THE FOLK-TALES

OF
BURMA
An Introduction

BY

GERRY ABBOTT

AND

KHIN THANT HAN

BRILL
LEIDEN • BOSTON • KOLN
2000
 CONTENTS

Acknowledgements xi
Foreword xn
List of Illustrations . xm

PART ONE
A FRAME OF REFERENCE

Introduction .- 3
The study of folklore and the folk-tale 4
The folk-tale genre: function, form and field 12
The collection and study of folk-tales in Burma 20
A categorisation of selected tales from Burma 26

Summaries of selected tales 31

Suggestions for further research 41

PART TWO
A SELECTION OF BURMA'S FOLK-TALES

Introduction 51
SECTION I (A) : HUMAN ORIGIN TALES

Commentary 53
1 The earliest humans (Mon) 58
2 After the old world was destroyed by the
flood (Eastern Lisu) . . 61
3 The Lahoo narrative of creation (Lahu) 66
4 Why the Kachins have no alphabet (Kachin) 70
5 The Chin and the Burman are brothers (Mindat Chin). . 70
6 The Naga and the Burman are brothers (Tan-hkun Naga) 73
7 The story of the goats (Palaung) 75
8 The extinction of the Ari (Tan-hkun Naga) 75
9 Plainsmen and hill men (Lahu) 79
10 Why the Kachins have so many nats (Kachin) 80
11 The name given by a ghost (Eastern Lisu) . . 81
12 The 'Eating Early Rice' festival (Asho Chin). . . . 84
13 Why people die (Kachin) 85
VIII CONTENTS

SECTION I (B): PHENOMENA TALES

Commentary 88
14 The original state of the earth (Kayah) 91
15 Sunset and sunrise (Yaw) 95
16 The story of the rainbow (Shan) 97
17 The eclipse of the sun (Rawang) 98
18 The eclipse of the moon (I) (Tan-hkun Naga) 100
19 The eclipse of the moon (II) (Burman) 102
20 The life-restoring plant on the moon (Lahu) 105
21 Why we have earthquakes (Tan-hkun Naga) 106
22 In-daw-gyi, or Naung-lut (Kachin) 108
23 The elephant (Sgaw Karen) . . I l l
24 ' Buffalo and man (Shan) 113
25 Kyi-kan (Asho C h i n ) . . . . 114
26 Why the owl's eyes are open wide (Karen) 115
27 The grass snake . (Kayah) 117
28 A-eik-pa (Chin) 119
29 How tea was discovered (Yaw) 120
30 Thu-ya (Yaw) 121
31 Hsa Ma ['Lady Salt'] (Rawang) 122

SECTION II (A): WONDER TALES

Commentary 127
32 The were-tiger and Keik Sal (Hpo Nwan Chin) 133
33 The were-horse (Karen) 139
34 The Snake Prince (Burman) . . 141
35 & 36 Two Burmese crocodile tales (Burman) 149
37 Concern for humans only brings me pain (Arakanese) . . . . 150
38 Win-leik-pya: or, the soul-butterfly (Burman) 153
39 Cham Seng and the pe-et (Palaung) 158
40 The ghost in the royal service (Burman) 159
41 Aran Aung and his friend (Mon) 160
42 Hpo Hkwe: from painter to king (Karen) 162
43 Nan Yi-hsaing Kaw (Shan) 168
44 The brown lotus (Arakanese) . . . . 173
45 Smim Katut Kalawam (Mon) 176
46 Nan La An (Karen) 183
47 Ein-daw Shinma (India) 192
48 Master Born-of-Egg (Mon) 195
49 The Silver Hill (Burman) 204
50 The Story of Tugleba (Bwe Karen) . . . 209
 CONTENTS IX

SECTION II (B): TRICKSTER / SIMPLETON TALES, ETC.

Commentary 218
51 The man in a boat who wasn't afraid of
ghosts (Mon) 221
52 The canny Lord of Death (Pa-o) 222
53 Liar Mvkang sells ashes (Rawang) 225
54 Stick spear and golden spear (Lahu) 226
55 If you shit on the way,
there's a hundred to pay (Intha) 228
56 The story of Ataplem (Mon) 230
57 The monkey and the crocodile (Shan) 235
58 Kyong-si, the sparrow and the Naga king (Palaung) 236
59 The rabbit and the fox (Mindat Chin) . . 238
60 The elephant versus the tiger (Palaung) 239
61 The fellow at the town-eater's house (Taungyo) 241
62 The ten simpletons (Arakanese) . . . . 243
63 Tall tales (Yaw) 250
64 Mr Golden Simple and his wife (Burman) 255
65 The end of the Na Hsaung Soe ogres (Padaung) 258
66 The painting competition (Palaung) 262

III (A): GUIDANCE TALES (LAY)

Commentary 267

67 The peacock, king of the birds (Karen) 268

68 The 'no hands' dance (Lisu) 269
69 The long-tongued person
has twice the burden (Intha) 271
70 The wise fox (Somra Naga) . . 274
71 Jackfruit tree and bitter gourd vine (Maru) 276
72 Five hundred steps (Rawang) 277
73 To each his own (Mon) 279
74 Looking for true love (Lahu) 281
75 The abbot's mantra (Pa-o) 284
76 The coconut palm owner (Kachin) 288
77 The man who looked for the Lord of Death (Arakanese) . . . . 290
78 Let's have a carve-up (Mon) 294

III (B): GUIDANCE TALES (CLERICAL)

Commentary: Law tales (All Burman) 297

79 Tiger as judge 298
80 The ardent young lover as judge 299
X CONTENTS

81 The promise 300

82 The elephant-driver who lost his elephant 303
83 Make-believe tales 304

Commentary: Monk's tales (All Burman) 307

84 To each his own foot 308
85 Saturday-borns 310
86 The monk and the dwindling tiger 311
87 I ran because the other ran 312
88 The British envoy 313
89 The village wiseman and the elephant tracks 314

Commentary: Jataka tales (Various sources) 315

90 The lovesick widower [Assaka-Jataka] 316
91 The narrow highway [Rajovada-Jataka] 319
92 The grateful elephant [Alina-Citta-Jataka] 322
93 Learning an old one's tricks
can get you out of a fix [Tipallattha-Miga Jataka] 326
94 The naga prince [Bhuridatta Jataka] 329
95 The hare [Sasa-Jataka] 332

IV : Compound tales
Commentary 336
96 The elephant and the man [I(B) + II(B)] (Kayah) . . .337
97 Hkun Hsaik [I(B) + III(A)] (Shan) 338
98 The rose apple tree [I(B) + I(A)] (Burman) . .342
99 The legend of Taw-me-pa [I(A) + II(B)] (Karen) . . .345
100 Nang Upem and Khun Samlaw [I(A) + I(B)] (Shan) .... 349
101 Don't trust every smooth talker [III(A) + II(B)] fPa-o^ 353

Bibliography 357
Ethnological notes 366
Index 385