Informal story texts: Celebrating the Shebajie Festival (Part 1)

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（Play All）Informal story texts: Celebrating the Shebajie Festival (Part 1)

Peng Wugen, Dianfang Township, Longshan County
recorded on 20 July 2002

This text represents the first 10% of a mammoth 75-minute account of the economic and cultural life of the Tujia. Mr Peng describes the annual Spring shebajie festival, which is centred round the baishouwu (literally 'hand-waving') dance. The story is continued in the next text. Note the relatively high frequency of Chinese loan words used in this text, even by such a fluent Tujia speaker.

01	A: lei⁴ ge³ci² ou, ge³ci²-i-hu³ la, ge³ci²-ma¹ xie² tai² ou? xie²-ma¹ kuai² eng³zi³-duo³-hu³, ang² si¹ gao¹-hu³ la! B: se² qie⁴ gao¹-i? A: ang²ni¹ se¹pa¹se¹-i! B: kei³ a? A: Today let's have fun, let's have fun! Anyone coming to join in? Those who want to come, come quickly, we are about to start! B: What are you doing? A: We are going to celebrate the 'Sheba' festival! B: Where?
02	A: ei¹ lao⁴ di²dian¹ la¹ se¹-i ma, jiu¹ ai¹ se¹pa¹ ke¹hao¹, ai¹ da²tian¹ wo²tu¹ gao¹-i. B: la² long¹ hi⁴lie³ ai¹ wo²tu¹ gao¹ wa! ni² lao⁴reng³ga³-die¹, ang²ni¹ be² hhi², lei⁴ la³tie² yi²si¹ ai¹ wo²tu¹ gao¹-i. A: We will go to the usual place, on the col over there, in that big field. B: Every year we hold it there! You old folk, we are going too, tonight we are all going.
03	A: ca²! ai¹me¹, ni² he³luo² be² huo³-di²-duo³ le! B: he³luo² huo³-i-di². A: da²gu¹ be⁴-xie²! B: da²gu¹ nga² be⁴-i-di². A: Good! So, you'll need to bring gongs and drums! B: I'll bring them. A: Bring the big drum! B: I'll bring it.
04	A: ei¹ la² nie¹, ai¹di¹ ta¹nie³ku³ zi⁴ bu²-bo³-xi² la! ai¹di¹ leng³tong³tong¹ ni² guo² ke⁴-i-di²-duo³, se² luo⁴ba¹ re¹ la¹hu³ luo! re¹ long³ da⁴ ke⁴-xie², ke⁴-di²-ta¹ti¹? B: ke⁴-de¹xi³. A: ke⁴-de¹xi³ hang. B: ke⁴-i-di²! A: That pig we killed during the day, you need to scald off the bristles. The four of you, bring it here. The four of you can fetch it; do you think you will be able to manage? B: No problem. A: You can! B: We will bring it!
05	A: gang¹pe¹ me nga² ta¹nie³ku³-lie¹ ga⁴-bo³ re¹ zi² xie², ai¹ re¹ zi² huo³lie³ ke⁴-xie², ba³ gu³-bo³. ming³zong³zong¹ di⁴ la, ni² nga² ta⁴ gao¹-si³ la! B: gao¹-si³-ta¹, re⁴kuo³kui¹ re⁴kuo³kui¹ huo³-di². A: Those sticks, I cut them during the day, there are four of them, use them to carry it up the mountain. Ming Zongzong wants them, you mustn't spoil them! B: I won't spoil them, I'll bring them ever so carefully.
06	A: ba³zi² ta⁴ pa³ o! B: ca²! A: nga² zi¹ge¹ zun¹bei³-hu³, se² ta¹nie¹-lie¹ eng³qie². B: ca²! si³ya³si³ya³ eng³zi³ a! A: he³luo² ha³-bo³ eng³zi³-duo³ la! lao²re¹-duo³ hang! a, qing³gu¹lian¹ tai² ba! B: sou² la! A: Don't get them muddy! B: OK! A: I'll go first to prepare, you follow along afterwards. B: OK! (sound of walking) We're here! A: You need to beat the drums and gongs when you come, liven it up!
07	A: ai da⁴ ri¹-i yo! B: ri¹-hu³! ri¹-hu³! A: nga² ge³ yi²si¹ bai⁴-hao¹-liao³! a³nie³! ang²-nie³ tu¹wan³-nie³ eng¹di¹ pu³sa³ be² ang²ni¹ bo³ bai⁴-bo³-la¹-hu³. But where's the bride? [joke] B: True! A: Let's start work! B: Let's begin, let's begin! A: I've put everything out! Ah! I've also put out our Tuwang [ancestor] god.
