Item details
Item ID
KK1-0303
Title Nhtu shamat ai jahkrai ma a lam (The orphan who lost a knife) with English translation with notes
Description Translation (Seng Pan)
The story is about planting tobacco. Once, there was an orphan who was very fond of chewing dried tobacco leaf. But he never planted his own or bought for himself. He just always asked it from his friends. So, later his friends also didn't want to give him. They said, "We plant our own tobacco in our field. You also plant for yourself." So, he grew tobacco beside a river. There also was a small lake next to his tobacco field. One day, while he was chopping wood, his knife slipped out of his hand and dropped into the lake. Since he had only one knife, he was so sad and cried. He dived into the lake as deep as he could but he couldn't find it. So, he cried the whole day. In the evening, a Water Guardian who assumed the form of man, popped up from the lake. He asked, "Man, why are you crying?" The orphan answered, "Because my only one knife dropped into the water." Then the Water Guardian showed him many valuable knives like gold knife, jade knife, etc. And he said, "The orphan, see these knives! Which one is your knife?" He answered, "No. My knife is not valuable like these. It's not gold or jade knife." Then the Guardian showed him other precious knives and let him take a look. But the orphan still said those were not his. As the Guardian was impressed by his honesty, he rewarded him with many precious things. And the orphan became so rich. So, his friends whom he had asked tobacco leaf from, asked, "Before you even needed to beg tobacco leaf from us. How come you become so rich now?" He said, "While I was crying as my knife was dropped into the lake near my tobacco field, a Water Guardian came up and gave me a precious knife. That's why I became rich." As one of his friends heard the whole story, he went to the field and threw his knife into the lake even though the knife was not slipped out. And he pretended crying whole day. In the evening, the Guardian popped up and asked him why he was crying. He answered that he was crying because his knife was dropped into water. The same knives as the Guardian showed to the orphan, were shown and the Guardian let him choose his own knife. The man picked the most valuable one, jade knife. As he was not honest, the Water Guardian took back jade knife and went into the water by taking all valuable knives including the man's knife. Since he was so greedy, he wasn't rewarded. Moreover, he couldn't get back his own knife.

Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ya gaw chyahkrai ma a yi malut galaw ai maumwi re na re. Chyahkrai ma gaw malut gaw grai sha, malut gaw sha mayu reng she manang ni kaw hkrai hpyi sha hku nga hpyi sha hpyi sha reng she manang ni gaw n jaw sha wa sai da, nang jaw sha hkrai nau mawn sai ngu di dai majaw anhte mung malut yi galaw di hkyen di she sha ai re dai majaw nang mung hkyen u malut yi hkyen sai da, hka kau makau langai kaw malut yi hkyen hkyen hkyen shi hkyen ai loi ding pa ai nang de lawu daw de nawng langai nga na hku nga shi hkyen dat ai she nhtu wa lawk rap da, lawk rap re hte hka de bruk rap da, nhtu dai langai sha lu nhtu daw dai langai sha lu hkrap sai da. Shi gaw shani tup hkrap kade hpung lip yu dep ai hkan hpung lip yu tim ndep dang she shana de gaw hka na masha langai le wa na hku nga, hka nat rai ga rai nga, le wa na e nang hpa rai hkrap nga ndai ngu hku nga e nye nhtu dai hka de poi bang mat nna hkrap nga nngai loh ngu tsun ai da. Nye nhtu dai de poi bang nna hkrap nga nngi ngu tsun ai hku nga hka nat gaw madun sai hku nga, shi na gaw ja nhtu, lung seng nhtu, manu mana manu dan ai nhtu ni shaw nna ndai re i na nhtu gara rai ndai yu yu ngu hku nga, e nye nhtu dai langai pyi nre loh nye nhtu gaw dingre nre loh manu dan ai nhtu nre loh lungseng nre loh ja nre loh ngu, grai grai hkrak ai nhtu ni bai shaw tawn da, ndai gara rai na nhtu nye nhtu dai nre loh ngu tsun ai hku rai nga, dai she hpang jahtum gaw shi nhtu wa shaw wa ai hku nga hka nat gaw ndai i na nhtu e ndai she nye nhtu re ngu tsun ai hku nga. Deng she hka nat gaw e nang gaw manu mana kaja wa re ngu di she shi hpe shi nhpyi ai ni mung jaw ai hku rai nga, shi nhpyi ai ja lungseng ni mung jaw nna she dai hte grai lu mat ai da. Grai lu mat yang manang ni gaw gai deng chyahkrai ma nang myi gaw malut pyi hpyi sha ai la wa deng ya grai lu mat ai ngu da, e ngai yi hkyen oh nawng ntsa kaw yi hkyen yang nye nhtu langai hto hka de hkrat bang mat wa di hkrap yang hka kaw na nat langai mi le wa di dai shi jaw ai nhtu de lu wa ai re loh ngu shi mung azin ayang ntsun dan sai le dai kaw gaw deng gaw ngai mung yaw yu ga nga di la langai wa gaw hkyen hkyen shi nhtu nhku pyi n malawk tim da sang lawk di hka de bang kau ai da. Shani tup hkrap masu sai da, shani tup hkrap masu hkrap hkrai hkrap, hkrap hkrai hkrap masu rang, shana de gaw bai le wa na hku nga le wa she le wa di she hka nat e hpa rai hkrap ndai e ngai nye nhtu langai sha lu ai dai hka de hkrat mat ai majaw hkrap nga nngai re nngai loh yawn ai re lo ngu hku nga. Hka na le wa di myi na chyahkrai ma hpe di ai zawn manu mana manu dan ai lung seng nhtu ni madun ndai i ngu kalang ta re ndai nye nhtu re nga di dai manu dan ai nlung nhtu hpe she gra di deng hka nat gaw e nang gaw ndingman ai masha re ngu di hka nat gaw dai kaw bruk rai di shi nhtu da lang di shang mat di shang mat ai da, shi lu da ai nhtu mung nlu la kau hka nat mung mat mat re nit hpa nlu mat ai da.

Notes
1. Perry Index 173
Origination date 2017-01-30
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0303
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 10.4225/72/598893591a18b
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), W. La Tawng (speaker), 2017. Nhtu shamat ai jahkrai ma a lam (The orphan who lost a knife) with English translation with notes. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0303 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/598893591a18b
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0303-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 12.9 KB
KK1-0303-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 2.67 MB 00:02:55.307
KK1-0303-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 96.5 MB 00:02:55.293
3 files -- 99.2 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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