The keeper of national cultural soul in Buon Don

The risk of heritage loss is one of the major challenges for villages in the Central Highlands. Meanwhile, the people of Don village still persistently maintain more than 10 traditional long houses and preserve precious sets of ancient gongs. That difference is greatly attributed to the efforts of fire keepers like Mr. Y Dem.

Mr. Y Dem Byă - a prestigious person in Don village - considers gongs as the treasure of his life.

Mr. Y Dem Byă - a prestigious person in Don village - considers gongs as the "treasure" of his people.

With his prestige and respect for the culture of his roots, he has persistently campaigned with the villagers to preserve priceless heritages: long houses, gongs, traditional jars, wine making, basket weaving, etc.

In recent years, economic pressures have forced many families to sell off long-standing cultural items of historical and spiritual value. Gongs are bought and sold as antiques, and longhouse timber is “butchered” to raise money to build new houses.

Mr. Y Dem Byă (sitting in the middle) talks with villagers about preserving gong culture.

To prevent the risk of losing the precious cultural heritage of the nation, as a prestigious person in the village, Mr. Y Dem used his sincerity to encourage and advise the people. He went to each house, sat by the fire, talked and confided about the great losses when the "national soul" was lost or sold.

The precious pot has been preserved by the people of Don village since their ancestors' time.

His heartfelt words, imbued with emotion and understanding of customary law, touched the hearts of the villagers. Buon Don with 184 households, ethnic minorities accounting for 97% of the population (mainly M'nong, Ede, Lao) is currently one of the few villages that still retains a significant number of traditional long houses.

The traditional basket weaving profession of Mrs. H'La Byă's family is still maintained.

Ms. H'La Byă, M'nông ethnic group, resident of Buôn Đôn village, shared that the words of a prestigious person like Mr. Y Dem made her even more determined to join hands in preserving her M'nông ethnic culture. Currently, her family's traditional basket weaving profession is still maintained. Her husband still diligently makes bamboo and rattan items for the family's daily life. Not only that, he also persistently passes on the profession to his children and grandchildren.

She added: "Many people quit their jobs because making and weaving baskets takes time, instead, they buy industrial plastic items for convenience. But Mr. Y Dem encouraged us that the basket is a sacred item, keeping this job is also keeping the "soul" of our nation. With his encouragement, we are more determined to keep the traditional job."

It is not difficult to come across traditional long houses in Buon Don (Buon Don commune).

Not only does he convince people to preserve traditional culture, he is also an artist, a true gong player.

Buon Don still maintains a team of adult gong players who play the gong skillfully and systematically, which is rare. A prestigious person like Y Dem is also an important member of the team.

The team's gongs not only resound during festivals and cultural activities in the village, but also regularly perform on many large stages inside and outside the province. This has created great pride for the people, turning culture into a living value, a unique pride of their nation.

"Every time the gong sound of the Buon Don gong team resounds, I feel proud and empowered" - Mr. Y Dem shared.

However, what he cares most about now is teaching the younger generation. Because more than anyone, he understands that heritage only exists if there are people to continue and inherit it.

Mr. Y Dem enthusiastically discussed with the young generation in the village about the traditional culture of his people.

Mr. Y Dem enthusiastically discussed with the young generation in the village about the traditional culture of the M'nong people.

He and the elders in the village spend a lot of time teaching the younger generation how to play the gong. Not only does he teach the techniques, but he also teaches the children about customary law, ethnic culture, and the important role of community cohesion.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mr. Y Dem and the consensus of the people, in Don village today, the sound of gongs still resonates every time the village has a festival, the long house is still preserved and the basket still accompanies people to the fields. This is a testament to a united community, determined to preserve the sacred soul of the nation in a complete and vivid way.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202511/nguoi-giu-hon-van-hoa-dan-toc-o-buon-don-f012245/