Item details
Item ID
KK1-0237
Title Wa ye la hte gaw le hka u (The two birds) with English translation
Description Translation (Htoi San)
I am going to tell a story about two birds called 'Waye La' and 'Gawle Hka.''Gawle Hka' was a big kind of bird whose head was long. 'Waye La' was more petite than 'Gawle Hka.' Waye La almost looked like drongo birds (blackbirds). Gawle Hka was a different type. When the female Gawle Hka laid eggs, she protruded her head into a hollow log and plucked all her feathers. She built a nest and warmed it with her feathers as a blanket. After plucking all her feathers, she placed them underneath and laid eggs on them. The mother bird of Gawle Hka embraced her eggs until they hatched so the mother bird could not go out for food. If the wind went in, the eggs could not be hatched. Therefore, the mother bird put all her body in a hollow, then projected her head only to wait for her husband to feed her. Then she laid eggs without any space in between in her nest. The husband bird looked for food and fed the wife bird until all their eggs hatched. It was about twenty days. It took almost three weeks to hatch their babies. The father bird of Gawle Hka was tired of searching for food during his wife's laboring time as he was the only one to find food. The father bird was weary of finding food for him alone as his babies were getting bigger and bigger. As Gawle Hka babies grew more prominent, their father could not feed them alone. Therefore the father bird said, "I need a helper to find food for my family." That time was not for babysitting but to help with foraging for his babies. Waye La was his nephew from his sister's side. In Kachin, the nephew from the sister's side is the one we need to give our daughter to marry him. "My nephew La, please help me to forage for your cousins as they are growing and your aunt. I have to feed them." "If you want, you can get the most beautiful one among your cousins as your wife when they grow up," told the father Gawle Hka. Therefore Waye La helped him to find food for his family. After some time, all the babies grew up. Mother Gawle Hka lengthened her feathers with her babies' feathers as they grew at the same time. Father Gawle Hka was brilliant, and he knew the process of growth. As the feathers of his children and his wife grew together, he did not say intentionally, "Take this one," to make Waye La confused. He let all his children and his wife align on a tree. He let his wife stand together with his kids. After that, he let Waye La choose, "My nephew La, you can select among them. You choose the one you like. Which one do you like?" The children's feathers started to grow, as did their mother's. Waye La needed to be more competent to select the right one for him. He did not know clearly who the mother was and who the children were, so he chose "This one," as he thought this would be mature. Father Gawle Hka replied, "Hey, my nephew Waye La, this is your aunt, the children's mother." "I ask you to choose from your cousins, but you like to get the mother. I am ashamed of you." Waye La was so bashful and flew away, making sounds, "Wek! Wek! Wek!" From that onwards, Waye La lived in the forest. When he saw a human, he felt embarrassed and flew away with the sounds, "Wek! Wek! Wek!" Even when he saw a bird, he felt guilty and ran away with the sounds, "Wek! Wek! Wek!" As Waye La was ashamed of his wrong decision, he avoided other creatures with the sound, "Wek! Wek! Wek!" Here is the story about Waye La and Gawle Hka birds.

