Passing on the love of Muong culture

Concerned with the worry that the traditional cultural values of the Muong people will gradually fade away over time, Mr. Dinh Van Chien, Tu Vu commune, Thanh Thuy district, has researched and found ways to preserve and pass on the love of the ethnic roots to the younger generation.

Mr. Chien was born in 1967 and grew up in Tu Vu, where 96% of the Muong people live. Since childhood, he has been carried on his mother’s shoulder to participate in village festivals, listening to Vi and Rang singing and the echoing sound of gongs. The sounds of the village gradually made him curious and then fascinated, without him knowing. Therefore, he became proficient in playing gongs, cymbals, and Vi and Rang songs of his people from a very young age.

The older he got, the more he worried that his people’s culture would be forgotten over time. Therefore, in 2007, he began his journey to search for and collect gong melodies in the provinces of Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Ba Vi district (Hanoi) and melodies of singing Vi, singing Rang, singing Dum, bo menh (talking), singing lullabies, dam duong, etc.

The Muong Cultural Heritage Conservation Club in Zone 18, Tu Vu Commune, currently has about 50 members.

In 2018, Mr. Chien initiated the restoration of gong melodies and received the support of many people in the area. In August 2019, the Muong Cultural Heritage Conservation Club in Zone 18 was established with more than 30 members. Every Saturday and Sunday, at the Cultural House of the area, the club practices singing Vi, Rang, calling the soul of gongs, and teaches senh tien dance classes, attracting many children, young people and other people to learn and practice.

The exchanges, historical stories, and customs of the ancient Muong people bring the younger generation back to the proud and loving past. Over time, with perseverance and diligence in silent work, Mr. Chien’s efforts have paid off. Many people in the area, especially the younger generation, have performed gongs very skillfully. So far, the club has had 50 members of all ages.

Mr. Chien shared: The gong music of the Muong people is a complete convergence of nature and life, with a rhythmic rhythm, sometimes peaceful and profound, sometimes bustling and vibrant... For the Muong people, the gong sound of the festival is the gong sound of luck and of wishes for prosperity and happiness. It is these sounds, sometimes deep and deep, sometimes heroic and charming, sometimes sweet and affectionate, that create unique values that only Muong Gong culture has.

Restoration is like that; teaching to preserve the Muong ethnic culture is also interesting and focused. In the past few years, through classes organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and teaching sessions at schools in the area, hundreds of students have been taught by Mr. Chien to play gongs and cymbals and sing Vi, Rang.

Mr. Chien worries: Up to now, the typical cultural features of the Muong people have been successfully restored and preserved by the club. We are currently continuing our research to restore the New Rice Festival and Mo Muong to perfection. I hope that the authorities at all levels will pay attention and create conditions for the Muong culture to live sustainably over time.

In 2022, Tu Vu commune and authorities at all levels developed a project to inventory, collect, preserve and promote the cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group in the period of 2020–2025 towards 2030, with a total implementation cost of nearly 8.6 billion VND. The funds are used for inventory, training courses, building traditional stilt houses, purchasing 13 sets of gongs, preserving Muong ethnic costumes, organizing cultural festivals, etc.

To preserve the culture of the Muong people, localities need to continue to promote propaganda, education, and promotion of the good and unique values of Muong culture so that each person is aware of preserving and promoting it. At the same time, organize a general inventory, survey, and selectively collect ancient gong and cymbal melodies and inherit them; actively organize traditional festivals so that Muong gong music is preserved for future generations.

Bao Khanh