Rah Lan Tlong, the person who "breathes life" into folk wooden statues

Born into a family with a tradition of carving statues, Rah Lan Tlong was familiar with the sound of chiseling on wooden trunks since he was a child. At the age of 7, Tlong watched his grandfather carve statues every day without getting bored; he even asked to follow his grandfather to cut trees and learn how to choose wood. When he grew up a little, Tlong was assigned simple tasks such as shaving wood and painting.

Gradually, he learned how to hold a chisel and an axe and familiarized himself with basic lines. At the age of 15, Mr. Tlong began to carve his first statues by himself.

Recalling the early days of sculpting, Mr. Tlong smiled and said: “Back then, when I first held the chisel, every time I pressed it on the wood, it slipped and didn’t form any shape. My grandfather had to show me how to place the chisel and carve so that it wouldn’t hit my hand. Practice makes perfect, the more I did it, the more enthusiastic I became.”

Depending on the size of the wood and the complexity of the statue, it takes him 1-2 days to carve simple statues and nearly a week to complete more difficult products. His wooden statues contain the soul of the Central Highlands mountains and forests, vividly reflecting the life and soul of the Jrai people.

Mr. Rah Lan Tlong (middle) shares about the stages of carving wooden statues. Photo: LH

According to Mr. Tlong, to complete a statue, it must go through many stages. The wood used to carve statues is usually star wood, rosewood, and oil wood. These types of wood are highly durable, less susceptible to termites, and easy to carve.

Therefore, in the past, he often went into the forest to personally select suitable wood trunks, which were both sturdy and had beautiful grain so that when carved, the wood grain would be clear and create depth for the work. After selecting the wood, he proceeded to sketch the shape of the statue by lightly carving on the wood trunk according to his experience and imagination. Once he had created a rough shape for the statue, he continued to use chisels to go into detail.

“Detailed carving is the most important stage, requiring skill and meticulousness. For example, with the statue of a mother carrying her child or a drummer, we need to pay attention to the character’s demeanor and gestures; from there, convey the story and emotions through the statue,” Mr. Tlong shared.

A statue crafted by Mr. Tlong. Photo: LH

Currently, Mr. Tlong has carved more than 100 statues, mainly recreating familiar images in the daily life of the Jrai people such as: mother carrying her child, beating drums, pounding rice, animals... Most of the statues decorating the tombs in Du village were crafted by him. For the Jrai people, death is not the end but returning to Yang, to Atau. Decorating wooden statues around the tombs is for the living to express their condolences to the dead. In addition, the Jrai people believe that these statues will accompany and serve the deceased in the afterlife .

In 2023, Mr. Tlong participated and won first prize in the statue carving competition at the first Cultural and Sports Festival of Ethnic Minorities in Krong Pa district. After that, he was also "chosen" by the commune and district to participate in the folk wooden statue carving competition and perform at festivals organized by the provincial levels and sectors.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Hiao Khanh - Head of Du village - said: "Mr. Rah Lan Tlong is a rare person in the village who still maintains the traditional craft of carving statues. He not only carves statues quickly but his works are also beautiful and sophisticated. With his passion and dedication, he has made an important contribution to preserving and promoting the wooden statue carving culture of the Jrai people in the locality. We are encouraging young people in the village to learn to carve statues from Mr. Tlong to preserve this beautiful traditional culture."

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/rah-lan-tlong-nguoi-thoi-hon-cho-tuong-go-dan-gian-post316091.html