| Description |
Translation (by Mike Tu Awng)
When lightning strikes, Kachin people take it as a special event. They make it grand at one spot, if there is a lightning strike, it could be a tree, or a house, then, they ask who the concerned person is, whose place it is. If one person replies, "It concerns me, it's my place," she/he will take responsibility in sacrificing to Nat spirits. Sacrificial animals include chicken, pig, and buffalo, Chicken, pig, egg, dried fish except dog. She/he needs to sacrifice those animals. If thunder strike is in his/her area, he/she needs to sacrifice all these. Offering sacrifice must be done two times. If thunder strike is here, the first thing to do is to put some rice. Rice should be sown at that place. But rice cannot be scattered in vain. That is what we call in Jinghpaw, “Matan” for making a wish. Rice will be scattered by wishing, “Let it be for good.” Then, the first sacrifice is called “mu tsing.” It has to be done immediately after the thunder strike. It can be after a week, or a month, but sacrifice needs to be made. On the day when the sacrifice is made, people in the village have to fast. They need to stay home. They cannot wander out of their homes. That's what we call “na ai.” They do not work. They need to stay home quietly. It is just for one day. Then, people need to be there at the spot of thunder strike whether or not it is near their house, or far from their house. The number of people could be four, eight, ten, twelve, or fourteen. Nat spirits should be venerated well in this way. Thunder spirits are not just one but many like the Sawn and Jahtung Nat spirits. They are different but they need to be offered too. In the sacrifice, at least one pig must be slaughtered, six chickens, about ten eggs. And there is also a type of ginger, ginger which is used in sacrifice to Nat spirits. It’s very good and very expensive too. It's a little small in size. But the fragrance is very good. That needs to be used. Materials used in the sacrifice such as leaves, bamboo strings must be very clean. That includes knife which needs to be very clean. Only then, “mu tsing” sacrifice will be made to Nat spirits. And, beg to give us wealth. Shaman would say "Give us wealth," when there is the “mu tsing” sacrifice. After one year has passed, there has to be another sacrifice called “mu shanai.” It is called “mu shanai.” On that day, there should be two pigs, or three pigs. On that day, people should act the same like before. In even number. Minimum should be eight. On that day, people go there in even number and make sacrifice to Nat spirits. People eat what is there for them, they cook and eat. There is one unique thing about Kachin people. There is a thing called personating a crow. They personate a crow and went to forest. Young men from that village went to forest “as crows” and make sound like a crow “kak kak, kak kak.” Those crows can look at and see people who are making sacrifice to Nat spirits. However, those who are making sacrifice to Nat spirits cannot look at people who are pretending as crows. They just have to imagine them as crows in their mind. These black birds make sound like “bak bak.” But I will tell you the place where these crows live. Unlike small crows in Yangon or Mandalay, they live in mountains, a larger type. They weigh about a viss. But, we, Kachins, do not eat that meat. We believe that those birds eat meat offered to Nat spirits. Those who are acting like crows don't need to be in even number. The number is not specific, they can go as they wish. The total number they went, with bamboo string, they could be one, two, three, four, ten. Or they could be fifteen. Then, they put those bamboo strings at the place where those who are offering sacrifice to Nat spirits come to get water. They post up those bamboo strings to show the number of themselves. After learning the number, people leave things for them like food they eat and, those who pretend like crows, they drink “Tsapi,” fermented rice wine, but not strong alcohol. You may know that “tsapi” comes from fermented rice. Ten bamboo containers filled with rice wine are kept there for them. People need to give two rice-packs for each of them too. It is at the funeral that people give only one rice-pack. In this case, it has to be two. It doesn't matter if it's small but has to be two. The curry they eat there, people need to keep all curry nicely for them; ten if they are ten, twenty if they are twenty. Then, in the evening when offering sacrifice is over, people pack their own belongings and go back home. When they return, the servant of the man who prepares sacrificial meat for Nat spirits will serve people. There will be one person who stays behind when everyone goes back home. When that last person leaves, those crows will come to eat. And then, they bring souls of the dead as wealth. That process they call, “sut