Item details
Item ID
KK1-0996
Title U hku a lam (The owl) with English translation
Description Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
The story I am going to tell you is about an owl. I will tell you why the owl sleeps during the day and searches for food at night. The owl made its living by colouring the birds. The birds always came to it to get coloured beautifully and flew to dance the Manau dance. Almost every bird flew to it to get coloured. One day, the crow was coloured white and green and was dancing the Manau dance. The other birds told it, "The crow, green colour is the colour of a peacock. And white is the colour of an egret. Dye the other colours, please." But the crow was too lazy to fly back to the owl. So it didn't get a new colour. The next day, it flew to the owl and said, "Mr. Owl, colour me blue this time." After getting coloured, the crow went to the Manau festival and participated in it. When the colour faded, it flew back and got a new colour. This time, it was dyed black and white. Then the other birds taunted it. "Why did you dye black and white? They are not pretty at all! You should have just dyed only one colour, black or white," said the other birds. The crow replied angrily, "I will colour whatever I want. It's none of your business. You are just jealous!" And it went back to its nest and told its parents about the case. It told them, "Mom and Dad, the egret and the peacock told me like that while I was dancing the Manau dance." Then the crow's parents gave it advice. They said, "My son, you are lazy and don't want to wait. So why don't you just dye your feathers with the colour that you don't need to redye?" However, the little crow was so lazy that it didn't dye its colour. And it felt sick. It was sick and couldn't fly to the owl then. Right after it recovered from its sickness, it flew to the owl and asked it, "Do you have any permanent colours that I don't need to redye after I have coloured once?" The owl said, "Let me think." The owl thought about which colour would be best for the crow the whole day. The next day, it got the idea and went to the crow's nest. "My friend crow, black would be the best colour for you, I think. When you look for food, you can also hide in the bush. No one will see you if you are black. Black suits you well. Just colour black," said the owl. In fact, the owl was lying to it just to be able to sell its paint. However, the crow accepted it. The crow said, "I will come to you tomorrow. Be ready to colour me, please." The owl had been mixing the mud and bitumen the whole night. It made the paint for the crow. The next morning, the crow came to it and asked, "Is the paint ready that you have made?" The owl replied, "Yes, it is ready. Come here." And it took the crow to the place where the white curtain was surrounded. They had been dying the feathers for some time. After some hours, the owl told the crow to dry itself under the sun. The crow asked the owl, "Do I look pretty now?" The owl just said, "Yes, you do." The crow asked it, "Are you too tired to make this paint?" The owl said, "I couldn't even get time to sleep last night." The owl even asked for a fortune in money. The crow flew back to its parents after getting its feathers dyed. And it asked its parents, "Don't I look pretty, mom and dad?" Its parents were shocked to see its appearance and said, "Why are you covered in all black?" The crow said, "The owl told me that the black colour suited me well. Isn't it beautiful?" They said, "No. Not at all! If you don't believe us, just look in the mirror." When it looked in the mirror, it saw itself so shockingly. Its whole body was black! Only its eyes were visible since they were big. It got angry and looked for the owl, but the owl had already moved away. It hid in a bush. Since then, the crow has kept looking for the owl. And the owl has to hide in the bush during the daytime. It searches for its food only at night to avoid the crow.

Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ya ngai tsun na maumwi gaw uhku a lam re. Uhku gaw hpa rai na me shani gaw yup taw nga nna, shana she tam sha ai ngu hpang ngai tsun na nngai. Lani mi na aten hta uhku ngu ai dusat gaw nsam u ni hpang nsam chya ya nna kan bau bungli hpang galaw ai shara langai mi re. U ni gaw shi kaw bai chya la bai pyen mat, manau ni nau la bai wa. Bai ntsawm mat jang bai chya la re na utawng ni hpa ni mung dai kaw sha chya la re na manau ni rau re na dai hku nga ma ai da. Lani mi na aten hta uhka ngu gaw ahpraw hte atsit wa su la na manau wa nau ai da. Nau re jang e hkau uhka ndai ahpraw hte atsit nsam ngu gaw a tsit gaw nang hkau u tawng na nsam lawm mat sai gaw. Ahpraw ngu gaw hka u na nang hkau hka u na nsam lawm mat sai. Dai majaw nang laga wa pau la su ngu na bai dat dat ai da. Dat dat re shaloi she dai uhka gaw lagawn na she nsa chya sai da. Lana mi yup kau re na she kade nna re shaloi bai sa wa sai da. U hku kaw e hkau u hku nye ndai lang gaw amaw nsam hte lamu tsit nsam bai chya ya myit le ngu da. Chya