Item details
Item ID
KK1-0300
Title N-gun ja wa maumwi (The strong man) with English translation
Description Translation (Gun Mai)
It is a story about a strong man. Long long ago, in a family, it was very long to get pragnant and they got a boy finally. As soon as the boy was born, he had all teeth and was full of hair. The boy became a very strong man. So the villagers were afraid of him. Thus, all the villagers said to the parents of the strong man that "Hey.. your son is very strong. He will even eat you two and also will eat all the villagers. He is a bad boy so he should be killed." The whole villagers kept saying that. Although the parents of the boy said that "It won't happen," the villagers kept saying that "No, look at your boy. Even the newly born baby was very strong, he will be stronger and he will eat all of us. He is a scary nat." So, the parents said that "If so, what should we do? He is a very strong man. We can't kill him." Another villager also said so and the chief of the village also said so. Thus, they discussed how to kill the strong man. "If we kill him, he will attack back us and we can't defeat him. Let's plan how to kill him," the villagers discussed and asked the father of the strong man to pretend to be sick. So, the father of the strong man pretended to be sick and called a nat priest to check. The nat priest said that "It is not easy to cure your father." The strong man asked that "Why is it not easy, priest?" "Your father will be cured if he can eat the heart of the mother tiger who has baby tigers," the nat priest said. The nat priest said so because it was planned for the strong man to be killed by the tiger when he tried to get the heart of the tiger. A string was attached in the back of the father and the string was put down through the bamboo floor and the string was tied with dried fruit. So, when the father up from lying down on the bed, the dried fruit produced to sound like bone cracking. Thus, "Look, look, do you hear the bones are cracking? All the bones are not good anymore. That's why your father needs the heart of the tiger. Even among the tiger, it should not be the heart of the normal tiger, it should be the heart of the mother tiger who is breastfeeding (because the mother tiger was the most aggressive)," the nat priest said. The strong man said that "OK, I will try to get it if it is to cure my father." But, the strong man easily killed the mother tiger and took the heart and gave his father. So, the plan of the villagers was not successful and they felt depressed. They said again to kill a mother bear but the strong man easily killed the mother bear and gave the bear's heart again. But, the string was attached to the back of the father and it was still making the sound of bone cracking. So, the villagers said that "Look, your father's bones are still cracking. The heart of the bear also did not work." So, the strong man was asked to kill a mother elephant but the strong man easily killed the mother elephant and took its heart and gave his father again. So, the villagers said again that "You have to pick a star from the sky to cure your father otherwise your father won't be cured." Thus, the strong man built a ladder and climbed to the sky. When the strong man climbed and reached quite high, the villagers broke the ladder to fall the strong man down to death. But, the strong man jumped from the sky and went away. The strong man said to himself that "It is not good to kill my parents. So, it is impossible to continue to stay in this village so I should go away." Thus, the strong man left the village and met with a man. The strong man asked the man that "Who are you?" The man answered that "I am a person who has thorns on my shin. If I kick with my shin, everything is cut. That's why the villagers drove me out because of my sharp shin." "Really? I was also driven out from the villager because I am very strong. Let's collaborate between us," the strong man said There was also another man who said that "If I do my neck like this, even mountains are shaken. That's why the villagers drove me out. Let's collaborate among us." There was also another man and he said that "I am the person who even can pull about 300 to 400 bamboos. That's why the villagers drove me out. Let's collaborate." Likewise, such seven strong men