Risk of cultural breakdown of Pa Then ethnic group
The Pa Then people are one of 16 ethnic minorities with a small population (less than 10,000 people), living mainly in the two provinces of Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang. They have an extremely rich and unique cultural heritage expressed in various forms such as architecture, houses, costumes, language, folk literature, traditional crafts, folk performing arts, social customs, rituals, festivals, folk knowledge, etc.
The Pa Then people have an extremely rich and unique treasure of cultural heritage expressed in various forms such as architecture, houses, costumes, language, folk literature, traditional crafts, folk performing arts, social customs, rituals, festivals, folk knowledge, etc.
In the past 20 years, the process of socio-economic transformation towards industrialization and modernization has significantly changed the residential area of the Pa Then ethnic group. However, besides the positive aspects shown through the socio-economic development indicators, the cultural life of the Pa Then people still shows many limitations and inadequacies. In many localities, traditional culture is being lost, there is a risk of breaking the transfer of cultural assets between generations. The majority of Pa Then families today no longer preserve the traditional housing style, but only preserve part of the worship function in the family. Traditional handicraft production activities such as weaving, knitting, forging, etc. are increasingly rare in Pa Then families.
The results of a survey conducted by the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts in 2023 at the Pa Then ethnic community in Tan Lap commune, Bac Quang district, show that traditional ritual activities tend to decrease or change and no longer follow the traditional format. The number of shamans and people knowledgeable about customs, practices, traditional rituals, folk arts, and folk knowledge is decreasing, most of them are old and weak. Meanwhile, young people in the community are less and less interested in learning, studying, and improving their skills in practicing traditional culture. The proportion of people, especially young people, who are able to embroider patterns, cut and sew traditional costumes, weave production tools and household items is significantly lower than 20-30 years ago. There are very few Pa Then people today who can still practice traditional musical instruments and understand folk medicine knowledge.
The issue of transmitting the traditional culture of the Pa Then ethnic group becomes even more difficult, when the Pa Then people do not have a written language, they have to transmit it orally; most of the young Pa Then people today tend to choose to leave their homeland, go to industrial centers and big cities to find work and live. This is creating for the Pa Then ethnic community the risk of losing the next generation and increasingly facing many difficulties in transmitting the traditional cultural heritage that the ancestors, grandparents, and parents have created, preserved and left for future generations...
In many localities, traditional culture is being lost, and there is a risk of breaking the transfer of cultural assets between generations.
The above practical context has posed requirements for local authorities, the Pa Then ethnic community and responsible parties to have effective tasks and solutions to restore, preserve and promote traditional cultural values, especially intangible cultural forms of the Pa Then ethnic community; help the community maintain and promote cultural resources, effectively exploit human resources to develop tourism, ensure sustainable socio-economic development of the people; at the same time limit the negative impacts of the market economy and the process of socio-economic transformation towards industrialization, modernization and urbanization.
To preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the Pa Then ethnic group
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts, said: In order to contribute to the effective implementation of the work of restoring, preserving and promoting the identity and traditional culture of the Pa Then ethnic group, providing a scientific and practical basis for implementing the tasks of Project 06, the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas in 2023 of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts has coordinated with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Giang province; People's Committee of Bac Quang district to organize a scientific workshop with the theme "Solutions to effectively preserve and promote traditional cultural forms of the Pa Then ethnic group in contemporary life".
The Organizing Committee of the Workshop received a total of 28 presentations from authors, scientists, managers, people's representatives, Pa Then ethnic people, from central and local political - social - professional agencies and organizations.
The papers and comments sent to the Workshop focused on four main issues: Research to identify the value of the traditional cultural treasure of the Pa Then ethnic group; clarify some theoretical, scientific and practical issues of the activities to preserve and promote the cultural heritage value of the Pa Then ethnic community in Ha Giang province in particular and the whole country in general.
Providing experiences and successful models in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values of the Pa Then ethnic group and some ethnic communities.
The study assesses the current status of traditional culture of some Pa Then ethnic communities, pointing out the causes and trends of change in the traditional culture of the ethnic group.
Propose solutions and recommendations to effectively preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the Pa Then ethnic group; especially the issue of protecting and promoting the identity and traditional culture of the Pa Then ethnic group associated with tourism development.
The Organizing Committee hopes that scientists, managers, representatives of agencies, organizations, and communities will exchange and share good lessons, valuable experiences, and ideas to contribute to the cause of building, preserving, and developing the culture of the Pa Then ethnic group in Ha Giang province in particular and the whole country in general.
The Pa Then ethnic community and responsible parties must have effective tasks and solutions to restore, preserve and promote traditional cultural values, especially intangible cultural forms of the Pa Then ethnic community.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, the papers and contributions of the authors have helped identify and clarify the outstanding values of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Pa Then ethnic community in Bac Quang district, Ha Giang province in particular, and the mountainous region of Northern Vietnam in general, providing convincing arguments for readers to see the historical, cultural, economic, social and artistic values of traditional residential architectural heritage; traditional women's costumes; traditional weaving; social customs, rituals, traditional festivals (such as agricultural rituals, ordination ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, etc.), and folk knowledge of the Pa Then ethnic group. From there, we can understand the cultural characteristics of daily life, production, social relations, religious life, beliefs, worldviews and outlooks on life of the ethnic group.
Many authors have researched, analyzed, and evaluated the current status of preserving and promoting traditional cultural forms of the Pa Then ethnic community; pointing out the factors affecting and trends of change in the traditional culture of the ethnic group.
Conference Scene
Some authors have introduced good lessons, valuable experiences, and successful models in domestic and international case studies in protecting and promoting ethnic cultural heritage.
The presentations at the Workshop have contributed and suggested good solutions for relevant parties to refer to and apply in order to improve the effectiveness of the work of preserving and promoting traditional cultural forms of the Pa Then ethnic group that is currently being implemented. Some authors have put forward ideas and recommendations to local authorities and communities in Ha Giang province and Bac Quang district to reasonably resolve the relationship between preserving and promoting traditional culture of ethnic groups with tourism development, between activities of protecting and promoting traditional culture with activities of cultural institutions, basic education... thereby effectively promoting human resources and cultural heritage resources of the Pa Then ethnic group to serve sustainable socio-economic development.
"In the process of implementing the tasks of the National Target Program and future research tasks, we hope to continue to receive the support and cooperation of delegates and agencies of Ha Giang province and Bac Quang district in exchanging and sharing information and experiences, helping us gain more confidence, will and determination to successfully carry out the tasks, and well implement the policies of the Party and State on protecting and promoting national cultural identity" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong shared./.
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