Preserving the stilt houses of the Muong people

In recent years, implementing Project 6 on "Preserving and promoting the good traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development" under the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2030, the Muong ethnic people in Tan Son district have always promoted the spirit of solidarity, preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the traditional stilt house - it is the clearest evidence of the life and good customs and practices of the Muong community here.

Mr. Rach's family (in the middle) still maintains the traditional stilt house.

We had the opportunity to visit Con village, visit the stilt house of village elder Ha Van Rach (93 years old), Thu Cuc commune, and learned that Mr. Rach's family is one of the households that still preserves the stilt house and traditional cultural features of the Muong people.

Under the dry sunshine, the stilt house leans against the hill, the poetic tranquility makes us all feel comfortable and pleasant when we just set foot in the house. Rach village elder said: "This house has been there for a long time, the wealth in the house is not as valuable as this stilt house because it is all the spirit, spiritual culture, and beliefs of our Muong people".

For the Muong people, the floor is a place for living and resting, and the space under the floor is used to store production tools. In the past, they used it to keep livestock and poultry, but today, to ensure environmental hygiene, people no longer raise livestock under the floor, but use it as a living space for the family, suitable for modern life. Between the rooms in the house, there are usually no solid partitions, only symbolic distinctions. The house space is divided both vertically and horizontally. From the main staircase, entering the middle of the floor, the outside is for receiving guests, the inside is the living space of the whole family. The house often has many windows, so the house is always warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Talking to us, Ms. Ha Thi Ly - Head of Thu Cuc Commune Folk Club shared: Over time, the stilt houses have gradually faded away, but that does not mean that the stilt houses no longer exist in the lives of the Muong people. There are still many stilt houses like this here. We often perform art performances, sing and dance next to traditional stilt houses like this in the hope of spreading the unique cultural values ​​of our people and making the younger generation love them more and have a sense of attachment and preservation.

Basic frame of Muong people's stilt house.

Currently, there are no specific statistics on the number of stilt houses of the Muong people in the district, however, localities are always actively promoting the people to preserve and promote the traditional cultural identity of their people, including preserving traditional stilt houses, even associated with tourism development. Typical examples are the villages of Du, Lap, Coi... in Xuan Son commune today.

With the advantage of unique natural landscapes and cultural features of the Muong and Dao ethnic groups, Xuan Son is currently one of the attractive destinations for tourists when coming to Phu Tho. Therefore, preserving and conserving traditional stilt houses is also a way for people to create attraction in tourism development in this land.

Having had the opportunity to visit Xuan Son commune not long ago, during a visit to the Muong people's stilt houses, Mr. Hoang Cong Bat - a prestigious person of the commune shared with us: "There are still many stilt houses, but to preserve the ancient stoves attached to the living space in the stilt houses like in the old days, there are not many left. For us Muong people, if there is no stove in the stilt house, we are not Muong people. Over time, today that concept has gradually faded away, but the customs of the indigenous people are still preserved."

Through talking with the villagers, we learned more about the Muong people in the past, the kitchen was considered the soul of the house, not only a place to prepare food but also a place where the main activities of the family took place. The kitchen space includes a stove and a kitchen shelf. The kitchen shelf is used to dry food such as meat, corn seeds, rice seeds... and some agricultural tools. The kitchen tripod is considered by the Muong people as the king of the kitchen. On Tet, the villagers often hang a small bundle of betel, areca, lime, and tobacco on the kitchen shelf to worship the king of the kitchen, praying for peace and prosperity...

Most families with elderly people still keep a kitchen in the house, usually to keep warm when it is cold or when they cannot sleep and have to get up early to boil water. For a new bride, it is convenient to get up early in the morning to light a fire, boil water, and prepare rice without affecting the sleep of her parents and the elderly in the family.

Kitchen space of Muong people, Lap village, Xuan Son commune.

To promote the cultural identity of ethnic minorities, local authorities need to step up propaganda work to all classes of people, raise awareness, preserve traditional cultural values, including preserving traditional stilt houses, encourage people to repair and embellish to ensure a new life but not lose the characteristics of Muong stilt houses.

Thu Huong

Source: https://baophutho.vn/gin-giu-nep-nha-san-cua-nguoi-muong-223794.htm