len ai.” And they interpret this thunder strike as a good thing as to give them wealth. It gives them wealth. Then, that person will take rice powder, and scatter along the way. He scatters all the way till home. As soon as they get home, fasting ends. Those who stay at home can go out now. That's done. On that day, on the roof of that house, they put the leaf of wild-banana plant. Wild-banana plant is a plant from the forest, which has grey color on one side of the leave. I am not sure if you have that plant in your country. In our hill region, we have that. It has grey leave. The color is like powder. It is white color. They take that and put it on the roof of the house. It is not just putting it there in vain but it is according to the ancient history. We do not know its origin, but we put it there. Then, that's about thunder strike. And then, in our hill region also there are common places for people. These places belong to all people like recreational places. When there is a thunder strike at these places, public has to make sacrifice. But, if the thunder strike is at a place belonging to no one, then, one has to pretend as if nothing happens. You cannot say, "Oh there is a thunder strike," don't say it. If you say so, you will have to take responsibility. So, you need to pretend as if you don't see. If thunder strike is not at my slash farm nor yours, then it strikes in vain. In that case, everyone stays quiet. If one person from the public says, "Let's do it together", then you make a sacrifice. Public has to cover all the cost. We, Kachin people including our elders think highly of thunder. We give special consideration for it. But Naga, as I see them, they are not afraid of thunder. If thunder strike is at a tree, then they just use it as firewood, they burnt it. But I don't have the evidence, I just heard about it. This is about thunder strike in Kachin. Sometimes, it is not known whether it is a coincidence or not that a household becomes rich and prosperous because of thunder strike. When they become rich, it is very good. But sometimes it is believed that thunder strike causes to ruin or damage like people get sick or even death. Regarding this belief, I am not a psychologist, you may or may not be one too. But in psychology it is about coincidence. However, it depends on how a person perceives. And, this is all about thunder strike in Kachin. Then, here what can we say? I will say it in general. It has its own mark. At some places, there are no marks at present nor in the past. For example, in the village where I was born, there is no mark. There is no mark in the past nor the present. On the eastern part of the river, there is usually a thunder strike on tall trees every year. But we do not know that. It is for those who are educated. We do not know it. Yes, it's like that. That's about it. And then, there is one thing that if sacrifice to Nat spirits is not properly done or if Nat spirits don't like it people get smallpox, or so it is said that people get leprosy. People are so afraid of leprosy. In the olden time, when medicine for leprosy was not available yet, people were so terrified of leprosy. Once a person is infected with leprosy, there was no cure. People believed that it was a person's fate done by thunder spirit, and no one can cure it. Just like that. It the leprosy got worse; people kept that person in a hut outside the village. A small hut was built and a person with leprosy was kept there. Below the hut, there were firewood, bricks were kept. Then, as soon as that person died, people burnt the whole hut. Their deeds were also in a sense scientific because it was said that virus was air-borne. That was not so bad. Their concept was that they burnt that person immediately. But, if we wrong the thunder, then, there is one thing about Kachin concept that when there is a thunder strike, there is “thunder-axe.” What can we say? When thunder strikes, there is a thing like an axe. We don't know whether or not it was true. But, on our hilly countryside, there are plenty. The shape is like this, one side is thick like this but the other side is very flat like this. In the olden time, there were many of them like green jade. We called it thunder-axe. But, whether or not it really happened, we don't really know. But there is what we call “thunder-axe.” There is a thunder-axe. I know in the lower, middle part of the country, people are treading thunder-axe, so they say. They said it is valuable. Then, if you put thunder-axe here, and if you point torch-light like this at the axe, the bulb inside will get broken. That's what they said. We have it too, but I don't know if it was true. That is about thunder. Our parents were so sure. They used to tell us that this is the one, showing to the thunder-axe, that can split a tree into two. But we cannot do research on that. That's about thunder. What else is needed?
