Item details
Item ID
KK1-1315
Title Baw sha nga ai la sha a lam (The bodiless son) with English translation
Description Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
The story I'm going to tell is about a boy who got only head. Once upon a time, there was an old couple in a village. They didn't have any children even though they got married a long time ago. The old man said to his wife, "We have to spend the rest of our lives together without having any children. Maybe this is our fate." Then, the wife got pregnant when they were unexpected for the baby. The old couple was so grateful and happy. But when the baby was born, he got no legs or hands. He got only head. Surprisingly, the baby could speak as soon as he was born. He said, "Mom and Dad, don't abandon me, please. I will take good care of you two although I haven't got any legs or hands. I just want to live on this earth. So, please don't abandon me." The old parents said, "Okay, don't worry. We won't abandon you." Then, they raised the boy carefully. The baby boy was gradually growing up. The old couple couldn't let the neighbours know about their son because their son hadn't got any legs or hands. They didn't take him outside too because they were embarrassed. One day, the boy said to his parents, "Mom and Dad, give me permission to go outside, please. Although you two are very old, you have to raise the cows and the buffaloes. I want to take that duty now." The parents said, "You haven't got any legs or hands. How could you raise them?" Then, he said, "Don't worry. Just pack some rice for me to eat. Put me and that rice in a bag. And hang it on the cow's horns." So, his parents put him in the bag and hung it on the horns every morning. He had been raising the cows and buffaloes for three or four years. They had lots of herds then. They were getting rich. His parents were very happy about it. One day, the boy told his parents, "There will be a Manaw festival at that village. I want to go there. Can you arrange the clothes for me, please?" His parents said, "How can you dance, my boy?" He said, "You will see my body dancing at the festival. I want to dance too. And before I go to that festival, can you please get a lady for me?" The parents were afraid to ask some ladies to get married to their son. But one lady gave her permission to get married to their son. They were very happy after hearing the lady's answer. They felt at ease. Then, they prepared costumes for their son and went to the Manaw festival. At the festival, there was a surprise for the parents. They saw that their son was a very handsome guy with legs and hands. He was tall, handsome and had fair skin. His parents were very happy to see him like that. After some months, there was a Manaw festival at Sun land. The boy wanted to go there too. There was no one who was as handsome as him. At Sun land, they held a horse-riding competition too. The King of the Sun land announced, "I'll give my daughter to the winner as a prize." So, the boy competed in the race. Luckily, the boy won the race. At his home, there was a thing like a frog skin beside his bed. His parents saw that and thought if their son didn't wear it back, he would have legs and hands forever. So, they burnt the skin when the boy was not at home. When his parents burnt the skin, he felt hurt and ill while he was at the Sun land. Soon, he didn't have any legs or hands. He thought, "My parents might burn my skin. Not very long, I'll get to live as a human. But now? What a pity! I'm going to die soon." Then, he went back home and died right in his parents' hands. The parents were upset and sorrowful. At that moment, people from the Sun land came to their house and said, "We are searching for a handsome man who won in the horse-riding competition at the Sun land. Our King ordered us to take the man to our land since he made a promise to give the princess to the winner." The boy's parents said, "He was dead. His dead body is over there." When the people from the Sun land looked at the dead body, they saw only head. There were no legs or hands on him. They said, "Not this man. That man is handsome and tall." Then, the parents told everything about the boy. The people from the Sun land understood everything and said, "We will tell everything to our King." And they went back to their land. There was a piece of frog skin which the boy wore before he died left after his parents burnt it. The girl who was going to married to the boy took and kept it. She was upset and crying hard. Then, she went to a river and drowned herself there. So, one or two people always drown in that river and die every year.

Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ya ngai bai hkai na maumwi gaw baw sha nga ai la kasha langai mi a maumwi re. Moi shawng de da ndai kahtawng langai mi kaw gaw dinggai yen dingla nga ai da. Shan gaw grai dinggai dingla wa timmung kashu kasha mung n lu re ma ai da. Kashu kasha mung n lu re na nga, an a prat gaw ndai hku re sai, kashu kasha mung n lu, dinggai dingla hkra an galaw sha ra ai, si ten duhkra an hkrai ning re na ntai nmai re na galaw sha ra ai baw re sai nga na dai hku na shan 2 gaw dai hku na myit let nga taw nga ai shaloi da, she ndai nu dinggai jan gaw ma hkum re wa na she shan mung grai kabu nna grai kabu mat ai da. Ndai ma hpe bai shangai wa shaloi gaw shanhte grai kabu hkra re nga she bai shangai wa shaloi bai yu dat yang gaw ma dai wa lagaw lata hpa mung n lawm ai sha baw hkrai sha re na baw hkrai re na shangai wa ai da. Dai shangai wa ai shaloi wa she ma dai wa shangai ai hte shangai ai hte ga shaga ai da. Ga shaga ai gaw shi gaw nu yen wa e ngai hpe gaw hkum kabai kau, hkum sat kau yaw. Ngai mungkan ga e grai sa nga mayu ai, ngai lagaw lata hpa mung n lawm ai retim mung ngai nu yen wa hpe bau na nngai ngu na grai re na tawng ban ai da. Shingrai she kanu yen kawa mung e law e law, n kabai kau ai, nsat kau ai ngu na dai hku na yau la re na she, kaja wa nan dai hku na bau nga sai da. Bau nga re yang she ma ndai gaw lani hte lani i shi asak gaw grai kaba wa sai hku nga. Asak gaw 10 ning daram du mat wa re ten hta gaw ndai bau ai ten hta re timmung htingbu htingpyen manaw manang ni hpe pyi n gwi tsun dan ai da. Shinggan de mung n woi hkawm ai da. Gaya nna nwoi hkawm ai da. Nwoi hkawm re she lani mi gaw ndai ah baw hkrai re ma gaw kanu yen kawa hpe tsun ai da. Nu yen wa e ma hpe e shinggan de e pru na a hkang jaw marit ngu da. Ya nu yen wa dinggai dingla sai re di nga chyu chyu rem ra ai. Nga rem na gaw ngai lit la sana ngu na dai hku na tsun ai da. Nang lagaw lata hpa mung n lawm ai wa mi gara hku rem na wa ngu jang, hpa ntsang ra ai nu yen wa nan 2 hkum tsang, ngai hpe e ndai nhpye kaw e shat makai ma bang, ngai e mung dai kaw bang di na nga n rung kaw sha noi dat marit ngu na dai hku tsun ai da. Re na kanu yen kawa gaw jahpawt shaju dai hku dai hku noi da da re dai hku galaw ai da. Shi nga rem ai 3, 4 ning re yang she nga mung grai lu, grai law wa sai da loh. Dai dinghku yen dai dinghku kaw gaw grai lu su wa ai da. Grai lu su sai da, dinggai yen dingla mung grai myit pyaw mat sa da. Grai pyaw na nga mat sai da. Dan re she lani mi re jang gaw ndai la kasha ndai wa she kanu yen kawa hpe tsun wa ai da. Dai shanhte na mare hte nau ntsan ai de gaw manau kaba nga na re da,dai kaw manau kaba nga re she, nu yen wa e dai manau de ngai mung sa mayu ai, ngai hpe labu palawng ma hkyen ya rit ngu na tsun ai da. E ma e nang gaw gara hku manau na law e, gara hku manau na ngu tsun ai shaloi jang she e nu yen wa e ngai na hkum hkrang gaw dai manau kaw e nan mu mada na ra ai ngu tsun ai da. Nu yen wa e ndai manau mung manau mayu ai ngu da. Shing rai na dai manau re nsa shaloi ngu da, num ma hpi ya marit ngu na tsun wa ai da. Dai shaloi jang gaw shi na matu num hpyi na matu mung kanu yen kawa gaw grai nan n gwi ai, grai nan n gwi ai wa she num langai mi hpe sa hpyi dat yang wa she hkrawn sha nga na bai hkraw ai da. Bai hkraw na she shanhte mung kabu mat re nga taw nga na hku re nga. Kaja wa nan dai manau mung du wa re shaloi gaw manau de sa mat wa, sa sai da, labu palawng ni mung hkyen ya sai da, dai shaloi gaw ndai manau kaw wa she, yahkring manau manau bang wa re yang wa shan a kasha wa she grai tsawm ai shabrang wa re taw ai da e. Hkum hkrang mung grai tsawm ai da, galu kaba re na hpraw tsawm ai hte e la kasha shabrang wa re taw ai da. Dan re na kanu yen kawa mung kabu dai shi hpyi da ai num mung kabu re na she shanhte gaw grai kabu taw nga ai da, manau dai kaw na bai wa ai mung grai kabu grai myit pyaw ma ai da. Nga taw nga re yang she hpang e she ndai jan mung de e she manau bai nga sai