Preserving the national "soul" through each artifact

Provincial Museum tour guide introduces cultural space topics at the exhibition room

In recent years, the Provincial Museum has become an attractive destination for people and tourists inside and outside the province. Because, here are preserving and displaying many valuable artifacts of 13 typical ethnic groups living in communities in the province: from production tools, costumes, musical instruments to folk belief artifacts, traditional crafts. Each artifact is a story, a piece of the cultural and social life of the ethnic groups: Thai, Dao, Mong, Kinh, Kho Mu, Lao, Lu, La Hu, Ha Nhi...
But few people know that, to have those artifacts on display, the team of heritage workers at the Provincial Museum has worked day and night, quietly, meticulously and carefully to preserve and protect the artifacts from the effects of time, climate and humidity. Not only that, after each artifact has been collected and initially cleaned, the heritage workers also fully recorded its origin and assigned an artifact code.
Ms. Deo Thi Thuy Hai (heritage worker of the Provincial Museum) confided: I have been attached to this job for more than 20 years. Each artifact gives me a unique perspective on the cultural identity of the nation, so I should cherish it. Therefore, I am aware that I have to be more responsible for preserving and maintaining the artifacts so that traditional cultural values will last over time. Depending on the material of the artifact, we have our own way of preserving it. For artifacts made of bamboo and rattan, we dust them once a week and arrange and clean each one. For artifacts made of fabric (including traditional costumes, Pieu scarves, etc.) hung on shelves, we check daily for mold or insect infestation so that we can take timely measures. For folded artifacts stored in cabinets, we turn them over every two weeks to avoid creases on the clothes, which will cause the fabric to wear out quickly and tear. Especially paper artifacts such as ancient books require meticulousness and carefulness, using a soft brush to dust each page, smoothing out any curled corners and then storing them in a plastic bag to prevent mold and fading of the ink.
Not only preserving precious artifacts that are hundreds of years old, the guides and interpreters at the Provincial Museum also play an important role in spreading cultural values to the community. They breathe life into the artifacts with stories of the daily lives of the ethnic people. These are the tools used by the Thai people to catch shrimp and fish; the unique Cap Sac festival of the Dao people; the weaving profession of the Lu people or the sounds of the Khen and flutes of the Mong people...
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (tour guide of the Provincial Museum) shared: I am proud to be attached to the work at the Provincial Museum. Every day in contact with artifacts makes me more proud of the cultural identity of the ethnic groups in the province and I desire and wish to introduce them to domestic and international friends and the young generation. For each group of visitors coming to visit the Museum's exhibition room or thematic exhibitions at important events of the province, I try to fully introduce the unique cultural values of Lai Chau so that tourists and people can understand more clearly about the borderland of the Fatherland. In addition, I regularly post cultural heritages on my personal social networking site to spread the unique cultural beauty of Lai Chau; arouse pride and awareness of preserving traditional culture of each person, especially students.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Ham (tourist from Dien Bien province) said: Coming to Lai Chau Provincial Museum, listening to the explanation about the traditional culture of the ethnic minorities here, I was very impressed. Not only the diversity of artifacts but also the inspiring way the tour guide helped me and the members of the group understand more about the origin and cultural life of the ethnic minorities in Lai Chau.
Nowadays, the pace of modern life is increasingly making people distant from traditional culture, so the role of museums is increasingly important. It is the heritage workers, interpreters, and tour guides of the Provincial Museum that are the bridge to help the precious artifacts of ethnic groups not lie dormant in storage, but "live" forever and shine in the hearts of each generation. They are considered "cultural ambassadors" who spread the fire, nurture the pride and awareness of preserving the cultural identity of the 20 ethnic groups of Lai Chau so that the traditional beauty lasts over time, and is a great driving force and spiritual foundation for the development of the homeland.

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/van-hoa/giu-hon-dan-toc-qua-tung-hien-vat-907467