Cultural colors of ethnic minorities

Within the framework of the 4th Congress of Ethnic Minorities of Khanh Hoa Province, the Provincial Department of Culture and Sports has organized an exhibition of photos, documents and artifacts under the theme "Cultural colors of ethnic minorities in Khanh Hoa Province".

The congress attendees viewing the exhibits at the exhibition

The exhibition took place at the Provincial Conference Center (46 Tran Phu, Nha Trang City), featuring more than 50 photos and documents about activities in the spheres of politics, economy, culture, education, public health, and social security as well as the concern of the province’s leaders to the material and spiritual life of the ethnic minorities in the province. The exhibits included the excerpt from President Ho Chi Minh's letter sent to the congress of the ethnic minorities in the southern region, held in Pleiku on April 19, 1946, affirming the eternal unity among ethnic minorities across the country. The photos of the province’s leaders giving gifts to poor households of ethnic people, visiting families with meritorious services, participating in festivals of great solidarity, etc. partly showed the province's concern for the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities.

The photos of ethnic people performing cultural activities attracted much attention from viewers. These photos featured different cultural activities of the ethnic minorities over the province, for example Raglai people in Khanh Son District playing lithophone; Ede people in Ninh Tay Commune (Ninh Hoa Town) performing ritual acts of river wharf ceremony; Raglai people in Khanh Vinh District performing new rice ceremony; ethnic artisans singing epics and folk songs and playing traditional musical instruments. In addition, there were photos of ethnic minority voters voting in elections; Raglai and Ede people making traditional handcrafts; ethnic players taking part in sports competitions, etc. The original gongs of the Ede, traditional musical instruments (ma la, lo o, lithophone, etc.) of the Raglai; some of quality agricultural products (crispy banana, dried bamboo shoots, mangosteen, durian, honey) of ethnic minorities were also introduced at the exhibition. 

“The displayed photos are very beautiful and meaningful. Through the exhibits, I have learned more about traditional handcrafted products, typical specialties, and spiritual and cultural life of 36 ethnic communities in the province,” said H'Huong K'sor, an Ede woman in Van Ninh Dstrict.

Khanh Hoa Province is home to 36 ethnic groups. Throughout history, the ethnic minority communities in Khanh Hoa have lived in solidarity, forming close bonds and supporting one another. Over years, each ethnic group has contributed to the unique and diverse cultural colors, enriching the cultural features of the land of aloeswood. Reportedly, these photos will be introduced and displayed at cultural and art events about ethnic minorities in the region and nationwide, contributing to the wider promotion and honoring the cultural and art values of the ethnic minorities in the province.

Giang Dinh
Translated by H.N