Item details
Item ID
KK1-0890
Title Shinggyim num hte magwi (The pregnant elephant) with English translation
Description Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
In the past, humans and animals could understand each other. Human bear a banby for nine months and gave birth after that. But elephants bear the baby for a long time. They carry the baby for three years. So, they are jealous of humans. The elephant thought, "The humans bear the babies for nine months and give birth after that. But I have to carry the baby for a long time. I'm so sick of it. I will ask the humans why." Then, it asked a woman, "How long do you carry a baby?" The woman said, "Nine or ten months." The elephant misheard her and said, "Ten years?" The woman said, "No, nine or ten months." But the elephant said, "Ten years?" No matter how many times she explained, the elephant misheard her. So, she was angry. She shouted, "Yes! Ten years! Ten years!" That's why the elephant have to carry the baby for ten years in her womb. This is the end of the story. Since then, women who are pregnant need to be very careful. The fathers need to be careful as well because the elephants kill them when they come into the forest. If the pregnant women or their husbands face with elephants, they will get killed. The elephants scare them. They don't like being called 'Magwi' (elephant). They like being called 'Ji Dwi'. It happened that way because there was a story. The woman said it was nine or ten months to carry the baby for her, but the elephant misheard her. Then, she was angry and shouted, "Yes! Ten years!" Since then, the elephants have to carry the baby for near ten years in their wombs. The elephants got angry because of that. So, they kill the husbands of pregnant women whenever they see them.

Transcription (La Ring)
Moi gaw dusat dumyeng ni yawng hte shinggyim masha ni ga hkrum ai da. Ga hkrum ai shaloi she e shinggyim num jan gaw e shata jahku sha gun nna ma lu kau kau re nrai i. Magwi gaw e grai na hkra gun ai da. Magwi gaw masum ning da magwi gaw masum ning gun e shinggyim masha ni gaw shata jahku gun rai na she magwi gaw manawn sai da law. "Wora shinggyim masha ni gaw jahkring sha gun nna lu kau kau re gaw e ngai gaw grai na jin ai grai jin ai ma gun grai jin ai shinggyim num jan hpe san yu na re" ngu na she "E ning nang gaw ma kade na hkra gun ai" ngu yang she "Shata jahku hte shi" ngu da. Shata jahku hte shi ngu jang she magwi num jan gaw "Shi ning aw" nga. Kade lang tsun yang "Jahku hte shi kalang lang gaw jahku kalang lang gaw shi ngu jahku hte shi ngu" yang "Shi ning aw" sha angu nga jang Jinghpaw num jan masin pawt nna "E e e shi ning shi ning" ngu dat ai da. Dai majaw magwi gaw dai shaning shi ning gun ra ai nga dai tsun ai majaw ya ndai prat e gaw aw maumwi gaw dai kaw htum sai nrai i. Ya ndai prat e gaw ma gun ai ni grai hkrit ra ai. Ma gun ai wa a madu wa ma grai hkrit ra ai nam shang yang grai nju na kabye sat kau kau re ai dai ma gun ai wa a madu wa rai rai ma gun ai num jan rai rai kachyi nmai hkrum ai maumwi dai nga mat ai majaw. Hpa rai na shing rai ai kun yi nam hkawm na rai jang wora ma gun ai wa a madu wa ni ma gun ai ni nam de nmai sa ai magwi hkrit ra ai shara de. Nmai sa ai magwi ngu na mung nra ai da shi gaw ji dwi ngu na she ra ai da. Shi gaw ji dwi ngu na she ra ai dai re majaw dai hku e "Hpa rai na dai hku rai ai" ngu yang she "She moi na maumwi nga nna rai nga le, shata jahku hte shi ngu yang shi ning aw nga na masin pawt nna shi ning ngu dat yang she grai na hkra hkra ma gun shangun ai" ngu na mu yang ya du hkra pawt na nju ai re da. Dai majaw ma gun ai ni ma gun ai wa a madu wa ni mu yang magwi ni grai pawt nna kabye sat kau kau re ai da. Ngut sai.
Origination date 2017-02-12
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0890
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
M. Lu Htoi : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/5989e63e6e210
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), M. Lu Htoi (speaker), 2017. Shinggyim num hte magwi (The pregnant elephant) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0890 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/5989e63e6e210
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0890-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 16.4 KB
KK1-0890-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 2.13 MB 00:02:20.121
KK1-0890-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 77.2 MB 00:02:20.94
3 files -- 79.4 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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