“In the old days, whenever there was a festival, gongs would resound throughout the village. Now there are gongs, and people playing them, but the sound is no longer natural, no longer the sound of the villagers...” - the heartfelt words of village elder Krajan Plin (64 years old, Buon Dang Ja, Lac Duong, Lam Dong province) deeply moved the listeners. Between the hustle and bustle of modern life, the gongs cultural space of the Central Highlands remains - intangible cultural heritage representing humanity is gradually shrinking, not only geographically, but also within the very communities that gave birth to and nurtured it.
The spirit of the forest and a symbol of community
According to Professor Tran Quang Hai, an expert in traditional music research: “Previously, there were over 6,000 ancient gong sets in the Central Highlands, but now there are only about 2,000 left. Many antique gong sets have been sold to tourists or antique dealers. Currently, there is a situation where new gongs are being imported from abroad. These gongs are very beautiful, have good sound, accurate pitch, but their scales are Western music, not the scales of Central Highlands music”.
Besides concerns about the gradual loss of “space” and “instruments”, the Central Highlands’ gong culture is also facing the worry of “Westernization”. This stems from the inadequate understanding of a segment of the youth in the villages.
Folklorist Linh Nga Niê K’dăm stated: The culture of gong music in the Central Highlands is being continued in a very encouraging way. However, a very worrying problem today is the excessive “creative” approach of young people towards traditional cultural heritage. This has inadvertently “Westernized” the traditional gong music...
In addition, urbanization, migration, deforestation, the loss of villages are causing the traditional village space - where gongs once echoed by the hearth and communal houses stood to gradually disappear. In many places, young people leave their villages for the cities; gongs are stored away or sold; traditional ceremonies are no longer held regularly due to the pressure of making a living; there is a lack of people to pass on the true cultural identity; many elderly artisans have passed away without having the chance to pass on their skills; excessive external interference has caused local culture to be “framed” according to the will of the administration, instead of being allowed to operate independently by the community.
Many village elders in Gia Lai and Kon Tum (now Quang Ngai province) shared that in the past, gongs were played for ceremonies, but now they are played for... guests. Performances for tourism, events, or cultural shows have inadvertently separated the gong from its original space - separating the festival from real life.
In fact, many localities have organized programs to donate gongs, open gong-playing classes, hold gong festivals... However, if we only focus on “preserving the gongs” without “preserving the village” then the gongs will soon become just a form of entertainment, no longer a living heritage of the community.
What needs to be done to keep the “spirit of the gong” alive in the community?
Preserving the tradition of gong music is not just about buying a few sets of gongs and distributing them to villages, or setting up stages for people to perform a few acts “for the sake of appearances”. The key is to preserve the gong players, the village, the living space where the gongs truly resonate. In particular, it is essential to make people, especially young people, understand that gongs are not only a part of ancestral culture, but also a source of pride and an irreplaceable identity. The state and local authorities need to empower the communities themselves to organize festivals, teach their craft, and preserve it. At the same time, clear and sustainable policies are needed to reward these artisans. These are the “living treasures” that are gradually being eroded by time.
Gongs cannot survive without a place to produce their sound. And the sound of gongs cannot resonate if it only resonates because of “performance schedules”. Preserving the soul of the gong is about keeping the vibrant breath of Central Highlands culture alive today. Therefore, to keep the “spirit of the gong” alive in the community, local authorities need to empower the community, allowing the people themselves to take ownership of heritage preservation. In addition, we should support the people in organizing festivals, passing on their knowledge within the village, integrating gongs into real life, rather than simply “borrowing” them for stage performances only to have them forgotten again. Creating opportunities for young people to participate through organizing playgrounds and creative competitions is also one of the practical and sustainable solutions to connect traditional culture with modern life. Support artisans through mechanisms and incentive policies, so that they can wholeheartedly teach and maintain their activities in the village.
For the people of the Central Highlands, gongs are not simply musical instruments. They are the sounds of the mountains and forests, the voices of their ancestors, and a sacred thread connecting the community. Gongs resound in various ceremonies, both large and small: celebrating the new rice harvest, buffalo sacrifice, funeral rites, brotherhood ceremonies, the housewarming party… Each sound is a cultural language, an expression of the beliefs, spirituality, and philosophy of life of the local people.
