An artisan devoting her life to preserving Then heritage

In Then belief of the Tay people, artisan is an important factor, holding a central position in the preservation and transmission of Then heritage. With 53 years of practicing and teaching ancient Then, outstanding artisan Nguyen Thi Tich, born in 1949, Tay ethnic, is known as a “living treasure” in preserving this precious belief in Van Lang district.

Excellent Artisan Nguyen Thi Tich practices a Then ritual at her house in Ban Le village, Hoang Viet commune, Van Lang district

In the early days of August 2023, together with the officials of the Culture and Information Division of Van Lang district, we went to Ban Le village, Hoang Viet commune to meet artist Nguyen Thi Tich. In front of us, there was a small old woman but singing with a loud and strong voice while playing the lute. The Then songs and the melody of the tính lute have nourished her soul for 53 years.

Mrs. Tich said: “Since I was a child, I have followed my grandmother and mother to every corner in my village to attend Then ceremonies, the Then masters’ sweet singing along with the rhythmical sound of the tính lute attracted me, I had always wished to learn it. In 1965, I started to study Then with Master Dinh Thi Dam in the local village. After 2 years of study and practice, in 1967, I was eligible to do a Then initiation ceremony (lẩu Then khai quang) with 5 bands on the hat and started to be a Then master. From 1971 to 2013, I experienced 4 great ceremonies of promotion, I met the standards to have 13 bands on my hat, which is the highest level in my Then brand.

After mastering the ancient Then rituals, Ms. Tich has done more than 40 large and small Then ceremonies, those about certain stages of human life and folk knowledge of the Tay and Nung people in villages of Hoang Viet commune, Van Lang district and the surrounding areas and other ceremonies such as that to get rid of bad luck, that to welcome the third King, that to replace the soul of the person died in the water (tháy phi tốc nặm); that to ask for a child (thảo cầu chầu bjoóc); that to mark the beginning of summer (tiện khéc, động chuông khai hạ)… Additionally, she also keeps a number of precious artifacts related to Then inculding an over 100 year-old tính lute, a hand-embroidered antique hat, and 2 hand-embroidered pairs of shoes, 2 hand-embroidered cushions, 3 100 year-old ancient Tay seals. Especially, she is one of the few artisans in the province who can master the technique of controlling rattle-bells (pây mạ) with her feet during a ceremony; mastering and performing 8 ancient dances in the Then beliefs of the Tay people.

In addition to practicing then belief, Ms. Tich often participates in the promotion ceremonies of other Then masters, teaching many students and Then club members in the area Then singing, among her students, there are 2 people who can well perform Then rituals.

In the process of practicing Then belief, Ms. Tich has also cooperated with central and local newspapers, radio stations, researchers to record documentaries related to introducing, preserving and promoting Then heritage. From 2014 to 2018, she provided information about a Then ritual of get off the bad luck for the PhD essay of a lecturer of Lang Son College of Education; providing the official of the Provincial Arts and Culture Center the excerpt from the Then ritual to see off guests, which was performed at the 5th National Then Singing Festival in Tuyen Quang province and won the A prize; providing some materials about the ancient Then Xep of Van Lang district in order to build an application and submit it to UNESCO for the recognition of Then as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity…

Mr. Lo Van Bien, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoang Viet Commune, Van Lang District said: “Over the years, the preservation and promotion of the value of intangible cultural heritage in general and Then belief in particular in the commune have received a great contribution of Excellent Artisan Nguyen Thi Tich. She is very knowledgeable about the ancient Then singings, regularly practices it in the community, which helps people can further understand about Then, and she is dedicated to teaching the younger generation about Then rituals. This supports the preservation of a precious cultural treasure. She is really a typical example in preserving and promoting national cultural values in the area.”

Thanks to her many contributions in practice, promotion and transmission of Then cultural heritage of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups in the community, in September 2022, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tich was the only person of Van Lang district to be honored by the State President as an Excellent Artist in the field of intangible cultural heritage for the third time, in the form of “Social practices and beliefs”.