Muong gongs preserved as "sacred treasures"

4/9/2023 - 6:07:20 PM

(HBO) - The Muong ethnic group in the northern province of Hoa Binh has over 40 major festivals yearly, and gongs are used in up to 90% of the festivals. For the Muong people in Hoa Binh, gongs are not only a kind of traditional musical instrument, but also a "sacred treasure", a spiritual story told by 12 national tones and an intangible cultural heritage with a strong vitality as they are preserved by the community.

500 Muong ethnic artisans and women perform the gong in the Muong Ethnic Group Festival in 2023.

Muong Vang people in Lac Son district in particular and the Muong people in Hoa Binh in general consider gongs as sacred objects, not merely musical instruments. The sound of gongs is the soul of their culture, echoing the three levels of the heavens, reaching the after-death world. The sound of gongs is spiritually calling the Muong people’s ancestors. The Muong people have absorbed that sound from the womb. When they die, the sound of gongs tells them the way. Muong people believe that each gong has a spirit and a soul, so it is a "sacred treasure" with profound spiritual values.

In the house of artisan Bui Ngoc Thuan, of Bung 1 hamlet, Thu Phong commune, Cao Phong district, a set of Muong gongs is put in the most precious place. Thuan usually uses his gongs to teach the next generations. He said that everyone born as a Muong must know how to play Muong gongs.

At present, every commune in Cao Phong district has a Muong gong performance team. The teams practice traditional gongs so that they can perform at celebrations, traditional festivals, and cultural exchanges. Old people teach young people, parents teach their children, and senior teach beginners. In that way, the old generation passes it on to the younger ones, and the gongs are kept in the community.

Cao Phong district boasts about 3,000 gongs. Hop Phong and Dung Phong are the two communes with the largest number of gongs.

Meanwhile, Hoa Binh province still keeps more than 11,000 gongs, mostly in the four districts of Lac Son, Tan Lac, Kim Boi, and Cao Phong, and Hoa Binh city. To preserve a top typical cultural treasure of the Muong people in Hoa Binh, the teaching of Muong gongs has been given much care. The province’s Department of Education and Training has actively cooperated with the localities to have gongs lessons at schools.

The Women's Unions and Youth Unions at the grassroots level also hold classes to teach Muong gongs. Every year, the province opens dozens of gong classes for hamlets/communes musical groups.

Up to now, hundreds of clubs have been established across the province to preserve and promote the values of Muong gongs. Muong gong performances have by now become an indispensable part of festivals and celebrations in the province./.

3.6 Billion VND Allocated to Preserve Traditional Cultural Values of Ethnic Minorities in Lạc Sơn District

As part of Project 6 under the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2024, Lạc Sơn District, Hoa Binh province focuses on diverse and practical activities to promote the project's goal: "Preserving and promoting the beautiful traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in conjunction with tourism development."

Mobilizing the power to preserve and promote the cultural heritage values

After 3 years of implementing Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU, dated October 11, 2021 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of Hoa Binh province's ethnic groups in the period of 2021 – 2025 with the orientation to 2030 (NQ04), it has mobilized the participation of the entire political system, the people from all walks of life and there have been positive changes. So far, out of the 10 targets of NQ04, 3 targets have been met and exceeded the plan set for 2025. Typically, 70% of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of ethnic groups in the province is on the list of the national ICH items and they have been protected and restored, exceeding 20% of the proposed Resolution.