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Item details
Item ID
KK1-0822
(Collection Details)
Title Baw nu n rawng ai hkawhkam (Brainless king) with English translation
Description Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
The story's title is 'a brainless king'. Once upon a time, there was a king who often bragged about himself in a country. The king boasted, "I am the best. No one is cleverer than me!" He had a pretty daughter too. He didn't give his permission whenever the princes asked for the princess's hands in marriage. He said, "I will let my daughter marry the one who is more intelligent than me." But, he never agreed to let his daughter marry. Even when the intelligent and smart princes from other countries asked his permission for the princess's hands in marriage, he always refused them and let them go back. Then, there was a man with a beard sitting outside the palace. He always touched his beard and acted like he was thinking about something hard. The king saw him and had a great interest in him. The king thought, "He definitely might be a wise man. He might do anything successfully." He didn't even discuss it with his counsellors and ordered his servants to escort that man. And he wanted that man to marry the princess. So, he arranged the marriage. The man sitting outside the palace didn't refuse the offer and married the princess. Luckily, he became the son-in-law of the king. It had been one year since they got married. But the princess's husband didn't do any work. He always sat at the place where he was used to sitting. The king was frustrated and angry. He thought, "My son-in-law doesn't do any work during this one year. I am so angry. I will have to talk to him about why he doesn't work!" And the king asked his son-in-law, "Let me ask you one thing." The son-in-law said, "Yes, my lord. Ask me." The king asked him, "I know you are an intelligent man. Why are you sitting there all the time? Are you planning to change the palace to be the greatest one?" His son-in-law replied to him, "My lord, I am thinking about this. I am thinking about where this beard started growing." The king was shocked when he heard the answer. His son-in-law continued, "I seek for the place where this beard started growing. But I still couldn't find the answer. So, I am sitting there and thinking about it." The king was thinking to himself, "I thought I was very smart. But I am not. When wise princes asked for my daughter's hand for marriage, I didn't give my permission. But now, I let my daughter marry a foolish man. I was wrong." He was upset and had to spend his life with regrets. So, people shouldn't brag and be proud of themselves too much. We should discuss things with other people first before we decide. This is the meaning of the story.

Transcription (La Ring)
Ya ngai hkai na maumwi ga baw gaw bawnu nrawng ai hkaw hkam a lam rai nga ai. Moi kalang mi hta da mungdan langai mi kaw ndai grai reng dum ai hkaw hkam langai nga ai da. Hkaw hkam dai gaw shi na shi galoi mung "Ngai gaw grai byin ai ndai kaw ngai daram chye ai kadai nnga ai ngai daram ngai daram zet ai kadai nnga ai ngai daram hpaji rawng ai nnga ai" ngu na shi dai hku hkrai sha myit la ai da. Rai yang shi na kasha langai mi nga ai da shi kaw kasha grai tsawm ai langai mi nga re she shi na kasha hpe e shi gaw kadai hte ma kadai mi sa hpyi tim njaw sha ai da. "Nye kasha hpe gaw ngai hta grau hpaji chye ai hpe jaw sha na" ngu na shi dai hku hkrai tsun ai da. Rai na sa hpyi ai ni ma hkra hpe mung shi gaw e wa kau shangun ngun re da kade hpaji rawng ai kaga mungdan de na ni hpe raitim shi njaw sha ai da. E njaw sha rai jang she lani mi na aten hta shi na ndai hkaw hkam wang shawng kaw she la langai mi dung taw ai da. Dai la gaw shani shagu shi na nhka mun sha masawp di na dung taw ai da. Dai hkaw hkam wang hpe yu na shi grai myit ai zawn zawn rai na dung taw taw rai ai da. Dai hpe she shi gaw grai myit shang sha mat sai da "Ndai la wa gaw kaning mi nga timung hpaji rawng ai la rai na re. E dai la hpe gaw ngai myit ra ai la i ngai myit ai daram awng dang mai ai la rai na re" ngu na shi gaw dai hku myit ai da. Rai na she shi gaw shi na ndai amat ngu na ni hpe ma shi na