Sam Dun of Cao Lan ethnic group keeps the rhythm going with his ancient drum

The centuries-old folk songs of the Cao Lan people in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang have been saved from oblivion by the tireless efforts of old farmer Dun.

Looking like forest flowers, the demure Cao Lan girls in their new skirts and finery bewitch the young men with their siren voices and shy demeanor.

Most of the songs have been rescued from obscurity, or rather oblivion, by one of the village elders, a 58 year-old farmer named Sam Dun.

Dun has spent ages researching his people’s culture and piecing together fragments of written music. Often he composes lines himself to link two fragments whose origin remains elusive.

“Sinh ca can be sung in many situations, but mostly at spring festivals when young people gather,” Dun says.

“When I was a young man, my friends and I would travel to many villages to find lovers this way.”

Dun loves singing folk songs from deep in his subconscious which urges him to rejuvenate the traditions of his people.

His family keeps a very old terra-cotta drum along with written records of songs and prayers dating back 500 years that the Cao Lan used to invoke the spirits of the dead.

Until Dun took matters into his own hands, nobody dared beat the drum outside of the spring and harvest festivals.

“They believed that the sacred drum could summon up ghosts. If they beat the drum at the wrong time, the spirits of the dead and the mountain gods could appear and scare people away,” he says.

Dun watched in dismay as the singing voices were stilled and the village fell quiet. He pondered how to make the young people understand the importance of their culture and its values.

One day he decided the time was right to reunite them with their heritage. He prayed to the gods, took the drum out to his yard, and started beating it, singing and dancing as he played.

Many of the villagers took fright and begged him to stop lest evil befell them all, but Dun played on.

Then, when the crowd had swelled to a considerable size, Dun declared that the gods had agreed to let the Cao Lan play the sacred drum whenever they liked.

Since then, he has used the drum every day to teach the old songs and dances to the younger villagers.

“I am old and have grandchildren but I still find something fresh about sinh ca,” he says.

For some time now the Culture Club of Tuyen Quang Province has invited him to perform in the festivals for ethnic minorities in the Northeastern region. From these he has brought home a swag of awards, including two gold medals.

As the leader of the local artistic troupe, it’s been his labor of love to guide them in their singing and such traditions as dancing with flags, swords or drums.

They shine in competition. In 2002, the troupe won a gold medal at an ethnic festival in Quang Ninh Province for their Khai den (lighting the lamp) act. Two years later, they won their second gold medal, this time in Cao Bang Province for their Khai lo (opening road) act.

Variety in song

Cao Lan folklorist Ninh Van Do says sinh ca is also used at weddings and funerals, to extend an invitation, to lull babies asleep, and to tell their people’s history. The love duets can last for 12 nights straight, according to Do. Some of the songs tell of the Cao Lan’s origin, others describe the land, society, culture and religion.

In this way a questioning singer can measure the knowledge of a potential partner.

“There are songs about the gods, ceremonies and traditions of the Cao Lan, astronomy, geography and our conceptions of space,” Do says.

He says there are a dozen books of ancient Cao Lan songs written in Chinese script, corresponding to the 12 nights for singing. “The first book is the longest and contains 16 chapters and 280 songs.”

Sam Dun says the folk songs are lessons in song.

“They tell us to be inclined to the good, respect the elders, and make way for the young when the time is right,” he says.

Sam Ngoc Van, 81, is thrilled to see how the younger generations have taken to sinh ca.

“I remember how, in the past, young men and women would sing in this fashion all the time.

“Many villagers have joined the sinh ca troupe we formed. I am pleased to see how well both the old and the young people are singing.”

A young member of the troupe, 24-year-old Ly Van Hieu, says they rehearse thoroughly before any event, be it a local festival or one of the major ethnic festivals.

He says the troupe does not limit the number of members; anyone with aptitude can join.

“A young person like me can learn a lot about Cao Lan culture under the leadership of Sam Dun,” says Hieu.

Today, Man Hoa is a dynamic and growing village. Houses on stilts and newly-built ones are surrounded by orchards on the mountain slope. It is picturesque and a constant source of inspiration for Sam Dun.

“How to lead an upright life is what our ancestors are teaching us through the folk songs. It’s something we aspire to do,” he says.

“The folk songs are our spiritual sustenance. When we sing, we revive the teachings of our ancestors - to be good to each others and live virtuously.”

Reported by Hoang Gia Bao