Nraug Ntsuag & Ntxawm

 Here is another audio clip of a folktale called, Nraug Ntsuag and Ntxawm. There are many stories about an orphan boy, Nraug Ntsuag, and a wealthy village head's daughter, Ntxawm. Here's a summary of this particular story.

Nraug Ntsuag and Ntxawm have gotten married for not too long. When the hemp harvest season arrives, Nraug Ntsuag sends Ntxawm to her parents' village to help them make threads and cloths from hemp. Half way on their trip, Ntxawm says to Nraug Ntsuag that she can see her parents village in the distance and she can hear the sounds of the rice pounder clicking and clanking. She tells Nraug Ntsuag that her parents are near so she can walk the remaining distance by herself. Nraug Ntsuag can return home.

Playing his qeej, bamboo reed pipe, Nraug Ntsuag turns around to make his trip back home. When Ntxawm approaches the settlement she assumed to have belonged to her parents, she finds out that she was surrounded by tigers. The sounds that she heard earlier were not that of rice pounders, but the tigers banging their fangs against rocks. Ntxawm calls back to Nraug Ntsuag to help her, but playing his instrument loudly, he heard her telling him to travel home faster.

The tigers capture Ntxawm and take her deep into their fortress where they imprison her inside a cave.

Xyooj Mim & Xyooj Kaub

 

 

This Hmong folktale is called, Xyooj Mim & Xyooj Kaub. It is very similar to the story, Ntsuag thiab Niam Nkauj Zuag Paj. The difference is in the opening's details.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have time to write the story down in Hmong so I am providing the audio clip only. For those of you who may not understand the Hmong language, here is a summary.

 

 

Xyooj Mim and Xyooj Kaub are a pair of orphaned siblings. One day, Xyooj Mim chances upon a dragon prince who offers her marriage and in return, he promises to give her brother a magic rice grain and a piece of meat that could replenish itself to feed the young Xyooj Kaub for the rest of his life. But the catch is that Xyooj Kaub must never completely eaten all his rice and meat. If he empties the food, it can never replenish itself again. Once grown, Xyooj Kaub's curiosity causes him to break the magic food spell, and he is left hungry once more.

 

While crying beside a lake, he stumbles upon the dragon king who offers Xyooj Kaub food and directions to find his sister, Xyooj Mim. To repay the dragon king's generosity, all he asks of Xyooj Kaub is to relay a message to his dragon king-in-law to come help rebuild his fire-damaged kingdom.

Sharing Hmong Music

In this post, instead of just sharing music from one artist, I have decided to share music from a couple of different artists. When I get a chance, I will post up the English translation for each song.

This first song is called Hlub Tam Toj Roob Hau Pes by Paj Xia Yaj and Nuj Sua Lis, Hmong Shee Yee's new pra-ek.