The colorful world in the art of decorating the pole of the Co people in the mountainous region of Tra Bong

NDO - Like other ethnic minorities in the Truong Son-Tay Nguyen region, the Co people pay great attention to visual arts to create a unique aesthetic space for their residence. Their ability to create shapes and visual arts have very unique features and are quite outstanding compared to many other ethnic minorities in the region.

The pole and the flagpole in the buffalo eating festival are highlights in the decorative and visual arts of the Co people, a quintessence of the folk visual arts of the vast Truong Son-Tay Nguyen region.

Tra Bong District, Quang Ngai Province has more than 32,800 Co people, accounting for 60.8% of the population, residing mainly in 13 highland communes. The Co people's pole has many different forms, each region has its own characteristics. The pole is made of Cho tree, the trunk and top are made of bamboo, with rattan, other tree bark, and put wood in the gu ears hanging halfway up the pole.

The pole is made of teak, the trunk and top are made of bamboo, with rattan and tree bark.

The pole is also decorated with wooden swallows. On top of the pole is also attached a swallow. This is the image of a bird that always catches worms, grasshoppers, and locusts to protect the rice plants. The Co ethnic group considers swallows to be birds sent down from the sky by gods to help them. Therefore, the Co people never hunt or eat swallows.

The swallows decorated on the top and around the tree trunk are typical symbols of the Co people's pole decoration in Tra Bong mountain region.

The buffalo-binding tree will bring safety when bringing the buffalo to perform the ceremony. The buffalo-binding tree is carefully woven and beautifully shaped. This weaving technique is considered a unique feature of the Co people compared to other ethnic groups in the Truong Son-Tay Nguyen region.

The buffalo rope is carefully woven and uniquely shaped.

The decoration of the pole is done with the participation of skilled artisans with many years of experience, expressing the beauty of the long-standing customs of the Co people in the ritual of worshiping the gods with buffalo sacrifice.

“The colors of the patterns on the ancestral tree have three main colors: black symbolizes the earth, white symbolizes the sky, and red symbolizes fire,” explains artisan Ho Van De, Tra Phong commune, Tra Bong district.

The art of decorating the pole in the buffalo eating festival of the Co ethnic group originated from the development history of the Co community. The pole is associated with buffalo eating festivals, worshiping ancestors, praying for peace and good fortune. "For the Co people, creating a shape is not simply for beauty, but to send wishes to the gods, asking for blessings for a better life," said Ms. Thanh Hoa, an official of Tra Bui commune.

Artists decorate the tree.

With realistic images, Co artisans only need to use a few strokes to express the spirit of things and events: from wild animals such as tigers and elephants to trees such as the teak tree, cinnamon tree, rice plant, millet tree; stories of collecting honey, carrying animals or images of buffalo eating festivals, celebrating new rice... The life of the Co people is depicted with simple lines. Bringing nature and daily life into the visual and decorative arts can recognize the cultural characteristics and unique identity of the Co people in the highlands of Tra Bong.

Neu gak xa glak means flagpole, because on top of the pole there is a long flagpole hanging down, on top of the pole there is a very colorful decorated bird.

Decorative patterns of various types of flagpoles are rich and diverse.

The Co people's visual arts are deeply primitive, expressing the aesthetic sense, extremely skillful hands and seemingly endless aesthetic creativity of the Co people. The pole erected in the buffalo eating festival is often associated with the ca-dao dance in the sacred cultural space of the mountains and forests. The rich and diverse natural area makes the art of decorating the pole even richer. Aesthetic sense is always present in the life of the Co people following the flow of culture and history.

Over time, the number of flags and flags decorated by artists has gradually decreased.

The intangible cultural heritage of the Co ethnic group's pole decoration art continues to be taught to generations in the Co community, contributing to popularizing the unique value of the heritage at home and abroad. Artisans actively contribute their talent, creativity, and passion for folk art to spread the value of traditional art in contemporary social and cultural life.

The art of decorating and shaping the pole of the Co people has very unique features and is quite outstanding compared to many ethnic minorities in the Truong Son-Tay Nguyen region .

Artists actively create and are passionate about traditional folk art to spread unique cultural values.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/the-gioi-sac-mau-trong-nghe-thuat-trang-tri-cay-neu-nguoi-co-mien-nui-tra-bong-post877556.html