Unique intangible cultural heritage: Enchanting sounds from the Central Highlands

The Central Highlands gong cultural space spreads across the provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak , Dak Nong, Lam Dong and neighboring areas of the Truong Son mountain range.

On November 25, 2005, in Paris (France), UNESCO officially recognized the Central Highlands gong cultural space as an oral masterpiece and intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This is the second intangible cultural form of Vietnam to be honored with this title after Hue royal court music.

COMMUNITY CULTURAL BIOBosphere

The sound of gongs has a special appeal in the cultural and spiritual life of the Central Highlands people. From birth to death, every person here is attached to the echoes of gongs through rituals such as ear blowing, celebrating new rice, leaving graves, celebrating new communal houses... The long-lasting sounds are not only music but also stories about the universe, about the worldview of the Ede, Ba Na, Jarai, M'nong, Xe Dang ethnic groups...

Gongs are always closely associated with the spiritual and cultural life of ethnic groups in the Truong Son region.

PHOTO: TRAN HIEU

A Jarai village elder once confided: "Gongs are the soul of the Central Highlands, of the Jarai people. Like the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe every day, gongs are closely associated with village life. Each gong tune tells a separate story, conveying many things in our spiritual life."

In the Central Highlands, a set of gongs usually has from 2 to 13 pieces, each with its own tone, struck with a mallet in the middle or on the edge depending on the melody. The Central Highlands gong cultural space includes components such as: gongs, gong music, gong players, festivals using gongs, festival venues, etc.

The late Professor Dr. To Ngoc Thanh, an expert with many years of research on the Central Highlands gongs, once emphasized: "The unique cultural value of the Central Highlands gong cultural space is indisputable. UNESCO's recognition of this heritage is not only the pride of the Central Highlands people but also the common pride of the entire Vietnamese nation." According to him, if we only talk about "Central Highlands gongs", we only talk about a type of musical instrument with its songs and percussion rhythms. But talking about "the space of gong culture" means talking about the entire cultural biosphere of the community surrounding the gongs.

NOT JUST A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

For the Central Highlanders, gongs are not only musical instruments but also symbols of power, wealth and status. A family that owns a set of precious gongs is considered to have a position in the community. In the past, to have a good set of gongs, people had to exchange many buffaloes and cows. Gongs became family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation.

Gongs and drums at the festival

Despite being recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the Central Highlands gong cultural space still faces many challenges in preserving and promoting it. The younger generation has little exposure to gongs, the penetration of modern culture and rapid urbanization put this art form at risk of extinction.

To preserve this precious heritage, many programs have been implemented. Schools in the Central Highlands include gongs in their extracurricular programs. Gong festivals are held regularly to promote and honor traditional cultural values.

Researcher Bui Trong Hien (Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts) has made many field trips, contributing significantly to building a comprehensive score of Central Highlands gongs to submit to UNESCO.

"The uniqueness of the Central Highlands gong is its own scale. I have preserved the unique scale of the Central Highlands gong using scientific methods. Through gong tuning classes in Kon Tum and Gia Lai in the past, we have "pulled" our students back to those sounds and many of them were surprised and strangely attracted. That unique scale must be returned to the community to re-establish the "sound order", as it was originally", said researcher Bui Trong Hien.

In the digital age, the Central Highlands gongs are finding ways to adapt to survive. The Vietnam Institute of Music has digitized more than 500 gong melodies, contributing to preserving this heritage for future generations. Gongs are not only meaningful to the people of the Central Highlands but also become a cultural bridge between Vietnam and international friends. Many Central Highlands gong art troupes have been invited to perform at major cultural events around the world, bringing the echoes of the great forest to the global audience.

Despite facing many challenges, the echoes of the Central Highlands gong continue to resound. This is thanks to the tireless efforts of artisans, researchers, authorities at all levels and especially the deep love of the Central Highlands people for their unique cultural heritage.

The Central Highlands Gong Festival is held annually, rotating among the provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Lam Dong. The festival aims to promote tourism, gong culture in particular and the culture of the Central Highlands provinces in general. Here, the festival space will be recreated with the true colors of the ethnic groups, promoting the inherent traditional values.

Every year, the gong festival is held in conjunction with rituals and festivals typical of each province, city, and ethnic group. When the gongs resound, it is not just the sound of metal, but the voice of the mountains and forests, the breath of the great forest, the immortal soul of a unique culture that UNESCO has recognized as a heritage of humanity. (continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doc-dao-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-thanh-am-me-hoac-tu-dai-ngan-tay-nguyen-18525040622270633.htm