Preserving traditional stilt houses

Stilt house in Lan Ngoai village, Pu Luong commune.

Coming to Dang Thuong village (Thach Quang commune), standing from above looking down, this place is as beautiful as a watercolor painting with traditional stilt houses appearing and disappearing under the vast green canopy.

We visited the stilt house, which is also the homestay of Mr. Nguyen Van Thoa's family, just when he was renovating the rooms to prepare to welcome a group of tourists to stay. According to Mr. Thoa, in the Muong people's mind, the stilt house is not only a place to live, but also contains a very unique cultural and historical treasure. Therefore, despite many generations, the Muong people here still preserve and live in traditional stilt houses.

"For my family, this stilt house has been preserved for a long time through many successive generations. We designed the stilt house with separate functions such as the upper floor for storage, the floor is the main living space, and the floor below is where firewood and tools are stored. The kitchen is the "soul" of the house. In the past, the kitchen was often arranged in the middle room, but now most families have moved to the inner room. In recent years, thanks to the wild and lyrical May waterfall tourist area, community tourism in the commune has increasingly developed. Therefore, since 2017, my family has invested in renovating the stilt house to be more spacious and arranged community rooms to serve tourists to visit and stay. In addition to investing in facilities, the family also focuses on creating more attractive services associated with the cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group such as displaying, selling, and renting traditional products, ethnic costumes, and coordinating with teams "The village's art troupe performs folk songs, folk dances, and gongs to serve tourists," said Mr. Thoa.

Currently, Thach Quang commune still preserves about 650 traditional stilt houses, mainly concentrated in Thanh Noi and Dang Thuong villages. Mr. Bui Van Nang, an expert of the commune's Department of Culture and Society , said that there are quite a lot of Muong ethnic people living in the two villages, so the commune pays special attention to promoting and mobilizing people to preserve and build traditional stilt houses to preserve the cultural identity of their ethnic group. In addition, the commune also encourages people to preserve the stilt houses of the Muong people in association with exploiting local eco-tourism and community tourism, along with preserving cultural activities, gong playing, and brocade weaving to serve tourists to visit and experience.

Lan Ngoai village (Pu Luong commune) has 100% Thai ethnic people living. Walking along the roads in the village, we easily come across traditional stilt houses that are hundreds of years old and are still being preserved and promoted by the local people. Ms. Ha Thi Mai - one of the households living in the ancient stilt house said: "In the spiritual life of the Thai people, the stilt house has a very important meaning, closely associated with the life of each person. From the time we are born, we have lived under that roof, grown up and died under that roof, the rituals of a lifetime, ancestor worship rituals... are all carried out here. Perhaps that is why, in the minds of the Thai people, the stilt house occupies a more important position than ever and is also respected and preserved by the local people as a treasure".

The stilt houses were built from materials available in nature. Now, when life is more prosperous, people here build stilt houses with tiled roofs and designed from 3 to 5 rooms, families with conditions build 7-room houses.

"For my family, for many years, all daily activities have taken place in this stilt house. Although life has changed to be more modern, the family still wants to preserve this ancient stilt house because it is the property left by our ancestors," said Ms. Mai.

In recent years, thanks to the strong development of community tourism, many households in Lan Ngoai village have focused on renovating stilt houses, arranging dining rooms, bedrooms and brocade weaving spaces to serve tourists to visit and stay. Vice Chairman of Pu Luong Commune People's Committee Nguyen Nam Phong said: "For the Thai ethnic people in Lan Ngoai village, the customs, practices, beliefs, and cultural beauty of stilt houses are still preserved. This contributes to promoting the development of local community tourism, improving the material and spiritual life of the people".

Traditional stilt houses are considered a typical cultural symbol of ethnic minorities for many generations. The stilt house in the spiritual life of the people is not simply a place to eat and rest, but also contains many unique beliefs. Then, through many generations, those traditional stilt houses are still preserved and promoted by people in mountainous areas, typically communes with developed community tourism such as Nam Xuan, Quan Son, Thuong Xuan... However, in modern society, it is inevitable that the cultural values of ethnic minorities, especially the stilt house culture, are lost. Therefore, to preserve traditional stilt houses, it is necessary to have the participation of all levels and sectors in propagating and mobilizing people to repair and renovate existing stilt houses, or encourage the construction of new stilt houses according to traditional architecture; linking the preservation of traditional stilt houses with tourism development. In particular, it is necessary to raise awareness among those living in their own stilt houses to actively preserve, conserve and promote the cultural values of stilt houses. That is also the way to protect the unique cultural features that previous generations have left behind.

Article and photos: Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/bao-ton-nep-nha-san-truyen-thong-267237.htm