The "Tall and Shady Trees": The "Treasure" of the Village

(Baonghean) - When the highlands are in the harvest season, everywhere is bustling with the new rice celebration, we went to Chan village, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong) to listen to the sound of the panpipes in harmony with the nhuon and xuoi melodies. Chan village is one of the places that still preserves many traditional beauties of the Thai ethnic group, from the space to the daily life. To achieve this, we must first mention the role of the elders in the village, the people who are preserving the "treasures" of the whole community...

Mr. Vi Hai Phong's house is located at the end of Chan village, in front is the winding Lam River, behind is a series of mountains, the scenery is very poetic and charming. This year, turning 63 years old, Mr. Phong is still actively participating in the cultural and artistic movement of the village and commune. He is considered a veteran musician, proficient in traditional musical instruments such as the Khen Be and various types of pi. In addition, he can participate as a choreographer or compose new lyrics based on traditional folk melodies. Why is there such a talented and dedicated person in this remote village? After investigating, we realized that Mr. Vi Hai Phong used to be an officer of the Information and Propaganda Team of the province.

Due to family circumstances, he did not have the opportunity to pursue it to the end. Returning to the village, he did not put aside the musical instruments, the Khen and the Pi were still played by him whenever the village had a happy event or entered the festival season. Mr. Phong actively participated in the exchange and performance programs of the village, he was the "soul" of the cultural and artistic movement of Chan village. Currently, Mr. Phong is the head of the association of the elderly in the village. In this role, he always encourages and motivates members to participate, especially in the cultural and artistic movement, teaching the younger generation, contributing to the preservation, conservation and promotion of the national cultural identity. He is an exemplary leader, always mobilizing and teaching the younger generation to learn how to blow the Pi and the Khen. And he passed on the passion for folk songs and folk music to his youngest daughter, Vi Thi Soa. Inspired by her father, Soa has a smooth singing voice, especially when performing the Nhuon and Xuoi melodies.

Mr. Mac Van Nguyen in Chan village (Thach Giam commune - Tuong Duong), with his ancient gong set.

Leaving Mr. Phong's house, we went to the house of Mr. Vi Van Van and Mrs. Vi Thi Phuc. They are both nearly 80 years old, living in a small house in the middle of the village. Mr. Van is meticulously weaving, it seems like a daily job, where he finds joy in old age. His ears are quite "heavy" so he is reluctant to talk to guests, leaving that to his wife so that he can continue to work hard on each bamboo strip. Mrs. Vi Thi Phuc still remembers and knows many Thai folk songs, can sit all day singing the old lyrics without getting bored. Mrs. Phuc knew those lyrics since she was 10 years old, her grandmother and mother taught her each sentence, each word, and then participated in singing competitions every time there was a festival. The song "Thap - lam - nhuon - xuoi" has been with her for almost her entire life, helping her convey and share many joys and sorrows in life.

Now, seeing that the young generation is not very interested in traditional folk songs, Mrs. Phuc cannot help but worry. Because folk songs are the spiritual milk that nourishes people to grow up, the thread that helps us connect with our roots and ancestors. Losing traditional songs means losing a very sacred value passed down from our ancestors. Thinking of this, she has to try her best to teach them to her children and grandchildren, especially the girls living in the same village, including Ms. Vi Thi Nga. Ms. Nga is a cadre of the Women's Union, in charge of the Chan Village Folk Song and Dance Club, which was established a few weeks ago. Having inherited her mother's singing voice, she soon participated in artistic activities and became the core of the Chan Village Arts Team.

In addition to preserving and collecting old lyrics, Ms. Vi Thi Phuc also writes new lyrics based on old melodies for children to easily remember. According to her, this is also a way to preserve folk songs, the young generation will have the opportunity to learn from easy to difficult, if anyone is passionate, they will pursue it to the end. Therefore, every time there is an outstanding event in the family, village, or hometown, Ms. Phuc diligently composes songs for propaganda. For example, when young people leave for military service, she composes the song "Seeing you off", and in the new school year, she composes the song "Thank you teacher, thank you teacher"...

In the highlands, the sound of gongs and cymbals is considered the “soul” of the village, the sound that harmonizes the real world and the spiritual world. Therefore, on occasions of festivals, weddings, housewarmings, worshiping, and funerals, the sound of gongs and cymbals is indispensable. Recently, there has been a situation where some people from the lowlands go to the highlands to “hunt” for ancient gong sets. Some people, either due to insufficient awareness or due to poverty, have sold their valuable assets that have been passed down for generations. In Chan village, there is a person who is keeping an ancient gong set. Several people came to his house and offered tens of millions of dong for it, but he refused to sell it. That person is Mr. Mac Van Nguyen (85 years old), one of the oldest people in the village.

Mr. Nguyen does not remember when he got the gong set, but he knows it is very precious because the sound is standard and far-reaching. The gong set consists of 4 pieces of different sizes, carefully hung by Mr. Nguyen from the rafters, and had to ask his children and grandchildren to bring them down for visitors to see. Seeing the way he cherishes and carefully arranges each piece, it is a treasure of his family and village. On holidays, Mr. Nguyen often hangs the gong set on the rack and places it in the middle of the yard, plays it a few times, and immediately the villagers come together to join in the bustling folk dances. Whenever the art troupes of the village, commune and district perform, they often borrow this gong set as a musical instrument. Mr. Mac Van Nguyen is very proud to have contributed to preserving a beautiful identity of the village and homeland.

Thach Giam Commune is located close to Hoa Binh Town, so the preservation and promotion of ethnic cultural identity is often paid attention to and has achieved encouraging results. In particular, the elderly play an important, if not decisive, role. Along with Chan village, Mac village has also just established a Folk Song - Folk Dance Club with the aim of preserving the musical identity of the Thai ethnic group, avoiding the risk of fading over time. Ms. Luong Thi Lan, the club's director, said that the board of directors determined that the success or failure of the operation depends on the enthusiasm and dedication of the elderly, because they are the ones holding the "treasure" of ethnic music.

On this occasion, we also visited Phong village, where the Folk Song and Dance Club has been operating effectively for about ten years. The National Unity Day is approaching, and the performing arts team of the Elderly Association is actively practicing to participate in the upcoming exchange. Despite their advanced age, everyone is still enthusiastic about each song and dance, it seems that for them, the passion for folk songs and dances has no age limit. Talking to Ms. La Thi Phuong, the head of the association, we learned that the Phong village club was born on the basis of the performing arts team of the Elderly Association, and has now grown, with a large number of members of many ages, but the role of the elderly is still indispensable...

Not only in Thach Giam, but also in all the mountainous villages - highlands, the elderly are playing an important role in the spiritual and cultural life of the community, especially in the issue of preserving and promoting the national musical identity. We can also mention Mr. Lau Chong Di, Mr. Vu Lau Phongg, Mrs. Moong Thi Loi (Ky Son), Mrs. Vi Thi Tan, Mr. Vi Trung Doan, Mr. Lo Huu Toan (Con Cuong)... They are the ones who are holding the "treasure" of their ethnic music, preserving the quintessence of the spiritual and emotional life of an entire community!

Article and photos:Tuong Anh