The antique dealer preserves the national culture.

(CLO) The ancient M'Liêng village is located on the shores of Lake Lắk, the largest freshwater lake in the Central Highlands. Here, there are people who love to preserve their ethnic culture, especially Mr. Y Vế Liêng, from M'Liêng 1 village, Đắk Liêng commune, Lắk district, Đắk Lắk province.

Previously, reaching the ancient village required waiting for ferries; now, a smooth asphalt road leads directly to the village, and the villagers enjoy a comfortable and prosperous life with two harvest seasons. At the entrance to the village stands a grand community house, behind which a giant banyan tree spreads its branches, shading a large area. Tombs are hidden among the trees, a sight the locals call the "forest of jar tombs."

M'Liêng Village Cultural Preservation House

We visited the family of veteran Y Ve Lieng one late afternoon. He is always dedicated to his work and also has a great love for the M'nong ethnic culture.

In his old, time-worn longhouse, he enthusiastically told us his life story. In 1988, after being discharged from the army, he returned to live in M'Liêng 1 village and worked on the farm with his wife. In 1997, he was elected Chairman of the Veterans Association of Đắk Liêng commune. In 2007, he resigned from the position and returned to serve as Secretary of the Party branch of M'Liêng 1 village until 2017.

He couldn't hide his pride and told us in a deep, resonant voice when asked about the ancient M'Liêng village (divided into M'Liêng 1 and M'Liêng 2) where he lives. He explained that while in the past, reaching M'Liêng required waiting for ferries across Lak Lake, now one can easily ride a motorbike along the straight concrete road connecting M'Liêng village to National Highway 27.

According to officials from the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Culture , Sports and Tourism: In April 2006, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism authorized the Dak Lak Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to implement the M'Liêng Ancient Village Preservation Project. The M'Liêng village was selected by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the only ancient village on the Dak Lak plateau to be preserved, with the goal of building and preserving the M'Liêng village and its full range of tangible and intangible cultural values ​​of the M'Nong R'Lam people.

This place is like a pristine, ancient Central Highlands from hundreds of years ago, preserving the traditional cultural values ​​of the M'Nong R'lam people. In particular, the people of M'Lieng village are extremely proud because within the grounds of their community cultural center stands an ancient banyan tree over 200 years old, which was officially recognized and designated as a "Preservation Tree" by the Provincial Association for the Protection of Nature and Environment at the end of July 2017.

These antique jars, over 100 years old, belong to the family of Mr. Y Ve Lieng.

As we continued our conversation into the late afternoon, golden rays of sunlight streamed through the bamboo walls of the longhouse, casting shadows on the wooden floor. Inside, many baskets, large and small, were neatly hung, all woven by the old man himself.

He said that ever since he was a child, he would intently watch adults weaving baskets. By the age of 15, he was able to weave beautiful baskets himself, and even now, he occasionally weaves more baskets for his family and grandchildren to use.

In addition, we observed 10 neatly arranged jars along the wall of his house. He explained that jars are precious objects to the M'nong people, often used in festivals. He also mentioned that the M'nong people have a belief that after use, the jars must be thoroughly washed and dried in the sun before being stored away.

Among the ten jars in his family's possession, some are nearly a hundred years old. He carefully cleans them every day to remove dust, only bringing them out for festivals.

The rich, resonant sounds of the gongs captivated him; not only did they preserve the "soul" of the ethnic group, but he also developed a passion for them. He decided to learn to play the gongs from a very young age, and now he has become a skilled gong player in M'Liêng village, participating in the village's gong ensemble that performs with other villages in the Central Highlands.

His family still keeps a set of gongs, though he himself doesn't remember their exact age; he only knows they've been around since his great-grandmother's time. Every year, the gongs and jars from his family are brought out to be used in festivals held in the village or on important family holidays.

For him, gongs are sacred objects of the family and the ethnic group, so he always instructs his descendants to carefully preserve them and absolutely not sell them. According to him, the M'Liêng village currently has about 8 sets of ancient gongs, aged between 100 and 200 years. In addition, over 90% of the houses in the village are longhouses of the M'nông people, and many households still possess sets of gongs, buffalo hide drums, kpan chairs, etc.

A banyan tree over 200 years old has been designated a "Preservation of Ancient Trees" sign.

Recalling the many ups and downs of war and bloodshed, he confided, "I want to spend my time connected to the fields and my family. I want to personally weave baskets for my wife and children to take to the fields. I want to play the gongs and teach the children in the village how to play them, so that the traditional culture passed down through generations will not fade away, and will live on in the M'nong community, no matter how society changes."

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dak-lak-nguoi-con-buon-lang-cogin-giuvan-hoa-dan-toc-post328512.html