The Khmu people happily sing the Tom song.

(Baonghean)As one of the five ethnic groups living in Ky Son district, the Khmu people, lacking their own written language, have experienced the decline of many aspects of their culture. However, visiting Bao Nam, Bao Thang, Huu Kiem, or Keng Du now, and seeing the Khmu people enthusiastically singing Tơm songs and dancing during housewarming and harvest festivals, one truly appreciates the efforts of those involved in preserving their ethnic cultural identity.

Elder Cụt Thọ Lan of Huồi Phuôn 1 village, Keng Đu commune (Kỳ Sơn district) led us up to his stilt house to introduce us to the "precious possessions" of the Khơ mú people. It wasn't anything unusual, but rather several sets of traditional clothing belonging to his wife and daughters. Like the Thái and Mông people, the Khơ mú have long preserved their ethnic costumes as objects carrying the soul of their people. Looking at the dresses and headscarves with their intricately woven brocade patterns, Mrs. Cụt Mễ Lan, his wife, said: "Khơ mú girls only wear these clothes on special occasions and holidays. Whenever there's a housewarming celebration, everyone in the family gets a new set of clothing and performs a traditional dance to celebrate the new good fortune that will come." It's not just the family of village elder Cụt Thọ Mễ who carefully preserves their traditional clothing; the families of Mrs. Moong Mễ Sinh, Mr. Lương Văn Thuông, and nearly 30 other households in Huồi Phuôn 1 village also cherish their ethnic costumes.

Regarding customs and traditions, the Khmu people have many festivals that reflect their unique identity and the characteristics of their nomadic lifestyle in the past. Besides the Lunar New Year rituals, the Khmu also have a festival celebrating the new rice harvest before starting a new planting season to pray for a bountiful harvest, and a housewarming festival when moving to a new land to pray for good fortune and peace. Luong Van Thoong, a cultural officer of Keng Du commune, said: “Previously, the Khmu people only performed these rituals on a small scale within their village. Last year, the district invested in reviving the housewarming festival in Huoi Phuon 2 village, and the whole village enthusiastically participated. Even people from the town and the province came to attend, and the Khmu people were very happy.”



Women in Keng Du commune danced and sang Tơm songs on the joyous day of receiving the title of Cultural Unit.

An indispensable part of the Khmu people's festivals is the Tơm song and folk dance. At the festivals, after the rituals and offerings, the most beautiful women in the village are chosen to sing the Tơm song and dance around the rice wine jar. The village elders, young people, and children also join in the singing and dancing. Just as the Thai people are proud of their Xòe dances and the Hmong people are proud of their Gầuplềnh dances, the Khmu people also have their own Tơm dance. For the Khmu, there is the "Tơm Ơ Grang Mỵ" dance when celebrating a new house, the "Tơm Muôn" (Spring Tơm) dance for the New Year, and the "Tơm Đường Kmun" (Wedding Tơm) dance for weddings... In this way, each Tơm dance is passed down from generation to generation within the Khmu community here. One thing that amazed us was that, despite not having their own written language, the Khmu people still sing the Tơm melodies by heart, blending them with the sounds of flutes and reed pipes that echo throughout the mountainous region whenever there is a festival or holiday.

Mr. Moong Van Nghe is 74 years old this year, but he still knows the Tơm songs of his ethnic group. Having worked in the district before retiring, Mr. Nghe is deeply concerned about preserving the Tơm songs of the Khơ mú people. "I hope I can preserve these Tơm songs not only for the present generation but also for many years to come, so that the Tơm songs will still be sung on joyous occasions in the Khơ mú village."

Fortunately, we were guided by Mr. Moong Thai Nhi, Head of the Culture Department of the Ky Son District People's Committee, to visit and learn about the unique characteristics of the Khmu people. Mr. Moong Thai Nhi also shared his concerns: "For many years, the district has implemented many projects to preserve the cultural values ​​of the Khmu people, but most of the Khmu people in Ky Son live in extremely remote areas, making investment very difficult. With the upcoming project on preserving the culture of ethnic groups in conjunction with tourism development, we hope to preserve not only the spiritual and cultural values ​​of the Khmu people but also those of other ethnic groups living in the district."

Thai Anh