1. Mr. Aleo is one of the few Jrai people in Pan village who still practice carving wooden statues. For him, this is not only a traditional profession passed down from his ancestors, but also a way to preserve the national cultural identity. “Since I was young, I often saw village elders carving statues for the tombs. Although I did not fully understand the meaning, I was fascinated by the way lifeless pieces of wood were transformed into vivid shapes. That image is deeply imprinted in my mind. But it was not until I got married that I began to learn to carve statues,” said Mr. Aleo.
Mr. Aleo learned to sculpt by observing the village elders and then practicing on his own. In the early days, his poor technique caused many statues to be damaged, but he was not discouraged. He persevered and redid them, improving his skills with each product.
Over the years, from avocado and purple-flowered wood, he has carved vivid and soulful human, object, and bird figures. His wooden statues are known and ordered by many people. "Three years ago, through someone else's introduction, I sold dozens of statues to a tourist in Ho Chi Minh City. Every time a customer places an order, I accept to make them according to the request. Currently, I cannot help but worry because no one in the village continues to carve statues like me."
In addition to sculpting statues, Mr. Aleo also weaves household items such as baskets, winnowing baskets, and baskets... He also makes brooms to sell to earn extra income and make ends meet.
Mr. Rah Lan Nhat - Vice Chairman of Dun Commune People's Committee, commented: "In the context of increasingly declining statue carving, Mr. Rmah Aleo is very dedicated and persistent in his profession of statue carving. At the 2nd Cultural - Sports Competition of Ethnic Minorities in Chu Se District in 2018, Mr. Aleo won first prize in the statue carving competition. This is an example for the younger generation to learn from to preserve the traditional culture of the nation".
2. Mr. Ayó (Piơm village) is the one who inspires the younger generation through the gong beats and xoang dances of the Bahnar people. Born in 1960, since childhood, Mr. Ayó has been fascinated by the resounding sounds of gongs whenever the village has a festival. Thanks to the dedicated instruction of the village elders, at the age of 14 he had mastered the gong playing technique. After getting married, he continued to teach gongs and xoang dances to the youth in the village.
However, more than 15 years ago, the teaching of gongs encountered many difficulties due to the lack of musical instruments. Because people did not fully realize the value, they sold many precious gong sets. In 2007, when he was elected as the Head of Piơm Village, Mr. Ayó took the initiative to promote and mobilize people to preserve and restore gongs. Thanks to his perseverance, Piơm Village contributed money to buy a set of gongs (16 pieces) for 40 million VND, creating conditions for teaching and performing in the community.
Currently, Piơm village has 3 sets of gongs and 1 gong team with 40 members, including 4 children and 9 grandchildren of Mr. Ayó. The team regularly participates in festival programs organized at district and provincial levels. At the Dak Doa District Ethnic Culture Festival in 2025, Piơm village gong team won first prize overall. "I always try to teach and set an example for my children and grandchildren to love, understand and preserve the cultural values of the nation," Mr. Ayó shared.
Y Ayum (born in 2012), Mr. Ayó’s granddaughter, happily said: “I really like learning gongs. At first, it was very difficult, but thanks to his teaching and hard practice, I now know how to play. When I grow up, I will teach my younger siblings to preserve the gongs of the Bahnar people.”
Mr. Lick (Piơm village) said: “Mr. Ayó is currently the Deputy Head of Piơm village. For a long time, he and I have been teaching gongs to the youth in the village. Up to now, most of the youth know how to play gongs and dance xoang. Mr. Ayó can also make traditional musical instruments such as goong and t'rung. The villagers really appreciate him.”
Not only is he the “fire keeper” of the gong cultural space, Mr. Ayó is also a dedicated cadre, close to the people, and responsible to the community. He skillfully propagates to the people to keep the environment clean and is always at the forefront of every movement.
He said: Previously, some households in the village often littered, polluting the environment and affecting the landscape. Faced with this situation, he incorporated environmental protection into village meetings and went to each house to encourage them to change their habits. He contacted the collection unit and organized a garbage collection point, with each household contributing 10,000 VND/month to maintain the service.
Initially, only his family and 60 households in the village participated, but when they saw the increasingly clean and beautiful landscape, the remaining households also voluntarily responded. Up to now, 100% of households in Piơm village have seriously collected and put away garbage according to regulations. Spontaneous garbage dumps no longer exist, the village has become clean and spacious.
With his contributions to the community, Mr. Ayó has been honored many times. In 2013, he was awarded a certificate of merit by the Chairman of the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee for his outstanding achievements in the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life" in the period 2007-2012. In the same year 2013, his family was awarded a certificate of merit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for their outstanding achievements in the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life" on the occasion of the second national conference to honor outstanding cultural families in 2013. In 2025, he was awarded a certificate of merit by the Chairman of the Dak Doa District People's Committee for his outstanding achievements in studying and following the ideology, morality and style of Ho Chi Minh in the period 2016-2025.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nhung-nguoi-giu-lua-van-hoa-jrai-bahnar-post325809.html
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