Urgent issues

The cultural features of the central highlands are being gradually faded with time. The issue of preserving and developing the central highlands’ culture is becoming really urgent. At the scientific workshop on Solutions to preserving and developing central highlands’ culture, which has been recently held in Phu Yen has received numerous contributions by the scholars who wish to develop the region’s culture in the sustainable way.

The repertoire of gong performance by Ba Na ethnic groups (Phu Yen) at the 8th festival of culture, sports and tourism, 2013

At the workshop, the scholars doing research into the central highlands’ culture raised risks causing the central highlands’ culture fade and gradually die out. Talking about the central highlands’ compatriots, it’s necessary to mention the polytheism belief in connection with the agricultural rituals, from which to form a system of festivals: praying the Deity of Mountain, Land, Water…, praying for bumper crops, new rice season…Currently, due to the change in custom of making one’s living, the traditional festivals in the Central Highlands are mostly the remains of the rituals of praying for bumper crops and “bo ma“. The rituals of praying for deity, offering, gong performances, cultural and art exchange are still of great necessity, however, the spiritual values have been somehow shifted. Besides, the traditional craft professions for the central highlands’ ethnic groups like: weaving profession, rattan weaving, forging, molding silver rings…all bear the highly traditional values, but still existing in such an uncertain way, some professions have totally disappeared. The phenomenon of gradually losing the mother tongue is occurring with high popularity in lots of residential areas. This has made Central Highlands inhabitants step by step lose the souls, the characteristics, staying far away from the basic cultural values of their origins.At the workshop, the delegates approve of the need to determine the main organ of preserving and developing cultural features of the Central Highlands groups being the ethnic minority groups and the profession of these groups. According to Y Hong Ha, vice chairman of Kon Tum city’s people’s committee (Kon Tum province), it’s a must to consider the culture of Central Highlands’ ethnic groups a significant resource in need of researching, collecting and assessing to develop the values. He highly appreciated the roles of custom and rituals in adjusting the social relationships here. The custom and rituals bear the plentiful treasure of traditional folk knowledge, like: the matriarchy, the wedding rituals, funerals, possessing property, bringing up children…, all of which need to be highly developed in modern society. If the custom and rituals are combined and well supported to the legal system in managing, adjusting the social relationship, it’s sure that the community of ethnic minority groups will preserve the daily activity life and the life-long cultural tradition.The two forms of preserving animals and culture of the central highlands need developing well. Accordingly, still preservation is the form of cultural preservation, like: gongs, cuisine, tomb culture, sculpture, public dancing, folk music…Well solving the these two forms of preservation will create the solid foundations in developing Central Highlands culture”, said professor-Dr. Trinh Quang Phu, head of the Oriental Centre of research and development. Source: Phu Yen NewspaperTranslated by HAI LOAN

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