| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
As you are interested in our Kachin people's history and our clans, I'd like to tell you about greeting to each other in brief among many other things that we, Kachin people, know. So we, Kachin people, greet like we are from wife's family (mayu) or husband's family (dama), and firstly we tell who our mothers are when we meet each other. Nowadays, some people quarrel or fight because they say, for example, there is no Labang clan in the upriver district, or there is no Lapyen Dingsa clan in downriver district. They say like there is no Labang clan in our (district) and there is no Lapyen Dingsa in our (district) and they haven't heard like that before. Then they quarrel. So, then if there is no Lapyen Dingsa clan in your district and there is no Labang clan in our district, then (we) asked "what's your mother's clan?" When our mothers meet each other, if my mother belongs to Lahtaw clan and your mother also belongs to Lahtaw clan, then we are brothers even though we haven't heard before (clan names like Lahtaw or Lapyen Dingsa). We (really) become brothers. We become close relatives. As we, Kachin people, have our own history and wherever we arrive, we become very close relatives as soon as we greet to each other. We have that kind of distinctive experience or situation. So, even though he or she is older than you and even though he will be your father-in-law or brother-in-law (kagu) (for female), or she will be your sister-in-law (karat) (for male) or he will be your brother-in-law (karat) (for female), you have to call "tsa" (father-in-law or brother-in-law) if we think from the sides of wife's family. You have to call "tsa" (father-in-law or brother-in-law) in respect of him even if he is the same age with you. Or, even if you two are brothers (in relatives) and both of you are 50 years old, you two can call each other as "hpu wa" (big brother) in respect. Or, if I get married to a girl from Maran clan, I have to call a boy from Maran clan as "hkau ba" (big brother-in-law). And then, you can call "hkau gam" (the first son of a family), "hkau naw" (the second son of a family), "hkau la" (the third son of a family), "hkau tang" (the fifth son of a family) to the other brother-in-laws. And if they are your brothers (as relatives), you really have to call them as "hpu" (brother), "hpu bawk" or "hpu ji" (the second son of a family), "hpu doi" (the third son of a family). We, Kachin people, know which clans we belong to and how we should call each other as soon as we greet to each other. Our ancestors name Lahtaw clan people as "Zau", "Zau Du", "Zau Lawn", "Zau Dan", etc. And Marip clan, Lahpai clan, Maran clan, they all name their names by including 'Zau'. We have that kind of naming styles. We've designated like that. For example, let's say I am Zau Krang, then I don't need to introduce myself like I belong to Lahtaw clan, they will know automatically and intuitively. So we, Kachin people, know automatically which clan someone belongs to as soon as he says his name. And then, to girls, if they are younger than me and they belong to Lahpai clan, I should call them as daughter-in-laws since my mother also belongs to Lahpai clan. And to girls who are older than me and close relatives, then I can call them as my mothers and sister-in-laws. We assume that greeting is very important, so we place each other to the head side (a place where people place their heads while sleeping) of a house as showing respect as soon as we greet each other. And when we have a guest, we put that guest at the head side of the house. We have that kind of history. If the guest sits in the kitchen, we let him or her sit at the back part of the kitchen where we cook rice. If the guest sits in parlour, we let him or her sit at the back part of the parlour. That is the way we show respects to each other. And from the different religious sides, when a pastor comes to our house, we let him or her sit in our place (the house owner's place) because he or she is a pastor, even though he or she is not from wife's family (mayu) or husband's family (dama). And during the times of worshiping Nats, we let a shaman sit on the place where no one touches before or on the seat where no one sits before. And then we take a mattress which no one uses before down and put it on the floor nicely for a shaman. Greeting or being sociable is very important for us. But nowadays, as we all mixed living with other groups like Burmese, Shan, Indian or Chinese, like it's not getting to the point gradually when we introduce each other which clan we belong to. It's not fully complete in showing respects to each other as well. So, anyone, as from the perspective of ethnic groups, or from the perspective of each tradition and culture, or when we introduce each other, or in showing respects and honouring each other, or when we show respects to each other, or when we pass by each other on street or on road, when someone who is older than me or a senior passes by, I have to stop just right there. When friends or anyone who is older than me pass by the street, I have to stop. I can go after they have passed by. Nowadays, young people just pass by in front of the older people without walking quietly and sometimes they even produce the sound of dragging longgyi while they are walking. We have to wrap our longgyi and stand just right there, and we have to let the older people go first. This is the first thing that we should follow and it's important in our culture, greeting each other, and showing respects to each other. This is a kind of condition that we have to follow before greeting each other. I just would like to tell you that we have this kind of thing (in culture).
