Lables:
Ethnic Groups, Muong ethnic group, Viet-Muong Group
Proper names:
Moi (or Mon, Moan, Mual).
Local groups:
Ao Ta (Au Ta), Moi Bi.
Population:
914,596 people (1999 census).
Language:
The Muong language belongs to the Viet-Muong language group (Austroasiatic
language family).
History:
The Muong share the same origin with the Viet people who are long time
inhabitants of Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Phu Tho provinces.
Production activities:
The Muong's most important work is planting rice on wet fields. Thus, rice is
the main agricultural crop. The main farming tools are a plough, and a small
harrow with/ wooden or bamboo tines. When the rice is ripe, the Muong harvest
it, put it into bunches, carry it home, dry it, and hang it on shelves. Before
using the rice, they put it on a wooden rack and use their feet to remove the
grains, then pound the rice. Due to wet field cultivation, the Muong are very
experience in making small irrigation systems. In addition to cultivating on
inundated fields, the Muong also farm on terraces, raise cattle, hunt, fish,
gather fruit, and produce handicrafts (such as weaving and plaiting).
Diet:
The Muong enjoy eating steamed food, like steamed sticky and regular rice,
steamed vegetables, and steamed fish. After steaming, rice and vegetables are
stored in a small basket until it is time to eat.
The
Mnong's rice wine, consumed using long bamboo straws or pipes, is very famous
because of its delicious taste and the way it is produced. It is brought out
when there are honorable guests or for festivals. Both men and women like to
smoke tobacco in big bamboo pipes. The women, especially, have the custom of
sharing one pipe with a group of people.
Clothing:
Muong women's dress is more diversified than men's dress, and there is
something unique about it. The turban on a woman's head is white cloth without
embroidery. A woman wears a bodice, outside is a short blouse with a little cut
on both sides (the shirt is usually white). The skirt is long to the ankle, and
has a border. The border is very famous because it is carefully woven with
flowered patterns. Muong jewelry includes a bracelet, a necklace, and a 2 to 4
line silver key chain that has a tiger or bear claw, covered with silver.
The
ritual specialist, called mo, is distinguished by special clothing which he
wears when conducting worshiping rites. It is a long dress with five panels, is
buttoned up on the right side, and is dyed green or black. He also wears a
white belt, and a pointed cloth hat. The clothing of the healer, called moi,
includes a special hat he wears when he practices his curing rites.
Housing:
The Muong live together in villages which are clustered along the foothills,
hill sides, and reservoir areas in Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Phu Tho provinces.
Each village usually has several dozen residential houses. Each family home
includes rows of betel nut and jack fruit trees. The majority live in stilt
houses, which have four roofs. The upper floor of the house is the living area.
Below the main floor is where the Muong keep cattle, poultry, rice mortars, and
other working tools.
When
putting up the kitchen column of a new house, it is a Muong custom for the
owner to hold a setting-the-fire ceremony. The head of the family makes three
decorative fish from the areca of a banana tree, which are then placed between
two strips of bamboo and hung on the kitchen column. He also hangs a green
pumpkin on the kitchen's main column. Before cooking in the new house, the owner
does this ritual to ask the Kitchen God's blessing to place there the tripod
stones that are the central part of a cooking fire. That night, the house owner
invites the villagers to drink rice wine while sitting next to that fire.
Transportation:
Women use bamboo carrying baskets, which have four erect, square corners. They
carry them on the shoulder or on the forehead. A shoulder pole is often used.
Clean water is stored in a big bamboo pipe that is longer than one meter. The
Muong carry the pipe on their shoulders from the water site to their houses,
then lean it against the wall for later use.
Social organization:
In a village, the neighborhood is important in building and maintaining social
relations. Muong villages are characterized by large families often comprising
two or three generations. Children bear their father's surname. Rights of the
eldest son are highly respected. Sons are entitled to rights of inheritance.
