Society

Bustling drum village at the end of the year in Nghe An

Huy Thu • DNUM_CHZBCZCACE 8:00

As a craft that contributes to preserving the traditional cultural beauty of the nation, at the end of the year, drum making establishments in Thanh Chuong district are bustling with activity.

bna_1..jpg — The leather drum making profession in Dai Dong Commune (Thanh Chuong) has existed for a long time. Currently, along National Highway 46 through Thanh Chuong District, there are 5 drum making establishments. At the end of the year, these establishments are all bustling with activities to produce goods for the Lunar New Year and early spring festivals. Photo: Huy Thu

According to the people who do the job, producing leather drums must go through many stages: dividing the skin, making the tang, carrying the drum... The drum skin is made from cow or buffalo skin (the older the better). After purchasing, the animal skin is thinly sliced, stretched evenly, and dried in the sun for 3-4 days. If it is cloudy or rainy, a fire must be lit to dry the skin. When preparing to carry the drum, the skin is cut to the size of the drum, punched with holes, and attached with a ring. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_4...jpg — The drum body is made from flexible, light, and slightly elastic jackfruit wood, which gives the drum a resonant sound. Jackfruit wood is sawn into long, curved strips, depending on the type of drum. The drum body is shaped in bamboo belts from the strips assembled together. When preparing to carry the drum, the craftsman will take the drum body out to plan and polish it to be round and balanced. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Phan Van Tien (32 years old), who makes drums in Thanh Cao hamlet, Dai Dong commune, said: His family has been making drums for many generations. Previously, his father only made drums at home. For the past 8 years, he has opened a drum production facility along National Highway 46, so he has become more well-known. According to Mr. Tien, in the process of making drums, it is important to calculate the diameter of the drum face to match the height and circumference of the drum to combine the drum body, creating a beautiful drum. "Making drums requires carefulness and skill" - Mr. Tien said. Photo: Huy Thu

Currently, drum manufacturing facilities in Thanh Chuong are maintaining different ways of tying the skin to hold the drum. Besides the traditional way of tying the skin using wedges, some facilities use jacks to jack the bottom of the drum base. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_6(4).jpg — After pressing the skin onto the drum body and tightening the skin onto the drum base, the drum maker will step on the drum surface to stretch the skin evenly. Mr. Phan Van Dung (28 years old), who is making drums in Van Thuong hamlet, Dai Dong commune, said: Thanks to the application of modern machinery, the drum making job is now much less difficult than before. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_7(1).jpg — Mr. Phan Tuan Van (Mr. Dung's brother) who is making drums in Ngoc Son commune (Thanh Chuong) shared: After each time stepping on the drum skin, he pushes the drum up a little, and at the same time uses a hammer to tap the bars to stretch the skin evenly. Keep stepping, tapping, and stretching like that until the drum skin is tight and the drum sounds as desired. Photo: Huy Thu

Some women also participate in drum making processes such as splitting bamboo, grinding the drumsticks, and wedging bamboo dowels... To expand the market, in addition to traditional buying and selling methods, some drum making establishments in Thanh Chuong have posted product images on social networks to reach more customers. Photo: Huy Thu

9 - Copy — After the leather pins are installed, the excess leather around the drum body is trimmed. Drum makers usually leave the drums raw, allowing the wood of the drum body to be clearly visible, and only paint them when requested by the customer. The drum belt can be made of bamboo or rattan. According to drum makers, attaching the belt to bamboo or rattan is more beautiful and durable. Photo: Huy Thu

Drum-making establishments in Thanh Chuong produce all kinds of drums, such as family church drums, school drums, relic drums, and worship drums... with many different sizes (small drums, drumhead diameter 0.2m - 0.3m, medium drums, large drums, super large drums, drumhead diameter 1.2 - 1.4m). Besides producing new drums, the establishments also accept "carrying over" old drums. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_11(1).jpg — Thanh Chuong drums are favored by customers everywhere in and outside the province because of their durable, beautiful quality and good sound. At the end of the year, drum production facilities here are busy completing orders. Depending on the size, drums cost from 200,000 VND to tens of millions of VND. Photo: Huy Thu

Drum making process. Video: Huy Thu

Huy Thu