| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
This is about Nangbya. He could lie to everyone. He was very good at lying. One day, he saw about 500 ducks in the lake while he was walking near it. Then, he sat beside it and thought about how to lie to others. At that time, a trader walked past the river and saw Nangbya. He asked Nangbya, "What are you doing there?" Nangbya answered, "I am looking after these ducks." Then, the trader said, "That much!? Can you sell those ducks to me?" Nangbya said, "Why should I? I won't." The trader insisted on saying, "Please, sell them to me." So, Nangbya sold the ducks to him. He said, "Give me some money." The trader gave him the money which he asked for. But the ducks were not Nangbya's ducks. He was just lying to the trader. Nangbya asked the trader, "When will you take all these ducks?" "At dusk," said the trader. Then, Nangbya said, "When you take the ducks, drop a banana trunk into the lake." The trader believed him and did as he advised. When he threw the banana trunk into the lake, all the ducks ran away. The trader got mad at Nangbya and chased him. Next time, Nangbya thought of an idea how to con money from others. Then, he went to a funeral where people were playing cards by taking some chicken feathers. While they were sleeping at night, Nangbya put some chicken feathers in the mouth of the corpse. The next morning, Nangbya said to the owners of the funeral house, "Your corpse ate my chicken! You need to pay back." He conned people and got some money from them. Another story is about Nangbya and a tiger. They were friends. One day, Nangbya said, "My friend tiger, the rainy season will come soon. I think we should build a house to stay in, so that we won't get wet when it's raining heavily." But Nangbya shirked from doing his work. He didn't build his house well. He didn't fence and didn't build the walls too. Meanwhile, the tiger built his house nicely. The tiger asked him, "Have you finished building it?" Nangbya's house was like an opened hall. There was no wall or roof. Then, the tiger said, "Oh! Your house has no wall and roof." "It's good. We can look at the stars at night. In the daytime, we can see if thieves or strangers come to this house. So, I didn't build them on purpose." Then, the tiger fell for Nangbya's lie and said, "Let's change our houses." Nangbya pretended like he didn't want to change and said, "No, I don't want to." But the tiger insisted on changing the houses. In the end, they changed their houses. After two or three months, the rainy season had come. Then, the tiger got wet whenever it was raining. He was cold. Then, he went to Nangbya. But Nangbya drove him out. The tiger got furious and thought, "I will kill him." He chased Nangbya to kill him. Nangbya ran into the forest where there grew short trees. He knew that there were many beehives on the trees. The beehives were only three or four feet above the ground. Then, Nangbya sat on the tree and was waiting for the time when the tiger would come. When the tiger arrived there, he got confused and asked, "Why are you sitting on the tree?" Nangbya said, "I am guarding an ancient gong which shouldn't be played." The tiger didn't believe him and said, "No, I will hit it." Nangbya said, "Don't hit it. You can't." But the tiger insisted on hitting the beehives, which he thought as the gongs. Then, Nangbya said, "Okay, if you really want to play it. I will go to another hill first before you play it. I will give you the signal when would be the perfect time to play it. When you hear me shouting 'Ohhhh', hit the gong." Nangbya went to another hill that was far away from the beehives. And he shouted 'Ohhhh'. At that time, the tiger hit the beehive with all of his strength. Many bees were coming out and stung him. The tiger was mad at Nangbya and chased him to kill. That's all for now. Let's continue the story next time.
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ndai nangbya na lam re nga ai. Nangbya ngu gaw masu chyu masu, grai masu ai nangbya shi gaw gara hku i nga yang she masu ai maga de gaw bawnu hta gaw kanoi (htaketi) ram nga ai shi gaw nambat 1 ram nga ai. Re yang she shi gaw gara hku re i nga yang she kalang mi gaw shi, shi hkawm ai kaw she ndai hkanawng langai mi kaw she hkaibyek 5, 600 ram dai hku (anesong) gaw dai ram re na nga, 5, 600 yawm htum dai ni gaw hkaibyek gaw dai kaw chyai taw ai da. Nga taw yang she shi gaw ndai masu sa na nga na nyan na she dai lam nga ai makau kaw dung taw nga ai. Dung taw nga re yang she la langai mi lai ai, hkan 2 gaw dai prat hta e lam hkawm ai re nga, ndai ya na nga dut