| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
This story is about Nangbya lying to a woman who carried a liquor pot. Nangbya was coming back from the forest. On his way back home, he met the woman. She was on her way to her field. The next day, that woman asked the villagers to help her clear the weeds and grass on her field. She prepared banana leaves, some woods, knives, axes and a liquor pot to treat the villagers who helped her. She took all of those and carried the liquor pot on her head. Then, she went to her field. On her way, she met Nangbya. She said, "My brother! You are Nangbya, aren't you?" Nangbya said, "Yes, I am." She said, "I heard you can make people fall for your lie. Lie to me." Nangbya said, "I'm sorry. I can't tell a lie today." The woman said, "Why not?" Nangbya said, "Look at the sky. The sun and the moon are going to be eclipsed. So, I can't tell a lie today." The woman doubted if it was real, then she looked up at the sky. At that time, the liquor pot which she carried on her head fell onto the ground. Then, it was broken. She was mad at Nangbya. She angrily told Nangbya, "My liquor pot was broken because of you. You told me that there would be a lunar eclipse and solar eclipse. You lied to me!" Nangbya said with a smile, "You told me to lie to you. That's why I lied to you." And he went back home.
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Nangbya wa bai i ya nangbya ndai tsa yam gun ai hpawmi langai hpe masu ai lam. Nangbya wa, nangbya wa mung hto nam de sa na nam de wa nam na lam de wa, mare de wa, hpaw mi langai hte lam kaw hkrum da, hpaw mi langai yi de sa wa, anhte jinghpaw ni gaw moi masha chyawm shagu tsa lu ai re nga moi gaw. Yi hpang shani gaw hpawmi dinggai gaw yi ga saw ai hku nga. Hpawmi jan gaw ga hkyen ai ngu lahpaw lasu dan ai n htu ningwa galaw da ai wan wut da ai wan hpun hta da ai hku re nga, dai shani lu na matu tsa yam gun sa wa. Tsa yam sha gun re di sa wa she nangbya wa hte hkrum da. E tsa ngu, oi nangbya wa ngu nang nre ni ngu re le ngu. Deng nang grai masu chye ai nga, ngai hpe mung masu dan yu rit le, ngai hpe masu dan rit ngu tsun ai da. Nangbya wa gaw e dai ni n mai masu ai lo hkri e dai ni gaw nmai masu ai nhtoi she re ngu taw hpa rai n mai masu ai ngu, hto lamu de yu yu u le dai ni gaw jan hte shata sha hkat ai nhtoi re, dai majaw dai ni gaw kadai n mai masu ai. Jan shata sha hkat ai nhtoi she re ngu, dinggai jan gaw jang dung let kaja wa re kun ngu ning di nga di yu yang ka hte nre pek hte re nga jinghpa lut di tsa yam gaw lut re di hkrai rai ayai mat ai da. Re yangshe dinggai gaw pawt sai hku re nga. Dinggai wa pawt re yang nang gaw ngai hpe jan shata de jan hte shata sha hkat ai nga di masu di ya nye tsa yam yawng ga mat sai nangbya nang gaw ngu pawt ai da. Nangbya wa gaw sha mani let wa mat hka. Nang she ngai hpe masu dan yu ngan e masu ai mung na mayu ai nga di nang tsun ai majaw ngai tsun ai she re nga di nangbya wa gaw mani let wa mat ai da.
Notes:
1. Nang Bya is a popular trickster in Kachin folktales, who are a person or an animal that always lies and teases others. It is known by the names of Nang Bya, Mang Bya, Mawng Byaw, and others depending on dialects and languages.
2. For more stories about Nang Bya, see:
KK1-0027
KK1-0028
KK1-0072
KK1-0233
KK1-0234
KK1-0296
KK1-0297
KK1-0326
KK1-0339
KK1-0364
KK1-0475
KK1-0549
KK1-0640
KK1-0709
KK1-0735
KK1-0973
KK1-1209
KK1-1210
KK1-1286
KK1-1379
KK1-1462
KK1-1711
KK1-1785
KK1-1786
KK1-1788
KK1-1789
KK1-1790
KK1-1791
KK1-1792
KK1-1793
KK1-1794
KK1-1795
KK1-1798
KK1-1855
3. See Kurabe (2018) for a story of Mang Bya.
References
Kurabe, Keita. 2018. A Jinghpaw folktale text: A liar Mang Bya. Journal of Kijutsuken 10: 69-80. |
