Item details
Item ID
KK1-1115
Title Nsu nat byin wa ai lam (The origin of the envious spirit) with English translation
Description Translation (by Rita Seng Mai)
Many years ago, there lived two orphan brothers in a village. The elder brother was tall, muscular and handsome, but he didn't have a good sense and was not thoughtful. The younger brother was clever and thoughtful even though his body structure was small and not handsome like his brother. So he even led his brother how to do for a living and how to behave. One day, the younger brother told his elder brother, "My brother, we should do farming like growing paddies, some other vegetables and raising some animals." Then his elder brother asked him what to do. He told his brother, "You just need to scrape the horn of buffalo and scatter them on the field. I will sow some corn and millet. " Actually, he deceived his elder brother. He was growing some vegetables while his elder brother was actually doing what he told. Then it was time to harvest soon. His vegetables such as corn and millet were going to ripe soon. Then, he told his brother, "There are plentiful of corns and millets on my farm. I can harvest them soon. How about your farm? Are you doing well?" His brother replied him, "Mine has got many herds. I can even hear the sound when their horns are crashing against." He was curious what had happened, then he went to his elder brother's farm. He saw many cattle and buffaloes. He got jealous as soon as he saw that. Then he thought to himself, "Hmmm, my brother has got many cattle and buffaloes. He's going to be rich. I can't let that happen!" So he went to his brother's farm on the quiet and applied some ground rice on herds of cattle and buffaloes. Then the next day, he told his brother, "My brother, go and look at your herds on your farm. All the white herds are mine! The black herds are yours." His elder brother went to his farm to check as he told. Then the elder brother saw that all the cattle and buffaloes were white. He was so shocked and felt angry. Then he bawled and called upon the deity, "Oh, great deity, look at all my cattle and buffaloes. Help me!" Surprisingly, it started to rain at that moment. Then, all the ground rice which was applying on the bodies of cattle and buffaloes had disappeared. He got all the herds back. Then, his younger brother thought another plan to deceive him. He told his elder brother, "My brother, your wife is sick. I think she is going to die soon. So, let's go and make a coffin." His elder brother easily believed him and they went to make a coffin. After they had made a coffin, his younger brother told him, "My brother, you and your wife have similar height and size. So to know if this coffin is perfect for your wife, you should test first. Lie down there." As soon as his elder brother lay down, he closed the coffin and tied it with vines. Then he went back home as if nothing happened. His elder brother thought, "Ummm..., my brother deceived me again!" He couldn't breathe well and felt angry so he kicked the lid of the coffin with all his strength. He could go out of the coffin. Then he also went back home. He didn't say anything to his younger brother. He pretended like nothing happened but he thought of a plan to revenge. He told his younger brother, "My brother, my wife is sick again. She will die soon. So let's make a coffin again." His younger brother couldn't go against him so his younger brother had to do what he told. He did the same like his younger brother did to him. He also hid some strong vines secretly. After they had made a coffin, he told his younger brother, "Lie down inside the coffin. I just wanted to check if that was fit for your sister-in-law." As soon as his younger brother lay down, he closed the lid tightly with the vines which he hid. Then he hung that coffin atop a tall tree above the waterfall. Then he went back home and acted like nothing happened. After some time, he told a squirrel, "Go and check my brother of he is alive or not. I hung him at the top of the tree above the waterfall." But the squirrel misheard and thought it had to cut the vine off. So it cut the vine. Then his younger brother who was inside the coffin fell down the waterfall and he died. He became Nat (evil spirit) after he died. So, people had to worship and give offerings to that Nat. The younger brother became Nsu Nat. Since then, there is a kind of evil spirit called Nsu Nat which people have to give offerings and worship.

