Survey of magical fairy tales of the Mong people circulating in Yen Bai

Is there a book that collects, translates and introduces the fairy tales of the Mong people in Yen Bai?

1.3.2. After the August Revolution - 1945

After the August Revolution - 1945, along with the focus on promoting the development of the country's literature to serve the spiritual life, develop awareness for the people, especially serving the Vietnamese revolutionary movement, with the attention and encouragement of the Party and the State, many folk artists and authors devoted their efforts to fieldwork, exploiting, collecting, researching, publishing their articles on mass media, printed in local and central cultural and literary magazines and journals. At first, this work only took place on a small scale and tended to be personal in nature. It was not until 1954 - 1960 that the research and collection of folk literature in Yen Bai was focused on.

The prominent names in the work of collecting and researching Mong ethnic literature in the early stages are Hoang Dinh Quy (Ha Giang), Le Trung Vu, Doan Thanh (Lao Cai), Minh Khuong (Yen Bai). Author Minh Khuong has spent many years working with the Mong ethnic group, is fluent in Vietnamese and Mong, has collected many documents, compiled them himself and published them into books.

In the later stage, many authors of the Lao Cai and Yen Bai Folklore Associations paid attention to the work of collecting and researching the culture and literature of the Mong ethnic group. Typical authors are Tran Huu Son, Hoang Viet Quan, Bui Huy Mai, Pham Tuat... They are the ones who love the culture and literature of the Mong ethnic group. Besides, there are also researchers, collectors, and translators who are children of the Mong ethnic group such as Hang Mi De, Duong Thi Phuong, Hang Thi Van Thanh (Ha Giang). They are the ones who are always conscious of preserving and conserving the achievements of the ethnic culture with a spirit of self-awareness and pride. In addition, those who love literature and are attached to the Mong ethnic group such as: cultural officials, reporters, teachers, students

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high school and vocational school students... They have actively contributed to the work of preserving and transmitting Mong ethnic culture and literature in Yen Bai.

* Some outstanding achievements in collecting folk songs:

- Hmong folk songs in Lao Cai collected by Doan Thanh (Literature Publishing House, 1967).

- Hmong folk songs ( Jăngx gâux H.Môngz ) collected and translated by Doan Thanh (Lao Cai Literature and Arts Association, bilingual edition, 1967).

- Indigo Flowers Bloom collected and translated by Minh Khuong (Literary Education Board of the Northwest Autonomous Region, 1974).

- The poetry collection Sun and Cloud Flowers ( Luz hmuz panx huôz ) was collected and translated by Minh Khuong (Hoang Lien Son Cultural Department in coordination with Tram Tau District Cultural and Information Department, 1977).

- Mong folk songs, volume I, collected, recorded and translated by Nguyen Tai Tue and Trinh Lai (Culture Publishing House, 1979).

- The collection of poems of ethnic groups Border songs ( Druoz Dirv têz gơu li lut txax ) collected and translated by Chau A Chin and Minh Khuong (Hoang Lien Son Culture and Information Department, 1980).

- The book "Songs of the Mong people fighting foreign invaders " ( H.Mongz li jangx ntauk chuov tir chauz txênhz te goưk ) was collected and compiled by Doan Thanh (Arts Association of the Department of Culture and Information and the Military Fortress Steering Committee of Hoang Lien Son province, 1981).

- The book of Mong folk songs was collected and translated by Doan Thanh; selected and edited by Hoang Thao; and introduced by Che Lan Vien (Literature Publishing House, 1984).

- Mong Culture book by author Tran Huu Son (Ethnic Culture Publishing House, 1996).

In addition, to promote and maintain the work of collecting and researching the culture and literature of the Mong ethnic group (as well as other ethnic groups) in the locality, Yen Bai has many cultural and artistic publications and magazines. Typical are: Yen Bai Poetry, Nghia Lo Poetry and Literature ; magazine: Yen Bai Literature and Arts (before 1975 to present); newspapers,

Hoang Lien Son Literature and Arts Magazine (1976 - 1991). Departments and districts also published publications. Thanks to these magazines and publications, research works on the culture and literature of the Mong people have reached readers.

Through the above mentioned research works, we can see that the research and collection of Mong ethnic culture and literature in Yen Bai has been quite active. The authors of these works are mostly people who love and are passionate about collecting and researching Mong ethnic culture and folk literature. To achieve such proud results, the authors have gone through a difficult process through field trips to the Mong people, helping them preserve the traditional cultural features of their people in the pages of books.

* Some outstanding achievements in collecting Mong ethnic folk tales circulating in Yen Bai:

First of all, we must affirm that the collection and research of Mong folk tales is closely linked to the collection of Mong folk literature. This is a very difficult task because Yen Bai is a large province with a sparse population, most of the Mong people live on the high mountain slopes, many of whom cannot read or write, and are not even fluent in Kinh. That requires collectors and researchers to be truly dedicated to Mong culture and literature. Since 1989, authors such as Minh Khuong, Pham Duc Hao, and Le Van have devoted their efforts to collecting and editing Mong folk tales in Yen Bai. However, up to now, there has not been any work that has fully introduced Mong folk tales in Yen Bai.

