Item details
Item ID
KK1-0007
Title Mungkan masha ni ah hka lu la ai lam (How humans got water) with English translation
Description Translation (by Rita Seng Mai)
I'm going to tell a story about how human beings got water. At the beginning of the earth, there weren't many streams or rivers everywhere like now. Water was the need for humans. As the villagers had to drink water to live, they thought of a plan to get water. At that time, they saw an eagle flying in the sky. It was flying down slowly. Animals can communicate verbally with humans at that time. The villagers asked it, "Hello! Have you found any water while you are flying high? We have lack of water. Please find water for us." Then, the eagle replied to them, "Yes, I know where the water is. But I couldn't think of a way to carry it to you." "Umm..., then we will hang small bamboo containers on your wings. Please, take some water to drink," said the villagers. Then, it went to the water which was on the big flat rock by carrying bamboo containers. It fetched water with those containers and flied back. While it was flying back, those water containers fell from its wings as it needed to flap its wings with strength. Those bamboo containers fell between big flat rocks. So it thought of a way for the villagers to get the water. When it asked fish to tell humans, fish were just swimming and playing happily in the water. Then it asked the crabs to tell humans about water, crabs went into holes. So it thought of another way to tell humans where the water was. It thought to catch a cicada which had a nice voice and lived in the forest. A cicada, a small animal with wings, lives on the tree. It usually comes out in the rainy season and the whole forest is filled with its loud voice. That eagle caught a cicada and put it beside the rocks where the bamboo water containers fell. Then, a cicada started producing its voice. When the fish and crabs heard that, they thought to go outside as it was a pleasant voice and they had never heard before. Then, the crab came out of its hole first. As soon as it came out, the water came out from there too. The villagers were so happy when the water came out. (If that amazing thing happens now, they will do like worshiping and praising GOD to drink it.) Then, the villagers said happily, "Let's put something valuable that you own here! Let's celebrate for getting water! Let's drink it after we have celebrated and praised!" But, the deer seemed like it didn't want to give a valuable thing. And it drank the water first without giving anything. So a deer's voice became so unpleasant and harsh and can be heard from far away. The reason why deer's voice had become so unpleasant was that it drank the water without praising. When the crabs were seen on the ground, it was going to be a rainy season soon. Where the crabs came out, the water came out. During the rainy season, crabs were coming out from their holes and going on the ground. This's all about how humans got water. There was also a saying that water was coming out because of a crab.

