Preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Tho ethnic group in Quy Hop

Cultural characteristics of the Tho people

Quy Hop is a mountainous district located in the Northwest of Nghe An province, with three ethnic groups living together, including Kinh (accounting for 48% of the population), Thai (40% of the population) and Tho (12% of the population). In particular, in recent years, the Tho ethnic group in Quy Hop has had many positive changes in preserving and promoting cultural identity, contributing to honoring long-standing traditional values.

When it comes to national culture, costumes are an important and indispensable element in the unique traditional cultural heritage.

Costumes of the Tho Quy Hop ethnic group. Currently, the Tho Quy Hop ethnic group mainly lives in the communes of Ha Son, Nghia Xuan, Minh Hop, Tho Hop, Van Loi, Tam Hop... Photo: Thu Huong

Compared to the Tho ethnic group in Nghia Dan, Thai Hoa and Tan Ky districts, the Tho ethnic group in Quy Hop has many unique cultural identities and has developed them very well. Among those unique features is traditional costumes. According to long-standing tradition, the costumes of the Tho ethnic group in Quy Hop do not have bright colors but are simple and delicate, creating a unique and impressive feature when mentioning the traditional culture of the Tho ethnic group.

Ms. Truong Thi Kim Chi - Deputy Head of Culture and Information Department of Quy Hop district

On holidays or important local events, the Tho people will wear traditional costumes. The Tho women's shirts are usually made of coarse, white fabric, short, with long sleeves, round necks, and snap buttons. When worn, the shirt is loosely worn on the outside. The skirt is similar to the skirt of the Thai - Thanh people, made of cotton, dyed indigo, with horizontal stripes at the bottom. When worn, the stripes of the skirt form parallel circles around the body axis. The skirt is thicker than the body of the skirt, because the women have the initiative to add a layer of white fabric inside the skirt to keep the skirt durable and straight.

The upper part is connected with a piece of white fabric about 30 cm long to form the waistband (the skirts of Thai - Thanh women do not have this feature)... Along with the dress is a blue belt tied around the waist, the two ends are tied to the sides of the hips but not tied into a knot. Tho women do not use hats or caps to protect themselves from the rain and sun, but mainly use a square scarf about 80 cm wide made of white fabric, folded to cover the head...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a tourist from Vinh city, said: “I often travel and experience the villages of Quy Hop and immerse myself in the unique festival activities of the ethnic minorities. What impressed me was the simple and rustic costumes of the Tho ethnic people here, but still exuded a strong beauty, bearing the mark, breath and soul of the Tho people. In addition to the unique costumes, the Tho people also preserve many traditional cultural identities that few Tho people in other districts have.”

Tho Quy Hop women weave hemp hammocks. Photo: Thu Huong

Coming to Quy Hop, in addition to being impressed by traditional costumes, visitors from all over the world can also discover many typical cultural features of the Tho people with folk songs, folk dances; festivals; customs and practices in community culture and traditional occupations... Regarding folk songs and folk dances, up to now, in their productive labor life, the Tho people still preserve and popularize many unique folk melodies, bearing the cultural characteristics of their people (For example, the tunes Da oi; Tang khang le; Khai khai re; Tap tinh tap tang; Hat giao duyen; Doi dap; Ta ta tung)... In the folk medicine of the Tho people, there are traditional remedies, curing people from hundreds of types of herbs, forest leaves... which are unique cultural features, bearing high humanistic values.

When it comes to the traditional handicraft of the Tho Quy Hop ethnic group, everyone knows that weaving hemp hammocks has become a traditional profession, a beautiful feature. During the off-season, the elders, grandmothers, and mothers gather together to weave hemp hammocks, chat intimately, contributing to making the Tho villages more bustling, connecting families, clans, and communities to build a happy life.

Continue to promote values

Currently, due to geographical characteristics and the impact of modern life, the work of preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values ​​of the Tho ethnic group has recently encountered some difficulties. In folk songs and folk dances, when approaching the folk melodies of their own ethnic group, the young generation is always unable to express the material of the folk melodies; the melodious notes and some original words cannot be expressed. As for the traditional medicine making and hemp hammock weaving profession, which has long become a cultural beauty of the Tho ethnic group, however, the raw materials for production are gradually depleted, and it is more difficult to collect medicine from plants and forest leaves...

Faced with the above situation, Quy Hop district has proposed many policies and solutions to preserve the beauty of Tho culture. Accordingly, the district focuses on extensive propaganda to all classes of people, especially the young generation, so that they understand and respect the cultural identity of their ethnic group, and are aware of preserving and promoting the identity. Along with that, the district has conducted surveys, reviews, and assessments of the current status of Tho culture in villages and hamlets in the area to have specific conservation plans; Continue to preserve and promote the traditional costumes of the Tho ethnic group, especially strengthen propaganda work to raise awareness for people to see the unique cultural value of traditional costumes, national pride, in which special attention is paid to the young generation, children of ethnic minorities.

Tho ethnic people prepare cakes for the Boc Mo festival. Photo: Thu Huong

To preserve folk songs and dances, every year on festivals and traditional New Year, localities organize cultural and artistic activities, attracting a large number of people to participate. Thanks to that, up to now, 06 Tho ethnic folk culture clubs have been formed in the district (including 1 provincial club, 1 district club and 4 commune clubs). At the same time, organizing cultural and sports activities to celebrate major national holidays in communes with a large population of ethnic minorities, thereby creating a joyful and exciting atmosphere, arousing and maintaining the local ethnic cultural identity.

Mr. Hoang Van Thai - Vice Chairman of Quy Hop District People's Committee said: "In the coming time, the district will promote and diversify the forms of dissemination and propaganda on the preservation, maintenance and development of folk knowledge of ethnic groups in the area in general and the Tho ethnic group in particular; research and review the number of people holding folk songs, folk dances, folk medicine, and hammock weaving to develop a strategic plan for preserving, promoting, developing and finding consumption directions for traditional craft products of the Tho ethnic group; promptly propagate, commend and reward collectives and individuals who have contributed to the preservation, maintenance and development of folk knowledge of the Tho ethnic group; have policies to encourage, commend and recognize the titles of folk doctors, community doctors, folk artisans... for those who have made great contributions to medical examination and treatment, preserving many values ​​of folk knowledge and traditional culture of the Tho ethnic group".