ya sai da, chya ya re na she manau bai wa nau la sai da, wa nau la re na she bai sa wa re na ntsawm mat jang bai shakya la ai da, ndai lang gaw ahpraw nsam hte achyang nsam bai chya la re na she bai sa sai da, bai sa wa nau ai shaloi gaw u ni jawm ashu da ai da. U ni wa e hkau nang wa nhpa re na me ahpraw rau achyang me chya ai gaw, ahpraw ra ngu gaw ahpraw nga yang gaw ahpraw san san chye yang she tsawm ai gaw ngu na tsun ai da. Dai shaloi uhka gaw tsun ai da, nye hkai mi hpa mi chya chya nanhte rau hpa nseng ai ngu da. Hpa nseng ai nanhte manawn yang manawn ai ngu na dai hku u hka gaw bai n htang tsun ai. N htang tsun re shaloi nta wa sai da, nta wa re shaloi shi nu shi wa ni wa tsun ai da. A nu a wa ngai dai ni manau nau sa ai shaloi hkau hka u hte hkau u tawng gaw ngai hpang dai hku tsun ai re ngu na tsun ai da. Dai shaloi shi nu yen shi wa gaw hpaji jaw dat ai da. Ma e nang gaw lagawn ai, galoi ma nkam sa chya la ai majaw kalang mi chya da jang galoi ma bai n chya ra ai baw nsam wa chya la su yaw ma ngu na hpaji jaw ai da. Hpang shani du ai da, hpang shani du tim lagawn na nsa chya re na she nta kaw dai hku sha nga re na bai re sai da. Hpang jahpawt nga yang machyi mat ai da. Shi machyi mat re na bai nsa chya byin mat sai da. Bai nsa chya byin mat re hte shi gaw hpang jahpawt nga hte sa chya byin sai da, sa chya re shaloi e hkau u hku nang le galoi mung kalang mi chya da yang galoi mung n prai ai hpan tsi nang chye gin shapraw ai i ngu na san ai da. San re shaloi u hku gaw tsun ai da, ngai naw myit yu na ngu da. U hku wa gaw hpaji mung rawng re na lana mi myit yu re na hpang jahpawt nga hte uhka nta sa re na hkau u hka ngai chye sai ngu da. Nang gaw uhka re majaw nang gaw a chyang re yang akyu rawng ai ngu da. Hpa majaw i nga yang nang sa tsu ni hkan hta sha hkawm ai shaloi a chyang re yang gaw nang gaw nam sumwum hkan shang mat yang masha ni nmai mu ai. Dai majaw nang achyang gaw htap htuk ai, nang rau a chyang rau gin dan ai ngu na dai hku tsun re na she uhku mung shi na tsi lu dut na matu dai hku masu sha re na uhka gaw hkap la. Hkap la re na she hpang jahpawt wa su na yaw, dai na gin da rit ngu na tsun ai da. Uhku wa shana tup gin sai da, hpa baw rau gin ai i ngu yang hkum puk achyang rau masha ni galaw da ai gat dara gayau ai da. Gayau re na she gin shapru da sai da. Hpang jahpawt nga hte uhka gaw sa wa sai da. E hkau u hku mana gin shalat da ai tsi lu sai i ngu na san yang, lu sai lu sai hkau u hka nang sa wa ngu na shi gaw dai uhku gaw sumpan ahpraw re makau hku grup yin pat da ai rau kata de woi shang mat ai da. Kata de woi shang re na su hkrai su, su hkrai su kaning hku byin wa ai mi re shi mung nchye, su hkrai su re na she grai tsawm sai, hkau u hka, oh ra jan kaw jahkring mi wa lam kau ngu na wa lam shangun sai da, wa lam re yang na wa re yang hkraw mat re na she e hkau u hku tsawm ai i ngu san yang mung uhku mung tsawm ai tsawm ai sha ngu ai da. E hkau u hku ndai tsi gin ai kade ram ba mat sa ngu, mana tup yup pa nlu ai ngu na masu sha ai da. Kade ram ma ai rai ngu yang hpu hpu hpyi la manu jahpu mung hpyi re na she dai uhka wa shi nu shi wa kaw sa sai da. Shi nu shi wa ni kaw sa jang she uhka gaw tsun ai, shi nu shi wa hpe e nu ntsawm ai i ngu na wa san yang, Shi nu ni gaw mau sai da, e ma nang na gaw hpa rai na achyang hkrai byin taw ai rai ngu na san yu yang, Nre hkau u hku she achyang hte htap htuk ai nga na nu i htap htuk a ni ngu na san yang she n htap htuk ai, kaja nan nan ntsawm ai kachyi mi pa ntsawm ai. Nkam yang pat wa yu ngu na pat wa shangun ai da, wa yu shangun ai shaloi yu dat yang achyang re na myi gaw tu tu re na kaja ntsawm taw ai da. Dai kaw na pawt na hkau u hku hpang sa tam yang hkau u hku gaw htawt mat sai da. Sumwum langai mi kaw htawt mat, dai shani kaw na uhka gaw u hku hpang hkan tam hkan tam re na uhku mung shani re yang gaw shinggan npru na dai nam sumwum kata kaw yup taw nga nna shana re yang she tam lu tam sha pru ai lam re ngu na ndai ram ginchyum dat nngai.
Origination date 2017-02-13
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/0996
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
N. Htoi Hkam : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/5989e807f1d20
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), N. Htoi Hkam (speaker), 2017. U hku a lam (The owl) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-0996 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/5989e807f1d20
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-0996-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 23.2 KB
KK1-0996-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 6.26 MB 00:06:51.62
KK1-0996-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 226 MB 00:06:51.40
3 files -- 232 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 1,437 translations are currently available (November 23, 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, JP24K03887, 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
Metadata
RO-Crate Metadata
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