Lesson 1: Huoi Tho - a happy mountainside song

(Baonghean) -The process of socio-economic development and cultural contact and exchange is posing many important issues in the lives of ethnic minorities, especially the preservation and promotion of the cultural identity of each ethnic group, avoiding the risk of "dissolution". One of the solutions being applied by localities is to build a model of purely ethnic cultural villages. Nghe An Newspaper would like to introduce some models that have been and are being implemented in mountainous districts.

Going up National Highway 7A, to Huu Kiem Commune (Ky Son), looking up at Pu Nha Thau range, passengers will see houses located halfway up the mountain, hidden under rows of ancient trees and in the clouds. Those houses belong to Huoi Tho village, home to nearly 120 households of the Kho Mu ethnic group and have been chosen by the Department of Culture of Ky Son district as a place to preserve cultural identity.

The road from National Highway 7A to Huoi Tho village used to be steep and winding, precariously located along the mountainside, so the only way to go was on foot; only experienced drivers were brave enough to drive their motorbikes up the hill. With the new rural construction program, this road is being invested in concrete, so traveling has now become quite easy. In less than 10 minutes, our motorbike climbed to the village center. From Huoi Tho, we can see the Nam Mo River winding between the mountains and National Highway 7A running along the foot of the mountain. The first impression when arriving here is that the roads are clean and beautiful, the stilt houses are arranged in rows, evoking neatness and order.

Luckily, we arrived in Huoi Tho when the Khmu people here were holding a new rice celebration. After a firm handshake, Village Chief Xeo Van Dung warmly said: “This year’s new rice celebration has changed a bit, it is not held in each house like before. That is both costly and time-consuming. This year, the village has decided that after the worship at each house, all the people will come together to celebrate at the cultural house. That way, it is both economical and much more fun.” At this time, 5 jars of rice wine were placed in the middle of the yard, with everyone sitting around. Enjoying the rice wine, we felt the flavor of the sticky rice, the leaves of the forest trees and the hard work of the Khmu women. The two gong sets placed under the porch of the cultural house began to resound, the sound and rhythm were extremely charming.



Happy day in Huoi Tho village (Huu Kiem commune - Ky Son).

While we were drinking and laughing, suddenly the sound of gongs rang out, old and young, men and women began to join in the rhythmic, graceful lam toi dance. Sitting next to us, sipping more wine, the wine had soaked in, village elder Luong Van Binh leaned close to our ears and said: “The lam toi dance is typical of the Khmu people, it simulates the movements of climbing mountains, wading streams, clearing fields, picking rice, and plucking corn. Everyone here dances beautifully, because not knowing how to dance lam toi is not being Khmu”. I don’t know if it was because there were visitors from the lowlands visiting or not, but the old people in Huoi Tho all went home and brought out flutes, pi and other musical instruments to harmonize with the two sets of gongs. Elder Binh pointed out and introduced each musical instrument to the guests, such as the horizontal flute, pi tom, tot tong, dao dao, then the lip panpipe, and leaf panpipe.

It is worth mentioning that most of these musical instruments are crafted quite simply. From bamboo trees, bamboo leaves, and even leaves, through the skillful hands and passionate souls of the Khmu men, they create melodies that are sometimes bustling, sometimes deep. That harmony sounds like the sound of a stream, the sound of the wind in the forest, the sound of forest birds calling for friends, and even the sound of hesitant footsteps. That is the "soul melody", the voice of the Khmu people, a people who still face many difficulties on the path of development but whose souls are always joyful and full of faith.

Here, we met again Mrs. Moong Thi Loi, a Tom singer, a face of the Ky Son District Mass Art Troupe at cultural and artistic festivals in recent years. Over 70 years old, Mrs. Loi's voice is still smooth and she can sing Tom continuously for 30 minutes. She said that Tom is a traditional folk song of the Khmu ethnic group, telling about the daily activities of families and village communities. On this occasion, she sang the song "Huoi Tho happy day" for guests.

Hearing Mrs. Loi sing Tom, the whole village stopped their fun and listened attentively. When she finished the Tom, everyone clapped their hands and raised their glasses to celebrate the village's artist. It is known that Mrs. Loi is the best Tom singer in Huoi Tho, and whenever she has free time, she often teaches her children and grandchildren in the village. Her eldest daughter, Ms. Cut Thi Nhung, is the one who inherited her mother's voice and flexibility.

We took the opportunity to visit some families in Huoi Tho. Here, the weaving craft is still maintained. For a long time, the Khmu people have been recognized as good at weaving, and products such as rattan chairs, rattan trays and sticky rice in Huoi Tho speak for themselves. These items are now quite "hot", according to Mr. Cut Van Kham, "everything that is made is sold out". This is an opportunity for the Huoi Tho people to preserve their traditional handicraft, while increasing their income, improving their lives, and creating jobs for the elderly.

During the meal, Village Chief Xeo Van Dung said: “Our village was chosen by the district to be the site for building a Khmu ethnic cultural village, so we have been given many favorable conditions. We have been given funding to open classes to teach folk songs and traditional musical instruments; we have been invested in building a cultural house worth more than 1 billion VND to preserve typical artifacts of our ethnic group.”

Continuing the conversation, we learned that the implementation of the work of preserving and promoting cultural identity in Huoi Tho still faces many difficulties. For example, currently, there are not many people who know folk songs, how to make and use musical instruments, most of them are old. Meanwhile, the young generation is influenced by many other cultural factors, many people are not aware of the importance of traditional culture.

Tuong Anh