| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
Kachin people called Nat spirits as animals. When we offer a sacrifice to Nat, we never use a horse. There is no Nat spirit who prefers a horse as a sacrifice. And there is no Nat spirit which likes a cat as a sacrifice too. Sawa Nat (a nat spirit who becomes after a violent death) and Jahtung Nat (an evil spirit who lives in the deep forest) like a dog as a sacrifice. Sawa Nat and Jahtung Nat like a dog. Every Nat spirit like chicken. They like pigs as an offering too. And every Nat spirit prefers buffalos, cows and bulls as the offerings. Higher Nat deities don't like cows. In Kachin tradition, higher Nat deities don't like cows. They don't prefer white buffalos with horns. We use only black buffalos as an offering. Every higher Nat deities such as Mu Nat (a deity of thunder), Nbung Nat (a deity of wind), Sinlam Nat (a spirit which can reincarnate) and Madai Nat (a deity of properties) don't like cows as an offering. They also don't like white buffalos. Every Nat likes pigs and chickens too. Kachin has that kind of tradition. Mana Nat (a spirit whom we have to give food before we eat) and Sawn nat (an evil spirit which bewitches people) like goats. But Nat Gun (a guardian) doesn't like goats. Nat Gun doesn't like dogs too. Higher Nat deities also don't like dogs. But Sawa Nat and Sawn Nat like dogs. Among 6 ethnic groups in Kachin, Jinghpaw doesn't eat dogs. After offering to Nat spirits, they just throw the dog meat away. Lawngwaw eats dogs. I am not sure whether the other ethnic groups of Kachin eat dogs or not. Lawngwaw eats dogs. They not only offer dogs to Nat but also eat them too. Jinghpaw doesn't eat dogs. They wrap the dog meat and throw it. They let crows and dogs eat the meat. At night, the other evil spirits come and eat the meat too. These all are about the Nat spirits. One more fact is that the Nat priests know when Nbung Nat, Mu Nat, Sawn Nat, Jahtung Nat and Sa-wa Nat appear. But we, human, couldn't know that. When one of the family members died, he or she can become Nat Gun. Nat Gun can also be a spirit who was dead after a violent death.
We don't offer buffalos to Lamung Nat (an evil spirit which makes people suffer from stomachache). We offer only chickens to Lamung Nat. We don't give buffalos as offerings to Lamung Nat and Nampum Nat (an evil spirit which makes people suffer from stomachache or nausea). The rich people give buffalos to Sawn Nat (an evil spirit which bewitches people) as an offering. We give every animal to Nat Gun (a guardian spirit). If we could afford, we give buffalos or bulls too. When we give a buffalo as an offering to Nat Gun, we share the meat to eat. We leave some meat for Nat too. We wrap some meat from the buffalos and leave for Nat spirits. The meat for Nat is not even 1% of the whole meat. When we give buffalos or cows to Nat, the meat for Nat is only around 0.001%. And we share the rest with other neighbours. It's like we just give buffalos as an offering. It's like that. Then, when the funeral for the one who died in a violent death and the one who died because she couldn't give birth successfully, we kill the buffalos or cows. But Nat spirits don't like that kind of meat. They feel disgusting. Although we cook that meat, we just throw it away. It is like that. What else do you want to know? Ask me.
Transcription (by Ja Seng Roi)
Ndai Jinghpaw ni nat hpe e tariksan yit kawng ngu ai ndai jaw jau ai shaloi, gumra n lang ai. Gumra ra ai nat ngai ma n nga. Lanyau ra ai nat ma ngai pa n nga. N langa i. Gwi ra ai nat gaw sawa nat, sawn, jahtung nat ni gwi ra ai. sa-wa hte jahtung nat. U gaw nat ni yawng ra ai. Wa hpe mung yawng ra ai. Nga wuloi hpe mung yawng ra ai. Ntsa nat ni dum-su hpe n ra ai. Jinghpaw ni. Dum-su n ra ai ntsa nat ni. Nga wuloi, nga wuloi pi dai ahprawng re, hkai nyeng ngu ai chwe jaw shi tat de naw. Nga jahprawng le, dai n ra ai. N mai lang ai. Dai achyang re nga wuloi dai lang ai. Ntsang na nat ndai mu nat ni, nbung nat ni, sinlam nat ngu ai ni, madai nat ni yawng gaw dumsu n ra. Dai nga jahprawng ma n ra, Nga. Wa gaw yawng ra ai. Wa, wa hpe gaw nat ni yawng ra ai. U yen wa hpe gaw. Jinghpaw mungkan dai hku rai ma lu. Bainam hpe gaw mana nat ndai sawn nat ni sha ra ai. Nat gun ni n ra. Gwi hpe mung nat gun ni ma n ra. Ntsa nat ma n ra. Nda sa-wa nat, sawn nat ni ra, gwi hpe. Gwi hpe gaw ya dai kaw ndai anhte Jinghpaw ngu ai amyu kru kaw na Jinghpaw ni gaw gwi shan n sha ai. Nat hpe jaw tim, dai hku kabai kau. Ya lawngwaw ni gaw sha. E, kaga ni sha kun n sha kun n chye ai. Lawngwaw ni gaw atsawm di sha kau ai. Nat hpe jaw, shan mung sha. Ndai Jinghpaw ni gaw, ndai ni gaw gwi shan n sha ai. Nat jaw jang dai hku htau makai nan mai na yawng dai de kabai kau. Aw, U-hka ni sha, gwi ni sha kau. Shana rai jang na nat du sat ni sha kau ngut sa. Dai hku di rai ma lu. E, nat na gaw achin chung dai hku rai sai. E, langai gaw sara, dai nat kaw Ndai nbung nta, mu nat, sawn jahtung sa-wa nat nga ai ni gaw galoi kawn kanang kawn paw ai re ngu ai gaw dum-sa ni gaw gawn chye tim, anhte ni gaw n chey ai yaw. Ndai nat gun ngu ai gaw kaji kawoi ni kaw na langai ngai sa wa si le, mi tsun ai . Te chin saw te ai ni a wenyi re. Dai ra ma lu.
Ndai lamung nat ni hpe gaw nga ni gaw n jaw ai law. U sha jaw ai. U sha jaw ai nat kaji ni hpe gaw. Nga dumsu ni gaw lamung nat, nampum nat. Sawn nat ni hpe gaw kalang lang dumsu jaw ai, lu su ai ni gaw. Dai kawn nat gun ni hpe gaw lu yang yawng jaw ma ai. Nang lu gaw lu hku jaw ma. Nat jaw ai nga tim mung, ndai nga langai mi hpe nat gun hpe jaw sai nga kawn, nga gaw yawng gaw gam sha ai le. Dai shi nat na gaw makai ya ai le, gade gade hkrumhkrang kaw na hpa hpa zen la ti na makai di hkra di ya she re. Ti ya hkai nung tawng mahuk bu nat hpe jaw kau gaw. Nga wuloi ngai sat jang, e, poi ziro ziro tit, elawk be. Nat na gaw. Ngam ai yawng na gaw gam sha ai gaw. Shi hpe nsoi nsa ap ai ngu sha re. Dai hku rai malu. Reng she, mi na ndai sa-wa si, ndang si, re, shara hkan sat dai, dai ni hpe n sha. Matsat dai shanhte. N sha. Dai hku shadu shadu tim, htaw chye hku kabai kau. Dai hku rai ma lu. Gai ya hpa baw naw ra kun lu. San nu lu. |
