Anni
Lanni Koko: Apocryphal
of a Nomad and Yak in the moon
As a countryside born and bred child
among old folks and local lore, I would sit on my granny’s lap by the winter
fire hearth. We loved watching the full moon as she starts fascinating me with the
story of an orphan nomad girl and her yak on the moon.
The story narrates as…Dhangphu Dhingphu…There
was a lone girl in a small village supposedly in the nomadic settings. When she was about 12 years old, both her
parents passed away due to some illness leaving behind nothing, but a yak as a
parental legacy. She survived on the milk of her yak for so long. She would
take her yak into the nearby pasture yard and sit under the lone peach tree as
her yak grazes.
It was the 15th day of
Bhutanese calendar. She decided to let her yak graze until the full moon shows
up her face from behind the mountains. Upon the gradual appearance of the full
moon she submitted her heart and sang the melodious song to the moon:
Anni
Lanni Koko,
Nan
oga chaya
Jing
ge nan thong na,
Nan
ge bu jang thong na mo?
Jang
shonang feylo mala,
Jang
bu nan chosa rik ne bui ko
Anni
Lanni koko.
The above phrases are in Sharchopkha and
it roughly translates to English as:
Dear
an egg-like Auntie Moon
Where
can I locate you exactly?
I
can see your pretty face
Can
you see me as well?
I
really don’t feel happy here
Can you take me with you?
Dear
egg-like Auntie Moon.
She closed her eyes and wished that she
be answered to her earnest songs. Upon opening her eyes, to her amazement and ecstasy
she was already on the moon along with her yak and the peach tree.
Thus, it is said that she lived happily ever
on the moon and if observed vigilantly one can spot her milking the yak under
peach tree on the night of full moon. For this reason, my granny used to make me happy and adventuresome by full moon watching to observe the little nomadic girl and her yak under the peach tree. Even after getting volumes and units of scientific-induced knowledge and facts, I still look at the full moon with such a fascination.
(Note: The story is being narrated by my then 76 years old maternal Granny when i was around 6 years old so as to keep me away from my mother who has the busy farm and household schedule. I would stop nagging my mom retreating myself to the stories of my Granny. If my dear Granny was here in this world today, she would kiss my forehead with much love and appreciation for inscribing this folklore.)
-Tashi Dendup
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