Cultural "cradle" on the banks of the Ba River

(GLO)- Devoting themselves to preserving and passing on the nation's cultural beauty to the younger generation, artisans in Ia Broai commune (Ia Pa district, Gia Lai province) are contributing every day to create a community with a strong identity, worthy of being the "cradle" of culture on the banks of the Ba River.

From the "nuclei"

Mr. Siu Nhuel (Ia Rniu village) is a famous artisan in the area. His family still preserves a set of ancient gongs. This is the set of gongs left by his grandparents. Before passing away to Atau, his father told him not to sell the gongs no matter how difficult the situation.

Remembering his father's words, even though life was difficult and he had to eat potatoes and cassava for meals, Mr. Nhuel never had any intention of selling the gong set. Thanks to the gong set and his love for traditional musical instruments, at the age of 15, he could play many ancient gong songs. At the age of 20, he began making musical instruments such as the gong, t'rung, nhi, and flute.

Ia Broai commune's artisans perform gongs at the 2nd District Ethnic Minority Cultural Festival in 2024. Photo by Vu Chi

Until now, Mr. Nhuel cannot remember exactly how many musical instruments he has made. After each competition or cultural and artistic performance, he does not hesitate to give musical instruments to the organizers and those he loves as souvenirs. He only keeps one of each type for himself. When he has free time, he takes out his guitar and flute to play a few pieces of music and sing his favorite folk songs for the whole family to listen to.

Mr. Siu Nhuel is a famous artisan in the region for his ability to play gongs, make traditional musical instruments and weave bamboo. Photo by Vu Chi

Just like Mr. Nhuel, even though she is 60 years old, Mrs. Rah Lan H'Nir (Ia Rniu village) still has special affection for the folk songs of her people.

She always felt lucky to have a high-pitched voice and good musical ability. As a young girl, her high, clear voice made many young men in the area flutter.

She shared: "I love folk songs not only because of the melody but because they are the voice of the artist."

Ms. Rah Lan H'Nir sings folk songs with Mr. Siu Nhuel's t'rung. Photo: Vu Chi

According to Mrs. H'Nir, to suit the situation and mood, when performing, the singer can compose additional lyrics for the folk song. Therefore, the artist is also the co-author of that folk song. Depending on the content and meaning, each folk song has a different melody, sometimes romantic and profound when expressing love between couples, sometimes bustling and hurried when working hard. She always sings folk songs anytime, anywhere, when working in the fields, when having festivals, when happy as well as sad with the wish that her descendants will preserve the good and beauty of the national culture.

To the community with strong identity

Along with traditional music , Ia Broai commune is also known for its sophisticated brocade weavers such as Mrs. Nay H'Bon (Ia Rniu village), Mrs. H'Krem Buôn Jă (Broăi village) with the traditional way of making wine yeast, Mr. Rcom Chluen with the craft of weaving, carving statues... It is the love for traditional culture that helps them persevere every day to preserve and pass it on to the next generation, creating a community with a strong identity.

In his old age, Mr. Nhuel is very proud that his son Kpa Tu has performed everywhere on his behalf. Inheriting his father's artistic talent, Tu can skillfully play the gong and t'rung as well as perform ancient gong pieces. The gong team that Tu helped establish has won many awards, including first prize at the art performance organized by the district in 2024.

Seeing that few women in the village knew how to weave brocade, while the demand for brocade clothing was still high, Mrs. H'Bon agreed to teach the weaving craft to the women. After the class ended, the commune's brocade weaving club was established with 10 members, led by Mrs. H'Bon.

“Weaving brocade is not difficult, but to weave a beautiful loincloth or skirt requires women to practice persistently and have love for each thread. The greatest happiness for a weaver is when she sees her customers wearing brocade clothes made by her own hands,” Ms. H’Bon confided.

With talented and dedicated artisans, in 2020, the 22-member Ia Broai artisans group was selected to perform at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism (Dong Mo Tourist Area, Hanoi). The commune has 1 gong tuning artisan, 3 statue sculptors, 1 traditional musical instrument maker, 2 basket weavers, 2 folk singers and 7 brocade weavers. The people still preserve 12 sets of ancient gongs.

Mr. Nay Ham - Vice Chairman of Ia Broai Commune People's Committee - said: In recent years, the work of preserving traditional cultural identity in the locality has been inherited and promoted. Artisans are all dedicated to passing it on to the next generation, gradually creating a large team of successors.

At the 2nd District Ethnic Minority Cultural Festival in 2024, the Ia Broai Commune artisans group won the second prize overall. This is a motivation for the commune to continue to do a good job in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/cai-noi-van-hoa-ben-bo-song-ba-post328488.html