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Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
This story is taught to the children. In the past, Kachin people were animists. Kachin people usually dug a pit with a width of six feet and a height of six feet to bury a corpse. The Kachin people raised lots of buffaloes in the highlands in the past. They didn't have to go after the buffaloes all the time. They created the marks on them, then they knew which buffaloes were theirs. Some cut a small upper part of the buffalo's ear to make the mark, and some cut the lower part. They fed salt to the buffaloes once a day. When it was time to eat salt, they came back to their shed automatically. The owner didn't need to find them since they came back to eat salt every time. When it was time to eat salt, all the buffaloes came back. The owner just needed to put a cup of water and salt. When a person died, there was an event called 'Mang Pru Poi'. It means burying the corpse. When he died today, the dead body would be buried the following day. After ten or twenty years or after the family members got lots of money, they offered some buffaloes to nat for their dead family members. There was 'tsu ga' when the Kachin people were animists. Now, it will be the same as heaven. Tsu ga was the place where our elders lived, where their souls lived. The purpose of giving offerings to nat for the family members was to be able to arrive at Tsu Ga and live together with our ancestors. When we buried the dead body, we killed four or five buffaloes at the cemetery. The pit where the dead body was buried was completely dark. The dead body of a chief was buried with this kind of sharp lid. A rooster and a hen were released to guard the tomb. Those chickens were called 'Lahpruk U'. People could catch them and eat them if they wanted. When a chief's soul was sent to Tsu ga, a man and a woman were released to guard the tomb. There were servants in the past. Two servants were released as a fee for going to Tsu ga. Since that day, the two servants were not servants anymore. They could get married and live together there. In that way, the Kachin people sent the soul to the place where their ancestors lived. We buried the corpse in the tomb. But now I am talking about burying souls or sending souls to Tsu ga. People were offering animals and holding that event in the cemetery. There were two types of events. Some buried the corpse just two or three days after he died and had the event of sending the soul to Tsu ga. These days, young people just stay at home without working. They eat what their parents have prepared and hang out at night. Therefore, elders tell this story to teach those young people. The title of the story is 'Happy at the cemetery, but home is covered with the smell of corpse'.
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ndai mung, e ma ni hpe sharin ai maumwi re ndai mung, Anhte jinghpaw ni gaw moi gaw nat jaw ai ah prat hta gaw ndai hku wai nna i ga hpe e ah chin 6 pay daram kaba nna sung de gaw pay 6 gaw yawm htum sung nna lup n_hkun ngu htu ai le i. Lup n_hkun ngu htu rai yang gaw dai kaw gaw anhte jinghpaw ni gaw moi gaw nga wu_loi grai lu ai bumga de gaw. Dai hpe e rem hkawm nra lel majoi mi ndai ladi aw chye, na loi mi kadoi nna tinang a na gaw ndai ntsa kawn kadoi nna yawng ntsa kaw kadoi na. E nang na nga rai jang mung ngai na kaw na npu de kadoi yaw, nga baw, matsing ai lel. Matsing rai nna dat kau dat ai. Dai nga dai ni nta bai wa na matu gaw jahpawt kalang, shana kalang jum jaw ai. Dai jum ai shana jaw ai nga rai jang dai jum sha aten hta nta de wa ai. Nga ni hpe dai hku shani da ai lel i, shani da ai tam hkawm nra ai, dai hku shani tawn da ai. Kaja wa mung nga wu_loi ni gaw shanhte jum sha mayu ai aten shana de jan du wa jang galoi mung nta de ru rai nna wa ai. Dai kaw gaw oh ra hka dun tawn da le i, hka dun tawn da na, dai ram sha rai nga. Bum ga de gaw nga grai nga ai. Re yang gaw dai dum nta kaw na masha langai ngai si wa ai shaloi, mang ru poi ngu ai nga ai. Dai ni si ai rai yang gaw, hpawt ni makoi kau ai. Hpawt ni lup kau ai. Du magang nga ni gaw, dai lup kau sai ah mang hpe e 10 ning nga yang rai yang rai na 15 ning 20 ning nga rai yang rai na grai ja gumhpraw grai tam la lu ai hpang e she dai hpe e nga 10 nga 5 nga 10 gup gup di na dai hku na nat hpe jaw jau ai le. Dai gaw hto anhte tsu ga ngu ai. Tsu ga ngu ai gaw ya anhte a hkristan prat hta rai jang gaw sumsing lamu de shabawn kau ai i, anhte nat jaw prat de gaw hto tsu ga ngu ai nga ai. Jiwoi jiwa ni lup ai shara jiwoi jiwa ni nga ai shara, dai de e shi na wenyi numla hpe e dumsa kaba ni dai de sa su. Dai lam hku nna sa su ngu na shabawn kau ai lam nga ai. Sa kau ai le i, ga hte sa kau ai nga ai. Rai yang gaw e dai zawn re na mang ru poi galaw ai shaloi, lup de mung nga 4_5 sat sha ai re gaw. Dai lup htu ai shara i, lup htu ai shara hkinchyang ngu ai ning sen sen re dai kata kaw e dai mung moi na du ni gaw ning rai masen ai e ndai zawn re kaw e bau hte dai hku magap tawn da ai. Bai nna dai lup dai hpe sin na matu u hpe ma dat kau ai. U yi hte u la lahkawng dat kau ai. Dai hpe gaw, e lahpruk u ngu na shamying ai rai sai. Dai yen gaw e dai kaw nna lawt sai kaw na gaw dai kaw dat kau hkrum ai kaw na gaw, shan mung shan e rim sha sha shinggyim masha me rim sha hpa me rim sha sha dai hku re. Rai timung e grai du kaba ni gaw shinggyim masha num hte la hpe dat tawn da ai. Dai moi gaw mayam prat re gaw, jinghpaw ni moi gaw mayam prat, mayam prat re majaw gaw mayam num hte mayam la hpe e dai kaw sin na matu tawn kau da ai. Dai kaw tawn ai, dai shani kaw na gaw du magam wa a shangun sha ai mayam rai timung e, dai shani dai kaw tawn da hkrum ai dai kaw na gaw lawt sai. Mayam prat kadai ma nlu shayam sha sai shan lahkawg dinghku nga na nga sha mat wa ai. Mayam dat ai, reng gaw ding re na e lup kaw e tawn da hkrum ai aw lup kaw e dai hku nna makoi mayang numla hpe makoi sha rai sai. Myi gaw mang hpe e ga kaw htu tup ai. Raitimung e ya ndai ngai tsun ai gaw e wenyi hpe e, lup makoi ai sa kau ai le i. Sa kau ai poi re majaw dai lup dai gaw grai sat nna grai pyaw poi galaw ai. Nta de gaw dai hku e majoi mi i nat jaw ai sha rai sai. Ndai kaw lahkawng nga ai, lahkawng nga ai ngu gaw nkau gaw si ai kaw na lahkawng masum ya nga jang e lup makoi ngu mang kalang ta bru nawng kau ai dai mung nga ai. Re nna e anhte dai ni na nahte ma ni wa hpa mung ngalaw nna poi de gaw pyaw nta kaw gaw hpa ra ai mung n galaw, nta kaw gaw chyalu kanu kawa galaw tawn ai sha malu masha sha sha na nga. Shana yup brak wam hkawm shana yup la wam hkawm, re ma ni hpe e daru sharin ai gabaw gaw hpabaw ta nga yang, lup de gaw pyaw ai nta de gaw mang manam ai ngu na ma ni hpe sharin ai maumwi re. |