met and collaborated. They said that "We all were driven out from the village. We don't have a fire now. There is smoking over there. Shall we go and ask the fire?" The strong man was the leader of the group so he asked a man to go. There was an old man who was with white hair. The man said to the old man that "Old man, give me some fire." "I don't know whether there is still fire. Check in the stove," the old man. When the man was checking in the stove, the old man hit the man and put him in a big basket because the old man was a cruel kind of nat. The rest of the strong men were also asked to go for fire but no one came back. So, the strong man suspected so he went there. The strong man asked the old man that "Old man, do you have a fire?" The old man said that "Check it in the stove." So, the strong man pretended to check the stove and when he immediately turned back, the old man, the cruel nat was about to hit him with a hammer. The strong man immediately grabbed the old man and said that "Are you the one who killed all my friends? Where did you put my friends? Make them alive again otherwise, I will kill you." All of his friends were killed and put in the big basket. The strong man asked the old man to make all the men alive back so the old man made them alive again. Then, all the strong men walked. When they were walking, on the way, an old man was fishing. The old man was a cruel nat and more powerful than the previous old man. It was in an ocean and the old man was put his legs down on each side of the ocean. The old man also had a bag. The old man was fishing with elephant bait. Then, the strong men said that "We thought that we the strongest men but there is a stronger man than us. Let's fight with him. If we all seven men fight with him, we can defeat him." So, they went to the old man and kicked the leg of the old man. But, the old man, cruel nat was stronger than them and he thought the strong men as frogs so he grabbed them and put them into his bag. How big the bag was that they even had to walk for seven days and seven nights to make one round of the bag. The old man returned home after fishing. The old man had a witch wife and a human wife. The old man said to his witch wife that "I did not get fish today but I got frogs. Please prepare these frogs for me to eat with alcohol." The witch wife said that "I am not free. Ask your human wife." So, the human wife was asked to prepare food but when the human wife looked at the bag, it was not frogs and it was all humans. So, she said to the strong men that "You have to run away now. If my husband knows about it, you all will be eaten." So, they ran away. After quite a while, the old man asked his human wife that "Haven't you finished yet the food?" The human wife answered that "You said there are frogs in the bag but when I looked at the bag, I don't see anything. There is no frog and it is an empty bag." Then, the old man said that "If so, they might escape on the way." So, the old man chased them. At that time, the strong men met with a white elephant and told about them. The white elephant quickly dug a deep hole and put the strong men in the deep hole, and he covered the hole. Soon later, the old man met with the white elephant and asked that "Didn't you see seven men here?" "I don't see anything," the white elephant answered. "They just passed this way recently. Are you sure?" the old man said again. Then, the white elephant said that "Ah... I remembered now. They went this way." The white elephant showed the old man another way. Then, the white elephant said to the strong men that "OK, you can go this way now." The strong men were guided to another way so they were free.

Transcription (Lu Awng)
