File:Shans at home. With two chapters on Shan history and literature (1910) (14741250196).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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him to remain with them until the wet seasonshould be past. Sometimes he sang and croonedIndian hymns, to the accompaniment of a weirdone-stringed musical instrument; then he seemedhappy, and was willing to talk to people, and tellthose who could understand him tales of the old godsof India. At other times he threw aside his garments,and, covered with ashes, crossed his arms behind hisback, and sat for hours, holding his feet, in an extra-ordinarily uncomfortable position. Then the monkssaid sadly to each other, Our Lord Gautama also triedall penances, and he found that there was a betterpath, but each man must seek that path for himself. I recollect that one day I found the chief monkand his guest in deep argument, the subject beingtwo great rivers. One was the River of Death.^ All ^ Shans say that they believe this river to be to the northward.This gives no certain proof, but may be a hint that the early homeof the race was in a northerly direction, beyond the Yang-tze. —w. w. c.
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hsj THE HINDU DEVOTEE IN THE NAMKHAM MONASTERY GARDEN. t 4 NAMES OF CONSTELLATIONS 59 Shans believe, as did the Egyptians of old, that atdeath the soul goes to that river, where a boat waitsto take him across; and when a Shan dies his friendsplace a coin in his mouth, to pay the ferryman whotakes him to the other side. The other river mustbe crossed before the highest heaven is reached, andthe Hindu said that every one sooner or later reachedits shore, and had to search out his own way across.To some it was an easy and quick crossing, to othersit was a slow and painful struggle to reach the otherside, but every one got home at last. The Hindu andthe Shan monk had some difficulty in understandingeach other, and I in understanding them, and whenI was going away the Hindu said to me, with a smilethat lit up his thin face, It is good for us that Godunderstands all languages. Sometimes, in the moonlit evenings, the chief monkjcame, with the Hindu mendicant and a following ofboys, to look t

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