Ra Lay village lies along a high, steep cliff, with a deep stream below. Because it is short and steep, the water flows down the stream in the rainy season, but in the dry season the stream bed is bare of rocks. The sun-bleached stilt house of artisan Pa La Ham is located on one of the highest slopes in the village, cool with many trees, only a few dozen meters from the stream. When we visited, from the alley we could hear the cheerful sounds of the panpipes, the Ta-lu lute, and the characteristic deep, deep lip panpipes performed by Mr. Pa La Ham.

In a corner of the stilt house stained with time, Mr. Pa La Ham composed all kinds of musical instruments from the Ta-lu, the Khen Be, Khen Moi, the guitar, the flute... to the rattan and bamboo objects that he woven himself. Sipping a cup of forest leaf tea, Mr. Ham said that he was a local guerrilla, once participating in carrying military supplies in the famous battle of Ta Con stronghold in Khe Sanh in 1968. After his homeland was liberated, he returned to his village to live a peaceful life, got married, had children and relied on farming to take care of his family. Thanks to his prestige, he was elected by the people as the Chief of Ta Rec village, Ra Lay hamlet.

Artisan Pa La Ham has created unique musical instruments - Photo: D.V

In addition to his village work, Mr. Pa La Ham is also talented in making traditional musical instruments and weaving. He said that his father taught him how to make Ta-lu, khen be, khen moi, flute, etc. At first, he made musical instruments to play on the occasion of di sim (dating, meeting couples), then he made them as gifts for his brothers and friends. The same goes for weaving, he makes labor tools to hold food, seeds, fish and shrimp caught in rivers and streams from bamboo and rattan trees taken from the forest.

Each musical instrument or wickerwork item takes him many days to make, meticulously and patiently from the stage of searching for materials to the production. With his talented hands, Mr. Pa La Ham has created hundreds of musical instruments and wickerwork items of all kinds. “I mainly make them for my family and as gifts for relatives and friends. Occasionally, when someone orders something, I make it, but it is not economically important. Musical instruments and wickerwork items are handmade, so they have a distinctive sound, high durability, and sophistication. I just want to preserve the unique traditional craft of my ancestors and pass it on to the next generation,” Pa La Ham shared.

In addition to renovating, he also repairs and adjusts the sound of damaged or poor-sounding musical instruments. Every time the village or hamlet has a traditional festival of the community and clans, he brings his musical instruments to participate and perform directly. After the festival, he brings them back and stores them carefully in the attic of the stilt house. He confided: "I really appreciate the musical instruments and traditional music that our ancestors left behind. Therefore, I am dedicated to preserving this precious heritage so that it will not be lost and pass it on to my descendants to join hands to preserve and promote it." With his contributions and dedication in preserving and promoting the nation's intangible cultural heritage, in 2022, Mr. Pa La Ham was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist by the President.

Mr. Ho Phuong, a researcher and collector of Van Kieu and Pa Ko cultures in the southern region of Quang Tri province, said that artisan Pa La Ham is knowledgeable and holds many types of intangible cultural heritage of his people. He is considered a "living treasure" and an important factor in maintaining and promoting the cultural values ​​of the people and the community. "Artisan Pa La Ham is always dedicated and enthusiastic about preserving national culture, as well as inspiring the younger generation. He is good at many fields such as music, making musical instruments, making tools for production, family life, weaving, indigenous knowledge, and healing. He is a typical artisan in the local community."

Source: https://www.vietnam.vn/