Ya Pom worship ceremony on the banks of Ba River

In the spiritual life of ethnic minorities, there are always gods who protect and bless the villagers, including the god Ya Pom. In the Jrai language, “Ya” means grandmother, “Pom” means bush. Ya Pom is likened to a goddess, no one can see her.

Because of her ability to be invisible, Ya Pom helps villagers fight off foreign invaders, drive away evil spirits, and eradicate diseases. She is also the only goddess in the polytheistic world of the Jrai people on the banks of the Ba River.

The Ya Pom model is a new straw mannequin, wearing a mask and a bow and arrow on the front, and a chicken cage on the back for camouflage, helping to hide weapons to repel the enemy. **Photo: VC**

To commemorate the merits of Ya Pom, every year, around February or March of the lunar calendar, a week before the water wharf worshiping ceremony, the people of So Ma Hang A village hold a Ya Pom worshiping ceremony right at the village gate, facing the river bank. However, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic and some other reasons, the worshiping ceremony was interrupted for a long time.

With the aim of preserving and promoting the cultural values of local ethnic minorities, recently, the People's Committee of Ia Peng commune coordinated with So Ma Hang A village to organize the restoration of the Ya Pom worship ceremony.

The offerings include a young rooster, a jar of wine, a Ya Pom model made of straw and a string of thinly sliced black turmeric hanging on three bamboo trees forming a frame symbolizing the village gate. Early in the morning, villagers and the shaman were present at the open ground at the entrance of the village to clean up and prepare for the ceremony. The fire was lit, the young rooster was stripped of its feathers, gutted and roasted on the spot as a sacrifice.

While most worship ceremonies do not have symbols of gods, no one knows what the gods look like, the Ya Pom god is carved by the people in great detail and with great effort.

The effigy is made of new straw, with a mask made of cardboard painted black with charcoal on the front, meaning it helps the god to hide easily in the dark. On the back, Ya Pom wears a small chicken cage. According to legend, this is how Ya Pom disguises himself to hide weapons to fight off foreign invaders.

On Ya Pom’s chest is an arrow simulating the scene of being wounded while fighting the enemy. The Ya Pom model is attached to the village gate with a black turmeric string as a reminder for the people to remember a god who protected the villagers during a long time of fighting against foreign invaders. The interweaving of the two elements of reality and fantasy has helped the god Ya Pom always be present in the spiritual life of local people for hundreds of years.

When all the offerings were ready, the shaman Ksor Buch began to perform the ritual: “Oh water god, forest god, firewood god… Oh Ya Pom! Today, our villagers gathered here to hold a ceremony to pray to Ya Pom and the gods to witness. The whole village has a jar of wine and a chicken, hoping that Ya Pom and the gods will protect the villagers to be healthy, drive away evil spirits so that the village can be peaceful. Please give the young men of the village health and strength; please give the girls gentleness and virtue; so that their children will multiply and flourish; the villagers will have a good harvest, peace and happiness forever…”.

While reciting the prayer, the shaman took a bronze bowl, scooped water, filled the jar of wine, then screwed the spout and drank the first jar of wine. After the shaman, the village elders, guests and villagers drank wine together. Everyone believed that their sincerity had been witnessed and accepted by the gods in general, and Ya Pom god in particular. The gods would continue to protect and bless the villagers with peace and happiness.

After the Ya Pom ceremony, the village elder, delegates and villagers drank wine together. **Photo: Vu Chi**

As the shaman's right-hand man in performing the ritual, Mr. Rmah Khiem - Party Cell Secretary and Head of So Ma Hang A Village - said: It has been a long time since the village held the Ya Pom worship ceremony. Therefore, before the ceremony took place, the village held a meeting to inform and mobilize everyone's contributions.

The selection of the shaman is also voted by the villagers. In addition to knowing how to perform the rituals and recite the prayers, the master of ceremonies must be someone who is trusted and respected by the villagers. In life, the person performing the ritual must abstain from certain things such as not eating dog meat, not drinking alcohol, etc.

“This is a unique ritual, imbued with spirituality, to pray to the gods, to pray to Ya Pom to drive away evil spirits and diseases, to protect the villagers and the territory from being invaded by enemies. Hopefully, after this restoration ceremony, the worship ceremony will be held regularly in the following years so that descendants will know more about the beauty in the cultural life of our people,” Khiem shared.

Mr. Siu Thiem - Vice Chairman of Ia Peng Commune People's Committee - said: Ya Pom worshiping ceremony is not only a ritual to worship gods but also a happy day for the community; an occasion to show solidarity and attachment between people.

With the support of the Party Committee and the government, the people of So Ma Hang A village have restored the original Ya Pom worship ceremony according to the traditional rituals of the Jrai people. Through the restoration of the ritual, the locality wishes to join hands to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the local ethnic minorities.