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A Meo's cremation
rites
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A Meo tribesman generally
inhabit the high peak in the north of Thailand. They believe
that the weather of its area is appropriate for growing crop;
its is used to be the base to protect enemy from attack because
this area is surrounded with the high mountains with the result
that it's difficult for enemy's attack. |
 In
addition to a Meo's cremation rites is the most important because
they believe that a man was born, finally a man must die, everybody
in the village will help to prepare the things to perform the
rites.
When someone who lives
in that village is almost dead with his illness, his descendants
sit in order of relatives together with they streath their feet
toward the front and then someone carries a patient to lay on
the lap and support him with two hands of descendants until
he passes away. After that a dead's descendant runs out of the
house to shoot up the sky for three shots to inform the villagers
that the patient passed away. |
 Later,
descendants bring a bottle of alcohol with a glass to invite
the old men who live in the village to come to discuss about
helding the cremation rites. Next, the descendant washes its
face, wears the clothes and wraps it. In case of the rich,
they dress the corpse with many pieces of clothes its heart
to put in the bamboo canteen ; next, he bring it to take a chance
that if it turns face up or turns face down together, its result
is the dead is ready to eat a chicken. A witch doctor takes
a little grind of a chicken's heart and then he stuff it in
the dead's mouth together with a glass of alcohol and takes
the rest of chicken to lay it by the corpse as a result that
chicken's spirit haunt the dead to take its placenta which is
buried in the middle of home because they believe that the dead
will rebirth in the heaven. After the rites is performed finish,
a witch doctor busy some gold and silver papers to the dead.
Then Meo tribesman makes
music is called that "A Spirit Soys Goodbye" song
for a long time They raise the corpse to lay on the one metre
height of litter by face it the west of the left side of the
house door; next, a witch docter brings a pig to tie at the
dead's hand and save together with that the dead can take this
pig to be a friend. |
 The
dead's wives especially have to sit on the knees by the dead
to swipe flies from its together with use a side of their hands
touch at the dead's body all the time. ( Meo's tribesman generally
has many to tuch its body and anoint their arms and legs with
the dead's lymph. This presents that they don't object to the
dead and also the dead's relatives give some meat to take their
home, on the other hand, They don't receive anything to take
their home. |
| During
keeping the corpse, the villagers kill pigs to treat the guests
who participate to respect the corpse. The process of boiling
is taking the pigs put in the pot to boil; next; put some salt
in it no vegetable. The last, a villager shoot up the sky for
three shots before they will eat it every time. |
 Before
a day the corpse will be brought to bury, the villagers devote
any merits to the dead with clothing, money and milled rice.
A villager shoot up the sky for one shot before they come in
home and then the own house shoot up the sky to thank them for
four or five shots and the sound of gun all days. So they will
hear the sound of gun all day.
In the burial day, the
villagers will help to carry the corpse iltte by observing the
process that is there is two villagers carry it toward the house
door after that they will be changed to be the next two villagers
who carry it toward oxtensive grounds to expose the corpse.
The next process is killing the cows which the amount of them
depend upon the amount of the dead's some who drive them to
kill. For example the dead has fifteen sons, fifteen cows the
dead's hand because they believe that the dead can take the
cows go together to the heaven after that the cows will be killed
one by one. A Meo's cremation rites has to kill many types of
animals such as cows, pigs and chickens. |
 The
last process is burial the corpse at 5 o'clock in the evenin
Its process is the dead's descendants move the corpse toward
the burial ground where located in the amount of descendants
aren't enough, they will sit on the knees to ask the villagers
to help moving the corpse which it's process is moved at the
position of burial, a witch docter dig the soil and then dip
it up to clutch in the hand; next, bring silver and gold paper
to bury and raise the corpse to lay it in the grave yard. The
descendants help to smother the soil and then they thron a stone
toward the graveyard. Later, they run to go home quickly and
they don't look back it again. They will take a clutch of soil
which bring it from a graveyard to lay at the head of bed of
family is leader because a Meo tribesman believes that it is
a present from the dead.
The next day, the descendants
will bring the food to offer the dead. The first day, they have
come to a half of the way to offer the food. The second day,
they have come to three quarters of the way. The third day,
they have come to the graveyard to offer the food for the dead.
The descendants will help each other to clean around the graveyard
to protect it from the animals and they take a stone to arrange
by one foot height folloe the length of the graveyard and also
they usually oversee it. |
| The source of in formation
: A railroad junction
of a Meo was written by Sungkeat Chantanapol. |
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