08	tu¹wan³ pu³sa³ bai⁴-liao³ ang, ai¹lie¹, ni² ai¹lie¹ da² zuo²zi¹ yi² zang¹ bai⁴-bo³ ang, bai⁴-bo³! B: bai⁴-liao³. A: ca³pang³ le? B: bai⁴-liao³. A: ca³pang³ wo²tu¹-lie¹, ni² ai¹ tang³si³ guo¹ping¹ ta⁴ si¹ma³ la! B: si¹ma³-ta¹. Tuwang is set up, now, you put up a big table, set it up! B: Done. A: And the wooden tray? B: Done. A: Don't forget to put some sweets and fruit on the tray! B: I won't forget.
09	A: ni² xian¹ guan² nie¹ long³ gao¹-bo³, xian¹ guan²guan¹, ai¹di¹, ai¹di¹ ti¹ku¹ nie¹ long³ bai⁴-bo³! B: bai⁴-liao³. A: xian¹ le? B: wo³ zi² luo, yi²ha¹lie¹ wo³ zi² luo, guan²guan¹ lao⁴ wo²tu¹ suo¹ zi² luo, nie¹ zi² le jiu¹ wo³ zi². A: You fix a couple of incense jars, those incense jars, put out those two jars. B: Done. A: What about the incense? B: Six sticks, six sticks altogether, three in each jar, two jars, that makes six.
10	A: ci¹ki¹ta¹ ga⁴ hhi¹ huo³-xie²! eng ao, pao²zu¹ ya ga⁴ bu² huo³-xie²! B: ca²! ca²! ca²! nga² kai¹si⁴-hu³. A: Get a few sheets of paper! Hmm, and bring a few firecrackers. B: OK, OK, OK! I'm ready to start.
11	A: ca²! ni² re² zu¹zu⁴-bo³, zu¹-hao¹ tai² yo? B: zu¹-hao¹-liao³. A: luo⁴ba¹-die¹ le? B: luo⁴ba¹-die¹ zu¹-hao¹-liao³. A: ma³ma¹-die¹ le? B: ma³ma¹-die¹ ye⁴-ji²-liao³. A: ni² ai¹ bo¹li³-die¹ le? B: bo¹li³-die¹ yi²si¹ ta¹nie¹ a! A: Good! You put the wine out, have you done it yet? B: Done. A: And the men? B: They're standing there ready. A: And the women? B: The women have arrived. A: How about the children? B: The children are following behind!
12	A: a! za²si¹ ma! ai! la³tie² me yi² zai²zi¹ ming! la² cuo⁴ la² hu³ ka⁴-lie³ me, yi²si¹ song¹kuo¹-ji²-diu², yi²si¹ lao²re¹ ba⁴-diu² wa ming! ai! zun¹bei³-le! ang²ni¹ zi¹ge¹ re¹ la¹hu³ o gang¹pe¹ za⁴-bo³. ni² die³ qie⁴? A: Excellent! Tonight the whole village is here! Leave someone from every household to keep watch, the rest can all come to join in the fun. Everything's ready! The four of us, we'll be in front holding the sticks. What on earth are you doing?
13	ang²cuo¹hao³hai³! zao⁴gu¹li¹ xian¹seng¹ la xia²sang¹-liao³ lu. ai¹cuo¹hao³cuo¹hai³! suan²ming¹zi¹ xian¹seng¹ xia²sang¹-liao³ ao! cai³seng³-di pu³sa³ xia²sang¹-liao³ lia! zou²gong¹-di pu³sa³ ba³ da³-liao³ lia! hou... Come on! In the morning, the men have come down from the mountains. Come on! Come on! The fortune-teller has come down from the mountains! The god of wealth has come down from the mountains! The god of labour has come down from the mountains!
14	pu³sa³ da³-diu² la! B: kei³ ya? A: ai¹ da³-diu², da³-diu², da³-diu², pu³sa³ da³-diu² wa, suan²ming¹ seng³xian³ ba³ da³-liao³! The gods have come down! B: Where? A: They're coming down, coming down, the gods are coming down. The immortal fortune-teller has come down from the mountains!
15	hai¹cuo¹! hai¹cuo¹! a²guo¹-die¹ ai! ai¹di¹ cai³seng³ pu³sa³ you² ye⁴-liao³, you² ye⁴-liao³! a²guo¹-die¹! ai¹cuo¹! ai¹cuo¹! ai¹ai¹cuo¹! hou Come on! Come on! Friends! The god of wealth has also come, he's arrived! Friends! Come on, come on, come on!
