03:10, 18/10/2018

Preserving and promoting mã la musical instruments of Raglai people

The sound of mã la, the traditional musical instruments of Raglai people in Khanh Hoa, seemed to remain in the memory of the elderly. In the efforts to restore and promote these unique instruments, Khanh Hoa Province has encouraged the playing of mã la in the cultural events of the Raglai. 
 

The sound of mã la, the traditional musical instruments of Raglai people in Khanh Hoa, seemed to remain in the memory of the elderly. In the efforts to restore and promote these unique instruments, Khanh Hoa Province has encouraged the playing of mã la in the cultural events of the Raglai. 
 
As said by Cao Van Duoc, Head of Apa 2 Hamlet (Thanh Son Commune, Khanh Son District), in the past, the wealthy households in the village often owned a set of mã la. Gradually, these mã la were not played frequently and were sold to the scrap metal dealers. Without the sound of mã la, the traditional cultural activities have also not been held often.
 
In 2014, Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee decided to revive the tradition of playing mã la by providing the instruments to 85 hamlets and population groups of Raglai people. Recently, an inspection council of the provincial Department of Culture and Sports comprising song writers and artisans in Khanh Son District and Khanh Vinh District checked 23 sets of mã la instruments in order to hand them over to 23 hamlets and population groups in the two districts. Until now, 81 out of 85 hamlets and population groups of the Raglai were provided mã la instruments. The four remaining hamlets and population groups in Khanh Vinh District will be given the instruments in 2019.

 

Checking mã la instruments
Checking mã la instruments
 
According to song writer Hinh Phuoc Lien, member of the inspection council, mã la musical instruments used to be an asset of the Raglai. However, Raglai people did not make mã la on their own. They bought the instruments from Kinh people, from Laos and Cambodia and then adjusted the sound of those instruments to create their own endearing sounds. Therefore, Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports ordered sets of mã la instruments from bronze casting sculptor Duong Ngoc Tien in Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province. A set of mã la includes seven pieces of instruments. 
 
Reportedly, the localities held a solemn ceremony to receive the mã la instruments. The instruments are stored at the house of a reputable person in the village. Each village forms its own mã la troupe and invites an artisan to teach the troupe’s members how to play mã la. The sound of mã la makes the atmosphere in the villages of Raglai people to become more boisterous. 
 
The mã la troupes have partly helped to promote the cultural activities in the communities of the Raglai. The villages have encouraged young people in the area to join the mã la troupes and practice playing mã la frequently. These troupes play an important role in the festivals of Raglai people.  
 
The provision of mã la instruments has contributed to preserve a unique cultural characteristic of the Raglai ethnic group as well as satisfied the wish of reviving a tradition of Raglai people.
 
Giang Đinh
Translated by H.N