Final article: “Developing marine economy must be associated with preserving marine culture”
To give readers a deeper insight into the culture of the coastal villages - the culture of the sea and islands of Nghe An in particular and our country in general, Nghe An Newspaper reporters had an interview with Associate Professor Ninh Viet Giao - who has devoted his life to researching the culture of Nghe An.
PV: Could you please say a few words about Nghe An's marine culture?
Associate Professor Ninh Viet Giao:Marine culture is a system of tangible and intangible values created and accumulated by humans during their existence, taking the sea as a source of life. Nghe An's island culture is always part of Nghe An's overall culture. In Nghe An, there are many typical imprints of marine culture such as: the sea in folk literature, place names associated with the sea profession Hon Ngu, Hon Cau,... the sea profession has nets, sea fishing; in famous cuisine there is the profession of making fish sauce, various types of fish sauce; folk culture has the Cau Ngu Festival at Con Temple, Cua Lo... The relics of "shell piles" or "scallop hills" in Quynh Van archaeological cultures are traces proving that the sea was the source of life for prehistoric communities living on the coast of Nghe An thousands of years ago.
The journey to find fish of Cua Lo fishermen begins. Photo: Tu Thanh.
Nghe An sea culture, in addition to the issue of catching shrimp and fish for a living, also has Hon Mat and Hon Ngu which are important outposts to protect the country and homeland territory. These islands are also boundary markers to help Vietnamese fishermen and merchant ships at sea to distinguish which sea area they are currently in.
The sea is so close, but it must be said that, for a long time, Nghe An in particular and many other localities have not paid attention to the culture of the sea and islands, especially the culture near the coast. The main reason is that we do not understand the sea - This comes from the characteristics of our fishermen in the past with bamboo boats, wooden boats, and fishing boats that only fished in the coastal waters... And it was not until the 16th century that the exploration and study of the sea gradually improved when the Nguyen lords sent ships to cross the sea to exchange and trade with neighboring countries, sailing to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos to exploit marine resources, measure sea routes, and establish the sovereignty of the Fatherland. But after being invaded by France, the process of exploring the sea soon stopped.
PV: Can you give us some insights into the residents who created the coastal culture in Nghe An?
Associate Professor Ninh Viet Giao:It must be seen that coastal fishing villages such as Cua Hoi, Cua Lo, Cua Van do not have a single profession but a multi-craft profession. The coastal people here have a diverse and rich creative soul. And with the geographical characteristics, occupations that often exchange and travel here and there, coastal people have more knowledge, understanding, culture, and diplomatic ability than those living inland. Therefore, even the material values such as tea cabinets, tea sets or intangible values created by coastal people are very beautiful, with high levels of craftsmanship and aesthetics. The coastal people of Nghe An are very generous, open and hospitable. Being attached to the sea does not mean that fishermen are uneducated; in Nghe An, there are many coastal villages that are villages of learning such as Van Loc, Cua Lo for example, with many people passing exams. From these coastal villages, many historical figures such as Nguyen Huu Chinh, Nguyen Huu Chinh, Hoang Van Thai ... have appeared.
Because in sea culture, the most important factor is the sea mindset, not making a living from the sea. The current sea culture is only known on the surface, not in depth. It is necessary to study more carefully, such as the thoughts and feelings of fishermen, the fish in the consciousness of Nghe An fishermen, for example, or the custom of worshiping the Four Holy Ladies at Con Temple, Chinh Vi Temple in Cua Hoi...
PV: The strategy of building a “maritime nation” is currently being promoted by our State. For the strategy to be successful, according to Associate Professor, what cultural aspects need to be noted?
Associate Professor Ninh Viet Giao:A “maritime nation” is only truly powerful when its sovereignty over the seas and islands of the Fatherland is firmly protected. And the strategy of “maritime economic development” must be closely linked to “maritime cultural preservation”.
Preserving and building a marine culture means getting rid of the old mindset of “closing the country and closing the port”, the mindset of clinging to the mainland to reach out to conquer the ocean. Reaching out to the ocean to integrate with the world has been started by our country for the past twenty years. To preserve and build a marine culture, we need to learn from countries that have gone before us. Each fisherman needs to learn comprehensive knowledge about the ocean. Experience at sea and fishing experience will be multiplied if the seafarer has both experience and knowledge.
PV: Thank you, Associate Professor!
Thanh Chung (Implementation)
