Priceless assets of the Ha Nhi people

See the forest as a treasure

In the last days of the year, despite the winter weather, the sunlight still shines brightly on the villages. For the villages of the Ha Nhi community, the sunlight is absolutely weaker because it is protected by the shade of the primeval forests.

In the last days of the year, we visited some Ha Nhi villages. The first impression was that everywhere we looked, we could see the cool green color of the forest.

From the top of Ta Lo San, Sen Thuong commune, looking out, the surrounding villages are like a vivid picture covered by vast green forests. As a long-time resident of the border land of Sen Thuong, Mr. Ly Kho Chu, Head of the Front Work Committee of Ta Lo San village, said that from ancient times until now, generations of Ha Nhi people have always considered forests as a source of life, a roof to protect the people. Water for daily life also comes from the forest, if the forest cannot be protected, it will not be possible to live... It is thanks to the awareness of the importance of the forest that for the Ha Nhi people, each forest is considered a forbidden area, not to be violated.

Ta Lo San village has nearly 30 households but is taking care of and protecting nearly 3,000 hectares of forest, therefore, along the long border of the Fatherland, the forests of Ta Lo San village are always endlessly green.

The Ha Nhi people in Ta Lo San consider the forest as their flesh and blood, and the Ha Nhi people in Ta Su Linh, Sin Thau commune also consider the forest as their life. Therefore, over the years, the work of caring for and protecting the forest has always been seriously carried out by the people here. Mr. Chao Tro Pha, Secretary of the Ta Su Linh village Party Cell, shared: The forest of Ta Su Linh village is located in the core area of Muong Nhe Nature Reserve with more than 320 hectares of natural forest, of which 240 hectares are protected by the village community. In their folk beliefs, the Ha Nhi people believe that: Each forest has a god who rules it, who is the god of fortune of each village, so the fate of the villagers is closely related to the survival of that forest. Because the forest has a special place in their subconscious, the Ha Nhi people have long had the custom of worshiping the forest god. Every year in the second lunar month, the Ha Nhi people will hold a village worship ceremony (also known as the Ga Ma Thu ceremony). During this time, the Ha Nhi people will stop working on the fields, not eat wild animals, and not catch or bring into the village animals that live in caves or underground to avoid risks for the villagers. This further shows that the forest is very important to the Ha Nhi people.

Keep the forest to benefit from the forest

The Ha Nhi people in Muong Nhe live in 4 communes, including: Sin Thau, Chung Chai, Sen Thuong, Leng Su Sin. Recognizing the benefits that forests bring, for many years, the Ha Nhi community has always been conscious and responsible for preserving and protecting forests. Since the policy of payment for forest environmental services (PFES) was implemented, the forests in the far west of the country have become even greener.

As one of the households benefiting from DVMTR, Mr. Ly Son Pha, Ta Lo San village, Sen Thuong commune, excitedly said: Everyone says we are millionaires from the forest. That's right, while the situation of deforestation for farming still exists in many places, our awareness of forest protection has existed for a long time. Not only that, but we also have our own convention on this issue. Therefore, every year, we have received a large amount of DVMTR payment. For example, in 2021, the whole village received more than 2.5 billion VND in DVMTR. In 2022, each person received 18 million VND/year. If each household has 3 or 4 people or more, they will receive more than 50 million VND.

Not only in Ta Lo San, in recent years, when the benefits that forests bring are great, people in communes in Muong Nhe in general, the Ha Nhi community in 4 communes: Sin Thau, Chung Chai, Sen Thuong, Leng Su Sin in particular are always aware of caring for and protecting forests. Therefore, the situation of deforestation or forest fires is strictly controlled. In 2022 alone, the amount of money that the State paid for DVMTR to Sen Thuong commune was nearly 15 billion VND, Sin Thau was more than 5.6 billion VND; Chung Chai was more than 3 billion VND and Leng Su Sin was 1.6 billion VND.

Sharing about the Ha Nhi people's forest protection efforts, Ms. Po My Le, Secretary of the Party Committee of Sin Thau commune, said: Forests for the Ha Nhi people not only have spiritual significance but also economic value. Therefore, every year, under the guidance and leadership of the local Party Committee and government, with nearly 12,000 hectares of assigned forest, the Ha Nhi community in 7 villages of Sin Thau commune all work together to manage and protect it well. Up to now, the forest coverage rate of the whole commune has reached over 73%.

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