Associate Prof. Dr. BUI XUAN DINH
Ethnologist
Central region referred to in this article is the coastal plain area from the south of Ngang pass (Quang Binh province) to Mui Ne (Binh Thuan province). With the vast Central Highlands at the back and the sea in front, this region has a diversified terrain with lagoons, gulfs and tortuous passes.
The central coastal region was originally inhabited by Cham people whose ancestors were the owner of Sa Huynh culture. Sa Huynh culture, which was characterized by burial jars and close to Dong Son culture of northern Viet people, laid the foundation for the formation of Champa Kingdom known for its Cham towers.
In the early 11th century, northern Viet people expanded the country’s land to the south, step by step living together with the Cham.
After the fall of Champa Kingdom (in the mid 16th century), the Viet became the main inhabitants in this region, living together with the Cham and the Hoa (Chinese people who migrated into the country in the late 17th century). Viet people here mostly came from northern central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh, a majority of whom were reluctant immigrants during the war between the North and the South from 1627 to 1672.
As northern farmers, the Viet cultivated rice in narrow fields along the coast while learning fishing skills and handicraft making from the Cham.
Their residential unit remained village, but with a structure different from that in the north. Villages were surrounded by coconut trees (a totem of the Cham) or casuarinas to stop wind and wave. Villages of northern Viet people retained basic traits only in areas from Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue northward.
The Viet also took over trade activities on land and at sea from the Cham, laying foundations to form ports which were the precursors of such urban centers as Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon and Phan Thiet.
Living with the Cham and Hoa in a new natural environment, central Viet people maintained the northern culture’s original traits on the one hand and adopted customs and beliefs of these two groups, especially the Cham, on the other hand.
A typical belief of central Viet people was to worship tien hien, hau hien (persons or family lines founding villages in the central region), co hon (lonely souls) and nghia trung (unknown dead persons), and nghia tu (persons dying of good deed). These worshiping customs resulted from the death of many people during the civil war between Trinh and Nguyen Lords and the country’s expansion to the central region over 300-500 years ago.
Particularly, inhabitants of coastal villages, especially those on Ly Son island, worshiped martyrs who defended Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands. The custom was associated with an oath-taking ceremony for Hoang Sa and Truong Sa soldiers.
After founding the South, Nguyen Lords sent the army to occupy islands of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos and later formed Hoang Sa squads whose members were young men from Ly Son island villages and regular army men. Annually, these men sailed to these islands to place boundary markers to affirm the sovereignty of the Viet and Dai Viet country. Sailing small boats against high waves and strong wind, these men hardly came back. These villages thus built temples dedicated to their men dying for the country’s offshore land. Annually, in the second month of the lunar year, villages conducted a ritual to pray for these fallen heroes, which included the oath-taking ceremony for Hoang Sa and Truong Sa soldiers. After the ritual, villagers threw straw dummies into the sea (the number of the dummies equaled that of on-duty soldiers each year) in a hope that these dummies would replace their men so they could safely return home. This ritual is a clear proof for the early sovereignty of the Viet and Dai Viet country over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.
Another belief of central Viet people greatly influenced by the Cham is to worship whale. Whale was believed by the Cham to be the incarnation of Ja Chemeng Key, a courtier of the king, who learned magical powers to save people and later died at sea, becoming the sea god who saved fishermen in distress. Acquiring seafaring skills and also this worshiping custom from the Cham, the Viet explained it in three ways. First, a dead student turned into a whale living at sea to save seagoing victims. Second, a phoenix which laid two eggs: one falling to the sea and becoming the whale and the other falling on the land and becoming Quan Thanh hiding in pagoda bells. Finally, Bodhisattva Kwan Yin torn her robe into small pieces and threw them into the sea, which turned into whales to save seagoing victims.
The Viet in the central region do not eat whales and will save stranded whales. A man who first sees a dead whale must play the key role in conducting a funeral for the whale and must be in mourning for it like for his parents. After three years, the bones of the whale will be exhumed and put into a jar for worshiping at the village’s lang ong (the shrine dedicated to the whale built on the coast). Lang ong is as important as dinh (communal house) in the North. Every year, villagers conduct a ceremony dedicated to Nam Hai Dai Vuong (South Sea king), praying for favorable weather conditions for fishermen.
Many central Viet villages also worship Thien Y A Na goddess, who was believed by the Cham to be the creator of all creatures, teaching the Cham how to grow rice and weave cloth and to worship Cham king.
Some taboos of the Viet in the central region are from the Cham such as not upturning a fish when eating it, disallowing strange women on boat or disallowing strangers to touch production tools, food containers or sows.
The Viet’s culture was also influenced by Chinese culture, reflected in the worshiping of Tu vi thanh nuong (a queen and her three daughters in the Sung dynasty who were believed to die at sea when absconding to the south and become gods), Thien Hau (a kind of god of water), Quan Cong (who symbolized manliness) and 108 brothers who died on the way to reclaim the central region.
Central Viet people have formed a rich and original folk culture and arts with numerous verses, proverbs, chantey and traditional opera.
With over 900 years reclaiming the central region, the group had created socio-economic premises and basic conditions for the country’s expansion to the south in the late 17th century.-