According to Tran Dang Khoa, Principal of Cha Nua Boarding School, the school is located in a mountainous commune where the majority of residents are ethnic minorities. Among the 284 students in the school, 96.5% are children from ethnic groups such as Thai, Mong, Tay, and Muong. There are only 10 Kinh ethnic students, who are children of teachers working in the commune.
As in many other schools and places, the students there neither enjoy nor understand their ethnic culture.
During recess, they often gather in groups to browse social media; when singing or dancing, they choose modern or pop songs.
“This situation leaves me deeply concerned. I have spent many sleepless nights pondering what will happen to our traditions, culture, and traditional musical instruments in the future,” Khoa shared.
Therefore, Khoa, along with the school's administration, decided to incorporate learning about ethnic minority culture into the school’s first weekly activity of each month.
These cultural exploration sessions have been held since October 2024 with specific themes shared by guest speaker Thung Van Doi from Na In Village, Cha Nua Commune. Doi is knowledgeable about Thai ethnic culture and passionate about the ‘tinh’ (gourd) lute. During the sessions, Doi shares stories and engages in discussions with students about ethnic culture.
These sessions have ignited a passion for ethnic culture among students. Following three talks about the gourd lute, 21 students from grades 3, 4, and 5 residing in the villages of Na In, Pa Co, Cau, and Na Cang have expressed their wishes to learn to play and make the instrument from the artisan.
To ensure that learning the instrument does not interfere with their schoolwork, Doi arranges Saturdays to teach the students in two groups, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. He is always willing to provide additional guidance for those who want to learn more.
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At a cultural exploration session at Cha Nua Boarding School (Photo: thchanua.nampo.edu.vn) |
Thanks to his dedicated teaching and the students' eagerness to learn and practice, many have quickly become able to play and sing on their own. Their love for ethnic culture has grown with each melody and note of the instrument.
One of the 21 students, Khoang Bao Ngọc, a fourth grader, shared that thanks to Doi's guidance, she now understands the significance of the gourd lute in the cultural life of the White Thai people in Cha Nua and the broader White Thai community in the Northwest. Through the music, she has come to appreciate and love her ethnic culture even more.
For Lo Dang Khoa, another Doi’s student from Pa Co Village, learning the instrument has deepened his love for Thai ethnic culture, inspiring him to learn how to make the instrument as well.
Khoa explained that in Thai ethnic language, “tinh” means “lute”, and “tau” means “gourd”, which combine to form the term “tinh tau”, or “gourd lute”.
“Learning with artisan Doi and being guided by him, I have learned how to make the materials needed for the instrument. Currently, I haven't made one myself, but I believe I will be able to make it someday as gifts for those who share a similar interest for the instrument like me and my friends,” Khoa added.
Starting from November 2024, Cha Nua Boarding School incorporated four traditional ethnic minority games into the students' recess activities, including ‘con’ and ‘pao’ (cloth ball) throwing, ‘to ma le’ (throwing seeds of 'ma le' fruit) and bamboo pole dance.
Students are divided into groups based on their interests and play these games during breaks.
Khoang Van Van, Secretary of Cha Nua Commune Party Committee, praised the approach of integrating traditional games into the curriculum, which has created a lively and engaging learning environment for the students.
By participating in and learning about traditional games and ethnic culture, students become bridges for maintaining and developing cultural values, spreading them to future generations.
