The wharf with green space is a favorite destination for the elderly and young people. Ms. H Ven Ayun, from Triă village, Ea Tul commune, Cu Mgar district, said that the Ede people have always chosen a place to set up their village where they must have a clean water source, the water source flows day and night, year round and never runs out. Water is the source of life, bringing people good crops, warmth; The forest is a sacred place to protect the village. In order to have a clean and clear water source, people in the village work together to preserve the trees in the watershed; Because people understand that when the forest is lost, the water dries up, and every big tree that is cut down is an underground water source. Losing the forest, losing the water wharf, the village will no longer exist. Therefore, the forest surrounding the wharf will be protected intact by the people. Ms. H Ven Ayun said, every week, people will clean themselves, clean the water wharf very clean: “The water wharf of the Ede people in the past was self-flowing from the source, where there are many old trees and very good water. When it rains, the rainwater will wash away dirt, rotten leaves and garbage, and people will clean it regularly or monthly to keep the water source clean.” Today, although each house has well water and tap water to use, many Ede people still keep the habit of 2 mornings and afternoons to go to the wharf to bring water back to their activities. When the water is filled, people meet, ask about each other, and chat happily. If in the past, the roads leading from the village to the wharf were trails and steep slopes, today, in many villages, the road to the wharf has been concreted and built into steps to prevent slipping. In some places, both the wall and water pipes are concreted, using metal pipes as gutters. Today, many wharfs have been repaired and restored with concrete and cement. According to Ms. H Djuon Niê, in Phuong village, Ea Tul commune, Cu Mgar district, this approach helps to make the wharfs cleaner. When the road is convenient, more and more people come to the wharf, including tourists from far away: “Since knowing how to build with concrete and cement, the water source is clean and free of dirty garbage. We hope to keep the old trees at the wharf intact; trees must be protected, not cut down. Only trees can retain water; with moisture, water will remain and not run dry. there’s always water flowing over the years”. Along with urbanization, many wharves in Ede villages gradually disappeared or were abandoned. The reason is that the old trees were cut down, the watershed forest area was narrowed, drying out the groundwater, leaving the wharf without water, or the water was no longer clean. Facing this situation, the authorities of some localities in Dak Lak have solutions to recover the parts around the wharf to expand the watershed forest area, invest and restore the water wharves for the community. As in Dat Hieu ward, Buon Ho town, currently, the watershed forest area in Kli A village is only about 1,000 m2. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dat Hieu ward, the locality is speeding up progress to recover 0.8 hectares of land around the Kli A wharf area: “The locality is very interested in protecting the wharf. water as well as environmental protection, directing aggressively in the planning of this wharf, putting that area into planning for management.For the people in this village, they are also very conscious in the process. The process of protecting the environment here and protecting the wharf; they also strictly implement it, do not discharge waste into the environment during their living. The trees in the wharf area they also protect, preserve, and do not cut down. “. In many places, trails down to the waterfront have been replaced by concrete roads. In Cu Mgar district, since 2011, Doan Cu Mgar district has organized to repair and restore a number of water wharfs by cleaning the environment, clearing the flow, raising awareness about using and protecting resources. water and protect watershed forests. The local cultural sector also implements conservation activities of traditional culture, including the wharf and wharf worshiping ceremonies. Mr. Y Mang, Deputy Head of the Culture and Information Department of CuM’gar District, Dak Lak Province said: “In the past time, the Culture and Information Department has advised the District People’s Committee to repair and upgrade the water wharf for the district. In which, trees have been planted and a delegation has been established to zoning areas to protect and preserve the water wharves of the people. In addition, the cultural life, especially the culture of the people, must be preserved, and the wharf-worshipping ritual must be maintained. water, want the culture to be preserved and moreover that the water is clean”. From the sense of protecting the water wharf – the source of life, the Ede people in Dak Lak have a deeper sense of protecting the environment, protecting the watershed forests to preserve the village’s natural water flow. As a result, the wharfs of the Ede people are still maintained, which is a unique culture preserved for future generations.

