The Mo Muong ritual is performed in all major festivals of the Muong ethnic group.
...Faced with the risk of losing its core values, Hoa Binh province (formerly) submitted a request to UNESCO to consider inscribing Mo Muong as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
According to artisan and shaman Bui Van Minh in Van Son commune, Phu Tho province, Muong shamanism is a folk performance activity expressed in rituals associated with the spiritual and religious life of the Muong people. The performance and chanting of shamanism take place within the community and in individual families holding the rituals.
The practitioners of Muong shamanism are shamans, who possess the knowledge of shamanism, memorize tens of thousands of shamanic verses, and are proficient in rituals and customs. They are respected figures trusted by the community. During the ritual, the shaman is the one who speaks, recites, and sings the shamanic chants (incantations).
The Muong people do not have their own written language, so the incantations are passed down from generation to generation of shamans through oral tradition, surviving and being maintained through folk rituals of the Muong people. Muong incantations consist of three main parts: the incantation words, the performance, the performance environment, and the people performing the incantation; among these, the incantation words, closely associated with the performer, occupy the most important position.
Over time, Mo Muong has contributed to shaping the character and soul of generations regarding the cultural and historical traditions of the Muong people in the Hoa Binh region (formerly). Mo Muong is the crystallization of experiences in labor and production, cultural behavior, and philosophy of life, expressing love for life, people, and homeland; reflecting the spirit and character of the people and the land of Hoa Binh.
In 2024, Hoa Binh province (formerly) compiled a national-level scientific dossier on the Mo Muong cultural heritage in collaboration with other provinces and cities nationwide that possess Mo Muong cultural heritage, and submitted it to UNESCO for inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. According to the plan, it will be reviewed by UNESCO in December 2026.
In 2024, Hoa Binh province (formerly) compiled a national-level scientific dossier on the Mo Muong cultural heritage in collaboration with other provinces and cities nationwide that possess Mo Muong cultural heritage, and submitted it to UNESCO for inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. According to the plan, it will be reviewed by UNESCO in December 2026.
From the past to the present, generations of the Muong ethnic people have preserved, passed down orally, and sustainably promoted the values of Mo Muong, creating vitality and widespread influence in social life. According to researchers, the environment for practicing Mo Muong in Hoa Binh province (formerly) is shrinking due to the lack of truly effective solutions to build and create a favorable environment and locations for practice.
The dissemination and promotion of the unique and representative content and values of the Mo Muong heritage have not been systematically implemented; the content of the propaganda remains monotonous, direct, and traditional, lacking research and creative adaptation into theatrical forms. As a result, it is difficult for locals and tourists to fully absorb and appreciate the values and content of the heritage.
Furthermore, there are no mechanisms, policies, or funding in place to regularly preserve and promote the values of the Mo Muong heritage, despite its recognition as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage with its unique and outstanding historical, cultural, and scientific values. Currently, due to the shrinking environment for practicing the Mo Muong heritage, some rituals are no longer practiced as they once were, so the shamans have to adapt their practices to suit modern cultural life...
However, the meaning and incantations of the ritual still hold humanistic value for research and dissemination. The number of Muong shamans is gradually dwindling; according to the latest statistics, there are currently nearly 200 shamans in Phu Tho province, mainly concentrated in the Hoa Binh area (formerly). Shaman Quach Van Dao from Hop Kim commune said: “In the Kim Boi district (formerly), there are now fewer than 10 shamans. The number of shamans of our generation is dwindling. Although young people today know about it, very few understand and care about Muong shamanism.”
Therefore, it is essential for competent authorities to support the artisans in passing on this tradition to future generations in an authentic way.” According to a representative from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Phu Tho province, the training and transmission of Mo Muong rituals in the province over the past years has faced many difficulties due to the lack of a suitable environment and the high demands on the individuals involved (they must be carefully selected based on their aptitude and talent, and must understand and know the spoken and written language of the Muong ethnic group to be able to learn).
Furthermore, the benefits of learning and practicing Muong shamanism are not high; it is very time-consuming and laborious, and requires social prestige to be able to perform it. On the other hand, social awareness of the role and significance of Muong shamanism in life, even among the Muong people themselves, is not yet complete. They do not fully understand the core values, profound humanistic meaning, historical and scientific aspects of Muong shamanism…
Faced with the increasing risk of the Mo Muong cultural heritage fading away, Phu Tho province has directed efforts to inventory, collect, and compile all its values and content, and to promptly address any potential issues. Simultaneously, it aims to raise awareness and a sense of responsibility among all levels of government, sectors, and the community in preserving and effectively promoting the heritage's value in various aspects of social life; and to transform the Mo Muong heritage into a distinctive and unique tourism product linked to tourism development in the province.
Text and photos: TRAN HAO
Source: https://nhandan.vn/bao-ton-di-san-van-hoa-mo-muong-post933389.html
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