Fireplace and longhouse

FIRE KEEPING CUSTOMS OF THE Van Kieu People

The kitchen fire plays an important role in the lives of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people in the highlands of Quang Tri . The kitchen fire is not only a place to cook and warm everyone in the family, but also a place to worship the kitchen god to ward off evil spirits, guard against wild animals and pray for luck, prosperity, and happiness...

In the past, many generations of Van Kieu people lived together under a warm long roof. There were as many families as there were stoves. In addition to the small stoves, there was a large common stove in the middle of the long house for receiving guests and for meeting and common activities of families and clans to discuss and exchange stories about farming, crops, and festivals.

Peaceful moments by the fire of the Van Kieu couple in A Vao commune (Dakrong district, Quang Tri)

Nowadays, they no longer live together in the long house, so instead of arranging a separate kitchen, the Van Kieu people's fire is still placed in the center, right in the middle of the stilt house. That is the most suitable location to provide light for each family. In the dark night, the red fire is like a big lamp illuminating all the rooms of the house so that everyone can gather together.

The stoves of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people have a rectangular or square frame, with a thick layer of soil covering the inside to prevent the fire from reaching the floor. Parallel to the stove frame, about 80 cm from the floor, is a bamboo stove frame hung by rattan ropes at the four corners. On the stove frame is a tray to hold food that needs to be dried... Close to the roof is a smoke rack used to hang seeds such as corn, squash, gourds, and woven items that need to be smoked to make them more durable.

The custom of "keeping the fire" has also become a beautiful feature in the tradition of the Van Kieu people. When not cooking, they will still keep the coal under the ash layer, when needed, they just blow it up and like that, the stove always keeps the heat all year round. Even in the watchtowers, the owner always buries the fire, piles the coal ash into a pile and places a stone on it as a sign to let others know where the fire god resides, not to step on or walk across it. Especially at the time of New Year's Eve, the Van Kieu people must always keep the fire on the stove. If the fire goes out, it means that next year hunger and bad luck will follow... Because it is so sacred, strangers should not arbitrarily enter the house of the Van Kieu people to light a fire, they will be fined.

By the fire, countless Van Kieu children grew up with the old stories that the village elders told on rainy nights. By the fire, countless Van Kieu boys and girls fell in love with the love songs during the sleepless nights of going to the sim... Perhaps that is why old man Ho Kay (a village elder in A Bung commune, Dakrong district) said that the fire is considered a sacred object for his people. "The fire not only serves the family's daily life; it preserves and conserves seeds for the next season, but also makes the house more solid, warmer, and protects against termites, mosquitoes and other insects... In the past, when blankets were not warm enough, clothes were not enough, if there was no fire, it would be difficult for our people to get through the cold winter in the highlands. When the fire was red, forest ghosts and wild animals did not dare to enter the house, and the family could work in peace...", said Mr. Kay.

The kitchen fire is very sacred to the people of Quang Tri highlands.

The remaining long houses in A Bung commune (Dakrong district, Quang Tri)

LONG HOUSE OF PRIDE

In Quang Tri, Klu village (Dakrong commune, Dakrong district) is famous for preserving many traditional stilt houses of the Van Kieu people. There, there are up to 50 houses located close to each other, still preserving the features and decorative patterns of ancient stilt houses. The terrain and space for building houses here are ideal, facing the stream, leaning against the hills as a barrier. Traditional stilt houses in the village are mostly built with 4 or 3 rooms, the main materials are: wood, rattan, bamboo, reed, thatch, rattan leaves, palm leaves... Therefore, the local culture - tourism industry, in addition to conservation, also has many projects to restore and renovate stilt houses in Klu to welcome visitors. But despite being so famous, Klu still does not have a long house.

As the name suggests, the long house is longer than a normal stilt house. It is like it is made up of 4 or 5 houses joined together. "The long house not only shows the wealth and status of the clan but also shows the solidarity and community spirit of the Pa Ko people. Brothers and children must live close to each other to advise, share and take care of each other. So the long house is not simply a place to live," said Mr. Ho Van Phoi, an elderly person in A Bung commune (Dakrong district).

The long house is mainly made of Kien wood (a type of wood that is not susceptible to termites and according to the Pa Ko people, is a "good" wood, with no "evil spirits" hiding), bamboo, rattan, thatch... And to build a long house, in addition to preparing the materials, it also takes a lot of effort and time, sometimes taking a whole year to take shape. When a new family comes in, the house will continue to grow longer...

According to Mr. Ho Van Luoc, who has lived in the long house in A Bung commune for 35 years, there are up to 4 families living under this roof. In addition to the common living space in the middle, each family will have a private living space, and the remaining space will be used to store utensils, tools, rice and corn seeds, etc. All the joys and sorrows, and events of the extended family take place under this long house roof. The house is a witness, remaining silent for many years.

Going through the entire vast A Bung commune, one part bordering Laos and the other part bordering Thua Thien- Hue province, one can only count 4 long houses. I heard that in the neighboring Ta Rut commune, there are only 2 other long houses left. That said, long houses have now become a hard-to-find heritage, just like the people of today rarely encounter tigers and leopards when going to the forest...

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/vat-thieng-tren-day-truong-son-bep-lua-va-nha-dai-185240101221436885.htm