shan history and literature
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Milne, Leslie, Mrs., 1860-1952 Cochrane, Wilbur Willis
Subjects: Shan (Asian people)
Publisher: London : John Murray
Contributing Library: University of British Columbia Library
Digitizing Sponsor: University of British Columbia Library

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bamboos are cut they aresoaked in water for days, or even for weeks. Thishardens them, preventing the attacks of boring in-sects. To build a small house, sixty or seventy largebamboos and at least a hundred small ones arerequired. When the bamboos are all prepared apropitious day must be found to begin the building.If an unlucky day is chosen the builders may fallfrom the rafters and hurt themselves. When thechief builder, with the assistance of the wise menof the village, has discovered the lucky day, hetakes offerings of rice, tea, fruit, and flowers, placesthem on a scarlet tray, and lays the tray, with theofferings, under the shade of the nearest tree, in-voking the spirits that live in the branches above.The food is left the whole day beside the tree; itis then removed, and may be eaten. When at last the building of the house may bebegun, the hole for the centre post is dug exactlywhere the grains of rice placed to choose the sitewere laid. The centre pole is placed in it, and I
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BUILDING A HOUSE iot from it measurements are taken for the corner posts.The holes are at least a yard in depth ; the windsin April blow fiercely, and if the house posts werenot firm in the ground the whole house might beblown down. As each post is placed in position inits hole the earth is thrown in and rammed homewith repeated blows until packed tightly. The holesat first are not quite filled, and when every post isin position a curious ceremony takes place. Thebuilder, with his friends, indulge in an extra chewingof betel-nut, with the usual lime and spices thataccompany it. This is to insure a large supply ofsaliva, to which the little devils which hide underhouse posts have a strong objection. The men chew,then they expectorate copiously into each hole, andwhen the little devil has fled in disgust the hole isquickly filled to the top with earth, the earth beingpounded hard to prevent his return. When all theupright posts are in their place, cross bamboos toform a scaffolding are

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