The round stringed instrument of the Pa Dí people

“Muong Khuong is so green…/Oh, borderland, I love this melody so much/A round melody, my people, the pa di people/A round melody like the full moon/A round melody like the bright morning sun…” These are lines from the poem “My Country is Green, a Round Melody” by the poet Po Sao Min.

These verses compelled me to set out for the high mountains to learn about the round-stringed musical instrument in the border region. It's no coincidence that the poet Pờ Sảo Mìn included the image of the round-stringed musical instrument in his poem; it is the very soul of the Pa Dí people, the pride of the Pa Dí in their Mường land.

The image of the round musical instrument appears in the spiritual life of the Pa Dí people.

Eighty-five years ago, some Pa Dí families from the Tung Chung Pho area moved to the Lung Vai area (now part of Ban Lau commune) to clear land and establish their livelihoods. In this new land, named Ban Sinh, the Pa Dí people overcame countless difficulties, transforming a land once covered in reeds into a prosperous village with lush green tea hills, fields of ripening rice, and fragrant golden pineapple plantations. Today, Ban Sinh resembles a mountain town with modern multi-story houses, and the lives of the Pa Dí people are increasingly comfortable and prosperous.

Beside the rice paddies heavy with grain in Ban Sinh village, Phu Thi Phuong and other Pa Di women in the hamlet, dressed in traditional attire—black blouses, silver bracelets, and hats shaped like house roofs—sing folk songs praising the beauty of their homeland.

Holding a round-necked instrument – ​​a traditional musical instrument of the Pa Dí people – Ms. Phương said: "When singing Pa Dí folk songs, the round-necked instrument is indispensable. The sound of the instrument and the singing blend together to fully express the beauty of Pa Dí folk songs. For the Pa Dí people, no matter where they go, they always carry their round-necked instrument to play and sing during their free time and on ethnic holidays."

The instrument is round, like the shape of the moon.

I noticed that the instrument Ms. Phuong was holding had a round soundboard, like the moon. It had four strings, and the soundboard was painted and carved with an image of a flying dragon. The neck was made of wood, about 40cm long, and the head was decorated with a heart-shaped piece of wood.

Ms. Phuong explained that, according to the Pa Di people's beliefs, the dragon symbolizes strength, luck, and prosperity. Therefore, since ancient times, when making the round lute, the elders would carve dragon images onto it, shaping the neck to resemble a dragon's head, hoping that the sound of the lute would bring joy, abundance, and happiness. Some round lutes have only one dragon carved on them, while others have two flying dragons, along with many patterns forming a circular border on the surface of the instrument.

Leaving the Bản Sinh area, I traversed the long slopes to the mountain town of Mường Khương. In Chúng Chải B village, Mường Khương commune (formerly Mường Khương town), when mentioning the Pa Dí people who are the best musicians and singers in the region, everyone knows the artist Pờ Chin Dín.

Ms. Dín said that ever since she was little, she had heard folk songs sung by her grandmother and mother, so her love for folk music has been ingrained in her blood. Especially by the age of 15, she already knew how to play the zither and sing folk songs of her ethnic group.

According to artisan Pờ Chin Dín, no matter what folk song is sung, the round-stringed instrument is indispensable. As the instrument plays, the lyrics of the folk song soar, sweet and poignant.

Today, in the Muong region, only a few elderly artisans still know how to play the round-stringed instrument.

In the story about the round-necked instrument and folk songs of the Pa Dí people, artisan Pờ Chin Dín shared that the Pa Dí folk songs are very rich, but translating the lyrics of ancient songs into common Vietnamese is very difficult. Along with lullabies, call-and-response love songs, and wedding songs, there are also folk songs praising the beauty of the homeland and country, and songs about daily labor such as: songs about planting corn in January, about planting beans in February, about the Thanh Minh festival in March, and about sowing rice seedlings in April...

Artisan Pờ Chin Dín next to his round-necked instrument.

Furthermore, in the song "Twelve Months," the Pa Dí people sing about various flowers: "In January, peach blossoms bloom; in February, fragrant flowers bloom; in March, chrysanthemums bloom...; in May, plowing the upper fields and harrowing the lower fields; in June, rice plants flower...; in September, golden rice ears bloom; in October, stone flowers bloom...; in December, welcoming guests." Some of the flowers in the song are not given common Vietnamese names, so their names cannot be translated.

Poet Pờ Sảo Mìn, of the Pa Dí ethnic group, is the author of the poem "The Tree with Two Thousand Leaves".

During a visit to Muong Khuong, I had the opportunity to meet the poet Po Sao Min, of the Pa Di ethnic group, who wrote the famous poem "The Tree with Two Thousand Leaves." Despite his advanced age, poet Po Sao Min continues to diligently write poetry, deeply concerned with his ethnic culture.

Poet Pờ Sảo Mìn said that the round-stringed instrument is the "soul" of the Pa Dí people, and folk songs are the very essence of the Pa Dí people. However, today in the Mường region, only a few elderly artisans know how to play the round-stringed instrument and sing folk songs. Mrs. Thào Phủng Din and Mrs. Thào Phủng Chấn are both over 70 years old, their voices no longer as strong as before. Mrs. Pờ Chin Dín and Mrs. Tung Chá Sến are also past their sixties. In the Mường region, there are now few people who know how to make round-stringed instruments. Young Pa Dí people are not interested in folk songs. Therefore, preserving Pa Dí folk songs is very difficult.

Poet Pờ Sảo Mìn imbues his poetry with love for cultural identity and love for the round-necked guitar.

For the poet Pờ Sảo Mìn, his love for cultural identity, his love for the round-stringed instrument, and his love for folk songs are expressed in his poetry, including the poem "My Country is Green with a Round Stringed Instrument," which was set to music by composer Trọng Đài. In the poem, the image of the round-stringed instrument symbolizes the beauty of his homeland and country, a peaceful and recurring source of pride.

"Muong Khuong is very blue, like the sky."

The green border is so green, it breathes life.

Like the full moon, like the warm morning sun.

My homeland is a green, round melody.

There is a red east

"My country is a green, a perfect melody."

I left the Muong land as the last rays of the setting sun cast a fan-like light through the jagged crevices of the rocky mountains, pouring down into the lush green valley. Along the winding, sloping road, Pa Di women returning from the fields chattered excitedly, humming songs: "Let's go, sisters, let's go together / Carrying green plants back to make fertilizer / Fertilizer to nourish the corn and rice / Only then will we have a prosperous life…"

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/cung-dan-tron-nguoi-pa-di-post648331.html