| Description |
Translation (Seng Pan)
A long time ago, there was a man called Nangbya. He was good at telling lies. So, his uncle said, "Although how good you are at telling lies, you cannot trick me. Try me once! Just tell me a lie." "Uncle. Wait for me here a while. I will go back home and will come back to you in a short time," Nangbya said. However, he didn't come back till noon. And his uncle still waited for him. Nangbya only appeared in the evening. "Nangbya, you said you would come back in a short time," his uncle said. "Uncle, you told me that I couldn't lie to you. But I've already tricked you," Nangbya replied. "I will not fall into your lie next time," his uncle said. One day, he and his uncle went to dig the soil to make small balls with the slingshot. When they were digging the soil, Nangbya said, "Uncle, you keep digging it. Let's me go back home for a while!" When he arrived home, he said his aunt, "Aunty. Since uncle dug the ground deeply, the soil covered him, and he is dead now." His aunt thought it was true and cried hard. Then Nangbya returned to his uncle. "Uncle, your house is on fire. And aunty is crying hard," Nangbya said. So, his uncle ran back to his house. When he arrived, his wife was crying in front of the house. So, he said, "Nangbya. Is my house on fire?" Nangbya replied, "You said to lie you. So, I told you a lie."
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Moi shawng de da nambya ngu masha langai mi nga ai da. Shi gaw da masha masu re ai da. Shi na katsa gaw da shi hpe tsun ai da. Nang ngai hpe nang kade chye masu tim ngai hpe n chye masu ai ngu tsun ai da. Dai majaw nang ngai hpe masu yu, nang kalang mi ram masu yu li ngu tsun ai da. Dan na nambya gaw tsun ai da, e tsa nang ndai kaw jahkring mi tsap u, ngai nta jahkring mi wa na ngu tsun ai da. Dan na she nambya gaw shani kaang du tim n du wa hkraw na shi na katsa gaw dai kaw tsap di na dai law la taw ai da. Re na she shana de du wa re na nangbya wa gaw nangbya nang tsun yang kahkring mi sha wa na nga ngu tsun ai da. Dai shaloi she nangbya wa she tsa nang tsun yang gaw ngai nang hpe n lu masu ai nga na ngai nang hpe masu kau sai le ngu tsun ai da. E hpang kalang re yang ngai nang hpe lu masu na nre sai ngu tsun ai da. Dan na she hpawt ni yu ga yu wa htu ga ngu tsun ai da. Dai ga yu wa htu re shaloi she dai kaw ga yu ni ma grai law hkra nga ai da. Dai di na she tsa nang dai kaw ga yu htu taw u yaw, ngai nta jahkring mi wa na ngu tsun ai da. Dan na nta wa re shaloi she shi na nta kaw kani nga taw ai da. E ning e tsa ga yu htu let ga nau sung di na ga galip si mat sai ngu na tsun ai da. Dan na she shi na kani gaw hkrap she hkrap, shi gaw bai sa mat ai da. Dan na e tsa na na nta wan hkru mat sai dan na na na madu chyawm me grai hkrap taw nga ai ngu tsun ai da. Dan na shi na katsa gaw grai gat hkra re wa ai da, wa re shaloi she shi kani gaw hkrap taw ai shaloi she e gara ma nangbya nta mung n hkru ai wa tsa she masu u nga, ya ngai tsa hpe lu masu mat sai ngu tsun 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
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KK1-1795
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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. |
