Restoring traditional cultural space

Many cultural values ​​of the Stieng people were once at risk of being lost. However, thanks to restoration efforts, many community activities have been revived.

Gongs are a unique cultural heritage with strong appeal to the Stieng people. Recognizing this value, in Bom Bo commune ( Dong Nai province), the local Party Committee and government have established 13 gong teams with nearly 100 members.

Twice a week, young people practice how to play gongs, memorizing the rhythm of gongs in the new rice celebration or the peace-praying ceremony. Dieu Ha My, 18, shared: “Before, I knew very little about gongs, but through the stories told by my grandparents and through learning, I feel proud to bring the gong sounds of my people to the stage.”

New rice festival in the border area of ​​Dong Nai province.

Recently, the locality has implemented many research topics and projects to preserve and promote the culture of ethnic minorities.

The province regularly organizes typical festivals such as the "New Rice Celebration" of the Stieng people, the Ramwan Festival of the Cham people, etc. Research and collection of folk tales, lullabies, lion dances, gongs and traditional crafts are maintained, serving as a basis for proposing conservation policies.

Every year, many cultural activities such as gong festivals, folk song competitions, folk games... are regularly organized by units and localities to exchange, perform and teach to the younger generation.

Folklore performance in the cultural festival of units in Dong Nai area.

Currently, the Dong Nai border region has 25 recognized intangible cultural heritages of ethnic minorities. Of these, 4 heritages are registered as National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Indigenous culture becomes a typical tourism product

Dong Nai province aims to incorporate ethnic minority culture into the development of experiential tourism products. A typical example is the community tourism model in Bom Bo commune (Dong Nai).

Here, visitors can experience pounding rice with a wooden pestle, an image associated with the story of the Stieng people raising soldiers during the resistance war. Dishes such as bamboo rice, thut soup, and grilled stream fish with turmeric leaves are served right in the traditional long house.

Experience rice pounding activities during the resistance war of the Stieng people in Bom Bo commune, Dong Nai.

In Loc Ninh commune (Dong Nai), the tourist route "A day as a Khmer person in the border area" attracts many groups of students.

Tourists can learn how to grind rice, listen to monks in the pagoda exchange about Khmer culture and participate in folk cultural activities. These are typical examples of turning customs and festivals into educational tourism products.

The Stieng people are diligent in their traditional basket weaving profession.

Not only community tourism, the province also connects indigenous culture with relic sites. At Ta Thiet relic site, visitors can combine visiting the revolutionary base with learning about the traditional living space of the Stieng people in neighboring hamlets and villages. Some typical products have been produced and displayed right at the gate of the relic site, creating a natural connection between history and culture.

Many schools in ethnic minority areas have included cultural experiences in their extracurricular programs with activities such as: traditional costume competitions, storytelling of the Stieng people and practicing the pole-raising ceremony...

Localities also encourage opening classes to teach ethnic minority languages ​​to union members, teachers and commune officials, so that they can learn basic communication skills and at the same time gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of folk tales, folk songs and culture of ethnic minorities.

The awakening of the cultural potential of ethnic minorities has brought the Dong Nai border region a harmonious development direction between economy and identity. Cultural products such as brocade, bamboo musical instruments, traditional cuisine are gradually becoming tourist specialties; while cultural villages and hamlets are attractive destinations for tourists who want to experience indigenous life.

Synchronize measures to preserve national culture

However, through conversations with many officials and people, it is known that the work of preserving the culture of ethnic minorities still faces many difficulties. Some types of heritage are at risk of fading away due to rapid changes in socio-economic life, young people are less interested or less practice traditional customs and festivals; traditional craft villages face difficulties in product output, leading to the risk of fading away. In addition, cultural exchange and the impact of the market economy have caused many traditional values ​​to change; community living space to shrink; language, costumes, musical instruments and traditional crafts to decline.

To overcome this limitation, in the coming time, Dong Nai will deploy many synchronous measures, in which it will focus on digitizing cultural data; at the same time, continue to replicate community tourism models, support artisans and invest in cultural infrastructure at the grassroots level.

Traditional festivals must be restored in their original form, avoiding theatricalization, and at the same time building community cultural spaces for people to have a place to live, perform and teach the younger generation. The province pays special attention to supporting artisans - the "living museums" of ethnic culture. The province has economic development policies to help people stabilize their lives: Support livelihoods, sustainable agricultural models, and invest in infrastructure for community tourism spots. The cultural sector promotes the role of village elders and prestigious people in preserving customs, while encouraging young people to start businesses based on indigenous cultural values.

Comrade Ton Ngoc Hanh, alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Dong Nai province affirmed: "With the joint efforts of the government and the community, the unique cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities are not only the heritage of the past and culture, but are becoming a new driving force for the province's sustainable development journey in the future."

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/dong-nai-khoi-day-tiem-nang-van-hoa-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-1014577