The mysterious family from the Hung King era

The Ma family today is mainly concentrated in Ha Loc commune, Phu Tho town. The family has gone through 79 generations, since the Hung King period. The long-standing presence of the family is not only legendary stories but also associated with real historical events and figures. The Ma family genealogy book compiled and passed down from generation to generation has proven the glorious history along with the rich traditional cultural values ​​of the Ancestral Land.

Lieutenant General Ma Thanh Toan - Former member of the Party Central Committee, former Commander of Military Region 2 visited the Ma family's ancestral house in Ha Loc commune, Phu Tho town.

2322 year old family with 79 generations of patriarchs

Following the introduction of the leader of the Department of Culture and Information of Phu Tho Town, we went to Ha Loc commune to meet Mr. Ma Duc Nhan, head of the Ma family in Ha Loc commune.

Taking us to visit the Ma family's ancestral house, Mr. Nhan excitedly said that at the end of this year, his descendants will contribute to renovating the family temple. The Ma family's ancestral house is located next to the communal house roof, creating a sacred architectural complex on a high hill. The prime geographical location was described by Mr. Nhan as similar to the legend and stature of his family.

The Ma family in Ha Loc commune currently has 5 branches with 600 members and 350 men. This is one of the largest families in Phu Tho town. Flipping through the genealogy book, Mr. Nhan pointed to the most respected position, the ancestor Ma Khe, and began the secret story of his family. The Ma family is originally from the Tay ethnic group, originating from the Doi mountain area, along the Thao river (now Cam Khe district). The ancestor Ma Khe was the first patriarch of the family who gathered troops to help King Hung Vuong fight the enemy, keeping the borders of Van Lang country safe.

Mr. Nhan introduced the genealogy of the Ma family in Ha Loc commune to a descendant of the family.

After the victory, Ma Khe was appointed by King Hung Due Vuong as a great general to guard the west of Phong Chau citadel. During the reign of King Hung Due Vuong II, due to his talent, virtue, and great achievements, he was appointed by the king as "Phu Quoc Ma Vuong Dai Than Dai Tuong Quan" and was summoned back to the capital to assist the king in overseeing the court, governing the country, and bringing peace to the people.

The ancestor Ma Khe gave birth to a son and a daughter. The son, Ma Xuan, also became a general of the Hung dynasty along with his father. Later, Ma Xuan went to the other side of the river (Phu An Dong, later Phu Tho town) to build Ma citadel. The vestiges still remain in the Me market area, Me wharf is the river wharf created by the Ma family.

According to secret history, in 1582, Mac Muc Tong was defeated by the army of King Le and Lord Trinh and fled to Ma Thanh and annexed Ma Thanh. The Ma clan evacuated to neighboring areas of Phu An Dong. Including Ngoc Lau area, Ha Loc commune. Later, according to the dream omen of Kieu Cong Thuan and Ma Toc Than Tuong, Mac Muc Tong withdrew from Ma Thanh. Before returning to Phu An Dong, the Ma clan left 4 brothers in Ha Loc land to look after the farm and garden, in case of any unexpected events.

The land is good for birds, the garden is lush, the 4 brothers stayed and settled permanently and gave birth to the Ma family branch in Ha Loc commune, which has developed to this day. Mr. Ma Duc Nhan said: "If counting from the time of the ancestor Ma Khe to the time of General Ma Xuan Truong until now, the Ma family has had 2,322 years of history with 79 generations of patriarchs". Many outstanding figures of the family have contributed to the development of the country.

Among them, the most prominent is the legend of the "Ma clan god general" Ma Xuan Truong. General Ma Xuan Truong (930 - 967) was the 43rd patriarch of the Ma clan. According to recorded documents, in 965, the Ngo dynasty collapsed, the country fell into chaos with 12 warlords. Kieu Cong Thuan was originally a landlord guarding Hung Hoa citadel. When the country encountered a rebellion, he fled to Ma Khe land and joined with patriarch Ma Xuan Truong to establish a base in Tru Mat area, becoming a local separatist force.

After Dinh Bo Linh attacked and suppressed the 12 warlords, the two men committed suicide. Impressed by the bravery and courage of the two generals, King Dinh ordered the villagers to build Tru Mat temple to regularly worship and burn incense.

Mr. Ma Duc Nhan introduces ancient documents in Chinese characters recording the work of worshiping the family's death anniversary.

Continuing the tradition of ancestors

When asked about the reason why, despite the changes and harsh history, the family still kept the genealogy from the ancestors, Mr. Ma Duc Nhan said that the great credit belongs to Mr. Ma Van Thuc (1917 - 2004), the 78th patriarch of the family. During the war, before the original genealogy was lost, Mr. Thuc promptly transferred all the information into Quoc Ngu script. Mr. Thuc's descendants copied it into many books for the Ma family branches in Yen Bai and Tuyen Quang to preserve.

Ancient document in Chinese characters on Do paper, over 100 years old

From General Ma Xuan Truong, the family has produced many talented people and generals. During the war, like many other families across the country, many children of the Ma family volunteered to go to the battlefield, contributing their blood and bones to the peace, independence and freedom of the nation. A typical example is Lieutenant General Ma Thanh Toan - Former member of the Party Central Committee, former Commander of Military Region 2. He is a child of the Ma family, born in Duc Long commune, Thach An district, Cao Bang province. That outstanding general is known to the world for his exploits on the Central Highlands front.

In 1974, while serving as Deputy Commander of Regiment 95, Military Region 5. He commanded the mobile unit to fight the enemy on the Central Highlands battlefield, operating mostly in the provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, on Route 14 and Route 19. Opening the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, he commanded the unit to coordinate with other units to attack and liberate Buon Ma Thuot.

Ma family's ancestral house in Ha Loc commune.

Then came the lightning-fast march to capture Xuan Loc town, opening the "steel door" north of Saigon for our main forces to attack and liberate Saigon, creating the complete victory of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign on April 30, 1975, reuniting the country.

Later, he held many positions and made many contributions to the work of building a strong army. In February 2002, he was honored to be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General of the Vietnam People's Army. Having devoted his whole life to the cause of national liberation, independence and freedom for the country, Lieutenant General Ma Thanh Toan was honored to be awarded by the Party, the State and the People's Army with the Third Class Military Exploit Medal, the First, Second and Third Class Military Exploit Medal; the First Class Resistance Medal, the First, Second and Third Class Liberation Soldier Medal and many other noble titles.

Continuing the glorious history of their ancestors, the Ma family in Ha Loc commune has always educated their descendants on tradition, strictly following the policies, guidelines and laws of the Party and the State. In order for their descendants to know their origins, Mr. Ma Duc Nhan spent a lot of time meeting with elders, recording and researching to establish the Ma family genealogy in Ha Loc commune. He said: "The family's convention stipulates that each family must have the responsibility to strive to build an equal family, a prosperous and happy life. The family has had many outstanding achievements in promoting education in the locality for many years."

Mr. Nguyen Van Xuan - Vice Chairman of Ha Loc Commune People's Committee said: "The Ma clan is one of the four typical learning promotion associations in the locality. In 2023, the learning promotion fund of the clans was built with 108 million VND, contributing greatly to the rich tradition of learning in Ha Loc hometown".

The character and soul of a long-standing family may not only lie in the family tree but also be demonstrated through generations of well-educated descendants, who are kind-hearted, diligent in studying and working. The family can exist for thousands of years, not eroded by the flow of time but on the contrary, its good traditions shine brighter. How proud and precious!

Thuy Trang

Source: https://baophutho.vn/huyen-bi-dong-ho-co-tu-thoi-dai-hung-vuong-219937.htm