Traditional profession at the crossroads of the times

Cham artisans of Bac Binh commune perform traditional folk melodies

Keeping the profession in the midst of a whirlwind of change

Lam Dong is developing strongly, connecting the plateau with the plains and the sea, opening up a wider market for agricultural products, handicrafts and cultural tourism . For traditional crafts, this is a precious opportunity: expanding the market, linking regions and exploiting the potential of craft village tourism.

According to Decision No. 1766/QD-UBND in 2022, the province approved the plan to preserve and develop craft villages for the period 2022 - 2030, aiming to preserve 17 traditional craft villages by 2025, develop 4 new craft villages, associated with the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) program and community tourism, aiming for 39 craft villages by 2030. However, currently, the whole province only has about 30 - 35 craft villages in operation, attracting more than 9,200 workers. Many craft villages are facing the risk of extinction due to lack of successors and unstable product output. Urbanization sweeps the younger generation to the streets, leaving the K'ho looms covered in dust, the forging hammers of the Ma people are sparse, and the handmade pottery kilns have cooled over the years. "Can this profession support us?" - A simple, thoughtful question from a young artist arouses the deep concerns of the highlands.

However, in craft villages across the South Central Coast and Central Highlands, women are still working hard at their looms, spinning forest fibers, weaving brocades imbued with the legend of Mother Earth and the breath of the mountains and forests. Each line, each pattern is not only an ornament, but also a fabric epic: preserving the memories of ancestors, conveying the hope of a bountiful harvest and the balance between humans and nature. Similarly, in pottery workshops, blacksmiths or traditional weaving villages, craftsmen still meticulously choose old bamboo for its flexibility, and forge with moderate fire to preserve the spirit of heaven and earth in each product. Because for them, the profession is not only a means of livelihood, but also a sacred thread connecting the community with its roots. When the profession is lost, not only will the livelihood be shaken, but the cultural soul of the land will also gradually fade.

Space to recreate traditional occupations of ethnic groups in the South Central Coast and Central Highlands

Facing the risk of losing the traditional craft, in the area between the coast and the highlands, the traditional gingerbread of the Cham people is still hand-molded in the shape of ginger, used as offerings in the Kate Festival every October. The cake is made from fragrant sticky rice, chicken eggs, palm sugar and fresh ginger juice, baked with charcoal, each cake is not only a rustic dish but also a slice of the memory of ancestors and the spiritual beliefs of the whole community.

Artisan Dang Thi Ngoc Ha, in Bac Binh, shared: "Gingerbread is not only a dish, but also a memory of our ancestors". However, the worrying thing is that fewer and fewer young people in the village know how to make gingerbread, many people leave their hometown to work far away, and the traditional oven has no fire. In 2025, the Kate Festival will still attract thousands of tourists to experience making gingerbread and listen to stories about the old profession; but amidst the bustling crowd, the worry of the profession being lost, the culture gradually fading, still smolders like the coal in the oven gradually cooling down. Along with that, in Binh Duc pottery village, the Cham pottery craft, which has been extended from the Bau Truc tradition, is still persistently preserved by artisan Truong Thi Gach, now over 80 years old. She molds clay mixed with river sand, shapes it entirely by hand, and then fires it outdoors with forest firewood; each product takes 7-10 days to complete, with a jet black color like a prayer sent to the goddess Po Inư Nagar.

People like Mrs. Gach, Mrs. Ha and many other artisans are the lifeblood of indigenous culture. But they themselves are also troubled: “Our ancestors lived long with their profession because it nurtured their souls. Now that their children and grandchildren no longer live from their profession, where can they send their souls?”, artisan Truong Thi Gach worries. When the profession fades away, not only will they lose a means of livelihood, but they will also lose a part of the soul of their culture, a priceless asset that neither time nor money can replace.

Technology preserves cultural soul

If a few years ago, technology and urbanization were considered a "big challenge" for traditional crafts, now, the digital age has opened a new path to revival. From the looms in K'long village (Duc Trong commune), where a group of K'ho youth are "breathing new life" into traditional weaving by putting brocade on e-commerce platforms, organizing experiential tourism promotion "A day as a K'ho weaver" to bamboo, rattan and wood workshops in Di Linh, where craftsmen are still diligently creating to convey the spirit of the highlands into each handicraft item; all are together creating a new look for traditional crafts in the digital age. Also on that journey, in Gung Re village, artisan Ma Lieng, often called Mrs. Ma Li, is still persistently keeping the fire of handmade pottery, welcoming visitors to experience pottery making, listen to stories about the craft village and bring back a small gift imbued with the spirit of the highlands. More specifically, today, K'ho brocade can become modernized ao dai on the catwalk; Churu pottery can become high-end souvenirs; bamboo and rattan weaving can become exported furniture. Craftspeople not only need skillful hands but also need a connecting mindset, knowing how to tell cultural stories in the language of the market and technology.

Artisan Dang Thi Ngoc Ha and her daughter are making traditional gingerbread cakes.

These changes show that technology has now become a bridge, helping craft keepers cross the line between tradition and modernity, spreading the spirit of the craft village amidst the new pace of life on the plateau. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong: "We identify culture as a driving force for sustainable development. The province is implementing support for artisans in digital skills training, preferential loans for craft villages and integrating with the OCOP program and community tourism. Technology has now become an extension to help traditional craft keepers find their place in the midst of modern life."

Preserving a profession today does not mean keeping the old way of doing things, but rather keeping the essence and changing the way of doing things. When traditional professions know how to adapt, digitize and connect. At the crossroads of the times, what needs to be preserved is not only the profession but also the soul of the profession. And perhaps, in the land of Lam Dong that is changing every day, the sound of the loom, the sound of the forging hammer, the sound of pottery molding will still "echo", not as nostalgia but as the beat of the future.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nghe-truyen-thong-giua-nga-ba-thoi-dai-398461.html