The sound of gongs and drums

Arriving in Nam Dong district (Thua Thien - Hue province) on a summer day, in the late afternoon, we were surprised to witness a gong class here. In Thuong Nhat commune, Co Tu ethnic artisans were enthusiastically teaching gongs to their children. Because the commune cultural house was under construction, the class took place in the middle of the yard. Under the lights, the joyful, bustling and exciting atmosphere spread everywhere.

*Artist Nguyen Ngoc Nam shares stories about gongs with reporters before entering the classroom.*

The class has more than 50 students, mainly local people, divided into 2 groups, one group studies on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and the other group studies on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Every late afternoon, despite being busy with farming, family work, etc., people still take the time to come to class early, gather, share stories, and wait for the instructions of the artisans.

The class we met that day was taught by artisan Nguyen Ngoc Nam. Mr. Nam is nearly 50 years old and has been attached to gongs for a long time and values gongs and cymbals as if they were his own.

“The commune has 7 villages, more than 90% of which are ethnic minorities of the Co Tu ethnic group. The gong and cymbal are musical instruments that have existed for a long time, they have been associated with many happy and sad stories of our Co Tu ethnic group. I wish to pass on to my children and grandchildren, the young generation today, the knowledge of preserving culture and knowing the traditions of the nation,” Mr. Nam confided before the class began.

For about 3 hours, the class was really fun and cozy. The artists taught the younger generation how to perform gong melodies, how to perform gongs combined with drums and some musical instruments. They taught students how to play gongs in the rhythm of welcoming guests; eating new rice, entering a new house; rhythm in hunting animals, the deceased, in weddings... and other cultural and artistic activities, based on the foundation of gong and drum melodies of the Co Tu ethnic group, combined with the unique cultural features of the locality such as: Za Za, Ba booch, Co Leng, Co Lau...

Sitting down to rest and drink a glass of water after finishing an hour of studying, Mr. Ho Van Cay (A Tin village) was excited, this was the first time he had attended such a meaningful gong class.

“For a long time, I just sat and listened to the sound wherever I went. Now that the artisans have given me enthusiastic instructions, I am very happy. When I first started learning, my hands were tired and sore, and I thought I would give up, but the initial difficulties passed. When I mastered the first gong piece, I loved the gong even more and practiced more enthusiastically. I am about to be able to play many pieces and many tunes smoothly…”, Mr. Cay confided.

*Highlanders are taught how to perform gongs and basic gong songs.*

For the Co Tu people in the majestic Truong Son mountain range, gongs are a unique, traditional cultural beauty that has appeared in daily life for generations, but is currently facing the risk of fading and being lost. The cause stems from changes in the material and spiritual life of the residents, changes in farming methods, the relationship between humans and the natural environment, the explosion of information technology...

Faced with this situation, Nam Dong district has stepped up propaganda work, through artisans opening classes to teach how to use traditional musical instruments of the Co Tu people, thereby making people, especially the younger generation, more aware of the work of preserving and promoting the value of this musical instrument.

“Participating in the class is first of all a responsibility, and secondly, to continue the tradition of our ancestors. This is a meaningful and useful activity that helps the younger generation understand more and preserve the traditional beauty and quintessence of our nation. Later, I will continue to pass it on to my children and grandchildren,” said Ho Van Ton (La Van village).

*Hopefully these cultural features will be preserved forever in the Nam Dong highlands.*

Talking to reporters, Mr. Le Nhu Suu - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Nam Dong district said that Nam Dong is a mountainous district of Thua Thien - Hue province with 21 ethnic minorities living there, accounting for 46.4% of the district's population, mainly the Co Tu people. In recent years, the District Party Committee and the District People's Committee have had many support solutions to improve the cultural and spiritual life of the people. The awareness of cadres, party members and people of all walks of life about culture in general and ethnic minority culture in particular has been raised. The work of preserving, maintaining and promoting the quintessence of ethnic culture, especially ethnic minority culture, has been paid attention to; cultural institutions have been built and put into operation; many programs and plans on collecting tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the people have been implemented. All have contributed to preserving and promoting ethnic minority culture in the area.

“Gong classes are held annually in many communes in the district, attracting hundreds of participants, each class is held from 20 to 25 days. This is a very correct and timely policy, especially for the younger generations. In the coming time, we will continue to propagate and mobilize people to participate in preserving and conserving the cultural values of the Co Tu ethnic group. In particular, we will continue to open classes every year to teach people how to play gongs for communes and residential areas in the district. In particular, we will aim to bring gongs into the classes…”, Mr. Suu said.

The moon is full and bright. Leaving the Nam Dong mountains, the sound of gongs and cymbals still resonates from the classroom. The echoes of those sounds still reverberate, lasting like the love of the Co Tu people for this traditional musical instrument...

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