The gong keeper for the village

For the past 20 years, driven by his love and passion for the gongs of the Ede people, artisan Y Hy (Buon Tuong village, Ninh Tay commune, Ninh Hoa town) has diligently undertaken many concrete actions to preserve and promote the value of this musical instrument. As a result, the number of people who know how to play gongs in the villages of Ninh Tay commune has increased significantly. The sound of the gongs resonates far and wide, from the villages to the vast mountain forests.

Passionate about the nation's traditional culture.

In Ninh Tay commune, artisan Y Hy is a respected and influential figure among the Ede people. This is not simply because he is the Party Secretary of Ninh Tay commune, but also because he is deeply committed to preserving the traditional culture of his ethnic group. Having visited Mr. Y Hy's home many times, we are always surprised by his work and how he cherishes the customs, traditions, and cultural beauty of his people. I remember that in early 2020, artisan Y Hy was delighted to establish a gong ensemble, bringing together people who share a love for this instrument to practice and perform traditional Ede gong music. He has also collected and preserved valuable bronze gongs with excellent sound quality. In November 2024, after many years of saving, artisan Y Hy completed the construction of a traditional Ede longhouse. The house serves as a display area for the Ede people's tools, implements, and musical instruments such as baskets, crossbows, axes, rice wine jars, gongs, and horns. Notably, it has become a cultural hub for the villagers in Ninh Tay commune. Every weekend and during holidays, the resonant sounds of gongs and drums emanate from this very longhouse. "Since childhood, my ama (father) taught me gong music and how to identify a good set of gongs, and that has deeply ingrained itself in my soul. Even after my ama passed away, I continued to practice the gong music and hon my skills to better understand the nuances, tones, and rhythms of each gong," said artisan Y Hy.

Artisan Y Hy has a deep affection for the gong and drum musical instruments of his ethnic group.

A distinctive feature of the gong performance is the participation of many people, each using a separate gong and sitting together on a Kpan (a traditional Ede long chair) to produce different sounds. Each gong sound is like a dialogue, a heartfelt expression of the players' feelings through the clash of different rhythmic groups. The Ede gong set usually consists of five gongs, symbolizing family members, arranged in order from largest to smallest: Bõh knăh phun (grandfather's gong), bõh knăh hleang (father's gong), bõh điết hluoe khơk (son's gong), bõh điết hluoe hliang (grandson's gong), combined with two knobbed gongs that the Ede call mđũ ana hong mung. The set of seven gongs, as shown above, harmonizes with the H'gơr drum to create majestic and soaring melodies. “The Ede people usually perform gong music in their longhouses. Currently, I possess traditional gong pieces of the Ede people such as: “Tông hong klei drai êa” (the echo of the waterfall); “Tông hong klei ứ êpa, ứ êpa”, “Bơ yơh, bơ yơh”, “Kơtap dum anăn” (gong pieces with encouraging messages for people to strive for a better life)…,” shared artisan Y Hy.

Promoting the melodies of gongs and drums.

Not only did artisan Y Hy personally master and practice playing the gongs, but he also sought out village elders and respected figures in the villages of Ninh Tay commune to encourage them to learn to play the gongs and other traditional musical instruments of the Ede ethnic group. As a result, the number of people who know how to play the gongs has steadily increased, creating the necessary conditions for artisan Y Hy and the village elders to revive some traditional festivals such as the water-worshiping ceremony, the housewarming ceremony, and wedding ceremonies. In these festivals, the gong ensemble performance is indispensable. Thanks to this, in recent years, the preservation and promotion of the traditional cultural values ​​of the Ede ethnic group in Ninh Tay commune has seen significant progress. In particular, some characteristic gongs of the Ede people in Khanh Hoa province, such as the kok gong and gong gong, have been restored and are being performed again.

“When I was young, I also learned to play the gong and the ding-nam horn. But later, due to living conditions, I neglected it for a long time. Recently, I was encouraged by artisan Y Hy and invited to join the gong team. This allowed me to relive my old hobby and contribute to preserving my ethnic group's musical instruments,” said Mr. Y Ty (Buon Dung village). For Mr. Y Suk (Buon Lac village), since learning how to use the kok gong from artisan Y Hy, he has developed a love for this instrument. “Artisan Y Hy encouraged me to join the village's gong team, where I practiced and performed for people. Later, I learned how to use the kok gong and immediately fell in love with it. The sound of the kok gong doesn't resonate as loudly as bronze gongs, but it's more intimate and simple,” Mr. Y Suk shared.

A valuable set of gongs by artisan Y Hy.

Through his efforts, artisan Y Hy has made a significant contribution to preserving and promoting the melodies of gong music in contemporary life. By organizing a gong ensemble, he has successfully encouraged the establishment of performing arts groups in several villages. Members of these groups not only perform gong ensembles but also play the ding nam and ding tut horns, sing folk songs, and perform traditional dances of the Ede people. Each sound of the gongs and other musical instruments, combined with the singing and dancing, acts as a bond connecting the people's emotions. From this, the unique cultural and artistic values ​​of the Ede people continue to be passed on and preserved. For artisan Y Hy, the Provincial Council for awarding the titles of Outstanding Artisan and People's Artisan unanimously recommended him to the Ministry-level Council for consideration of the title of Outstanding Artisan.

GIANG DINH

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/202504/nguoi-giu-tieng-chieng-cho-buon-lang-b5a32fc/