Mo Muong: More Than Just Incantations, a Cultural Treasure
In the diverse cultural landscape of Vietnam, Mo Muong of the Muong people in Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Phu Tho, Son La, and Ninh Binh stands out as a unique cultural phenomenon. It is not merely a conventional religious ritual form but a complete worldview, a folk encyclopedia preserved and transmitted through generations. According to Dr. Do Quang Trong and Dr. Nguyen Van Hai, Mo Muong comprises three main elements: the performance environment (rituals), the Mo texts (artistic literature), and the Mo artisans (Mo priests). This combination creates a living intangible cultural heritage closely linked to the life cycle of every Muong person from birth, through adulthood, to death.
The Role of Mo Priests in Community Life
The Mo priest is the soul of the heritage, the keeper and practitioner of the Mo verses. They are not only ritual performers but also folk intellectuals, poets, historians, and spiritual bridges between the human world and the divine. Throughout a person's life, the Mo priest appears from rituals for the safety of newborns, warding off misfortunes, healing illnesses, to wedding ceremonies, housewarming celebrations, and health blessings for homeowners. When a person dies, the Mo priest's role becomes more crucial than ever. They undertake the mission of guiding the deceased's soul through trials in the afterlife, returning to ancestors, so the living can be at peace and the dead can find liberation.
"Đẻ đất đẻ nước": An Encyclopedia of Origins
If Mo Muong is a cultural stream, then the epic "Đẻ đất đẻ nước" (Birth of the Earth and Birth of the Water) is its main current, the core and most monumental part. This is a large-scale work, considered one of the longest epics in the world, narrating the formation of the universe, all species, and human society from the perspective of ancient Muong people. Its value extends beyond religious aspects to being a study of history, culture, and society.
Journey from Chaos to Civilization
The content of "Đẻ đất đẻ nước" is a long tale about the creation of the world. According to researcher and Meritorious Artist Bui Van Noi, this epic is tied to the history of the ethnic group and humanity. The story begins in the era of "birth of earth, birth of water, birth of sky" when the world was in chaos and humans lived in primitive conditions. From there, the epic recounts the arduous journey of humans discovering fire, learning to spin silk and weave cloth, finding rice seeds, building houses, forming families and societies, and reaching the pinnacle of creating bronze tools and constructing palaces. Thus, the epic is not just a spiritual chant but a poetic chronicle of human societal development from primitiveness to civilization.
Spiritual Values and Moral Lessons
Beyond its epic value, Mo Muong contains profound spiritual and customary values. The Muong believe that death is not the end. After death, the soul goes to another world called "Muong Ma" (the realm of the dead). This world is initially dark and unfamiliar; the soul needs a Mo priest to guide and instruct it to adapt, recognize relatives, fields, and houses, and find its way back to protect descendants. Through the Mo priest's guidance, the deceased imparts moral lessons to the living: to live humanely, love and respect others; siblings must yield, sympathize, and forgive each other. Thus, Mo Muong is not only a farewell ritual but also a forum for community moral education, maintaining cohesion among family and society members.
Artistic Value and Philosophy of Life
Mo Muong is also a distinctive synthetic artistic work. The Mo verses are poetic prose rich in imagery, using ancient Muong language with multiple layers of meaning, requiring the performer to have extraordinary memory and deep understanding. The Mo priest's performance style, with recitation, singing, and theatrical gestures, creates a sacred yet captivating artistic space. The epic "Đẻ đất đẻ nước" also expresses the Muong worldview, philosophy, and thoughts on relationships between humans and nature, humans and society, and humans and the supernatural. It is a system of values distilled over thousands of years of labor and environmental interaction.
Challenges and Conservation Solutions Amidst Decline
Despite its immense value, Mo Muong faces severe decline in modern life. MA. Bui Kim Phuc (Hoa Binh Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism) notes that since the 1960s, Muong funerals have been reduced to 48 hours. This has forced artisans to simplify up to 50% of rituals. The narrative Mo, once lengthy, now retains only two short stories, mainly "Đẻ đất, đẻ trứng điếng" and "đẻ Tá Cần". Trimming rituals and Mo verses inadvertently impoverishes a monumental cultural heritage and severs the transmission to younger generations.
The Need for Comprehensive Solutions
Given this situation, preserving and promoting Mo Muong requires holistic and synchronized solutions from many parties. Experts and researchers believe that active participation is needed from local authorities, cultural managers, the heritage-owning community, and relevant organizations. One urgent task is to research, survey, inventory, and assess the current state of the heritage to guide appropriate investments. Raising awareness among the community, the creators of the heritage, is key to their voluntary participation in protection, as heritage can only live on when practiced in community life.
Supporting Artisans and Documenting the Heritage
Another important solution is to have mechanisms and policies to promptly encourage reputable Mo priests through conferring the title of Meritorious Artist and providing material and spiritual support to motivate them to preserve ancient knowledge and pass it on. Additionally, documenting Mo Muong is extremely urgent. A network of artisans nationwide should be built to enhance exchange, learning, and promotion. Digitizing Mo verses, recording audio and video of performances not only ensures safe storage but also provides valuable resources for research and teaching.
Mo Muong on the Journey to the World
Preserving Mo Muong is not only the task of Hoa Binh province or the Muong community but of the entire nation. The international conference "Mo Muong and Similar Ritual Forms in the World" held in Hoa Binh was a significant step in gathering comparative evidence, affirming the heritage's unique value. International scholars such as Prof. Dr. Kim Hyong Keun (South Korea) and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Mastnak (Germany) highly value Mo Muong and believe it meets many UNESCO criteria for intangible cultural heritage. Prof. Kim Hyong Keun also recommended increasing the heritage's visibility by translating Mo Muong into English for broader promotion before submitting a dossier to UNESCO for consideration of listing as heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. This journey is not only about seeking a title but also an opportunity for the Muong community to reflect on and take pride in its cultural treasure, thereby becoming more conscious of preserving and promoting the values left by ancestors.