Marriage:
Young Muong men and women are free to date. If they are content with each
other, they will inform their parents to prepare for a wedding. A marriage has
to go through these steps: asking the bride's hand (khao therig), giving betel
nut ceremony (ti nom bank), asking for the wedding (nom khau), first wedding
ceremony (ti chau), and bringing the bride home ceremony (ti du). On the
wedding day, the matchmaker leads the groom's delegation, comprised of about 30
to 40 people including relatives and friends, who bring gifts to the bride's
family for the wedding ceremony. The groom wears his best clothes, including a
white turban, and carries a big rice cooking pot (chon). On the top of this
chon are placed two boiled chickens. When the bride returns to her husband's
home, she wears a conical hat and her best clothes, which include a long black
dress worn on the outside and bound up in the front. The bride often brings
with her 2 blankets and 2 mattresses. She also has 2 pillows to give to her
parents- in-law and couples of dozen small pillows to give to her husband's
relatives.
Birth:
When the wife is about to give birth, the husband has to prepare lots of
firewood. Then they create a separate room within the home using plaited bamboo
walls. This is where the wife will give birth. When the wife starts her labor,
the husband will inform his mother-in-law and other relatives to come to their
house and wait together. The midwife cuts the umbilical cord using a bamboo
knife taken from the rafters of the roof. If the infant is a boy, the midwife
will use a knife taken from the front roof; if the infant is a girl, the
midwife uses a knife taken from the back roof. Umbilical cords of all the
children of a family are put together in a bamboo pipe. The Muong believe that
in doing so, the siblings will grow up, loving each other.
On
the day an infant is born, the family will organize a party; invite a ritual
specialist to come to drive away evil things for the mother and child. Within
the first week after the infant is born, many friends and relatives will come
to, visit and to give gifts. The maternal grandmother always gives her 3 new
grandchild some self- fabrics. Wealthy families give silver necklaces, and
close relatives give rice or money. A woman who has just given birth often eats
sticky rice with a kind of leaf called tac chieng (a medicine leave to cure
seborrhea). She also drinks water cooked with different medicine leaves. Within
the first week, especially the first 3 days after giving birth, the Muong
always keep the fire burning. If the infant is a boy, he will be called
affectionately as lo ma (rice seed); if a girl, then she will be called cach
tac (vegetable). Only when the child is one year old, will he/she be properly
named.
Funerals:
When someone dies, the eldest son will use a knife to cut 3 times at the window
of the altar room. He has to hold his breast while doing so. After that, the
family will strike the gong to announce their mourning. The corpse is wrapped
in many layers of cloths, including traditional clothes. Then the body is
placed into a coffin, which is made from a hollowed-out tree trunk. The Muong
cover the coffin with a piece of fabric with a pattern that looks something
like dragon skin.
A
ritual specialist leads the funeral. Muong sons and daughters mourn their
parents like other Vietnamese. However, all the women who are daughters and
granddaughters- in-laws have their own funeral clothes related to the
"fanning-ghost" customs.
Calendar:
The Muong call their traditional calendar sach doi, which is made from 12
bamboo sticks that represent the 12 months. On each stick, there are different
signs to count dates, hours, and to see if a day or an hour is good or bad time
to do certain things.
The
Muong in Muong Bi have a different calendar, called ngay lui, thang to, which
is the reverse iMt other Muong' calendars. January of the Muong Bi calendar
matches with October of the other Muong calendar and of the lunar calendar.
Artistic activities:
Xec'bua singing (some places called xac. bua or khoa rac) is loved by many
people. Thuong (also called rang thuong or xuong) is a kind of folk singing to
praise working and the beauty of all Muong traditional customs. Bo meng singing
is love duet. Amorous duets are a popular folk singing tradition. In addition
to these, the Muong have other kinds of music such as lullabies and children's
songs. Muong ritual singing, in particular, is worthy of mention. These are
prays and songs that the ritual specialist reads and sings for funerals. Distinctive
musical instruments among the Museum include the flute, two-string Chinese
violin, drum, and trumpet, and gong.
Games:
Muong games are for everyone not just children. There are games that are
carefully planned such as crossbow shooting competitions, swings, and shuttle
cock. Children's games are held anywhere, any place, and with easy and simple
rules. Popular Muong games include cham chi, cham chan, co le, or games
involving dogs.
This
article written by Lanh Nguyen from Travel Agency in Vietnam
For
original article, please visit:
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