N gun ja wa maumwi rai na re. Moi da ndai dinghku langai kaw ma gun ai grai na ai grai na ai hpang she ma langai lu wa ai da. Ma langai lu wa ma dai gaw shangai ai hte kalang ta wa yawng hkum sai kara yawng hkum n gun grai ja ai n gun grai ja wa nna she dai mare na ni gaw hkrit wa ai ndai moi gaw n gun ja ai mahtang she mare ting hpe up sha na hku hkrai shadu wa i majaw hkrit wa na she tsun sai da. Mare na masha yawng tsun sai e nan la na kasha lu ya nan kanu yen kawa hpe pa shakau baw re lu anhte mare ting hpe sha kau ai baw re lu dai ma nhkrak ai ma she re lu dai hpe gaw sat kau ra ai loh gyam kau ra ai loh kanu yen kawa hpe yawg mare ting dai hku hkrai tsun sai da. Um nrai na re lo kanu yen kawa ngu tim re nan a kasha gaw ya dai yu dingre shangai ai hte dai ram n gun ja ai dai ram ram lani hte lani n gun ja wa ai gaw dai shi dai ram n gun ja ai anhte yawng hpe sha kau ai baw she re gaw nat she re lo hkrit ma nat she re ngu tsun da, dang tik ganing di shi hpe sat kau na anhte sat na kadai nlu nga le anhte dai ram n gun ja wa gaw kadai mung nlu sat ai lu ngu tsun ai da. Ngai mung dai hku tsun sai mare masha langai mung tsun hto mare salang du hkra tsun wa ai hku nga dai majaw deng kaning di sat na shanhte bawng sai hku nga ndai wa hpe gaw sat gaw sat kau ra sai ngu di bawng ai da. Dai majaw anhte she sat yang mung anhte hpe shi bai htim yang anhte ndang ai dai majaw shi hpe gaw maw ga ngu hku nga ngu na she kawa hpe machyi masu su ngu hku nga na kawa hpe machyi masu su sai da. Kawa machyi masu su rai dumsa shaga sai nat yu sai nat yu yu rang e ndai kaning rai na dumsa hpe tsun sai nye wa sha mai na nga nang hpe gara hku tim ngai tsi dwi ai hku nga ndai na kasha mai na matu gaw nloi sai aw na wa mai na matu gaw nloi ai. Hpa baw nloi ai nga dumsa tsun nat yu yang she sharaw kanu kasha woi ai sharaw kanu a salum sha yang she na wa mai na re ngu tsun ai hku nga. E kawa hpe dai hku ngu sharaw e shakau ga ngu shi e maw ai hku nga kawa gaw shingdu ning panyep npu kaw she bai sumri langai kyit di na she chyinghkyen npu ni re kawa chyinghkyen kaw she shamyen ru jahkraw shamyen n ga kap di da na hku nga kawa ning di rawt di dat yang nba raw di dat yang kraw kraw nga shamyen dai yu dai yu ah wa na kinra ni yanwg daw mat sai gaw n kaja sai yawng karuk ruk rai sai bai ning hkrem bai galeng karawk ba nga da dai yu yawng karawk mat sai yawng nkaja sai hku nga dai majaw na wa gaw sharaw pyi naw yo yo nre sharaw kanu chyu jaw nga ai sharaw kanu salum dai gaw sharaw kaw na matse dik rai sai gaw dai na shan salum sha yang she mai sai gaw yaw na re wa she mai na nga yang gaw ngu da. Yaw sai hku nga nyawp sharaw kanu mung nyawp sharaw kanu shi hpe ndang ai mawk salum jaw dai sha bai nmai da ohra ni gaw myit ru sai. Ya gaw tsap kanu she mai ai ngu da tsap kanu dai mung shi e nyawp tim maw tsap salum ngu tsap kanu salum le wa dai sha tim bai hto shamyen ru san re shanhte machyi ai kaja wa nre machyi masu su ai re majaw shamyen ru ning di karawk karawk nga npu kaw shamyen n ga wa noi da ai re nga karawk karawk nga she dai yu wa yawng ah grawp sai. Nmai ai da, magwi kanu she mai ai ngu magwi kanu tim nmai e hpang jahtum gaw ndai hpe anhte gaw nlu sai ngu di she nwa gaw lamu na shagan di jaw yang she mai sai nwa hpe gaw dai nrai yang gaw nmai sai ngu da. E yaw na re machya chya na re nga da lakang htan lung hkrai lung, lung hkrai lung, lung hkrai lung lakang dai shaloi shi ndai kaw na reng gaw hkawn si na ram rai sai ngu she mare masha ni gaw wat lakang kran kau ai hku nga lakang dai kaw kawn na si u ga ngu na she gumhtawn zak swi da, dai kaw na shi myit sai da, ya ngai nu yen wa hpe ngai sat kau da gaw nmai ai nye chyinghkai nu dai majaw ndai mare kaw gaw ngai nga nmai sai re majaw ngai gaw yawng hkawm ra sai ngu shi gaw yawng hkawm sai da. Hkawm re she shi hkawm yang she oh manang langai rau hkrum da e nang gaw ganing re ma e ngai gaw shing lang laju tu ai re nga nye shinglang wut di yang masha yawng hprut nye shinglang hpe htim ai yawng hpe dang ai dai majaw mare masha ni mare masha ni ngai hpe gau kau ai wa re nngai loh ning re shinglang ju tu ai shinglang dai ai shinglai nhtu hpa re re nga gaw ngu e ngai mung ding rai di n gun nau ja di mare masha ni ngai hpe sat na maw di hprang hkawm ai la re an pawng ga ngu shan 2 pawng sai hku nga. Bai langai bai ngai gaw nye du ning di hte bum pyi ra ra re re dai nga mare masha ni ngai hpe gau kau ai re ngai hpe gyam wa ai majaw an hkrum sai pawng ga ngu da. Hpang langai gaw kawa wa ra masum mali tsa garawt jin ai wa re dai majaw ngai hpe mare masha ni gau kau re nga ai da a pawng ga an shanhte ding re n gun ja ai ja ai ja ai wa marai7 pawng sai hku nga shanhte marai 7 pawng ga anhte yawng gawt kau hkrum ai hkrai re anhte wan mung nlu ya ohra de gaw wan hkut gaw mawng taw nga law wan chyawm sa la ra sai law ngu da. Shi gaw dai kaw na ningbaw rai sai, oh langai shawng sa la su, sa rai she baw ah hpraw re dingla langai mi nga ai da. E chyum