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Translation (Rita Seng Mai & Keita Kurabe)
This story is about how people got fire for the first time. Once upon a time, people were tired of eating raw meat. So, one day, they tried to find fire. Then they saw a fire burning in a dry tree on the island. They said, "Oh, there's smoke up there." "How can we get that fire?" Then a boy named "Sam Naw," who was good at climbing trees and swimming, said "All right! I'll go get that fire!" He brought the fire for all people. They cooked their meals with that fire. But when they brought that fire inside the house, it caught fire (because of the fire spirit). They couldn't put that fire at dry place or where there was trash. That fire was so intense that it always caught fire. The fire could only be lit on logs. The used fire had to be buried in the ground. People faced many difficulties in using that fire. So one day people said, "Let's call the prophets." "Let's ask them." Then what did they say? "If you want a quiet and friendly fire," "Let Kareng Tu Lawt ("to light a fire") hte N-gang Htu But ("to drill for a fire") help you." So the man and woman named Kareng Tu Lawt and N-gang Htu But rubbed the sparks. They made a new fire kindled by the friction of bamboo slats roughly. The fire that was created from that fire could be used in houses without any problem. They could also use the fire wherever they wanted. From that day on, people began to live amicably with fire.
Transcription (Lu Awng & Gun Mai)
Ya hkai na maumwi gaw moi shinggyim masha ni wan nnan la wa ai lam re. Moi shawng de, shinggyim masha ni gaw lu sha katsing hkrai sha jin wa nna, lani mi gaw wan tam sa ma ai da. Dai hku tam let zunlawng langai mi kaw wan chyi nga ai mu ai da. Dai shaloi shanhte gaw "Ga... wora kaw wanhkut gaw mawng nga ai." "Kading di la mai na kun?" ngu tsun hkat ma ai da. Dai shaloi hpun lung mung grai byin, hka hpung yawt mung grai byin ai Sam Naw shabrang wa gaw "Hka! Ngai wa la na," ngu nna wan dai hpe sa la nna shadu lu shadu sha ma ai da. Rai tim dai wan hpe nta nhku de bai jashawn yang, nta hkru mat wa, Kaga hkraw ai shara hkan, tsip hkan mung n mai tawn da ai da. Hkru chyu hkru wa ai da. Hpun tawng kaw sha shachyi mai ai hte hpang e gaw ga de bai lup kau ra rai nna grai lang ru, grai nga yak ma ai da. Dai majaw lani mi gaw "Myi htoi bai shayu yu ga." "Myi htoi ni kaw bai san yu ga," ngu nna wa san la yang she kaning nga ai i nga yang, "Nanhte mahku wan ra yang gaw," "Kareng Tu Lawt hte N-gang Htu But hpe wan gang gang na tam la mu," ngu ai da. Dai hku nga ai hte kaja sha Kareng Tu Lawt hte N-gang Htu But shan hpe she wan nsu mung hkut la di nna, kawa chyen kaw shakap la nna she wan gang gang bang wa yang she dai kaw na wan chyi pru wa ai da. Dai wan chyi ai kaw na bai shalat la ai wan gaw nhku de mung mai wu, shara magup mai lang re ai wan tai wa ai da. Dai shani kaw na she shinggyim masha ni wan hte atsawm sha lu ganawn nna lu pra sa wa ai re.
This story is reproduced based on:
D. Tu Ja (speaker), Keita Kurabe (depositor), 2017. Wan nnan la wa ia lam (The first fire) with English translation. MPEG/X-WAV/XML. KK1-1384 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/598b377831acb
PDF
https://doi.org/10.15026/0002000087
Supplementary explanation:
In the past, when an accidental fire broke out in a village, the fire used throughout the village had to be put out to drive out the fire-nat (or spirit). After that, a village man and woman named Tu ("to light the fire") and Htu ("to rub the fire") were called to kindle new fires by the friction of bamboo, rattan and chyingma (acacia wood) . By doing so, they were able to use fire in the village again. See Ola Hanson's 1906 Kachin dictionary entry for "wan gang gang" (p.706).
Maumwi lachyum
Moi mare kaw wan hkru yang, wan nat hpe gawt kau na matu mare kaw chyi nga ai wan yawng n sat kau yang n mai ai. Ngut ai hpang Tu ("wan tu ai") hte Htu ("wan htu ai") ngu ai mying lawm ai la sha hte num sha hpe shaga la nna, kawa, ri, chyingma (acacia wood) hte wan nnan shachyi shangun ai. Dai ladat hte mare kaw wan lu lang mat ai da.
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