| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
I'm going to tell the story about Nangbya (a crook) who lied to a man by using a bundle of bamboos. Once upon a time, there was a man in a village. He thought, "I had never been lied to by Nangbya. When I meet him, I'll tell him to say a lie to me." At that time, he saw a man carrying a bundle of bamboos. He thought that man might be Nangbya. So, he went nearer to him and asked, "My friend, are you Nangbya?" Nangbya said, "Yes, I am." He said, "Oh, you are Nangbya who can lie to everyone and make anyone believe you. Tell a lie to me too." Nangbya was pretending to search for something in his pocket and said, "Yes. But I haven't brought my liar bottle." Then, he put the bundle of bamboo upside down. And he said to that man, "Hold this, please. Let me go get my liar bottle." That man scoffed and said, "Okay, go. Let see you can lie to me or not." Nangbya said, "Don't drop it down before I come back. Hold tight." Then, that man was waiting for Nangbya the whole day. Although it was already dark, Nangbya didn't show up. The man got angry and carried the bundle of bamboos. And he went to Nangbya's house. When he arrived there, he dropped the bamboos down angrily. He saw that Nangbya was eating corns peacefully as if he didn't do anything in the house. Then, the man furiously said, "Nangbya, you told me that you were going to take your liar bottle! I couldn't work anything because you asked me to hold your bundle of bamboos." But Nangbya was so calm even though the man acted like that. Nangbya said, "You are the one who told me to lie to you. So, I lied to you." The whole day, he was holding a bundle of bamboos and couldn't work anything. He even had to carry them to Nangbya's house. He was being lied to by Nangbya without knowing the fact that he was lied.
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Dai ni gaw nangbya bya ai maumwi i law malawng ndai kawa shabawn hte salang langai mi hpe nambya wa masu ai lam gabaw gaw dai re sai. Moi la langai mi nga ai da, la langai mi nga. Re yang she la dai wa gaw ngai gaw nangbya wa masu ai kalang pyi n katut ga ai. Dai majaw nangbya wa ngai hpe mu yang shi hte hkrum yang ngai mung masu shangun na re, ngai hpe gaw masu lu na nre ngu da dai majaw nangbya wa kawa hpai wa, kawa hpe atsawm sha shabawn kau na hpai wa re di hpai di wa na she nangbya gaw ndai wa re sam ai law ngu hku re nga. E hkau hkau ngu shaga ai da, nang nangbya nga wa nang re i ngu da, re lo nangbya ngai re lo. Deng nang yawng yawng hpe masu dan ai nangbya re nga yawng yawng hpe lu masu ai nga, ngai hpe mung masu dan yu rit le ngu tsun ai hku re nga, ngai hpe mung masu dan yu rit ngu da. E hkau e nangbya wa gaw re lo ngu mai ai le. Nbye dai hpe manaw masu n hpye hpe manaw na she har dai ni nang hpe masu dan ga ngu wa masu ndum wa n lawm mat nga ai e, dai majaw ya kawa shabawn hpe dingdung hku na htit di shadun da. Hka hka n dai n dai n bung bung yang kadang ai, ndai kaw naw tek ya u ngai masu n dum naw wa la na ngu na, masu n dum wa la na ngu, mai ai oh ra mung ngai e lu masu kun ngu yu yu ga le, wa la yu su ngu nta wa mat sai nangbya wa gaw. Nangbya wa nta wa mat, ya ngai sha n du yang hkum tat lu oi la tik tik, kade la tim nangbya wa ndu wa. Jan she du wa tim n du wa. Kaun na she shi gaw wat kawa shabawn sha hpai ndai wa ya ngai e masu da sai ngu di nangbya hpe hkan sai hku nga. Kawa shabawn hpe woi rang di na she nangbya wa hpe yu nhku de lung nangbya wa dai kaw n gawng jahkraw sha kapaw sha re di hpa hka sha lu di pyaw pyaw re myit ngwi myit pyaw hte hpa n ra ai masha zawn, masha e masu da di hkawm ai zawn nre di nga nga na hku nga, oh ra wa gaw kaun di hay hkau nangbya nang ngai hpe masu dan na nga di masu n dum wa la mat ai nre i. Nang ngai hpe kawa shabawn tek da shangun ai ngai dai ni tup hpa pyi n lu galaw ai. Ngai e kawa shabawn gaw tek da shangun di ngu pawt ai da nangbya hpe dai shaloi nangbya wa gaw shi manu mana pawt ai myi masin hte tim nangbya wa gaw hpa n pawt ai sha kei nang ngai e masu, nang ngai e masu lu na nre. Ngai nang na masu n katut ga ai majaw, nang she ngai e masu yu nga di nang saw di nang jin di ngai masu ai she re gaw ngu ai da. Re yang gaw shala di oh ra wa gaw kawa shani tup nangbya wa hpe chyam mayu ai myit rawng ai wa shani tup nangbya wa kawa shabawn tek da nga di nangbya nta kawa shabawn bai sa hpai da ya hkra rai dai sha lachyum pru di hpa akyu n rawng mat ai da. Kaja wa nangbya masu shi hpe masu ai hpe nan shi nan nchye nna nangbya e masu katut mat 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. |