Transcription (by Ja Seng Roi)
Mu achye yang gaw ndai Jinghpaw ni gaw grai shareng ai yaw. Grai shareng ai. Shara langai mi kaw mu achye sai, hpun kaw rai rai, nta rai rai, rai jang, Dai kadai hte seng ai i. Gade shara re i, san ai. Rai yang, masha langai gaw "ngai hte seng ai re. Nye share re" nga jang gaw shi lit la na yawng pata pu zaw ai. U, wa, nga n lawm ai. U, wa, u di, nga jahkraw. Gwi ma n lawm ai. Ndai ni pata ra. Pata yang gaw, shi hte seng ai kaw rai yang dai jaw ra. Jaw yang she, lahkawng lang jaw ra. Shawng nnan byin ai shaloi gaw kalang ta ndai kaw hkra sai nga jang n-gu le, rai, n-gu gat ra, dai kaw. Ratim, majoi gat ai n re. Ndai matan ai ngu, Jinghpaw ga matan ai ngu. "Kaja ai hku rai u ga" ngu tsun let n-gu gat ra. Dai hpang, shawng na gaw muktsing jaw ai ngu. Kalang ta, dai achye hpang dapat mi na yang na na. Shata mi na yang na na. Galaw ra. Dai galaw ai shani gaw dai kahtawng na masha ni yawng na na ra. Nta kaw tem nga ra. Shinggan de n mai wam mai. Na ai ngu dai hpe. E, "en e, Na". Bungli n galaw ai le. Tem ren nga ra. Lani mi, lani mi sha re. Reng she, ndai masha ni gaw, dai achye ai shara de, nta maka re mung dai kaw aw kaga tsan ai de re mung dai kaw masha gup rai ra. Marai matsat, shi, shi lahkawng, shi mali, dai hteng re. Atsawm nat hpe, dai hku mu nat ni hpe Mu nat langai n re, dai shani sawn ma lawm ra, jahtung ma lawm ra. Nat kaga le. Dai ni hpe jaw. Grit htum gaw WA langai lawm ra. U kru ram. U di gaw shi ram. Dai kaw ndai shanam ngu ai, jin le, shingnam Shingnam mung dai nat ni hpe jaw ai shingnam amyu mi nga ai. Grai kaja ai le. Grai hpu ngu ai. Loi kaji ai shi gaw. Raitim, manam ma grai pyaw. E, dai lang ai. Lang ai rai ni, ndai lahpaw ni, pali ni yawng grai san seng ra. Nhtu ni kawn hkawt i, grai san seng ra. Rai ti na she, mutsing jaw ai ngu dai kaw jaw sai. Shi kaw sut jaw rit. Kaja ai hku hku chyu sha dumsa ai le i. "Sut jaw rit" ngun she mutsing jaw gaw tawn da ai. Reng she, dai hpang lanaing mi ram na ai ten e, mu shanai ai ngu kalang bai jaw ra. Mu shanai ai ngu ai. Dai shani gaw loi tsawmra WA lahkawng ram, masum ram mung re. Masha gaw dai sha ni mung e, mi na hte maren marai gup gup re, grit htum matsat gaw rai ra law. Dai masha gup di sa na, yawng nat ni hpe galaw. Dai kaw na shanhte sha-ang hte sha le, Shadu sha. Re dai shaloi, loi mi ndai Jinghpaw ni, lama mi re ngai nga. U hka tai ai ngu lawm ai. Chikan, hkru. Chikan tai ai ngu ai, U hka tai ai ngu ai, aw nam chung puk de, dai kahtawng kaw na shabrang ni sa ai. Sa nna "kak, kak, kak, kak, kak," dai U hka ni gaw le ra nat jaw nga ai masha ni hpe mai yu ai. Mu ai. Raitim, ndai nat jaw ai masha, masha ni gaw dai U hka tai ai masha ni hpe n mai yu ai. Myit kata e, U hka re, ndai ni nget U hka balek bat "kak, kak" ndai U hka ni re. raitim mung, ndai U hka ngu gaw sara hpe tsun na yaw. Yan-gun Myitchyina manlay hkan nga ai baw U hka ate sar ma huk bu. Tawng paw ma shi dar. Ajisar. Ngase ta. Tabik tar ja shi de. Auk auk, auk lek. Law