The mysterious 'spiritual encyclopedia' of the Khua people

For many generations, the Khua ethnic group living in Trong Hoa commune (Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh ) has preserved a family heirloom: a leaf book considered an "encyclopedia" of spirituality that has deeply influenced the customs and life of the Khua ethnic group.

S HUNDRED YEAR OLD LEAF BOOK

As an ethnic group belonging to the Bru - Van Kieu community, instead of living mainly in the southwest of Quang Binh, the Khua ethnic group chose to stick to the Giang Man range (Trong Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district) to stick with the mountain forest life. Here, they also have their own cultural features that are different from their blood brothers.

Two heirloom leaf books of Mr. Khien

The biggest difference is that for many generations, the Khua people have preserved and passed down a mysterious book, made of leaves and durable over hundreds of years.

Following Highway 12A leading to La Trong 1 village (Trong Hoa commune), we arrived at the house of Mr. Ho Khien (61 years old) to see this mysterious leaf book. Welcoming us with warm cups of tea, Mr. Khien then rummaged through his wardrobe to take out a large sack containing two heirloom leaf books and introduced them.

"I received this book from my father after he passed away, but not only my father but also my great-grandfather had this book. It has probably been in my hands for at least the 4th generation, or at least 200 years. The book contains a lot of content about the cultural and spiritual life of our ethnic group," Mr. Khien shared.

Two candles made of beeswax are used in many Khua rituals and are a must-have item to borrow palm leaf books.

Having said that, he placed on the floor two books about 50 cm long, the two ends of the books were made of wood, carved with patterns and covered with a layer of old dust stained by time, in the middle were hundreds of pages made of leaves about 30 cm thick, on top were written contents in ancient Sanskrit.

"When my father was alive, I saw him open this book every day to read. I heard that it originated from temples in Laos, the content was written in Lao (ancient Sanskrit), now not many people can translate the content in the leaves, even Lao people today," said Mr. Khien.

LINKED TO SPIRITUAL LIFE

Passed down from his ancestors for many generations, however, by Mr. Khien's generation, no one could read and fully utilize the book's usefulness. The elders in the village who were knowledgeable about it had also passed away, and since then, this ancient book has become increasingly mysterious with the content written on it.

However, that does not mean that everything related to palm leaf books has been completely lost. During hundreds of years of living in the mountains and forests, the ancestors of the Khua people used the content of the books to accompany their lives and customs.

"Every year, we still hold a hand-tying ceremony, a custom recorded in palm-leaf books. The ceremony is held on the first day of the Lunar New Year, each person will tie a thread to their hand to pray for the gods' protection, luck and health. In the past, when performing the ceremony, the village elders would read the spells written in the book, even the color of the thread used was specifically recorded," Mr. Khien said.

Besides, during many years living with his father, Mr. Khien also learned from his father that the leaf book also recorded many spiritual things about choosing the age of marriage, martial arts to protect the body, spells to organize wedding ceremonies, funerals... it was almost like an encyclopedia of the spirituality of the Khua people. To borrow the leaf book for use, the borrower was required to perform a solemn ritual, lighting two candles made from beeswax to come and ask to borrow the book's owner.

Mr. Ho My, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Trong Hoa Commune, said that currently in the commune there are about 5 - 10 leaf books left, but no one can read and understand all of their content.

"In the past, every Khua family had palm leaf books, but the effects of war and floods caused many families to lose their ancient books. Now, palm leaf books have become a treasure left by our ancestors for us Khua people," said Mr. My. (to be continued)

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