The Mang ethnic group preserves its unique traditional culture

Living along the northern border of our country, despite being one of 16 ethnic groups with very few people in Vietnam, the Mang people still preserve their unique traditional culture. Let's go togetheriguide.aiFind out information about the Mang ethnic group, Vietnam!

1. Historical origin

- In the past, the Nam Ban (Dum Bai) area of ​​Nam Ban commune, Sin Ho district, Lai Chau province was still called the "homeland" of the Mang people. The Mang people are one of the indigenous populations in the Northwest region.

- Self-name: Array.

- Other names: Mang U, Xa Mang, Nieng O, Xa Ba O. 

- Local groups: Mang Gong, Mang He.

2. Population:According to data from the Survey of 53 ethnic minorities on April 1, 2019: The Mang ethnic group has 4,650 people, of which male population: 2,313 people, female population: 2,337 people. Household size: 4.8 people/household. Percentage of population living in rural areas: 97.4%.

3. Geographical distribution:  Concentrated in Lai Chau province, stretching across the northern border area, bordering China.

4. Language:

-The language belongs to the Mon-Khmer language group (Southern-Asian language family). According to a survey by the People's Committee of Lai Chau province, the Mang people preserve their language quite well, 100% of people use their ethnic language in daily activities. When communicating with the outside world, some people can use Mandarin, Thai, Ha Nhi and Hmong.

- Education: According to data from the Survey of 53 ethnic minorities on April 1, 2019: Percentage of Mang people aged 15 and older who can read and write in general: 46.2%; Percentage of people attending primary school: 104.3%; Percentage of people attending middle school: 88.9%; Percentage of people attending high school together: 38.8%; Rate of out-of-school children: 14.3%.

5. Main characteristics

-Food: Mang people eat 2 meals (lunch-dinner), corn is the main food, corn mixed with cassava or mixed with a little boiled rice. Pickled young cassava leaves are a year-round food for the Mang people. They like to smoke tobacco and drink white wine.

- Costume: A unique feature of women's clothing. The array is a cape wrapped around the body, cut and sewn with white rough fabric, with red thread embroidered in the middle. Her head was bare, her hair tied into a bun on her head with a pretty tasseled string, her legs wrapped in leggings.

- Face tattoo custom: In the past, both Mang women and men had to have their faces tattooed (also known as mouth tattoos or chin tattoos). This is a mandatory initiation ceremony when boys and girls reach adulthood (boys are 16 - 18 years old, girls are 15 - 16 years old), with the main purpose of being recognized by the community as main members. awake. Thanks to the tattoo on the face, after death, the ancestors in heaven recognized them as members of the same family and allowed their souls to reside with them.

- Social relations: The head of the traditional social organization is Pogia. The Ban (Muy) organization still maintains traditional practices. The village has a village chief who oversees tax collection for miscellaneous services. In the village there is usually a large family, the family heads together with the village elders council run all social and religious activities according to custom. The Mang people have 5 main families, each family takes an animal as a totem.

- Housing: Although the Mang people's houses are very temporary, from the stage of choosing land, leveling the floor, erecting columns to roofing, they must ask a fortune teller to check the date and time before proceeding to build the house. This ceremony includes many complex ritual features expressing ethnic characteristics.

- Tet holiday: In addition to the Lunar New Year, the Mang people celebrate the New Rice Festival after the harvest in the 10th lunar month. Every year, villagers also make offerings to local and house ghosts to ask for peace. In particular, they have a series of rituals related to agriculture: sowing ceremony; worshiping the rice spirit and rice mother; Worshiping after the harvest…

- Worship: House ghosts are worshiped during Tet or when someone in the house is sick. Mang people believe that there are many ghosts, among which house ghosts have a particularly important position. Besides, they also worship Dam ghosts - ancestors and clans.

- Performing Arts: "Bad" folk songs are known and loved by many people. Today, the Mang people still preserve legends about their ancestral land, Muang Buang, a place on a mountainside in Nam Ban commune, Sin Ho district (now in Nam Nhun district).]

6. Economic conditions

-Slash-and-burn agricultural production is the main way of living of the Mang people. Previously, the Mang people raised small cattle, later large cattle; Weaving is especially developed, reaching a sophisticated level, while weaving is not developed; Wicker products are mainly exchanged with Thai people for garment products. In addition, the profession of sewing hats is also very developed, used to exchange or sell to Thai people.

- According to data from the Survey of 53 ethnic minorities on April 1, 2019: Poverty rate: 66.3%; Rate of near-poor households: 10.2%; Unemployment rate: 0.67%; Percentage of trained workers with degrees and certificates: 4.0%; Proportion of workers working in the non-agricultural sector: 11.2%; Proportion of employees working in management or technical expertise at high and middle levels: 1.7%; Percentage of households doing traditional handicrafts: 0.11%.

Above is some interesting information about the Mang ethnic group, Vietnam, let's joiniguide.aiPlan to explore, meet and experience culture with Mang people in the near future!

Source:
- Ethnic groups in Vietnam (Truth National Political Publishing House)
- Basic characteristics of 54 ethnic minorities in 2019 (Committee for Ethnic Minorities and General Statistics Office)
- Website of the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, Website of Nhan Dan Newspaper
- Results of the survey collecting information on the socio-economic status of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam)