(HBO) – In spite of the change of the social life, Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province’s Lac Son district still consciously preserve unique cultural identities of the locality, especially folk songs, said Bui Van Nom, former Secretary of the district Party Committee.
Muong ethnic people in Lac Son exert efforts to preserve popular folk songs.
Nom, who is devoting himself to the collection and preservation of folklore culture
values of the nation, said Muong folk songs are becoming more and more popular in the daily life of the local community.
According to
folklore researcher Bui Huy Vong, Lac Son is considered to be the core zone of
Muong people in Hoa Binh province and their culture.
For a long
time, people here have considered Muong folk songs in general, and Thuong Rang, Bo Meng and Dum singing popular cultural
practices in the daily life. The singing styles have become the
intangible cultural heritage of the locality bearing cultural, historical and
human values.
Local people sing not only on the
occasions of weddings, new house celebrations, festivals, and cultural and
artistic exchanges, Muong folk songs are becoming more and more popular through
the lullabies, when men and women declaring their love to each other while working
in the fields and gardens.
In recent
times, Thuong Rang, Bo Meng and Dum singing has been organised in many
festivals, becoming the highlight in festivals and mass art contests in the
district.
Along with preserving the cultural identity of Muong ethnic people in general, the
local authorities have also paid attention to keeping and developing Muong folk
songs.
As part of efforts to preserve and promote this unique
cultural value, a number of folk singing clubs have been established, such as
Muong Khai and Muong Khoi in An Nghia commune, and Bai Chim in Tan My commune.
Some artists and those who are devoting
themselves to preserving Muong folk songs such
as Bui Thien, Bui Huy Vong, and Bui Van Nom, have organised over 30 performance
exchange programmes, counted over 300 artists singing folk songs, old Muong
songs, and stored nearly 1.000
GB of relevant video and audio data.
Fork song
artist Bui Van Tien in Song Khanh village of Tan My commune, who is head of Bai
Chim Club, said Bua, Rang, Vi and Dum singing styles of Muong people feature epics
and legends, reflect the daily life, customs and beliefs, and express the
desire for a prosperous life of Muong people in Hoa Binh.
The singing styles originated from the working life of the people and are handed downorallyfrom
generation to generation. Local people sing Muong folk songs in festivals of early spring.
Apart from Rang singing, the Muong people in Lac Son also retain Sac Bua
singing in in spring festivals, Nom said. The unique
culture of Muong people has been passed down through generations, bringing in a
strong and long-lasting vitality, becoming a cultural flow imbued with the
ethnic group’s unique cultural values. Muong folk
songs are on the way to be recognized as a national intangible cultural
heritage./.
Xoe dance, an unique art form of the Thai ethnic minority group in Mai Chau district of Hoa Binh province has existed for a long time and passed down through generations. Xoe dance is not only a popular dance in the Thai community but also a unique cultural feature, an indispensable part in the Thai ethnic minority people's cultural and spiritual life.
The Bac Son pre-school in Hung Son commune, Kim Boi district is effectively implementing a model of preserving and promoting cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group.
Through ups and downs, many unique cultural features of the Muong ethnic minority group are facing risks of falling into oblivion. However, with a strong determination, Lac Son district of Hoa Binh province has deployed synchronous solutions to preserve and promote the locality's cultural heritage values.
If Tan Lac is considered the core of the cradle of Muong culture in Hoa Binh, Phong Phu commune is the cultural centre of Muong culture in Tan Lac district. Luy Ai hamlet in Phong Phu commune is where customs and traditions of Muong Bi are preserved. Luy Ai hamlet was chosen to build a space to preserve Muong ethnic culture. The district is seeking support from the province and coordinating with relevant agencies to devise a plan on preservation of Muong cultural spaces associated with developing tourism products and improving the lives of local residents.
Nguyen Manh Tuan, a Muong ethnic man in Ba Hang Doi town, Lac Thuy district, is known as a young, dedicated, and outstanding artisan who has made significant contributions in collecting, restoring, and preserving national cultural values.
The Government Office with Document No. 2082/VPCP-KGVX, dated March 29, 2024, sent out the opinion of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha regarding the submission of the "Mo Muong" and "Cheo art" dossiers to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
