Art project preserves UNESCO-recognised Central Highlands gongs
A new art project preserving cong chieng (gongs), a traditional musical instrument of the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) region, has been launched in the south central province of Phu Yen.
People from the ethnic minority groups of Cham and Ba Na play cong chieng (gongs), which were recognised as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005. (Photo courtesy of the organiser)
Phu Yen (VNS/VNA) - A new art project preserving cong chieng (gongs), a traditional musical instrument of the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) region, has been launched in the south central province of Phu Yen.
Implemented by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports andTourism, the project aims to expose young people from the ethnic minoritygroups of Cham and Ba Na to the cong chieng,which were recognised as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage ofHumanity by UNESCO in 2005.
It offers training courses, helping the participants play the gongs and learnabout the cultural roots of the instruments, their importance to the spirituallife of the Cham and Ba Na people and the journey to becoming an intangiblecultural heritage.
The information and knowledge of traditional culture and lifestyleare also included.
The project attracts traditional art performers and artisans of PhuYen who have many years working to perform and expand the art of cong chieng.
“Our project encourages local youth to discover and play cong chieng, which is part of their heritagepromoted and handed down among generations,” said older villager and artisan LaChi Thai of Dong Xuan district. "Training courses on playing cong chieng are a way to convey love andpride for the national culture to youngsters.”
According to Thai, cong instrumentsproduce a single, uniform sound, while chieng areflat and offer a wider range of notes. Different sizes of gongs arecharacterised by family names: mother, father, and older sister.
cong chieng can be drummed by hand or with a cloth-covered stick.
The instruments appear in most of the rituals and ceremonies of ethnicminorities in Tay Nguyen. They are not only musical but also serve a culturalfunction for about 20 ethnic minorities, including the Cham and Ba Na.
"Cong chieng performances staged byartists from local art troupes will also be offered through our project,"he said./.
Gongs have for generations been closely attached to the community, traditional rituals, and festivals of the S’Tieng ethnic minority people in the southern province of Binh Phuoc. The locality has adopted many initiatives in recent times to preserve the cultural values of the gongs, in particular encouraging the efforts of local artisans to keep the gongs ringing out forever.
To conserve the traditional culture and the unique characteristics of the Tay Nguyen Central Highlands, gong tuning artisans in Gia Lai province travel every village to keep the sounds of mountains and forest alive.
Ethnic minority people in Gia Lai province collect bamboo and rattan to “make clothes” for their gongs. Apart from decorative purposes, weaved bamboo and rattan frames are made to preserve the musical instrument, which is native to the Central Highlands region.
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People from the ethnic minority groups of Cham and Ba Na play cong chieng (gongs), which were recognised as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005. (Photo courtesy of the organiser) 