16	ye⁴-liao³ wa! ye⁴-liao³! ca²! ca²! ai¹ da⁴ha³ pu³sa³ jing²-hu³. zi⁴-ba¹ ke⁴-i-xie², zi⁴-ba¹ ke⁴-i-xie², zi⁴-ba¹ leng³tong³ ke⁴-i-xie², ke⁴-diu² o. They've arrived, arrived! Great! Great! Now let's worship the gods together. Bring the pig, bring the pig, bring the prepared pig. Look, they're bringing it.
17	eng eng eng... cai³mo¹ ke⁴! B: qie⁴ ca²! nga² ke⁴-ce¹, nga² ke⁴-ce¹. A: ni² ke⁴-ce¹ huo, ta⁴ la² la, la²-ti²! pu³sa³ ye¹ eng³zou², cai³mo¹ ke⁴! eng eng, kuai²dian¹ da² zuo²zi¹ zi¹ge¹ ti¹-bo³, ti¹-bo³, la²-bo³, la²-bo³. ... Bring it carefully! B: That's OK, I can carry it, I can carry it. A: You can do it, don't drop it, don't drop it! The gods are here, carry it carefully! Bring it quickly and put it in front of the big table, put it down, put it down.
18	ang "ai¹ tu¹wan³ pu³sa³, ang²ni¹ ai¹lie¹, ang²ni¹ eng¹di¹, ang²ni¹ meng eng¹di¹ tu¹jia¹zu³-nie³ lao¹be³xing¹-die¹, lao⁴reng³ga³-die¹, yi²si¹ ni² bo³ pu³sa³ jing²-liao³ wa! "O Tuwang, here we are, ordinary Tujia folk,
19	ni² meng ang²ni¹ bao¹hu³-bo³ o! ang²ni¹ meng ai¹lie¹ la² long¹ la² long¹ yi²si¹ ao¹-bo³ yi³, kei²-bo³ hhi² duo³ hong³huan⁴ ao, ba³ti³ da³-lie³, our ancestors, we all bow to you! May you protect us! We come to meet you here every year, so that wherever we go, things will go smoothly, when we go back down,
20	ang²ni¹ bing² tai² la, ga²-ci³ xie², hu³-ci³ xie², da²-ci³ xie²-duo³ o! ang²ni¹ bao⁴-bo³ o! ni² ang²ni¹ bo³ bao⁴ o! ang²ni¹ you¹xing¹ ang² ni² bo³ pu³sa³ jing²-di²-xi² o! we won't be sick, we'll have enough to eat and drink, and enough clothes to wear! Protect us! Protect us! We are sincere, we have set out to worship you!
21	lei⁴ la³tie²pe²lu¹, lei⁴ nie⁴ nie¹lu¹, zao²gu¹-nie³ si¹hu¹, zao²gu¹-nie³ pu³sa³, ni² ang²ni¹ bao⁴-bo³, ni² lei⁴ la³tie², ang² ni² qing⁴-alie³, ni² long³jia¹ ye⁴-liao³ o!" This evening, today is Nielu, our protectors, beloved gods, protect us, this evening we have come to invite you, you who have already gone to the netherworld!"
22	hai! hai! ai¹cuo¹! ai¹cuo¹! suan²ming¹ seng³xian³ ba³ da³-liao³. zao⁴gu¹li¹ seng³xian³ ba³ da³-liao³. B: hai! zeng¹di¹hua¹, ba³ da³-liao³, zeng¹di¹hua¹ ye⁴-liao³ wa! Come on! Come on! The immortal fortune-teller has come down from the mountains. This morning, the immortals have come down from the mountains. B: Hey, it's true, they've come down, it's true, they're here!
23	A: ang²cuo¹! ang²cuo¹! ye³ ga²-i-hu³! B: ye³ kei² ga²-i? A: tu¹di²tang³ ga²-i. A: Come on! Come on! Let's start eating! B: Where shall we eat? A: We will eat at the Earth God's shrine.
24	zi⁴-ba¹ ke⁴ o! da²guo¹zi¹ duo¹-bo³, a³ba³ suo¹ bu² duo¹-bo³, a³ba³ suo¹ bu² duo¹, ka³ kuo¹lie¹ ga³ duo¹-bo³. kuai²dian¹! kuai²dian¹! mi⁴ luo², mi⁴ luo², duo¹-ma¹ duo¹! Bring the pig! Put the big pot down, put it on top of three stones, put the stones down, and put some firewood on the stove! Quickly, quickly, light the fire, light the fire, those responsible for this, get on with it!
