Forest worship ritual of the J'rai people

When the rice harvest is in the warehouse, the J'rai community in Gia Lai holds a forest worship ceremony together with the wish for a year of peace and luck. The forest worship ceremony is held annually to thank the Forest God for protecting and providing food, food, and products under the forest canopy to feed the villagers.

Village elder Siu Tor and villagers perform a ritual to worship the Forest God.

The forest worship ritual of the J'rai people is not only a cultural feature associated with polytheistic philosophy but also affirms the humanistic values ​​of the community: Living on the forest and joining hands to protect the forest and protect Mother Nature. Maintaining and developing this cultural feature also contributes to preserving and protecting the greener forests, associated with the development of ecotourism; at the same time,educating the younger generation to continue to raise awareness of preserving and protecting the forest.

According to the tradition of the J'rai people, the forest worship ceremony is held very simply, without the beating of gongs for fear of disturbing the Mountain God and the Forest God. The offerings also depend on each year, if possible, a pig or cow is slaughtered, otherwise, a chicken, a jar of wine, a crossbow and a bundle of arrows are enough.

It has become a tradition that from early morning, the elderly, men and women of the two villages of O Grang and De Chi, Ia Pech commune (Ia Grai district, Gia Lai province) follow a small path into the forest, to the location chosen by the village elder near the stream, under the green canopy of the forest to hold the festival. Here, under the roots of vines that have become rough over time, next to a jar of rice wine and a tray of offerings including roasted pig, grilled chicken, grilled meat, rice wine, a set of chicken liver and a piece of raw pork are displayed, the master of ceremonies, old man Doih in a brocade costume of the J'rai ethnic group, solemnly reads the oath to invite and thank the Forest God, Mountain God, and Water God to witness, so that the past year has brought the village favorable weather, lush vegetation, and peaceful and prosperous villagers. At the same time, on behalf of the villagers, Old Bat promised the gods and villagers to join hands to protect the forest, protect the benefits from the forest, hoping that the forest would protect the villagers from natural disasters and floods, for a new year when all species would thrive, animals would reproduce, crops would be favorable, and the villagers would be safe and warm. When Old Bat finished the offering, the elders in the village continued the offering rituals one by one. After the "permission" from the elders, the villagers all went into the forest to harvest secondary forest products under the forest canopy such as bamboo shoots, honey, medicinal plants, etc. "For many years, the villagers have understood that if the forest trees were lost, floods from the forest would pour down and destroy the fields and villages. The hot weather would prevent the rice plants from growing. Since then, no one has dared to cut down trees or destroy the forest. The villagers have also been conscious of joining hands to plant forests and green the bare hills," Old Siu Tor confided.

Ia Pech commune currently has nearly 560 hectares of forest, all of which are contracted to be managed and protected by the communities of O Grang and De Chi villages. In recent years, with the encouragement and support of the district and commune authorities, the people of the two villages have taken turns organizing forest worship ceremonies, thereby raising awareness of forest protection and development, while creating solidarity within the community.

According to Mr. Ngo Khon Tuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ia Pech Commune, over the past years, the forest management and protection work of the people of De Chi and O Grang villages has been carried out very well. The commune established a Forest Protection Management Team to work with the people to do a good job of forest management and protection. "Thanks to mobilizing the strength of the entire population, the forest protection work in the commune has always achieved high results. In addition to protecting the existing forest area well, the people here also actively participate in contracting forest protection and planting forests," said Mr. Tuan. Attending this meaningful ceremony, Mr. Dinh Ich Hiep, Head of the Ia Grai District Forest Protection Department, said that over the years, the unit has always accompanied the villagers in organizing forest worship ceremonies. Each officer and employee encouraged each other to contribute funds to support the people in organizing and encouraging them to preserve their identity while protecting the forest. In addition, at the ceremony, the Forest Protection Department also integrated propaganda to raise people's awareness of forest management, protection and development; protecting the ecological environment, connecting the community with the forest protection force. "The district is very interested in spiritual and cultural activities associated with forest protection. The district will continue to replicate the forest worship ritual to communes, especially "hot" areas of forest encroachment; at the same time, replicate the forest allocation model so that people can coordinate to reforest bare hills, strengthen forest management and protection. The happiest thing is that the villagers brought many of their children to attend the ceremony. This shows the continuity of generations in forest protection". Dao Lan Hung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ia Grai District

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS: PHAN HOA

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