Item details
Item ID
KK1-2026
Title Ga hpe htap htuk hkra shaga ra ai (The spirit who watched over the tree) with English translation
Description Translation (Htoi San)
Once upon a time in a village, there were three girls. These three girls were taking a journey to the other village. They walked until noon, so they were so tired as it was so sunny. The three girls were exhausted due to the hot sun. So the middle girl suggested relaxing under a tree, "Let's three of us rest here for a while, shall we?" They all were so burnt out, and she led them to rest. While they were about to sit down, a spirit who watched over that tree said, "Why didn't the three of you ask me to sit down? I am the watcher spirit of this tree." "Don't you know about it?" asked the Spirit. Then the first girl replied, "We are the three daughters of the King who rules this kingdom. We are the three sisters, don't you know about it? When do the children of the King need to request? If you dare to do something to us, you will take action by the King. Don't you know that?" So the male Spirit was irritated, "You. You lied to me." "The King doesn't have three daughters. He has three sons. You palter me." Then the Spirit ate them. The Spirit ate the first girl. Then he was going to eat the second girl, and she said, "I didn't tell them first to rest under this tree." "I told them to continue walking, but they told me to rest here. So I had to rest here. The watcher-tree Spirit, please don't eat me." She actually was the one who said to rest in the beginning. Like she twisted her words, the Spirit angered, "You are the one who said to rest earliest. Then you are blaming the others now." Thus, the Spirit tore her immediately and ate her. It was the third girl's turn. The number three girl said, "Spirit, you can eat me if you want. But listen to my words first." "You did wicked and bad things, so you have become a spirit who has to guard the tree until now. You did evil previously; therefore, you have to stay here," briefed the girl. "Now you do awful things and live like this. If you release me, I will do good deeds for you." "I will return to my village and pray for you. You don't need to be the human eater spirit, and you can live happily, and you can die peacefully. I will do it for you. You just let me go, then I will pray for you.” The girl persuaded the Spirit. "You are such a smart and clever girl." commented the Spirit. "If you go and do good things for me, I won't eat you." Then he let the girl go. Therefore the girl went back home and prayed for the Spirit. The girl was released from being eaten by the Spirit because she knew how to talk appropriately.

Transcription (Lu Awng)
Moi shawng e da kahtawng langai mi kaw she da numsha langai 3 nga ai da. Dai 3 wa gaw da dai kaw na kaga kahtawng de hkrunlam hkawm na nga na she sa wa ai da. Sa wa na she hkawm hkawm rai, jan ma grai ja wa shani ka-ang ma du wa sai majaw da shanhte 3 gaw nau pu nau jan ja ba wa ai majaw dai hpun kaw hkring na matu ka-ang kaw na numsha gaw da i da anhte 3 gaw da dai na i dai ni ndai kaw jahkring mi naw hkring la ga, nmai na kun i, shanhte 3 gaw grai ba sai majaw hkring laga law ngu na woi hkring ai da. Dai hku hkring na dungdat na maw she dai hpun sin ai nat wa she nanhte 3 hpa na ngai hpe nsan ai dung ai ngu na, ngai gaw ndai hpun kaw sin ai nat re. Nanhte nchye ai i ngu tsun she dai shawng kaw na num she ndai mungdan hpe up ai hkawhkam wa na kasha 3 ngu anhte 3 re le, an nau ni 3 re nang n chye ai i ngu hkawhkam wa na kasha gaw galoi wa ahkang hpyi ra ma, anhte 3 hpe lama mi ma di yu le nang hpe hkawhkam wa ahkyak la na nga le nang nchye ai ngu dai hku tsun na hku nga. Dai she dai nat la wa gaw pawt mayu na she, nang gaw i ngai hpe masu i. Hkawhkam wa kaw num sha 3 lu ai nnga ai, la kasha 3 lu ai she na ai, nanhte i ngai e masu ngu na sha kau ai da. Dai kaw nambat 1 na wa hpe sha kau da, nambat 2 na wa hpe gaw nambat 2 na wa du she, i da ngai gaw ndai hpun kaw hkring ga ngu ngai shawng tsun ai nre ai da. Ngai gaw da hkaw ga she ngu yang shanhte re le ngai hpe hkring ga nga tsun ai majaw ngai hkring ra ai she re i, hpun sin ai nat e ngai e hkum sha yaw ngu dai hku shi she woi hkring ga nga tsun da na ngai dai hku nga ga hpe gale kau ai majaw dat nat wa gaw ngai hpe masu i nang, nang shawng she woi hkring ga nga na hkring na gaw ya gaw nang masha ni hpe bai mara shagun i ngu na shi hpe kalang ta amya sha kau da. Amya sha kau na nambat 3 wa kaw bai du sai da. Nambat 3 wa na du she i da nat e nang gaw da ngai hpe sha na re yang mung sha u da, retim ngai tsun ai ga hpe shawng madat yu u yaw ngu tsun ai da. Nang gaw da i moi na i n hkru n kaja ai dai galaw wa ai majaw ya duhkra nang ndan re i hpun hkan sin nga nat naw paw nga ra ai gaw moi n kaja ai galaw ai majaw ya nang ya du hkra naw nga ra ai re gaw ngu dai hku tsun ai da. Dai hku ngu tsun ai shaloi nang i dai hku ya na zawn rai n kaja ai hku, sak hkrung nga ai hku ngai nang hpe da nang ngai hpe dat dat yang nang hpe i kaja ai lam ni galaw ya na da. Mare de wa na da ngai kyu ni wa hpyi ya na da, nang ya na zawn masha sha ai nat n tai ra hkra nang i a pyaw sha rai i si mat tim a pyaw sha nga lu na matu ngai galaw ya na, nang ngai hpe dat dat na re yang gaw ngai nang na matu kyu ni hpyi ya na ngu tsun ai da. Balu wa gaw aw da nang gaw da grai myitsu ai she re nga gaw i da, dai hku ngu tsun ai da. Nang ngai na matu akyu ara she wa galaw na re yang gaw da ngai nang hpe n sha ai yaw ngu na dat dat ai da. Dat dat ai majaw dai num wa gaw wa na kyu ni wa hpyi ya shi gaw da ga hpe chye htap htuk hkra chye shaga ai majaw nat wa sha ai kaw nhkrum mat ai da.
Origination date 2017-04-11
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/2026
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
Laga Kai Ja Aung : speaker
DOI 10.26278/5fa1737c3470b
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), Laga Kai Ja Aung (speaker), 2017. Ga hpe htap htuk hkra shaga ra ai (The spirit who watched over the tree) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-2026 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.26278/5fa1737c3470b
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-2026-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 17.4 KB
KK1-2026-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 3.09 MB 00:03:21.961
KK1-2026-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 111 MB 00:03:21.931
3 files -- 114 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 Keita Kurabe
View/Download access Keita Kurabe
Data access conditions Open (subject to agreeing to PDSC access conditions)
Data access narrative
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