The homeland of the M’nong Rlam people is like that, full of chun and nul (swamp), which Lo (wetland rice fields) is formed in those chun and nul. They know that bha (rice sowing) since the Kinh people in the delta still have to sow rice seeds to create seedling and then transplant. Farming, being that “water rice”, is a special upstream, because when it comes to the Central Highlands, I don’t understand why Kinh people immediately think of life with a civilization of shifting cultivation, farming, or industrial crops. after that. Remember, this highland wet rice civilization has nothing like the nature – the characteristics – the concept of books that Vietnamese (and international) professors write about “civilization”. wet rice” such as in the Red River Delta, Mekong River, Chao Phraya River (Thailand), Irrawaddy River (Myanmar) or in Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Philippines… The fields and villages of the M’nong Rlam people. The M’nong Rlam community earns a living from wet rice, but the spirit of life leans heavily towards the mountains, the spirit of greatness, admires Yang Bre, Yang B’Nom (the god of the forest, the god of the mountain) and all beliefs, habits, rituals are for the forest, for the sun, not for the moon. They have lived like that for decades. They are Australoid and speak an ancient Mon-Khmer language. What is more interesting and unique is that their life form is not like the M’nong people in the central highlands (in Dak Nong province now), the M’nong Nor, M’nong Prang, or M’nong Gar groups. not far from them, and especially the Ede. Their M’nong quality is a unique marriage between the life and culture of the original M’nong ethnic group in the southwest and the nearby Ede (ancient Austronesian) ethnic group in the north of their homeland. Only they have all the wonderful essences of M’nong and Ede. The house does not drop to the ground like the M’nong Gar people, nor does it raise the floor like the long house of the Ede people, but falls in the middle of the other two living spaces – that is, just enough to get off the ground. That they stay in the house on stilts – the long house. That space off the ground is “great”, just enough to avoid the earth’s vapor, and the “drop” space is also strangely smart, just enough to not touch the hot, blue sky. Thinking and lifestyle in harmony with nature. * In the fertile fields out there, the rice seeds they sprouted and then spread out into the mud. About three months to harvest. In the past, the rice was cut by hand and the buffalo pedaled, but now also “play” with the reaper and the thresher. But here and there, the hobby of cutting rice remains. Nul, jar, sheet bhum (rice plant), ple bhom (rice grain), grang pai (rice grain) are not only crops, agricultural products, goods but also “loved ones”, companions. Going to cut together, as a family. This season starts harvesting for one house first, then the other season starts from the next house, and so on. If someone’s field is ripe first, then sit back at the table to flexibly adjust and agree to “settle”. Fairness happens naturally, almost completely. If there is a theft of rice, or theft of rice, it will be imported by free migrants, never from the M’nong Rlam community. Two rice crops a year, no worries about lack of rice. Food, vegetables, meat, fish are on the slopes of mountains, in fields, lakes, lagoons, gardens; planting and bartering, and even buying. It reminds people of what is simple and pure, in harmony with heaven and earth, plants and trees, about the peaceful life that was once real in the world. And, the forest is tolerant, chivalrous, immense kindness. “Where there is a forest, there is food”, the M’nong have a saying. * The twenty-first century has passed a fifth, and oh behold, the long houses of wood combined with bamboo and the wild lifestyle are still rife. The forest has been stripped white even in the mountains, because of the times, the fields appear in their original form. The To, Yel, Kdie, Dham, Pai Bi, Triek, Mih, Duong Krieng, M’Lieng, Le, Jun, Bong Krang, Yang Tao… in Lak district (Dak Lak) are filled with such longhouses. The basket became the inseparable object of M’nong women. The figure of the woman still casts shadows on the houses. They still carry bags on their shoulders up and down the long house. The woman is the owner of the kitchen, and the owner of everything on that long house, and in the fields near and far. The matriarchy, and the children bearing the mother’s surname, stand tall in the midst of this modern age. However, the man is still respected and respected. They still eat hot pot, drink beer, talk about Saigon, Hanoi – from the internet. They still wear jeans, ride motorbikes, and wear sunglasses. But the most meaningful days for them are still baking all that can be eaten, drinking the wine from the jar. They go back to their nature when they can. They do not accept lying when sitting together. Lying will make people smaller, and lose “place” in the community. They take “love” as the quality of life. Take love and sharing as the goal. And material and comfort as tools and means for the other two. All humanity knows the core and ultimate life value in life, but if they can’t do it, here, the M’nong Rlam can do it, gently, naturally… * Every time they wandered, rested, slept, stayed in their long house, how could it feel close, warm and natural. Is not to be careful in walking, speaking, looking, watching, listening, reading. You can sleep anywhere you like. I like to sing whenever I feel inspired. No need to say hello or thank you much. They say gifts for them should not be bought with money but come to them, and remember them when going. They say that they have something to eat when they stay at home, never planning food, drinks, space layout. Bon of the M’nong people who work in wet fields since ancient times has been organized in a lang class. “Modern” and “civilized” are in this spirit of life, not far away. Luxury is the spirit of luxury, not the person, the place, the food, the place to stay, the place to play, the place to talk. The needy soul, the messy heart, no matter how beautiful the dress, how expensive the car is, how big the house is, it’s just fooling your own heart and fooling people. The true happiness of anyone under this sky is also peace. * Thirty-five years ago, the forest still filled those arctic mountains and licked down Lak Lake. In the field is also bustling with aquatic species, let alone rivers and lakes. Absolute purity, originality, originality. And basically there are only M’nong Rlam people, and M’nong Gar people are nearby. Now, dozens of ethnic groups flock here. The land is suddenly cramped, compressed, and pressured on the mountains, down the fields, swamps, and lakes. These M’nong bon are suddenly wrapped, peeled off from the green, suddenly playing with. Pity. Here and there, people from Buon Ma Thuot, forty-five kilometers from them, began to open tours that brought tourists from far away to their places to earn money. Truthfulness, wisdom, and civilization are exploited by shrewdness. Tourist footsteps pressed on his head, the branches and grasses there were buried thick. I love for the model of the world’s pure and beautiful life in the midst of the tumultuous world everywhere and especially when it is in the plans of those far away who do not create value, do not commit, pay tribute. Donate and focus on reaping benefits in the easiest way. This world has been shaken and broken by the trend of “materializing” the world, “convenience”, “maximizing”, “devising”. When is M’nong Rlam’s turn? Articles and photos: Nguyen Hang Tinh