Tonight, we’ll read the second part to the story Tears of Gold, known as The Blessing of the Mendicant, from from Folk-Tales of the Khasis compiled by Mrs. Rafy in 1920. The Khasi people are an indigenous ethnic tribe from India. A unique feature of the Khasi people is that they follow the matrilineal system of descent and inheritance. In part 1, a boy named U Babam Doh grows up not knowing that the father he had never known had was eaten by the dragon U Yak Jakor.

The boy was bestowed the ability to cry tears of gold nuggets, because the boy’s mother had eaten a magical rabbit stew. The rabbit was a gift from a wise beggar. U Babam Doh grows up with another boy that is the heir apparent to rule his chiefdom. The prince grows jealous of U Babam Doh’s uncanny luck at winning, and charges him with witchcraft.

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