da. Jan mung de manau bai nga re shaloi gaw ndai la wa gaw dai de bai manau bai wa manau ai da. Manau bai wa manau re shaloi gaw kei tsawm ai da loh, shi daram tsawm ai kadai n lawm ia da, manau bai wa manau ai da. Dai shaloi mung manau bai wa manau ai sha nre, dai kaw gaw oh ra dai jan hkawhkam wa gaw dai kaw e gumra jawn shingjawng ai poi ma galaw ai da. Dai kaw dang ai wa hpe shi shayi sha hpe jaw sha na ngu na she dai hku na tsun na galaw ai da, dai kaw ma wa shang lawm ai da. Wa shang lawm re yang she, ndai la kasha gaw dang mat na hku re nga. Dai kaw e gumra jawn shingjawng kaw mung dang e na she nta de bai wa sai da. Aw shi dai kaw nta nwa shi ai, dai kaw naw jawn shingjawng re na ngut re na nta de ndu lu shi re yang she rai ndu lu shi re yang she ndai shi yup yup re makau kaw she shu hpyi zawn san re she shi na labu palawng nga taw nga ai da. Dai nta masha ni re jang gaw dai bai wa bu hpun la jang gaw oh ra lagaw lata hkum ni bai n hkum mat na tsang na she, dai nat kau ya ai da. Nat kau ya re jang gaw kei shi gaw hkumhkrang ah hkum sha re na hto ra de shang lawm taw nga na dai shaloi sha e, wa na ten pyi ni wa sai re wa she dai hku na nat kau dat ya yang shi gaw machyi she machyi kadau re na she baw hkum hkrang ni mung bai nnga mat re da. Hkum hkrang ni mung bai nnga mat re na she ya ngai ndai hku nga nan hkum hkum re na nga ten du wa sai she re wa nu yen wa gaw hpa majaw ndai hku na di ya ai kun ngu na, rai sai ngai gaw ndai ning re na hkrung nga na nre sai, ngai gaw si mat wa na re sai ngu na shi mung si mat wa da. Si mat ai da, kanu yen kawa kaw du wa ai hte dai shaloi si mat wa. Si mat re na she kanu yen kawa ni shanhte naw yawn, dai shi hpe hpyi da ai ni da, dai mung re na shanhte naw yawn taw nga shaloi she, ndai jan mung na shangun ma ni gaw hkawhkam wa shangun dat ai masha ni gaw bai du sai da. Ya jan mung kaw e gumra jawn wa shingjawng ai manu mana tsawm ai la kasha langai mi hpe sa tam ga ai. Dai shi gaw ohra kaw jawn shingjawng yang e dang ai majaw hkawhkam wa shi na shayi sha jaw sha na nga na sa shaga shangun ai ngu na sa tsun ai da. Shaloi jang she ndai ni gaw i dai kaw e wa jawn shingjawng ai wa gaw oh ra kaw e si mat sai gaw, oh kaw si taw nga ai ngu na dai hku na tsun ai da. Shi bai yu yu jang gaw dai jan mung na masha yu jang gaw baw sha bai rai taw da. hkum ni hpa mung n lawm taw jang nre ai ndai wa nre ai, grai tsawm dik ai galu kaba re la kasha la shabrang she re ndai wa nre ngu na dai hku tsun ai da. Ndai nre ngu na tsun jang she oh ra ni ndai hku ngu jang she ndai kawa ni gaw byin ai lam mahkra hpe bai hkai dan re jang she aw dai hku re jang gaw dai hku ngu na wa tsun dan re ngu na shanhte mung jan hkawhkam kaw bai wa mat rai. Ndai shi na madu jan ngu na wa mung dai shi na labu palawng wan kaw nat kau ya ai dai n hkru ma ai dai kachyi mi naw ngam ai dai hpe la hpai, ah hpum hpai re na she shi gaw hkrap let she ndai hka shi langai mi nga ai dai de sana hkum htawn si mat re da. Shing re na ya dai shara kaw gaw da galoi mung shaning shagu ngu na masha 1, 2 gaw galoi mung hka lim si mat mat re nga na hkai ma ai.
Origination date 2017-02-18
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/1315
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. King Nang : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/598b364ebcfae
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), M. King Nang (speaker), 2017. Baw sha nga ai la sha a lam (The bodiless son) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-1315 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/598b364ebcfae
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-1315-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 45.1 KB
KK1-1315-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 8.28 MB 00:09:03.922
KK1-1315-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 299 MB 00:09:03.907
3 files -- 307 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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