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KK1-1651
(Collection Details)
Title Shinggyim masha ni asak pra maumwi (The man who sharpened the charcoal) with English translation
Description Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
In the past, there was no human on this Earth. When God created humans, he also created three places for them to live. 'Jiwa ni a Ga' is heaven, 'Ginding Aga' is the Earth where we live now, and 'Gasan Ga' is a place deep in the ground. God also decided the length of a person’s life. Humans who lived on the Earth had a lifespan of 150 years. When they reached the age of 150, they were called to the Jiwa Ga. They couldn't live more than 150 years there. There were also some people who were older than 150 years but still alive on Earth. They didn't know how to go to the Jiwa Ga. So, people from the Jiwa Ga came with a list of those who had wandered the Earth beyond 150 years, and they took them back to Jiwa Ga. Then, while people taking the list walked past, they saw an old man rubbing charcoal against a stone. They asked him, "Brother, what are you doing there?" He said, "I am rubbing the charcoal to make it white." They said, “We've lived here a very long time, but we've never seen anyone rub charcoal until it turns white. How old are you now?" Actually, he was not 150 years old yet. He was just around 80 years old. When they asked him, he said, "If all this charcoal added up to my age, I'd already be 150 years old." They said, "If you're already 150 years old, you can't stay on Earth. Our ancestors decided that long ago. Haven't you heard of it before? Therefore, you have to go to the Jiwa Ga with us today." Every human; young and old, could live on Earth until the age of 150 years. The man who was rubbing the charcoal said that he was already 150 years old, but in fact, he was not. Because he lied, both the young and the old began to die, even before reaching the age of 150. We die even before reaching the age of 150 because of what he said.

Transcription (Lu Awng)
Moi gaw mungkan ga hta kadai mung karai nnga ai, shinggyin masha ni mung karai n pra ai aten hta e hpan sagya wa gaw shinggyin masha ni hpe shawng nnan hpan tawn da na shi gaw shinggyin masha ni nga na lamu ga hpe e hpan 3 di na hpan tawn da ai da. Jiwa ni a ga ngu gaw sumsing lamu de, ginding aga ngu ga ndai ya anhte nga nga ai lapran mungkan ga, gasan ga ngu ai gaw le ga kata de dai hku na hpan tawn da ai da. Shan hte gaw shinggyin masha hpe hpan tawn da na asak ma masat ya ma ai da. Anhte ndai dinghta ga kaw nga ai masha ni a asak gaw 150 ning rai jang gaw hto sumsing lamu de jiwa ga ngu ai de shaga la kau kau re ma ai da. 150 ning hta jan na nmai nga na hku shanhte myit hkrum da ma ai da. Dai majaw nkau mi re jang gaw 150 du timmung ndai lapran mungkan ga kaw e naw nga dam hkawm ai ni mung nga re ma ai da. Jiwa ga de n chye wa ai ni, dai majaw hto sumsing lamu kaw na asak 150 jan sai ni hpe jahpan hkan hta la na shanhte woi mat wa wa re ma ai da. Shing re na gaw Dingla masha langai mi gaw shi gaw jahpan hta ai ni hkawm lai wa ai shaloi hka shi kasha kaw e wan n-ga wa nlung kaw garang taw nga ai hpe sa mu ai da. Deng hkau nang gaw hpa di taw n ta? ngu san yang ndai wan n- ga hpe hpraw hkra garang na ngu na ndai sa garang nga ai re ngu tsun ai da. Dai jahpan hta sa ai ni gaw wan n-ga anhte dai ram asak kaba hkra nga tim wan n-ga hpe anhte hpraw hkra garang lu ai gaw kadai mung nnga ai. Ya nang gaw asak kade ning du sai rai? ngu na tsun ai, shi a asak gaw 150 ning ndu shi ai. 80 ning dai ram sha naw re, dai hpe shi jahpan hta hkawm ai ni e she nye a asak gaw ndai wan n-ga garang ai ndai ni yawng pawng dat jang 150 ning du ni ai ngu na tsun ai da. Aw nang 150 ning du jang gaw moi jiwa ni sahpawng kaw dawdan tawn da ai ndai lapran shingra ga kaw asak 150 ning du jang jiwoi ga de wa ra ai nga na nna hkrup nni? dai majaw dai ni gaw nang jiwoi ga de e anhte hte rau wa ra sai ngu na woi mat wa ai da. Ndai kaw e 150 ning ndu ai masha ni gaw yawng kaji kaba mahkawn shabrang chyalung chyangai ni ndai lapran mungkan ga kaw nga pra nga na ahkaw ahkang lu ai re da. Dai wan n-ga garang ai la wa shi 150 ning pyi karai ndu ai hpe 150 ning du ni ai ngu na masu tsun kau ai a marang e dai ni anhte ndai lapran mungkan ga kaw nga ai masha ni kaji kaba 150 ning ndu tim chyalung chyangai ni, mahkawn shabrang ni, 150 ning n du ai ni si mat wa ai gaw ndai shani wan n-ga garang ai la wa tsun shut kau ai a marang e anhte ndai hku si mat wa ra ai re da.
Origination date 2017-03-08
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/1651
URL
Collector
Keita Kurabe
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Countries
Myanmar - MM
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Language as given Jinghpaw
Subject language(s)
Jingpho - kac
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Content language(s)
Jingpho - kac
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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
M. Awng : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/598c851a29127
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), M. Awng (speaker), 2017. Shinggyim masha ni asak pra maumwi (The man who sharpened the charcoal) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-1651 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/598c851a29127
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-1651-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 16.7 KB
KK1-1651-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 3.76 MB 00:04:06.778
KK1-1651-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 136 MB 00:04:06.752
3 files -- 140 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 a community-based collaborative fieldwork project in northern Myanmar. As of July 22, 2025, the collection includes 2,491 stories, 2,491 ELAN files, 2,481 transcriptions, and 1,600 translations.


Transcriptions were contributed by Gumtung Lu Awng, Pausa La Ring, Galang Lu Hkawng, Sumdu Ja Seng Roi, Hpauhkum Htu Bu, and Keita Kurabe. Translations were prepared by Nbanpa Rita Seng Mai, Sumlut Gun Mai, Lazing Htoi San, Maran Seng Pan, Dumdaw Mike Tu Awng, Nhkum Htoi Awng, and Keita Kurabe.

Related resources on Kachin culture and history are available at:

https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/KK2
https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/KK3
https://www.youtube.com/@kachinfolktales
https://www.facebook.com/KachinStories

This research was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Numbers JP17H04523, JP20K13024, JP20H01256, JP24K03887), Linguistic Dynamics Science 3 (LingDy3), Description and Documentation of Language Dynamics in Asia and Africa　(DDDLing), and TUFS Field Science Commons (TUFiSCo), all from the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), as well as the 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
Myanmar - MM
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Languages
Jingpho - kac
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Access Information
Edit access Nick Thieberger
Keita Kurabe
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Data access conditions Open (subject to agreeing to PDSC access conditions)
Data access narrative
Metadata
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