Within the framework of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2025, on November 24th, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism inaugurated a training course on brocade weaving and Bahnar gong tuning in Dien Hong ward for 21 trainees.
Previously, on November 17th, the Department also organized four classes including tuning Bana gongs, tuning Jrai gongs, weaving brocade, and carving Bana wood sculptures, attracting 40 participants. Distinguished Artisans dedicated to preserving and passing on this valuable heritage were assigned to teach in all these classes.
This is particularly significant given that the group honored as "living human treasures" is gradually fading away. According to statistics, from 2014 to the present, after three rounds of applications for the title of Meritorious Artisan in the field of intangible cultural heritage, 32 artisans in the western part of the province alone have been considered for this title. However, eight of these Meritorious Artisans have passed away.
Not only at this training course, but we hope that the Meritorious Artists will continue to "pass on the torch" and proactively maintain the teaching and support of young people in the locality in the journey of continuing to preserve and promote traditional cultural identity.
We also believe that because the trainees are passionate, after the training course they will continue practicing intangible cultural heritage forms to become even more skilled, and thus be able to teach them better to many others.”
As the space for practicing intangible cultural heritage shifted from the village to the city, many outstanding artisans had to travel quite far to attend the training courses, but the joy of meeting and learning from each other was greater than anything else.
Through the self-help efforts of the Meritorious Artists within their small communities, they are supported in spreading heritage values to many students in various localities; among them are many who already possess talent and demonstrate skill in intangible cultural heritage forms.
Invited to teach Jrai gong tuning, Meritorious Artist Nay Phai (Phu Tuc commune), whose footprints have been imprinted throughout villages inside and outside the province to correct gongs with distorted sounds, could not hide his enthusiasm.
He expressed: "I hope that the trainees will strive to study and learn from each other to preserve the cultural heritage of gong music. Only by studying well and knowing how to do it well can they pass it on to our children and grandchildren, preserving it so that it does not fade away."
With that spirit, even in a classroom somewhat deafening due to the sound of hammers striking gongs, the students remained highly attentive.
Meanwhile, Meritorious Artisan Dinh Thi Hrin - Head of the Brocade Weaving Club of Nghe Lon village (Kong Chro commune) - is also a reputable "lecturer" for this training course and many previous courses in the western part of the province.
She said that she is always willing to share the unique techniques and patterns of her ethnic brocade with anyone who loves them. Through efforts to connect and pass on knowledge, the Nghe Lon Village Brocade Weaving Club alone has attracted hundreds of members.
One of the exceptional students in this brocade weaving class is Ms. Dinh Mi Huy (T5 village, Kim Son commune). Coming from the eastern midland region of the province, this is her first opportunity to interact with artisans from the western part of the province.
"Therefore, no matter how rainy it is or how far it is, we must go and learn so as not to abandon the traditions of our people," the Bana woman said cheerfully.
Ms. Huy recounted that when she was a young girl, her mother taught her how to weave brocade because "a woman who doesn't know how to weave won't be able to get married." However, she rarely sat at the loom later on because weaving a single product takes a lot of time. When she needed traditional clothing for festivals, she ordered it.
But then, her pride in her cultural identity drew her to the class for five days, where she could both learn and interact with the Bana women of the Gia Lai highlands.
One of the students who received awards for outstanding achievements in the sculpture class was Dinh Hot (born in 1994, Tpon village, Cho Long commune) - a multi-talented young man who is also proficient in playing gongs and weaving baskets...
Over the past three years, Mr. Hot has enrolled in various training courses organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, ranging from tuning gongs and sculpting statues to even… weaving brocade, a craft traditionally considered women's work.
"The Bahnar ethnic identity has many wonderful and beautiful aspects, but they are gradually disappearing. I really love them, so I want to learn and pass them on, first and foremost to the children in the village," Mr. Dinh Hot confided.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/chuyen-nhung-nguoi-tiep-lua-di-san-post573809.html
![[Photo] President Luong Cuong receives Speaker of the Jordanian House of Representatives Mazen Turki El Qadi](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F1200x675%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2026%2F02%2F03%2F1770112220330_ndo_br_1-3704-jpg.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Comment (0)