| Description |
Translation (Mike Tu Awng & Keita Kurabe)
Among many folk stories in our great-grandparents' time, there is also a story called "Dead buffalo and Alive buffalo" or "Buffalo-dead, buffalo-alive." They told the story like this: Long time ago, a nephew and an uncle went out to buy a buffalo. When they got to a place, they saw a fat, beautiful buffalo that weighted around 150 visses. The uncle said, "Let's buy this one." "Because it's fat and beautiful." However, the nephew said, "Uncle, we can't do anything with it." "This buffalo will be a dead buffalo." "Because of that let's not buy it." So, they passed on and At one place, they saw just a skinny female buffalo, about three years old. The nephew said, "Uncle, let's buy this one," and they bought it and went home. That three-year-old female buffalo, later, gave birth to many calves. They became many. Even though they bought a young female buffalo, that buffalo could give birth to many calves. That kind of buffalo is called an "Alive buffalo." The buffalo that weighted 150 visses could not give birth even though it was mature, fat, and very beautiful. That kind of buffalo is called a "Dead buffalo." What it means is that the work that is beneficial to many people is called an alive buffalo. The work that is not beneficial to people is like buying a dead buffalo. This story is called "the dead buffalo and the alive buffalo" in Danai Hugawng region.
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Jiwoi jiwa ni a maumwi mausa law law kaw na "Nga jasi nga jahkrung" shing nrai "Ngasi ngahkrung" ngu ai maumwi mung nga ai. Dai maumwi hpe ning nga hkai ma ai. Moi shawng de kahkri hte katsa shan hkri shan tsa lahkawng gaw nga wuloi sa mari ma ai da. Nga wuloi mari ai shaloi shara mi kaw du yang wuloi langai mi joi 150 ram grai hpum sau ai hpe mu na katsa gaw "Hkri e, ndai wuloi she mari ga." "Grai hpum sau ai mi," ngu ai da. Rai tim kahkri gaw "E, tsa e, ndai gaw hpa n di ai." "Ndai wuloi mari yang gaw nga jasi, ngasi byin na re." "Dai majaw n mari ga," ngu na bai lai wa ma ai da. Shara mi kaw masum ning jan re ai wuloi lasi gamun re wuyi, wuloi yi hpe mu ma ai da. Dai hpe kahkri gaw "Tsa e, ndai she mari la ga," nga na mari dun wa ai da. Dai kaw masum ning jan re wuloi ngapra gaw hpang e ma sha law law mayet maya ai da. Law htam wa ai da. Dai zawn lapra hpe mari tim nga wuloi kasha law law shangai lu ai, shaprat lu ai hpe "Nga jahkrung" ngu na mi joi 150 pru ai nga wuloi kanu gaw gawng kung ai majaw kade hpum sau tim kasha n lu shangai na re. Re majaw shi hpe gaw "Nga jasi, ngasi" nga ma ai. Hpa hpe tsun mayu ai i nga yang masha hpe akyu law law jaw ai hkrung ai bungli hpe "Ngahkrung" ngu na re. Masha hpe akyu law law n jaw ai bungli bungsi magam hpe gaw "Nga jasi, ngasi mari wa ai hte bung ai," nga ma ai law. Ndai maumwi hpe Danai Hugawng ni gaw "Ngasi ngahkrung" maumwi nga ma ai. |
