Ancient artifacts of the Muong land

(Baonghean.vn) -It is a four-handled bronze cauldron, over several hundred years old, from Muong Chai - Chau Thuan (Quy Chau district, Nghe An province).

“This cauldron originated from Thanh Hoa province during the time when Mrs. Chai – the leader of Muong Chai – sent people to welcome Tao Noi to help her govern Muong Chai. Tao Noi himself brought this cauldron back to use in cooking offerings to the heavens during the brotherhood ceremony between Tao Nong and Tao Noi. During this ceremony, with the tacit agreement and secret assistance of Mrs. Chai, taking advantage of Tao Nong's excessive drunkenness, Tao Noi and the young men of Muong Chai present that day chased, beat, and killed Tao Nong to eliminate the threat to the land, as Tao Nong was becoming increasingly cruel and oppressive to the people… From then on, the cauldron became an indispensable part and is considered a sacred artifact of Muong Chai…” Chairman of Chau Thuan commune (Muong Chai), Vy Ngoc Duyen, told me when I visited the place where the four-handled cauldron is kept to investigate the rumors I had heard about the centuries-old bronze four-handled cauldron of Muong Chai – Chau Thuan (Quy Chau – Nghe An) today.

A four-handled bronze cauldron.

This cauldron has always been kept in Chau Thuan kindergarten, as this is the location of Mr. Dam's house – the person entrusted with keeping the cauldron according to the customs of the Muong land. At first glance, this four-handled bronze cauldron is nothing special except for its size compared to other cauldrons commonly seen. The cauldron has five large, finger-sized ridges around the outside (three at the top and two near the bottom), a circumference of 2.4 meters, a height of 40 cm, and weighs approximately 30 kg. It is cast of red bronze and has four handles evenly distributed on all four sides, large enough to cook the meat of an entire buffalo at once during the annual sacrificial ceremony.

Legend of the four-handled cauldron

Around the late 18th century, when Muong Chai was under the rule of Ba Chai – the eldest daughter of Cam Coong and his wife, the founders of Muong Chai in the past – it became a place where people from the region came to settle. At that time, bandits rose up, and Muong Chai was repeatedly raided and plundered. Ba Chai, being old and frail, sent someone to bring Tao Nong (whose real name is unknown), a skilled man from Co Ba-Chau Binh (Quy Chau), to help her govern the land. Tao Nong arrived, recruited able-bodied men, and organized the fight against the bandits. The land returned to peace. However, when the land was free from bandits, Tao Nong, relying on his past services, became violent and committed many cruel acts against the people. Among these was a law he himself established and forced the entire village to obey: families in the village had to take turns bringing food and wine to Tao's household every day. Furthermore, and even more cruelly, despite already having three wives, Tạo Nong forced the girls from the village to spend three nights with him before going to their husband's home, and this was the same for girls from other villages who married into the Chai village.

Once again, Mrs. Chai sent trusted confidants to Thanh Hoa to find a skilled person who could subdue Tao Nong. Thus, Tao Noi – whose real name was Cam Ba Hieu, originally from Thuong Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province – was summoned. Upon Tao Noi's return, Mrs. Chai ordered a grand ceremony to welcome him to heaven, along with arranging a brotherhood ceremony between Tao Nong and Tao Noi, using this opportunity to eliminate the cruel Tao Nong. To cook an entire buffalo for the sacrificial ceremony according to custom, a large cauldron was needed… Therefore, before returning to Muong Chai, from Thanh Hoa, Tao Noi prepared and brought along the four-handled cauldron – a family heirloom. As if by fate, on its very first use to cook buffalo meat for the sacrificial ceremony, the cauldron witnessed Tao Nong being surrounded and beaten to death by Tao Noi and the young men of the village. From then on, the four-handled cauldron became a sacred object associated with the prosperity of Muong Chai…

Teacher Hong cleaned the cauldron.

Immediately after the expulsion of Tạo Nong, Tạo Nọi entrusted the cauldron to Ông Đăm (the head shaman) for safekeeping. It was only to be used during annual village ceremonies and strictly forbidden from being used for cooking food or drinking water. Each time it was used, offerings had to be made to the spirits. The customs of the village were very strict, and everyone adhered to them rigorously. Because this was a precious object, imbued with the spiritual energy of the village, many unscrupulous individuals lurked with the ambition to seize it for themselves.

The cauldron was stolen and sold several times, only to be returned to the Mường land a month later. The most recent incident was in 1990, when it was sold to someone in Diễn Hồng commune (Diễn Châu district, Nghệ An province), over a hundred kilometers away. After the cauldron was returned, the new owner's house was plagued by misfortune: children fell ill, the wife became ill, and their dogs, cats, chickens, and ducks died one after another. Night after night, they heard voices whispering in their ears, urging them to immediately return the cauldron to the Mường land… For a whole month, they finally had to return the cauldron to the Mường. Even the local antique hunters didn't dare try to claim the cauldron for themselves.

The four-handled bronze cauldron has become an artifact of the Muong land, possessing cultural and spiritual value for the people of Muong Chai.

Text and photos: Le Ba LieuThai Hoa Town