From a young age, Jrai boy Siu Klah was taken by his father to attend village festivals, immersing himself in the rhythm of gongs resounding in the mountains and forests. At the age of 8, his father taught him how to play the gong.
“Back then, I was so fascinated by the sound of gongs that every time I heard them, I wanted to run after them. I often sat and watched my father and the men in the village play the gongs all day without getting bored. The more I listened, the closer I felt,” said Mr. Klah.
At the age of 17, Siu Klah performed gongs with the older artisans in the village in important ceremonies such as: grave-leaving ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, new rice celebrations or Yang (god) worship ceremonies.
“Gongs are not for performance but to convey memories and community consciousness. Every time I play a gong, I tell the origin and meaning of each gong piece, helping listeners understand more about the spiritual and cultural life of the Jrai people,” Mr. Klah shared.
Since 1990, Mr. Siu Klah founded the Dek village gong club. After that, he maintained practice and connected to teach the village youth.
From a few initial members, the Dek village gong club has attracted many young people to participate and has maintained its activities until now. Currently, the club has more than 20 members, many of whom are in first and second grade. Siu Thuong (born in 2017) shared: “At first, I learned out of curiosity. But the more I practiced, the more passionate I became about gongs.”
Not only teaching gong playing techniques, Mr. Klah also teaches the youth in the village to understand the meaning of each gong piece. “If you don’t know about gongs, you don’t know where you come from. If you don’t hear the gong sounds, you don’t understand what your ancestors want to say. You have to live a decent life, respect your ancestors, and work for the community so that the gong sounds you play will be in tune. Without morality, the gong sounds are just empty sounds,” Mr. Klah emphasized.
Although he never claimed to be an artisan, Mr. Klah was still considered by the villagers as an “encyclopedia” of gong culture. He remembered and clearly distinguished which gong pieces were for wedding ceremonies, which gong pieces were for grave-leaving ceremonies, and which gong pieces were only played when the rice had just begun to bloom. According to him, a gong without a player is a mute gong. A person who does not keep the gong can easily get lost in the many aspects of life. Each gong sound carries a message, a layer of meaning, reflecting the philosophy of living in harmony with nature, connecting with the community, and respecting ancestors of the Jrai people.
Not only is he a preserver of gong cultural heritage, Mr. Klah is also an active factor, with many outstanding contributions to building local cultural life. He was awarded a certificate of merit by the Chairman of the People's Committee of Chu Se district (old) as "A person with outstanding prestige in implementing ethnic work and ethnic policies" for the period 2021 - 2023.
Mr. Bui Van Cuong - Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Ia Hru commune - said: Old Klah is a shining example, a core member in the work of preserving the cultural space of the Central Highlands gongs in the locality. He is not only good at performing gongs but also always dedicated to teaching the young generation. Thanks to his role as a bridge, the movement of learning to play gongs is increasingly developing. In the coming time, we will coordinate with Mr. Klah to organize more extensive gong teaching in the community.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/siu-klah-nguoi-gin-giu-di-san-van-hoa-cong-chieng-post560500.html
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