25	hu²ni¹ da⁴, la² cuo⁴ la² su¹, la² cuo⁴ la² hu³, ang²ni¹ yi² guo² zai²zi¹ si¹ wu¹ si³ jiu¹ guo², wu¹ si³ jiu¹ guo², jiu¹ wu¹ si³ jiu¹ jia¹. ang²ni¹ la² ma¹ la² hu³ ga², qie³bi²pang¹lang¹ yi²si¹ guo²duo³ guo²duo³ huo³-xie²! All of us together, a bowl per family, a bowl per family, altogether there are fifty-nine of us in the village, fifty-nine, that is, fifty-nine families. Every household send one person to eat, you need to bring your own bowls and chopsticks!
26	yi²si¹ eng¹ge¹ ga²-xie², tu¹di²tang³ gao¹-i, jiu¹ ang²-nie³ eng¹ge¹ tu¹di²tang³ gao¹-i, ao¹jie³ bang². B: bang²-hao¹-liao³! bang²-hao¹-liao³! ga²-duo³-hu³ ming! hhi²-la¹-hu³ gao¹ ya ming! ga²-hu³ ming! Everyone go there to eat, we'll do it at the Earth God shrine, at the Earth God shrine, we'll cook there. B: The cooking is done, it's done, let's start eating, off we go and eat, let's eat!
27	A: hai! ye³ ga²-hu³ le! B: ca²! ga²-hu³! A: ga²-xie²! ga²-xie²! ga²! ga² mang! B: ni² be² ga² mang! ni² qing³mo¹ re² la² ze² hu³-ti² huo! A: nga² hu³-di¹xi³! ni² le, ni² be² re² la² ze² hu³-duo³! A: Right, let's start eating! B: OK! Let's eat! A: Come and eat, come and eat, eat, eat! B: You eat too! Why aren't you drinking any wine! A: I can drink some, and you, you must drink some too!
28	ca²! lei⁴ ce³hu³ta³, pu³sa³ jing² a ming! se¹pa¹se¹ ming! ai¹ zi⁴ he²ba³, zi⁴-ba¹ he²ba³ bu²-bo³ mo³ ga²-ta¹ qie⁴ ri¹? zuan¹meng³ ga²-i mo³ he²ba³ lao⁴ gao¹-bo³-xi² ming. OK! Today is very busy, what with worshipping the gods and celebrating the 'Sheba' festival. That pig, that pig that you killed, it's so big, if we don't eat it, why bother to kill it? We killed such a big pig because we specially wanted to eat it.
29	B: ca²! ca²! ca²! ga²! ga²! ga²! ga²-liao³ o! ga² mo³ me³jie²-liao³ o! A: me³jie²-liao³ o! me³jie²-liao³ jiu¹ ca²! B: OK, OK, OK! Eat, eat, eat! Eat your fill! A: Eat your fill, eat your fill! Good!
30	ai¹ da⁴ha³, ai¹lie¹ meng da⁴ha³ se¹pa¹se¹-i-hu³ ming, zeng²si³ se¹pa¹se¹-i ya, ai¹lie¹ se¹pa¹se¹-nie³ di²dian¹-bo³ hhi², se¹-i ya! After that, we will begin celebrating 'Sheba' together, we will start celebrating 'Sheba' properly, we'll go to the 'Sheba' place to celebrate.
31	ai¹ jiu¹ da⁴ se¹-hu³ o! kai¹si⁴ o! B: ca²! A: zun¹bei³-bo³ o! tong³ tong³ tong³ kuan³ tong³... Let's start then! Let's start! B: Right! A: Get ready! (sound of working)
32	yan¹ se¹-hu³! B: ca²! kuan³ tong³ kuan³ tong³ kuan³ kuan³... A: li⁴ pu², tong³ tong³ tong³ kuan³ tong³... huo¹sa¹ ga⁴-i. Let's plant tobacco! B: OK! (sound of working) A: Hoe the ground, (sound of working) open up the wasteland.
33	gai² ga⁴ pong² yi³-duo³, ang²ni¹ eng¹di¹ lang³cang³ a! eng¹di¹ da⁴ha³. ai¹di¹ kang³ku¹ ong³-bo³ mo³ si² sang¹ wan²long³sang¹ ong³-bo³ mo³ huo¹sa¹ da³bi² ga⁴-ta¹ ni² qie⁴ ga²-i yo? You need to move these plants over here where we are, all together. Here we are, living surrounded by mountains, if we don't work the land, what will you have to eat?
