| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
The story I am going to tell you is why Kachin women must know how to weave. A long time ago, every woman should know how to weave. They should know how to weave Kachin patterns. Kachin women must know how to weave Kachin patterns. We believe wearing Kachin traditional clothes at the wedding is perfect. We use red, green and black thread when we weave Kachin clothes. People think that women, who could weave by using the right colour of threads, are good. When a man chose his spouse, he just looked at how well that woman could weave and sew, not about how rich she was. One day, a man from the village thought of getting married. But the woman whom he loved couldn't weave at all. His parents only wanted a daughter-in-law who could weave. They preferred the woman who could tiptoe. But the woman their son loved couldn't weave at all. He told her, "If you truly love me and want to get married to me, you should learn weaving." Then, she tried learning to weave. In the past, we needed to be specific in using the thread colour when we weaved. We couldn't make mistakes in making the patterns. If you forgot to take one thread, your Kachin patterns wouldn't be beautiful and perfect. Nowadays, people weave with their own ideas, "It will be beautiful if we put this colour or this design." In the past, we needed to weave the exact Kachin patterns. If there are only red and green colours on the patterns, we have to use only those two colours of threads. If there are green and yellow colours on the patterns, we should use only those two colours. There are black, green, yellow and red colours on our Kachin patterns. We can't use orange colour or other colours. So, we should be very specific and careful when we weave Kachin patterns. A clever person needs at least three years to know how to weave Kachin patterns. It's difficult to remember the patterns of Kachin clothes. It can take almost ten years for an average person to be able to weave. There were even some women who died while they were learning to weave. Some women died when they were about to finish learning weaving. Then, their skills were just in vain. A woman who could weave had much more dignity than a woman who couldn't weave when she died. A woman should do sewing, weaving and cleaning the house. And she should wear longgyi short. She shouldn't make a sound when she walks. Then, the girl to whom the man would get married could weave. She weaved cloth for her mother-in-law-to-be and gave it to her. But she weaved wrongly. The cloth she gave to her mother-in-law was with a pattern which couldn't be weaved with black threads. She didn't think deeply. She didn't know which colour could be used or not. There were different colours, but we couldn't use grey and white colours on one cloth. If we did, we could even get killed. But she didn't know that. She thought, "I will use these colours which many people don't use, then my mother-in-law's cloth will be very beautiful." She thought it would be very beautiful and weaved it. She mixed black and white colours. And she mixed red and black colours too. We can use those colours when we weave, but we can't mix them. She wasn't aware of it and mixed all those colours. She used grey colours for that cloth too. She told the king, " "I will show you the most beautiful and the best cloth in this world." Everyone was interested in her cloth. In the past, people wore Kachin traditional clothes at their weddings. Wearing Kachin traditional clothes at the wedding is more meaningful and valuable than wearing western suits and dresses. Even though they just treated rice and some curries at the wedding, their wedding was more admirable and meaningful. So, when the girl showed the cloth she weaved, she was sentenced to death. Her mother-in-law kept the cloth she weaved after she died. The old lady explained her generation by showing that cloth, "This cloth was weaved by my daughter-in-law to be." She told her grandchildren, "This is the cloth that my daughter-in-law weaved." But these days, things have changed. There is no colour that we can't mix. If we think these two colours will do a great match, we mix them. I just want to tell you that weaving is very important.
