Always appearing at traditional festivals, the elders of the highlands seem to be very familiar to the community and tourists. Like the silent mountain mist in the middle of the forest, they tirelessly contribute their efforts to the journey of preserving the cultural fire of their ancestors and their roots...
Nearly 400 village elders and prestigious people were recently invited to attend a meeting and dialogue with provincial leaders, all of whom have left their own strong impressions on the mountainous community. With the spirit of setting an example, each with a story, they are like “ambassadors” of the village, together giving confidence to the community to develop.
Jungle music
That day, a village festival was held, the old man Colau Nhim - a prestigious person of Prao town (Dong Giang) stepped out in front of the crowd, holding a trumpet and blowing a long blast to signal the opening of the traditional festival program. The rhythm of the tang tung da da dance, the sounds of the forest harmonized in the mountain mist, as if mesmerizing the eyes of visitors.
In Dong Giang, old man Colau Nhim (76 years old) is like a “general director” in traditional village festival events. A former film industry official, old man Colau Nhim has experience in artistic activities, especially performing traditional mountain culture.
A familiar image, every time he appears, old Colau Nhim with a beaded flute, a feathered hat on his head, playing the music of the mountains and forests. The flute was made by old Colau Nhim and follows him throughout his tours to serve the community and tourists.
Old Colau Nhim said that when the artist Atung Ve was still alive, the two old men used to walk all over the highland villages, from Dong Giang to Tay Giang, then drifted to A Luoi (Thua Thien Hue ). Wherever they went, they exchanged musical instruments.
The Co Tu and Ta Oi friends along the Truong Son Dong forest, because of their love for their talents, wholeheartedly support these meaningful adventures, sharing their experiences in making musical instruments and finding ways to preserve traditional cultural identity. Now, the old Co Lau Nhim devotes all his heart to teaching that knowledge to the young Co Tu generation, as a way to show gratitude to the community.
Another time, I met Elder Colau Nhim when the locality was preparing to inaugurate the traditional gươl. At that time, Elder Nhim and Co Tu artisans participated in making wooden statues and reliefs to decorate the village gươl.
With skillful hands following each beat of the chisel, not long after, a wooden work of art “mother holding child” was born. While everyone was tense, old Colau Nhim took out a h'jul from his ta-lec (a three-compartment backpack for men) and played a rhythm to cheer up the spirit.
Old Colau Nhim said that all the family's traditional tools, from the panpipes, h'jul, abel to the horns and all kinds of Co Tu baskets, were all made by the old man himself.
“In the past, we only made them for household use. But since the policy of developing community tourism was introduced, these traditional musical instruments and objects have become tools for festivals and tourists’ learning purposes. Therefore, my collections have another value, which is to contribute to the work of preserving culture associated with developing community tourism in the locality,” said old Colau Nhim.
Passionate about traditional musical instruments, the last time they left the mountains to attend a meeting with provincial leaders, the elders of the Dong Giang highlands created emotions for traffic participants when from inside the passenger bus, the sounds of the Khen and the h'jul echoed all the way to the city...
Preserving traditional essence
The other day, I sat with old man Bh'ling Bloó right in the space of the traditional village of Bhơ Hôông (Sông Kôn commune, Đông Giang). Old man Bloó (66 years old), a former commune official, retired but not willing to "rest" so he always feels busy. The meticulousness of each weaving stage, the sophistication of the craft, has become familiar to him. That is easily seen in the bamboo and rattan weaving products of old man Bh'ling Bloó.
The Co Tu people have a variety of traditional items, from baskets, rice baskets, rice trays, tea trays, to trays, jewelry boxes, etc. All are meticulously hand-woven from bamboo and rattan. Therefore, Co Tu men often choose the most beautiful hand-woven products to give to their parents-in-law or to their loved ones on important and meaningful events.
“With this profession, you have to be diligent and persistent to be able to do it. For example, the three-compartment men’s backpack, called ta-lec by the Co Tu people, takes more than a month to weave.
Or jewelry boxes, vases, tea trays... not only require high techniques, but also require the meticulousness of the artisan when weaving the product. Therefore, we often jokingly say that this is a profession that preserves the traditional quintessence of the community" - old Bh'ling Bloó shared.
Having started weaving since childhood, by the time he got married, old Bh'ling Bloó said he had dozens of large and small baskets. He could weave almost any necessary household item.
In recent years, thanks to the support program and project of the Vietnam Handicraft Export Association (VietCraft), Bh'ling Bloó has expanded the scale of weaving, focusing on creating high-quality products, ensuring aesthetics in the direction of restoring the original value of traditional weaving.
In 2020, Elder Bh'ling Bloó participated in the program "Exhibition and introduction of Co Tu weaving craft" to the people and tourists of Hanoi. A year later, he was selected to participate in the weaving competition and won third prize in the competition organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Spending a lot of time on the journey to preserve the value of the profession, in recent years, elder Bh'ling Bloó has participated in teaching traditional weaving to the local Co Tu youth.
His enthusiasm helps more and more young people to master the craft, creating unique products to serve the neighboring market. Not focusing too much on income, the woven products of elder Bh'ling Bloó represent unique cultural values, bearing the mark of the sophisticated and creative weaving art of the Co Tu people.
Vice Chairman of Dong Giang District People's Committee - Do Huu Tung said that recently, the locality has taken advantage of capital from programs and projects such as Truong Son Xanh, Vietnam Handicraft Export Association... to support and restore the traditional profession of the Co Tu people.
At the same time, restore weaving cooperatives in the community; promote and increase advertising, trade promotion, find markets for products... to create stable income for people in mountainous areas.
“We identify preserving traditional crafts associated with developing community tourism as an important direction in preserving the cultural values of the Co Tu people. On the basis of restoring traditional craft villages, the contribution from the community, especially artisans such as Bh'ling Bloó, Alang Phuong... helps preserve and develop the quintessence of Co Tu weaving art from the risk of fading away” - Mr. Tung said.
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