Mr. Y Wang Hwing (75 years old, the only elite artisan of Ea Tul village, Cu M'gar district, Dak Lak) shared: "When I was 15 years old, I followed the villagers into the long houses, sat by the fire and listened to my father and grandfather recite epic poems.
Although I learned quickly, I could only memorize a part of 4 epics, out of a total of about 80 epics of the Ede people.
The epic poems of the Ede people often praise those who have contributed to the village, honor intelligence, bravery, and solidarity, and at the same time oppose things that go against morality and customary law.
Epics also praise love between couples and family affection, as in the epic Dam San, which tells of a brave young man like a god, protecting the village from wild animals and outdated customs.
According to Mr. Y Wang Hwing, learning epics is very difficult, only those with talent and good memory can memorize and present one or several massive epics in their entirety. However, he still perseveres in teaching the younger generation who are passionate about Ede epics. Currently, very few people can remember and recite epics fluently.
Not only the Ede people, Mr. Man Phong Son (a resident of Buon Ma Thuot City) also has a great passion for collecting and preserving ancient artifacts. Over the years, Mr. Son has researched and displayed more than 500 artifacts about the life of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands.
He especially preserved the ancient jars of the Ede, M'Nong, Ba Na, Gia Rai, and Xe Dang people, dating back to the 13th century, and built a museum right in the middle of the village so that the artifacts could be displayed where they belonged.
Mr. Man Phong Son shared: "The place where the artifacts are kept is like a familiar address for the people in the area. Every time they reminisce about the familiar memories of a bygone era, the elderly want to visit.
Many young people in the area also have a great love for these artifacts. When they come to the exhibition, they ask a lot of questions to understand each item, its age and how the previous generation used it.
Recently, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak province coordinated with the People's Committee of Cu M'gar district to organize a class to perform and teach the epic of the Ede people in Ea Tul commune.
The class has 20 students who are teenagers, students, and children of the Ede ethnic group. Mr. Y Wang Hwing is the instructor.
At the same time, to preserve the epic treasure and cultural heritage of the Ede people, in recent years the cultural sector and local authorities have opened many classes to teach epic singing and storytelling.
The People's Committee of Buon Ma Thuot City has established the Ede ethnic cultural club in Ale B village, Ea Tam ward. The club consists of 35 members, with the aim of preserving and promoting the unique cultural values of the Ede ethnic group.
Mr. Pham Tien Hung - Permanent Vice Chairman of Buon Ma Thuot City People's Committee shared: "The establishment of the traditional culture club will contribute to effectively promoting investment resources of the State, society and community. Thereby, preserving and promoting the good traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities".
