Item details
Item ID
KK1-0557
Title Matsan ai la a lam (The poor man) with English translation
Description Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
The story I'm going to tell is about a man who was born to be poor. The poor man cut the trees, and sold those logs, and earned a living. He was a hardworking person, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape from poverty. Then, God would like to bless him. God thought, "This man is hardworking, but he doesn't have anything. He never becomes rich. So I will give him blessings." One day, God intentionally put a pack of gold on the way to the poor man's field. That day, the man didn't look at the ground while he was walking. He was looking at the sky and whistling while walking. So he walked over the gold and didn't get it. He worked in the field the whole day and went back home. God thought, "This man is walking while looking up at the sky." The next day, the pack of gold was hung on the tree. But he was looking at the ground while he was walking, without even giving a single glance at the sky. Then God couldn't give him any blessings. God was thinking hard, "When I put the gold on the ground, he walked while looking up at the sky. When I hung the gold on the tree, he walked while looking at the ground. I couldn't give him the gold then. I want him to be wealthy. What should I do?" Then one day, God put the gold inside the rice wrap. But the poor man was working the whole day without even eating lunch. When he finished his work in the evening, the rice was giving off a stinky smell. So he threw it away into the ravine. Then, he lost the gold inside the rice too. In the end, God realized that the man was born to be poor. People have different luck and fortunes. The story tells us that people were born with different fortunes.

Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ya bai tsun na maumwi gaw ndai matsan gam gun ai wa a lam, matsan gam gun ai wa a lam rai nga. Ndai matsan la wa gaw matsan ai majaw shi gaw yi hkyen sha, hpun hta dut sha, ginjang jang sha re na grai matsan, kade shakut timmung law sha ai ngu nnga, kade shakut timmung hkru sha ngu nnga, dan re matsan, shi gaw shakut gaw grai shakut ai, dan re majaw gaw hpan wa sagya gaw shi hpe shaman ya mayu ai. Aw matsan la ndai wa gaw grai matsan mayen, shi gaw grai gaw shakut nga ai retim mung shi nlu nsu hkraw nga ai, dai majaw ngai shi hpe ma sana re shi hpe shaman ya na re nga na, hpan wa sagya gaw shi hpe yu matsan dum na myit ai, dai majaw gaw lani mi na nhtoi hta gaw shi gaw shani shagu dai yi sa wa ai ten hta shi lai lai re lam kaw she lam kaw e ja makai hpe lam kaw tawn da ya ai. Tawn da ya re shani gaw dai jahpawt gaw lat matsan la wa dai gaw yi sa wa yang she ga de n yu sha lamu de hkrai lahpyaw hpyaw na lamu de hkrai dawng na she dai ja majaw dai hpe shingkawt lai kau da she yi de swi re tawm bai sa mat wa. Shani tup yi sa hkyen, re na shana de bai wa rai, hpan wa sagya gaw har ndai la ndai gaw lamu de hkrai dawng nna she hkawm nga ai, ngu na hpang shani bai re jang gaw hto hpun ntsa de bai noi tawn da ya ai da, dai ja sutgan majaw hpe she hpun ntsa de bai noi da re she, dai shani gaw lamu ntsa de bai nyu she, ga de hkrai yu na she mam tam ai zawn gum na bai lai sa mat sai da. E dai hku mung hpanwa sagya gaw shi hpe shaman ya nmai. Dai hku re na she um ndai wa gaw ga de tawn ya yang mung shingkawt lai kau da, lamu ntsa de noi yang mung ga de gum na hkrai bai hkawm, ngai nmai jaw taw ai gaw ndai gara hku mi rai rai shi lu nan lu shangun mayu ai, shi hpe lu nan lu shangun mayu ai su shangun mayu ai, ndai matsan kaw na lawt shangun mayu ai nga myit na she, bai lani mi gaw shat makai kaw bai ja makai e bai bang tawn da ya sai da. E dai shani gaw bungli galaw ai wa shat shani shat n sha hkra bungli bai galaw, bungli galaw hkrai galaw, shana de gaw hka wa ten du hkra bungli galaw na gaw shat gaw tsu bat manam chyoi sai gaw, shat tsu bat manam mat jang she shat makai hpe hpyen pyi n hpyen yu hkra re na she shat makai e kalang ta le hkaraw de krung de bai woi nga na kabai shapyen bang kau dat, re na ja makai hpe bai kabai kau sai da. Dai re majaw gaw hpan wa sagya gaw aw matsan la wa ndai gaw teng sha wa shi gaw matsan kam gun ai wa re nga ai ning re matsan gying na matsan ai wa she re nga ngu na e shi hpe dai hku na tawn kau ai lam hpe anhte chye lu ai. Dai majaw gaw ndai gaw gam maka ngu ai masha gaw gam maka langai hte langai nbung ai lam hpe ndai gam maka gun sa wa ai, shangai ai kaw na gam maka gun sa wa ai ngu hpe hkai dan ai sharin shaga ai lam ni nga ai maumwi re.
Origination date 2017-02-09
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0557
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
L. Htoi Bawk : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/5989e0e363f2d
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), L. Htoi Bawk (speaker), 2017. Matsan ai la a lam (The poor man) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0557 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/5989e0e363f2d
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0557-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 13.4 KB
KK1-0557-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 4.2 MB 00:04:35.591
KK1-0557-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 152 MB 00:04:35.560
3 files -- 156 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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