Nung men and women perform Sli singing (Photo: backan.gov.vn) The singing, recognised as national intangiblecultural heritage, mirrors the Nung people’s views on morality, good deeds andrespect for ancestors, and has humanitarian values.
The folk genre of music is linked with activities atthe Xuan Duong love market in Bac Kan province that takes place on the 25th dayof the third lunar month annually.
It is a typical folk singing style of the Nung ethnicgroup in Bac Kan province in particular and the Viet Bac region in general,encompassing the northern provinces of Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Tuyen Quangand Thai Nguyen.
Sli means "poetry", a folk song in the folkart treasure of the Nung people in Lang Son. Legend has it that a fairy openeda contest to select her husband among the three men surnamed Chuong, Sinh andLy through response singing.
The singing is often performed at festivals, marketsand special events of the Nung ethnic group. Notably, the performance mustfocus on a topic with its wording created by singers, with a combination offacial expressions and hand gestures.
The wording and way of singing of each group may bedifferent, but the wording is structured by "that ngon tu tuyet"(seven-lined stanza with each line composed of seven words) or "that ngonbat cu" (eight-lined poem with each line composed of seven words).
At the beginning of each performance, the two sidesgreet each other by saying “nhi a sloong hao” (Let’s sing), which also helps toensure the harmony while singing.
Sli songs have rich contents, maybe visiting andcongratulating someone, expressing love, faith and nostalgia when living farapart, and exchanging production experience. The most popular are Sli songsfeaturing love exchange which are divided into many genres and sung indifferent contexts.
It is a form of poem singing that expresses theflexible repartee of the singers. The love exchange Sli songs are often sung bya couple or several couples in a repartee style. Usually, a party stands outand sings first with gentle and clever greetings to invite the other party tosing together.
When this party completes greeting, the other has toquickly reply. Just like that, the two sides get caught up in the singing.
The singing has brought people closer as many singershave then become close friends or couples, while helping to educate younggenerations about traditions as well as respect for ancestors.
Bac Kan province now has 17 cultural heritagesrecognised as National Intangible Heritages.
The Nung people live together with other ethnicgroups, but mostly with Tay. Therefore, the two groups have close ties and bearcultural similarities.
The Nung call the Tay Can Slua Khao (white shirtpeople) while the Tay call the Nung Can Slua Dam (black shirt people). The twogroups are also commonly called Tho people.
The Nung grow wet rice in small and narrow valleys inthe northern region, involving such work as plowing, sowing, transplanting,fertilising, weeding and watering through canals. They also grow tobacco,cotton and rice upland and raise cattle and poultry. The Nung people do somehandicrafts such as weaving, cloth dyeing, forging, casting, and brick and limemaking. Most families have looms for making cloth and quilts, cushions andpillows. At the age of 12, girls start to learn how to weave, and makingbeautiful products is a criterion of a good wife./.
VNA
