The Central Highlands is known as a legendary land, home to ethnic minorities such as the M’nong, Ede, Ba Na, and Ja Rai.
It is also known for its gongs, “can” wine, the T’rung musical instrument, and especially its epic poetry, which all possess historical, cultural, and spiritual values.
The M’Nong people have “Ót N’Rông” - an age-old form of poetic narrative that has been passed down orally from generation to generation.
When night falls, the M’Nong people often come to the houses of people who can sing well to hear and enjoy the old stories of their ancestors.
A narrator must be someone who has a special memory. The M’Nong people believe that people who can remember many epic poems are gifted by the gods. Some poems are thousands of sentences long and can takes 3 or 4 nights to tell in full.
In today’s society, epic poetry still plays an important role in the lives of the M’Nong people.
The poems help the next generation understand their origins and feel proud of the unique cultural tradition of their ethnic group.
Therefore, the work of collecting and preserving epic poetry takes on even more meaning.
And the best way to preserve the M’Nong’s epic poetry is to create favourable conditions for it to be nurtured and live within the ethnic community./.
