.

"In the independent territory of the Nou-su, to the west of Szech'wan,
the term used for God is Eh-nia, and a Nou-su who has much intercourse
with the independent people contends that there are three names
indicative of God, each representing different functions if not persons
of the Godhead. These names are: Eh-nia, Keh-neh, Um-p'a-ma. The Nou-su
believe in ancestor worship, and perhaps the most interesting feature of
their religion is the peculiar form this worship takes. Instead of an
ancestral tablet such as the Chinese use, the Nou-su worship a small
basket (lolo) about as large as a duck's egg and made of split bamboo.
This 'lolo' contains small bamboo tubes an inch or two long, and as
thick as an ordinary Chinese pen handle. In these tubes are fastened a
piece of grass and a piece of sheep's wool. A man and his wife would be
represented by two tubes, and if he had two wives, an extra tube would
be placed in the 'lolo.' At the ceremony of consecration the Pehmo
attends, and a slave is set apart for the purpose of attending to all
the rites connected with the worship of the deceased person. The 'lolo'
is sometimes placed in the house, but more often on a tree in the
neighborhood or it may be hidden in a rock. For persons who are
short-lived, the ancestral 'lolo' is placed in a crevice in the wall of
some forsaken and ruined building. Every three years the 'lolo' is
changed, and the old one burnt. The term 'lolo,' by which the Nou-su are
generally known, is a contemptuous nickname given them by the Chinese in
reference to this peculiar method of venerating their ancestors.

"Hill worship is another important feature of Nou-su religious life.
Most important houses are built at the foot of a hill and sacrifice is
regularly offered on the hill-side in the fourth month of each year. The
Pehmo determines which is the most propitious day, and the Tumuh and his
people proceed to the appointed spot. A limestone rock with an old tree
trunk near is chosen as an altar, and a sheep and pig are brought
forward by the Tumuh. The Pehmo, having adjusted his clothes, sits
cross-legged before the altar, and begins intoning his incantations in a
low muttering voice. The sacrifice is then slain, and the blood poured
beneath the altar, and a handful of rice and a lump of salt are placed
beneath the stone. Some person then gathers a bundle of green grass, and
the Pehmo, having finished intoning, the altar is covered, and all
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