law. Raitim, dai hpe n sha ai. Anhte Jinghpaw ni. N sha ai. Shi gaw dai nat shan ni sha nga-ng le. U hka tai ai masha ni, ndai ni gaw gup n ra. Shanhte sa mayu daram sa. N ti chya. Shahte gaw marai gade re ngu hpe she, ndai pali le, kawa langai, lahkawng, masum, mali, marai shi reng shi. Shi manga reng shi manga. Shi gaw le, ndai nat jaw ai ni hka ja ai shara kaw jun da ya. Jun da ya yang she, marai kade re shanhte dai hpe yu she yawng dai kaw tawn da ya. Shahte sha ai yawng, ndai shanhte gaw tsapi lu ai le, tsapi she re gaw. Lauhku n re, tsapi. Nang chye, tsa pa kaw na shup ai. Dai baw dinghkan, marai shi reng shi, shanat da ya ai. Shat makai mung shanhte langai n mai jaw yaw. Hkawng jaw ra. Langai jaw ai gaw masha si ai shaloi sha re. Lahkawng rai ra. Kaji tim, lahkawng, tawn da ya. Dai kaw sha ndai sihtu simai ngam ni mung yawng marai shi reng shi, hkun reng hkun na dai kaw atsawm tawn da ya. Reng shana de dai nat jaw mung ngut dai hte rau gaw ndai masha ni gaw yawng tinang e rai gun, nta de bai wa sai le. Wa jang she dai hking jawng wa ngu ai, hkin jawng kaba n re, salung sala, sawen tai ai dai shani na le, sap galaw ai masha langai mi gaw hpang jahtum kaw loi mi hpang hkrat dai. Hpang hkrat din she, ndai wa htum rai hte rau gaw dai U hka ni sa sha sai. Reng she ndai shanhte wenyi hpe sut hpe shaga wa ai ngu sut len wa ai ngu ndai mu sa chye ai hpe sut jaw ai ngu kaja ai hku tawn da wa nang hpe aw lu su wa ai baw sut jaw ai re ngu hku. Rai jang she shi gaw san muk shadung le, san muk, rai pawngda, dai hpe she lam yan tup tawn mat wa. Tawn, htaw nta du hkra tawn. E, dai nta kaw shanhte shang ai kaw na gaw, na hkoi sai. Dai upuk tsawng ai nta rawng ai ni bai gale sai. Reng ngut sa. Reng she dai shani gaw Ndai nta num gawng kaw, shi e nta hkawng mu, hkawng mu kaw e lagyep hpaw ngu ai tawn ra ai. Lagyep ngu ai awra e, lera baw e, nam de na lagyep le, ndai kata n-ga ahpraw san ai. Nanhte mung de tu yang tu na, n tu yang n tu na. Anthe bum ga de nga ai. Ahpraw re shi gaw. Pawng ta kap ai. Grai hpraw ai. Dai hpe la nna dai kaw mara da. Nta ntsa kaw. Dai majoi mara ai n re. Moi na akawdinghtu deya aenshan hitsahtari. Anhte gaw dai kaw n laik lu kau sai. Raitim, dai mara da. Reng gaw mu gaw dai hku rai sai. Reng she, amyar pai shara ngu nga ai le, anhte bum ga mung. Masha law law hte seng ai num shang zawn re, sa ra kawn re hkan achye jang gaw shawa hpe galaw ra. Shawa e galaw ra. Reng she, gadai n sheng ai shara langai mi kaw achye jang n mu masu ra. Hkum jahta. Re "dai kaw mu achye law. Aw mu achye law" ma pyaw ne, hkum tsun. Nang tsun jang, nang galaw ra wa. N mu jahpai kau ai. Htaw shara hkan, nye yi ma n rai, na shara ma n rai kaman kaw achye jang gaw zim di kau ra. Shawa e, gashadawn langai ngai me, salang ngai "e, shawa e galaw ga law" nga yang gaw galaw lu ai. Shawa nga kaw na yawng shaw ra le. Yang shaw ra. E, dai mu ngu ai hpe, Jinghpaw ni gaw grai shareng ai, moi na ni gaw. Grai shareng ai. Aw, naga ni gaw ngai na hku nga