The Muong Ethnic Group in Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve
The Muong ethnic group in general, and the Muong Khu in particular, are an ancient minority group with a long history in Hoa Binh. The Muong Khu is one of the most iconic ancient Muong groups whose origins are preserved in the epic ‘De Dat, De Nuoc’ (Giving birth to the soil, giving birth to the water).
“Muong” means “unit of residence”, a concept similar in scale to the ‘commune level’ in the Vietnamese administration system. “Khu” means stone, and Muong Khu thus translates as ‘landscape of stone’. Vietnamese feudal dynasties laid a foundation of administrative rules that assigned the official name of Ngoc Lau Commune to this land until 1957, at which time Muong Khu – Ngoc Lau was divided into the three current communes: Ngoc Son, Ngoc Lau and Tu Do.
People.
The Muong Khu are generally found in rugged and high mountainous areas on the border of Thanh Hoa and Hoa Binh provinces. From the time of “De Dat – De Nuoc” (Giving birth to the soil, giving birth to the water) until now, Muong people are usually warm-hearted, hospitable, and diligent in productive labour.
History
In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the Muong assisted the military forces led by Vietnam’s King Le Loi in the Lam Son uprising which halted the aggression of the Ming Chinese. In the mid 18th century, Muong Khu was one of the important military bases of the Le Duy Mat uprising against the Trinh Lords and is now home to many historical monuments of that era which are being maintained in the Bai Bang area.
Culture
Due to the ruggedly mountainous topography, the lifestyle here is quite distinctive; people live largely in harmony with nature and still maintain many traditional aspects of Muong culture including music and residing in stilt houses.
Traditional costume
Women’s clothing centres on traditional and colourfully creative brocade made in harmoniously decorative shuttle-woven fabrics. Researchers have found these same patterns used on ancient Dong Son drum engravings from more than 2,500 years ago.
Popular heritage
Muong Gong music is an important aspect of the culture. A performance called Sac Bua art (xec bua) includes 12 instruments played by 12 girls, while other music performances include Chieng music, love song duets, and mythic poems that tell ancient stories.
Cuisine
Traditional cuisine is also very special here. The most popular and attractive dishes are: “Boiled Springtime Bamboo Shoots”, “Chicken Cooked with Sour Bamboo Shoots and Doi Seeds”, “Sang Vegetable Soup”, “Violet Glutinous Rice”, and “Can Wine” (a fragrant rice wine drunk from a shared jar through long, arcing bamboo straws).
Recreation
The Muong Khu still maintain many popular ancient games such as “Danh Mang” whose players are typically women, “Con Throwing”, and “Danh Cu” for children.
Like a princess awaking to a new life after a long sleep in the quiet castle, the Muong Khu are becoming increasingly connected to the outside world and are opening their hearts and homes to welcome all tourists. Yet, there are still many difficult questions about sustainable development, forest conservation, and preserving traditional culture for future generations in hope of retaining a truly Muong Khu identity. We believe that small-scale ecotourism with high amounts of local decision making can help promote sustainable development and help achieve these goals.
Hiking Ngoc Son Ngo Luong.
“Muong” means “unit of residence”, a concept similar in scale to the ‘commune level’ in the Vietnamese administration system. “Khu” means stone, and Muong Khu thus translates as ‘landscape of stone’. Vietnamese feudal dynasties laid a foundation of administrative rules that assigned the official name of Ngoc Lau Commune to this land until 1957, at which time Muong Khu – Ngoc Lau was divided into the three current communes: Ngoc Son, Ngoc Lau and Tu Do.
People.
The Muong Khu are generally found in rugged and high mountainous areas on the border of Thanh Hoa and Hoa Binh provinces. From the time of “De Dat – De Nuoc” (Giving birth to the soil, giving birth to the water) until now, Muong people are usually warm-hearted, hospitable, and diligent in productive labour.
History
In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the Muong assisted the military forces led by Vietnam’s King Le Loi in the Lam Son uprising which halted the aggression of the Ming Chinese. In the mid 18th century, Muong Khu was one of the important military bases of the Le Duy Mat uprising against the Trinh Lords and is now home to many historical monuments of that era which are being maintained in the Bai Bang area.
Culture
Due to the ruggedly mountainous topography, the lifestyle here is quite distinctive; people live largely in harmony with nature and still maintain many traditional aspects of Muong culture including music and residing in stilt houses.
Traditional costume
Women’s clothing centres on traditional and colourfully creative brocade made in harmoniously decorative shuttle-woven fabrics. Researchers have found these same patterns used on ancient Dong Son drum engravings from more than 2,500 years ago.
Popular heritage
Muong Gong music is an important aspect of the culture. A performance called Sac Bua art (xec bua) includes 12 instruments played by 12 girls, while other music performances include Chieng music, love song duets, and mythic poems that tell ancient stories.
Cuisine
Traditional cuisine is also very special here. The most popular and attractive dishes are: “Boiled Springtime Bamboo Shoots”, “Chicken Cooked with Sour Bamboo Shoots and Doi Seeds”, “Sang Vegetable Soup”, “Violet Glutinous Rice”, and “Can Wine” (a fragrant rice wine drunk from a shared jar through long, arcing bamboo straws).
Recreation
The Muong Khu still maintain many popular ancient games such as “Danh Mang” whose players are typically women, “Con Throwing”, and “Danh Cu” for children.
Like a princess awaking to a new life after a long sleep in the quiet castle, the Muong Khu are becoming increasingly connected to the outside world and are opening their hearts and homes to welcome all tourists. Yet, there are still many difficult questions about sustainable development, forest conservation, and preserving traditional culture for future generations in hope of retaining a truly Muong Khu identity. We believe that small-scale ecotourism with high amounts of local decision making can help promote sustainable development and help achieve these goals.
Hiking Ngoc Son Ngo Luong.
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