Item details
Item ID
KK1-0150
Title Hpa majaw (Why) with English translation and notes
Description Translation (by Maran Seng Pan)
The name of this story is "Why?". Once, a monkey went and picked a pumpkin in a field. When it was picking the pumpkin, a mining bee stung under its armpit. Thus, the pumpkin slipped out of its hands and rolled down since the field was on the steep hill. It hit a brooding hen. Then the hen got shock and cackled. It woke a sleeping boar up all of a sudden. And it struck a bamboo shoot with its snout. The piece of broken bamboo shoot dropped into the lake. At that time, a white lady was drawing the water from the lake. The playing shrimps were terrified by bamboo shoot and one of them went into the white lady's bamboo water bottle. As the white lady drunk the water from it, the shrimp got into her stomach. Her belly got bigger day by day. She was also not pregnant. Even though she worshiped spirits called "Nats", there was no difference. Therefore, her father decided to operate on her belly and to see what was inside. They found out a shrimp inside it. Her father asked, "Shrimp, why are you here?" The shrimp answered, While I was playing with my friends in the lake, a piece of broken bamboo shoot suddenly dropped into the lake. I was startled and jumped into your daughter water bottle." Its answer seemed that bamboo shoot was the culprit. Hence, the father asked, "Bamboo shoot, why did you dive into the lake?" "When I was getting taller and bigger joyfully, I was struck by a boar and fell into the water," the bamboo shoot replied. Next, the boar was questioned, "Boar, why did you do like that?" "While I was sleeping, the cackle of a brooding hen alarmed me. All of a sudden, I got up and run. So, I hit the bamboo shoot and it was cracked," it explained. In that case, it looked the brooding hen was the reason. Afterwards, the brooding hen was asked the cause for its action, it replied that it made a loud noise because it was hit by a rolling pumpkin when it was brooding. Then the source of problem became the pumpkin. The father asked, "Pumpkin, why did you roll down?" It answered, "While I was spreading my vines and roots, a monkey picked me. That's why!" So, it seemed the sinner was the monkey. "Monkey, why did you pick the pumpkin?" "Because I was hungry. When I was picking it, a mining bee stung under my arm," the monkey responded. Finally, the father asked the mining bee (it is smaller than green fly and has a pointed sting like honey bee), "Why did you sting the monkey?" The mining bee didn't know what to answer. Therefore, it just buzzed, "Nen Nen Nen!" and flew into its ground nest. Even though this story is short, it indicates when the case is detected, the real culprit always tries to escape.

Transcription (by Lu Awng)
Langai mi dai gaw gabaw gaw hpa majaw, moi shawng de woi langai mi gaw yi de sa nna she i ndai wa hkum si le ( pumkin ) dai sa di sha re shaloi she, ndai tsingdu len ngu gaw tsit tsit re nna balen tu le, nanhte hpang de nga ai kun nnga ai kun, gana chye ai shi gaw lagat gaw nre ai. Pyen yang ne ne ne ne nga, e dai wa she oh ra manang wa namsi di di she nga yang wa ndai kaw tek dai shi a balen hte hkindu len gaw rai jang gaw shi gaw tat kau dat sai le. Tat kau dat jang she ndai kahkum si gaw yi de num ga na yi gaw kadawng ai le nang wa mu yu le i, nanhte de mung nga na rai nga le, taleng hkrat mat wa ai le, taleng hkrat wa yang gaw ugan langai mi gaw di hpum nna nga dat ai. Di hpum nna nga yang she shi gaw kajawng nna katek katek kajawng nna marawn dat jang she, hto yi shing nawm kaw nga ai wa ndu wa she kajawng nna rawt nna she kanaw dat ai ngu yang she kawa makru hpe kanaw hkrup sai gaw kawa makru hpe kanaw hkrup jang she dai kawa makru na daw gaw daw nna she oh hka shi de gumtsawn shang mat wa ai da. E dai kawa makru, re shaloi gaw e kawa makru dai le ra de gumtsawn shang mat wa re shaloi she dai kaw hka la-ing kaw re gaw i, katsu nga ai le, katsu ni mung dai kaw chyai taw nga yang she dai kawa makru gumtsawn hkrat wa jang kajawng nna she hprawng ai ngu she dai sumraw