Mo Village - Purely Native Cultural Village

(Baonghean) -Mo village, Nghia Xuan commune, is located at the beginning of Quy Hop district. The peaceful village lies amidst vast fields of sugarcane, cassava, corn... and dense green bamboo groves. No one remembers exactly when the village was established. Hundreds of years ago, people came here to live, and gradually formed a village. The first Tho people built houses along the banks of rivers and small streams, hunted animals, fished and wove hammocks... They also built a temple to worship the god Mo (water source), and a temple to worship the village's tutelary god Cao Son Cao Cac. The temple to worship the village's tutelary god was conferred a royal decree by two dynasties and is still preserved today. Those were the reign of King Duy Tan (1912) and the reign of King Khai Dinh (1925).

>>Lesson 3: Na Cang, Mong ethnic culture

From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Mo village was called Sach Mo village, then Thai Thinh village, belonging to Thai Thinh commune, old Nghia Dan district. From 1961 to present, the village has been called Mo village (Nghia Xuan commune, Quy Hop). Although the name Mo village was changed, it also represents the identity of the Tho ethnic people living here. Tho people have the habit of living along water sources, stream banks, and river banks. Mo means water source, natural water flow, people live thanks to water sources, they worship Mo god to pray for prosperity, peace...

I returned to Mo village in the middle of a busy harvest season, when all the villagers went out to the fields to harvest sugarcane and transport it to the sugar factory. The people's lives, production and business practices have changed a lot. But the Tho people's mark is still strong in their language, customs, beliefs, songs, and melodies such as "Du du dien dien", "Tat tinh", "tap tang"...

Mr. Truong Cong Hue and the gong set of the Tho people.

Up to now, Mo village has been a Cultural Village for 13 years and a Pure Land Cultural Village for 8 years. During that time, the people here have continuously preserved their ethnic identity, built a cultural lifestyle, and actively worked and produced to make their lives more and more prosperous and rich both materially and spiritually. By implementing the Party and State's policies and laws, Mo village rarely has social evils, and the village is close-knit and united. In particular, in 2012, the people of Mo village, with the support and assistance of businesses, were able to rebuild the village's tutelary god temple on the old foundation (previously destroyed by war), restoring the cultural and religious features of the people.

People remaking tools and some crossbows, arrows, weaving baskets, trays, hammocks... are traditional occupations of the Tho people since ancient times. To preserve and promote the traditional cultural values ​​of the Tho people, Mo village has established the Tho Folk Arts Club, which has been operating for nearly 10 years, rediscovering, collecting and bringing the ancient songs of the Tho people back to modern life. Cultural activities are no longer for competitions or performances on holidays and festivals, but have become a daily routine of the people.

The old people were very excited: "If you like to sing, you can sing all day. The government has designated Mo village as a Cultural Village, so everyone is happy and joyful. With the club, more and more people sing Tho songs. Before, we only knew them and kept them in our hearts. I just hope to continue to practice and perform for a long time so that when I die, all my children and grandchildren will know and remember the folk songs of our ancestors..."

Obtaining the title of Cultural Village is not easy, Mo village was chosen to build a Purely Tho Cultural Village because this place has a long history and culture of the Tho people. Currently, the number of Tho people accounts for more than 70%, with about 201 households and more than 1000 people. Keeping and maintaining the title is a difficult and arduous journey.

Mo village gate, Nghia Xuan commune (Quy Hop).

Meeting with the village chief Ngo Thi Thoa, she said: “In 2000, we were recognized by the province as a Cultural Village, and in 2005, the Ministry of Culture and Information recognized us as a Pure Tho Cultural Village and built a Tho ethnic folk arts club. Since then, we have tried very hard to deserve the title. We have encouraged the traditional weaving profession, built a cultural house, a spacious football field, and have up to 11 volleyball teams and 2 football teams. Normally, in the afternoon, the football field is crowded with people. The Tho Folk Arts Club has more than 50 members, from the elderly, women to young people. However, there are many worries. Worry about how to maintain the pure Tho identity because when the life of the villagers is still too difficult, earning a living and raising children to study makes their interest in culture and identity become limited!”.

I went to the house of Mr. Truong Cong Hue (78 years old), the village's keeper of the gong set, and one of the few elders who still preserve the typical utensils and items of the Tho people. Mr. Hue confided: "The Tho people have 4 gongs, one of which is cracked. The government also gave money, but we villagers are raising more money to buy a new set." Then he showed me the items he made himself to use in the house, to sell for extra income, and also to keep as souvenirs: a crossbow, a knife holder for hunting in the forest, a fish catching pot... "Before, I had many more things, but I gave less to the district and commune" - Mr. Hue boasted. Then the old man with white hair suddenly became thoughtful: “Old people have time to do it to remember the profession passed down from their ancestors, but young people are busy making a living, they cannot rely only on weaving to make a living. The things I make, put them on sale, people buy them all right away, it takes a long time to make them. Or like weaving hemp hammocks, growing hemp, then taking the fibers, weaving them into hammocks, it takes months to make one, and it is only sold for a few hundred thousand?!”.

Talking to us, Mr. Truong Thanh Hai - a cultural officer of Nghia Xuan commune (Quy Hop) said: "The most valuable thing about Mo village is that it has maintained and developed the Pure Tho Cultural Village for decades. That is not easy. The concern is that people's lives are still difficult, so they do not have the conditions to care about culture. On the other hand, in the long term, the work of preserving, conserving and promoting the cultural values ​​of the Tho ethnic group requires experts and knowledgeable people!"

Article and photos: Ho Lai