Item details
Item ID
KK1-1643
Title Nyau ngu tsun wa ai lam (How the cat came to be) with English translation
Description Translation (Mike Tu Awng)
Long time ago on this earth, there was no animal called cat. There were three giant mice that caught and ate human beings. At that time, human beings on earth were pondering on how to kill this human eating mice, who could kill them, and if those mice weren't killed, human beings on earth would be extinct. Then, they prayed to God, known as "Sagya" in those times as a name of a God, to send someone who would know how to kill those mice. God listened to their prayer and sent a cat to the earth. When the cat was sent, human beings on earth were very happy and said to the cat, "There are three mice that catch and eat human beings". They promised to the cat by saying, "If you could kill these three mice, we will send you back with 'Shat chyaru lit' rice and alcohol beverage in a traditional basket." In reality, this cat caught those three human eating mice; the cat caught one rat in its mouth, and it grasped the other rat in its front paws. The cat grasped the other rat in its back paws. Thus, the cat got the three mice at once. Human asked to the cat when they saw that the cat grasped the mice, "Oh cat, now have you caught the three mice?". The cat replied "Yes". At that moment, one rat from its mouth escaped from the grip. The cat continued to hunt for the one rat that escaped on that day till today. That's why the cat couldn't go back to its god that sent it to the world because the cat is still hunting the one rat that escaped. From that moment on, we can see cat in this world. Nowadays, when we pat a cat on its neck, it makes sound like, "grawgra grawgra", and the meaning of that sound is, "You said you would send me back, but you didn't, you said you would send me back, but you didn't."

Transcription (Lu Awng)
Moi ndai mungkan ga dinghta ga kaw gaw lanyau ngu ai nnga ai re da. Ndai mungkan ga kaw e ndai masha rim sha sha re yu kaba ba re yu 3 nga ai da. dai shaloi e ndai dinghta masha ni gaw masha rim sha sha re ndai yu ndai ni hpe e gara hku na sat kau na i ngu na ndai kadai wa sat kau lu na i ndai masha nsat kau yang gaw anhte ma na tai nga ai ngu na she ndai karai kasang kaw e dai ten gaw sagya wa nga na karai kasang nga nchye tsun ai, sagya wa kaw e ndai chye sat na kadai chye sat na ngu na ndai lu sat na lam hpyi hkrai hpyi hpyi hkrai hpyi reng she ndai karai kasang gaw lanyau ngu ai hpe e shayu ya ai da. Shayu ya jang she ndai dinghta masha ni gaw kabu nna she lanyau e nang ndai anhte ndai masha rim sha sha re yu 3 re. Ndai yu 3 hpe e nang lu sat lau ya jang gaw anhte nang hpe e shat chyaru lit hte e anhte bai wa sa na ga ai ngu na she lanyau hpe shahte gaw ga sadi jaw da ai da. Kaja wa she ndai lanyau gaw masha rim sha re yu 3 hpe she langai mi hpe gaw n gup hte kawa da, langai mi hpe gaw ndai shi a lagaw shawng lagaw hte e magra da. Langai mi hpe gaw hpang lagaw hte e magra da re na she 3 hte hpe e lu magra da sai da. Lu magra da jang she ndai shinggyim masha ni gaw e lanyau ya 3 hte hpe yawng hpe lu rim sai i ngu she lanyau gaw lu rim sai ngu na shaga dat ai wa she ndai n gup kaw makrang da ai yu langai mi hpe tat kau dat ai da. Reng gaw ndai lanyau gaw ndai yu tat kau ai yu ndai hpe e gyam ai nga yang she dai ni du hkra ndai shi hpe e dat ya ai karai kasang kaw nlu wa mat ai yu ndai hpe gyam nga ai majaw dai ni du hkra ndai mungkan ga kaw nga nan mat ai re da. Dai kaw na she anhte dinghta ga kaw nyau ngu ai hpe e lu mu lu ai re da. Dan na ndai lanyau shi ndai yu hkraw kaw e anhte masha ni shi hpe sa masawp ya re shaloi shi n gup yu hkraw kaw e grawgra, grawgra, nga na ngoi ai ndai gaw nanhte ngai hpe wa sa na nga nsa ai, nanhte ngai hpe wa sa na nga nsa ai nga na tsun ai dai wa she ndai yu hkraw kaw grawgra grawgra nga na ngoi ai gaw dai shi nanhte ngai hpe wa sa na nga na nsa ai ngu na tsun ai re da.
Origination date 2017-03-07
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/1643
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
S. Hkawn Shawng : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/598c84f3abeee
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), S. Hkawn Shawng (speaker), 2017. Nyau ngu tsun wa ai lam (How the cat came to be) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-1643 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/598c84f3abeee
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-1643-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 13.1 KB
KK1-1643-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 2.98 MB 00:03:15.657
KK1-1643-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 108 MB 00:03:15.644
3 files -- 111 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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