Special class
It takes about 30 minutes to drive a motorbike to Artisan Tan Van Sieu’s home from the center of Sa Pa town. In the over 100 sq.m wooden house of the 61-year-old artisan, the most valuable assets carefully preserved are the Prime Minister-presented certificate of merit and two other certificates inked in 2015 and 2022, respectively, recognizing him as the eminent artisan and the people's artisan. Notably, on the wooden wall is the inscription of classroom rules that have been faded with time. The classroom's supplies are old wooden desks and chairs carefully preserved and cleaned by Artisan Sieu. For the past two decades, his class has provided free Nom Dao script teaching to more than 600 students. This year, the class, opened in early June, has welcomed nearly 30 students. The Dao people in Lao Cai and neighboring provinces respectfully call Artisan Tan Van Sieu “Teacher Sieu.”
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People’s Artisan Tan Van Sieu |
Born into a studious family, Tan Van Sieu learned the Nom Dao script from his father since he was small. At the age of 17, he was knowledgeable, read a lot of books, and learnt by heart numerous folk worshipping songs and other songs of the Dao ethnic group. However, at the age of 19, an accident occurred to him. He stepped on a landmine, causing him a hand lost, and an eye damaged. Everything seemed to end in front of his eyes and he locked himself in a narrow house. After many gloomy days, one night Tan Van Sieu suddenly woke up and talked to himself that he had been a coward for a long time, which contrasted with the nature of the Dao people.
For many years later, he spent time conducting field trips to study the daily life and activities of local people to get more information and acquire more knowledge to help the restoration and copying of old books of the ancestors with the aim of preserving for the descendants.
Talking about his idea of opening a class on Nom Dao scrip, Artisan Sieu recalled that in 2003, he saw that many Dao people not know how to write their own script. Therefore, he was afraid that the Dao people’s cultural identity, customs and habits might be consigned in oblivion, even disappear altogether one day. The next summer, he opened a class offering the Nom Dao script teaching for free. At first, his wife and children strongly opposed because they were facing hunger. After explanations, his efforts were paid off and he received sympathy and support from them.
Artisan Sieu’s class is special since its students are at different ages. Some students are cultural cadres. The class was first opened for children in Sa Pa. Thanks to its reputation, the class now has students from Thai Nguyen, Yen Bai and Lai Chau provinces. Teacher Sieu does not refuse anyone and just requires them to follow the class’s rules. The top rule of the class is “when in class, focus on study, don't joke."
Worried about preserving Dao culture
According to Artisan Sieu, the Nom Dao script is hieroglyph, so it is difficult to learn. Normally, it takes learners two years to be able to perform ancestor worshipping, incense offering rituals, and other ones. In addition, a Dao girl also has to learn how to sing and other standards to be a good wife and a good person.
“I have some 15 textbooks, but anyone with talent and patience can only learn seven ones. My training course often lasts 3 months. It is important for the trainees to self-study and self-practice. Each trainee must study for 3 years in a row to be good at reading and writing in Nom Dao,” said artisan Sieu.
Since the Nom Dao language is difficult to learn, some people have to undergo many courses. May Kim Ta, Deputy Director of Ta Phin Community Tourism Cooperative, is among them. With knowledge acquired from those courses, May Kim Ta has launched many tours to experience the traditional culture of the Dao people to tourists and achieved positive results. Mr. Ta said that “Every time teacher Sieu opens a course, I ask to attend. The Nom Dao script is very difficult and it is easy to forget them without regular practice. Apart from the language, what I have learnt is the morals that the Dao people teach their children and grandchildren.”
According to Artisan Sieu, in the past, Dao girls were not allowed to go to school because the Dao people thought that it might make worshipping lessons ineffective. However, he changed their minds and his class now has female students.
For students living far from the free literacy class, Teacher Sieu gives them financial support. Some students live with his family during the course.
Thanks to Artisan Sieu’s dedication, the movement of studying the Nom Dao script in mountainous villages has spread widely. Many students of Teacher Sieu’s first class have become prestigious people in the region and made great contribution to preserving the cultural beauty of the Dao ethnic group. Ms. Hoang Thi Vuong, Head of the Division of Culture and Information of Sa Pa town, proudly said that Artisan Sieu is likened to a “living dictionary” of the Dao people in Sa Pa in particular and Lao Cai province in general. “His enthusiasm in language teaching and old book collection has contributed to preserving and spreading the cultural values of the Dao people in the contemporary life,” she stressed.
Translated by Mai Huong