mari ai ( ayaung awoi) ai dut mari ai masha ni re na nga. Deng she shi gaw e hpa galaw taw nga law nga tsun, nangbya nang hpa baw galaw ai nga, ngai dai hkaipyek ni rem ai re nga tsun yang she, aga dai ram law ai gaw, nang dai ram law ai gaw nga, moi na hkaipyek ni gaw tsawm ma tsawm ai gaw, ya na oh ra (anyo yaung, shaw yaung) zawn zawn hpraw ai zawn zawn re nam kaw na hkaipyek ni gaw 80 tar 50 tar akaung ni re gaw, re yang she 2, 3, 4, 500 re yang she nre law na na hkaipyek ni ngai hpe dut ya u law, kanang mai na i ngu da. (zaykai) masu le i, kanang mai na law. Nre law dut ya u law ngu. Mai ai dai hte jaw rit, dabaw gaw moi prat na ngu gaw 1kyat mung grai dan ai gaw. Re yang gaw 5pyar nga yang mung labu langai, palawng langai lu ai bai re yang gaw. Re yang she dut ya rit nga na gumhpraw la da na she, re yang gaw dai na galoi gawt la na ma, e ya hkring shi hkrum ai shani ka-ang nga yang gaw dai na de hkying 4, 5 nga yang gaw naryi langai mi gaw jan loi mi (saung) jang n gyeng jang (kantmanchya) gaw ndai prat na hku nga, hkying 4, 5 re na nga, re yang gaw nang ndai oh ra langu hpyi le i langu hpyi hpe dai kaw apung dat u ngu da. Oh ra nangbya gaw jale(luulel) bai re yang she hkying 4, 5 hta langu hpe a pung dat ai kaw yawng swi re mat ai da. Re yang gaw ndai wa hpe sat na ndai wa hpe gaw rim ra ai ngu na bai shachyut da. Bai shachyut re yang mung re shi gaw aw ya ndai gaw (takan) ndai kaw bai gara hku re i nga she ndai gaw gumhpraw bai (hpan)ra sai ngu she, gumhpraw (hpan) yang gara hku (hpan) ai i nga yang she, shi gaw ndai kaw si poi langai kaw bai du mat ai da. Si poi langai kaw du mat re yang she shi dai kaw dung yang she masha ni grai (ung) taw ai da law, grai nga taw yang she oh ra jahpawt n htoi htoi yang she shi gaw u langai gun ai hku nga. U langai gun yang she har ngai na u mat sai ( nanhte ) u yaw ngu na she shana she oh ra masha ni yup nga nga ai shaloi she dai masha si ai na n gup kaw she dai u mun ni pun na bang da ya ai da. Dai nan na masha si dai ngai na u sha kau ya sai lawan (yaw) ngu da. Dai u bai (yaw) shangun ai da. Dai gaw nangbya shi masu ai lam, re di she langai mi gaw (dakan) gaw gara hku re i nga she, langai mi gaw ndai shi gaw hpa baw re i nga yang she. Maumwi re majaw gaw oh ra moi nangbya e sharaw gaw (let grai toi) ai hku nga. Grai toi re yang she shi gaw nangbya gaw saw she saw re yang she gai sharaw e ya gaw kade nna yang marang grai htu na mawsai, oh ra lamu wa hkrat na maw sai, dai re majaw nang rau ngai gaw ndai marang n hkra na matu shara galaw ga, nta gap ga ngu dai hku tsun. Nta gap ga tsun di she dai kaw she nangbya gaw (achaungko) na hku nga. Achungko re yang she sharaw gaw kam hkrai kam, kam hkrai kam, re yang she nangbya gaw dai amu ma atsawm n galaw da, (kar) ma atsawm ngalaw da yang she atsawm n kum da yang she e shakum ma atsawm n kum da yang she hpang e gaw arai sharaw gaw nangbya nang gaw gara hku re law. Shangu mung n galup woi nta kaw dai hku shadaw kaw nign re ndai hku 4, 5 ram rawng ai ding re galup mung n galup ai ngu, a ndai gaw shana re yang gaw shagan hti chyai ai baw re. Shani re yang gaw n kum jang gaw lagut sa n sa mu lu ai, dai re majaw gaw ngai n kum ai ngu da, re sharaw gaw tsun ai n re law nangbya dai hku nga galai ga le ngu hku re nga, a kanang mai na i ngu, gai law galai ga law, e le nang dai ram galai ga nga yang gaw galai ga ngu da, galai ga nga yang she hpang e kade nna yang gaw du hkra ladaw galai shai wa yang she shata mi shata 2 nga marang hkrat wa yang she sharaw gaw marang hkra na kashung sai le. Kashung na nangbya kaw sa wa yang she nangbya bai gawt kau ai da. Gawt kau yang she ndai masu hpe gaw ya gaw ngai gaw sat na nga hku re nga. Sat na nga na she shachyut yang she nangbya wa bai kalang oh ndai nam hkan gaw hpun nem nem re na n gyeng n gyeng re hkan gaw lagat grai nga gaw. Zagat tsip dai gaw tsaw de gaw (pay) 4 ram sha re. Pay3, pay 4 ram sha re, dai she dai kaw sharaw gaw sat na nga na shachyut yang she nangbya dai kaw dung taw. Hpa baw galaw taw nga ngu yang, dai gaw moi prat na ndai nmai dum ai bau ngai sin taw nga ai ngu da. Nre law ngai dum na law ngu da, ngai dum na law ngu, nre law , n mai dum ai she nga yang mi, nre ngai dum na law grai dum mayu law ngu da, nang dai ram dum mayu yang ngai hto bum 3, 4 ,5 bum 9 ram du ai kaw ngai marawn dat na, ngai oh,, nga marawn dat yang nang dum hpang u ngu, shi oh kaw na woh,, nga marawn dum dat ai wa she lagat ni yawng sharaw hpe gawa da, sharaw hpe gawa na sharaw bai sha na ngu na shachyut mat wa ai da. E law law sel gaw ndai hte kaw jahtum, hpang e bai matut na re.
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. |