Transcription (by Lu Awng)
Ya na gaw ndai anhte mungkan masha ni ah hka lu la ai lam ya lu nga ai hka hpe lu wa ai lam hpe hkai na re. Moi ndai mungkan ga nna lat wa ai shaloi she ah hka gaw ya na zawn re shara magup nlwi sa mai law, ah hka nau nnga ai hka nnga yang gaw shinggyim masha ni hka gaw lu ra rai, ya hka ganang wa la na i ngu nna shanhte mare masha ni chyawm mau nga yang she, bum langai mi kaw galang wa pyi poi ningwan ningwan pyen ningwan nga ai da. Pyen ningwan nga jang gaw galang dai e yu yang gaw le nyem ai shara de pyen wa pyen wa rai. Moi prat gaw dusat hte naw ga hkrum ai ten she nre dawng, galang dai e san sai da, shinggyim masha ni gaw anhte gaw hka taw nga ai loh, nang lamu kaw singkaw kap nna pyen ai wa ganang kaw hka nga ai nmu nni e, hka tam ya myit ngu yang, e nanhte shinggyim masha ni ah hka taw yang gaw ngai gaw nga ai gaw mu ai loh, ganing di nla wa nga ai le hka nga ai gaw ngai mu ai ngu. E shaloi gaw nang a singkaw kaw anhte ndum kachyi chyi sha re daw nna singkaw kaw shakap dat ya na. Dai shaloi kalang sha pyi mu lu na hka sha pyi la wa rit ngu she, kaja wa dai siingkaw kaw ndum kap lang nna sa wa yang hka gaw nam sani ta hka ngu ai myi nga ai da. Dai kaw na sa lagawt wa nna la wa ai wa she shara yang mi kaw wa shi ndai pyen ai shaloi gaw tsan ai de rai jang ah u ni singkaw kahprap nna n gun la la re aten rai dai kaw kahprap dat yang hka dai wa le hkrat mat wa ai nlung lung pu lungkran nlung kaba lapran kaw hkrat mat sai da. Dai jang gaw shinggyim masha ni hka dai lu la na matu ganing di na kun ngu ndai ah nga ni e shangun yang mung le hka la-ing kaw shang pyau chyai mat. Jahkan e mi bai ah hka sa la wa na matu shangun yang mung kata kaw nga mat rai jang um ya ndai grai ngoi pyaw ai rai mi she naw hpan na re tam na re ngu kaw-eng ya ndai ga de gaw nnga ai oh namga de gaw nga ai. Yanam ta hka numpun hpaw wa ten e ndai mamting tawn ten e kaw-eng ngu grai pyaw ngoi ai hpun hkan e kap ai hkrung kanu singkaw kap ai dai dai e hpan tawn yang she dai wa grai ngoi pyaw nga sai da, dai hkrat mat ai hka lungpu makau kaw sa ngoi nga jang she dai jahkan ni ah nga ni e dinghta ga anhte mungkan ntsa e nga yang pyi nna yu ai rai wa myi ah ngoi dai ni gaw sa pru yu ga ngu nna jahkan shawng pru wa sai da. Jahkan wa ndai nlung kata kaw matep kanaw pru wa pru wa yang she dai jahkan dai pru wa ai hta hka hpaw pru wa ai. Hka hpaw pru wa jang gaw shinggyim masha ni grai kabu sai da. Hka ndai e gaw naw ndai anhte hpung masha ni hku rai yang ah kyu hpyi chyeju shakawn nna naw lu na hku sawn na hku rai re nga ai. Dai yang gaw shanhte gaw ndai e naw lu nna she lu ga ngu yang she lahkawn bang maru kadai mung kadai lu ai gumhpraw ja gumhpraw bang nna ndai kaw poi galaw nna ah hka ndai e lu kaw nna she lu ga ngu yang jahkyi gaw hka nkam lu lawm ai hku rai sam ai shi gaw lahkawn nbang, lahkawn nbang ai she hka garai nlu ga lu kadai mung rai nlu ga, ya yawng ni anhte chyeju shakawn ah hka ndai e tsun lu ngut jang she lu ga lu ngu jahkyi gaw shi gaw lahkawn hpa mung nbang she shi shawng sa hta lu dat ai hku rai re nga ai. Rai jang ya shi a mahku gaw grawng hkrai grawng ngoi nna mahkawn ai npyaw rawng rawng nga nna nam hkan oh grai tsan ai kawn nna na ai. Dai rai jahkyi a mahku ma dai hka n tsu ai ah hka e chyeju garai n shakawn lu ai kaw lu ai majaw jahkyi a mahku n pyaw mat ai mi re da. Dai kaw anhte shinggyim masha ni dai hka lu lu wa ai ndai yanam ta du wa na rai jang hka gumpun hpaw ai nga dai shaloi jahkan ni grai hkawm mali ai, hka a ah chyu dan nga mung gawn ma ai law. Dai jahkan kaw nna woi pru wa ai hka re da law, dai nga moi hkai ma ai.
Origination date 2016-12-09
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0007
URL
Collector
Keita Kurabe
Countries To view related information on a country, click its name
Language as given Jinghpaw
Subject language(s) To view related information on a language, click its name
Content language(s) To view related information on a language, click its name
Dialect Standard Jinghpaw
Region / village Law Hpyu mare, Sadung, Kachin State, Northern Myanmar
Originating university Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Operator
Data Categories primary text
Data Types Sound
Discourse type narrative
Roles Keita Kurabe : depositor
H. Pri : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/59888eca192d9
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), H. Pri (speaker), 2016. Mungkan masha ni ah hka lu la ai lam (How humans got water) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0007 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/59888eca192d9
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0007-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 19.6 KB
KK1-0007-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 4.17 MB 00:04:33.632
KK1-0007-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 151 MB 00:04:33.617
3 files -- 155 MB -- --

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Collection Information
Collection ID KK1
Collection title Kachin folktales told in Jinghpaw
Description Recordings of Kachin folktales and related narratives in Jinghpaw. These materials were collected by Keita Kurabe, Gumtung Lu Awng, Sumdu Ja Seng Roi, Hpauhkum Htu Bu, Labang Tu La, Gumtung Htu Nan, and Lashi Seng Nan as part of community-based collaborative fieldwork in northern Myanmar. A total of 2,491 stories with 2,481 ELAN files, 2,481 transcriptions, and 1,369 translations are currently available (March 25, 2024). Transcriptions were contributed by Gumtung Lu Awng, Pausa La Ring, Galang Lu Hkawng, Sumdu Ja Seng Roi, Hpauhkum Htu Bu, and Keita Kurabe. Stories were translated by Nbanpa Rita Seng Mai, Sumlut Gun Mai, Lazing Htoi San, Maran Seng Pan, Dumdaw Mike Tu Awng, Nhkum Htoi Awng, and Keita Kurabe.

Animated stories are available at:

https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/KK3
https://www.youtube.com/@kachinfolktales
https://www.facebook.com/KachinStories

Other Kachin culture and history are available at:

https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/KK2

Our research was made possible under the support of JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H04523, JP20K13024, JP20H01256, Linguistic Dynamics Science 3 (LingDy3) from Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), and JSPS Program for Advancing Strategic International Networks to Accelerate the Circulation of Talented Researchers "A collaborative network for usage-based research on lesser-studied languages."
Countries To view related information on a country, click its name
Languages To view related information on a language, click its name
Access Information
Edit access Nick Thieberger
Keita Kurabe
View/Download access
Data access conditions Open (subject to agreeing to PDSC access conditions)
Data access narrative
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