yang kachi mung n hkrit ai da. Mu achye jang hpun rai yang lang kabai kau ai da, Naga ni gaw. Raitim, ngai hkrak tutetana gaw n lu ai, tsun ai sha na ai. Jinghpaw ni na dai hteng rai sai, mu gaw. Re kalang lang gaw dai mu achye ai majaw ndai seng a-ng ai dum nta ni galu kaba sut su wa mung tek seng ai la dar chawng lar daw mati bu naw. lu su wa nga. Re gaw grai kaja ai ngu. Kalang lang gaw pyet si mat wa. Machi makaw byin ai, si ai rai jang, e n kaja. Reng gaw makam ndai gaw sara mung ngai mung saikaw tama n re, nang mung saikaw tama reng rai na. Saikaw hku yu yang gaw tek seng mu re i. Raitim mung, tinang e myit la ai gaw dai hku rai ma lu. Reng Jinghpaw ni na gaw mu dai hteng rai sai. Reng she ndai kaw e, hpa baw ngu na i, jennareli tsun na. Shi na mung leng nga ai yaw. Shara ra kaw gaw, aw moi mung n hkang ai, ya mung n hkang ai. Ga shadawn, ngai shangai kahtawng kaw nga yang, anhte nga ai marawn kaw n hkang ai. Galoi mung moi mung n nga. Ya mung n nga. Aw ra hka sinpraw hkran na marawn de gaw shaning shagu hpun tsaw tsaw ai hkan achye ai. E, dai dai gaw, anhte n chye ai le. Masha hpaji chye ni shi a leng re le. Ahhte gaw n chye gaw. E, dai mung nga. Dai hteng rai sai. Reng she langai nga ai gaw ndai mu nat jaw shut jang, mu nat n ra jang samaw pap ngu ai ndai machit le lep, e, leprawsi ndai byin nai ngu ai rai malu. Leprawsi byin ai ngu grai hkrit dai dai majaw. Moi na prat gaw ndai leprawsi tsi galai n paw ai shaloi gaw dai leprawsi hpe grai hkrit dai gaw. Dai kap jang tsi na mung n nga ai. Shi wut hte re, mu e di re, badu ma maku neng bu. Di deng be. Waw, grai sawng jang shiggan de hat, ndai ginsum kasha gap in, dai kaw tawn kau ai. Le n pu de, hpun, wut e tawn da nna she, shi si sai nga hte rau kalang ta nat kau ai. Shanhte na mung tikpan ni le chya de. Dai akawng gaw pyen nai nga ai gaw. Da le masaw bu naw. Tu daw atwe ahkaw ka. Kalang ta nat kabai kau ai. Dai kaw dai mu hpe shut jang dai reng she langai mi gaw Jinghpaw ni ayu asa hta mu ngu ai, mawchaw pit ai ngu ai dingwa nan nga ai shi a hpa baw ngu na i, dai mawchaw twar ngu ai dai nga ai. Dai re n re gaw anhte ma n chye ai. Ratim, htaw ra anthe bum ga hkan grai nga. Ndai hku pungsan ning, ning, nang ga htap dai le i. Nang de ahpa ren. Reng, chawk tsing zawn zawn atssing re moi gaw grai nga. Mu ding wa ngu. Dai da ge da ne hpyit da la ba le ba la saw da daw ma ti bu. Mu ding wa ngu nga. Dai, e, mawchaw twar nga ai le ra myen mung alepeng hta ayawng awoi lawk chya de saw da ti de. Maw chaw twar le. E law pyaw chya de. Ta ar tan paw shi de law tu daw pyaw chya de lay. Saw ga, mawchaw twar hpe nang kaw tawn da na, dat mi hte ndai hku di yang hpanti pyet dai nga gaw tu daw ka. apyaw apyaw. Anhte hpang nga gaw nga. Raitim, dai hku re kun n re kun gaw n chye. Dai gaw mawchaw hte seng ai le i. Anhte kanu kawa ni gaw nan re. Kalang ta hpun ga hkra re gaw ndai re gaw nga le. Raitim, anhte gaw tu tay ta na gaw n lu galaw. Dai hku re mu gaw. Reng dai kaw, hpa naw ra kun. |