In 1989, Hoang Lien Son Literature and Arts Association Publishing House helped authors Le Van, Minh Khuong, Ha Lam Ky, Vang Thung Chung, To Giang, Lu Din Sieng, San Quang, and San Chang publish the story collection The King.

Stupid - Hoang Lien Son folk tales are 52 pages thick, including 10 stories collected throughout Hoang Lien Son province. Including 1 folk tale of the Tay ethnic group, 1 folk tale of the Muong ethnic group, 1 folk tale of the Nung ethnic group, 4 folk tales of the Giay ethnic group, 1 folk tale of the Cao Lan ethnic group and 2 folk tales of the Mong ethnic group: Hat Muoi (collected by Le Van) and Nha Tenh (collected by Minh Khuong).

In 1996, the National Culture Publishing House helped author Pham Duc Hao publish the story collection Suoi Nuoc Mat - a 90-page collection of folk tales of ethnic groups in Van Chan region, including 11 stories of ethnic groups collected and compiled by the author in Van Chan district (Yen Bai). Among them are 2 folk tales of the Mong ethnic group: The Legend of the Mountain of Two Grandmothers and Grandsons and The Turtle Prince .

In 1997, the National Culture Publishing House helped author Minh Khuong launch the 118-page story collection Nang Nu - Mong ethnic folk tales , including 21 Mong ethnic folk tales collected and compiled by the author in two mountainous districts, Tram Tau and Mu Cang Chai.

Listing 24 folk tales of the Mong people collected and compiled by authors, we see that: Tram Tau district has 9 tales, told by 2 artists: The concave and convex ground, The fairy in Ngu Son mountain, Nu Phay learning the flute, Nu, Nao and Xenh, Cu and Ky, The story of five fathers and sons, Sao Pang (all told by Giang Tro Xang, Tram Tau commune), The legend of the bear's tail (told by Giang A Lu, Tram Tau commune). Mu Cang Chai district has 12 stories told by 6 people: The Dead Sky (told by Thao Khua Ky, in the district town), The Legend of the Mong flute, The Story of Xi Xang (told by Ly Pang Tua, La Pan Tan commune), The Legend of the Hen Incubating Duck Eggs, Nine Sons, Tong Cua Calling the Bird, Ke Tau (told by Ly Tro Say, La Pan Tan commune), Chua Thênh and A So, The Green-Haired Girl, A Xang (told by Giang Nu Chu, La Pan Tan commune). Van Chan district has 2 stories told by 2 people: The Legend of the Mountain of Two Grandmothers and Grandchildren (told by Ly Ha Chu), The Turtle Prince (told by Giang A Su). The folk tale The Salt Grain collected by Le Van does not clearly state the name and address of the narrator.

With the published sources in hand, we realize that: The magical fairy tales of the Mong ethnic group circulating in Yen Bai are relatively rich in quantity and content. 24 magical fairy tales is not a large number but this is valuable for our survey work. We thank and appreciate the scientific achievements that previous researchers and collectors have made.

1.4. Text survey

1.4.1. Characteristics of the narrative

Surveying 24 magical fairy tales of the Mong ethnic group circulating in Yen Bai, we found some outstanding features of those texts, which are rich content. However, those texts have some common features as follows:

First: The accounts are of the Mong people in Yen Bai.

The collected texts are mostly magical fairy tales of the Mong people circulating in Yen Bai. This factor has dominated and led most of the stories told. Some motifs such as: flax thread, cow, horse, Mong flute, Gau Tao festival, number three, number nine ... are mentioned many times. These are images closely associated with the material and spiritual life of the Mong people in the high mountains. The story of the Two Grandmothers and Grandchildren Mountain is also associated with a specific place name (Hoa stream, Pinh Pe village, Cat Thinh commune, Van Chan district). The above details prove that, when living in the high mountains in a certain area, the Mong people have preserved their ethnic culture. This has been shown in their literature as well as their oral compositions. That is what makes the difference between magical fairy tales of the Mong people in Yen Bai and magical fairy tales of other ethnic groups residing in the same area. Because the Mong people live in the high mountains, they believe that they are close to heaven. When they have a problem, the characters often find a way to go to heaven, directly meet Xenh Lau (the god of heaven) and then Xenh Lau shows them how to solve it. Sometimes the god of heaven also comes down to earth or sends princes, princesses, fairies... down to earth to help kind-hearted people.

but encountered difficult circumstances on earth to escape from deadlocks. This has created unity and diversity in the magical fairy tales of the Mong people circulating in Yen Bai.

Second: Each story has only one telling.

