Burmese Sketches - Khamkoo

BURMESE SKETCHES. 1 65
representations of a Burmese governor and his family, whose
acts of justice) benevolence, and sympathy were long remem*
bered by the people, and in whose honour these were erected
as a mark of esteem, admiration, and reverence. The images
are in a good state of preservation, as they are in the custody
of a medium who gains a comfortable livelihood. An annual
festival, which is largely attended, is held in their honour* It
is a strange coincidence that, as in India and Ceylon, these
shrines are held in veneration by various nationalities professing
different creeds.
As a rule, the images of nati are uncouth objects, generally
m^de of wood, with some semblance of human countenance.
Those of the ** thirty^seven rulers " are being carefully preserved
within the precincts of the Shwezign6n Pagoda at Pagan*
Shamanism is, perhaps, the same all the world over, and
possession by spirits one of the symptoms of hysterics or
epilepsy. The following extract from Williams* " Fiji and the.
Fijians " (vol. 1. p. 224) is, with slight modifications, applicable .
to the Shamanism as practised by the natkadaws or mediums
of Burma i
—
*' Unbroken silence follows ; the priest becomes absorbed in
thought, and all eyes watch him with unblinking steadiness*
In a few minutes he trembles, slight distortions are seen in his
face and twitching movements in his limbs. These increase
to a violent muscular action, which spreads until the whole
frame is strongly convulsed, and the man shivers as with a
strong ague fit. In some instances, this is accompanied
with murmurs and sobs, the veins are greatly enlarged, and
the circulation of the blood quickened. The priest is now
possessed by his god, and all his words and actions are considered
as no longer his own, but those of the deity who has
entered into him* Shrill cries of *Koi au' koi au'—* It is I, it is ;
r— fill the air, and the god is supposed thus to notifiy his approach.
While giving an answer, the priest's eyes stand out and
roll as in a frenzy ;
his voice is unnatural, his face pale, his lips
livid, his breathing depressed, and his entire appearance lifee
that of a furious madman ; the sweat runs from every pore,
and tears start from his strained eyes ; after which the symptoms
gradually disappear. The priest looks round with a
vacant stare, and as the god says * I depart,' announces his
actual departure by violently flinging himself down on the
mat, or by suddenly striking the ground with his club. The
convulsive movements do not entirely disappear for some time."