lawu na ni hpe ma kadai hpe ma shi njahkrum sai. Njahkrum rai na she shi gaw "Ndai hpaji rawng sai" ngu myit la ai da. Myit la nna shi hpe she shaga la nna dai la hpe shaga la na shi gaw dai shi na kasha hte jaw sha na matu yawng galaw kau sai da. Galaw kau rai na she shi kaja nan ma dai la kasha hpe hpa ntsun ai shi ma rai na she hkaw hkam kahkri lu tai na nga yang gaw kadai ma hpa ntsun sai e dai hku na she e jaw sha kau sai da. Dai kahkri hte jaw sha kau rai yang she kahkri hte jaw sha ngut rai na she laning mi mung du wa sai da. Shi kasha hte nga ai laning mi mung du wa timung dai la wa gawa da kaga hpa ntsun ai da. Shi shani shagu dung ai shara kaw sha sa dung rai na shi na nhka mun sha masawp taw re da. Shi na katsa ngu na wa gaw myit ngalu wa sai da. Myit ngalu wa rai na she "Ngai grai kam hpa ai nye na kahkri gaw ya laning mi du wa timung ya na zawn rai na lachyum pru ai bungli langai pyi ngalaw shi ai e kaning re re kun daini gaw ngai nang hpe san na san nan san na re" ngu na she e shaga la sai da. "Ngai hkri e daini gaw nang hpe ngai lama mi gaw san de ga" ngu tsun ai da. Dai shaloi she ndai kahkri wa gaw tsun ai da "Mai ai san rit" ngu na tsun na she shan lahkawng san sai da. San re shaloi she nang gaw ngu tsun ai da "Ndai kaw nang sa dung di na i nang myit taw ai aten ni grai na na nang gaw hpaji rawng ai masha langai rai nga ai. Nang hpabaw myit taw ai ndai hkaw hkam wang hpe nang gara hku na naw hkyik hkam hkra galaw mayu ai ngu hpe i nang tsun dan yu rit" ngu na tsun ai da. Dai shani she shi gaw kahkri hpe san re shaloi kahkri gaw tsun ai da "Aw ngai na i tsa hkaw hkam wa e ngai myit taw ai" ngu da "Ngai na nhka mun ndai gaw i gara kaw na prut pru wa kun ngu na ngai myit taw ai" ngu tsun ai da. Dai shaloi she shi wa hkaw hkam wa grai mau mat wa ai le i "Ndai matu hpe ngai tam taw nga ai re" ngu tsun ai da. "Ngai ndai matu hpe tam ai nmu shi ai majaw ngai ya du hkra myit taw ai" ngu tsun ai da. Dai shaloi she hkaw hkam wa gaw dai shaloi she myit ai da "Aw ngai gaw i ngai hpaji grai chye sai ngu na ngai myit tawn da ai raitim mung ngai gaw hpaji nchye ai ngai hpaji nchye taw ai hka. Ya gaw ngai nye kasha hpe i grai reng ai ni hpyi ai raitim ngai njaw sha ai raitim mung daini gaw ngai grai nre ai grai nreng ai e hpa nre ai la hte nye kasha hpe jaw sha kau ra sai jaw sha hkrup kau sai" ngu di na shi na prat hta grai myit malai na myit npyaw myit machyi na dai hku sha rai na nga mat wa ra ai da. Dai majaw masha gaw i tinang na myit ai hku hkrai ma nmai galaw ai da. Jahkrum ra ai hpe jahkrum rai di na she e hpa mi raitim mung nmai gawng ba ai da dai lachyum re ngu.
Origination date 2017-02-12
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0822
URL
Collector
Keita Kurabe
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Countries
Myanmar - MM
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Language as given Jinghpaw
Subject language(s)
Jingpho - kac
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Content language(s)
Jingpho - kac
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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
G. Htang San : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/5989e52676b17
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), G. Htang San (speaker), 2017. Baw nu n rawng ai hkawhkam (Brainless king) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0822 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/5989e52676b17
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0822-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 27.5 KB
KK1-0822-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 3.64 MB 00:03:59.46
KK1-0822-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 132 MB 00:03:59.28
3 files -- 135 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
Myanmar - MM
To view related information on a country, click its name
Languages
Jingpho - kac
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Access Information
Edit access Nick Thieberger
Keita Kurabe
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Data access conditions Open (subject to agreeing to PDSC access conditions)
Data access narrative
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