The 24 collected fairy tales are 24 different versions. The content of the stories focuses on the following topics: orphans, younger siblings, stepchildren, disguised people, and brave men . Although the content of the stories is aimed at resolving all conflicts in reality between people, each story has a different way of leading. The end of each story is always the victory of good over evil, of goodness over evil. That shows that people always have sympathy for those who have many misfortunes in life, such as orphans, younger siblings, stepchildren, etc. This perception is influenced by the characteristics of folk literature, of which magical fairy tales are a sub-genre.

Third: The narrative represents the inheritance and transformation of the genre.

Like other genres and subgenres of folk literature, the magical fairy tales of the Mong people in Yen Bai also have a narrative that is difficult to determine the exact characteristics of the genre. This phenomenon has appeared in the stories The concave and convex ground , The fairy on Ngu Son mountain , The story of the hen hatching duck eggs . The above stories have signs of legends, they focus on explaining phenomena that occur in nature and society such as: Where do humans come from? Why is the ground concave and convex? Why do hens hatch duck eggs? Why do animals have different feather colors? ... However, if we consider them according to the correct characteristics of the genre, we consider them to be the subgenre of magical fairy tales. Because in all three stories above, explaining natural and social phenomena is only secondary, the main thing is shown in that it focuses on resolving all conflicts in reality between people through the help of magical, supernatural forces ... . . We consider the above works as fairy tales from myths. Maybe

This is a unique feature in the folk tales of the Mong people circulating in Yen Bai. From here we can see the relationship between the genres of folk literature.

1.4.2. Variation

The characteristics of the variant versions in the magical fairy tales of the Mong people circulating in Yen Bai are quite special. Some texts have similarities with the fairy tales of the Kinh people. However, in each version, the variant versions occur in many aspects such as: names, characteristics of the characters; space; the narrator's words...

The story Grain of Salt has many similarities with the story of the Farmer and the Demon of the Kinh people. In addition to the similarities, there are also some differences between the two stories. In the story Grain of Salt , the Mong author tells about the intelligence and resourcefulness of a poor Mong boy when he tricked the evil king through three challenges on his land. The king wanted the root, so he planted rice; the king wanted both the root and the top, so he planted corn; the king wanted both the root, the top, and the middle, so he planted taro. At the end of the story, the farmer was ordered to be beheaded by the vile king because both he and his flatterers unanimously affirmed that "sugar is more delicious than salt" . The king eventually died from lack of salt. In the story Farmer and the Demon , the Kinh author also tells about the intelligence and resourcefulness of a farmer when he tricked the evil demon on his land: The demon wanted the top, so he planted radish; the demon wanted the root, so he planted rice; the demon wanted both the root and the top, so he planted corn. In the end, the demon lost and ran away into the forest. Through the details in the two versions above, we can see that the density of the different details is relatively large.

The story of Chua Thênh and A So has many similarities with the story of the Starfruit Tree of the Kinh people. However, there are also differences between the two stories. In the story of Chua Thênh and A So , both main characters have their own names. As the older brother, Chua Thênh took all the family property, leaving only for A.

The inheritance was a little fox. Thanks to his talent in playing the flute, the fox helped A So become rich. Because he was too greedy and cruel, Chua Thênh was finally punished appropriately. In the story The Star Fruit Tree , the two main characters did not have their own names. The older brother took all the family property while the younger brother only inherited a star fruit tree. When he ate the star fruit, the phoenix paid the younger brother with gold, and his life became rich. The older brother was so greedy that he was thrown into the deep sea by the phoenix.

The story of Nao and Xênh also has a motif similar to the story of Tam and Cam . Only the details have changed a little. If in the story of Tam and Cam , before going to the festival, " Cam's mother and daughter took a basket of paddy and a basket of rice, mixed them together, and then forced Tam to separate them" . Buddha sent a flock of sparrows to pick them up for Tam. Tam cried because she didn't have new clothes to wear to the festival, Buddha told Tam to dig up a jar of goby bones and she found "clothes, a pair of shoes and a horse" . During the festival, Tam met the king. After a long struggle with Cam's mother and daughter, Tam finally regained the throne of queen while Cam's mother and daughter were destroyed. In the story of Nao and Xênh , when spring came, Xênh's mother and daughter also wore new clothes to go to the Gau Tao festival and forced Nao "to take the rice basket, pick out all the mouse droppings, then grind and winnow to clean the chaff" . The ghost of Nao's mother helped her cook rice and then showed Nao to the cow trough to get a new set of clothes. During the Gau Tao festival, Nao met Si Na - the daughter of a retired local official. They fell in love. After a long struggle with Xênh's mother and son, when she died, Nao's whole family was still able to live together: Si Na turned into a honey bee, Nao turned into a lush green indigo plant, the son turned into a bird, and Xênh's mother and son were also destroyed.

Besides, there are also stories like Turtle Prince, Ke Tau which are similar to the stories of Goat Prince, Frog Princess, Coconut Skull of the Kinh people. The characters in the four stories above all have very noble origins. They have

Survey of magical fairy tales of the Mong people circulating in Yen Bai - 4

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