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ngai ya ngai hku nna e ya sara mung anhte wunpawng sha ni a labau roi du roi sang kaji kajoi hpe e ra sharawng ai nga majaw anhte wunpawng sha ni mung tinang hta chye da ai hpe e hpan law law nga ai hta na ndai shachyen shaga lam hpe e kadun mi tsun dan mayu ai hku re. Dai re majaw anhte wunpawng sha ni gaw tinang hta e muhkrup ai shaloi, mayu wa dama wa ngu ai gaw tinang a kanu kadai re ai ngu hpe e shawng tsun dan. Ya nkau ni gaw hkahku ga de ga shadawn na labang ni nnga, hkanam ga de ndingbyen dingsa ni nnga jang e nkau mi gaw e dai de gaw anhte ndingbyen dingsa ni nnga, anhte hta gaw labang ni nnga, nga nna e dan nga gaw nau nna yu ai law nga jang gaw ga-law wa ai le. E dai re majaw shaloi gaw nanhte hpang de ndingbyen dingsa nnga, anhte hpang de labang nnga sa i nga jang gaw, na n nu kadai kasha rai ngu shaloi, nye n nu hte e nye nu wa hkrum wa shaloi gaw na nu ma lahtaw kasha, nye nu ma lahtaw kasha rai jang gaw shawng de nna yu ai raitim mung an gaw hpunau sha re. Kaja nan hpunau rai mat ai, shaloi gaw grai ni mat sai, wunpawng sha ni gaw labau nga ai majaw gara shara kaw mi du ai raitim mung, shachyen shaga ai hte gaw grai ni mat ai, anhte gaw ndai hku lak lai ai mahkrum madup lak lai ai mabyin masa langai mi ndai lu ga ai hku re. Dai re majaw tinang hta grau ai hpe gaw kagu,garat ang ai raitim mung mayu lam bai rai jang gaw tsa ngu na, maren re zawn san timmung hkungga ai hku na tsa, shing nrai hpu nau gaw ai raitim mung shi 50 ning du ai, ngai ma 50 ning du ai, raitim mung shi e hkungga ai a marang e shi hpe ma hpu wa e ngai hpe ma hpu wa, shing nrai ngai maran kasha la re sai i nga jang mung maran wa hpe gaw ngai gaw kaja wa nga hkauba, e ndai hku ngu ra ai. Re nna yo yo kahkau ni hpe re jang gaw ah hkau gam,hkau naw, hkau la, hkau tang, nga ai, rai nna hpun nau re sa i nga jang mung kaja wa nan hpu, hpu bawk, e hpu ji, hpu doi, ndai hku nna anhte gaw shachyen shaga shaloi wa shiga dat ai hte nan nan wunpawng sha ni gaw hpa hpan re ai ngu ai hpe chye ai. Moi na ni gaw ndai lahtaw ni hpe e zau, zau du, zau lawn, zau dan nga. Re na marip ni, lahpai ni, maran ni, mahkra mung dai hku nna zau, ndai hku na shamying madat da ai lam nga ai hku rai nga. Masat da jang gaw ga shadawn na ngai gaw zau krang, rai nngai nga jang gaw aw nang lahtaw kasha rai nga ndai ngu kalang ta shachyen nra mat sai le i, e dai re majaw anhte wunpawng amyu sha ni gaw e ndai hku tsun ai hte mying chye mat wa ai. Rai nna numsha ma ni hpe raitim mung, kaji ai ni hpe gaw e nang gaw lahpai kasha rai jang gaw nye na kanam re, ya nye nu ma lahpai kasha re, ngu rai nna, tinang hte e grau nna ni taw nga ai lahpai kasha rai sai i nga jang gaw kanu ni bai ngu kau ai le, rai jang gaw e nang gaw kanu ni, garat ni, ngu na re, ndai hku shada da nhtung tawn hkat wa ai lam, dung ai shara raitim mung anhte gaw shachyen shaga ai hte npawt rai nga ndai mung, tinang hta manam wa du wa sai kawn gaw nhtung kaw e shadun ai. E ning re labau ni anhte lu ai, shat dap de dung ai raitim mung, n bang, shat shadu ai nbang maga de dung shangun ai, da dap de dung ai raitim mung, nbang maga de dung shangun ai. Dai gaw shada hkungga shagrau ai lam rai nga. Re na makam masham a adaw asi rai mat sa i nga jang gaw tinang a hpung sara ni du wa ai shaloi gaw e dai mung hpa mi n-ang n-ang le i mayu ni n-ang dama mi n ang hpung sara langai mi re, manam langai mi rai sai ngu na tinang a shara maga yen ai. Rai nna mi na nat jawt prat rai sai i nga jang gaw dumsa wa hpe e kadai n masawp yu shara, kadai ndung yu ai lahkum e ndai ni dung shangun ai. E rai nna kadai n nyep yu ai panyep shayu la nna ah tsawm sha bai nyep ya ai. Ya ndai mung shachyen shaga anhte na ndai ( u mu ye ) ngu gaw grai ah hkyak ai, ya gaw anhte wunpawng sha ni myen, sam, gala, miwa kadai hte mung gayau mat wa ai re majaw shachyen shaga lam ma anhte tang ndu mat wa ai. Hkungga lara lam ma anhte tang ndu mat wa ai. Dai re majaw kadai mung kadai tinang a ru sai bawpa ai lam hku na mung, tinang a htunghkring bawngban ai lam hku na mung anhte a shachyen shaga lam hku na mung shada shagrau shareng shatsaw hkat ai lam hku na mung, shada nhtung tawn hkat lam e numlai hkat wa ai raitim mung kaba wa lai wa yang gaw ngai gaw shara ni lai wa kaba ni lai wa rai jang ngai hkring ya ra ai. Manang ni kaba ni lai wa ai hte ngai hkring ya, shanhte lai mat ai hpang ngai bai hkawm mat wa, ya gaw kaji ai ni raitim mung oh kaba ai ni a man hku lahput hku she labawp she labu sha kasawn sawn re na bai lai le, ah wut, labu ah wut mat wa, kayawm rai na lai, kayawm rai na hkring tsap nna kaba ai ni hpe shalai dat ai, e ndai gaw mi na anhte na shada htunghkring, shada da hkungga hkat ai, nhtung tawn hkat ai lam shachyen shaga lam a ninghpawt re ngu ai hpe i ndai shachyen shaga lam hpe e madung dat ai hku mung nre reng gaw anhte a wunpawng sha ni hta e lawm ra ai mabyin masa, langai mi ndai hku na lu ga ai ngu hpe e sara hpe kadun ai hku tsun dan ai hku re.
|
