"Blooming" gong clubs and teams

Lam Dong is the long-standing home of the Ma, K'Ho, and Churu ethnic groups - three of the creators of the Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space Heritage, which has been recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Over the years, the "blossoming" gong clubs and groups have continuously spread the value and beauty and made gong culture last forever.

The proliferation of gong clubs creates a large traditional cultural space.

The "blooming" of gong clubs creates a large traditional cultural space.

If more than 5 years ago, the whole province only had 16 gong clubs operating to serve tourists at the foot of Lang Biang mountain, then up to now, the whole province has 92 gong clubs of ethnic groups with nearly 2,000 members participating in activities (1,096 men, 875 women). Specifically: Bao Lam 25 clubs, Di Linh 16 clubs, Lac Duong 15 clubs, Don Duong 10 clubs, Cat Tien 6 clubs, Da Teh 6 clubs, Duc Trong 5 clubs, Lam Ha 5 clubs, Da Huoai 4 clubs...

Coming to Lieng Trang 1 village, Da Tong commune these days, the sound of gongs and drums is bustling in the village. Mr. Cil Ha If - Club Chairman said: The club was established more than 2 years ago, gathering 35 members from 24 to 75 years old. Three artisans Cil Ha Sung (73 years old), Ndu Ha Bieng (58 years old), Ndu Ha Bong (56 years old) are knowledgeable in performance skills and have devoted themselves to teaching all gong melodies to young members. Young artisan Bon Jang K'Sinh teaches xoang dances, folk songs, and folk dances learned from his mother and grandmother to his sisters. Recently, the club was supported by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VH-TT-DL) with a set of 6 gongs and performance costumes to create conditions for the club to develop. When the Dam Rong Ethnic Cultural Reserve is completed, it will be a place for the Club to introduce the cultural beauty of its ethnic group to friends, contributing to the development of community tourism in the remote area of Dam Rong.

The K'Rot Dong Village Gong Club, Bao Thuan Commune (Di Linh) has 20 members who regularly practice under the guidance of the excellent artisan K'Berl. He teaches the team members each movement, how to hold the gong, how to feel and distinguish each gong in the set of 6 gongs, guides them on how to play the gongs to make them resonate, with soul, and 6 traditional gong melodies that make the village always resound with the sound of gongs. The K'Rot Dong Village Gong Club maintains the original melody passed down from their ancestors, and attracts adults and children to watch during its activities and practice sessions.

The Gong Culture Club of Ma Am and Sop villages, Da Loan commune (Duc Trong) attracts 59 members (21 men, 38 women). The club regularly practices every week, not only being taught each melody in the 3-chord gong set of the Churu people by two excellent artisans in the district, Ya Ba and Ya Dong, but the club members also learn traditional musical instruments such as buffalo-skin drums and gourd pipes. In addition, the graceful and rhythmic Arya dances are also revived, blending into the captivating melodies.

The active gong clubs have created a large traditional cultural space that gathers many people and many generations to participate, practically preserving and promoting the value of the Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space Heritage. Many activities have taken place enthusiastically such as exchanges, performances, competitions, festivals, and participation in performances serving the events of the commune and village, meeting the spiritual life of the community. There, the people are both the creators and transmitters, and also the subjects enjoying gong culture. The clubs not only practically preserve and promote cultural values, arouse pride and a sense of responsibility in preserving the national cultural identity, but also create an environment for teaching the next generation.

The "blooming" of gong clubs is the result of efforts to effectively implement the Project "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development" under the National Target Program on Socio -economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas. In order to achieve the goal of "One gong club in each village", in recent years, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong has continuously opened gong teaching classes, and at the same time presented traditional musical instruments, traditional costumes, and supported the activities of 67 traditional art troupes in villages in ethnic minority areas. In 2023 alone, the Department organized 19 classes to teach traditional musical instruments to nearly 600 Ma, K'Ho, Churu, M'Nong, and S'tieng youth; presented and distributed 29 sets of gongs to the clubs. After each gong teaching class ends, it will be the foundation for a gong club to be established. The members attending the class (30 people) continue to practice and participate in regular activities under the guidance of artisans, with the attention of local authorities to support the establishment of the club, and develop the mass art movement at the grassroots level.

In order for the gong clubs to operate systematically, the Department also supported 15 excellent artisans recognized by the Government, creating conditions for artisans to pass on, popularize, and train the next generation; built a model of folk cultural activity club in resettlement villages in Dam Rong, Duc Trong; supported investment in building cultural and sports facilities in 24 villages; supported equipment for cultural houses in 16 ethnic minority villages. Along with that, the project to preserve traditional cultural villages associated with tourism development of the K'Ho ethnic group in Dung K'si village, Da Chais commune (Lac Duong); K'Long Trao 1 village, Gung Re commune (Di Linh) has been implemented, in which the construction of the gong club is the core. Every year, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organizes the Folk Arts Club Festival and the Cultural Festival of Ethnic Minority Areas in districts and provinces so that gong clubs have the opportunity to exchange, perform, and improve their performance and recitation skills.

In 2024, Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to open 4 classes to teach gong to 120 K'Ho and Churu ethnic youth in Dam Rong, Don Duong, Di Linh and Duc Trong districts. After teaching, the classes will become gong clubs, maintaining activities and enriching the cultural life of the villages.

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