Transcription (La Ring)
Ya ngai tsun na maumwi maubyin a mying gaw moi na Jinghpaw num ni nhpa a majaw ndai da hpe yawng chye da ra ai ngu ai lam hpe ngai hku na kachyi mi tsun dan mayu ai hku re. Moi shawng de da mare langai mi hta da dai mare hta gaw da num sha rai nrai kaji kaba yawng gaw da hpe chye da ra ai da. Da da ai shaloi pyi kaning re da hpe chye da ra i nga yang Jinghpaw maka da hpe chye da ra ai da. Hpa na i ndai Jinghpaw maka da hpe chye da ra ai i nga yang anhte na moi na Jinghpaw Wunpawng myu sha ni ngu ai gaw da ndai hkungran yang pyi ndai Jinghpaw hkying kaw i Jinghpaw da lawm yang she yu htuk ai. Jinghpaw da Jinghpaw hkying ngu ai hta gaw anhte Jinghpaw Wunpawng myu sha ni hku na Jinghpaw da ngu gaw ahkyeng hpe shalawm ai. Dai majaw i ndai da da ai shaloi da ahkyeng ni achyang ni hpe shalawm atsit ni atsit nsan ai ni hpe da let shalawm chye ra ai. Dai kaw she um e dai hku dan re chye ai ni hpe she i "Num ndai gaw byin nga ai" e ndai hku la ai da. Ngut na she num lata yang pyi kaning re num hpe lata ai i nga yang kade ram lu lu lu su u ga da raitim mung kade ram tsawm htap u ga da ndai da chye da nda rai chye chywi ai i ndai hpe she madung tawn da na she la ai da. E lani mi na aten hta da dai e la langai mi gaw da num lata ai da. Num lata ai shaloi i shi ra ai num dai gaw da nchye da ai da. Timung shi kanu ni bai ra sharawng ai num gaw da chye da let ndai labu bu yang pyi i dawt dawt di bu na i labu bu yang pyi dawt dawt di bu na ndai lam hkawm yang ngoi ai i. Nngoi ai hkyep din ndai anhte na ndai hkyepdin nsen nngoi ai num hpe she shanhte ni gaw dai hku i moi na masha ni gaw dan re hpe she ra sharawng ai da. Raitim mung da la dai ra ai num gaw num dai gaw da shan lahkawng sumtsaw gaw da nchye da ai num rai taw nga ai da. Da nchye da ai num rai jang i dai la ndai gaw tsun ai da "Nang ngai hpe kaja wa tsawra ai rai yang gaw nang da chye da hkra i nang e nang sharin la u" ngu tsun ai da. Shi gaw hpabaw tsun ai i nga yang da chye da hkra shi sharin ai. Da chye da hkra i da da ai ngu gaw majoi joi ndai ndai hku da ai hpe sha tsun ai nre i. Ndai hku ndai hku sha da ai hpe sha tsun ai nre shi na moi na htung hkying hte htung hkying da da ai ngu gaw i ndai hpun pyen ni lo kawa ni lo hpri pa ni hte atsawm di galaw da na i ndai ri sumri hpe e ndai shanhte na ahkyeng nga jang ahkyeng nsam atsit nga jang atsit nsam kachyi mi mung nmai shut ai. Rai na nang kalang mi la na kaw nla ai sha kaga nsam hpe nang la shut kau dat yang ndai nang da ai ndai maka gaw ntsawm sai shut sai. Shanhte na ndai htung hkying hta gaw da da ai nga gaw majoi joi da ai nre tinang na tinang na myit hte da ai nre. Ya gaw i tinang "Ndai hku di yang grau tsawm na kun" nga na da ai raitim dai prat hta gaw dai shanhte na Jinghpaw ndai da hpe nmai jahten ai. Ahkyeng hte atsit nga yang ahkyeng hte atsit yawng byin ra ai e atsit hte ahtoi nga jang atsit hte ahtoi byin ra ai. Shanhte kaw gaw kaning re baw nsam ni nga ai i nga yang achyang nsam nga na ahkyeng nsam nga na atsit nsam nga na ahtoi nsam nga na dai mali hpe sha mai na gayau ai. Kaga nsam ni lwidwi nsam ni hpe gaw nmai ai. Dai majaw ndai da da ai shaloi i grai sadi ra ai. Grai sadi ra ai shaloi i dai masha langai mi i da da ai shaloi dai kade ram da da atsawm di chye hkra kade ram sharin yang kade ram na na i nga yang masum mali ning gaw dai pyi grai byin ai ni na matu. Nbyin ai loi loi hte sha bawnu nmatsing hkraw ai loi loi hte sha ta ni nman ai ndai baw i nlu ai rai ni nchye chywi ai ni na matu gaw i e tsun ga nga jang shana e shaning shi ning hkun ning daram ting na wa chye ai. Lama na nang ndai sharin taw ai laman dai dai mungdan kaw i dai mare kaw gaw ndai da da sharin