People passionate about gongs in Ia Yok

(GLO)- Visiting Mr. Ro Cham Van's house (Bo village, Ia Yok commune, Ia Grai district) at the moment when he and the "veteran" members of the village's gong team were adjusting the gongs after returning from a performance trip, we could somewhat feel their dedication to the traditional culture of the nation.

In a small house at the entrance of Bo village, the sound of gongs echoed gently in the drizzling June evening. Mr. Van took each carefully wrapped gong apart, cleaned it meticulously, then used a small hammer to gently tap the rim of the gong to adjust the sound.

There were a few other men beside him. They sat in a circle around the gongs, hardly speaking, just listening attentively to the sound and communicating with their eyes. Occasionally, they would point to a gong and shake their heads or nod slightly.

Bo village gong team representing Ia Yok commune participates in the Ia Grai district gong culture festival in 2024. Photo: HH

Mr. Van said: “Since I was little, I followed my father to tune gongs in all the villages in the region. Seeing my father tune gongs, I was fascinated, trying to learn little by little to be as good as him. When tuning gongs, you have to listen with your ears and feel with your heart to know where the gongs are out of tune or where the sound is broken.”

At the age of over 60, Mr. Ro Cham Oi still regularly attends the team's practice sessions as a way to inspire and keep the traditional gong fire burning for the young generation in the village. Mr. Oi does not remember when he learned to play the gong, but remembers that since his youth he was fascinated by following his fathers and uncles to perform gongs at village festivals.

Thanks to his decades of experience with gongs, Mr. Oi is very "alert" in detecting gongs with wrong sounds. "Gongs that have been played for a long time and moved far away are easily hit, causing wrong sounds. Therefore, I have to adjust them so that the sound when played is correct, true to the spirit of my village's gongs," said Mr. Oi.

Young people in Bo village today are continuing the flame of love for gong culture of veteran artisans. Photo HH

Similarly, Mr. Ro Cham Hit-Chi, head of the Bo Village Veterans Association, is also a person who is particularly passionate about gongs. He is present in almost all of the gong tuning or practice sessions of the gong team to participate and wholeheartedly guide the young generation. “If I don’t go, I feel a lack and anxiety because gongs are not only a tradition of the nation but also my flesh and blood,” he affirmed.

Having finished speaking, Mr. Hit turned to instruct the gong playing to a 3-4 year old boy, the son of Mr. Ro Cham Tak, who was happily sitting next to him. The child stood close to the gong, his eyes attentively not leaving the movements of the men and women. “The boy loves gongs very much, every time he sees a gong, he is fascinated, and immediately comes to play it. So every time we practice or when the village has a festival, I take my son along so that he gets used to it, loves the culture, and when he grows up, he will play the gong for me, continuing the village tradition,” Mr. Tak expressed.

Mr. Ro Cham Van is the only person in Bo village who knows how to tune the gong. Photo: RH

Thanks to people who are passionate and responsible for the nation's heritage such as Mr. Van, Mr. Oi, Mr. Hit, Mr. Tak..., over the years, the gong practice movement in Bo village has always been maintained and constantly developed. The village's gong team also regularly participates in performances and exchanges at large and small cultural programs and festivals. Most recently, more than 30 members (including the gong team and the xoang team) of Bo village represented Ia Yok commune to participate in the Ia Grai district gong culture festival in 2024 and excellently won second prize.

“Gongs must live in daily life, in festivals, in the hearts of villagers. We cannot let gongs only exist on stage or in museums. Therefore, preserving and promoting the cultural identity of gongs is what we need to do and must do,” Van expressed his determination.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nhung-nguoi-tam-huyet-voi-cong-chieng-o-ia-yok-post328310.html