Kon Hngo Ktu is one of three Ba Na ethnic villages in Vinh Quang commune, Kon Tum city. Located on the banks of the Dak Bla River, not far from the city center and from here to the Ya Ly lake area along the waterway is also quite close, this place has a very unique, peaceful and friendly look.
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| Kon Hngo Ktu river wharf is peaceful |
Kon Hngo Ktu bears the name of a typical feature of the ancient village. At that time, the land on the banks of the Dak Bla River had many pine trees; In BaNa, Hngo means Pine tree. Old people say that pine trees grow as thick as a forest; Although the area is small, the dry season provides shade, while storms prevent big winds from blowing in from the Dak Bla stream. With the passage of time and the expansion of the villagers' accommodation, the pine tree no longer exists, leaving only a few scattered old trees.
The Ba Na people in Kon Hngo Ktu have been clinging to the land and rivers for many generations to reproduce and develop. Not only living on slash-and-burn fields and fertile alluvial soil, people also rely on abundant fish and shrimp resources caught in the river. In the past, Kon Hngo Ktu was quite famous for its craft of carving dugout canoes. Now, although there are no longer skilled artisans for many reasons, villagers still join hands to preserve and promote traditional values in community life.
In Kon Hngo Ktu, brothers A Lêr and A Grat are known as people who are good at doing business and building prosperous and happy families; knowing how to take care of preserving the national cultural identity and the precious spiritual capital left by our ancestors. Mr. A Grat said: In the past, according to the customs of the Ba Na people, when he got married, he went to "live in" with his wife's family; Diligent, kind, and good at farming and fishing, he and his wife were loved and trusted by their parents with their "old" stilt house and long-standing set of gongs. In the years after the complete liberation of the South, the consequences of the war still persisted, and life was at times extremely difficult and lacking; But he was determined not to leave the stilt house or sell gongs to get capital to do business. He remembered his father's words, no matter what, don't give up your grandparents' wealth to your children and grandchildren. Recently, someone was hunting for antiques and begged to buy a set of gongs for tens of millions of dong, but he still did not lose sight. “If we are diligent and work hard, we can save money, but we don't have to sell our grandparents' precious capital. Now, even if you have money, you can't buy these things!” - Mr. A Grat confided.
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| Mr. A Grat (right) preserves the precious gong set |
Thanks to dedicated preservation and regular renovation, until now, Mr. A Grat's family's stilt house is still one of the most beautiful traditional houses of the Ba Na people in Vinh Quang commune. The precious gong set consisting of 3 gongs and 8 gongs is a priceless asset, a sacred souvenir that is not only used by family members, but also contributes to fun in festivals and events of the village and commune.
Unlike those who, because they are too difficult or too busy pursuing a life of enjoyment, even change their gongs, stilt houses...; Once he had "a bowl to eat", Mr. A Ler immediately thought of rebuilding a stilt house for his children and grandchildren. Although it does not follow the prototype, the spacious stilt house that retains the traditional architectural structure has become a destination that attracts people looking to explore and experience the daily life of the BaNa people of Hngo Ktu village.
Not only is he good at weaving and playing gongs, Mr. A Lêr also, along with famous gong artist A Khun in the village, and senior artisans organize to teach gongs and sinus dancing to young people. There are not many families in Kon Hngo Ktu that can keep gongs, but people have also contributed to buy a common set of gongs, so whenever they need to use them, they don't have to worry about having to run around to borrow them. According to artist A Khun, up to now, along with sinus dance artists, the village has built two gong teams including a male team and a female team, each team has 12 to 14 members. Not to mention the "child" artisan teams of Tran Khanh Du Secondary School and Tran Quoc Toan Primary School standing in the area are taught and guided by village artisans...
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| Artist A Uom makes a model communal house |
More than 10 years ago, Kon HNgo KTu communal house was restored according to traditional architecture thanks to the efforts of authorities, reputable people and villagers. In particular, Mr. A Uom's contribution in not only mobilizing villagers to unanimously support, but also designing and organizing the construction of communal houses has been recognized. Mr. A Uom is a former teacher and principal. Head of Vinh Quang Commune Primary School, is a Ba Na intellectual who is respected and loved by Hngo Ktu villagers. Since retiring, he has spent time researching and crafting communal houses using miniature models, preserving the proud beauty of the nation in artifacts as souvenirs.
Along with the people and lands along the peaceful Dak Bla River, Kon Hngo Ktu village is steadily moving forward in the process of building a new countryside. Following in the footsteps of the older generation of A Da, A Nong... in the past are Mr. A Khun, A Le, A Grat..., Mrs. Y Phun, Y Pheng... now and the young generation Y Lien, A An, A Rat... are trying their best to preserve and promote their cultural capital. transform the traditions of our ancestors./.