Transcription (La Ring)
Ya waye la hte gawle hka u ya u maumwi hpe shawng hkai jahtum kau na re. Waye la hte gawle hka gawle hka ngu gaw tsawmra kaba ai hpan u ndai ram law ai baw gaw galu re waye la ngu ndai daram sha law ai. Dai she waye la hte ma ndai mi na shingkri hte kanoi bung ai. Gawle hka ni gaw hpan nbung ai Di di sai nga hte hpun hpungkraw ning re kaw hpun kaw baw sha kra rai yi wa gaw shi na mun ni yawng baw kau ai, Mun yawng baw di mun dai hpe she tsip shatai na she dai kaw lum hkra grai lum hkra galaw dai mun hte nba shatai ai ga rai nga. Yawng mun baw kau na she dai mun hte nyep na she udi dai kaw di. Rai na mun kaw she kanu gaw hpum ai dai majaw gawle hka ndai kanu gaw udi di u hpum hpum sai hte u hpum hpum sai hte shat tam sha nmai sai. Shi gaw dai majaw nbung shang yang ma shanhte gaw nau nkraw ai hku nga dai majaw hku kaw yawng baw sha kra di na madu wa shat wa jaw sha na matu abaw sha kra di na she yawng ndai kapa kau ai ndai hku hku ai ni yawng hku nhku hkra di kau ai. Madu wa gaw shat tam sai madu jan hpe dai kaw jaw sha jaw sha kanoi hkun ya ram rai yang she kraw ai re gaw i. Bat masum ram ram rai yang she kraw ai. Tam sai da tam rai yang gaw mi madu jan hpe hkrai re shaloi gaw gawle hka kawa wa tam jaw jin ai. Tam jaw tam jaw rai yang she grai naw wa ai majaw shi ma ba wa ai dai majaw gawle hka kasha ni mung bai kaba wa. Gawle hka kasha ni mung bai kaba wa re majaw shi hkrai tam jaw njin wa ai. Dai majaw "E ndai rau she ndai ngai hpe shat she tam jaw karum na masha she ra sai" nga. Ndai shaloi gaw ma rem ra na gaw nrai sai shat jaw tam karum na shi hpe bungli galaw na manang ra ai majawwaye la hpe kahkri ang ai hku rai nga. Kahkri ngu gaw anhte Jinghpaw hku nga jang tinang kasha hpe jaw sha ai wa tinang a kasha hpe tinang a kasha num sha hpe la ai wa ang ai. "Bai hkri la ngai hpe ndai n-nam ni hpe grai kaba wa sai n-nam ni hpe shat jaw sha ra ai n-nam ni hte n-nyi hpe shat jaw sha ra ai majaw shat tam karum rit. Nang ra yang ya ndai n-nam ni yawng kaba wa ai shaloi nang kaw na ndai kasha yi kaw na nang hpe grau tsawm ai wa na madu jan shatai la u nang la u" ngu ai hku rai nga. Tam sai da tam hkrai tam tam hkrai tam rai yang hpang kasha ni mung kaba wa sai. Kasha ni kaba wa ai nga tim gawle hka gaw kanu mung kasha ni mun tu jang she shi mung tu nang wa ai hku nga kalang bai. Dai kalang bai mun tu di kasha ni rau maren rai wa dai shaloi gawle hka la wa gaw loimi zen ai. Shi gaw chye ai re majaw "Ndai wa yu shut u ga" ngu na she "Ndai la u" mung nngu sai hpun kaw yawng kasha ni mung kaba wa ai hpang dinggren di da. Shi madu jan hpe mung dai kaw shakap yawng shan nu ni hpe dai kaw dinggren di shangun na she waye la hpe "Bai hkri la ya nang ndai ni kaw na nang ra ai wa hpe lata la u gara hpe la na" ngu ai hku rai nga. Waye la yu yang gaw wora kasha nnan kaba wa ai ni gaw kanu rau mun maren tu tim dai daram nzet ai. Shi gaw kanu re kasha re nchyoi ginghka mat ai dai majaw grau zet ai zawn san ai majaw "Ndai wa hpe" ngu hku rai nga ndai wa hpe ngu. Gawle hka kawa gaw "E hkri la dai me n-ni she rai yang ndai ma ni kanu she re n-ni she re" ngu ai hku rai nga. Dai re nga yang waye la gaw gaya mat ai dai kaw na "Woo ya ngai kanam hpe la na she ngu wa ya kanu hpe she re nga ngai gaya sai" nga di waye la gaw "Wrek wrek wrek" nga di pyen mat wa ai hku rai nga. Pyen mat swi di pyen mat dai majaw waye la gaw daini gaw nam de nga ai. Masha mu dat ai hte shi gaya ai dai majaw masha langai mu ai hte "Wrek wrek wrek wrek" nga pyen mat. U langai mu tim shi gaw "Wrek wrek wrek" nga gaya let hkawm mat hprawng mat ai re majaw daini du gaw waye la gaw dai lata la shut dat ai majaw "Wrek wrek wrek wrek" nga di daini du hkra nam de wo dai hku sha "Wrek wrek" nga na hkawm mat ai da. Dai gaw waye la hte gawle hka a maumwi rai sai.
Origination date 2017-01-27
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0237
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
W.La Tawng : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/5988923ae37a2
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), W.La Tawng (speaker), 2017. Wa ye la hte gaw le hka u (The two birds) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0237 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/5988923ae37a2
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0237-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 29.2 KB
KK1-0237-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 3.21 MB 00:03:31.43
KK1-0237-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 116 MB 00:03:31.19
3 files -- 119 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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