Protect the forest by village covenant

Village conventions and regulations play an important role as self-governing institutions in the lives of ethnic minorities. Promoting the role of village conventions and regulations contributes to regulating social relations in residential communities, increasing community cohesion, changing the thinking and working methods of ethnic minorities, especially in preserving and protecting forests.

Yen Bai provincial leaders participate in the New Year festival of the Mong people in Na Hau commune. Photo: My Van

For generations, preserving the primeval forest has become the cultural identity of the Mong people in Na Hau commune, Van Yen district, Yen Bai province. The Mong people in Na Hau preserve the forest with sacred and mysterious customs, which is the custom of worshipping the Forest God in the first days of Spring.

Na Hau forest is like a common roof for 502 Mong households with more than 2,500 people. The people consider the forest as a place with land, a place to preserve water, land and water are the roots of life; to survive and develop, Mong descendants must respect the source of life, that is, must preserve and respect the forest.

Therefore, every village of Na Hau commune has its own Forbidden Forest with "inviolable" regulations located in the most beautiful location of the village, where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converges to worship the Forest God. The custom of worshiping the Forest God in the early days of Spring to pray for favorable weather, good trees, bountiful crops, healthy children, a prosperous and happy life, associated with regulations on forest protection has become a unique community cultural festival in Na Hau.

A shaman performs a forest worship ritual under an ancient tau mat tree in Na Hau commune, Van Yen district, Yen Bai province. Photo by My Van

After the Forest Worship Ceremony, according to custom, the Mong people of Na Hau commune abstain from celebrating Tet for three days to thank the Forest God. During these three days, everyone must strictly follow the taboos prescribed by customary law: do not go into the forest to cut down green trees, do not bring green leaves from the forest home, do not dig up roots, break bamboo shoots, etc. Thanks to that, the forests have become greener. Na Hau Nature Reserve is more than 16 thousand hectares wide, of which 4,700 hectares of primary special-use forest in Na Hau commune are protected.

Similarly, in Ong Tu village, Trong Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh province, is the home of the Chut and Bru Van Kieu people. Since 1994, the village elders, village chiefs, Party cell secretaries and people in Ong Tu village have sat down together to build a village covenant to protect the forest. The content of the covenant stipulates that after entering the forest to burn bees, the fire must be completely extinguished, live trees must not be cut down when taking firewood, branches and tops must be collected but dry firewood must be taken, people must not burn the forest to make fields, must not burn fields, and must handle the vegetation near the forest.

Mr. Ho Thay in Ong Tu village said that the work of protecting, preventing and fighting forest fires has been inherited from the past, in the village's forest protection convention. Ong Tu villagers are well aware of the important role and position of forests in people's lives, protecting forests means protecting people's lives. Therefore, people do not arbitrarily cut down or burn forests for farming, do not destroy forests; thanks to that, hundreds of hectares of primary forest have been protected and developed well by the villagers, and no fires have occurred in the forest areas protected by Ong Tu villagers.

Along with the village covenant and convention, Dong Dang villagers also established a Forest Patrol Team - People protect the primary forest themselves. (Photo: My Dung)

The Tay people's village covenant in Dong Dang village, Bac Son district, Lang Son province also stipulates: All people are responsible for protecting the forest, not cutting down, burning forests, not illegally exploiting; not trapping, hunting, or capturing animals in the forest; each household must have proactive measures to prevent and fight forest fires during the dry season; not clearing forests for farming...

The village covenant also clearly states that the first violation will result in an administrative fine and a warning to the entire village; the second violation will result in a report to the community and the violators' organizations and unions and disciplinary action will be taken; the third violation will result in the violators being removed from the "village faction and filial piety association", and all rights of the households in the village will be taken away...

It can be seen that village covenants and conventions play an extremely important role in the life of ethnic minorities. The value of village covenants and conventions is clearly demonstrated through their contribution to regulating and resolving specific relationships of villages, hamlets, and residential groups that are not regulated by law. The implementation of village covenants and conventions helps people to be more aware of protecting forests, protecting natural resources, not polluting the environment, encouraging people to live hygienically, eliminating backward customs, forming social norms and values ​​in accordance with traditions and national identity, promoting democracy at the grassroots level, and at the same time contributing to building a civilized lifestyle in the community.

Van Hoa (Ethnic and Development Newspaper)

Source: https://baophutho.vn/giu-rung-bang-huong-uoc-222466.htm