taw ai laman nnga mat ai num ni pyi grai nga ai. Ndai i da da sharin taw ai da da chye sana da da chye sana nga tim mung ndai tinang hku na grai bawnu mahcye machyang grai nnga ai nga jang ndai da da taw ai shaloi nnga mat jang tinang sharin da ai hpaji gaw alaga re ai. Dai majaw dai mungdan kaw i laga laga re raitim mung da nchye da na nnga mat ai si mat ai ni hta da chye da na nnga mat ai ni gaw grau na arawng lu ai. Dai majaw shanhte na ndai gaw i "Num sha ngu gaw da chye da ra ai rai chye chywi ra ai e ndai shat shadu bungli hpe atsawm di dang ra ai. Rai na she labu bu jang dawt dawt di na lam hkawm yang ndai hkyepdin nsen nngoi ra ai. Dai hku shanhte na i ndai hku e amyu myu i grai htuk ai i. Grai htuk ai i dai kaw na num dai gaw i shi la na num dai gaw i da chye da sai da. Da chye da na shi na kamoi ang na i kamoi hpe shi da da jaw ai. E ndai i Jinghpaw wora baw da da jaw ai le i. Ndai da da jaw ai shaloi she hpabaw byin mat ai i nga yang she da da shut ai da. Da da shut ai shaloi she nhpabaw dai kaw gaw achyang gaw nmai gayau ai baw nsam re. Achyang gaw ndai hku achyang gaw ndai hku i ndai hku kalang ta um pa pa htu da da jang ndai da pa pa kaw she anhte ni gaw ndai din ai baw i ndai baw ni hpa ni hpa ni hkan da ra ai baw re. Hkan da ra ai baw re hkan da ai shaloi gaw i shi hku na ndai num hku na malap taw nga ndai nrau nmai i shi gaw i shi na myi hku na gaw nsam chyawm grai law hkra nga timung nmai gayau ai le ndai kaga nsam ni amut ni hte ndai amut ni hte ndai ahpraw ni hte gayau dat yang tinang na htung hkying hten ai ngu hku na dai masha hpe gaw sat kau ai dai hku ni nga ai. Shi gaw nchye ai shi gaw i dai ni hpe i atsawm di nmyit yu ai sha i "Masha ni nlang ai hku nye moi lang u ga masha ni hta grau tsawm u ga nye moi" e i dai hku masha ni hta hta hta grau grau grau dai myit sha myit let shi gaw da ai. Hpabaw nsam ni gayau hkrup ai i nga yang shi gaw da ahpraw hte achyang hpe gayau hkrup ai. Ahkyeng hte achyang hpe gayau hkrup ai. Ahkyeng hte achyang gaw mai lang ai raitim mung gayau ai baw nre ai. Dai hpe shanhte shi gaw i atsawm di nmyit ai sha sa gayau hkrup dat ai. Amut ni hpe shi gaw ra ai hku lang da ai. Ra ai hku lang da na dai shaloi shanhte na ndai um shanhte na ndai hkaw hkam wa hpe tsun ai. "Mungkan hta tsawm dik htum ai maka hpe shi madun na" nga tsun ai. Shi madun na nga tsun ai shaloi gaw i yawng gaw grai myit shang sha ai le i. Jinghpaw Wunpawng amyu sha ni ngu ai gaw hkungran poi hta maigan maigan buhpun palawng hpe hpun na hkungran poi ai hte kade ram i mai gan hpun palawng hpun na hkungran ai hte u shan ni wa shan ni jaw sha ai hkungran poi hta nga jang ndai Jinghpaw e ndai Jinghpaw hkying hpe hkying nna hpa njaw sha ai i e shat sha jaw sha timung ndai ndai lahkawng na hkungran poi nga jang Jinghpaw Wunpawng myu sha ni hte hkying hte hkungran ai ndai hkungran poi gaw grau na yawng manu shadan ai. Dai i dai hku re ai. Ya chyawm me rai yang rai na nrai yang nrai na raitim mung moi gaw dai hku re. Dai majaw ndai Jiinghpaw maka hpe madun ai shaloi dai num dai hpe sat kau ai. Sat kau ai shaloi i dai Jinghpaw Wunpawng ndai maka hpe gaw shanhte hku na i shi na kamoi ang na hku na i zing da ai. Zing da ai kaw na zing da na shi na ndai gaw "Adwi na kanam tai na num dai kaw da da ai re" e dai mu sai. Bai zing sai ban hte ban "Ndai gaw adwi na adwi na kanam tai na wa da da ai re" dai hku na tsun. Dai hku na ya anhte ya ndai hta gaw ndai hku ndai hte ndai sha mai gayau ai yaw nrai sai tinang ra ai tinang hku na i "Ndai hte ndai gayau yang gaw tsawm na re" dai hku sha gayau na ndai hpe da da ai hku mu lu ai. Dai majaw e ndai da da ai ngu gaw grai ahkyak ai ngu hpe mung tsun mayu ai hku re. |
