What the head of To To village has help us imagine much about life and the development process of the Chau Ro ethnic group in his homeland.
Visiting historical and cultural relics of the D base, I was taken to the community of Chau Ro ethnic people in Ly Lich village, Phu Ly commune, Vinh Cuu district, the southern province of Dong Nai.
I met the head of the village Nam Noi (To To in Chau Ro language) who is considered living information about the D base. What surprised me and interested me most was his large garden and ancient house. He called them a cultural museum of the Chau Ro village.
* Collection of Chau Ro culture
The house was built with wood like stilt house, a specific architectural feature of Chau Ro. It was closely associated with the life of the head of the village when he was small. This is the only traditional house left in the village.
The head of the village has kept nearly 200 objects which are arranged according to time. He carefully instructed on their origin and significances. A three-grade altar was put in the most solemn place to worship three gods for good crops, and a happy and healthy life.
He has tens of sets of teeth from animals which were hunted by inhabitants in the village. These teeth are proof of life breaking fresh ground for the Chau Ro people. Moreover, he would like to send a message about protecting animals. Tools in daily life such as papooses, bows, arrows, crossbows and lances and musical instruments like gongs are on display. There are also clothes from Chau Ro people.
* Itinerary to keep cultural soul
To To is now 80 years old. In 1946, he and young people in the village followed the revolutionary ways of Uncle Ho.
During the war, he found every way to hide cadres and brought papooses to the forests to dig up tubers for them.
In 1954, he was sent to study political theory at Nguyen Ai Quoc school. Returning to the hometown, he continued participating in the struggle against the US, and then worked as a secretary of the communal party committee.
The war passed, and Ly Lich village and the community of Chau Ro ethnic group was taken care by the party and state. Infrastructure was invested in. People’s lives were improved. However, the traditions of the Chau Ro were falling into oblivion. That was the reason why he spent so much time collecting objects for the museum.
According to Phu Ly commune People’s Committee and his proposals, the Dong Nai provincial cultural sector has planed to build a long house to preserve the Chau Ro culture.
The head of the village will gather local people to teach them how to play gongs and other traditional musical instruments, organize cultural activities and preserve folk songs of the Chau Ro.
“We hope to do this but it is difficult to implement it effectively. We will try our best to do this. The more the socio-economic situation of the Chau Ro improves, the more they have to preserve their culture,” said Mr.To.
BTA (According to QDND Newspaper)