Telling stories of the Ede ethnic group

Long ago, the Ede villages in the mountainous regions of Dak Lak had longhouses that stretched for "a horse's gallop," and lasted "longer than the sound of a gong."

They say that a house has as many daughters as there are windows. Whether that's true or not, the fleeting glimpses of graceful figures in flowing dresses (Ede girls wearing long-sleeved dresses that cover their heels) or the sight of women with "brown skin, bright eyes, and gentle figures" diligently weaving by the window in the evenings are truly captivating. Whenever a daughter gets married, another room is added to the house for the newlyweds. That's why it's called a longhouse.

The Ede people have a custom of playing the knah gongs in their longhouses whenever there is a major event. Therefore, every family's stilt house has a kpan chair, ranging from 5 to 10 meters, or even 15 meters, for the gong ensemble to sit and perform. Only the Ede people possess kpan chairs. Elephants, kpan chairs, buffaloes, gongs, jars… are artifacts that symbolize the wealth and power of a family or clan.

Not every household in the village is eligible to build a kpan, as it requires many expensive rituals. Furthermore, the homeowner must have lived for 60 farming seasons and possess considerable assets such as gongs and jars before being allowed to build one; it's not something anyone can do whenever they want.

Because the forest is always considered a sacred entity by the local people and must be respected, when deciding to build a kpan (a traditional wooden seating area), they first have a small ceremony consisting of a chicken and a jar of wine to ask permission from the Yang spirits to enter the forest to find wood. They search through one forest after another, carefully selecting trees that are large enough for two to three people to encircle with their arms, perfectly straight, and free from any parasitic plants or vines. They must find one or two trees of the same size because a kpan set for the house must consist of three: one large kpan for the ching team, and two shorter jhưng (another traditional seating area) for the host and guests to sleep on.

Kpan is where the gong ensemble sits to perform. Photo: Huu Hung

Once they find a tree, they mark it so others know it's already been chosen. On the day they decide to cut it down, they must also have a jar of wine and a chicken at home to inform the Yang spirits of what they will do that day. When the group arrives at the patch of forest where the chosen tree is, the shaman must once again ask the forest spirit for permission to cut down the tree with the chicken and the jar of wine.

After the shaman's incantation, seven young men carrying swords and flutes will dance around the base of the tree seven times to ward off evil forces that might prevent the making of the chair. Once the ritual is complete, the tree is quickly cut down. When cutting, they must consider which direction the tree will fall in order to avoid breaking or damaging the surrounding trees.

Once the tree is felled, the most experienced craftsman will use his hands and bamboo sticks to calculate the length and width of the chair. A tree trunk more than 10 meters long and 4 handspans in diameter can be split in half, enough to make both a kpan and a jhưng. The tree is quickly stripped of its bark, cut into desired sections, and then split in half again. The skill of the Ede craftsman is clearly demonstrated here: Using only axes – xagat, without any planes or chisels – they transform the shape of the tree trunk into a smooth, flat surface, skillfully separating the parts to form a single, solid piece for both the legs and the seat of the kpan chair. The remaining part also forms one or two jhưng chairs, only shorter, but the width, thickness, and legs must remain a single, solid piece. If a large tree is found, they can split it into a set of three chairs. The body and legs are a single, solid piece – that is the special feature of the Ede kpan and jhưng chairs.

After the Kpan is finished, a ceremony must be held to inform the forest spirit that the chair will be brought back to the village. After the ceremony, seven young men perform the khil dance and wield swords to ward off evil forces, then they all lift the chair onto their shoulders and carry it back to the village. Upon arriving at the courtyard, it cannot be immediately placed on the platform. Beautiful young women must perform the grứ phiơr dance - "flying birds" - and once again the young men perform a sword dance, with the girls splashing water to welcome the chair and to ward off evil spirits from the forest, also to show off their skillful khil dance, being splashed with water without getting their clothes wet. Only after this procedure can the chair be carried onto the platform. It is placed lengthwise along the south side of the stilt house (the gong ensemble will sit facing north).

Kpan is where the gong ensemble sits to perform when there is a family event. Photo: Nguyen Gia

This is the most joyous moment for the host family. Larger families offer one or two buffaloes or cows, while smaller families must offer at least one buffalo and two pigs as sacrifices to the Yang (spirits) to receive the kpan or kpan diet. Afterward, the girls perform the pah kngan rong yang dance, clapping their hands to invite the spirits to drink wine, followed by prayers to inform the Yang and wishing good health to the host family and their lineage.

The host of the drinking party (gai piê) will invite honored guests in a "watering" style (seven girls tilt short bamboo tubes to pour water into a jar, and guests must drink it all), then invite everyone in turn to drink mnhăm mring wine to share with the family in order of age, women first, then men.

The wine jars must be passed around, never letting go, until all the jars are empty. Finally, it's time for entertainment; people will sing the narrative k'ut song to express their feelings, or the lively arei song for playful exchanges, courtship, or riddles… The wine overflows, and when one jar runs out, another is used. The kpan procession is one of the biggest family celebrations, and also a shared joy for the entire community.

After bringing the kpan home, the next step is making the jhưng, which will also follow the same steps as making the kpan.

Festivals deeply intertwined with community life, whether based on the agricultural calendar or the life cycle, often take place during the "season of feasting and drinking" – spring – the Tet (Lunar New Year) season of the Central Highlands people. The lively sound of the knah gongs from the kpan rises above the long stilt houses, swaying in the blue sky and golden sunlight, "making the rabbits forget to graze, and the monkeys forget to climb"... The whole village celebrates the wealth, strength, and abundance of the family and the community...

Linh Nga Niê Kđăm

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202507/ke-chuyen-kpan-ede-88a1353/