3.000 year old treasure in Dak Nong

Archaeologists consider the lithophone found in Dak Ka stream, Quang Tin commune, Dak R'lap district (Dak Nong) to be a treasure dating back thousands of years.

The kitchen behind the wooden house of the village elder Dieu Trang (locals affectionately call him “elder Dieu Trang”) in Bon Bu Bir, Quang Tin commune, Dak R'lap district is built in the ancient space style.

The kitchen is always on fire. Around the kitchen are displays and storage areas for traditional items such as ancient jars and tools that have been with him since his childhood.

By the fire, old man Dieu Trang told me stories about finding lithophones on the Dak Ka stream.

Gia Dieu Trang affirmed: “The lithophone in the M'nong language is called goong lu. The Dak Ka lithophone is the treasure of Bu Bir village.”

According to old man Dieu Trang, the M'nong people passed on to each other that more than half a century ago, while digging the ground and building a tent next to Dak Ka stream, a family in the village discovered 3 stone bars.

When they tapped on the stones, they produced strange sounds, so they brought them back to the village elders. From then on, the stones became musical instruments played in the village's major festivals.

"Unfortunately, during the war, that set of stones was lost," old man Dieu Trang regretted.

Old Dieu Trang continued, in 1985, while fishing in Dak Ka stream, Mr. Dieu Bang, a villager, accidentally discovered 3 stone bars.

These stone bars have a beautiful appearance and when struck, they produce a pleasant sound. In 1993, researchers, along with Mr. Dieu Bang and the people of Bu Bir village, held a ceremony at Dak Ka stream and brought 3 stone bars back for research.

After the stories of finding lithophones on Dak Ka stream, the M'nong people here also tell stories about the divine elements when they first used lithophones.

Old Man Dieu Trang said that when he was young, the village had a set of three-bar lithophones. This set of lithophones was often used in the village's major ceremonies such as: worshiping the gods; celebrating a bountiful harvest; praying for rain...

The sound of lithophones is combined with gongs, drums and traditional dances to create the atmosphere of festivals. “The M’nong believe that the sound of lithophones is the voice of their ancestors, a bridge between the past and the present,” said elder Dieu Trang.

During the process of farming, fishing, and working along Dak Ka stream, the people of Bon Bu Bir found many stone bars and when combined together, they created a set of stone instruments with musical value.

Mr. Pham Van Phuong, a resident of Bu Bir village, said that after hearing the story about the lithophone found in Dak Ka stream, he went along the stream bank many times during the dry season to look for it.

"I found 27 stone bars that have sound and were evaluated by artisans in the village as being able to be used as lithophone instruments," said Mr. Phuong.

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Over the centuries, the lithophone become a means of entertainment closely associated with the spiritual life, customs and rituals of the M'nong people.

Mr. Pham Van Phuong, Bu Bir village, Quang Tin commune, Dak R'lap district (Dak Nong)

To find the perfect stones, Mr. Phuong had to spend a lot of time walking along Dak Ka stream, tapping each stone and listening to the sound.

The best stones should be of moderate thickness and weight, able to produce a crisp, clear sound, but also durable enough not to break when struck.

“After finding them, I brought the stones back to the village and carefully selected them to create lithophone sets with different numbers of stone bars,” said Mr. Phuong.

Ms. Tran Thi Kieu Van, Deputy Director of Dak Nong Provincial Museum, said that Dak Ka stream has many stone bars which are musical instruments of ancient people.

Currently, the Dak Ka lithophone has great value in terms of music and culture of the M'nong people and is a very valuable archaeological artifact.

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The method of making lithophones is by chiseling and crafting. Prehistoric people created lithophones with 3 bars with the following meanings: t'ru (father), t'ro (mother), and te (child).

According to Ms. Van, research results by scientists show that the Dak Ka lithophone is about 2.500 - 3.000 years old and is made from horn stone.

“The Dak Ka lithophone adds to the collection of horn-based stone instruments. It makes a new contribution to scientific research on ancient artistic cultures, especially those of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands,” Ms. Van shared.

The decoding of the Dak Ka lithophone by researchers has recreated the history of the ancient Central Highlands. The Dak Ka lithophone contributes to providing the contemporary generation with a panoramic view of the unique cultural heritage that prehistoric people in the vast Central Highlands created and passed down to the present day.

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The lithophone in the M'nong language is called goong lú and is mentioned in many ancient M'nong epics. M'nong stories about the discovery and use of the lithophone confirm that the origin of the goong lú is of the M'nong.

Researchers evaluate

Mr. Bui Thanh Long, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Dak R'lap district (Dak Nong) said that Dak Ka land, along with lithophones and stories about the life of the M'nong people, will be a tourism product in the future.

Currently, the locality is very interested in the land with these "sounding rocks" being surveyed and evaluated to combine with tourism development.

Dak Ka lithophone is being displayed in the first booth of Dak Nong Province Audio Exhibition House. Coming here, people and tourists can come to see and hear about Dak Ka lithophone.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Van from Dak Mil said, I was very surprised with the Dak Ka lithophone artifact, because it was found in Dak Nong, carrying with it an interesting story about the ancient M'nong people with their unique culture and lifestyle.

At the Dak Nong Province Audio Exhibition House, in addition to listening to presentations, visitors have interesting experiences with products inspired and created from the Dak Ka lithophone.

In 2019, during the construction and commissioning of the Dak Nong Provincial Sound Exhibition Hall, a group of French artists were inspired by the sounds of stones. The artists combined the Dak Ka lithophone with advanced technology to create a modern lithophone with mysterious and exploratory sounds of stones.

The modern lithophone set of Dak Nong Province Audio Exhibition Hall is made up of 5 stone bars, based on the 5 elements of nature (five elements): metal - wood - water - fire - earth.

When impacted, this lithophone emits sound based on the principle of induction from human hands, without the need for a percussion instrument. Just gently place your hand or stroke the surface of each stone bar to produce sound.

Visitors can experience it through a visual and musical interaction. Each person gently rubs each stone with their hand to create a sound, but the interesting thing is that these sounds are not the same each time they touch.

The Dak Ka lithophone is also a symbol of the “Land of Melodies” – Heritage site number 32 out of 41 heritage sites belonging to the Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark.

Duc Hung