The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

LAHU NYl (RED LAHU) NEW YEAH TEXTS-lll 3
hta ... kaov rna ha- sba- bti- bon kao" lav kao" k'aw" hpaw leh ta_
pi", la ... sha-. bpu ca, hpu g'a, la ... meh shi ca, shi g•a, ui" ka" i ka, chi
ma ve.
9~ Co" meh sho_ lo" te" a daw" ka_, bk'av g'a" chi g'a" kav haw, daw"
hpu te" ca" k'aw.., mui" leh ya ... nyi cho_ na_ pu_ hk'aw.., sub_ nyi
hta.., g'a nyi g'a ve, daw" sha bk'aw,. meu" hta haw, daw" sha ga" sha
ti- k'aw,., hpaw leh ta_ pi", rna" sub te" bon ka" haw, hk'av g'a" chi
g'a"' uiv kav i kav.
Verse 1
TEXT FIVE- WORKING TRANSLATION
I. chi·beu: now
2. k'o k'o, a phrase without meaning, added merely "to sound good"
3. hk'a·ma: village
4. aw: four
5. ce: corners
6. chi: this
7. hta·haw: inside. 3. 7 means "in this village" ("within the four
corners of this villa&e")
8. hk'a: village
9. ·bo from aw-bon : 'merit ·
10. aw: four
1 L k'o is apparently a classifier, either for houses or perhaps for corners
or recesses (personal communication, J.A. Matisoff); thus 8-11
probably means "within the confines of this meritorious village" . ·
12. na·pu : eternal (?). Some informants say. tbat na-pu is the name of
the sacred moon tree. According to some, Labu see the lunar
sh,adows. to form the shape. o( a tree~ , Tber~ is a myth to the effect
, that if hu111ans coul