 |
| Elder Vuong Van Cua by a traditional drum |
The soul of drums, the soul of the village
Guiding us along the winding path into Doi Village, Tran Van Lam, former Secretary of the Thuong Lo Commune Youth Union and now an Officer of the Party Building Committee of Khe Tre Commune, shared: “Elder Cua is a highly respected figure in the community. He is deeply knowledgeable about the customs and traditions of the Co Tu people.
The small house of Elder Cua nestles under the shade of trees, with kitchen smoke drifting softly in the late afternoon. In front of the porch, Elder Cua sits beside a log, diligently chiseling, carving, and smoothing it to complete a drum. At the age of 71, each strike of his hammer and chisel remains firm and precise, resonant and steady like the echoing drumbeats across the mountains and forests.
“Instead of taking an entire week to finish making a drum like it was in the old days, when I had to chisel everything myself. Now, with the help of a drill, it only takes a few days to complete,” Elder Cua said with a gentle smile.
While the drums made by the Kinh people are assembled from multiple wooden pieces, the drums of the Co Tu are carved from a single solid block of wood. The wood which is used for drum-making is carefully selected, usually from mut or bang trees, because it is light, soft, easy to shape, yet durable and resistant to cracking. Once dried, it can withstand rain and sun without being damaged by termites or decay. “If you use other types of wood, the sound won’t be as good. Mut and bang wood produce a round, warm tone that resounds farther,” Elder Cua explained.
The drum surface is covered with cowhide or buffalo calf hide. The Co Tu people select only the hide from the front thighs of the buffalo, as it has just the right thickness for producing good sound. Cowhide is taken only from the body section to ensure durability. After selection, the hide is stretched over the wooden frame and left to dry naturally in the sun; on rainy days, it is dried over a fire. The rattan ropes used to bind and tighten the 2 drumheads must also be chosen from mature, properly aged rattan to ensure strength and flexibility.
Elder Cua shared that the drums of the Co Tu people are divided into 3 types: The large drum, called Co thu. It is used in village festivals, the new rice celebration (cha ha rơ tơ me), the field worship ceremony (pơ lít), the New Year festival (pa rơ dum), etc. The medium-sized drum is called pâr lư, while the small drum, known as char gơr, are usually carried on the shoulder to be played while walking during cultural performances and community activities.
“In the past, every Co Tu household had a drum and a gong hanging on the wall. Whenever a buffalo or pig was slaughtered, or when someone hunted a deer or muntjac in the forest, the sound of drums and gongs would fill the air. Hearing it, the whole village would gather to celebrate and share the joy,” Elder Cua recalled slowly. During the years of war, the villages were covered in smoke and fire, and the drums and gongs fell silent. Each time they were to evacuate, the villagers carefully carried their drums and gongs with them, hiding them deep in the forest. After liberation, they quietly returned to the forest to retrieve each drum and gong, hanging them once again with reverence in their stilt houses, as if restoring the echo of the village from a bygone time. Every drumbeat that sounds today is a meeting point between past and present, a resonance that connects people with their ancestors, with the mountains and forests, and with the shared memory of their community.
Passing on the craft, keeping the flame alive
Born into a Co Tu family that migrated from the former Quang Nam Province, elder Vuong Van Cua is the third generation of his family to grow up in the mountainous forests of former Nam Dong. As a child, he was fascinated by watching the village elders carefully carve wood and stretch hides to make drums. However, learning the craft was not easy, as in the past, the Co Tu drum-making trade was passed down only within the family lineage.
Enchanted by the sound of drums and the scent of wood, young Cua spent his days lingering around to observe and learn in secret, then experimented on his own. It took him an entire month to craft his very first drum, chiseling, carving each grain of wood, and shaping every curve by hand. When the deep, resonant sound of that first drum echoed through the stilt house, his heart swelled with joy, as if the village festival had just begun.
The traditional drums of the Co Tu people are entirely handcrafted, which gives them remarkable durability. A single drum can be used for decades; when the drumhead wears out, replacing the hide is enough to make it resonate like new once again.
People from neighboring villages, and even from as far as the former Quang Nam Province, come to elder Cua to order drums. Crafting a set of three drums of different sizes takes a great deal of time, yet the price is only around 5 million VND. “The money isn’t much. However, I’m happy to preserve the craft of my ancestors, as long as the drum still sounds, the spirit of the village lives on,” he said with his eyes filled with pride.
To ensure that the traditional Co Tu drum-making craft does not fade away, elder Cua gladly teaches anyone who wishes to learn, never keeping the craft to himself. His simple joy lies in seeing his son, Mr. Vuong Van Ga, follow in his footsteps, mastering every step of the drum-making process; or witnessing Mr. Tran Van Xuong, after years of dedication, create Co Tu drums by his own hands, which carry the soulful sounds of the mountains and forests.
Mr. Le Nhu Suu, former Head of the Department of Culture, Science, and Information of Nam Dong District (now Vice Chairman of Nam Dong Commune), remarked that elder Vuong Van Cua is a dedicated figure in preserving and passing down the traditional cultural values and customs of the Co Tu people to younger generations. Thanks to his efforts, many cultural beauties have been preserved and have not faded out over time. “Elder Cua is also a highly respected figure in the community, capable of encouraging and effectively communicating the Party’s and the State’s policies to local people in a warm and approachable way”, he added.