| Description |
Translation (Seng Pan)
This story is about teaching how to lie. There was a man named Nangbya (this name is given to the person who always lies to others). He was really good at lying. People never knew he lied till they fell into his trap. Therefore, the villagers wanted to know how to lie. And they wanted to learn it from him. So, a man approached him and asked, "Nangbya, teach me how to lie!" "No, I don't know how to lie," Nangbya replied. "The way you lie is brilliant. Teach me!" the man requested again. "I really don't know. But I will teach you. It's because you ask me so many times. But now I am not free. I have many works to do at home. If my wife knows I am teaching you how to lie instead of working, she will surely get angry. So, I will finish the works first," Nangbya said. "Don't worry! I'll help you," the man replied. So, he helped Nangbya with carrying the bamboos. Nangbya promised him to teach the way to lie if they finished the work on that day. However, he didn't teach him even a few days after finishing the work. The man got angry and said, "As you promised me to teach how to lie, I helped you with carrying the bamboos. And you haven't taught me till now." "You asked me to teach how to lie. That's why I already taught you. I asked you to help me with my woks and promised to teach you the next day. That's what I taught you," Nangbya replied. He always lied each person that he needed to build fence, house, etc. In the beginning, people didn't realize he lied. They only knew the truth at last. One day, a man like the previous one, came and asked Nangbya to teach how to lie. He denied at first. As the man approached him constantly, he finally had to agree again. But he said the same like he said to the previous one that he had the works to finish first. Nangbya said, "I still need to catch fish. Only after this work, I can give time to you. And it will take long." "Brother, let's do together! We can finish it quickly," the man said. They made a deal and started preparing to catch fish. Long ago, when Kachins caught fish, they first obstructed the flow of water by placing a long log across a stream. There someone or something needed to hold it not to be askew. Nangbya said, "Man, don't let this log loose. If you make it loose, Madim (it's a conical shape net which is made with bamboo and used for fishing) will move and be broken. Then we won't get fish. I will go and find something to brace it. Meanwhile you need to hold this well," Nangbya instructed and left. With the intention of learning how to lie after the work, the poor man kept waiting for Nangbya to arrive back. However, Nangbya didn't come back to him. In the evening, as he had known Nangbya wouldn't come back, he left what he was doing and went back to the village. He was angry for being lied by Nangbya and left alone. So, as soon as he arrived at the village, he looked for Nangbya. He saw him playing dice without concern. He had got angrier than before and said, "Nangbya, I will kill you. The whole day you let me hold the log and you said you would leave to find Labrang bra (thing to control the log). I was waiting for you whole day. But you didn't come back. Why did you lie me? I was so tired and hungry. Even I felt shaky." Nangbya only replied, "You said you wanted to learn how to lie. Even I didn't want to teach. I taught you as you requested seriously. That's why I taught you."
