Preserving gong culture in Cu Pong

In recent years, the preservation and promotion of traditional national cultural identity, especially the gong cultural space, has always been of interest to local authorities and people.

At the housewarming ceremony of the Ede people in Khal village held at the end of 2024, when the gongs rang out, the villagers gathered. The shaman's prayers mixed with the deep and deep sounds of the gongs conveyed the wishes of the people for peace, health, a prosperous life, and a bountiful harvest.

Artisan Y Kua Nie (in Tlan village) confided: “No matter what program the gong team performs, small or large, the whole gong team understands that this is an opportunity to spread the traditional cultural identity of the Ede people to everyone. Therefore, all members of the gong team always put their heart and soul into practicing so that each time they perform, the echoes of the gongs touch the hearts of the listeners.”

The bronze gong team of Cu Pong commune performs gongs at the housewarming ceremony.

Not only actively practicing and performing gongs, many well-off families in the commune also preserve and buy 1-2 sets of gongs for use, hanging them in solemn positions in the house as proof of love and pride for the national cultural identity.

Like Mr. Y H'Loăt Êban's family (in Ea Túk village) keeps two sets of gongs, one set was left by his parents, the other set he bought in 1989.

Mr. Y H'Loăt said that to have money to buy the gong, he sold more than 1 tael of gold (worth nearly 4 million VND). Then, in 1995, he continued to buy a hgơr drum worth 6 million VND. Currently, the gong and drum set is still used by his family when drinking rice wine and entertaining distinguished guests. Although many people wanted to buy the gong and drum set at a high price, he did not sell it but decided to preserve it and pass it on to his children and grandchildren.

Cu Pong commune currently has a bronze gong team that is often invited to perform at many festivals inside and outside the district. To preserve the traditional culture of the nation, the members have taught Kram gong playing to the youth in the commune to form the next generation. Since then, the youth in the commune have also established a Kram gong club led by Mr. Y Thu Mlo, from Tlan hamlet.

The club currently has 25 members, the oldest of whom is 40 years old and the youngest is only 11 years old, who practice regularly on weekends. Currently, the Kram Gong Club often represents Krong Buk district in provincial-level competitions, gong cultural festivals, and performances of traditional musical instruments.

In addition, the club also performs gongs to serve tourists who come to visit the waterfall, experience the culture, architecture, and cuisine in Ea Sin commune, helping team members earn extra income.

Youth of Cu Pong commune participate in Kram gong club.

It is known that from 2018 to now, Cu Pong commune has coordinated with all levels and sectors to organize 6 classes to teach gong playing for teenagers. In order to maintain regular gong practice in villages and hamlets, the commune's gong teams have received attention from all levels and sectors, and have been supported with 1 set of kram gongs and 1 set of bronze gongs. This is a great source of encouragement, helping teenagers enthusiastically preserve the beauty of national culture.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202504/bao-ton-van-hoa-cong-chieng-o-cu-pong-7161823/