Unique wooden house of Mong people in Che Lau

Che Lau Village of Na Meo Commune is hidden in the middle of a deep and majestic forest. While the mountain dew still lingered on the leaves, I excitedly followed Deputy Secretary of the Party Cell Thao Van De to visit the traditional wooden houses of the Mong people.

The house roofed with po mu wood of Mr. Thao Van Dia's family.

Mr. De said, now his village still has two houses made entirely of wood, with traditional wooden roofs (some places also call them po mu). The remaining few have been covered with corrugated iron to protect the roofs, and some houses are used as kitchens because of their small area...

I was surprised because, amidst the blue smoke of the early evening, the low, wide, moss-covered roofs were the unique architectural culture of the Mong people remaining in the village, which was gradually changing. Shimmering wood, according to Mr. De, is a precious wood of the mountains and forests. It is not susceptible to termites, does not warp, can withstand mountain winds and forest rains, is cool in the summer, and warm in the winter. When newly cut, the wood still has a very special fragrance that people in the past had to go all the way to the forest on the Vietnam - Laos border to get.

Stopping in front of the five-room house of Mr. Thao Van Dia (born in 1943), I clearly felt the traces of time. The house was mossy, silvery gray, low, with a dirt floor, and a wide roof sloping down on both sides as if it were embracing all three generations of Mr. Dia's children and grandchildren living under the roof.

Mr. Dia leaned on his cane and walked out onto the porch, smiling gently and saying: “When I built this house, I was still young. Back then, the forest was still green, so we chose a big po mu tree and the whole group went together to cut it down. It took a whole month to build the house.”

Mr. Dia's house has the main door in the middle room, in accordance with Mong tradition. The side door at the end of the gable leads to a small path. The rooms are clearly separated. Usually, the first room on the left has the kitchen and the bedroom for the couple; the last room has the fireplace and the guest bed; and the middle room, the most spacious, is where the ancestral altar is located and where guests are received and meals are gathered. Above, a small bamboo loft is used to store corn, rice, beans, and even winter blankets.

“The attic is not only for storing things, when we have guests from far away or in large groups, we also sleep there. The smoke from the kitchen rises every day, keeping everything dry and free of mold,” Mr. Dia said, waving his hand gently as if to clear away the ash on the wood stove.

In addition to Mr. Dia's house, there is also the house of Mr. Thao Van Sua (born in 1971), one of two households that still keep the old house's architecture almost intact. Mr. Sua's house has three rooms, eight columns, and a sloping roof covered with black moss. Mr. Sua said that this house was left to him by his father, and he only renovated it a few times, replacing a few broken crossbeams. Each time he repaired it, it was very difficult because he had to buy the right wood. This type of wood is very rare now.

Che Lau village currently has 67 households and 323 people, most of whom are Mong people. Previously, the whole village had almost the same house style, but over time and with the forest protection policy, the number of traditional wooden houses has gradually decreased. Some houses have been partially renovated, some have added corrugated iron roofs to preserve the frame, and a few only keep the kitchen as a place to preserve some old memories. For the most part, people have built solid houses in a new architectural style. However, Mr. De said, "Mong people everywhere know how to value their houses. Because houses are not just for living, but also a place to keep the fire, to preserve ancestors, to preserve customs. Houses are made of good wood, but to preserve them for decades depends on the consciousness of the descendants."

I understood that when I saw Mr. Dia gently wiping each wooden board, and Mr. Sua telling his son "don't let anyone throw random things in the attic", or when the Deputy Secretary of the village Party Cell also stopped for a long time, looking up at the moss-covered roof, as if trying to engrave in his heart the image of a remaining heritage...

Dinh Giang (Source: Baothanhhoa)

Source: https://svhttdl.thanhhoa.gov.vn/van-hoa/doc-dao-nha-go-cua-nguoi-mong-o-che-lau-1009896