34	tuo¹luo¹su¹ku¹ nga² bo³, zao²ri³su¹ku¹ la² pa¹ huo³-xie², za²-i-hu³! B: ca²! pa³sa³... tong³ tong³ tong³ kuan³ tong³ A: za²-hu³! B: ca²! Give me a knife, and bring one of those knives, let's clear the ground! B: OK! (sound of working) A: Let's cut [the undergrowth]! B: OK!
35	A: ai¹ ni² mi⁴ la² pa¹ wu² ma, ni² yan³huo¹ tai² huo? B: nga² yan³huo¹ huo³-la¹, huo³-la¹. A: nga² bo³ la²-xie²! ni² eng¹ge¹la¹bi³ hhi², ra⁴-liao³! huo huo... A: You light a fire there, do you have any matches? B: I brought some matches, I brought them. A: Throw them to me, you go over there and light a fire! (sound of burning)
36	...gi³ ya gi³... eng gi³-hao¹-liao³! gi³-bo³-xi² ca²! eng¹ la² qie² gi³-bo³-xi², ca²! sang²jing¹ a! It's burning, burning, all burned up! That was successful, we burnt that well! Excellent!
37	ei! me² ga⁴ bu² ze³ be² sang²jing¹ hang! B: ze³-di². ze³-diu² wa! ying³tu³ qi¹-liao³ wa! me² ze³-liao³ wa! ze³-liao³! ze³-liao³! Ah, if it would rain a bit, that would be excellent! B: It's going to rain. It's raining! The clouds are gathering, it's raining! It's raining, it's raining!
38	A: kuai²xie¹, kuai²xie¹, wu³ nie¹ long³ huo³-xie², sa⁴, wu³ nie¹ long³ sa⁴, hhi³ nie¹ long³ sa⁴, hhi³ nie¹ long³. pian³ tong³ pian³ tong³... sa⁴-liao³ hang? B: sa⁴-liao³! A: Quickly, quickly, bring a load of millet seed to sow, sow a load of millet, sow a load of millet, a load of millet. (sound of sowing) Have you sown them? B: I've sown them!
39	A: sa⁴-ji²-liao³ tai²? B: sa⁴-ji²-liao³! yi² pian¹ sang¹ duo³ sa⁴-ji²-liao³! A: ca²! ai¹lie¹ da⁴ha³, ai¹me¹ eng¹ si³jie³ me bao¹bu¹ wo⁴-duo³, bao¹bu¹ wo⁴, bao¹bu¹ wo⁴. A: Have you finished sowing? B: All done! This whole area of hillside has been sown! A: Good! Now we have to carry up some maize, carry some maize.
40	ai! zao² reng³ rong¹ti¹ la² da² wo⁴-duo³, bo¹li³-die¹ le, wo³ la² da² wo⁴. wo³ huo³lie³ qie³-ma¹ qie³, wo⁴-ma¹ jiu¹ wo⁴. Everyone must bring a large back-basket, the children must each bring a smaller one. Use your back-baskets, if you're supposed to be picking the cobs, pick them. If you're supposed to be carrying them, do so.
41	nga² le guo² wo⁴, ni² le jiu¹ guo² qie³, ang²ni¹ ga⁴ la¹hu³ le yi² hui³ wo⁴. B: ca²! kuan³ pong³tong³ pi³si³pa³sa³ pia³ pong³tong³... I'll carry the back-basket of maize, you pick the cobs, we'll go and take a load back. B: Fine! (sound of planting)
42	A: ei! la⁴ hhi²-ti²! guo² rong¹ti¹ wo²tu¹ pa³sao³ la¹di³, la⁴ hhi²-ti²-nie², la⁴ hhi²-ti²-nie², nga² hhi²-pie³ la! pian³ pang³tang³ pian³ pang³tang³ beng⁴ die³ tu²-lu³. A: It's too heavy to carry! Take some maize from his large back-basket, he still can't carry it, still can't carry it. Let me go first! (sound of pouring maize) Pour it out!
43	B: ca²! la² wo³ xiao², ni² wo⁴-lie³ hhi², kuai² hhi²! A: wo⁴-ji²-lie³-duo³, zeng¹qi¹ eng¹di¹ bao¹bu¹ wo⁴-ji²-lie³-duo³. B: OK! There's a back-basket [full of maize] now, you carry it, off you go, quickly! A: We must finish carrying it, we must work hard to finish carrying this maize.