ma ni ngu ai dai nat kasha ni kun nat mahkawn ngu na kun le i dai a hka nhtung de ning re hka ja ai gaw bum ga gaw, dai kaw lup. Dai katsu wa, katsu wa lup rai jang she dai numsha dai mung i hka lu yang she katsu wa she kan de rawng mat. Kan de rawng mat yang gaw kan wa kaba chyu kaba wa, kaba chyu kaba wa kasha gun ai kun ngu yang gaw bai nrai. Rai nna she bai nat jaw yu tim nmai hkraw rai jang gaw ndai shanhte gaw hpa rawng ai kun ga yu yang gaw katsu du le i, reng gaw katsu du nang hpa majaw ngu dai rai sai hpa majaw ngu, katsu du nang hpa majaw ndai hte na kasha kan de rawng ai i nga jang gaw katsu du gaw e ngai gaw i manang ni hte hka la-ing kaw pyaw chyai nga ai shaloi ndai ah she kawa makru wa dinghkru sa wa na ngai kajawng nna hkawm ai ngu she dai ka nhtum de shang wa ai re ngu le i. Reng gaw, rai jang gaw ndai kaw nna mara lu ai gaw kawa makru zawn zawn rai sai le i, rai kawa makru gaw kawa hpa majaw nang nang de gumtsawn shang wa ai i ngu jang gaw, e ngai mung i ndai kawa makru dai kaw e ngai gaw tu marawng tsawm nna she nga ai wa wa ndu kanawng daw ai majaw ngai mung daw nna dai de gumtsawn wa ai re ngu sai gaw. Reng yang wa ndu bai rai mat sai, mara lu ai gaw wa ndu hpe she bai wa ndu nang hpa majaw dai hku galaw ai ngu jang gaw wa ndu gaw um ngai gaw yi shing nawm kaw she yup taw ai wa she ugan katak ai majaw ngai kajawng nna lagat hprawng ai ngu yang kawa makru hpe hkra nna daw mat ai re ngu jang gaw reng gaw ugan a mara bai rai wa sai. Re yang ugan hpe ugan nang hpa majaw, hpa majaw ngu dai rai sa, hpa majaw dai hku katak ai ngu jang gaw e ngai mung u di di nna di hpum nna she nga yang wa kahkum wa kaleng hkrat wa nna ngai mung kajawng nna katak dat ai re ngu jang gaw ya gaw bai mara lu ai gaw bai kahkum si bai rai sai. Kahkum si nang hpa majaw taleng hkrat wa ai bai ngu, re jang kahkum si gaw e ngai gaw pu pu si si nna ru kaw noi di nga ai wa woi i woi di hkrat, woi e di ai majaw ngai taleng hkrat ai re nga sai gaw reng gaw woi rai sai ( tayekan ) gaw. Woi nang hpa majaw e hkum si di ai ngu, um ngai gaw kawsi ai i ren gaw ngai dai hkumsi di sha ai shaloi hkindu nen gaw dai mi yet na dai wa ngai hpe ndai lahpa npu kaw na ya ai majaw ngai kajawng di tat dat ai re ngu jang she, hkindu nen hpe gaw e nang hpa majaw shi hpe bai san sai le i hpang jahtum gaw shi hpe san sai le. Shinglen tu mi yet na ndu nen gaw shinglen tu da yaw dai ah tsit re chyi nu tsip hta kachyi mi gaw kaji ai raitim shi gaw grau hkak nna she nang kaw lagat zawn zawn balen tu ai, shinglen tu shinglen tu hpe shinglen tu nang hpa majaw nga gaw, shinglen tu gaw hpa ma shi i tsun na hpa nlu sai le reng gaw shi gaw nen nen nen nga na ga lahka hku de shang mat ai nga ai i re yang gaw ndai maumwi gaw jahtum daw de gaw grai wa hkrak hkra gaw nre, retim mung e gawn dat gawn dat hpa majaw hpa majaw hpa majaw i re jang gaw mara lu ai wa gaw hprawng ra sai le e dai maumwi langai mi re.

Notes
1. The animated version is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbR-5p3S1MU
Origination date 2016-12-21
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0150
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 Northern Myanmar
Originating university Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Operator
Data Categories primary text
Data Types Sound
Discourse type narrative
Roles Keita Kurabe : depositor
W. Awng : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/5988911440a7c
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), W. Awng (speaker), 2016. Hpa majaw (Why) with English translation and notes. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0150 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/5988911440a7c
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0150-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 18.1 KB
KK1-0150-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 5.3 MB 00:05:47.925
KK1-0150-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 191 MB 00:05:47.906
3 files -- 197 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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