wan loi jaw rit le ngu da, rawng kun n rawng kun nchye loh dai kaw wan hpu hpu ngu yu wan mang kaw ngu hku rai nga hpu hpu ngu di wan wut nga ai kaw lep lep dingla rai na hku nga hpat ka kaba de dawk makoi du hkra da. Langai bai wan sa san, hpat hpat hpat da deng wan hta sa ai manang ni kadai mung nwa ya ngu di shi gaw loi ntsen sai dai majaw n tsen di sa yu chyum wan nrawng ai i ngu da, e rawng kun nrawng kun hpu hpu di yu ngu hku rai nga, wan hpu ngu masu na shi ningyin dat yang gaw dai dingla wa sumdu gra rai da lep dingla wa gra shi bai nang i nye manang ni yawng hpe sat ai nang she rai hka gra rai lep dingla hpe shagyeng sai nang nye manang ni hpe gara da yawng hpe jahkrung ya dai nrai yang nang hpe ngai sat kau sa na e ning ning re ka badu kaba kaw manang ni yawng hpe sat bang da ya na hku rai nga. Jahkrung ngu lep dingla hpe, lep dingla wa yawng hpe jahkrung ya sai da, jahkrung ya di shanhte gaw hkawm sai hku nga hkawm, anhte ni gaw n gun ja ni ai she re gaw hkawm nga myek taw nga ai da, nga myek kaning re myek i nga lep dingla myi na na hta grau n gun ja ai manu man nat kaba panglai hka hkingau kaw ohra hkran de lagaw langai mye oh ra hkran de lagaw langai krang ning rai di nga myek taw ai hku nga, nhpye langai sa hpye, yu yu reng she hpa baw hte myek i nga magwi hte magwi hpe myek kaw hkai di she ning ngu na myek taw arr anhte she n gun ja ai ngu yang grau n gun ja ai la i nga i yaw ga ndai hpe gaw anhte 7 e htem sai kaw na ndai gaw la ngai hpe gaw anhte dang nan dang ai ngu, sa sai sa yu yang lagaw kaw kawk mi htawng sai hku nga oh ra lep la shanhte hta grau n gun ja ai aw shu ni i ngu di gra di nhpye kaw dawk htawm ba kaw dawk dawk di da oh ra wa na htawm ba kade ram kaba ngu sanit ya sanit na shingyp yang she htawm ba dai kalang graup ai re hku nga. Nga myek wa sai da wa na lep dingla gaw e maw shi gaw shinggyim masha num lu ai, lep num lu ai, shinggyim masha aw lep num hpe shawng maw ndai shu nga gaw nlu ai, ndai shu chyawm ka-i ya rit ya ngai tsa pyi hte mai gaw nga da. Deng she lep num gaw e ngai nrau ai nrau ai oh nau jan hpe ngu ngu, shinggyim masha num kanau jan nau jan hpe ngu, shinggyim masha gaw yu koi shinggim masha ni hkrai da kei nanhte nbyin sai lol ya nye dingla wa chye sai kaw na nanhte gaw yawng sha kau na re madai, lawan she hprawng masu, hprawng hkrai hprawng, hprawng hkrai hprawng da, tsawm ra na re hpang she lep dingla wa ya mung myi dai ka-i shangun ai shu n hkut shi ai i ngu san ai da madu jan hpe e nang gaw shu rawng ai nga di ngai gaw tam yu ai wa nmu ai loh shu mung nmu ai loh, hpa mung nrawng ai htawm ba kaman she re ngu um deng gaw ndai ni myi lam kaw lut sai re, lam kaw le mat sai re ngu di hkan sai hku nga, hkan lep dingla hkan lam lapran langai kaw magwi jahpraw hte hkrum ai da, magwi jahpraw hpe shanhte a lam tsun na she magwi jahpraw wa she shanhte hpe lawan wan ga n hkun htu di she dai kata de shanhte hpe bang di she myet magwi e gap di da she lam nbraw kaw nga hku nga, lep dingla hpe e ya nang nmu ai i ngu da, nang kaw shinggyim masha 7 lai wa ai nu ai i ngu da, e hpa mung nmu ai lo, hpa mung nmu ai nga da. Hpa mung nmu ai dai majaw nre law myi sha lai wa ai re law na de ngu hku rai nga dai she magwi wa gaw aw aw dum sai dum sai mu ai mu ai myi ndai de ndai lahkra maga lam de re ngu lagat mat ai da, dai kaw na lep dingla shachyut mat na she shinggyim masha ni hpe bai bai nai lapai maga de bai re su ngu di ndai maga de wa shangun di shanhte gaw lawt mat ai da.
Origination date 2017-01-30
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0300
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. La Tawng : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/5988934c24e69
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), W. La Tawng (speaker), 2017. N-gun ja wa maumwi (The strong man) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0300 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/5988934c24e69
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0300-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 17.4 KB
KK1-0300-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 7.66 MB 00:08:22.961
KK1-0300-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 277 MB 00:08:22.947
3 files -- 284 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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