The "nuclei" that unite the community

For nearly 23 years, the people of E Cam village, Krong Ana commune, have considered village elder Y Om Knul as a close family member. They often consult him for advice and guidance on big and small matters. As a prestigious person with a good understanding of the law and the customary laws, village rules and conventions of the Ede people, elder Y Om has skillfully and flexibly applied them in each case to propagate, mobilize and reconcile cases.

Mr. Y Om Knul, village elder, a prestigious person in E Cam hamlet, Krong Ana commune, reminded people to take care of their business and not sell land or gardens.

Buon E Cam has 527 households with 2,646 people, ethnic minorities account for over 73%. Whenever there is a conflict or disagreement between a couple in the village or a dispute or quarrel between neighbors related to land, elder Y Om and the village's reconciliation, self-management and union groups go to the place to propagate. In each case, the elder studies carefully and meticulously, applies the terms and regulations of the law and the customary law of the community and locality to speak "reasonably and appropriately" so that people gradually understand, respect and listen.

In cases of marital fights or school violence, Elder Y Om analyzes the pros and cons so that both sides can recognize their mistakes. With his reputation, Elder Y Om is also invited to mediate in other villages in the province and has successfully mediated many cases, helping many families mend their relationships, focus on business, and take care of their children.

Previously, people in the village often had funeral customs lasting from 4-7 days, slaughtering buffaloes, chickens and organizing meals outside the cemetery, which was both costly and unsightly. Gia Y Om, together with the Party cell committee, self-management, and E Cam village organizations, propagated and encouraged people to practice civilized lifestyles in weddings and funerals. At the same time, he contributed 100,000 VND/household to buy tables, chairs, and tents, and assigned the heads of Ede clans to keep them and be responsible for lending them to households in the village to use whenever there was a happy or sad event. This approach has helped people gradually abandon backward customs.

Not only did he encourage families in the village to actively participate in donating land, contributing to road expansion and building new rural areas, Elder Y Om also encouraged young people, women and farmers in the village to participate in learning welding, construction, garment making, animal husbandry and established construction and garment groups to create jobs right in the village and develop the family economy .

Ms. H'Jim Byă, a resident of E Cam village, said: "Thanks to the elders' propaganda and mobilization, people have abandoned many backward customs, kept their traditional long houses, and do not worship as much as before. Every family is busy making a living, not selling land, fields, or gardens."

Buon Rung is the most difficult hamlet among the three ethnic minority hamlets of Krong Ana commune. There is little productive land, and people in the hamlet mainly work for the surrounding brick kilns. Therefore, in the past, people paid little attention to their children's education. Children in the hamlet often dropped out of school early to get married, go to work far away. The situation of incestuous marriage still exists. Realizing that this is the "bottleneck" that keeps people's lives stuck in the cycle of poverty and backwardness, as a prestigious person, Mr. Y Bang Bkrong (65 years old) has worked with the self-management and the hamlet's organizations to focus on propaganda and mobilizing people to pay attention and invest in their children's education.

Krong Ana commune has 26 villages, hamlets, and residential groups, including 25 ethnic groups living together, the most of which is the Ede ethnic group. To propagate and mobilize people, the commune focuses on promoting the role of village elders and prestigious people. They have become the "nucleus" that unites the community, helping people change their thinking and ways of doing things, build a cultural life, and maintain peace in the village.

Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Krong Ana Commune Dang Thi Kim Tuyen

His footsteps have traveled throughout the village. For every house with school-age children, Mr. Y Bang went there to explain to them the benefits of learning to read and write, that one must be literate to avoid being deceived, and that having a degree would make it easier to get a job in companies and factories. He went there once and didn't meet anyone, so he went there a second and third time. Admiring his sincerity, the people gradually "absorbed" him and changed their thinking, not letting their children drop out of school early.

Along with mobilizing the elderly, Mr. Y Bang also propagates to the young generation. In community activities or occasions when people and children gather in large numbers, Mr. Y Bang incorporates propaganda and reminders about the Law on Marriage and Family, analyzes the consequences of early marriage and incestuous marriage, reminds children not to drop out of school, get married early, and not to marry relatives. He also propagates to people and young people in the village to wear Ede ethnic costumes during festivals, weddings, and housewarmings to preserve the beauty of traditional culture.

Mr. Y Bang Bkrong, a prestigious person in Rung village, Krong Ana commune, regularly meets and encourages young people in the village to take care of their business.

In developing the family economy, Mr. Y Bang has propagated and mobilized people not to leave land fallow, but to use garden land to build pens to raise pigs and chickens, or to grow grass to raise cows, and to grow vegetables to improve meals.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202510/nhung-hat-nhan-gan-ket-cong-dong-2e3164d/