Details

Latitude

25.234

Longitude

96.9165

Start Date

2017-02-09

End Date

2017-02-09

Translation (Htoi San) I am telling a story about spirits (nat). In ancient times, our ancestors worshiped spirits, and there were many types of spirits. The most difficult female spirit was called 'Maulam.' I am telling the story about the Maulam spirit. The Maulam spirit could do everything. The soul made those who worshiped and offered her rich and had children. Our ancestors told us those spirits were good in all ways when people honored them. When ladies married, the Maulam spirits followed them. When the Maulam spirits went after the bride, some of them ran away from the groom's house. Some spirits followed the bride therefore the groom's family needed to sacrifice the Maulam spirits too. A long time ago, a girl married and went to her husband's house. The Maulam spirit followed her, so the bride-taking clan needed to provide the nat spirit. As a result, the spirit helped the family when they needed to go to war and brought their daughter-in-law back when she became a flighty woman. The spirits helped the family wherever they went, but could not be wrong to the spirits. One girl got crazy due to her wrongdoings to the Maulam spirit at a fence post. When the people gave wrong sacrifices to Maulam spirits, they could have mental problems and could lose the battle when they went for it. This Maulam female spirit was so scary. The spirit followed female humans. When the girl was out of her mind, she ate whatever she found nearby. Her mind was unbalanced, so about ten nat priests offered presents to the spirits and officiated the nat spirits. The nat priests chanted and chanted, then sacrificed cows, chickens, and pigs to please the Maulam spirits. The nat priests did many times to satisfy the Maulam spirits, and the girl became an ordinary girl again from her madness. That was told by the ancestors many times. The Maulam spirits were so frightening. When a bride-taking clan married a bride-giving line who worshiped the Maulam spirits, the bride-taking family had to continue honoring the Maulam spirits. When a girl from the bride-taking clan got married to another bride-taking line, the worshiping Maulam spirits continued with the other bride-taking clan family. In ancient times, the Maulam spirits made lives difficult for people. Another scary spirit was called Janhku, and they both were horrifying. Janhku spirit did not allow people to pass the fireplace of a rare house; if ladies or guests entered and stepped on the fireplace or passed by where the nats, evils were, and the fireplace, many things could happen to people, and families could get sick. I would like you, children, to know about the female spirits called Janhku and Maulam spirits. I am telling you about these spirits to let you know how our ancestors sacrificed them while worshiping spirits. Here is a history of the female nat spirits, and children can tell about them from generation to generation. Transcription (Lu Awng) Ya ngai hkai na gaw nat ni a lam hpe hkai na re. Moi jiwoi jiwa ni nat jaw ai ahkying aten hta nat amyu myu law law nga ai. Retim mung yak dik ai num nat hpe gaw maulam ngu re. Maulam a lam hpe ngai tsun hkai dan na re. Maulam ngu gaw hpa mung shabyin chye ai, shi hpe jaw jaw jang gaw dum nta hta sut mung su wa ai, kashu kasha mung mayet maya tsawm htap wa ai. Hpa lam hta retim mung shi hpe jaw jang gaw grai kaja ai nga na jiwoi jiwa ni tsun ai. Num ni num wa yang mung shi hkan nang ai hku re. Shi hkan nang nna she mayu ni, dama nta kaw wa ai shaloi nkau kau gaw kaga hku na hprawng kau da ai da. Num wa yang mung nkau kau gaw hkan nang ai majaw dama ni mung bai dai maulam hpe bai jaw ra ai hku re. Moi numsha langai mi hpe num langai mi hpe num wa shangun yang e dai maulam hkan nang ai majaw dama ni mung bai jaw ra re nna she dai maulam gaw hpa majan sa timmung shi garum ai, num ni numbrau brau tim shi hkan woi la ai. Gara kaw du tim shi hkan garum ai retim mung shi hpe shut nmai ai. Dai shi maulam hpun dung kaw sa shut ya ai majaw num langai mi mana kau ai mung nga ai. Bai nna shi hpe jaw njaw shut kau ai lam nga jang gaw ma mana ni mung lu wa ai, kaning re majan masa hkan e hkrat sum wa ai mung nga ai. Ndai num nat gaw grai hkrit ra ai. Num ni kaw hkan ai nat re. Ndai maulam num langai hpe mana kau ai shaloi hpa hkrup hpa hta sha, hpa hkrup hpa hta sha. Nkrin nkrang rai mat nna nat ngu gaw wat dumsa ni marai 10 dang lani mi jan nat ni hpe dai hku kumhpa kap nna dumsa hkrai dumsa na, nga ni jaw na, u ni jaw na, wa ni jaw na, nga na kumhpa kap she kap di na dumsa she dumsa da nna hpang e bai nat maulam hpe bai jaw she jaw shagrau nna she dai num dai bai mana mat ai kaw na masha kaja de bai gale wa ai nga na moi na jiwoi jiwa ni grai hkai ma ai. Ndai maulam nat ngu gaw hkrit tsang ra dik ai da. Dai majaw ndai maulam jaw ai num la yang gaw dama ni mung matut manoi bai jaw mat wa ra ai. Dama nta na num bai la yang mung oh kaga dama ni kaw bai hkan nang yawng matut manoi ndai num nat hpe jaw ai hkrai re. Moi na prat na ndai maulam ngu gaw yak dik ai re. Bai nna janhku ngu mung num nat re shan 2 hpe yak dik ai hku re. Janhku ngu mung nbang dap de pyi nmai sa ai dai num ni shang sa kabye sai kaw na gaw masha manam ni dai de lai hkawm sai kaw na gaw nat ra ai maga de nhtum dap de nbang dap de lai hkawm sai kaw na gaw sai ni agat da amyu myu byin wa ai dinghku hta machyi hkrum wa ai. Ndai maulam hte janhku ngu ai num nat re hpe nanhte ma ni hpe galoi mung chye mu ga moi na jiwoi jiwa ni jaw hkrat wa ai jinat nat jaw prat na num nat yen rai sai ngu na nanhte jiwwoi jiwa prat kaw na jaw wa ai labau jinat hpe nanhte ma ni hpe galoi mung ban hte ban prat hte prat matsing la mu ga ngu na ndai hku ngu na hkai mat wa ai re law.

Sources