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Masu sharin ai maumwi re. Nangbya wa shi grai masu chye ai raitim shi masu ai hpe masha ni masu ai kadai n shadu ai hku rai nga shi manu mana ting ngut ai hpang she aw ndai wa masu sha nga ngu hpe chye ai. Dai majaw mare kaw na masha ni mung a masu mayu wa sai da. E masu mayu wa she sharin la mayu ai ndai kaw masu sharin mayu ai,dai majaw e hkau nangbya e nang hpe ngai ngai hpe masu sharin rit ngu hku rai nga. Nre law ngai gaw masu nchye ai law ngu da oh ra wa nre law nang galoi tsun tsun re ni grai hkrak ai law ngai hpe naw sharin ya rit law e ngai gaw nchye law ngu da. Dai wa e sharin ya lu law dai chyawm ngai chyawm nchye le nang she sharin ya rit nga yang mung sharin ya na le raitim ngai nang hpe masu sharin na matu gaw naw nrau ai ngai nta kaw bungli grai galaw ra ai nye dinggai jan nang hpe masu sharin nga sam ai gaw pawt na ra ai dai majaw ngai bungli naw galaw ra ai nre ngai rau galaw ga lol nga hku nga ngai rau galaw kau ga nga hku nga. Ya ngai kawa hpai ra ngu nang ngai rau hpai la ga ngu shi hpai di ngut di hkra da. Dai ni ngai kawa hpai ngut yang hpawt ni nang hpe sharin ya mai sai ngu da. Tim hpawt ni tim nsharin ya ai da,kade ya tim nsharin ya kade ya tim nsharin ya deng ohra gaw pawt sai hku nga teng nang ngai hpe masu sharin na nga nna ngai nang hpe kawa hpai garum sai le bungli mung yawng shangut garum sa le nang ngai hpe ya mung masu nsharin ya ai i ngu di manu mana nangbya wa hpe ohra wa nhtang pat ai hku nga. Deng she nangbya wa tsun ai da gei nang she ngai hpe masu sharin rit nga di nang hpe ngai masu sharin sai le dai nang hpe ngai hpawt ni bungli garum na nye kawa shawng hpai ga dai nan masu sharin sai re sai le ngu hku nga nang hpe ngai sharin sai le ngu da. Langai hpe mung dai hku langai hpe mung dai hku ya ngai dai naw galaw ra ai hkindu naw gun ra ai oh ra nta naw gap ra ai hku masu ai da. Oh ra ni masu sha ai nasha du ai hpang e she chye ai tim lani mi gaw dingnga langai bai nga sai ngai hpe masu sharin rit lo nga da ngai nchye law nga nre masu sharin rit lo nga da e hkau e ya ngai madim naw galaw ai ya ngai madim galaw ngut yang she nang hpe masu sharin na law ngu na hku nga. Dai majaw ya ngai grai naw na na re madim galaw ai nre ngai rau she galaw ga ngai rau galaw yang ngut na ra ai ngu di mai ai dai hku nga madim galaw ngut yang nang hpe masu sharin na yaw ngu da nangbya wa gaw hka hpungla grai ja ai kaw anhte jinghpaw ni gaw madim nnan galaw yang hpun tawng langai shawng kren di re gaw dai hpe she dai kaw she ndai bai madi ai. Hpuntawng langai hka hpungla grai ja ai kaw ning tek da hkun ai hku nga ndai hkum tat lu yaw tat yang ndai madim nhkyeng mat na madim n hkyeng yang gaw ndai madim an 2 galw ngut tim nga nshang ai daw mat na nre ndai tek u ya ngai ndai kaw madi na labrang bra naw la gaw nang naw tek nga u oi ya ngai dai kaw sha re ngu hku nga tek sai da tek masu sharin na re ngu di tek hkrai tek kade tek tim ndu wa da nambya wa gaw ka-un sai hku nga shi kade tek tim ndu nang gaw ngai hpe dai ni ding tek ba di ngai hpe masu da i ngu di ka-un ai hku nga ka-un di wa re shana de bai nangbya wa hpe tam hkawm sai hku nga shi nangbya wa nra nra hpa hka sha lu shawun taw ai anhte jinghpaw ni shawun ni ning hkreng hkreng di ai baw le kawk kaw le shawun wun di nga dai shawun sha ma taw di nga taw a hku rai nga,sa na pawt di shang wa na hku nga nangbya wa nang hpe gaw ngai sat kau na nang i dai ni tup ngai hpe ba shangun ai nang madim galaw ga nga di ngai hpe gaw madim ngau tek da shangun na nang gaw labrang bra sa la ai lo nga di labrang bra mung ndu wa dai ni tup ngai tek wa ai. Nang ngai hpe kaning re masu ai ta,ngai grai ba sai re ngai kan she kan si she gari dai hka kaw she tek nga ai. Teng nang she ngai hpe masu sharin rit ngai pyi nkam ai nang masu sharin rit nga na nang masu sharin ai majaw she ngai masu sharin ai rai nga ai le ngu dat 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. |
