Reviving the "source" of Chut culture in the middle of the jungle

QTO - There are sounds that seem to have sunk deep into the dust of time, but now suddenly rise up, resounding proudly in the majestic Truong Son range. In Kim Phu commune, a moving "return" is taking place: The Chut people, along with dedicated cultural officials, are diligently searching for the singing, dancing and souls of their ancestors. In the tolerant embrace of the mountains and forests, the journey of "keeping the fire" takes place quietly but persistently, like the source of culture still silently flowing through many sunny and windy seasons, anchoring people to the roots of the nation.

Rekindle the song from memory

Afternoon falls on Yen Hop village, when the last rays of sunlight still linger on the simple stilt house roof, Ms. Cao Thi Hai's singing voice rises again. That sound is clear and simple like the sound of a stream at the source, awakening a whole area of ​​​​dormant memories. It is not just a simple song, but the result of a training class on collecting, restoring and performing intangible cultural heritage organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Here, regardless of age, each Chut person is cherishing and saving each piece of memory to piece together ancient melodies. The affectionate love songs, sweet lullabies, or the songs "Going to the fields to pick up rice", "Meeting in the cave"... gradually appear clearly after the misty layer of time.

The song "Going to the fields to pick up rice" performed by the female choir of Yen Hop village - Photo: QN

Sharing about this arduous journey, Meritorious Artist Vo Thanh Nhan, Deputy Director of the Provincial Culture-Cinema Center, could not hide his concern: To revive those melodies, cultural workers must travel day after day, month after month, "eating and living together", immersing themselves in the lives of the people.

“We have to go to each village, knock on each door, meet each person. The most difficult thing is that people’s memories are often not coherent. Sometimes, we meet 3-4 people and still lack unity in a song, in the use of musical instruments... Only when we invite people to sit together and discuss to have unity from the lyrics to the melody, will we get results.

Each person, with a little memory, combined one and then two complete folk songs. And so on, the folk melodies of the Chut people were collected and restored. From those fragments of memory, each complete folk song was revived, resounding in the mountains and forests as a testament to the strong vitality of Chut culture.

Now, in the middle of the Kim Phu mountains and forests, those old sounds resound, simple yet passionate. The singing voice of Ms. Hai, the bright eyes of the artists of Yen Hop and Phu Minh villages, and the eagerness of the young generation have blended together, creating a symphony of continuity. There, culture is no longer an abstract concept in writing, but has truly become the breath, the pride present in every thought and song of the people.

From memory to preservation

The effect of the training course has spread to every household. At Mr. Dinh Xuan Bang's house, the fireside nights are now always bustling with singing and clapping along with each verse. Mr. Bang smiled gently, his eyes shining with the joy of someone who had just found a "treasure": "I sang this song since I was young, listening to my parents sing it and remembering it forever. Now the young generation sings it again, I am very happy. These days we still gather to sing at home, practicing more to perform during the village festival."

It is from enthusiastic hearts like Mr. Bang that folk culture clubs in the four villages of Mo O O O, On, Yen Hop, and Phu Minh were born one after another. The cultural activities became a space for strong community connections, where the Chut people revived their customs, rituals, and ancient dances. Under the stilt houses shaded by the old forest, young people attentively listened to the elderly tell old stories, learning each beat and song. National culture was passed on in the most natural and sacred way, with the love and pride of the people involved.

Ms. Cao Thi Hai - the artistic core of the Yen Hop Village Folk Culture Club - Photo: QN

Mr. Hoang Thanh Binh, Vice Chairman of Kim Phu Commune People's Committee, affirmed: "Preserving the cultural identity of the Chut ethnic group is a regular and long-term task. The commune is expanding and developing traditional cultural clubs, both to preserve the heritage and to develop cultural tourism in the western mountainous region of Quang Tri, creating sustainable livelihoods for the people."

In this remote and difficult borderland, culture has become an invisible but strong thread, connecting solidarity between villages and generations. The deeper we learn, the more we realize the great spiritual value hidden in each folk song, the belief and origin. The old songs sung today not only carry the warmth of the past, but also foster the will to rise up, nurturing the souls of Kim Phu people in the face of changes in the new life.

The Chut ethnic group in Quang Tri province currently has 2,054 households with 8,227 people, living mainly in the communes of Kim Phu, Kim Dien, Tuyen Lam, Dan Hoa and Thuong Trach. In recent years, the province has implemented many programs to collect, restore and teach Chut folk songs and dances, and at the same time build folk culture clubs. This activity is contributing to the preservation of intangible heritage, connecting the community and opening up a direction for the development of cultural tourism in border areas.

As Meritorious Artist Vo Thanh Nhan confided passionately: “Preserving the Chut soul is not just about preserving a few tunes and rituals, but also a journey to preserve the cultural core, which has nurtured people through many generations. In the echoes of the mountains and forests, each song, dance, and festival not only tells stories of the past, but also opens up faith in the future, where national identity is honored, lived, and spread in everyday life.”

Late afternoon, the sunset dyed the majestic Truong Son forest golden. From afar, the Chut people's singing echoed, deep and solemn like the sound of wind passing through the rocky crevices. Those melodies, though rustic and simple, were enough to soften the hearts of any passing travelers. Because in the depths of that great forest, the flow of national culture was still quietly flowing, strong and eternal.

Quang Ngoc

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202511/hoi-sinh-mach-nguon-van-hoa-chut-giua-dai-ngan-994036a/