Bang a gong
19:16 04/03/2009

The ancient instrument of Vietnam’s Central Highlands is steeped in tradition but has it become a dying art?      

Dating back to the ancient Dong Son civilization some 3,000 years ago, Vietnamese gong culture in the Central Highlands is mired in tradition.

Still part of ethnic minority life today, these unique drums serve countless functions in a village.

They are a symbol of strength, sacred heritage, and a means of spiritual communication.

Although no one knows exactly when the Central Highlands gongs were first made, the “cultural space of gongs” has been an integral part of ethnic minority cultures in the region and was recognized as a “Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2005.

Gong culture is most prominent in five provinces in Vietnam’s Central Highlands – Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong – home to some 20 minority ethnic groups.

In ancient times, gongs were cast in gold or silver.

Nowadays, most are made from an alloy of copper, zinc, lead, and black bronze.

There are two kinds of gongs that vary in shape and size – gong has a nipple-shaped center and produces a single, uniform sound, while chieng is flat and offers a wider range of notes.

Different sized gongs are characterized by names like Mother, Father, and Older Sister.

Resting on the thigh or hanging from a frame, gongs can be played by striking with the hand or beating with a cloth-covered stick.

The traditional drums serve as status symbols along with rice wine jars and elephants.

Ethnic highlanders live simple lives subsisting on traditional agriculture and have also developed their own decorative craft styles and dwellings.

Their beliefs derive from the heritage of shamanism, animism, and the values of their forefathers.

The Central Highlands’ gongs, together with traditional folklore, folk sculpture, and folk knowledge, comprise a unique cultural legacy that has held highlanders together for thousands of years.

The instruments are not only considered a musical language, but also a connection to ancestors and the supernatural world; and a symbol of the wealth of the Central Highlands’ residents.

Attuned to daily life and the cycle of the seasons, highlanders revere a metaphysical world where gongs serve as a spiritual language between people, deities, and the supernatural.

Each family possesses at least one gong, which indicates the family’s wealth, authority, and prestige.

It is also thought that a gong will ensure a family’s protection.

An instrument for all occasions

While a range of brass instruments are used in various time-honored ceremonies, only the gong is present in all rituals of community life and serves as the key ceremonial instrument.

During traditional rituals, each gong instrumentalist carries a different drum between 25 and 80 cm in diameter.

Groups of men or women will play between three and twelve gongs depending on the village and different arrangements and rhythms are adapted according to the context of the ceremony.

Various types of rituals can include: weddings, house-warmings, the blessing of the rice, harvest celebrations, mourning rites, and the sacrifice of the bullocks (young bull).

To welcome a newborn, communities will perform the le thoi tai (blowing in the ears) ceremony.

It is believed that if an infant listens to a gong as a baby, they will grow up strong and healthy.

They are also played at ceremonies to pray for rain or to celebrate a high-yield harvest, and can serve a practical function as well; to warn the community of an imminent threat, gongs are used at communal houses as an alarm, calling all young men to congregate.

An endangered legacy

However, the passing down of knowledge and culture to new generations was severely disrupted during the decades of war in Vietnam. The loss of gong culture in the Central Highlands is further exacerbated now as wise, old craftsmen pass away.

Attracted to Western culture and a more modern way of life, young Vietnamese are moving away from a life where tradition and spirituality play a major role.

Now stripped of their sacred significance, the gongs are sold for recycling or exchanged for more “valuable” goods.

Such social and economic transformations have drastically affected the Central Highlanders’ traditional way of life.

Gong Culture Festival 2007

Following UNESCO’s recognition, agencies are now launching an effort to honor and pro-mote the value of gong culture in Vietnam.

They are calling on whole communities to pre-serve and expand the cultural values of the highlanders by organizing the Central Highlands Gong Culture Festival 2007 in Buon Ma Thuot City next month.

The event on Nov. 21-24 will incorporate some 30 gong troupes and thousands of artists and musicians from all over the country who will perform in museums and the “Eternal Talk from Mountains and Jungles” street show.

Five guest troupes from Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia will also be on hand.

The festival will highlight customary activities in the daily life of highlanders like knitting, weaving, and popular games.

Music and clothing specific to the different ethnic groups in Vietnam, as well as an elephant parade will also be part of the event.

A seminar entitled “Gong Cultural Space – Present Status and Conservation Measures” will provide an opportunity to discuss ways of preserving this important cultural legacy.

Reported by Luu Hong

Source : thanhniennews.com