Transcription (by Lu Awng)
Moi kahtawng langai mi kaw e da jahkrai ma yen nau nga ai da. Kahpu wa ngu na wa gaw galu kaba rai, hkum hkrang tsawm timmung ndai myit yu mang yu ai lam nau nnga ai da. Kanau wa gaw kaji tim mung grau zet nna grau zet ai majaw kahpu hpe pyi naw lam woi ningshawng tai nna woi galaw sha hkrat wa ai yen nau re da. Dai she lani mi na nhtoi hta gaw dai kahpu hpe ning nga da, e hpu e an nau mung hkai lu hkai sha aten du sai, yi galaw sha nna hkai lu hkai sha, rem lu rem sha aten du sai, yi galaw ga ngu na she hpa baw hkai na rai ngu yang she, kahpu wa gaw hpaw baw hkai na ngu yang she, nang gaw nga rung ahkut hkrai ahkut na yi kaw nga rung gat u e ngu da. Shi gaw mam shagyi gat na nga ai da, shaloi nang gaw nga rung ah hkut gat u ngu kahpu e dan ngu da. Kaja wa sha kahpu mung kanau tsun ai hte maren nga rung ah hkut nna gat da, shi gaw shagyi ni mam ni gat na she nga re na mangai ngai wa sai da. Mangai ngai wa, shi na shagyi ni n gawng ni gaw yawng tu nna myin wa na maw sai da. Shaloi gaw e hpu e ya gaw hpu nang e yi kaning re wa sata ngai na gaw sagyi magawng ni yawng rawt shadap nna pru wa gum ra rai wa masai, ngu yang she, ngai na mung ngawt e nyat e krawk pru e pu e pa e pawng e pang e nga ma ai ngu, kaning re wa kun a ngu she kahpu yi de sa yu yang wa nga wuloi dumsu ni hkrai htep da yaw. Ga a ya nye kahpu gaw nga wu loi mat gaw ngai hta grau sahte mat na rai sa, manya law nga na she manawn wa sai da e, kahpu e manaw wa na lani mi na kahpu yi de sa na n gu shadung htu ai da na she dai kahpu a nga ni yawng hpe n gu shadung chya kau ya na she hpang shani kahpu e, e hpu na yi de sa yu, na yi e nga nga ai nga dumsu wuloi ni yawng hpraw ai gaw ngai n re yaw ngu da. Chyang ai gaw nang na re, hpraw ai gaw ngai na re yaw ngu, kaja wa sa yu yang gaw shi nga dumsu ni ma hkra hpraw mat na shi gaw masin pawt na, sagya e hpan wa e ndai nye a nga ni a lam hpe mada yu ya rit loh nga na sa marawn jahtau jang she marang kalang ta htu wa ai da. Marang htu wa na she nga dai ni na shadung htu mara da ai ni yawng tsai mat na shi nga hkrai bai rai mat ai da. Re jang gaw dai nyan sai da loh kanau wa she bai nyan na she, kahpu hpe e kaning n chye di bai la na she lani mi gaw e hpu e na nrat jan si wa nga ai, grai machyi na ya si wa na maw sai, dai majaw du u sa daw ga ngu na she tsun na she kajaw wa du u daw sa wa sai da. Du u daw ngut sai da, hpun daw la na du u shachyaw ngut re yang she e hpu na nnam jan gaw nang na hkum hte kanoi maren re re majaw n nam jan kaw ram na kun nram na kun a shang rawng yu nga na shangrawng yang wa kahpu gaw dai du u kaw shang rawng galeng ai hte hkap di di magap nna she numru hte e shachyup kau na nta wa mat ai da. Dai shaloi gaw kahpu gaw n dai nye kanau ngai e maw sai ga re ngu, ya ngu na nsa gaw nu shaw wa hte jam jau na masin pawt ai hte rau kalang ta shi a n gun tup hkin dit dat yang oh ra ru di mat na lu pru mat na nta bai lu du wa sai da. Nta bai du wa tim kanau e hpa ma ntsun ai da, hpa ma n tsun ai sha nga nga re da, shi bai rai sai da, e kanau e hpu a madu jan mung grai bai machyi nna ya si na sha rai sai, du u bai sa daw ga ngu na. Kanau e bai woi sa sa, kanau mung kahpu ga n lai lu na bai sa mat na du u bai sa daw sai da. Du u bai sa daw jang she shawng na zawn di na, du u ngut hkra shi kahpu gaw kei kanau shi e dan di ai ngu na shi gaw mana maka ngang ai baw sumri ni lahkru ni hkrup chya hkrup chya re baw ni galaw, lagu mayun tawn re na du u dawt ngu ai hpang, gai kanau nang bai shang rawng galeng yu ram ai kun n ram ai kun ningrat hte hkra ai kun n hkrak ai kun kahpu gaw ga nwam na shang galeng ai hte gaw htem di na she gyit ah hkang kau di kau na hka rum ntsa kaw na hpun kaw e noi kau da ai da. Noi kau da na wa mat, retim kanau e gaw n woi nwoi sha nga na she kadu hka e htet ai hku nga, kadu hka le nye kanau na nye kanau hpe e du u hte hpun ndung kaw noi da sai, naw hkrung nga ai kun n hkrung nga ai kun naw sa gin tan yu u ngu yang she kadu hka bai na la ai gaw sumri sa dan di kau u nga na na she dai noi tawn da ai sumri wa sa kawa di kau na hka rum de du u hte hpa hte di hkrat shang na kanau gaw dai kaw si mat ai da. Si mat nna nat tai mat ai majaw, shi hpe e jaw ra mat ai da. Nat jaw jaw ra mat ai. Dai kaw na she dai kanau gaw nsu nat tai mat na she nsu nat ngu ai dai kaw na nga mat wa ai re da, htum sai.
Origination date 2017-02-15
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/1115
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 10.4225/72/598b32fe4bdfc
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), M. Lu Htoi (speaker), 2017. Nsu nat byin wa ai lam (The origin of the envious spirit) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-1115 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/598b32fe4bdfc
Content Files (6)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-1115-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 22.6 KB
KK1-1115-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 6.86 MB 00:07:30.324
KK1-1115-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 248 MB 00:07:30.317
KK1-1115-B.eaf application/eaf+xml 4.43 KB
KK1-1115-B.mp3 audio/mpeg 230 KB 00:00:14.680
KK1-1115-B.wav audio/vnd.wav 8.3 MB 00:00:14.663
6 files -- 263 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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